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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-11-26, Page 1b: Minor altercation at N -P strike site As the result of a vote Sunday, 25 employees of GRW Industries (1965) Limited of Huron Park went on strike Monday morning. Bert Rovers, national represen- tative for the Canadian Auto Workers Union said the workers overwhelm- ingly rejected the company's final of- fer for a first contract. The union was certified in July to represent GRW plant employees in- cluding machine operators, set-up staff, maintenance workers and truck drivers. Maurice Sauve, chairman of the employee bargaining committee told the T -A Monday morning that agree- ment had been reached on the language of the contract, but they were far apart on job security and benefits. The plant operated by Grant Wilson supplies tubing and fabricates drive ,,sh for a General Motors plant in Cleveland, Ohio. A brief but tense confrontation developed late Monday afternoon as some of the striking workers attemp- ted to stop a truck from entering the plant and shouted at a fellow employee who was leaving the plant in a car. Two Exeter OPP officers were on the scene late in the day to explain to picketing employees that they could slow entry or exit of vehicles; but could not stop them. About 10 employees walked slowly back and forth in front of an empty truck driven by supervisory staff as it inched its way across the parking Please turn to page 2 .. = .il* GRW STRIKERS — Maurice Sauve, Joe Hopper and Brad Ditto are shown on the picket line at the GRW plant in Huron Park, Monday. .. .F��-o• .,i. . DONATES PIANO TO VILLA — Exeter resident Ann Brodie has donated a piano to the Exeter Villa nursing home. Not only did she provide the piano, but was, at the home Monday afternoon at the keyboard to entertain residents. Accepting the donation is Villa direc- tor of nursing Kathy O'Reilly. T -A photo District liberals will back Turner • The executive of the Western On- tario North Liberal Association is en- dorsing John Turner as leader of the federal Liberal Party. At an executive meeting of the Western Ontario North Liberal Association in Mildmay on November 7, the association voiced its support for Turner. "This association supports and en- dorses John Turner as leader," states a motion by the association executive. "We would urge all delegates in Western Ontario North to fully sup- port the leader at the upcoming na- tional convention in Ottawa, November 27 to 30." The executive includes : president, Bruce McDonald, Mildmay; past president, Duncan McCallum, Hanover; vice-president, Bill Elston, Brussels; secretary, Glen Crockford, Hanover; treasurer, Wm. Somerville, Stratford; directors, James Powers, Chepstow, Heather Redick, Zurich, and Muriel Murphy, Goderich. The association represents the federal ridings of Perth, Huron - Bruce, Bruce -Grey, and Gre-- Simcoe. - SNOW 1S FUN -- Juanita Amerongen and Charlotte Wilts took ad- vantage of the first snow of the season to get out their snow machine. Police say 'victim' staged o theft An 18 -year-old Exeter man s been charged with public misc of and theft under $1,000 followin Ex- eter police department investigation of an incident at a local variety store early Monday morning. The police received a call around 4:13 a.m. that a lone gunman had entered the Mac's Milk Store on Main St. and robbed the 18 -year-old male employee. As a result., of the information, police conducted a lengthy investiga- tion and report that no one had robb- ed the employee, but rather he had planned and staged the robbery tale himself. All the money had been removed from the store and the telephone line had been cut. The local man is scheduled to ap- pear in court on January 13 to face the ti charges. One accident was investigated by the police department as well, it oc- curring on Saturday at the parking lot of the LCBO store on Main St. Vehicles involved were operated by Brian llard"man, Kirkton, and Joanne Taylor, llarriston. Both had been stopped at the exit when the Hardeman vehicle reversed into the Taylor vehicle. Total damage was set at $600. During the week, the local depiirt- ment officers laid eight charges under the highway Traffic Act and two under the ('riminal Code. There were two charges under town bylaws and four parking tickets issued. The bylaw charges were laid against two local youths for riding snow machines on town streets in this week's first snowfall of the season. 