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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-01-30, Page 5Page 4 Times -Advocate, January 30, 1985 Times Established 1871 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 NIB dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 LORNE FEDI' Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager CNA BIEL BATTEN • Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $23.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Worthwhile indeed Those who took advantage of the ef- forts of the organizing committee members for Local Government Week will no doubt agree with the contention by clerk Liz Bell that it was all worthwhile. While school students took full ad- vantage of the opportunity to visit the town's many departments and facilities, the number of adults participating was disappointing, particualrly in view of the efforts of those who had arranged the proceedings. The cable TV presentation put together through the main efforts of Jim Chapman was indeed a valuable con- tribution and one that no doubt will con- tinue to serve the community in future. The mock council session staged by Grade 10 students at SHDHS was most enlightening and was unquestionably a valuable learning experience, not only for the participants' but also the onlookers. Hopefully, the debates will en- courage students to continue their in- terest in local issues and if nothing more was gained, that would be a major ac- complishment that made the whole week well worthwhile. Costly memorial The Ontario Progressive Conser- mammoth cost over -runs and a sizeable vatives said farewell to Premier Wil ' . . • Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited • ~Elitnotoi i aoUFMHL - --- - - s r • a east for those watching on TV) program this week. However, Davis promised that his political skills and prominence would continue to be at the disposal of the par- ty should the need arise. Ontario residents will have -more than the Davis spirit imbedded in their minds over the next few years. During that time they'll be helping to foot the bill for the new domed stadium he announc- ed for Toronto in what many have seen . as a gesture to ensure a lasting memorial to his tenure. "In case beleagured taxpayers have forgotten, Montreal Mayor - Drapeau erected a similar" lasting memorial to himself=.in_ that_city_ The bill still hasn't been paid as the project experienced Those who will foot the bill for the Toronto project have every right to fear the same costly situation could arise. While Torontonians may be elated with the project, it is a joy not shared by many of those out-of-town residents who will contribute. Adding to the disdain is the fact that the site chosen is in downtown Toronto and access will be difficult for those con- tributing residents of other areas of the province who may wish to attend events at the facility and see how their money was spent. Had a site been chosen that indicated access by sporting fans from neighbor- ing Ontario centres had been duly con- sidered, then they mayhave made their contribution less grudgingly. Serving the public Those who think the free enter- prise system is alive and well in this country probabl y haven't been following events very close- ly, at least a -s they pertain to nur- sing homes. To an extent, some area farm machinery dealers may also be wondering about the notion that they have some con- trol over their own destiny. The nursing home issue. unfor- tunately. is hound to have an adverse effect on friendly r•ela- •-tions between Exeter and Seaforth, despite the fact those involved in the issue -are nothing more than innocent bystanders. At the cnix of the problem is the fact that Big Brother in Toronto feels he has to exercise control over where nursing home beds will be located. while at the sometime wanting private enter- prise 10 carry the burden of building the facilities in which those beds arc located. In short. 1Iie provincial govern- ment wants flit• best of both worlds and in attempting to achieve that goa1.'has designed a system that puts municipalities at odds 'with 'each other and has also created some unpleasant situations for the entrepreneurs who attempt to provide 1 he nurs ing care facilities while making the necessary prof it to keep them in existence. it is really a bizarre situation that defies comprehension. Why should one community's gain have to he another's loss. par. ticularly when there is ample in dication that both coninlunities have the same need for nursing care facilities`' Caught in the middle are the present residents of the nursing home facility in Seaforth. who will apparentlylhave to consider moving to Exeter or some other facility outside Seaforth. Facing ramifications of the transfer are those who are cur: rently employed at the Seaforth facility and who, for a variety of reasons, will he unable to con- sider moving their employment to Exeter. .Jobs will be lost in one com- Batt'n Around ...with The Editor triunity and there is little doubt that there will he economic rip- ples fell by others. White those involved locally in securing the new nursing home are elated with their success, they can easily sympathize with residents of Seaforth and know only too well what their reaction would be if the shoe was on the other foot. ** The principle of free enterprise is dictated by supply and de- mand. if both communities have a demand for nursing home beds, why does the ministry not mere- ly give them the okay to secure those beds in whatever manner is expedient`' Why does the province dictate the number of nursing home beds any more than it dictates the number of gas stations or conve- nience grilles which may locate in any one community? if grants are based on the number of occupied beds, then obviously 'no community or private individual is going to saturate the market beyond that which statistics would indicate would be a viable number of beds to have in any one location. While private enterprise may not be foolproof, it comes with no more risks or problems than those associated with the present system. The provincial government should set and control the stan- dards in nursing homes, but there appears little reason for the ministry of health to dictate where, when and by whom they should be erected. * * The wrath with which the nur- sing home situation has been met in Seaforth is comparable to that being experienced by the giant Tenneco Inc. in the matter of stripping franchises from farm