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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1979-10-24, Page 4 (2)Pogo 4 Times -Advocate, October 24, 1979 e., Advocate (outranked 1181 Times Established 1173 Amalgomoied 1924 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNEEEDV.PUBUSHER Editor — Sill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVrles Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Published Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235-1331 at Exeter, Ontario s.cond Class Mail R.yutration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada 511.00 Per Year; USA $30.00 Growing question No one has yet- been able to come up with a logical explanation for the phenominal commercial growth taking place in Exeter over the past five years. but that development in itself does provide some explanation for a new set of surprising figures ... the ,town's population. • Figures show .that 136 people were added to the total to bring the current population to 3.668. That's an increase of about four percent in one year. which could well make the community the fastest growing one in Canada in that period. The only competition for that title is probably the oil -rich western provinces where mass immigration is also being recorded. While the local growth is unusual, it is still well below estimates that were made in the mid -60's. In 1965. the pop- ulation was already 3.200 and experts were predicting that it would . reach over 4,000 by 1971. The closing of CFB Centralia. of course. helped dim that • prediction but the community appears to be back on the track in attracting new residents. While the commercial growth ex- plains part of the reason for the popula- tion increase, there is 'evidence that small urban communities will continue to grow in the next decade as people attempt to escape the large cities. Exeter's potential for growth is currently limited by the capacity of the Ausable River to handle sewage effluent and the matter is currently un- der study by local and provincial of- ficials. In the pear future. this community will face ah important question of how much money it will spend toprovidefor further growth. or looking at its current debt load. the question may well be how much it can realistically afford to spend. It- won't be an easy question to answer' ' On high ground Some area municipalities .are holding out on a request from the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority to adopt flood and fill line mapping. One of .the basic problems is that the floodline is based upon -„the rainfall and flooding conditions experienced with Hurricane Hazel some 25 years ago and some council members suggest that such a guideline may be too stringent when consideration is given to development of land that may fall within the floodplain. Exeter Reeve Si Simmons explain- ed last week .that had the guidelines been in force. the community Swim-- ming wim=ming pool would probably not have' been permitted at its present location due to the threat of a flood yet the water has never reached that level even during the visitation ofHurricane Hazel. While people still insist on gambl- ing with nature's whims on too many occasions. there is a need for guidelines to protect them from themselves; but those guidelines must be realistic. Most communities in the watersh- ed still appear to have enough vacant land to negate the necessity of allowing development on land that could be en- dangered by anything even -as freakish as Hurricane Hazel particularly at a time when freaks of nature are becom- ing more prevalent. Ash burns best As more of us are using more wood for heating the following item -from the Ontario Lumbc't Manufacturers Association is interesting. As•anyone who has had a disastrous experience with smoke and sparks can tell you. the first- step to a good fire is the use"of proper, wood. The following poem is helpful in determining the bur- ning qualities of wood. Beechwood fires are bright and clear If the logs are kept a year. Chestnuts only good. they say. If for long it's laid away. . By SYDFLETCHER When we first got married i bragged to my wife that after my experience as a cook in an army camp. that i could make • salad dressing right -from scratch. What 1 neglected to tell her was that -..I could only -make it in 45 gallon batches Not much use, really, when it• comes down to it. I guess.. in -a -little apartment like ours. The refrigerator would have' had a problem storing it all. Maybe. we could have given a little away. Before I got that job I had worked for one day in a 'restaurant as their night cook. 'You have to •unders- tand that this was a real reio .. for e. 1 had started ut as'mnight gas=' jockey. The boss had got desperate one-.eveliing-.when the regular cook hod sudden- ly quit on him. "411Q. ;problem," he said. "On the nfght,siliftyou,.rsre- ly get anything -5th i'. aIi tr hamburgers and french fries. Just see that the -ham- burger is cooked and the french fries warmed up a lit- tle. You'll do great," he Birch and fire logs burn too fast, Blaze up bright and do not last. Elm wood burns like a churchyard mold. Even the very flames are cold. Poplar gives a bitter smoke, Fills your 'eyes and makes you choke. Apple wood will scent your room With an incense like perfume. Oak and maple. if dry and old. Keep away the winter cold. But ash wood wet and ash wood dry A king shall warm his slippers by! Perspectives assured me. then left Sure enough. the late crowd. in from the closed hotels across fromjhe river - just wanted.haibugers_an4- fries. just as •he'd guaranteed. and as long as the waitress was willao give me the bill to look at i wasn't totally confused. She was a frizzy -headed girl. not much older than myself. who kept" on shoving her tip money into the juke -box. it never stopped. "Two westerns."she yell- ed. "a New Yorker. medium rare. a hamburger and fries." I grabbed a menu fran- tically. I didn't know you needed to pass a course in geifgeaphy to be a cook. New Yorker. Ah yes:- a steak. No steaks in the refrigerator. Where's the steaks''" I hissed. in a stage whisper. through the opening in the .wall. 