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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-08-27, Page 4Page Times -Advocate, August 27, 1986 imes NMI dvocat Published Each Wednesday Morning at' Exeter, Ontario, N0M4S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number (386. ( ,__�� Phone 519-235-1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher BM BECKETT Advertising Manager 4PCNA 8111 BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK IONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Board policy better? Judging from the general acknowledgement around the Exeter council table this week that the local cemetery board is an autonomous group free to make their own decisions, members of council acted improperly in voting not to adopt a report of the board's August meeting. Obviously the board's status must be defined if there is still some question about it and council should act quickly to remove any doubts in that regard. If it is determined that the board is autonomous, that does not preclude members of council from questioning decisions reached by the board in view of the fact the town contributes a grant from the public coffers of some $20,000 annually. However, the vehicle for com- municating any such displeasure is through a direct letter to the board and not through withholding approval of any decisions. The status of the grant could obviously be a sizeable bargaining tool in such disputes. The matter which created the unusual circumstances at the recent council session pertained to a board deci- sion regarding seasonal employees. The board established a policy whereby seasonal employees who are found satisfactory will be offered jobs when they open up after the winter layoff. Some members of council indicated there should be an open competition for the positions each year. There are obvious pros and cons to the debate. There is obvious merit in the board knowing that experienced and pro- ven personnel will be available and there • is the expectation that those current staff would look for other jobs if their cemetery work appeared in jeopardy each year. On the other hand, there may., also be better qualified people available periodically as members of council contend. There's little doubt that the situation is somewhat unique due to the fact the jobs are seasonal in nature, and therefore differ from part-time work. To follow some councillor's argu- ment to its natural conclusion, it would appear justified that all municipal staff be hired on a set term contract basis so the jobs could be advertised periodical- ly to see whether there are better can- didates "out there". Many employers are following that procedure, partially through the difficul- ty they face in terminating employees whose abilities or work habits are found unsatisfactory. Councillors who disagree with, automatically offerin j s to capable an4'proven seasonf chat rJy doub - n policy of hiring staff who become perma-1 nent after a brief trial period and;n947er again have to face the prospect of com- petition for their jobs with others who �. may be better qualified. Perhaps the current squabble with the cemetery board will pave the way for a new policy by which all town depart- ments and the cemetery board have the hiring option that the proposed cemetery ' board policy allows. It obviously gives the employer more option than the current town policy that ;. in reality creates more of a closed shop. • • Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 103 Publi hed by J.W. Eedy PublicationsUnited GOOD NEW S Wi. Dotr'T NINE TO WoRQY MOOT TNI; BANK REPOSSESSING* IN. CAH Deadline All summer I've postponed things till after Labour Day. "When are you going to repair "that broken chair in the dining Getting out of hand While many Canadians are ex- pressing doubts about the move to "free trade" with the U.S., it is perhaps time they started to look at the costly side of some of the business initiatives being undertaken in their own backyard. Over the past couple of years, . the federal government have joined their provincial counter- parts in Ontario the Quebec in doling out millions of dollars for the establishment of off -shore automobile manufacturers in this country. At least two other major deals are in the works with promises of mammoth infusions for the automakers and at least one more Japanese firm has an- nounced intentions to jump on the bandwagon in the near fdture to get in on some of the goodies. The various governments have already announced plans to pro= vide about $300,000,000 for the establishrhent of the new business ventures, many of which are being undertaken in coopera- tion with Canadian builders. The economic advantages are being welcomed by the two levels of government and the com- munities which are providing the new homes for the huge plants, some of which are promising up- wards of 2,500 direct jobs and hundreds of indirect Positions. Obviously, if Canadians are go- ing to buy "foreign" cars it is bet- ter that those automobiles be manufactured, more exclusively in this country. However, the firms planning • the new manufacturing facilities are far from destitute and beleagured taxpayers who have already seen their governments spend their way into financial crisis, must wonder about the necessity for coughing up such Batt'n Around ...with The Editor huge sums for private enterprise. You can almost rest assured that when the products start roll- ing off the production lines, the price tags being charged to con- sumers will not reflect the fact that those consumers have made a financial contribution to the manufacturers. * - • * • * While the generous hand-outs are troubling enough, there sur- ly must be some concern that the Canadian automobile manufac- turing industry .is quickly reaching the saturation point. The Japanese and Korean pro- ducts will hopefully replace roast of the imports arriving now in huge numbers from those coun- tries, but even at that, there must be some question whether the Canadian market can withstand the infusion of half a dozen new 4. auto plants in the span of three or four years. It would appear that the plants will only be able to live up to their employment potential if the manufacturers embark on massive exporting programs, but the reality is that there are few such markets available. That prompts the suggestion that the federal and provincial governments have created too much of a good thing with their subsidies and those investments may not