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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-03-01, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, March 1, 1989 Times Established 187i Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 T Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, N01 i 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235.1331 ROSS HAUGH Editor HARRY DRRIES • JIM BECKETT Publisher & Advertising Manager DON SMITH Composition Manager Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Quebec starting to pay price he province of Quebec is be- ginning to pay the price for re- cent application of repressive laws regarding language and signs. A lot of people not only within the province, but businesses outside with ideas of expanding to Quebec are getting to feel uncomfortable. In a situation fairly close to home, In- gersoll-Rand Canada Inc. has apparently decided to scratch plans to build a plant near Montreal because they believe this law is only the beginning. A letter from the firm was called "insulting and crazy" by Premier Robert Bourassa. The letter says the heavy ma- chinery manufacturer will invest $30 million in a Downsview, Ontario plant instead of building in Valleyfield, Que- bec. The company blames the change of plans on Quebec's decision to set aside freedom -of -speech guarantees when it adopted the law on the language of out- side commercial signs in December. William Mallory, president of the In- gersoll firm said his company will not invest another cent in Quebec because of its lack of confidence in the government. Mallory went on to say that this type of legislation makes the company wonder if the province isn't acting like " a banana republic, or a dictatorship." These are certainly very harsh words coming from the top official of a large corporation, but should be taken by Bou- rassa as a notice that he cannot afford to trample on the rights of English minori- ty in the province on the pretense he is somehow protecting the French lan- guage. The plant proposed by Ingersoll-Rand was expected to cost $18 million and would have manufactured parts for pumps. It would have created 100 jobs in the next three years-: • Quebec's language law came as the re- sult of a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that Quebec's ban on languages other than French on outside commercial signs violated freedom-of-speechguarantees in Quebec's Charter of Rights. Bourassa was able to invoke a notwith- standing clause in the Quebec and Cana- dian charters of rights to keep. his French -only outside signs. He did allow use of another language on signs indoors as long as French was predominant. Bourassa's government may have the right to invoke such measures, but it be- gins to look as if the premier and the province will be paying a mighty high price for this move. Public Speaking My first public speaking exper- ience was in high school. I had learned my speech by heart and practiced reciting it forward, backward and sideways. I had it down pat. But when I stood in front of the class, my voice shook and trembled, my skin broke out in a rash, my knees wobbled, and my brain quit on me. 1 just stood there like a nin- ny without saying another word, hoping for an earthquake. Then I ran to the washroom to be sick. Now it doesn't bother me to speak to an audience, large or small. But it took many years, many agonizing attempts to out- grow my original fear. I'm glad therefore that our kids arc being introduced to public speaking in the junior grades. They s$-iyth least. inhibited_ ---er'ncrvous. So they all enrolled in the Canadian Legion's public • speaking contest. (.A bouct� the Legion for this worthwhile undertaking.) The only difficulty was to get their act together and to plan their speeches earlier than the evening before or thc morning of. Alex- ander, who is in grade 4, decid- •cd to talk about our forthcoming trip. Stephanie - who is in grade 2 and not always thc most origi- nal - chose to talk about our trip, too. Duncan, also in grade 2, •wouldn't tell us his subject until Dear Sir: his speech was completely fin- ished. The rules were that the kids had to write their speeches twice - in full and on cue cards. They were only allowed to use the cue cards, of course. The speeches were to be 3 to 3 1/2 minutes long. Alexander's talk was quite polished. He spiced it with his own brand of humour, .and he intim s;voicc good candidate for a prize. He wanted to use a stopwatch to 'iiii� 13Tnix iris':- z- and 1 said: "Don't pay so much attention to the watch. Timing is not your main problem. Just