'In the freezer, stupid." sy"1ie'ad"i'eplleil:-Waded" there, Thank goodness the --package-said:New Yorker -on - it or I'd still be looking in the salmon steaks. I slapped it on the grill. then realized that I didn't have a clue what -=westerns were. ` -"What's a western?" i - whispe`re4f°agaiu..tb fris'head' " A •western sa-nifWic�t►!" she replied loudly. Several customers were beginning to • • look a. little anxious. "Ok. Ok." I renlied. then realized that that was, no help- -What's in itthdggtt'"r' She carrle ick -and owed me how to mix a couple of eggs together. some milk. a few. pieces of ham. Amazing. Now I should have known - that. It was•so easy. "Your steak's never gonna get. done that way, she remarked as she went out. I looked at it. She was right. Perhaps if I turned the grill up a little. Maybe if i dipped it briefly in the french fry grease? "Bacon and eggs. sunny side up, and keep them cluckin". friz-head hollered. The steaks -was burning as I broke the eggs, five of them .before 1 got two without broken yolks. I was mixing up the westerns and trying to keep an eye on the bacon which was cooking very nicely on that hot grill. Several customers left suddenly. Perhaps il. wa4 from my cry of (WOW When I saw that the french fries had turned from -a -golden brown to a 'deep purplish black. or the smell of that steak as. it smoked on the sideboard where I was try- ing to cool it down: I don't understand why I was so suddeely demoted the ..next ---Mat back to gas- jjramburgers_ were delicious. BATT'N AROUND with the editor Too many .stin'kin' things Periodically when journalists sit down to write a weekly column they find there just isn't a stinkin' thing to write about. That's not the way it is with yours truly this week. In fact. it would appear there are too many stinkin' things to write about. In the last couple of weeks I've come to the conclusion. from first hand ex- periences. that 'the skunk population is getting slightly out of control. ' It's a conclusion that has been backed up with some information from other sources, and while the situation may not.yet have reached epidemic propor- tions, most readers will readily realize that one close encounter withra skunk can certainly be described as an en- counter of the worst kind. . While rounding a curve on an area. sideroad recently; the writer was con- fronted with the similiar black and white insignia of natures most ob- noxious creature ambling across the road on the path the front wheels of my vehicle was about to traverse. An attempt at braking to avoid the collision was less than successful and the vehicle skidded to a halt with the skunk somewhere under it. Naturally, my nostrils awaited the pungent odour that was•expected to soon fill the air and the car. but alas good fortune had. struck. After sitting in the middle of the road for a few seconds I pulled away, the skunk apparently having somehow eluded his demise and its ac- companying final stink bomb. e • . - A couple of nights lafer. while walk- ing down Sanders St.. I was attracted by the sound of the rustling leaves just a couple of feet away from my path and there. ambling across the lawn, was another of the creatures much too close for comfort. Fortunately, he was apparently as anxious to avoid me as I was to avoid him and again there was a lucky escape from that powerful weapon with which skunks have been endowed. Naturally, trouble comes in threes, and this writer was most apprehensive that good fortune could be -expected to keep smiling'on him when that third en- counter arose. It didn't take long for that third meeting to take place. Again, • while driving along the road. I noticed the white line in front start to move slight: ly and there he was. Number three was even a greater hazard than his other two cousins, because rather than heading for the far side of the road, he started to move back across the lane in which I was travelling. Applying more body -English than anything else . because the pavement was too wet to attempt a swerve onto • ,the shoulder of the road. I again awaited the pungent odour that signifies a direct hit. Again good for- tune prevailed and I was able to con- tinue the trip without everyone for miles around knowing that another per- fumed creature had left his final mark on the fall air. To make a short story even longer. I happened to be recounting my ex- periences to a friend when we passed by a skunk that had apparently been snuffed out by another driver on the op- posite side of the road. Although my friend attempted to assure me the creature was dead, I replied it was probably just sleeping there until we had to return on his side of the road. No one's luck holds out for four times! Readers may not have had such close encounters with skunks. but if you watch closely as you traverse area roads, you'll probably notice there are a fair number of black and white car- casses. A local hunting enthusiast advises that the skunk population appears ex- tremely high and while We urban dwellers may assume the creatures are all living out in the countryside. such is not the case. In fact. one local resident suggests there are .dozens of them which have taken up residence in Ex- eter and