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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-10-05, Page 4Pogo 4 ' Times-Advocote, October 5, 1983 Imes - Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Middlesex dvocPr +CNA Serving South Huron, North & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited IORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILI. BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mall Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $21.00 Per year; U.S.A. $56.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' "qtr^ ta_K Just lack money by Stephanie Levesque The Huron -Perth Separate School Board is angry, angry because it seems unable to get funding from any source for additions to some of its schools. And these aren't frivolous additions, noikrandiose ideas here. The board wants to build some general purpose rooms which are smaller sized .gyms common in elementary schools across the province. Library resource rooms are another feature needed in some of the separate schools throughout the two counties. The project cost is $1.5 million and would benefit five schools. In some cases these needs are presently being sup- plied by portables. Some portables, considered tem- porary facilities, have been on site for 13 or more years. One school in particular was built as a two -room structure, which has had to have three portables added. To look back, all the present schools in the Huron - Perth system were built prior to 1969, when county boards were formed. In some schools the only common facilities - used by students of all grades - are the hallways and washrooms. Like most boards, this board has followed normal routes in an attempt to get capital funding. This route is through the Ministry of Education at budget time. Only twice in the past six years has any construction money been sent to the board, and that because the school conditions deteriorated so badly. Dr. Bette Stephenson, minister of education, said this school system is a lower priority for capital funds on a province -wide basis. So, who's getting the money? According to the minister, 90 percent of capital funding is going to areas where there is an increase in the student population. Peel region is one place where student population is rising. Back here in Huron and Perth, granted the classrooms aren't crowded, but there is a lack of facilities to house programs which Dr. Stephenson wants across the province. These programs include, physical education, special education, French and library services. "No funding available," is a phrase heard too often by the separate school board. Granted public boards in the area are receiving similar rejections, but they do have a larger tax base from which they are funded. The board must feel as though it is banging its head against a brick wall. But to give the board credit, it isn't giving up. With other government make work pro- jects being implenlented, there n ight yet be a chance for this project and board administration is in- vestigating this angle. It's interesting to note that both Dr. Stephenson and Premier William Davis have supported;in princi- ple this project. The only thing missing is'money. Jobs are scarce We all know at least one of them, the bright young people, in theory our hope for the future, who are unemployed. But instead of feeling hopeful and bouyant,insteadof using their enthusiasm and energy to produce what Canada needs, they feel snubbed and helpless. We can't blame them. One of five Canadians ag- ed from 15-24 in the labour force is unemployed. It's a statistic that's not expected to improve before 1985. But it's more than a statistic. How does a young high school student feel looking around the classroom and knowing one in five fellow students will go from school to a big fat zero? How does a 22 -year old col- lege grad feel after 43 interviews and no job? In hard economic times there's little room for our young people to try their wings, get experience and a stake in the working world. Britain has had some success with a program that places young students directly into British industry. The job opportunities are heavily subsidized by govern- ment and though British industry has no international reputation for efficiency and productivity (putting it gently), the program appears to be working. At least young people have a chance to learn skills, to prove they can do a job, to contribute to their community. Several prominent Canadian Liberals, including Senator Jacques Hebert, friend of Pierre Trudeau and founder of Katimavik, want a new government depart- ment to bring together all existing bits and pieces of young programs. Mr. Hebert's proposal calls for co- ordination, organization and a strict upper age limit for all department employees. Half those without jobs in the country are 700,000 young Canadians. While Senator Hebert acknowledges that simply putting a youth ministry together won't create many jobs, he says it may provide some hope and confidence for our young people and show them their government is