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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1982-07-07, Page 4Times -Advocate, July 7,1982 ti . r- T..y .*, - i i imes- Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIFS Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Publkhed Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada;20.00 Per year: U.S.A. 555.00 C.W.N.A., O,C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and `ABS' Need a pinch -hitter Finance Minister Allan MacEachen has obviously fail- ed in his latest attempt at instilling some confidence in the Canadian economy and he should now face the fact that the prime avenue open to him in fulfilling the goal is to resign and let someone else take a crack at the job. That is not to suggest that MacEachen is solely respon- sible for the current recession and lack of confidence in the economy, nor that all the ideas presented in his latest budget presentation are totally unacceptable. The entire government must share the responsibility, as well as the free -wheeling spendthrifts at several other levels of government and the majority of Canadians whose greedy disposition of recent years has brought them to the brink of an horrendous problem. MacEachen is quite correct in noting that all Canadians must join the battle by reducing their demands, but with a few noteable exceptions, he has not given any indication that his government has yet grasped the realization .that their spending habits have been a major contributing factor to the current situation or that it must be significantly reduc- edif the country hopes to. get back onto the path of the recovery he is touting. C 11 The projected deficit of nearly $20 billion represents a millstone that this nation can not afford to carry, and given the government's track record of accounting prognostica- tions in that area, he is probably being ultra -conservative in his estimate. It is well beyond the comprehension of most people how the deficit can almost.double within the few short months since the minister of finance brought down his much - maligned and misguided document of November. The drain on the economy is staggering and the deficit is obviously moving in the opposite direction that it should be if the government wants to instil some confidence from national and international investors. Government nave spent their way into the problem and it is ludicrous to think that they cannow spend their way out. The nation can't afford to give MacEachen time for the full three strikes before he's satisfied that he should be out. The game's too important for that and he should step aside now after his two misses and give someone else a chance to try and correct the situation with the "swing” that is need- ed to save the game. Leaders should quit, too When a nation is 'troubled it is natural that its people should look to their federal government for leadership. It is also natural that attention will turn to government heads in increasing degrees as problems continue to press upon the well being of the nation. ' So it is these days that Canadian attention is focused in- ward, towards Ottawa. Whatever it; is we are seeing from The House, it is not leadership. We are seeing a House in shambles, a House reduced to the level of a low -ranking debating society, a House without decorum, without efficiency and without effect. We are watching a government dedicated to trying to defend a defenseless budget, trying to rescue a misguided energy policy, trying to justify one of the most blatant ex- amples of patronage ever disclosed in this country, and try- ing to smooth over an action that borders on undue influence on the part of the solicitor general: We are watching an opposition more intent upon disrup- ting the House than putting forth new proposals for the good of the country, an opposition that hasn't gotten over its bungle -job of government. Suca mish-mash of government cannot be the fault of two or three men, but certainly many Canadians have reached a fundamental conclusion: for the good of their country both Prime Minister Trudeau and Opposition. Leader Clark should fold their tents and go. The last two elections in this country have resulted in protest votes. Joe Clark and the Tories did not win the.1979 election, Pierre Elliott Trudeau and his Grits lost it. And Trudeau and the Grits did not win the 1980 election - Clark and the Tories lost it. Not only has the electorate lost confidence in these two leaders, but there is growing opposition to them from within their own parties. , Their status in Parliament has become such tdat'should Clark be replaced itis almost certain Trudeau would not win another election, should he consider it interesting enough to run, and should Trudeau be replaced, the Tones would almot certainly remain in the opposition benches. Itis a deplorable state of affairs. Considering the entire history of this relatively young nation, we cannot think of a similar situation a situation where the leaders of our two major parties were clearly un- wanted and the men involved refused to leave. No one could say it better than. Oliver Cromwell in ad- dressing the Rump Parliament in April of 1653. "You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!" (Listowel Banner) A name befitting a prince So, we're to have a Prince William! It's obviously a name fit for a prince andputs to rest the hopes of all those who carry less noble names that the newest member of the Royal Family would carry their .banner onto the throne. The choice of William revives an old royal name, although unfortunately it has not been one that has always been revered in the manner which should be