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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1984-08-15, Page 4Pare 4 Times -Advocate, August 15, 1984 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EERY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager Bill BATTEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistant Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning 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., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' #. 41446,:` , i is s`Ak �i�s s '�'�k i r , h�:• � o �{;��. �, "�; $ .y-` 's etv Hearing appears certain It's becoming evident that a proposed water pipeline system for Hay Township will only be deter- mined by an Ontario Municipal Board. As long as some residents along the lakeshore have what they consider adequate supplies, regardles§ of whether that opinion is correct, it will be difficult to get unanimous consent to proceed with such a costly project. Public meetings and mail ballots may help to pro- vide the necessary information for residents, but the sizeable division among those involved would suggest that it will never resolve the issue at the municipal level. •CNA Even one or two serious objections can force an OMB hearing. While it would be less costly perhaps to attempt to arrive at an approved consensus without such a hearing, in many such cases those attempts prove nothing more than an exercise in wasting money as those expenditures fail to ward off an OMB hearing, while at the same time continuing any bitterness that may arise during local discussions. It would appear wise at this juncture for council to settle the issue by going ahead with an application and let the democratic process continue at a different level. Check load limits Area residents who have been enjoying holiday tours throughout the nation no doubt have encountered bridges and underpasses which note weight or height limitations for the structures. While those limitations are primarily for the huge trucks Which use highways, there are occasions when owners of camping trailers and other vehicles have to consider whether their journey can be made safely. There are, of course, legal implications involved if a person knowingly exceeds the limitations and an accident occurs. Some area owners of commercial outlets open to the public should also be made aware of the legal im- plications that could arise from unsafe facilities should a patron be injured. In Rutland, Vermont, a district court jury has awarded a woman $28,000 for injuries she sustained when a toilet seat she was sitting on at a restaurant broke off the wall. The woman injured her back and legs. Perhaps an appropriate warning 'to weight limita- tions would have saved the restaurant owner from the costly suit. The woman weighed 250 pounds. One wonders if toilet seats will soon require struc- tural tests to meet the myriad of other rules and regula- tions imposed by government bodies. Giant step backwards The feminist movement took a giant step backwards recently when spokesmen for one group raised strong objections regarding a medical miracle that had been performed in a Toronto hospital through the separation of Siamese twins. One of the doctors involved with the team of medical experts mentioned that the child chosen to become a girl due to the necessity of the situation was the one which was less aggressive. The feminists became angry over such stereotyp- ing and made their opinions known publicly. That didn't sit very well with people, the majori- ty of whom were amazed and thankful that the surgery had been successful. To make an issue out of such a situation calls into question the ability of some interest groups to com- prehend the propriety of their words and deeds or the very reason for their cause. Some preposterous options As new car buyers usually find out to their chagrin, the price tag on their in- tended purchase often escalates con- siderably as some of the "options" are added to the basic model. In some instances it appears that the motor and the tires are the only standard equipment and some manufacturers now don't even provide a spare tire among the items included with the listed price. The same set of circumstances is evi- dent in a recent offer to area municipalities from the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority. The Authority has generously offered each of the 32 watershed communities a free commemorative white pine "which could be planted in front of the municipal building, library, town park or in another suitable location chosen by the municipality " As an added bonus, the Authority has provided two options. The first is an offer to plant the eight to ten -foot tree. The price tag on that little service is $50. The second option is to have the Authority arrange for the com- memorative ceremony and media coverage for the tree planting. Add another $50. So, the offer of a free tree for any municipalities which decide on taking all the available options, has now risen to $loo. For that money, municipalities could buy 20 Norway Maples or 2.5 Silver Maples from the Authority and not only get a bet- ter deal for their outlay, but also more at- tractive trees for municipal purposes. While not disagreeing with the stated goal of emphasizing the need for the con- servation of our forest resources through