concerned. He's right. Even the prime minister admitted on Friday that youth unemployment is severe and creating social discontent and uncertainties. A new youth ministry, if it means plenty of bureaucratic spending won't help. Jobs will create more confidence and hope in our young people than anything else. Other countries have the same problem. We can learn from their experience, take the best of what works for them, set up a scaled-down youth ministry that's penny pinching but avoids duplication and get moving. Huron Expositor It's a depressing situation My husband was depressed a couple of months back when he had his 30th bir- thday. Suddenly, growing old was something to worry about. And I couldn't tease him - I was feeling a little down too, especially when I realized that I was now closer to 29 than 28. Of course, the concept of "old" is relative. We were obviously spending too much time in Grand Bend buying french fries at the Cheryl Ann among the teenagers. To most of the regulars in Grand Bend, anyone over 30 is ancient - and that's jsut how we were feeling. But since then, we've discovered a cure for worrying about growing old at 30. It's simple - take a trip in September! Last week we toured Michigan and nor- thern Ontario and we never felt so young! You see, September is the month when senior citizens take to the road. Because they don't like to jostle with f milies and childrenduring the summer, the golden agers wait until September to travel. And then to go out in droves and have a great ,time! Everywhere we went, we were the youngest people in the crowd. Our first stop was Frankenmuth, Michigan. As we drove down the streets we were surprised at the large crowds lin- ing up to get into the shops and Mary's musings By Mary Alderson restaurants. We thought that by coming in September, we would avoid the crowds. Then we noticed that all the heads were grey or white. We stoppped at the first motels we saw to try to get a room for the night. The parking lots weren't crowed, but to our surprise everything was fully booked. "No vacancy"signs were everywhere. Then we noticd the large tour buses - the golden agers travel by bus, and quickly fill up the accommodations. After driving several miles out of town, we finally found a motor hotel without the No Vacancy sign. They had just a couple of rooms left. The desk clerk smiled. "Why don't you take the honey- moon suite? You're the youngest folks we've had in here this week." she said. Did we feel youthful! We continued feeling young all the way to Sault Ste. Marie. There, we got up at dawn, to take the Algoma train to the Agawa Canyon. This time, the difference between us and the other passengers was pointed out to us. One friendly lady said hello and then added, "I noticed you two when you got on. You were the only ones without white hair." Later when we were having breakfast in the dining car, we shared our table with two elderly ladies. "You look young enough for this to be your first train trip," one lady said. While it was quite a com- pliment, we had to admit we had been on trains before. We thoroughly enjoyed the company of all our senior citizen friends, and we certainly felt like kids. But there's just one problem. Now that we've been on this trip and seen the sights - what are we go- ing to do when we get to be 65? "We can't seem to locate your problem." A real cool month T.S. Eliot said, in one of his poems that, "April is the cruelest month." I won't go into the sym- bolism of the whole thing, but I can imagine the fastidious, old -maidenly banker, sitting by a blaz- ing fire in his London lodg- ings, looking out at the rain, and writing lines like that, full of hidden allu- sions that drive teachers and students crazy. It's certainly true of Canada, where he never lived, the old hypocrite. April in this country can be the cruelest month of the year, when you get a snowstormjustafter plan- ting your begonias, or whatever you plant. But for Canadians, I would like to paraphrase the quotation, and suggest that October "is the coolest month." And I don't mean in the sense of temperature. I mean, like, you know, dig, in the language of the Sixties, October is like, well, you know, I mean, real cool. If it behaves itself. If it does, it can be a golden benison on the fruits of our labors, the yellow sun slanting the ough the foliage of an artist gone mad, the hackneyed nip in the air that makes you hustle through washing under your arms. If it doesn't behave itself, it can be a dreary, sodden introduction to November, which should be dropped from the calendar, as far as I'm concerned, except for Remembrance Day. It's a holiday. I'm writing this in the hope that springs eternal that this October will he In the news lately there has been a great deal of comment about Dr. Morgentaler, a doctor who specializes in abortions. He opened a clinic in Win- nipeg last May. In June police raided the clinic and arrested eight staff members. In Toronto, an arsonist set fire to the three-storey building which houses his clinic in that city. Morgentaler has set himself