more can be expected as winter winds start to send them looking Su ar and. Spice Dispe sed by Smiley Thi old press gang As,he promised. James Lamb had his- publishers send me a copy of his just puBtished book. Press Gang. and I'm glad he did. Laid up with a dose of 'flu. I was able to escapel,rom my personal miseries into this warm. and enter- taining account of small-town Canadian newspapers and the people who ran them in the post-war era. As'well as the newspaper world. -the' - author has produced a soeiatdocument of some importance. re-creating sniait- town Canada (the real Canada. in my opinion) in all its quirkness. wealth of colourful characters. and basic stabili- ty, qualities that seem to be eroding - rapidly. It is very much a first person narrative. We meet the young Jim Lath --b. just out,gf the Navy. after years on the cdrvettes: and'dotermined to become a newspaperman,. .. • of Lamb reeat:ares the excitement and _urgency of than first autumn- of 1945 • and the years :!mined atrely following,_' Canada had come of age ih World War iI,-and Canadians knew -it. Europe was -- shattered,' Britain exhausted. This was the best country in the world to live in; and all we recently discharged young veterans knew it. There was an almost palpable exhilaration' in the air. Right across the country. including Quebec, there was a sense of pride. a feeling of unity. that had never existed in this country before. and has sadly '.deterievated.rsince. Our fighting men had proved themselves the equal of any, -our industry was booming, there. was lots of room and opportunity for everyone. and the future was rosy. Well do I remember the feeling. This was before the social revolution, the inflation. the monstrously swollen government. the huge deficits and the shadow of separatism: the things that have turned us into a nation of security - minded. materialistic cry. -babies. But let me not draw a gloomy picture, of 'Press Gang '.It's a delightful book. one that will bring a nostalgic glow to all those people whg lived in small towns across Canada in the Forties and Fifties. Lonely as only a young reporter in a strange town can be. Lamb gradually became absorbed in the atmosphere and social life of the places he worked: Woodstock, Moose Jaw. Orillia. And he recreates Lida ,n ng of a younger. hadsirCanada en life t� im ler anocietx lessfbphisticaed on tese tree -shaded- streets' of our-iiowns.`and- small cities. - • Frlm the author we also get a good look into the workings and machinations of. those small newspapers with their ramshackle old buildings and rickety machinery, where reporters worked for thirty dollars a week. and, loved it. It's delightful stuff for anyone who has been in the business. But perhaps the greatest pleasure in for more favourable eating es- tablishments. To that end. our associate in the next office relates a story- about his daughter in Goderich becoming upset over the nightly raids on her garbage cans by what she thought were the neighbourhood cats. Early one morning. upon hearing another. commotion. she decided to take things in hand and grabbed a broom to reach the night-time vandals a lesson or two. However. just as she was set to swat the creature whose rump was sticking out of the strewn garbage. she for- tunately was able to stop the swing in mid-air and beat a hasty retreat when she saw the unmistakable -insignia of a skunk. But if you really want some fun, leave a cellar window open and have one of the stinkers get into your base ment. That happene7 to an Usborne family last year and we pass along the successful formula just in case other readers may be confronted with the same problem. A quick trip was make to a local store to purchase some smoked herring and it was placed inside a large barrel that was placed.on its side. The skunk ambl- ed in and the barrel was quickly righted and a hasty retreat was made -with barrel and contents up the cellar steps. However. the retreat was a little too hasty and the barrel slipped and the whole exercise -had to be undertaken again. It was successful and the barrel and the skunk were soon deposited outside where the animal finished his feed of herring and then ambled off. without leaving any of its calling card. Actually, the ending of that story is more than could be. expected. and readers would be well advised to check their basements for any access points before facing similar situations that could have less happy endings. ' • the book is the anecdotes and vignettes of characters. all the way from Lamb's first meeting with tight-fisted Roy Thomson, to become eventually Lord Fleet of London and owner of the biggest newspaper empire in the world, down to the grubbiest paper -carrier. baffling the bureaucracy of the newspaper with his complete lack of :organization. We meet • .Harry- Boyle. self-made Canadian millionaire. who -Wound 'up with the Queen of Rumania as his mis- tress. And C.H. Hale, editor of the Orillia Packet and Times. "a prototype of all the otdtline newspapermen across the country who ran newspapers because they•had something to say, not because they thought they -could ,get rich." There were quite a few of those e around when i was in the business. but therehretn't nobsleft- The,:thunderipg of the editor has been fiepl-ae€d by the • wiles of the advertising manager. in the pursuit of the buck. The result is an almost national blandness on the editorial pages of small -city papers across the country. Don't step on too many toes. • James Lamb was one of the good ones, and during the years he was editor in Oriflia. Packet and Times Yip Mainstream Canada Two Sets of Rules By W. Roger Worth The Quebec government recently paid a