expected. The first British monarch known by this name was the duke of Normandy and he certainly lived up to the traits that could be expected from someone with such a moniker. He was better known as William the Conqueror who subdued England in 1066. It was that swash-buckling, daring, adventuresome, strong-willed man after whom mothers around the world bestow- ed similar characteristics on the offspr- ing named in his memory. It was a tough act to follow, but nonetheless it was. The name was slightly tarnished from 1087 to 1100 during the reign of William II, alsocalled William the Red. However, it should be noted emphatically that the red stemmed from hair coloring and not political persuasion.. Then came King William 1II. Current events, and not just history, are trying to sort that one out. Depending upon what part of Ireland one chooses to travel, the name is either fondly recalled or should be replaced with a pseudonym to escape the risk of having a bomb placed under your heels. The last, who ruled from 1830 to 1837, was King William IV, called among other things, Silly Billy. Oh well, there has to be a skeleton in every closet! While the writer admits to being unin- formed (wait for the rest of it) as to the royal prerogative in names, there are few parents around the world who wouldn't suggest Charles and Diana are being gullible in decreeing that their son won't be called anything but William. Parents, of course, can stick to any ideals they wish in how they personally signal their offspring, but after that it ap- pears fair game for everyone else to use whatever variations they wish. William may not be one of the most BATT'N AROUND with the editor fig; .'•s7 maligned names, but there are few with more variations, and there are few ex- amples of toddlers being stuck with the full noble handle of William, most ending up with Bill, Billy, Will or Willy. My personal experience is that William is used primarily when the user is attemp- ting to register some verbal punishment or disdain. Whenever I hear someone say "William!" there's an immediate defence mechanism deployed to help withstand whatever is to follow. That comes through the experience of hearing it whenever the occasion arose to be called up on the carpet, taken to the woodshed or being admonished for some faux pas either at home, school or in heated arguments with friends and foes alike. The problem is that short names such as Bill or Will don't allow for the proper emphasis to gain the attention that is in- tended. W -I -L -L -I -A -M has that long - flowing, resonant quality that can give. those of us with the name that warning signal that some heavy physical or ver- bal bombardment can be anticipated. It at least gives you time to duck, brace your feet, take a deep swallow or employ whatever other defence mechanism that you feel is necessary. Even a prince should be given that op- portunity for advance warning signals, but he won't if his parents use the same name regardless of the situation. No doubt Charles and Di realize that what they decree may not be followed ex- plicitly by Billy's playmates out on the playground beside their estate. Even Bill will sound good in comparison to some of the nicknames that may be bestowed. Been up to the local sports field lately? Well, if you haven't, you may be in for a most pleasant surprise. The hardball diamond is now com- pleted, thanks in no small part to the physical and financial leadership of Braid Gregus, and it completesthe ball portion of the community park. Work is underway for the soccer pitch and should be ready for play sometime next season. Coupled with the rec centre, tennis courts, horse ring and ag building, the park now gives Exeter and area residents one of the most attractive and complete recreation areas anywhere in this province. It would be impossible to list all those who have gone beyond the call of duty to refurbish the park, but suffice it to say they are owed a considerable debt of gratitude by the community. Hopefully, they will, similar to those who played such a stellar part in getting the rec centre completed, get their greatest satisfaction from seeing the facilities in use. Drop up and make an inspection... and remember, donations are still required to take the project over the top. 411.••••••• a� • ►hr v.1. •!. •..t ,. a.••k.y...v, •„•..�. .:, "Looks like an Alberta Liberal came out of the closet." Reflect history This . column is dedicated to The Macleod Gazette, and whether it will get there in time for the 100th anniversary of the paper depends on such slippery things as MacEachen,Trudeau, our dismal postal services, and - inevitably - the Lord. Have you read The MacLeod Gazette? Nor have I. But.it will be the first newspaper in the Pro- vince of Alberta to reach this milestone. Maybe it will remind my readers of how young this country really is. A second maybe is that it.may remind readers of the vital role played in Canadian culture by those intrepid people who started up a newspaper in any hamlet with more than two hundred people, 30 horses, and a few pigs, in _ the last century, as Canada grew from a few eastern strongholds into a vast country, stretching from sea to sea. Right on the heels of the first settlers: farmers, adventurers, lawmen, came some crazy man with a couple of galleys of type and some newsprint, as the CPR wormed and struggled and J asped its way across this incredible continent. So that only eight years after Fort Macleod was founded, as a North West Mounted Police post, the Gazette was inaugarated. It was printed a page at a time on a Gordon job press propelled by the foot. First edition appeared .on July 1, 1882. In 1884, the