de- !ivar a good speech and don't worry about the time. It doesn't matter if you're a fcw seconds over or under." Good advice to any speaker, we thought. Stephanie's speech was good average. And last night, Duncan finally allowed us to listen to his speech as well: His topic was "Table Manners", and allow me By Ross Haugh to share this excerpt with you; "You should know what to do if you have to sneisc or coff. Have morc than one fork to chouse from. If you hate the food, just say that you don't like it. If you need something that is not easy to reach, just remember how to behave. Sometimes mis- behaving is taking a toy from your brother, but sometimes it is more sciroios like breaking the law. Sometimes it is in between like stealing a gum ball from your sister. It is still breaking the law even though you cant go to jail for doing it. If you cant have good manners, you sometimes miss out on things like going to the cercous...." When Alexander came home from school today, he was dis- appointed and angry at mc. He silly, and carefree. There was a had been disqualified because different dance to learn every his speech was-toer-sfib f Zen week -wit<#�saz match_._ seconds. The teacher had been every ncw song on the radio. .---- " `"'"'"walks, paw kc �'W,'t',��, t}7�+re w ha sto watt I feel sorry I messed it all. Ilie way oat helL. _-Of-ee , ' re,, X.SL rs='s�gPl. r r � ��: cu-;��s+�._^. - was ;i �rfci, �ilf wdSY uii i3l�it Rave re rcalt time everyone. I guess we - messed that up for him. ly too young to appreciate it. .; dethought... enough money to go around so Stephanie's and Duncan's Dancing didn't become a part of you'll have to reapply next year: speeches had been long enough, my life until a few years later by more money. but 1 suppose their delivery was when everything had changed for . -Adrian I larte . •The Death Wish: What we only avcragc_At anx rate thew rsc. need here is a dangerous, stupid hadn't expected to win, and both y flit 19'TOs, dance ffs - p,to celebrate all those people Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 0 4///4,0„' p'e/L We lead in soybeans Did you know that Ontario is Gerry's local charge of $6 is a score with two successful shots, the only province in Canada that real bargain compared to Tokyo Saturday night produces soybeans? $40: London, England $21 and It was great to see most of the Before we get on too far with Chicago $13. If you want a heroes of 25 years ago back on this subject, it's worth noting that cheap clip or trim go to Egypt the ice. Some have gained a few not too many years ago this farm where going prices in Cairo are pounds, lost a few hairs and crop was known as soya beans $3. maybe take a few seconds longer and described with the two to get to the other end of the ice, words compared to today's, all but they haven't lost too much of one word. From the their hockey savvy. It's a case of All $242 million worth of soy -knowing knowing what to do, but taking a a' bcans grown in this country in editor's disk little longer to get their Legs into 1986 were grown on 405,000 , ' by M action. hectares of .Ontario farmland in Ross Haugh Just ask the Hensall Drift - this province according to Statis- . woods oldtimers team about the tics Canada figures. abilities of the Combines 25 Almost a million tonnes or- * * * * * * years later. The Driftwoods were 2,440 kilograms per acre were Memories came flooding back defeated 8-3 Saturday night in a harvested that year, the last year as we attended Saturday night's 25th reunion g -m fo'-'he former for which national figures arc 25th reunion of the Hensall- Ontario champs. available. Zurich Combines junior hockey A number of years in Ottawa as While total farmland in Canada team. The real claim to fame of an MP didn't have any effect on has dropped by about three mil- this team was winning the Onta- the coaching abilities of Bob lion hectares since 1950, the rio Hockey Association Junior McKinley in getting his team in - amount of land under soybean "D" championship Association spired: After the second period harvest has increased dramatical- Junior "D" championship during with his team ahead 4-2 , McKin- ly. In 1950 soybeans accounted the 1963-64 season. ley said as he paced back and for only 57,000 hectares of farm- In order to win the title that forth, "It shouldn't he long be - land. year, the Combines had to climi- fore Harold Ballard gives me a Production reached a high in nate good clubs from Strathroy, call to take over the coaching of 1985 when 425,000 hectares of Uxbridge and Stouffville. the Leafs.