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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-02-06, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, February 6, 1985 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 gimes dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher BM BECKETT Advertising Manager *CNA BILL BATTEN -Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager KOSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK IONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $23.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 -C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Let's be realistic Exeter council should have clear areas to even consider the vast indication that the planning advisory proposal. Perhaps it's all part of the philosophy used in most types of negotiations; ask for much more than can be expected in the hope that you can get more than what the other par- ty is initially prepared to give. That may be accepted in horse trading deals, but it is hardly in- dicative of tried and true planning principles. Surely the committee and council can reach some realistic goals for the community's commercial needs over the next five years or so and make a sensible recommendation to the ratepayers. Some extension of the commercial zoning along Main St. appears valid, but the need for property along - William and Andrew streets is in- conceivable at this time, based on committee proposal for a mammoth extension of commercial zoning into residential areas is not welcomed by a majority of those ratepayers whose property is being considered for rezoning. On the surface, there appears lit- tle reason for the proposal in the first place. That point was made more aboundantly clear at Thursday's hear- ing when Mayor Shaw said he envi- sioned no commercial establishments on either William or Andrew St. in the next 20 years. County planner Malcolm McIntosh carried the predication even further when he used the proverbial "never in a million years" would the proposed commer- cial zone be filled. Regardless of which estimate of time is more accurate, it is evident that there is no realistic basis for even both historical and current asking the owners in the residential circumstances. Step backwards Canada's all-out move to metric conversion has been slowed by the federal government with the an- nouncement this week that businesses will be allowed to revert to imperial measures as long as they also have ----metrial —•— e r! e • too if they find customers demand it of them. The final result will be more head - scratching for consumers. They'll have to look twice to know whether ( their purchase price is being quoted in •: s.• available. That may be good news for those who failed to comprehend the metric system, but it will probably cause retailers some more costly problems. They've already paid to get metric equipment under orders from federal authorities and now they'll have to consider imperial equipment forecast is in Fahrenheit or Celsius, etc., etc. The elementary school students who have already mastered metric will now have to learn that old system which their parents just wouldn't let die. It's difficult to know who won the • battle; or for that matter, who was fighting. Common sense is required enjoyable winter weekend. motorists and feed them for vary - Similar to the groundhogs, the ing periods of time until they are forecasters had achieved their 50 able to resume their travels. percent record. She makes several valid points in noting that many of the motorists have bragged about skirting around "road closed" signs, are not dressed ap- propriately for winter travel and then depart without considering paying for all the food they've eaten during their weekend in the country. Some, she explains, are even too busy to say thanks. Mrs. Porter places some of the blame on the media who send out crews to interview stranded / motorists and their hosts for Batt n "cute" stories. She says that in- Around n- Around correctly suggests the the hosts are happy to have some people arrive for an unexpected party with The Editor dismiss warnings and visible and it also encourages people to storm signs in the future. Despite the advances in modern technology, there is every indication that weather forecasting remains a very inac- curate science. Surely with all those satelites Even the groundhogs, which and radar they could be expected gain considerable prominence to be a bit more accurate so peo- this week, have a 50 percent ple could have a little more faith chance of being right in their and know what action to take prediction about the remaining when predictions are relayed to length of winter, and that percen- them. tage appears to be comparable to that which other prognosticators enjoy. There is little doubt that predic- ting the weather in this area is difficult, due to the unpredictable nature of our neighboring Great Lakes. Other factors bring quick changes that also bedevil those who attempt to advise what the elements may have in store for us. The blizzard that descended upon this area on January 19 had been predicted and yet many area residents failed to heed the warning and were trapped in whiteouts and experienced a variety of situations ranging from having babies at home, weddings cancelled and spending a couple of days in the nearest port they could find in the storm. When forecasters predicted similar attacks from the elements the following weekend, most were not about to be caught to the same predicaments. School buses were dispatched shortly after lunch, hockey games were cancelled and many altered plans to ensure they would be snug in their homes and not out on the roads for the fury that was expected. what happened? Well, the school students rode home in bright sunshine, the winds and snow failed to materialize to any great extent and it was a rather The lack of faith in weather forecasts, however, can not be an excuse for many travellers who .................. become stranded in storms and have to take refuge in the homes good advice, experience indicates of others who are placed at a that there will always be those great inconvenience by a number who get trapped in blizzards, the of unexpected guests. majority by their own When storm warnings are ac- foolishness. companied by an increasingly Most, fortunately, will reach a heavy snowfall and winds, people safe haven, either by their own should realize that travel is going initiative or that of other kind to be risky and their plans should souls who risk their own necks to be altered. haul them out of stranded Human nature being what it is, vehicles and look after their people seem to think that they'll necessities. be able to make it to their destination and either start out on ill-conceived outings or fail to seek shelter when it becomes abundantly clear that it is foolhardy to continue the trip. Monica Porter, a resident on Highway 23, recently penned a letter to the editor pointing out that residents in her area were becoming bitter and resentful about the frequency with which they have to rescue stranded While Mrs. Porter offers smile It is incomprehensible, however, that so many head out in winter without appropriate clothing and supplies to reduce their risks, or that they would fail to express appreciation for the ef- forts expended by others who come to their rescue. Hopefully, comments such as those by Mrs. Porter will cause others to consider the