1 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex • Firm's future known Friday An announcement is expected this week on whether Protective Plastics will be moving its Huron Park and St. Marys operations to a new location in Brantford. The firm has made an offer on a former White Farm Equipment building in Brantford and will know on Friday if it has been successful. The firm has been looking for some time to consolidate its operations. Protective Plastics employs 90 peo- ple at Huron Park and another 40 in St. Marys. Total payroll of the two plants is about $2.1 million per year. The firm is the second largest sup- plier of plastic panels forr the truck and trailer industry in North America and its lease at Huron Park runs un- til the end of 1987. When company officials announced intentions to consolidate the opera- tions, it was indicated that all current employees would be invited to move with the company if such a move transpired. tO�i:�va�1 voca & North Lambton Since 1873 Price Per Copy 60 cents One Hundred and Fifteenth Year s>. EXETER, ONTARIO, November 26, 1986 Riddell announces aid to offset crop losses Area vegetable growers have mix- ed reactions to an announcement made on Monday by agriculture minister Jack Riddell that outlines assistance for farmers who suffered crop losses due to adverse weather conditions this fall. Speaking at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture annual meeting in Toronto, Riddell announced a pro- gram known as "OFFIRR Plus" to help farm people "beaten up by Mother Nature". A one-year provision has been made for those affected by the wet weather if they suffered in excess of 30 percent crop losses. The "adverse weather assistance" outlined by the area MPP will reduce interest by an additional eight percen- tage points over the regular OFFIRR program -on debts equal to the value of the crop losses over 30 percent - to a maximum of $250,000. "In most cases," Riddell explained, "this would mean interest costs cut back to zero." This adverse weather provision is meant to work in concert with the OF- FIRR program so an eligible pro- ducer can receive benefits on top of the regular OFFIRR benefit if more Over a third said deficient A recently completed study for Ex- eter streets is presently under review by the public works committee and it calls for expenditures of $4,725,000 over the next 15 years. The study was prepared by Huron- ' Middlesex Engineering Ltd. who pro- vided supervision of two students hired for the summer by the town to compile information needed for the study. The students were Scott Jesney and Phil Bradshaw. The engineering firm, in conjunc- tion with works superintendent Glen Kells, completed an inspection and appraisal of each street, deter- mined the structural adequacy, recommended the type of im- provements required and agreed upon a schedule for implementing the recommended improvements. The report notes that of the 26.2 kilometres of roads in Exeter, ap- proximately 9.9 kilometres are "critically deficient" now, in terms of structural adequacy. The estimated cost (in 1986 dollars) to improve these streets to the town's standards (i.e. adequate storm drainage, granular base, curb and gutter and asphalt surface), is 13,665,000. An additional 6.4 kilometres of streets, although adequate at present, will require improvements within the next 15 years at an estimated cost of $1,510,000. The report suggests that the average expenditure over the next 15 years to meet the recommendations would be $315,000 per year, compared to the present expenditure of approx- imately $300,000 spent on roads annually. Noting that the town now spends ap- proximately $80,000 annually for which no subsidy is received from the ministry of transportation and com- munication, the report authors sug- gest 'it should provide the town and ministry with sufficient information for a more equitable level of subsidy for road improvement projects in Exeter. The report was presented to the public works committee byreen- tatives of the engineering fiand committee chairman Lossy Fuller in- dicated this week it would now Ile more fully reviewed by the committee. She explained there was already some disagreement among members over some of the priorities establish- ed for various roads between now and the year 2001. than 30 percent of the crop has been lost. "We expect to help out 3,000 to 4,000 producers with about $10 million in compensation for bad weather," the Huron -Middlesex MPP commented during his announcement. He quickly went on to urge federal agriculture minister John Wise to "make good on those promises to join in Ontario's financial commitment". The promises referred to were those made by Wise when he toured some Huron County farms during the wet weather this fat% Riddell noted that he had also urg- ed Wise to make good on his promise to area farmers when the two were at- tending last week's First Ministers' meeting in Vancouver. When apprised of Riddell's an- _nounced assistance for crop losses due to the weather, both Bert Visscher and Ted Soudant said it would be a benefit to their respective operations. Visscher, RR 1 Dashwood, lost about $250,000 of produce at market value due to the weather and said he would have no difficulty meeting the 30 percent crop loss figure. "It certainly will help us out," he said, noting that the government fac- ed a tough decision over the crop situation. Despite his initial response, the vegetable producer noted that it wilt take several years to wipe