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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-11-12, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, November 12, 1986 imes Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 vacate Bening South Huron, North Middlesex do North Lambton Since 1873 PubH,hed by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 00 YOU THINK WO1fl AMERKA NAS A O? ?ROLtI1? LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKtND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Major considerations The extensive fire protection survey recently undertaken by the Ontario Fire Marshal's office will give the member municipalities of the Exeter and Area Fire Board some challenges. While many of the recommendations could be described as "housekeeping" matters that require only some bylaws to bring the agreement up to modern terms, there are others which represent a considerable expenditure. The two major recommendations call for the appointement of a full-time fire chief for the department and pur- chase of a new fire fighting vehicle. The municipalities have already been planning for the latter for the past few years, but the scope of the vehicle en- visioned by the report is probably beyond that which had been under consideration. The most persuasive argument for a telescopic boom and water tower is that many buildings in the fire area are beyond the reach of ground ladders for life saving requirements. The unit is also valuable for quicker fire suppression, but obviously the life saving -benefit is the one which warrants the greatest consideration. The report explains there are 20 buildings on the Main St. of Exeter alone which surpass the effective capabilities of ground ladders and that number swells when other structures in the fire area are included. It is certainly an area that must be explored when the decision is made to proceed on a vehicle purchase. xs- AND MUMMY The need for a fyll-time chief is pro- bably something for which the time is at hand as evidenced by the number of similar sized areas which have moved in that direction. The situation has slowly been evolv- ing within the local department as the current chief now spends two days per week on those duties, many of which have moved from a voluntary or time - available basis to those which are now mandatory under provincial regulations. Municipal officials were probably surprised at the lengthy list of duties as detailed in the report; notwithstanding the need for more effective and ongoing fire prevention and fire protection pro- grams, which obviously are more pro- ductive and less costly to victims than time spent on investigating causes of fires. The safety of members of the volunteer brigade must also be con- sidered and the education and training courses needed by a chief to pass along needed information to those members is of prime consideration. The list of chemicals and dangerous products in any fire, even those in houses, grows almost daily and requires constant updating for fire department personnel and the role of a full-time chief as a teacher grows in importance for the pro- tection of the volunteers who serve the community. To delay adoption of the recommen- dation interminably is not in the area's best interest. Get rid of it Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Leo Bernier is quite cor- rect in using the term "totally immoral" in reference to Minaki Lodge. However, his terminology applies not to the planned sale of the lodge at a bargain basement price by the present Liberal government, but rather in the handling of; the lodge by''the previous Conservative government. . Bernier was instrumental in getting the PCs involved in the lodge in the first place when he convinced his colleagues to make a $550,000 loan to the lodge after its owners ran out of credit. That questionable use of taxpayers' money set in motion one of the most cost- ly examples of government stupidity in the past decade as another $40 million was squandered in renovations and sup- port services for the lodge. Even at that the facility continued to lose money and it now appears that private interests will buy the lodge for a figure around $3.5 million, although Ber- nier contends the selling price should be in the peighborhood of $25 million. His estimate is obviously based more on saving face politically than on business sense and Ontario taxpayers should welcome the sale at any price, before more good money follows the bad that has been wasted. A picture of the lodge should be plac- ed prominently in the Ontario Legislature so politicians have the con- tinual reminder of what happens when they attempt to save a failing private enterprise with taxpayers money. Won't_ be forgotten Rememberance Day - 1986 Many years have passed Since the last World War The vets are graying, The ranks marching down to the cenotaph Are thinning out Tb me It seems that the crowd placing flowers and wreaths Shiv'ring in the cold November wind Checking their watches and eye- ing warm cars Is not the one it used to be So are the dead forgotten? Are the legless blinded men and women By the Way by Fletcher !fuddled in the wards of unnam- ed hospitals Not remembered? Did wives and mothers and lovers Send them off for a useless hollow victory? Not so, not so They live on They live in the shining faces of happy children They endure in the songs of thanks of a free nation Which since their sacrifice Has never suffered war Yes they live on And they will not be forgotten. Trees ".... but only God can make a tree!" While there's no refutirig the claim made in that well-known poem, there have been an endless number of debates and situations which point out the fact that the choice of location of those trees is a periodic consternation to humans. Through the decades since our forefathers took axe in hand to carve out their plots from the forests, society has been in a con- stant struggle over trees. Few people dispute the value of trees. The problem stems primarily from the fact they are generally in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their placement, either by natural or human deci- sions, often appears to be part of that great law which dictates that anything than can go wrong, usually will. Many drivers have not lived to lament the fact that the tree they hit was the only one for some con- siderable distance in the path their vehicle traversed. New home builders have been known to search incessantly for a lot with some established trees, only to find to their dismany that their blueprint choice boils down to having a tree or a bathroom. Those who may opt to change their plans to include both can almost rest assured that the tree they preserved by compromising their building plans will die in the near future. Those who plant trees in urban settings can almost be guaranteed that either they, or their predecessors, will at some time plan a project which will necessiate that the trees be removed just when it has reach- ed its ideal growth for the shade or other benefits for which it was originally planted. Failing that it will have