machinery dealers following the amalgamation of the J. I. Case and the international harvester operations. Somewhere in the boardroom at Tenneco, people mistakenly thought they were dealing with some small dealers who would quickly grab up the offer presented and disappear into the night. The decision had ramifications for entire communities and the people in them who had built up good will trust through their dedicated efforts through the years. There were customers angered by the implication that their patronage could be switch- ed at the whim of some corporate decision. Big business, similar to big government, often lose sight of the fact that their decisions have an effect on people; the very peo- ple they claim to Terve. "Relax —just_ testing!" Under the weather Sorry, chaps, but I've been a bit under the weather lately and have failed in my long-time boast of never missing a column. Nemisis. Now, that's a strange phrase: "under the weather". No wonder foreigners find English idiom so difficult to master. You can be under the car or under the bed, though I don't know what you'd be doing in either case, but how can you be under the weather?" On the other hand, you en- counter people who say, "I'm over my cold," but no one who says, "I'm under my cold." Oh, well, ce ne fait rien, as we bil- ingualists say. That, translated, means, "this not makes nothing," proving that French idioms are just as silly as Engligh ones. However, today is one of those rare but glorious winter days, when, after three days of steady snow and the roaring, growling and clanging of snowplows, the air is like iced champagne, the sun is blazing, there is no wind- chill, and the snow lies deep and white and everywhere. The sky is light blue and cloudless. My spruce in the back, now about sixty feet, seems to leap toward the heavens, with on- ly her lower branches, laden with white, bent to the earth to hold her there. Hey, maybe I am'still under the weather. The spell of the weather, which does make sense. But it's the sort of day on which only an idiot would contemplate suicide. Not that I know what type of days they do. I'd guess one in November, when there's another long winter looming, or one in February, when it seems that spring is six months away. Got through Christmas pretty well. Managed to erecta tree, by holding it carefully while my neighbor did all the dirty work underneath with the stand. He's an expert. It didn't fall down once and only began to lean a bit after my grandboys had slid under it eleventy-seven times to pull out or push in the plug for the lights. They enjoyed this almost as much as they enjoyed burning half my winter's supply of wood in the fireplace. The latter made me a bit skitzy. Not because of the wood, but because of the way Sugar &Spice Dispensed by Smiley they tended the fire, once lit. 'They didn't. As soon as it was blazing, they forgot about it, and himself had to lumber out of his armchair and close the firescreen or whatever. Took the whole mob out for Christmas dinner: son, daughter, and two grandboys. I hate to disappoint you, but it was a great success. Last time i tried that, year ago, it was a dismal failure: tough turkey, lumpy turnips, cold diningroom and half -sloshed waitress. This time, the idea was to give Kim a break and save yours tru- ly from making the stuffing, do- ing the stuffing, trussing the bird and interfering with the gravy - making. And Hugh is on a vegetarian kick, another complication. Kim, who had typically, forgot- f ten her dress -up clothes, dug up S a classic black dress of her b mother's along with a couple of be gold chains and some earrings, M didn't have to lift a finger and put g on about two pounds. - fo Hugh, nattly attired in blue jeans and a jacket from Honest Ed's, with a pair of shoes I'd given him, found a vast salad bar and was in heaven. The boys kept running from buffet to salad bar, plate in hand, one way empty, the other way loaded. And all around us was am- bience, whatever that is. Soft lights, fires burning, great ser- vice, excellent beef and seafood. No dry turkey. No lumpy turnips. No lukewarm gravy. No runny pumpkin pie, but fantastic cakes and tarts. , But the clincher was that it didn't cost me a cent. All I had to do was sign a little thing, which will probably be lost in the holi- day rush. Sounds idyllic, eh? Ho family fights, no major disasters. Even the TV set worked through the holidays. It usually breaks down when there's nobody to fix it. But my old acquaintance, Nemesis, was lurking in the wings. in my case, it took the form of my garage, an ancient wooden structure that looks like a green, swayback horse, if you can visualize that. On the Saturday evening after Christmas, I came home from a brief shopping trip, after dark. Drove into the garage, always tricky; because I think ` was built for a Model -T. Got out to plug in my block heater. Discovered my front wheels were sitting on the cable. Put her in reverse to get off cable. Driver's door swung open. Leaned far left to grab door before it hit side of garage. Simultaneously stabbed right oot at brake. Hit accelerator. till in reverse. Went shooting ackward, right across street, fore getting foot on brake. angled door of car. Mangled arage. Mangled ego. Good start r 1985. At a loss for words i have a friend who has been a teacher for many years. On the side he has also managed to effi- ciently run a farm. As a teacher he is of course constantly marking children's books and checking their vocabulary. As a farmer he doesn't necessarily deed the same set of words that he uses during the day. One winter's Saturday he was having a particularly rough time. the tractor wouldn't start and when he went to run the feed chopper something jammed up in it sending a cascade of white floury chop all over him. He got down on his knees to get world, and farming in general to under the machine and while he what he thought was an audience of chickens. By the Way by Syd ...................... Fletcher was working in this uncomfor- table position banged his head. He reared back up and com- plimented the machine, the Not so. lie heard. somebody clear his throat behind him and turned a bit, cleared- the chop enough out of his eyes to see his minister standing there with a small grin on his face. "Well ---, i think you're in the right position and you've certain- ly got the name straight," he commented dryly. For a person who had been so fluent a moment before, my friend suddenly found himself at a loss for words.