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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1982-09-15, Page 4s. pore 4 re' Thmos-Adsoccite, September I 5, 12 • t ' -r • -40.-t imes - dvocate Times Established 1873 Serving South Huron Nem* Midi/emit Advocate Established 1881 St North Lvnbecin Since 1W3 Amalgamated 1924 Pubfoilsed by 1.W. Feely Pistilli -ado= I' LORNE EEDN— Publkher JIM BECKETT Acker's-ins: Manager • Bill. BATTEN Editor HORN DEVRIES Compososon "stammer ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK IONGKIND Business Manager Pubisbed Each Wednesday Martino at Feeler, Ontario Second Class Mal Ite#straskin Number WIC Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Conde $20.00 Per year: U.S.A. $.55.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and `ABS' Not way business done If attracting business was as simple as sei-ving up fine food and some booze, the nation's economic woes would soon be righted. However, most -astute business people learned a long time ago that that simple approach just doesn't work. Certainly, the potential customer will avail • himself of the hospitality, but only the most naive will fall victim to thinking the good food and booze deserve any repayment in the form of a business order. Those with that amount of naivete were pushed in- to bankruptcy long ago and the only .potential • customers remain' ing are those who look well beyond the fine foodand booze and consider only the price and quality of the product they are buying. In fact, there are those who became leery of dealing with people who "put on the dog" because they fear the hospitality displayed may be an attempt to cover something up. Most also know they're paying for it if they do place the order. There probably isn't a blossoming school -girl in Canada who hasn't been warned by her mother to be wary of the suitor who plies her with fine food and booze. It's unfortunate for the taxpayers of Ontario ,that the mother of the premier didn't pass along that ad- vice to her son. Had she done so, Bill Davis may have reconsidered the value of spending over $200,000 on a lavish, party to entertain the delegates to the Interna- tional Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting. He and his colleagues appear to think the expen- diture was worth it in terms of the public relations and possible business orders the province could receive in return. Of course, Davis and his colleagues have been employing that tactic for years to get r•e-elected, so the taxpyers are partly to blame for " ti Hopefully, some oflhose taxpayers are becoming a little more intelligent and won't be so easily bought with their own money in the future. They're now finding out the cost of that ex- travagance, although the government members ap- parently haven't learned the same lesson yet. Maybe they will when the next election rolls around? Perhips some of the PC spend4hrifts will get some help from those banking delegates in return for the hospitality, but is it highly tmlikely, because that's not the way business is won these days. Nip it in the bud While it is only in the planning stages, the initial reaction to the possibility of drilling for oil under the Great Lakes has been one of strong opposition. That's probably what the ministry of natural • resources expected, but just in case the officials are unclear, area residents should join those who are vehemently opposed to any such suggestion. • Certainly, the discovery of oil and natural gas • desposits under the lakes could be economically • beneficial to 'Ontario, but clearly constitutes one of • °melon or7intitofwherethat commoditythe crisadvantagesfor anymtreasom-weighevtbeen advantages. Thousands of people in this area depend on Lake Huron for their water supply and few would opt for the one that may be as important as oil. Until such time as someone comes up with an ab- solutely foolproof method of extracting oil without the usual risks of spills, however minimal those risks may be perceived, the suggestion of feasibility studies on drilling should be dismissed. • Time to take a stand on dogs While 3-D movies and TV shows have bees making a slight resurgence; the 3--D •topic has been‘widi far a long time. especially at area council sessions. The 3 -Ds,- of coirse, are dogs. dust and deli:aliments. - In met years. costciik such as the one here in Exeter hare made great strides • against the dust portion. and further gains are evident this year through tbe paving LI several streets Ir fact. the writer can't. recall any member of council reporting any com- plaints from local ratepayers regarding the m the past. couple of years. although it was once the main topic of conversation 'and criticisms during the spr•ing months in particular. • "be same -results have not been attain- ed iv the caber two .weas. possility because the remecbes are not quite as easy assigning a few cheqes fur a paving contractor The hu element beComes invothed m the problems associated wilt do and