out the loss that he has experienced this season. Soudant, of Soudant Farms, was less enthusiastic over the announcement.' He said that he hoped the federal government would also come through with some assistance as Wise had pro- mised during his stop at Soudant Fdrms this fall. "If the federal government came up with something as good (as the provincial plan) it would be a pretty lair plan" and he said it should help keep the majority of farmers who ex- perienced severe crop losses in business. However, he cautioned that even the provincial help may not prove to be enough for some vegetable pro- ducers who experienced 100 percent crop losses. Soudant said his firm experienced a loss in the 45 to 50 percent bracket and that came after a disastrous year in 1985 when potato growers receiv- ed abnormally low prices for their crop. He said the Ontario plan would have been better if there was no ceil- ing or if the ceiling was higher, and explained that the eight percent in- terest help was only $20,000 on an opening loan of $250,000 and that Please turn to page 2 NURSERY VISITS SCHOOL BAND Students at the Toddlers Inn nursery school visited South Huron District High School Wednesday with the school's band. Above, students Terri Lyn Thompson and Mot - thew Rowe are shown with musicians Arlene Hoonard, Dennis Webster and Bobbi -Jo Richards.T-A photo. Many driversfa-iI test of first major snowfall A number of drivers in the area rail- ed to cope with the first major snowfall of the season. Exeter OPP investigated 10 collisions this week, with the majority occurring on snow covered roads. Damage in the crashes was listed at almost 817,000 and there were three injuries. One of those injuries was -serious and was sustained by 26 -year-old John Castle, Dorchester, who lost control of his vehicle on concession 2-3 of IMPROVE SERVICE No, The town is not getting its very own nuclear fall -out shelter, nor is Exeter going to be the first centre with a population under 10,000 with its own subway system. Sidewalk superintendents who have been overseeing the activity around two large holes on Main Street will have to be content with a more prosaic ex- planation for the recent excavating. Tp accommodate two commercial businesses and four convert -to -rent apartments in the former Junction building, the PUC is replacing a five- eighths inch water line with a larger one -inch service. A team of specialists were schedul- ed to rocket a path for the line from one hole to the other under the pave- ment yesterday, and work should he completed and the street hack to nor- mal by Thursday at the latest. Stephen on Friday at 5:00 p.m. The vehicle rolled over in the ditch and the driver was taken to University Hospital in London where he was listed in serious condition. A passenger in the vehicle, Brian Williams, 32, of Huron Park, sustain- ed minor injuries. Damage to the truck was set at $1,800. The other injury was reported in a Saturday morning collision in Zurich, when vehicles driven by Heather Redick, Zurich, and Angela Zondag, Bayfield, collided on Mill St., at Vic- toria St., in Zurich. Kimberly Redick, 15, a passenger in the Zurich car, suffered minor in- juries and total damage was estimated at $2,800. The first of six crashes on Thursday occurrent 2:30 a.m. on Highway 83. A vehicle driven by James Bender, Exeter, left the roaMvay and entered the ditch, sustaining damage listed at $800. At 2:45 p.m., a vehicle driven by Donald Fahner, Exeter, skidded off Highway 4 near the Crediton Road in- tersection and struck a hydro pole. Damage was $1,000 to the vehicle. Ten minutes later, a vehicle operated by Marlene Fields, RR 2 Hensall, left Highway 21 and collided with a tree. She escaped injury and damage was $2,000. Diane Moody, Exeter, lost control of her vehicle on Highway 84 at 3:15 p.m. and it also collided with a tree. Damage was 82,000 in that one. At 3:40 p.m., a vehicle driven by Allan Cottel, Crediton, left Highway 4 at the Crediton Road and struck a hydro pole. Total damage was 8800. The last of the Thursday crashes was at 6:30 p.m., when a vehicle operated by Joseph Alcaidinno, Strathroy, skidded'off Highway 81 in Stephen Township and struck a hydro guide wire. Damage to the vehicle was set at 82,000 and there was $80 damage to the hydro equipment. On Friday at 6:35 p.m., a vehicle driven by Rebecca Fergusson, Cen- tralia, went out of control on conces- sion 2-3 of Ushorne near the Morrison dam and struck a Bell Telephone junction box. There was no damage to the vehicle but there was $1,000 damage caused to the Bell equipment. During the week, the local detach- ment officers laid 35 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, four under the Liquor Licence Act and one under the Motorized Snow Vehicle Act. One driver was given a 12 -hour licence suspension following a road- side breath test. The OPP remind area drivers that they plan a number of spot checks during the upcoming holiday season to keep drinking drivers off the highways.