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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1984-06-27, Page 4• 1 Pogo 4 Times-Advocote, June 27, 1984 Ames Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving Sottj�t--h Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY • Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistant Editor • • HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager DICK JONGKIND Business Manager PCNA Published Each WednesdayMorning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $22.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C W.N.A.; OS%N.A. CLASS, 'A' and 'ABC' • Happy hundred, Hensall A member of the South Huron community family observes a special birthday this weekend and there will be "some. extra special fun and fellowship when Hen- sall gets set to blow out 100 candles. The village is probably one of the best known in this area as its most famous product, the white bean, finds its way onto tables across this country and other nations around the world. There is probably no product which has been the butt (no pun intended) of more jokes, but the oft - maligned bean has been,a boon to Hensall, and coupl- ed with a thriving recreational vehicle industry, gives the community a greater industrial base than most communities several times its size. Similar to most of its neighbors, the village has ex- perienced its ups and downs in the past 100 years, but the pride and enthusiasm of its citizens has always been in the upper levels. That's .why those who take time to accept the in- vitation to the centennial celebrations are guaranteed a warm reception and a good time. Members of the community have been working diligently through the past several months to ensure the success of the ven- ture and to make it the most memorable weekend of the past 5,200. - Happy birthday, Hensall! We hope your celebra- tion renews the dedication and conviction to carry you through to another 100 years as a succe4sful friendly member of the South Huron community. - Improper indeed Mayor Bruce Shaw's scathing denouncement of comments made by a public inspection panel regar- ding their failure to get approval to inspect physical- ly handicapped or group'homes requires little in the way of further repudiation. He was quite explicit in his statements on the mat- ter and no doubt his letter to the officials in charge will bring sufficient attention to the impropriety of the ir- relevant conclusions drawn by members of the panel. It is, however, worthy of commendation that the Mayor was cognizant of the problems that could arise from such ridiculous comparisons from another area and mentality and moved to repudiate them publicly. Hopefully his action will succeed. in waylaying any fears that could have been aroused through the report ,.in the minds of parents or the community at large regarding group homes. Those group homes are an integral part of this town and obviously any questions about what goes on in them is of concern to the community anis a reflec- tion of it to a considerable extent. If there was any shortcoming in the Mayor's com- ments, it would be that he failed to require that an apology be extended by the inspection panel and the officials in charge who should have had the sense to question' the comments and consider deleting them from the widely circulated report. By the same token members of the inspection panel should not be criticised for their basic point of being concerned that such panels are not allowed to - inspect physically handicapped and group homes. They should be among the buildings open to scrutiny and it is doubtful if the people in charge in this area would dispute that. Water, water... not Following the heavy rains of the past couple of weeks, warnings about water shortages and the subsequent need for conservation may appeal out of place. However, there is a growing awareness that North America is experiencing some water supply problems in many areas and this has led to consideration of diverting some of the supply available in the Great Lakes region. The Ontario government staged a "Futures in Water" conference last week and heard conflicting reports from two of- ficials from the U.S. on the possibility of any water diversions. Minnestoa Senator Dave Durenberger warned that such diversions could occur despite the objections of the Great Lakes region. He explained that the first principle of water policy in his country is that rational thinking doesn't apply and that water is a political, not an economic commodity. Those comments were in sharp contrast to those Wed by U.S. ambassador Paul Robinson. He said Canada has nothing to fear from the U.S. on the issue of regional water sharing, suggesting that his coun- try would never contemplate any action that would jeopardize Canadian interests. Never is a very long time and the history of most nations, including that of the one to the south of us, is that the in- terests of neighbors is often ignored when the national interest is at stake. It is a well known fact that there are a growing number of water -thirsty states in the U.S. and there is every reason to - believe that if the situation worsens, the political implications will far outweigh any economic or good neighbor policies when it comes to diverting water from other sources. everywhere A spokesman for the Ontario Conserva- tion Council predicted that large -scald diversions could occur within two decades. • The implications of such a move may he difficult to comprehend for those of us . who view water pouring from a tap as an BATT'N AROUND with the editor expected phenomenon to be fulfilled at -our whim and pleasure. That is part of the problem. The North American society has not treated water as a valued commodity and when any commodity is undervalued, it tends to be overused and, unfortunately, misused. Sitting on the shores of Lake Huron, most area residents have fallen prey to the attitude that an abundant supply of water will be available for centuries. Last summer's shocking closing of beaches due to pollution may have stirred some realization that water conservation was something that should be taken more seriously, but the majority of people fail- ed to take any remedial 'steps as part of their responsibility to clear up that problem. It will therefore probably come as a shock to them that predications are that the level of Lake Huron could drop as much as 13 inches by the year 2035. The reason? Simply a matter of growing de- mand! Diversions would reduce that level even more. • . • . • The reality is' that people can not con- tinue to misuse and overuse water and ex- pect the source to remain at current (no pun intended) levels. It just doesn't work that way. Water is similar to other natural resources. It is not totally renewable. When consumption exceeds the natural cycle, the level starts to decline. It is a resource that we cannot afford to squander. Bringing the situation even closer to home for some of us is the study announc- ed last week by the Ausable Bayfield Con- servation Authority regarding Hay Swamp. One of the intents of that study is to determine the value of the swamp for water quality and water supply to the area served by it. It is a study that may be long overdue. In recent years, many acres of this natural resource have been drained and converted to agricultural use. No one real- ly knew the implications of that in terms of the area's water supply, although there have been those who feared the worst and warned about the inherent dangers of messing e'xiound with one of Mother. Natures natural water sources and cleansers. The concluding point about water is that it is becoming evident that our practices in the past have been gradually leading to problems in quantity and quality and a continuaton of those practices will see the problems multiply to the detriment of this and succeeding generations. 