pay the dividends ex- pected as the competiton for the auto consumers' dollars heat up to an unprecedented extent. • • • • * If and when that happens, tax- payers can almost depend on their generous governments com- ing to the aid of any firms ih trou- ble with another infusion of cash from the public coffers to keep them going. There will, of course, be plen- ty of precedent for that assistance as Ottawa and the pro- vincial capitals have shown a willingness in the past to literally throw good money after bad. However, if the socialist bent of the governments continues at its present clip, Canadians can pro- bably look forward to the day when there will be a payroll deduction for a new federal plan whereby all citizens get a new car every year or two. it's obviously time that govern- ments took a look at the advan- tages of a free enterprise system where businesses were expected to finance their own ventures jn the marketplace. is near "after Labour Day", I didn't mean that I would literally have everything done by 8 a.m. on September 2nd. "After Labour room? Day" should be interpreted more ' "After Labour Day." flexibly than that. Strictly speak - "When can we expect your in- ing, Christmas comes after teri xr, f . . t on the definitive. Labour .Day, and so does, next e �r41 recent ►� *� t �� 7 Etat. I' ,.Cannot believe that is it Auggat., and Labour Day is upon us. It is catching up with me. Back in May and June I should have known from previous ex- perience that July and August pass with incredible sped. Something happens wto the earth's orbit around the sun in mid -summer. Something speeds it up. Something hurls us through space at an increased velocity just when we want to slow down a little, enjoy the warm temperature, relax in the pool or on the beach. Arid now it's practically over. The kids look like somebody else's children because they're all in new outfits, and Stephanie has a new hairdo. The first maples are turning red, and it's dark in the morning when I get up. hat am I going to do? How am I going to keep my promises? Labour Day is upon us, and I'm in a panic. What's so special about Labour Day anyway? Why do people ex- pect instant results so soon after the summer doldrums? Give me a break! When I said I meant virheii . said 'after Labour Day" was that sometime between this Labour Day and the next I would give serious consideration to all sorts of tasks and chores and obligations. Who am I? Superman'? I only have two hands. I promised nothing. J only said... I know these jobs have to be done. I know they are ur ent. I know that somebody could get hurt if the chair collapses. Yes, I would feel terrible and embarrassed. Especially if it happened to someone in Elizabeth's family. Yes, I know the report is overdue, and if it isn't ready by next Monday, tjie world will tremble. Nobody is 4 ever going to read that stupid report, but I know how crucial it is. And I know that we're going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere unless I spend $250 im- mediately on the wagon. I told you I'd look after it. Labour Day - what a farce Whoever dry -allied up that name, I wonder? What's labour got to crit with it? " '- It's our last chance to pretend that summer lasts till September 21st or thereabouts (I'm never sure which season starts on the 21st, the 22nd or the 23rd.) If you're like me, the Iastithing you'll be thinking about on Labour Day is labour - unless you're expecting a baby. I just want to lie in a lounge chair, soak up the sun and watch the clouds go by. I want to listen to the waves and the rustling of the leaves, and the cry of the gulls. Every Labour Day I feel cheated. Why do Canadian: have such short vacations? In most Western countries people get an average of five or six weeks paid holidays. I should have become a teacher. I'm just not ready to go back to work. So don't remind me of what I said weeks ago about "after Labour Day"! I don't need your reminders. I'm going to do all the things people expect of me - when I'm good and ready. Maybe soon. Maybe aftee, Thanksgiving. Maybe after; Hallowe'en. Maybe after next Labour Day. A modern fable Most people have heard of Aesop's Fables. Well, here is a rpodern-day version. Fletcher's Fables, you might call them. Bre'r Squirrel decided that he would set up a little store to help the other animals in the forest. They could come and buy vegetables from him at a reasonable price and that would save them from having to grow their own or having to travel all the way to Bre'r . Rabbits. vegetable farm to buy them. It seemed like a pretty good ar- rangement. Bre'r Squirrel could buy the vegetables at twenty cents a pound and sell, them for twenty-five. The five cents paid for his trucking and gave him a little profit beside to feed and clothe the little -squirrels, Then Bre'r Fox came along. He set up a big new shiny store at the far end of the forest. He not only sold vegetables at twenty-three centsra pound but fancy, TV sets and hardware and jewellery and all the things that made life in the forest a little easier. As you might guess, the little people of the forest flocked to Bre'r Fox's big new store in droves. As you might also guess, Bre'r Squirrel's business was not too By. the Way Syd Fletcher hot. In fact he rarely saw 'a customer. Bre'r Fox came down to Bre'r Rabbits' garden. one day and of- fered him tw_ eoty-one : cdnts a pound fdt his vegetables'but on. ly if he would sell all of his pro- duce to him.. Now, Bre'r Rabbit was a good friends ofBre'r. Squir- rel but he would sure like that ex- tra cent a pound and after all business was business. Some people were sorry to se him go but soon forgot him in the excitement of Bre'r Fox's daily special on vegetables. It waS ruittoured that i'egetables would go down even futlher. When Bre'r Rabbit went around with a . long -Vice one day saying that - Bre'r Fox had suddenly declared that he would only pay fifteen , cents a pound people didn't real ly feel sorry for him either. Sure- ly the price would come down for them too. - Strange though how things hap- pen. One day the little people all flocked into Bre'r Fox's store to buy vegetables. All of the signs were at thirty cents a pound. The little people were very angry about it and some said they would just as soon shop at Bre'r Squir- rel's store. They hustled back home to his place only to find a big -sign on the door, "Gone out of _ business!" The moral? Friendship may be a little expensive in the short term but in the long run...