such symbolic tree plantings, the writer finds the whole proposal a little preposterous. The Authority has even drawn up a four-part guideline for the com- memorative tree planting ceremony and media coverage. it notes that ceremonies need not be elaborate to be effective. The inference is that a parade down main street behind the area's brass band is not necessary. Some may consider having the Prime Minister BATT'N AROUND with the editor or Governor General on hand, but that too would probably be considered overly elaborate. So, what is the Authority going to pro- vide for the $50 being charged for staging the commemorative event? The guideline says that a respresentative from council and the member appointed to the Conser- vation Authority by council should sym- bolically place a few shovels of dirt around the tree. The remainder of coun- cil, if they are in attendance, can flank the shovellerE. Here's where the $50 price tag becomes justifiable? Someone obviously has to decide who is going to supply the two shovels; otherwise the whole program becomes a bit of a travesty as it is relegated to the spectacle of seeing two people kick some dirt around the tree with their feet. Organizing shovels is apparent- ly no small feat and not without some con- siderable cash outlay. There may be those who question why the ConservationAuthority member gets 4 to place some shovels of dirt when the municipality is picking up the entire tab, but that's an internal matter that I'll leave for the elected officials to resolve. Do you know why a commemorative ceremony is going to be held? According to the guidelines, the chief reason is to "enable publicity via a picture in the local newspaper". "While the newspapers are under no obligation to print a photograph they are fairly accommodating when it comes to these types of request," the Authority letter points out. So, organizing shovels is not the basic reason for the $50 charge at all. it's organizing the media that costs all the money. Now you know why the writer finds the whole tree planting scheme so preposterous. Asking someone for $50 to basically have a photographer on hand for such an event is repulsive. if the event is worthwhile and staff is available, everyone in this area knows that the local newspaper will do its utmost to be on hand and it costs nothing more than a simple telephone call (or drop into the office, if you prefer) to make the necessary arrangements. However, if the person who sent out the guidelines thinks he/she can entice the news media to attend 32 tree plantings in this area, it is not surprising that that per- son would be foolish enough to think 32 municipalities may pay $50 of tax money for such a ludicrous service. It's the most foolhardy proposal that i've encountered for some time and as a protest of such waste of tax dollars (even if they are only going from one pocket to another) you can almost rest assured that there won't be many pictures of those commemorative tree plantings in this newspaper. "Have you run before or is this your first offence?" You can fight One of the cynical, apathetic remarks of the 20th century is, "You can't fight City Hall". I think it's American in origin, as are so many of our colorful expressions, but it reflects a conception that has contributed to the skepticism that permeates many aspects of our life. In essence it betrays a weariness of the in- dividual spirit in a world that is growing ever more corrupt, violent and treacherous. It means basically that the individual hasn't a chance against the burgeoning bureaucracy, the petty patronage, the you -scratch -my -back -and - I'll -scratch -yours philosophy that has always been with us, and always will but should be resisted stoutly and sturdi- ly whenever it rears its ug- ly head. Jesus fought the City Hall of His time, and won, though He lost His life. SirThomas More fought the City Hall of his time, which included his king, the nobility and the clergy, and refused to nudge an inch to save his life, because he was right, and City Hall was wrong. Joan of Arc fought her City Hall, in the form of her own king, traitors to her vision, and an oppos- ing army. She wound up being burned at the stake, and became a saint. Her opponents are mere foot- notes in history. Oliver Cromwell fought his City Hall, won his fight, and taught British royalty to mind its pees and queus, if you'll pardon the expression. William Lyon Macken- zie took on the City Hall of his day, and though his on- ly battle with it was a typical Canadian charade, he left it smarting. I could name a hundred others who cocked a snook at City Hall, and lost many a battle, but won many a war. The United States is a classic example. Another is the Republic of France. Mahatma Ghandi practically had the British Empire begging him to go Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley change his diaper and leave it alone. Well, it's nice to be in the company of such, even if only for a little while, and only in the imagination. The Fourth St. Fusiliers, of which I am a proud, wounded veteran, has fought many a skir- mish, several sharp en- counters, and a prolonged war of attrition against the local town council, and the will of the people triumph- ed to the extent of a dozen tree ; being uncut, a new sidewalk installed, and a desert of pot -holes turned into a paved