'So when you turn on the tap, remember to take only your minimum requirement. There really isn't an endless supply and it won't be safe to drink unless you do your part to protect its quality. Part of the entertainment? Leadership candidate! Keep the spirit alive It's been a long, cold winter and spring, and my heart is still sore. But the tulips are bursting and the sun is shining, and the kindness of people keep the spirit alive. There's a tendency to sleep in, and stay up until the last late movie is over, and to exist on frozen chicken pies. But I can't do it . The phone keeps ringing. Old friends drop in. People bring me gifts. Naturally, the phone rings when I'm on the john or in the bathtub. I think I'll have it removed. Not the bathtub, but the phone. Gifts? A daffodil in January. A pot of 'mums (I can't spell the whole word) • in February. A chicken pie and butter tarts in March:"An Easter lily from dear Julie at Easter. Cooked goodies from Evelyn, my cleaning lady. Three pounds of California dates from my old roommate at college. (What does one do with three pounds of dates?) Letters still come from all over the continent. Some of them make me weep, as they try to con- sole and comfort. I'll never get around, to answering all of them, but thanks, thanks, especially to those who know me on- ly through this column. Good friends drop in to make sure I'm not going down the drain. Old friends have written: Gene Macdonald, Per Vidsten, Kay Dills, and many others. You'll pro - The Last week I spoke about what a person can do to change policies in our country which one con- siders to be wrong, basically stating that one has to go through the pro- cess of electing good representatives who will act responsibly for you to change the laws or policy which you dislike. Then it is up to you to constantly give feedback to those representatives so that they will know what you want and expect of them. If you don't speak up and express your opi- nion then the only way they can act is according to their own consciences. And of . course, lawmakers being also politicians it is often easier to take a middle course which ruffles as few feathers as possible than to do something bably get my answers before Christmas. Other friends drag me out to dinner and force me to be genial, if not jovial. It's difficult, but not impossithe. The local golf club says Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley I'll be fined if I don't pay up before a certain date. The insurance •company has already nailed me for being late in payment. I missed the date for one Visa card payment and been fined. Some guy from Avis in Florida tells me there was body damage to the car I hired, and was I in an accident. No. I don't think I'll even answer him. That's some of the good news and some of the bad. To the bad I'm fairly im- perturbable. To the good, I'm grateful. More good news. My neighbours are as staunch as Scottish clansmen. They don't interfere. They don't pry. But when you need help, they're right there. Jim came over and tried to get my lawnmower going. He did, but it would stop. Finally I realized he'd Leen trying to fix my old lawnmower, which the dopey kid I'd hired last year had put in the toolshed, instead of leaving' it out for the dump, as I'd intended. As Jim started to his workshop to have another go, I spotted the brand- new lawnmower at the back of the tool -shed. We t�?'S"';5r9 hauled out a broken bicy- cle, sundry doors and screens, and pulled out the new one. It started like a jet fighter. He charged me nothing, even though I was the dunce. And his wife in- vited me to coffee. More good news. I got a kid to• cut my lawn and other dreary duties, and the manor Looks half-. decent. He was a good lad; worked hard, and was honest, if taciturn. "Good", that's OK; Good," was all he said, but he worked. -An old friend died while I was away, and I'm sorry I was not there for her funeral. She had devoted her life to teaching and helping others, and about three generations of students respected and loved her. She was the sort who sent flowers to my kids when they won at a music festival. Speaking of which, a scholarship in music was established in my wife's SIMV IN rtiQOI d name, and she'd have been delighted to know that one of her favorite students had won it. She had not taught him, but spotted him as a winenr several years ago. I'm trying to brace myself for two weeks of my grandboys early in Ju- ly., It was tough enough when their Gran was here to bawl them out for all sorts of sundry misbehavior. If this col- umn ceases to appear about mid-July, send my mail to the local Medical Health Centre. They'll be going to a day camp, where they're sup- posed to tire themselves out with swimming _and running and stuff. But they come home at 4:30, want to play soccer or to go to the beach, and are still going at a 500 -watt clip. Then they want to stay up until midnight, watching TV. Oh, well, I'll probably survive, and if I don't, so be it. My big social event of the next while is the high school commencement, a long, often boring, and usually very hot evening. But I think I'll go. There s something awfully sweet about the girls (who wore lsans all year) in their ong dresses, and something pathetic in the graduating boys,strangely pathetic in real suits and choking to death in ties. Otherwise, my busted shoulder is coming along, „And I'm going to try to swing a golf club, do some swimming, and get crack- ing on a book. list goes on and on which requires courage and responsbility. Conse- quently poeple at the grassroots who want change often have to adopt Mahatma Ghandi, who by peaceful resistance made India into a free country. The negroes in the ktithen *et Perspectives By Syd Fletcher what seems to be radical behaviour to those who don't have the same set of values. Let us give you some ex- amples of people who would have been without doubt described as radicals by their friends and neighbours yet managed to effect change without physically hurting people around them. X:: southern states who refus- ed to sit in the backs of buses or to use separate washrooms or separate schools or to settle for in- ferior jobs. Martin Luther King who died for the civil rights cause. The women who chained themselves to public buildings in order to get the vote for themselves. Mrs. Young, a teacher in Exeter who has the courage and strength of conviction to peacefully . pftest what she sees as a social injustice. The women in the United States who forced the prohibition of alcohol in the twenties. The Greenpiece move- ment which has almost singlehandedly destroyed the killing of harp seals. Jesus Christ, who was. undoubtedly considered a rebellious radical by much of the population yet changed the whole course of history. The list goes on and on, and though I cannot agree with all such groups or in- dividuals you have to ad- mire them for trying to make changes in a world that is not always right just because it is in the majority.