delinquents. not just im the problem. but also ie the solution It probably came as no surprise to members of the local council that stun - mer student Brenda Pinder discovered there Imre 115 owners iddogs who had never punohased tags as required under the Iowa bylaw Many d these owners • were not merely delmquent� that ac- count this year. but Wive never paid far a dog ta4 for several years • . The noo-paying -owners represent almost one-asarter of the total number ri peep* with dogs m the co -....unity. in - ablate it s a soseatie problem. Three* her friendly persuasion. Mins Pinder taapapod utak 32 d deba- want owners into buy, Mg lap. hut there we still St who are in violation of the holler la their dehlieratians on the subject last week. council decided to write the owners in a final attempt to collect the outstan- ding debt "before taking further action. - men BATT'N AROUND the editor '-7,10:114111M While J", is difficult to argue too stenuously against council's obvious *- merry it thematic- m view of the small ems= ce mom" repc-esemed m the over- due payments from dog usrners. it is perhaps that type of leniency and double - standard that creates the problem: - The fact is. that through the yews cotmcils have never taken stringent measures to collect dog tag fees. mid as a reSuh more and • more owners have decided that there is ne particular mane to cough up the Motley. But. obviously . ttat is =fair to thae . who acme% their responsibility each year to pay their fees There is no other area m which tax- payers are shown so much leniency if you're late m paymg taxes, you '- mediate} j- start paying interest If you don't adhere to the requirements of the parking bylaw. builchng bylaw or other bylaws. you face The immediate rink of paying a fine or having yaw building pro ject halted S. why should dog owners who don't meet die requirements d the bylaw mempe the same immediate action' Council would hrve made the efforts of Mks Pinder Vlore valuable had they decided to advise delinquent owners that charges wank, have been laid uoder the bylaw if prymeat was not received in 10 days. rather than merely maul's the hollow threat of some future action. • • • • The lenient attitude. imfartusately. car- ries over into the more serious problem of dog owners who permit their canines to rum at large. As Miss Pinder advised, there are several areas of the community where this is a particular problem. but dances are there will be no major attempt by ccamcil to correct the problem. Again. the lenient attitude is midair to those who tin assume their responsalnlity • m adhering to the bylaw and keep their canines under contro: It is also the reason. as same dog owners have explained. why they do not pay far tags They reasor that if cotmcil members &e'1 erecect one aspect of tbe rules far dogs. they shouldo't enforce other aspects niere's some merit in that reaming. and n paints out the need for council to take a stand and either enforce the entire bylaw or strap it • The enumeration of dop, which mam- a wisely conducted this past, year. will be a total waste unless they beat up the wart With action ' They now have the foundation as which to build elective clog cootroi, boa any le- niency will quickly erode the situation to the mune level it has berso m moat years. when it annially constituted eine d the components of the 3-D complaints. The cost of the solutior a moth less than that expended ot einsiemeieg the dust problem It requires only a Erre and tee stand' It's time to take of the rerresisred games and take that stand. "Interest rates, unemployment, inflation, the Liberals, metric, acid rain, arms race2western separatism, Reaganomics . . ." • Can't finish this column It makes me a little hap- py and a little sad to be go- ing - back to teaching English this September far the last time. Happy because September is the golden. month. The students are bored after a long summer of working or looking for work. and are lively. ex- cited, keen. as they pack into the classrooms.' ex- changing wild anecdotes about their summer adventures. back into same sort of structured We after goofing around aimlessly interested in new girls, -new boys. new teed:ors_ Teachers. too, head into September with a new spirit. their minds restless, their bodies fit. their idealism about teaching renewed. They are full of new plans for ex citing courses. reinvested with dedica- tion. and ready to man the barricades • with enthusiasm. Back in the linty ponds 4...of their minds of course. 'Ilse experienced teachers know -that king, cold. dead- ly January and February he ahead. complete with - the 'flu. the snow. apathetic students. ir- ritating administrators. personality clashes with their peers. and all the detritus of the second term - But in September. they close off that nightmare. just as ive all gnore such things as . heart at- tacks. and death. until we are into them We fee] a proper rec- titude. and joke alociut it. concerning our social role in taking off the hands of . their mothers those bored. whining teenagers who have been driving their parents crazy in the last few weeks of summer; staying out too late; get- ting into minor scrapes; wanting things their folks can't afford; and perpetually claiming, What is there to do?" Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley Personally, I enjoy meeting new studetns, evaluating them with subtlety. implanting them with new ideas, telling them ancient jokes, becoming aware of their personalities. good, bad. or indifferent, and trying to form some sort of a learning unit from 30 -odd bodies whose minds and likes and dislikes and ag- gressions and inhibitions are as disparate as the stars in the heavens. It's ,a good time, September. Usually iots of sun. grass still green, leaves still on the trees: new asperations. new hop. new friendships. Football practices star - ung. Cheer -leaders being chosen. Golf course beckoning after school. Evervbody tanned. freckled. friendly. And best of all. the meetings. Staff meetings. department meetings. department . heads: meetings. meetings to establish committees to accomplish this or that, all forgotten by next March. There's a wonderful at- mosphere at these meetings. They're full of wit and thrust, repartee and aphorism, as though they had been written by Oscar Wilde or G. B. Shaw. Or. Edgar Guest. Or Ann Landers. Nobody in his/her right mind would miss one of these meetings on a golden 'September afternoon. the conversa- tion . sparkling like Pablum. But I mentioned a cer- tain 'sadness in seeing my last September in the halls of the. shoe factory. I'll miss it. I'll miss the novice teachers asking me, -What'll I do tomorrow?" I'll miss veteran teachers binding away about other veteran 'teachers sneaking in before school opening and stashing away all the books that the former wanted on opening day. I'll miss whupping into shape a gaggle of cocky, illmannered, blas- phemous Grade Niners who have to learn that they are now on the bot- tom of the ladder not the top. I'll miss scaring the senior grades with horror stories about the amount of reading and writing. they'll have to do in the next 10 months. Some of them turn livid with fear. -Most just roll their eyes: I'll miss the camaraderie of the staff • room, where the women gossip in little peeps about the other women an the staff, tbe men ex- change rauchy jokes loud enough for the gossiping -women to hear. and, especially. the shuf- fleboard table. where the motto is to reverse and cid ethic. "It doesn't matter bow you play the game. it's whether you win or lose." I'll miss ,having a science teacher. an 'art teacher, a French teacher. or a jock. on my English staff. They have so much to add to the teaching of English. I've also had tech -teachers. history teachers. and no leachers in tuy depart- ment: I'll miss them all Gratefully but. sincerely. I'll miss the surly kids who turn out to be quite decent when you treat them decently.. 111 even miss the problem kids. who keep you oo your toes. like a private eye. waiting for their next coo job. And I'll miss the ge- nuinely decent kidsmost of them, who roll along through the sYstem, and greet you five years after graduation and 'force you toadmire their to -ins. • I'll miss the members of my own department, who stuck with me through thin and thinner, offering to take non-existent loads of my shoulders and replacing them with boulders In fact,' I'll miss so much. September 1963. that I'm getting all mixed • up, and can't finish this column. Aren't you glad? Easy resolution to problem With slimmer nicely aver it, has been io- teresting to note the number of • water accidents-hoth swiniming and boating • Somebody in- vanably forgets to turn the blowers on that clear • the gaeolme out of the bilges am bigger boats. and starts the engine with 1 disastrous results. can remember a near - accident that I had several yeses ago. We went out for a swim at the Salford quarry. not too far from Ingersoll. 1 suppose a quarry. does not seem like a good place to go far a Swim hut for the people of down. that area . it was an alter- Anyway. 1 had my son native to 'driving down to on my shoulders giving vonianamma Perspectives By Sri Fittcher 11111111111111111.111111111 Lake Ere on a hot day. Besidesthe bottom didn't slope off too quickly until you were eight or ten feet from the shore. Then, of courst it was straight him a ride, and stepped too close to the drop-off. 1 gave a quick Orking step toward the shore and he immediately tightened his legs around my neck, • quite effectively cutting off my wind I couldn't knock him off for fear of dumping him in the deep water and I couldn't move forward into the safe shallower area. Fortunately my wife saw me turning red then purple and called 16 my son to jump off and swim toward shore He did so and I was able to do the same, an easy resolution to a problem that could have. resulted in a trolledY• For !WM reason we always made the hot drive to the lake from then on.