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Times-Advocate, 1986-09-10, Page 31i Rabies drop in Fifteen thousand liver -hamburger bait balls spiked with rabies vaccine are scheduled to be air -dropped over central Huron County in two weeks. The program is similar to the one carried out in Huron by the Ontario natural resources ministry in two previous years to determine if the bait -air drop method was the best way of controlling the spread of rabies in rural areas. The ministry says rabies is a grow- ing problem in the province. Since 1980, about 12,000 persons have had to be vaccinated against the virus. A 1984 air drop over a part of Huron DONATION — John Cairns, right, coach of Finnegan's Fantastics slo- pitch team presented a cheque for $200 to coach Don Labelle, left, and manager Gord Brown of the Sunshine Boys, Grand Bend Oldtimers. The money will be used to repair the ball diamond and build more new bleachers. The readers write To the Editor: This corresondence is written on behalf of Grand Bend Village Coun- cil in response to a letter written by Mr. L.S. Mannell which appeared in the August 13 issue of the Exeter Times Advocate. Mr. Mannell's letter contained several serious inac- curacies which need correcting. This first is that it took "a dozen" policemen away from other duties to assist our by-law enforcement officer in his efforts to contain excessively noisy and unruly behaviour in the downtown residential area. There are no more than seven or eight officers on duty at any one time, even on weekends, and including those in the office. Only five actually were at the scene of the party referred to. Secondly, the "pretty new beach cleaner" cost $24,556.50, not $45,000.00, and almost $20,000.00 was paid for by various business, personal and government donations, not by tax dollars from this community. Thirdly, Council budget $2,200.00 for rental of the tractor to operate the beach cleaner, not $10,000.00. There are over 20 man hours per week sav- ed and almost twice as many in those containing_long weekends. Not only do manpower savings pay all costs of operating the beach cleaner, but more iml, ::::it1y, staff are free to perform other duties which would otherwise be delayed. Mr. Mannell refers to Grand Bend as having taxes amongst the highest Osborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S0 (Established in 1876) Provides Full In- surance Coverage for Town Dwellings as well as Farm Properties DIRECTORS & ADJUSTERS Jack Harrigan RR 3 lucan 227.4305 Robert Gardner RR 2 Stalk] 345-2739 Lloyd Morrison RR 1 51 Marys 2298277 Lorne Feeney RR 2 Dublin 345.2543 Jack Hodger, RR 1 Kirkton 229.6152 Robert Chole RR 5 Mitchell 3488293 Ross Hodgert John Moore Joseph Unioc AGENTS Woodham Dublin Mitchell 2296643 3452512 3489012 In the event of a loss the director must see the damage before repairs are made. in the Province of Ontario. We trust Mr. Mannell has spent considerable time and and effort doing a study on taxes paid in the Province of Ontario, together with comparisons of educa- tion expenditures and services pro- vided for dollars collected. He should perhaps inquire in the surrounding municipalities at least, as to taxation levels before making wild and un substantiated claims. And finally, Mr. Mannell wa1 himself deeply involved in Municipa politics in Oakville, Ontario for many years, and should recall that identi fying local problems is a relatively easy thing to accomplish. Most of the ones we don't notice ourselves arc bruoght to our attention by ratepayers. It is quite another matter to correcl certain problems, doing so within the law, within the limiting statutes that we must operate under and taking all persons opinions and interests into consideration. We trust that the opinions and com- ments in Mr. Mannell's future letters will be some what better researched. Constructive criticism is welcomed by this council. Sincerely, Grand Bend Council GRADUATES - Douglas Fletcher graduated from Humber College, Toronto, in June 1986 from the Radio and Broadcasting Course. He is presently employed at CJCS Radio in Stratford. Doug is the son of Bob and Pat Fletcher, Exeter. PAVING STONE We can show you how to install beautiful, long lasting paving stone yourself and save it $ Call Steve at 7a4'te't eoee4 Paodacta 4taL Zurich 236-4305 Huron County expanded proved the bait was effective. Last year the baits were loadedwith vac- cine, but field tests showed the vac- cine wore off much too quickly - in three days instead of seven. This time the baits will contain a "new, improved" vaccine, developed by Connaught Laboratories of Toron- to and packing more punch. The coverage area will be expanded to six townships from five. The synthetic sponge -centred baits contain a hamburger treat and a liver -flavored outside coating. Ministry officials say it is virtually guaranteed to entice the wariest of red foxes. Foxes absorb the vaccine into their bloodstream by chewing the baited sponges. The drop also has been tim- ed to coincide with the fox -trapping season, allowing mininstry staff to ex- amine fox blood samples collected by trappers. With foxes, skunks and other wild animals mainly responsible