street. You've heard of the 30 Years War, the 100 Years War, the War of the Roses, the War of Independence, the Boer War, and The Great War, followed by that sickening euphemism, World War iI. Not to mention Korea and Viet Nam. Well, a lot has been writ- ten about them, and millions died in them, but for sheer intensity of emo- tion, I think the Fourth St. them War outdoes them all. That's the reason for this bit of history. In three or four hundred years, the Fourth St. War may be almost forgotten, were it not for some humble scribe to get it down on paper. It has lasted between seven and nine years, and the veterans will even argue hotly about the duration. I do remember that the hundreds of children who were going to be slaughtered by traffic if the town council achieved its insidious ends''are now replaced by grandchildren in many cases. I do remember that the first rush to the barricades was about as organized as the French revolu- tionaries' attack on the Bastille. I do remember that one lady threatened to chain herself high in the bran- ches of a maple tree if the town engineer carried out his plan of massacreing maples. There were other threats of a similar but unlikely nature, such as everyone lying down in front of the bulldozers, blowing up the town hall while council was in ses- sion, or kidnapping the town engineer and giving him a cement -barrel burial in the bay. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. After half the street was ruined, the works department ran out of money. Over the years, they tip- toed around the potential explosion, filling in the odd pot -hole and letting the street turn into the semblance of a long - forgotten country lane. But this spring, falsely feeling that the ancient hatreds had cooled, with new people moving in, and old people dying off, they foolishly raised the desescrative idea again. Cut down the trees. Tear up the sidewalks, make it a one -block thruway to nowhere. Like an old, dormant volcano, the people rose in their might and descended on the works committee like a disturbed hornest's nest. The air was filled with vituperation, calumny and blasphemy. Council cool- ed off like a bull con- fronted by an angry elephant. Another meeting was called. Again The People rose in their wrath. They formed a committee. It consisted of a brilliant mathematician, a con- tractor, a doctor, a lawyer, and an in- domitable nurse. Not just a few angry people to be baffled by engineering jargon. I don't want to go into the brilliant counter- attack, the superb tactics, the incredible strategy of The People. It's too ex- citing. You wouldn't sleep tonight. But we won. The trees stay, the sidewalks will be rebuilt, the thruway will continue to be a residen- tial street, thousands of children will not be cut down by thundering trucks, and the road will be paved. Inner spirit of athlete i am not usually a television addict but the last two weeks have been a different kettle offish. As you must know if you have a television, the Olympicshave dominated almost every hour of the day and I'm afraid that they have dominated a good portion of my time also. Probably it's because the Canadians have put up such aood showing in so many different sports. it's always good to see the hometown crew doing well. A couple of interesting things have surfaced in relation to these athletic events. As you may or may not know the Americans have been pouring tremendous amounts of money into the scientific side of athletics: measuring accurately with computers and a variety of other tools the exact amount of training bout, measuring his brain waves to see if he/she is at peak performance and so on. Here in Canada there has not been nearly the same emphasis on this An example of this was in weightlifting. I saw a young man from the U.S. fail at lifting a weight con- siderably less than his personal best. The Perspectives aspect, with money being s nt on good coaches and developmental programs instead of all the mechanical goodies. i think i like the latter approach. Nothing can replace the inner spirit of an athlete. You can train the body all you want but if the person does not have the desire, the entliusiasm and confidence then nothing can make him succeed. K ,g, By Syd Fletcher i9 American announcer, quite disgusted, asked him why he had not peaked for the Olympics. The young man just quietly smiled and shrugged his shoulders, then said simp- ly, "i did my best but this time it just wasn't good enough". It wasn't an apology. Just a statement of fact. For him, just com- ing to the Olympics and competing there was a tremendous feat. To be beaten by another man, the best in the world, was certainly no disgrace. Rather it is an honour which most people in the world would give their eyeteeth to have a chance at. I'm afraid the newsman tust could not understand hat. To him the medal was everything. The other point I would like to make was seeing the beautiful spirit of co- operation between com- petitors. Soccer players helping up a fallen oppo- nent. Very few deliberate fouls. A constant display of good sportsmanship. To me the Olympics em- bodies the spirit of friend- ship that could so easily be spread throughout the world if people would on- ly try. Let's hope that the one to be held in Korea in 1988 will include all interested nations and will continue that great spirit.