to be are in transigen t unmercifully trimmea to resem- ble some bizaare freak of nature because it enroaches on overhead lines; or more in keeping with to- day's underground movement, it's lifeline will be cut off to make Batt'n Around ...with The Editor way for some cable or to stop its search for a nearby drain to plug. * * * * * The examples could be extend- ed and -used to highlight the fact that trees are usually in the wrong place, and as evidenced at Exeter council last week, the ex- amples will continue as high technology continues with such things as TV antenna and dishes and the assertment of modern gadgets .that will follow on their., heels. • The interesting point about debates on trees is that people often find themselves in situa- tions where they are forced to alter their positions. While members of council rightly concerned themselves about removing a tree to enhance reception for a TV dish, councils in the past have been on the other side of the fence. Many will recall the bitter struggle by residents in other areas of the community when council ruled that boulevard trees would have to be removed for street projects. ,Ironically, one of the arguments most frequently used was that while some of those trees could have remained in place, the construction process would cause them severe damage and they would probably end up having to come down in the near future any way. The council of this day, although given a report that a tree to be removed for the TV dish was not in good condition and in all likelihood would have to be replaced in the near future, decided it should be saved. * * * * * There are, of course, other cir- cumstances involved in the cur- rent debate over the tree and TV dish; probably decribed best in the lawyer's use of the word intransigence. If that ingredient could be removed, the parties involved would probably see more clearly that the value of the tree and its expected longevity are ques- tionable and have been more than amply replaced through other plantings on the property. Notwithstanding the issue of the dish, council members would probably agree that given a choice, they would not want a replacement for the tree (either now or in the future) planted in the same location as past ex- perience is proof that they are better off the boulevards and on private property where they pose fewer problems for hydro lines, street maintenance, etc. However, it must be recogniz- ed that any decision will possibly form a precedent, and should be arrived at with that in mind. By the same token, there unfor- tunately is probably no decision that can set a precedent for the planting of trees to cover all fore- seen and unforeseen circumstances. Trees just have a way of being in the wrong place! They too show considerable intransigence! Turning me off! We've got baseball, football and hockey all going on at the same time. And we're getting us- ed to it. If the present trend con- tinues, the four seasons will be a thing of the past. There will be just one season, a year-round pro- motion of everything that whips people into a frenzy. For the past three weeks now, the Christmas spirit has been in evidence in the stores. It is creep- ing up a few days earlier every year, imperceptibly like the ice age, but just as steadily. I went to shop for a pair of sturdy winter boots the other day "Sorry," said the person standing around in the store (I refuse to call these peo- ple %clerks, since they know nothing about anything and regard customers as intruders), "we don't have winter boots yet." "When will you get them?" The usual shrug and yawn. No winter boots yet, but the synthetic Christmas trees are sprouting all over the store. Cardboard Santas everywhere. If it weren't for the "Hallowe'en promotion" and the "Remembrance Day window", the entire commercial landscape would be wall-to-wall tinsel right after Labour Day. Well, I'm declaring war on the eager beaver merchandisers. I'm going to spend my Christmas shopping money in the stores that show some restraint. The ones that don't play Silent Night till December and won't hire Santa and his busy elves till after the Thanksgiving pumpkins have been cleared away. For heavens sake, I don't want to be reminded of Christmas two months in advance, I won't forget. I never have forgotten Christmas in the past. I know it will come, and yes, 1 am plann- ng to spend a few dollars to buy some presents. But give me a break! Let me enjoy the fall. I know you merchants are chomping at the bit. You've got your cash registers oiled and polished and your price tags ad- justed tor the season. The earlier the rush starts, the sooner your overdrafts will be reduced. But I refuse to play your game. I like to do my Christmas shopp- ing when there are soft snowflakes floating in the air. When I hear the crunch of snow under my new winter boots (if I ever find any). When the Salva- tion Army bubbles and bells ap- pear in the streets. When it's real ly beginning to look like Christmas. That's what puts me in the mood. That's when I like to select and purchase gifts for peo- ple I care about. Department store hype in Oc- tober and even in November turns me right off. When I see it, I feel like boycotting stores that insult my intelligence by putting on this ridiculous act. Get with it, Eatons, The Bay, Sears, Zellers, Met and what have you! Do you take us all for a bunch of dum- mies? We have calendars. Why should we, the customers, accommodate you, the mer- chants? Why not the other way around? O.K., Christmas is a mad rush. And a huge portion of your total annual sales is Christmas -related. But instead of starting your insensitive, cheap,. tasteless, tacky, pre -Christmas promotions earlier and earlier each year, why don't you provide some service? Like getting in your winter merchandise ' on time. Why don't you hire clerks who have a basic knowledge of the wares you're peddling, who are interested in the folks they're supposed to serve, who get out there helping customers instead of hiding from them? And why don't you hire enough people so that we're not inconvenienced by having to queue up at the cash like a Depression bread line? And why dont you buy and order in- telligently so that you have the right stock at the right time and in the right quantities? I'm get- ting tired of your excuses when items that should be in stock aren't. I think department stores can learn a lot from 'the small, in- dependent retailers. Give me the friendly neighbourhood or smail- town merchant anytime! They still 'cherish their customers. They still take pride in their abilities, their stores and their wares. And they have enough common sense to hold back with the jingle bells and the plastic mistletoe until the time is right. Christmas? You must be kid- ding. It's fall, glorious fall. The geese are flying south. The grass is still green, and if you look closely, you see the odd pansy still in bloom. I couldn't care less how many shopping days are left. I am convinced that there is enough merchandise in this coun- try to make everybody happy at Christmas a hundred times over again. So don't rush me.