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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-08-31, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 31, 1983 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 215-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $21.00 Per year; U.S.A. $56.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Noticeable absentee People who reach marriage or longevity milestones are usually showered with best wishes from friends and neighbors, while at the same time many of those occasions are marked by greetings from pro- vincial and federal leaders. There's even a message from the Queen for those who hit some anniversaries or birthdays of note. One noticeable absentee in the list of con- gratulatory messages from official sources is that of the local municipality. To our knowledge, no area municipality has a policy whereby greetings are extended to the celebrants on an official basis. Perhaps they've steered clear of the practice because they are less "political" than the provincial and federal elected representatives who instituted the messages initially for some hope of vote -getting. It is now a practices that is less tainted from that stand -point. Perhaps municipalities should take their place in extending congratulations to residents who reach significant milestones. One recent.celebrant noted her disappointment over the situation, so we pass the message along for the consideration of area council members. Just think of how many pot -holes, stray dogs and property tax increases some one has endured during the long climb to the age of 90 or 100. Perhaps it is worth some small token of congratulations! Do as we say A couple of months ago Finance Minister Marc Lalonde was extremely critical of employers in the Nova Scotia construction industry after they signed a contract which gave the province's pipefitters a 12 -percent annual inctease over a four-year period. In light of the government's famed six -and -five restraint program, Lalonde threatened to withhold federal grants from any province which allowed such high settlements. Ian Sinclair, chairman of Canadian Pacific Enter- prises, this county's biggest corporation, was ap- pointed to head the government's restraint program committee, a body set up to help enforce the six -and - five formula. He appeared on television several times to discuss the vital need for restraint and the danger that improving economic conditions might rekindle the fires of uncontrolled inflation. It would appear that Mr. Sinclair is something less than sincere in his public stance. A few weeks ago one of CPE's subsidiaries, CIP Incorporated, allowed its forestry workers an increase of 23.2 percent over two years. Defending the settlement, Sinclair said that CIP management tried to get the union to accept lower wage increases but "it was impossible to break the well-established pattern." In other words, "Do as I say, not as 1 do." Pay to be frightened There has to be something strange about people who will pay good money to be frightened. Sounds crazy but it's a living fact. Just listen to the advertising for some of the cur- rent movies and TV programs. "Death Ship - A Holi- day in Hell". "The last sound you hear will be your own screams of terror", and so on. Week after week these grisly offerings in the name of entertainment are thrust upon our consciousness - and more importantly, into the awareness of impressionable children. You need not suppose that the film makers are misjudging the public's appetite for horror. The invest- ment in such films is stupendous, so it is obvious the public is paying handsomely to be scared stiff. The money taken in at the nation's box offices is all the pro- of they need. There is obviously something in human nature which is fascinated by suffering and death. Otherwise the shoot -from -the -hip cowboy epics would not have survived in all their violent vividness for 50 to 60 years. Books written about the Donnelly murders at Lucan more than 100 years ago have been appearing with regularity for several decades and the number of peo- ple visiting the cemetery to gaze at the Donnelly tomb- stone made it necessary to remove and hide that marker. Perhaps this fascination with terror and violent death applies only to fiction. Would the same numbers of spectators be equally thrilled by films which would truthfully depict guerrilla soldiers massacring inno- cent Indian women and children in Central America? Would they get a kick out of films shot in the death camps at Belsen and Dachau? Wingham Times -Advocate Short time to savor the effort Dont look now, but the summer of '83 is about to come to an end! Area students will he returning to the various halls of learning and numerous groups will be hack into their fall ac- tivities after the summer hiatus However, judging from the busy schedule that many area residents have undertaken during the summer, it may be that fall will signal a bit of a rest. The weather has been unusually kind for holidayers and outdoor activities, with farming one of the few exceptions to that situation. Now that the Zurich Bean Festival has been written into the history books for another year, all the area communities have staged their summer celebrations and there is little doubt that the list of those has been extended considerably this year. in fact, my cohorts note that there was only one weekend during the past nine on which there Wasn't some special activity staged somewhere in the area. No doubt someone will move to fill that void before the summer season returns again. ,. . Judging from the disappointing crowds at the recent sand castle building com- petition at Grand Bend, several of our readers were not in attendance and pro- bably have some misconceptions as to the work involved in creating the works of art that resulted. I must admit to being in that category before,attending the competition, althougpictures from the first event a year earlier had provided ample indica- tion that some measure of planning and work was involved. That turned out to he an under- statement. The teams actually spend about the } first hour of the competition in shovelling the sand into huge piles and carrying an almost endless number of buckets of water from the lake to turn the grains of sand into a manageable compound for their artistic efforts In fact, the team headed by architect 4,0g�' �';Y Fi r x� BATT'N AROUND with the editor John Brock spent over two hours in Satur- day's competition building a huge pile of sand and their area was impressive from the sheer number of tools they had on hand. What they did with a cross -cut saw was not witnessed, but it was there ready for use. The large shovels and buckets finally gave way to more intricate carving equip- ment and sprayers as the works of art started to take shape and required some considerable expertise. A dropor two too many washed away the sandwhile one or two too few resulted in the sculpture be- ing too dry and crumbling. it only took a few minutes after the edging to recognize that sand is certain- ly in the category of a renewable resource when it comes to castle building. The creations were quickly crumbling into non-descript piles of sand and by now the beach will have consumed them totally. While the material rewards from their efforts will remain, the sand artists cer- tainly have a very brief fling with the satisfaction and elation that come from looking on their creations Although it hardly falls into the category of a summer celebration, the an- nual (Tops Update session held at Cen- tralia College is one of the -events which some farmers mark religiously on their calendars. 