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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-05-21, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, May 2L 1986 Imes INN Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 dvocate Published by I.W. Eedy Publications Limited Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone S19-235-1331 PCNA LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Pick up the slack While deserved to a considerable ex- tent, the congratulations being extended to Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle and Coun- cillor Dorothy Chapman on being nam- ed as directors of two provincial associa- tions is somewhat misdirected. In reality, the congratulations should go the the members of those two organizations who recognized the abilities and attributes of the local duo and elected them to responsible positions. Both have distinguished themselves as hard-working members of the local council and will bring that same dedica- tion, leadership and enthusiasm to their new chores to the benefit of all the municipalities they will now be serving. Their local cohorts, of course, must recognize that the new tasks will, by necessity, diminish the amount of time the pair have to spend on local issues, and it is incumbent upon other members to pick up any slack. The whole -hearted support given the two to accept greater responsibilities elsewhere must nowbe paid for by some stronger leadership and dedication by other members. Need explanation While the majority of residents of Ontario may be pleasantly surprised with treasurer Robert Nixon's new budget, a statement made at Exeter council last week indicates that he was able to keep his hands out of their pockets because he put too little cash into the hands of munic- palities such as this one. Reeve Bill Mickle suggests that the less than one percent increase given to Exeter in the form of unconditional grants was akin to a slap in the face for local property owners. He claims it should have at least kept pace with infla- tion and been around $16,000, rather than only $3,000. The slap wouldn't be as hard to take if it was one that was being felt by all municipalities across the province. However, there appears to be a wide range on the grants and some received boosts of around six percent. The complicated formula apparent- ly used to determine the amount of grants makes it difficult for local officials to ascertain tl;le reason for being on the short end of the scale and it is fitting that they have asked provincial officials for an explanation. If, as the Reeve suggests, Exeter is penalized for being an aggressive, thriv- ing and growing community, then those officials should be reminded that that is hardly an inducement to continue to play a role in the province's economic recovery that enabled Nixon to wig plaudits for his recent budget. • There may be reasons why Exeter property owners have joined smokers in the elite group of those having to dig a lit- tle deeper because of provincial dictates, but if so, residents should expect the courtesy of at least being mentioned for their contribution in sparing others from the taxman's blows. Stop police chases Solicitor General Keyes says he in- tends to announce a new policy regarding police chases. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Municipal Police Authorities, Keyes said the risk of injury or death on the road is 1,000 times greater during a police chase than in normal driving. Since last year he has been stu- 'dying a report on high-speed police chases. The report recommends a ban on chases on •city streets and provincial highways, except when they involve serious criminal offences, such as murder, armed robbery, rape or kidnapping. The minister said, "We will not end police chases," but made it plain that the present situation is not good enough. He said chases will still be employed to get drunks and seriouis criminals off the road, but not where only minor traffic of- fences are involved. Naturally, police officers might argue that when an offending driver is first observed it is often difficult to determine whether he or she is a "serious" criminal or merely a crazy kid out for an exciting . evening. However, knowing the risk of serious accident, in- jury or death involved in a highspeed chase, even policemen agree that a new approach to the problem is overdue. Wingham Advance -Times Must ease situation It doesn't make the front pages of the city newspaper when a farmer kills himself. Obviously it's not the sensational material which people devour with their muffins and coffee before heading off to the factory or office. But in the small towns and villages which are surrounded by farms across Canada it is becom- ing too common an occurrence to shrug off as a passing phenomenon. l'eople are dying because they cannot bear to see a job disappearing along with a home and a way of life dissolving in a dirty puddle of financial pro- blems which cannot be blamed on poor management. It would be easy to blame the rising toll of bankruptcies on a group of people who just can't handle their business very well. That may have been true of the By the Way by Fletcher very first bunch of farmers who went under but now we are see- ing established farms so tightly squeezed by the low market prices that they too have no alter- native but to give in to the pressures. The sad part of it all is that we are going to see the family farm disappear in this country to be replaced by huge shareholders in some other part of the world who have no interest in Canadians or what is best for Canada. In the long run those corporations will decide what price should be paid for their products and you can bet that they will not be thinking of us as they make those decisions. I think that it is about time that we developed some real concern for our neighbours out there on the farms who desperately need our voices in their support. Take some time to talk to your member of Parliament and ask what can be done to ease this worsening situation. N -At YA �.•. .'ire; ` Meltdown in PR •'U.