=' Ontario farmland was used for We started in the newspaper The two goal tenders came the soybeans. In 1941, only 4,000 business on a part-time basis in farthest distance for the reunion. hectares were farmed for soy- the summer of 1963 and we had Dennis Amachcr was in from beans. the privilege of watching the sev Kingston and Rick Stade took cnth and deciding game which some time off from his job as a went into overtime. sergeant with the RCMP in Van - Back in thc spring of 1964 couver ' Brucc Cooper scored two goals Pun of the Week - Synonym - in overtime for thc Combines. The word you use when you Despite a fcw .more pounds, don't know how to spell the Cooper proved he could still word you wanted to use. * * * * * * Shortly after doing last week's business article on veteran local barber Gerry Smith, we ran across a comparison of the cost of haircuts in various parts of the world. Let's dance Dancing isn't today what it Here are six suggestions for used to bc. some ncw steps. Practise them if At least that's thc.way I see it. you dare, or just let imagination In thc 1960s, dancing was fun, fill in the details. •The Grand Bend Hop: Every- one knows this one. You rywhere. It involves hiring ex- pensive engineers and lawyers to fill out expensive applications to bc rcad by expensive civil ser- vants in the hope taxpayers in places like Peterborough and Ac- tinolite will share the cost of side - 1 said that they "almost won". Never mind thc ups and downs. The kids arc learning. They have no fear. There is lots of time to perfect the technique. Public speaking? No problem. .., ette ,s to the E solved into something intangible. bounce from the ball of one foot who wait for the highways -6 5T* You didn't learn how to dance, it to the other, trying to stay air - was supposed to be a "natural ex- borne for as long as possible, perience„ . Truly cool people au- just like traversing hot sand at the tomatically kncw how to look Bcnd in August. good on thc disco floor. Osmo- •The Number Four Waltz: This sis, 1 guess. ,wou1sLhe- _a smooth -flowing .three-step if not for random spas- modic jolts and bounces. Drive a car between Hensall and Exeter and you'll get the idea. .The Second Gear Grind: You can do this one sitting down. You lift your left knee, while twitching your right foot and moving your right arm hack and forth. Sound familiar? If done right it resembles crawling a manual-transmissioncd car through Exeter in rush hour. •Thc No -PRIDE Shuffle: A.fa- vorite with municipal offices eve- _,, ...�„ .>rr••:�,.,,. 9stip--i en seems 10 ditor understand how ridiculous we are when trying to look serious about dancing. What we really need is a revi- val. Let's get back to the silliness of the 60s. Let's invent ncw dances. Let's have some fun. I confess to knowing next to nothing about dancing, but 1 thought 1 might hazard some new steps to stake Southwestern On- tario a trendsetter for the rest of North America. Why not? Who says we can't be first? One of the main topics of conver- sation in Exctcr these days is street names. I think we need to get our priorities straight and put our time and money into putting our streets in good repair. Sanders Street from Main to An- drew is a disgrace. 'It is one of thc busiest streets in Exctcr yet you can't get out of your car on a wet day without stepping ankle deep 1 into water. Drivers can't avoid splashing pe- destrians and when it freezes the street becomes a hazardous mess. This didn't just happen this winter, its been like that for at least three years and it's getting worse. It stems that the elite among us find the names Market, Mill and Hill too common. I've talked to a lot of people and it seems we com- mon folk like these names. We do not find Andrew North, Ir William North or Carling North confusing. We know which way is North. We also know which way is up so lets get back to the busi- ness of running this town and sav- ing our tax dollars rather than look- ing for unnecessary ways to spend them. Sincerely, Fran Ritchie 58 Huron St. W. Exeter, Ontario covered in ice and wet snow to take the Oldsmobile out and tail- gate any car in front. This dance would have to be performed whc_r ,te a•policc`irt” when you need them most. •The Kokomo: Apparently, travel agents everywhere have been besieged by calls about the nonexistent resort in the Beach Boys' song. What Grand Bend needs to do if they get restruc- tured into a region is to name it Kokomo and invent a dance. This is a sure-fire winning com- bination. Just imagine if only half of all those sun -seeking va- cationers ended up at thc Grand Bend Winter Carnival instead: "You didn't know Kokomo was in Canada, ch?"