for the spread of rabies in Ontario's rural areas, they are a particular problem in crop -producing regions, Ron Spurr, extension services supervisor with the ministry's district office here, said Monday. "Actually, Huron County isn't one of our problem areas with rabies. But over the years we've developed a great rapport with local fur trappers, and they provide us with the car- casses," Spurr said. "We wouldn't know how effective the baits were, or how effective the vaccine was, if we didn't have their co-operation." He says that's the prin- cipal reason the air drop of bait has been done in Huron. Field tests were done over a two- year period. They established (hat the baits were being accepted by two out of every three foxes in the coverage region. The new vaccine has been suc- cessfully tested in Europe. Spurr said the coverage area has been expanded to six townships from. five because of changing fox popula- tion patterns. With the addition of McKillop, the air drop will involve Hullet, Goderich, Stanley, Colborne and Tuckersmith townships. Dr.. Charles Maclnnes, supervisor of the ministry's wildlife research section at Maple, north of Toronto, said last year's vaccine was design- ed to last about a week, but simply "ran out of gas" after less than three days. "The baits were accepted (by the foxes) but the vaccine died rather quicker than we had expected," Maclnnes said Monday. The F4rengthened vaccine, dropped frozen from the air, contains about 100 times more virus and should be effective for up to a month. It will keep foxes and other wild animals immunized for about a year. Saintsbury By MRS. HEBER DAVIS Service at St. Patricks was held at 8:30 a.m. Sunday with Rev. F. Braby in charge. Marguerite Greenlee read the first lesson and Margaret Carroll the second. Cheryl Carroll was pianist. Next Sunday service is plann- ed for 11 a.m. Mr. and Mrs. Murray Hamilton visited their cousins Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Davis on Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Ron Carroll's relatives from Scotland returned home recently. I was pleased to have Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Davis call on me Sunday evening and I was a dinner guest with Mr. and Mrs. Bob Tindall. Marylou Tindall was home for the weekend from Petrolia and she returned there Sunday evening. Mrs. Nadine Bedell has offered her home for the September A.C.}V. meeting Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Huron will be the only part of Southern Ontario in which the baited balls, packed in plastic bags, will be used this year. Maclnnes said results from the planned September 23 Huron air drop will have to be evaluated before the program is expanded. "There is a totally different style of vaccine coming in on the horizon," but officials are not certainvvhen it may be possible to use it. Centra t i By MRS. TOM KOOY Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Morley of West McGillivray were Sunday visitors with Mrs. Florence Hodgins. Miss Wendi Horton, Toronto spent the weekend with her mother Mrs. Linda Riley. Mrs. Audrey Dixon, Hensall is spending a few days with her mother, Mrs. Winnie Harrison. Next Sunday, September 14 the ser- vice at the United Church will be at the usual time with Rev. Gorden Kurts of Bayfield as the special speaker. Tom and I were Sunday evening visitors with Mr. and Mrs. Harry Car- roll. Saintsburv. Best Interest 10 1/4 Guaranteed ' Investment Certificates * subject to change Gaiserl•Kneale IIIKInsurance Brokers Inc. Exeter Grand Bend 235-2420 238.84E4 Clinton Henson Goderich 482-9747 262-2119 524-2118 eta GRADUATES — Ray Beierling is happy to announce the gradua- tion of his wife Sylvia Ann from the University of Western On- tario on June 10, 1986. Best wishes from children Dove, Chris and Shari and from her parents Elm( and Verna Zimmer of Grand Bend. Sylvia is presently teaching at Precious Blood School, Exeter. CANADIAN MOBILE SEED CLEANING Fall crops cleaned on your farm JIM McLACHAN 232-4454 Parkhill 0' You Can Deal With Confidence Whefl' You Deliver Your 1986 White Bean Crop to Ken R. Campbell & Sons Ltd., Seaforth Howson & Howson Ltd., Blyth, Ontario Palmerston Elevators Ltd. Bar' B - Dee Farms, RR 1 Bornholm are also white bean receiving satellites for Thompson's We want and appreciate your business Hyland Augusta Seed Wheat Nyland Howser Seed Wheat Cert. Monopol Red Winter Wheat to losAs, /M� Be sure you buy Blue Tag Seed Only This assures you of "Certified" #1 Seed for "Purity" - "Quality" and "Top Yields." Any other facsimile is not the same. Available only at Thompson's or a Hyland Dealer Also there is Cert. ##1 Fredrick seed wheat. "For larger growers" wishing Certified seed in Bulk we can supply. Please order ahead. ALL SEED IS TREATED WITH VITAFLO " 280" - Custom Fertilizer Spreading - Soil Sampling Service - Computerized Reports - Recommendations from a Qualified Staff �o csigit• (6) 1, R's , usf c"°_--=- f os For purity, top germination, disease free Sow only Certified Hyland Seed BEANS GRAINS Henson 2622527 Mitchell 348.8433 Seaforth 345-2545 1 FEEDS SEIDS Pt. Albert 529.7901 fERf11.12ERS Ailsa Craig 293-3223 Granton 2252360