Gazette went to four pages. . The necessary equipment was brought to Bentin by river steamer, thence by- bull team of Macleod. Power to turn the press was sup- plied by Indian braves. from a nearby reserve, , Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley without record the history of the Gazette, but the battle with interlopers went on for years. I know all about it. In my boyhood, there were. two papers in my home town, and they went who took turns at the han- dle. It took a dozen natives to crank out an edition. Like every other smalltown newspaper, the Gazette was constantly challenged by opposition. This was an occupational hazard in those days. Even the tiniest village had at least two newspapers, usually political opposites, who slammed and blasted each other with a colour and variety of libel that today would have them tied up in lawsuits for 'years. In 42 years there were 10 dif- ferent names for the residents of Fort Macleod to look for on the news stands. One of the upstarts that challenged the .Gazette emblazoned on its masthead: "With Malice Towards All and Charity to None." It followed its principles, and the local residents ate up the hot court news. Hmmmm. Folks 'haven't changed much. Read the Toronto Sun lately? I haven't space here to after each other hammer and tongs. In.the small town where I was a weekl editor, we were sey.e.tal times threatened with opposi- tion, but always managed to stave it off. But at any • time, any guy who was a printer and had 40 dollars in his pocket, and could buy an old press on credit, was a potential rival. In the town I live in now, the weekly paper, once an outstanding one, had slid downhill, and was 'given lively opposition by a ' .bright new paper, and almost went down the drain, but was saved by being bought by a big syn- dicate, with money to take the losses, hire new people, and buy new equipment. They're still battling it out, but they don't dare attack each . other as the old-timers did, because of the libel laws. Pity. If make:, live- ly reading when one editor calls his counterpart a cretin, and the latter res- ponds that _ the former is warts. probably a child molester, undoubtedly a crook, and absolutely a .political pawn. Today's community newspapers, while they produce a much slicker, and better informed pro- duct, can be scanned pret- ty quickly. There are none of those tantalizing little innuendoes that used to appear such as: "Jack Spry is living up to his name while his wife is visiting her mother. He is spending quite an amount of time on Scott St., con- doling the late widow of his old friend Capt. Tom Cat." But today's community papers are still doing what they have done for years. They give fairly thoroughlythe local news, though they still, for the most part, avoid treading on the toes of the big advertisers. They support local ac- tivities, from the drama group to the Legion, to the service clubs, to the Chamber of Commerce to the good of the whole town. They supply a running history of their communi- ty, even though they remove the warts. I expect the Gazette has changed with the times, but I won't know until I get a free subscripton for writing this column, from editor -manager Jack Murphy. At any rate, the Fort Macleod Gazette must be a good paper, for it has won awards for Best Front Page, Best All -Round Paper, Best Editorial Page, Best Sports Photo, and so on. Had fill of politicians I try tokeeppolitics out of this column as a rule but in the last few months I've had my fill of politi- cians and the promises they make. It bothers me about the extent of the hypocrisy and double- dealing that goes on by some of the people that we unceasingly vote right back in. Our memories seem to be very short at election time. For example, the Con- servatives were voted . back into power here in Ontario not too long ago. Mr. Davis, given a man- date, not a licence, ,mind you, decided that it was high time to buy a $10 million jet so that hg and other cabinet ministers could travel in style and speed to all parts of the globe...Ten million dollars would have bailed out a lot of reputable business men who have gone bankrupt this last year. I wonder who they'll vote for next time. proud to ask for the kind of help, that money could have created some good jobs or better training Perspectives Several hundred houses could have had reasonable interest rates guaranteed with that money. Perhaps several factories would not have gone under if the provincial government had put a little pressure on the banks at the ap- propriate time. For all those men out of work, trying to avoid welfare, and believe me, there are a lot of them, too By Syd Fletcher facilities. Instead, the all-knowing government decided to get themselves in a lot more debt by buying Suncor, a company which had been nicely cleaned out of much of its assets by its parent company just before the sale. Surely an unwise purchase when there is a glut of oil on the world market and likely will con- tinue to be. Those hundreds of millions could have been used to pay off debt in- stead of increasing it; in- stead of raising our sales tax on many basic items it could have been lowered. Then again, I have lost faith in a government that claims to be interested in energy conservation yet raises the license taxes on small fuel -saving cars and lowers it on the guzzlers. Ask yourself whoa sales tax hurts the most --the corporations who are able to deduct it as a business expense, or the little fellow whose income has already been terribly eroded by a crashing dollar and rapidly rising prices. The answer is easy, isn't it. 1 can't imagine why Mr. Davis hasn't been able to figure it out yet. 1