supplier S2,400 for materials, four months after the bill had been sent. No interest was paid on the outstanding amount. A small contractor in North- ern Ontario came close to hav- ing his business placed in re- ceivership or bankruptcy when the provincial government kept him wailing more than three months before paying a $74000 bill. Again, the hard-pressed entrepreneur received no in- terest on the overdue account. Roger Worth is Director; Public'Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. For people operating small and medium-sized businesses, dealing with provincial and federal governments and their agencies can be risky indeed. While governments have made an attempt to speed up pay- ment procedures during the last few years, the system still leaves a lot to be desired. The bureaucrats argue that most bills are paid on time, which is probably true. The real dilemma for entrepreneurs, however, is what happens when a cheque from Ottawa or the provinces doesn't arrive. In norma{ibusiness circum- stances a simple telephone call to the "slow -pay" cus- tomer might rectify the situa- tion, or at least provide an in- dication of the likely payment date. With governments, though, even (racking down the unpaid invoice can be a major achieve- ment for the most concerned civil servant. The real problem, however, is a general government policy eliminating interest payments on overdue accounts, forcing suppliers to pick up the. tab when the system fails to work efficiently. Simply put, in late -pay- ments cases business effec- tively subsidizes government ' sloppiness. Businesses have to borrow money at interest rates of 14°'o - 1507o or more to fi- nance_their operations as they await overdue government pay- ments. Normally, business trade accounts are charged a not un- reasonable 1-1!20/o per month to cover such losses. Not every government de- partment, of course, follows the "no interest" principle. Just ask the person with an overdue tax bill. The message from the bureaucrats is clear. Pay up promptly, please, and don't forget to include the in- terest. gtittomx, memory lane 55 Years Ago William Elsie of Grand Bend and Melton Deitz of Zurich have the distinction of being champions in this district for wild geese shooting. On Monday they shot eight and on Tuesday they shot ten which makes it 18 in two days. A hockey association was formed in Exeter on Monday evening at the Dome Rink. It . was decided to enter a team in the O.H.A. Intermediates. The colours will be orange and green. Freeman Morlock has installed a radio set with a loud speaker. Needless to say Freeman's store is quite a community centre. Huron County Council is in session this week, Reeve W.D. Sanders, of Exeter, Reeve Wm. Coates of Usborne and Reeve A. Neeb of Stephen are in attendance. 30 Years Ago Cpl, R.B. Alward received from C/O W,F.M. Newson of the Centralia RCAF Station the key to the first home to be occupied by married. personnel. In process of erection are 185 homes. Cliff Brintnell, Rufus Kestle and William Sims attended the- 58th battalion, reunion dinner at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto Saturday night. K.J. Lampman has completed 25 years service with the Ontario Electric Power Commission. He and Mrs. Lampman are spending a month's holiday in Ber- muda. Ted Pooley picked some ripe strawberries from his garden this week. - 20 Years Ago • A . ten -man hunting ex- pedition that left a week ago for Koko Lake from Exeter and district has returned with the catch of two deer. Making up the members of the party were Graham Arthur, Jack Carr, George Glendenning, Harold Holtzreann and Bill Amos. Poppy day campaign here' was ,very successful ac- cording to chairman Harvey Pfaff. Top collector again was Fred Wells who raised more than $200 himself. A portion of the residence of the estate of Miss Helen T. Swan of Hensel! and London has been awarded to the Canadian Council of Chur- ches to be used in refugee work. 15 Years Ago Area police officials this week congratulated district youths on their "good behavior" on Halloween. Damage from vandalism in the area was 'extremely light. A sanitary engineer from the OWRC made several tests Tuesday in an effort to determine the source of the pollution in the. Ausable River which caused the death of many fish this summer. The test failed to indicate any conclusive evidence of pollution. About 200 members and friends who attended the annual meeting of JExeter District Co -Operative last week Iearned that the organization had ex- perienced a comparatively good year, despite the loss of their building through fire. editorials were quoted across this country. ' In the last-fes'hap ''--gra!; Gang;-1tmtamb's tiSYie changes from a nostalgic—eh-tickle to a tone o1 lament and even anger for a Canada that has been lost. He sounds off loud and clear for the millions of Canadians who must grit .their teeth. and„-Suffer_in silence the::inanities and incom- prehensions of a new breed of journalist", or -be labelled "rednecks" or "reactionaries" by the trendy types who to- day write the news. He comes out swinging at government that governs in a vacuum. "It is probably fair to say that most recent Cana- dian Legislation runs directly counter to the wishes of the majority of Canadians ... In a whole range of issues, from abortion and capital punishment to the metric system and .the monarchy, the attitude of the rulers is at variance with that of the ruled." And a lot more of it. This is vintage Lamb editorializing, and while you might -not share all his'views, it ends the book ,with strength and sting. • Give some kids q c ance in life ... SUPPORT UNICEF COLLECTIONS THIS HALLOWE'EN s. e e •