need for a little more common sense and courtesy • Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited "Some Liberals accuse me of being indecisive, malleable, and relying on others for advice — what should I do about it? Carried on like idiots Have just been reading_a story in Canda's so-called national newspaper about the plight of weekly newspapers, or communi- ty newspapers, as they now, rather swankly, call themselves. They have fallen, or-arefalling, on harder times, due to the usual causes: inflation, high interest rates. These factors are decreas- ing advertising revenues and in- creasing costs at an alarming rate. It is my considered opinion that a community without a spry, live- ly, intelligent and sometimes ir- reverent newspaper is lacking a vital substance of its existence. If the people in town don't say "nil Times, or Free Press, or Ad- vocate) that it's all the mayor's fault," then there's something wrong with the newspaper. If they don't know the editor of their local paper; if he is a gray anonymity in the community, then there's something wrong with the editor. But if they don't know that he/she is working 60 hours a week, and the paper is headed toward bankruptcy, then there's something wrong with the com- munity. And if that's the case, it doesn't deserve a decent newspaper. I've been the whole road. It's gone through a weird cycle in the twenty -odd years since I left the business. Flat, boom, and poten- tial bust. I entered the fraternity in the flat period. It shouldn't have been flat. The Canadian economy was healthy in the post- war euphoria, circa 1949. But newspaper editors were supposed to be dedicated, like teachers, not wealthy. They were supposed to work any given amount of hours, belong to everything in town, shell out handsomely for every charity, and give free advertising from everything from a church bingo to a Lions' Club carnival (I'm not picking on the Lions. The other service clubs were just as cheap.) But even they weren't as cheap as the merchants. A twelve - dollar ad for a Grand New open - Put Some interesting research has come up during the last few years about the eating habits of people around the world. Comparisons have been made between the diet of North Americans, Europeans, and people of some of the underdeveloped countries of the world. Then the researchers have looked at the incidence of disease in each of the countries as well. Some obvious results turned up. The westernized countries were on the short end of the scale as far as diseases related to malnutrition. They had fewer diseases which are contagious due to much better health ser- vices here. Just as apparent was the higher rate among moderniz- ed nations of stress-related pro- blems such as hypertension, heart disease and mental illness. Not quite so obvious -was a much smaller incide nce among ing was supposed to be automatically accompanied by a front-page story describing in glowing terms the 20 -foot con- crete block addition somebody had made to his business. A half -page ad,with everything crammed in but the kitchen sink, and no wasted white space, which took half a day to set in type, was a phenomenon. Grocery stores and five-and-tens ran the big ads, two columns wide by eight inches deep. Oh, boy, how the money rolled in. With a partner, I bought into the weekly newspaper business. We didn't have 20 cents Sugar &Spice Dispensed by Smiley I might add that we were bo lousy businessmen. We didn have the killer instinct. We hat raising subscription and adverti ing rates. With that huge mo tgage, we didn't have the guts t expand. Well, we missed the boom. N methods of printing sprang int being, cheaper and better looking. Photography and sharp pair of scissors replace the painstaking layout of rea printing. The guy with a shrew head replaced the haphazar business methods of the gifted amateurs who mostly made u each, but the businessr_--------- ame t e supermarkets, wi their full-page ads, and the sud den discovery by other mer chants that it did pay to advertise more than a three -dollar Christmas greeting ad. Revenues soared. Subscription prices kept pace with inflation. Printing cost were cut. Younger publishers expanded, built up a small chain of two to five weeklies, even replaced their creaking, old, groaning buildings. They bought new equipment. They borrowed money to buy it. They got themselves deeply in debt. But never mind. The money was rolling'in. God was in His Heaven. And if things were slow, they'd sell a couple of pages of ads for National Clean Up Excrement Day, supported by a lot of small advertisers, with a pile of excre- ment in the middle of the page. 1 used to twist arms and stamp on toes and appeal to the tiny glint of humanity in merchants to sell a two dollar ad. Well, the bubble has burst. The younger publishers have worked just as hard or harder. But they have finally realized that the sky s not the limit. The interest rate s. They have my sympathy. It's a ough game. But one chap in the rticle I mentioned went into bankruptcy because he had a $70,000 mortgage. That's chicken eed compared to the one we took n. At today's interest rates ours ould have been $120,000. We idn't go bankrupt. We just car- ied on. Like idiots. th ed s- r - 0 ew 0 a d a P t1 managed to raise the down pay- ment of five thousand by putting the heat on all our relatives and a few businessmen. The rest was a mortgage of twenty-one thou- sand, at five per cent. "Don't weep any tears for him," you say, "at five per cent interest, when I'm paying 20." But don't forget coffee was a dime, beer 20 cents a draught, a hamburger 20 cents, a movie ticket 50, and an apartment 45 dollars. For the first six months, my partner and I took home 10 bucks a week, out of the till. I had a small service pension, and he liv- ed at home. After that, we took $30 for him and $35 for me (I had a wife and kids). Our machinery was ancient (some of it run by water power, if you can believe.) Our staff was Loyal but underpaid - total wage packet was $33 a week for linotype operator, $30 a week for journey -man printer, about $20 for book -keeper -secretary. But we put out a pretty good, lively paper. It was respected, and we were. i t a f 0 w d r fibre in diet several African nations of bowel cancer, even when surveys were carried out on black people in the U.S. who were direct descendants of their African counterparts. The final conclusions that the By the Way by Syd Fletcher scientists drew were that the present-day Africans had a far higher degree of whole grain cereal and much less red meat. A missionary friend of mine was stationed in a remote area of Africa for several years. He remarked that when a cow was killed in the village that it was a big event. Since there was no refrigeration the whole animal had to be consumed as soon as possible or it would be wasted. He vividly remembered going down to the village square to hack off his own stringy roast. No wonder people don't really develop a taste for the stuff there. At the same time, lovers of beef and pork, myself included, should realize that those two things take about three times the amount of time to be digested as does fish. And if you don't eat some fibre in your diet the food lies there creating poisons even longer. Though my friend who has a coleostomy always remarks with a wry smile that it's not too bad when you consider the alter- native, it might be a good idea to keep those bran flakes on the breakfast table. { i