on a very ticklish path In his life, with people who are anti -abortion threatening his life, and often verbally abusing him. His view -point is that each woman has the right to do with her own body as one of the golden ones. Days of sun and blue sky. Nights drawing in to give a feeling of snug com- fort without a blizzard howling around the eaves. It's a month that, I think, accords more close- ly with the Canadian psyche than any other. A romantic interlude bet- ween the madness of sum- mer, and the madness of winter. It's a time for fall- ing in love, last year's in- fatuation obliterated by this year's anticipation. A time of holding hands, and bunting, like calves, on the street -corner before the Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley strange time of rest after labor and girding of the loins for what's to come. In the Annapolis Valley in N.S., in the orchards of Ontario, in the prime land of B.C., the apples are either gathered or being eaten, the rich spurt of juice flying over one's shoulder at the first crisp bite. In the prairies, there's a great sigh of relief or groan of despair, as harvesting ends and the farmer tots up the endless hours of labor, and makes the decision whether to go south for the winter, or go bankrupt. It's a time for that final attempt to break eighty on the golf course. to shoot a duck ( just one this year, please, Lord), or to catch a rainbow trout (same refrain.) For old people, it's a time of mists and mellow fruitfulness, of a little walk in the last of the lingering sun, combined with a tinge of fear for the coming ordeal. For adolescents, it's a girl heads for home and , dreary parents and dread- ful siblings. For little kids, it's a great month. School hasn't yet become boring, there's still some light to play in the leaves after supper, and winter, though farthest from their thoughts. is no grim enemy. What about the rest of us? Well, there are such diverse joys as fall fairs, auction sales, putting on the storm windows, star- ting again the silly social life that picks up in the fall, raking the blasted leaves, wondering if the old furnace will hold out for another year, and viewing all the horrible new "premeers" of TV shows, while we deplore the cancelling of our old favorites. It's certainly no time for falling in love. Many mar- riages almost flounder in October, as the wife wor- ries acid nags and the hus- band keeps sneaking off to fish or hunt or golf and You have a say she wills, and that until the child is born that it is not really a person. Though I Some of these babies have been as much as four and five months premature Perspectives By Syd Fletcher admire the man for stick- ing to his principles so bravely I cannot agree with him at all. During the last two or three years a great deal of research and time has been spent on saving the lives of babies who have been born prematurely. Rte with body weights of less than two pounds, and have still survived to become normal children. Personally I think that abortion is an evil thing. There are so may effec- tive ways of birth control around now that there are few excuses for unwanted neglecting the caulking, the wood to be split for the fireplace, the leaves to be raked, the bills to be paid. But a pretty good month, as a rule. I wonder what it will be like this Oc- tober, in Canada. Not so good, I would think, for a great many people. We're into a depression, and call it what you like, it's a fact. A hell of a lot of men and women are out of jobs, and facing a bleak winter. And more will be. You can count on that. The shrivelling and the panic of the moneymen are just like that of the Thirties. They're tucking up their skirts and running scared. The great difference between this depression and the Great is that infla- tion has not only not been wrestled to the ground . it is bright-eyed and bushy - tailed, eager for another round. Another big difference this time is that taxes and interest and mortgage rates are cruelly punitive, so that those who lose their jobs are caught bet- ween a stone and a hard place. Despite the Liberals desperate measure of the six -and -five, in order to re- main in power, there are tough times ahead. But don't let it get you down. All the ineffec- tiveness of the politicians, the growing impersonality of society, where the com- puter is king, can't lick that odd indescribable - the human spirit. We shall not only endure, we shall prevail. And we may even have some fun, however grim, in doing so. Happy October, all. pregnancies. (There are exceptions of course, rape being one of them.) Many people would just love to have an adopted baby, (I saw an ad in a Detroit newspaper offer- ing $10,000 for someone to bear a child for them), so it seems ridiculous and cruel for children to be murdered simply because they had the poor sense to be conceived by an uncar- ing parent. You have a say in this matter. Put some pressure on your members of Parliament to speak up on this important issue, and if he/she won't listen, remind him of it when he comes around at election time.