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Times Advocate, 1984-10-24, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, October 24, 1984 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by 1.W. Eedy Publications Limited IORNF TIDY Publisher JIM BFCKI tT Adrer1SIng M.ui.+ger 13111 BATTEN ROSS HAUGH trlrtor Asxistant *Editor HARRY DFVRIES Composition Manager DICK JONGKINP Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $22.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' c Doesn't go far enough With fall plowing well underway, few area residents who have watched that activity will have any great problem in recognizing the growing concern for the vast number of ring-necked gulls which have in- undated the fields. A white flurry of activity follows each furrow that is turned as the ever-increasing number of birds vie for the worms which are turned up for their feast. While no one has as yet detailed any specifics as to the current or long-term damage that can be caus- ed by the birds as they eat the composting allies of the fields, their numbers do suggest that it is a matter that deserves some immediate attention. +CNA �rL •• BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1980 CD! B I -E RIBBON AWARD 1981 As well, there has been concern over the past two years that the gulls are contributing to the pollution which has plagued area beaches and there is additional evidence of the loss of crops and the general mess created by the winged creatures. Area councils have endorsed a resolution to have the birds removed from the protected species, but that in itself is no major solution. If warranted, the provincial authorities should take remedial action to reduce the population of the birds. Surely some conclusions can be reached over the winter months so whatever game plan is endorsed can be put into play in the spring. Conditions that bad? Using students as pawns in labor negotiations is disdainful at the best of times, but the strike by com- munity college teachers and other staff in Ontario could have serious ramifications for those enrolled in those institutions of higher learning. Elementary and secondary school students have in the past had portions of their school year interrupted by teacher strikes or board lockouts, but those in- stances have not had the severe repercussions that the current strike could create. Most of the community college students are young adults who have raised their tuition and other expenses through summer employment or have received student loans. They live away from home and have tenancy obligations that continue whether they are in class or not. Several are unemployed people who habe staked all their belongings and future on attaining a college education in the hope of finding employment through their new skills and training. A prolonged strike will force many college students to terminate their plans for the future and it is therefore most disconcerting to hear that the staff have dug in their heels and are prepared to wait months for a settlement if that is what it takes to win their, battle. Many will find it difficult to support the teachers as they seek to improve their current salaries which are in the $40,000 range or to be sympathetic to their concern over the number of classroom hours when they have no one to teach for about four and a half months in every year. Sooner or later they'll win the battle and the ran- som will be paid in increased educational costs for future students. If it's much later, the ransom will in- clude the devastation of the hopes and dreams of many current students. It is difficult to imagine that the current pay and working conditions are so poor that any group could be pushed to such extreme and dangerous action. Only one facet was questioned It's most unfortunate that town officials have chosen to translate a specific ques- tion regarding a proposed industrial pro- motion trip to Germany and England in- to a suggestion that it reflects a general condemnation of the entire program be- ing carried out by the local economic development committee. That was not intended, nor hopefully even implied, in a recent editorial in this newspaper which questioned whether the trip could be justified and also whether it could be adequately handled by one per- son so the cost saving could be used for future trips or other types of promotion. The latter suggestion should have given clear indication to readers that the overall budget of the committee was in no way being challenged, but merely the manner of appropriation. This newspaper wholeheartedly sup- ported the first trip abroad and has been a staunch supporter of industrial develop- ment activities through the years. That does not now, or hopefully never will, preclude our responsibility and right to ask questions about the manner in which public funds are expended. To make a categorical statement that the editorial reflected a general belief or question about the wisdom and motiva- tion of industrial promotion, or those in- volved in it, by residents of the communi- ty or the newspaper is obviously an over- reaction to a question about one specific facet. Ironically, the trip has been shelved because committee members felt it could not be justified at this time due to the small number of contacts indicating a desire to meet with localrepresentatives. It is difficult to imagine any clearer vin- dication for asking a question which those in authority were obviously asking themselves at the same time. To suggest that a question about one facet of the committee's work is a de- nouncement of the whole is akin to sug- gesting that people who turn up their noses at spinach don't like to eat or that parents who don't particularly like the manner in which their kids dress are real- ly saying they don't love their kids. According to the Reeve, the editorial could place a cloud upon the future of the committee and he says this must be dispelled immediately by council so as to retain and maintain confidence in Ex- eter's intent and the committee's functions. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but that is misconstruing the con - tent of the editorial to appear as power- ful as a nuclear holocaust. . He's reading much more into the com- ments than intended, although the writer still makes no apology for questioning the trip when there was no indication given as to the number of contacts to be visited or how serious any of the overseas firms may be in establishing in this country and more particularly in Exeter. Using his figures that it takes 150 con• - BATT'N AROUND with the editor tacts to get one sincere interest, a trip that costs $3,500 (plus bonus given Herr Mueller) for two people to talk to approx- imately 20 contacts is open to some ques- tion, and while appreciating the need for confidence in such matters, it does not ap- pear unreasonable that those footing the bill he given some assurance that overseas firms have more than just a passing interest in establishing in this country. Checking back on accounts of the initial trip in November of 1982, it was reported that the Exeter visitors planned to meet with 27 industrial firms. Six of those did not materialize and another six were termed as not being suitable for Exeter. Of the remaining 15, nine were listed as "excellent prospects" and the two local representatives advised that 11 were plan- ning visits to Exeter in 1983 and it was suggested the town could expect some developments in the next two years as e reasult of the trip with Reeve Mickle ex- plaining the town could get a potential return of over $1,000 for each dollar of the $3,500 spent on the trip. Representatives of three of the I1 ex- pected firms did visit Canada and one has shown a keen interest, but as Mrs. Chap- man explained, Ontario government regulations have put a road -block in front of their intentions. Whether any direct benefits accrue from the initial trip is open to conjecture and still considerable hope. But, those results must surely be a ma - v • jor consideration because it represents a sizeable investment in terms of the total amount this community can afford to pay for industrial promotion in any given year. Being in the advertising business, the writer knows well the difficulties in deal- ing with intangibles such as those involv- ed in promotions. There are no ways that success can be guaranteed nor return on investment clearly predicted. Industrial promotion is even less predictable. It's possible to spend thousands of dollars with no return while other communities can virtually spend no money or time and be fortunate enough to attract a major industry through mere luck. It must be readily acknowledged that if hard work, interest and determination were the keys, then Bill Mickle and his committee would have landed some in- dustries by now or should be expected to do so in the future. No one has to defend his dedication or sincerity with the writer, but that doesn't diminish the responsibility to ask ques- tions or suggest alternatives. He's outlined recently the prospects for joint ventures and has noted that perhaps more growth could be expected if there was some industrial floor -space available on a rental basis. Perhaps that is an area in which the community would be wiser to invest some of its development budget. There is no doubt that the market place changes frequently and some com- munities are moving to the area of video- taping promotional material for prospec- tive clients. Are the best prospects overseas or are they at home? If our editorial has opened up some area for discussion then at least it has served the purpose for which it was intended and there is no doubt that the comment it sparked should make local citizens aware of the work being undertaken on their behalf. However, it is an area in which the involvement or everyone is needed to pay dividends, even if it is something as sim- ple as a smile for the stranger you meet on the street. Who knows, it could be the selling point for a visiting industrialist looking for a new home. Perhaps the time has come for council, the committee and the community to review the efforts of the past with a view to setting guidelines for the future. Couldn't hack it today It's been a long way from there to here. Just forty years ago, I was ly- ing on the floor of a box- car in north-east Holland, beaten up and tied up. And half -frozen. And half- starved. Today, I'm sitting in a big, brick house, with the furnace pumping away, a refrigerator stuffed with food, and my choice of three soft, warm beds. Forty years seems like eternity if you're a teenager, but they've gone by like the winking of an eye, as most old-timers will confirm. Back then, I was tied up because I'd tried to escape. It wasn't pleasant. They had no rope, so they tied my wrists and ankles with wire. I was beaten up because I'd managed to pilfer a sandwich, a pipe and tobacco from