• •. Mui" somas ttjtycK Tough to beat May Two of our regular contributors waxed rather eloquently in last week's issue about the beautiful month of May, indicating that it was their favorite month of the entire year. It's difficult to argue too exten- sively with their opinion, par- ticularly when this column is be- ing written on another warm May morning, offset only slightly by a brisk breeze that tends to make it feel a little cooler than the ther- mometer suggests. Spring flowers and shrubs abound with color and their silent beauty is in sharp contrast to the hyper -activity of the birds as they face the demanding task of car- rying food to their waiting brood. I took much delight the other night in watching a pair of Canada geese guide their five golden goslings along the nearby creek, paddling ashore periodically to nibble away on the tender grass shoots. My regular Monday evening dinner hostess has a nest of robins in a branch only a few feet away from her window, and while those of us with teenage sons may often marvel at their ability to put food away, even they have to take"a back seat to the appetites displayed by that feathery brood. . Even before they had landed, the parents' arrival was signall- ed by four long necks stretching their beaks skyward in anticipa- tion of the catch -of -the -day, or perhaps more appropriate in view of the constant coming and going, the catch -of -the -minute. Baby birds have an almost in- satiable appetite and it is small wonder that nature allows them to develop so quickly so they can be pushed from the nest and -start the task of searching for their own food. It is not often that one gets such a bird's eye view of a nest and it is an enjoyable and interesting spectacle. * * * * * However, perhaps even higher on the enjoyment scale is taking Batt'n Around a walk down to the pasture where the killdeer have established their nests. The antics and plaintive cries of these superb' actors and masters of deceptirin never cease to amaze, although I must admit to ,feeling some guilt at putting them through their paces for my personal enjoyment at their ob- vious concern and near hysteria. While nature dictated that they suffer the obvious pitfall of building nests on the ground, there are few species for which a defence has been better planned as their feigned injuries attract the curious ever farther from their siblings. I watched it work to perfection as an inquisitive ewe was lured away from a nest as she followed one of the parent's ploy. Of course, the sight of baby killdeer scurrying along the ground at a pace that is far ...with The Editor greater than their size would ap- pear to dictate, again gives evidence that nature quickly pro- vides a defence for those which manage to hatch and survive the misplaced foot of their fellow pasture dwellers or ever-present predators. While it was good news from the standpoint of some of the smaller species at Willow Bend last week, I was saddened to find a dead horned owl crumpled beside the garden fence. Examination revealed no ma- jor wounds to explain his demise, but the long, menacing talons 'of one foot were imbedded in the bird's wing and the conclusion was, that it had carelessly and , clumsily brought about its own downfall. It was rather surprising to see the vibrant colors in the feathers, as one does not usuallyconsider owls to be in the more colorful class. It has been turned over.;to., the aspiring tgxidermist in the family for preservation, and if nothing else, may get mounted near a spot where the pigeon droppings are the most noticeable. * * * * * While most people don't need reminding that this area provides some spectacular views for nature walks or leisurely drives, they should be advised that a col- orful display is located on Highway 4 at the farm of Harry Knip where about 300 acres of canola are now in golden bloom. No doubt the spectacle will become more common as the crop becomes more popular in the area, but it is an expanse of • color that is most eye catching. Should give freedom I'm always telling the kids what to do. I really should leave them more freedom to decide for themselves. Last weekend, for example. We were out for a walk: Alexander, Stephanie, Duncan and me. I feel that as a grownup with more years experience than I wish to acknowledge, I owe it to the children to act wise and expert. Whether they like it or not, I teach them that the hushes with the white blossoms are called hawthorns, and that tent cater- pillars are a menace. What the kids want to do instead of listen- ing to my exhortations is to goof off, throw cocks in to the water - filled ditches, get mud all over their clothes, and crawl through a culvert. You don't have your daddy along every day, I tell them. You can splash in puddles all week if you like. But today I'm with you, and I'd like to talk about what we see. They probably think: "What a bore!" While Duncan is trying to stuff a handful] of burrs into Stephanie's T-shirt, a rabbit hops across the road and disappears into the bush. Alexander and I see it, but the little ones don't. "If you had paid attention," I tell them, "you would have seen the rabbit, too. But you had to fool around instead of looking ahead." "Daddy", says Duncan, "it was nothing special, only a rabbit." "Hold it," I say, "what do you mean nothing special?" And now I really let loose. A rabbit, I tell them, is one of the most special things in the entire world. Don't ever say, "just a rabbit". First of all, one of the reasons why we live in the coun- try instead of the city is so that we can see a rabbit hop across the road. A rabbit crossing a country lane on a beautiful spring day is one of the most marvellous experiences you will ever have in your life. There will be times when you wish you could stand silently and observe a rabbit. There will be times that your dad- 1 The Peter Hesse{ Column dy will wish he could be with you, waiting for a rabbit to appear. I would ather see a rabbit cross the_ra d, running from the ditch into a clump of cedar trees than see a stampede of elephants. Because that rabbit is part of us. Duncan. Take away that little rabbit, and you've got nothing left. Without the rabbit the world ' would not be beautiful, the sky would not be blue and the earth would not be green. And I take this opportunity to talk about the nuclear disaster in the Ukraine. Who knows whether there are any rabbits left near Chernobyl? Will we be able to keep ours? Only if my kids and yours take them seriously and treat them with respect. Rabbits and heavers and deer and chickadees and bald eagles and all the other creatures that make our world fit for living. And look at it from the rabbit's point of view. Certainly to a rab- bit there is nothing more impor- tant than rabbits. The rabbit would take a very dim view of a little boy who thinks that it doesn't matter very much. That rabbit might be somebody's brother or sister or mommy or daddy. "Or cousin, or uncle, or great- aunt", says Alexander who is either vtrying to be helpful oroh- noxious, I can't quite figure it out. At any rate, I tell them, don't ever think that just because a rabbit isn't spectacular, it isn't important. We tiptoe around for a long time after my sermon, trying to surprise another rabbit. But none shows up. On the wayhome, the kids are tired. From running and jumping around or from listening to my tirade? Alexander remembers what I said about the nuclear accident. "Why do they have these bombs anyway? "They're not bombs," I correct him. "These things are power stations, to give us elec- tricity." I try to tell him about nuclear bombs, too. But I can't. I cannot explain to a child what I don't understand myself. As I tuck the three of them into bed at night, I tell them: "As long as there are rabbits down the line, everything is alright. When you grow up, make sure to pay at- tention to things that seem unim- portant. They can be very, very special." "You should have told me all that stuff before you saw the rab- bit, Daddy," said Duncan, "if you had told me before, I would have paid attention.But you only told me after." Isn't that the truth, though? k