1 nfortunately. it would appear that many do not and thereby deny themselves an opportunity to see the results of the Various trials conducted in an effort to improve their cropping practices. WedneAday's event was of interest as well from the aspect of the sharp con- trasts in the equipment displays. At one end of the trial plots was a display by several area equipment dealers and in- cluded in it were some of the massive tractors and harvesting equipment with which we in this area are quite familiar. At the other end, the College staff displayed the machinery used in planting and harvesting the plots, as well as some of the equipment by which the various chemicals are applied. A resident of Lilliput would have felt right at home adrnidst the miniature farm atmosphere that prevails on a test farm. The benefits of the research work are certainly not miniature, of course, as they set the stage for the advancement of new varieties, chemicals, and cropping procedures. The success of the work undertaken. of course, is in communicating the results to farmers so they can act upon the results of the experiments. That so few avail themselves of the op- portunity to see the results first hand and talk to the experts is a bit difficult to understand at a time when farmers are said to be in such troubled conditions and needing all the help they can get to im- prove their financial position. rifle nT N Kill— "My " My biggest fear is of being rescued!" Light, but with weight It's still too Banged hot and dry to get steamed up about anything, it you can figure out that mangled metaphor, so I'm gc. .g to give you something light, yet not without weight. This came to me via Jack Ryan, who clipped it - from someone who had reprinted it from the newsletter of the English equivalent of the Workmen's Compensation Board. Therefore, it's at least fourth hand, but I'm sure it will tickle the risibilities of any person who has ever had to deal with the civil service, whether it be Revenue Canada, the County Weed Commission, or the Sewage Committee of the Town Council. It's a bricklayer's report for compensation for an accident. It might be entitled Poor Planning. Here it goes: "Dear Sir: I am writing in response to your re- quest for additional infor- mation in Block 3 of the accident reporting form. I put "Poor Planning" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust that the following details will be sufficient. "I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six -storey building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry them down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley. which, fortunately, was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. "Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied it slightly to insure the slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. You will note in Block 11 or the accident form that my weight is 135 pounds. "Needless to say, I was jerked off my feet so sud- denly that i forgot to let go of the rope. Due to my sur- pl;ise, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building. "In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the hazard, which was now proceeding in a downward direction at an equally im- pressive rate of speed. This explairs the frac- tured shoulder. "Slowed only slightly. I continued my rapid as- cent, not stopping until the two fingers of my right hand were knuckled deep into the pulley which I mentioned in paragraph 2 of this correspondence. "Fortunately, by this time, i had regained my presence (1f mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite ofthe ex- cruciating pain 1 was now beginning to experience. "At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground - and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now, devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 pounds. "I refer you again to my weight in block 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. "In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the bar- rel coming up. This ac- counts for the two frac- tured ankles, broken tooth and severe laceration of my legs and lower body. "Here my luck began to change slightly. The en- counter seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when i fell into the pile of bricks and, for- tunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. "I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the pile of bricks in pain, unable to move, and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, 1 again lost my mind and let go of the rope. "Sincerely XYZ." i know that Workmen's Compensation Boards get stories like this, and even more fanciful, but they're a hardnosed fot, and I hope this bricklayer got full compensation, and was out moonlighting on a construction job two weeks later, purely for his imagination. We have a pretty good social assistance system in Canada, one of the best in the world, even though I'm one of the "Middle- class" who get stuck for most of it. There aren't too many people really hungry in this country. There are very few people who can't get medical attention when they need it. We talk about a "poverty level" in this country that would be riches to most of the peo- ple in the so-called Third World. I was talking to my son the other night, swatting mosquitoes in the back yard. He's lived in a dic- tatorship. i've fought against one. We talked about the best place in the world to live. We don't always, even often, agree. - But w decided, unanimously, that Canada, despite its vagaries of politics, economy, and weather, was just about the fist choice in the world to be born, recreate, find a de- cent living, raise a family, and die. Without someone breathing down your neck every minute. i think I'll stick around, as long as The Lord lets me. Where else can you feel morally superior to a vast nation next door to you? Let's put up a fight ' About a month ago i was talking to an uncle of mine who lives in Acton (they call it Halton Hills now) and mentioned to him that they were catching a lot of salmon now in Lake Huron. He said, "Yeah but you can't eat them can you? All that pollution and stuff?" "Come on now," i replied. "You've been liv- ing down near Lake On- tario for too long." i remember how as a lad' that Lake Ontario, in par- ticular the Burlington Beach, had always been polluted, largely from the heavy industry of Hamilton, but Lake Huron? Why it was as pure as you could wish. We'd never had any pro- blems swimming at 1pper- wash, the Pinery or Grand Bend. Now down at Corun- na in the St. Clair River you could understand it with the Chemical Valley right there, but up along the west bank of Lake really wonder what is be- ing done. A whole ministry is set up by the Ontario government (and the federal ), to monitor this Perspectives By Syd Fletcher Huron. Never! 1 as much as laughed in his face. Famous last words, eh? Since 1 talked to him the beaches along that strand were all closed down for awhile. What irks me is that so much attention is sup- posedly being paid to the environment and yet you sort of thing and then all at once, bang! the beaches are closed down. No previous warning and then when it is announced there are some pretty weak ex- planations given out. You know I could accept this business about faecal bacteria (from sewage) at one point but no longer. Every small town around now has its own sewage system. Precious little can be seeping into the lake. No, i can't buy that explanation. . The culprits in this case have to be the big com- panies who open the pipes at night into the rivers and lakes the same way they turn up the waste fires at night blowing the junk straight up into the sky when nobody can see it. It's time we put a few teeth into our monitoring systems. Let's catch these characters in the act and prosecute them to the limit. Make them pay the bill for cleaning up their trash. Let's put up a fight before we lose everything that is good about our natural environment!