the guards' overcoat pockets when they weren't looking, and these, along with a foot - long piece of lead pipe, popped out of my battle - dress jacket when the sergeant gave me a round- house clout on the ear just before escorting me back onto the train headed for Germany. Served me right. I should have ignored all that stuff we were taught in training: "It's an of- ficer's duty to try to escape," and gone quietly off to sit out the war, which I did anyway, in the long run. But the next few weeks weren't pleasant. I couldn't walk, because my left kneecap was kicked out of kilter. Every bone in my body ached. My face looked like a bowl of borstch, as I discovered when a "friendly" guard let me look in his shaving mirror. Worst of all, there was nothing to read. When I have nothing to read, I start pacing the walls. But I couldn't pace the walls rudimentary way. He was a paratrooper who had been wounded in France and seconded to the mun- dane job of guarding Allied prisoners. He hadn't taken part in the kicking and punching at the railway station, for his own reasons. Perhaps pride. He was a soldier, Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley because I was on the floor, and tied up. Anyway, the light wasn't so good. One little barred window. Perhaps even the worstest of all was my dai- ly ablutions. And I don't mean washing one's face and armpits. I had to be lugged out of the boxcar by a guard, since only one leg was working, helped down the steps, and ushered to the railway bank. Ever try to do your dailies (and I don't mean push-ups), with two hands planted in cinders, one leg stuck straight ahead, the other propping you up, and a guy pointing a revolver at you? It's a wonder 1 wasn't con- stipated for life. One day the guard almost shot me. I never understood why. He was a rather decent young chap, about 21, blond, spoke a bit of French, so that we could communicate in a not a member of the Feldgendarmerie. But this day he was out of sorts. Perhaps sick of being a male nurse. His eyes got very blue and very cold, and he cocked his revolver. All I could do was turn the big baby - blues on him and mutely appeal. It worked. He muttered something, pro- bably a curse, holstered his gun, and shoved me roughly back into the boxcar. Why did Hans Schmidt (his real name) not kill me that day? He was fed up with a job on which rations were minimal, comfort almost non-existent and duties boring and demeaning. There was another Schmidt in the detail, Alfred. He was a different kettle, though he, too, was a wounded paratrooper. He was as dark as Hans was fair, as sour as Hans was sunny. He would have Practise what People often tend to talk to their children about good safety habits and then turn around and do the exact opposite themselves thinking that as adults that they pro- bably have better control of the situation and that they can handle it better than a child can. A friend of mine was ruefully telling about something that as a teacher he had often cau- tioned children during various health lessons about. He has a large plot of raspberries, big enough that he is able to sell a large number from them each year. This year he found that he had a blight in the canes and that the only way to destroy the shot me, in the same mood, and written it off as "killed while attempting to escape." Luck of the draw. Another hairy incident in that October, 40 years ago, was the night the train was attacked by a British fighter-bomber, probably a Mosquito, perhaps even navigated by my old friend Dave McIntosh. I was dozing, on and off (you didn't sleep much, tied up, on the wooden floor of a boxcar) when there was a great screeching of brakes, a wild shouting from the guards as they bailed out of the train, then the roar of an engine and the sound of cannonfire as the at- tacker swept up and down the train, strafing. As you can understand, I wasn't hit, and the bums in the aircraft didn't even put the train out of com- mission, but have you ever seen a man curled up into a shape about the size of a little finger? That was ich. Sorry if I've bored you with these remininiscences. But they are all as clear, or moreso, than what I had for lunch today. Forty years. Time to complete the war. finish university, marriage, children, 11 years as a weekly editor, 23 years as a teacher, a year in The San for non-existent T.B., and 30 years as a columnist. I couldn't hack all that today. But I can go to bed and say "This heats the hell out of sleeping in a boxcar." is preached get the piles of canes going he put some gasoline on one pile. -r Perspectives blight was to burn all the existing plants and put in new ones. It was the day before he was to leave on a vacation. Impatient with the slow- ness with which he could By Syd Fletcher Swoosh. Away it went. Pleased with his success he put gasonline on two more piles, carefully car- ried the can fifty or sixty paces away then returned to light the piles. The day was hot and humid, oppressively so. Perhaps that was why the fumes stayed close to the ground. Anyway when he struck the match the piles of cane went up nicely but so did the can of gasoline. So did all the grass to bet- ween him and the can. So did his moccasins and all hair on his legs up to his knees. He rolled on the sandy loam and put out the fire but not before he had a nice set of second degree burns which he had to nurse all the way out to the East coast. Probably we should practise what we preach. 1