HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1980-12-04, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News December 4, 19110•
The plows are ready
Many hands make i.ight work
At a recent meeting of a local recreational
group, some of those present felt that the cost of
recreation to the taxpayers was high and bound to
increase still further. The feeling seemed to be that
taxpayers might not be receiving sufficient return
for their tax dollars.
Comments of this nature can be broadened out
to include all Lorms of service provided by any
municipal government. Elected officials have an
answer to this.
The thought, from the elected officials' stand-
point, centers on the fact that taxpayers are deman-
ding better services all across the board, but are not
too happy about paying for innumerable comforts
and conveniences. This may be a true and accurate
assumption.
A feeling, or thought such as this, brings up
another interesting point. If the public wish ser-
vices to increase they must be prepared to pay for
Same. The alternative to this, however, is that
they must be willing to assist elected officials in
educing the costs for such "extra" services.
Needless to say, no one expects the general
)ublic to assist in the sanding of icy roads. For that
natter, any task which could fall within the realm
1f road maintenance or construction is the excep-
ion. When it comes to recreation, however, this is a
ar different matter entirely.
The cost and upkeep of community parks is an
►n -going expense which connot be avoided. The fact
however, such expense to the taxpayer could be
educed considerably if the public, the very
people who pay the taxes, were to become more in-
volved in such maintenance operations.
At the present time there are specified groups es-
tablished -to provide winter and summer
recreational activity.
A third group could be established which could be
assigned the task of taking.care of necessary duties
such as cutting park lawns during the summer
months and generally maintaining the community
through horticultural or janitorial activities.
For instance, such a group could assign some
members to take care of mowing of parkland areas.
Other members could provide manpower for pain-
ting and decorating recreational type buildings.
Materials, of course, could be . provided by the
municipality, such as paint, varnish, or what have
you. The lawn mowing operations could be handled
by members, many of whom do have machines
larger than the normal push type mower.
In short, although these are only suggestions, the
program would centre on an organization of
volunteer public citizens, a group who are ready and
willing to assist in reduction of costs for
recreational services. It may be only the beginning
to a much larger public involvement in municipal
affairs, all designed to match increased demand for
services. Volunteer assistance on the part of the
very ones who demand and who will pay for such in-
creases may be the answer.
West Lincoln Review
Should listen to native people
Honorary Chippewa brave Bud Cullen was call-
ed to Sarnia Reserve to answer Indian anxieties
over the projected repatriation of the Canadian
Constitution and, regardless of his diplomacy, ac-
quitted himself miserably. It will be interesting to
see if he wears his red armband in Ottawa, signify-
ing his support.
On two items only was he in order - that the
natives are Canadians first and Indians second, and
that requests for taxpayers subsidies for Reserve
projects must be questioned and investigated before
grants are made.
Other than this, he gave "brain -washed"
replies to very relevant native questions. Section 29
of the Treaty of July 1827 gave certain inalienable
rights to Indians of this area in exchange for the
surrender of 2 3/4 million acres of land, but Cullen
`hy lawyer carefully circumvented confirmation of
even this.
The important issues in this native "Concerned
nishnabeg" movement are that the participants
'e young people anxious for the retention of their
Jritage, and that with continued education, any
•onfrontations will be on an equal basis in due
.ourse.
The fact that white people overran this country
iges ago would, in 20th century vernacular, have
been called "aggression". That Canada was
recognized as Indian territory is undisputed or the
British governments of the time would not have
signed treaties. Even the "old school" system did
not preclude Imperialism over all.
The Canadian government has gone to great
pains to recognize French rights and Indian support
of Federalism in Quebec helped the favourable
resolution of the recent referendum. Why, then,
should Indians, including those on our local
Reserves, have to remain second class citizens of
the nation they are called upon to regard as theirs?
The movement is, at present,non-militant, but
we "whites", by our examples in Quebec and
Western Canada, have shown that success is not
always achieved by peaceful co -existence and the
survival of the fittest.
Before anxieties translate themselves into
force, it wouldbe as well for MP's such as Bud
Cullen to listen and seriously convey feelings back
to their globetrotting leaders. The Indians are cer-
tainly not all correct in their demands, but they are
certainly not all wrong.
• If you don't believe this, look what ultimately
happened when .the anxieties of the natives of Zim-
babwe Rhodesia were ignored
Sarnia Gazette
ly
TOM CINCH
A very
unique hobby
•
One of the most important tools of therapy is the
use of a liokby as a release from the tensions of day to
day life.
All jobs at one time create tension which must be
released of a person is to live a full life.
Hobbies allow a person to escape to another world,
to forget about the days or week's activities for a few
hours and to head back into the job with a clearer
head.
Hobbies are as plentiful as pebbleson a beach and
can range from a relatively passive form such as
stamp collecting to a total-invoivementactivitysuch as
sky -diving.
This writer has a couple of after -hour pursuits
which not too surprisingly are job related. While the
writer can't seem to pick up a book and read the darn
thing, give him a sports magazine or automotive
publication and the entire contents will be read, reread
and analysed during the course of an evening.
The other pursuit which is of great interest is the
collecting of old cameras. To date the writer has about
half a dozen of the units kicking around and he has
another camera which he purchased at a rummage
sale about 15 years ago for the grand sum of 24 which
he cannot locate. -
As stated above both, past -times allow for the
release of built-up frustations but• at the same time
enhance the writer's knowledge of activities which are
related to his work.
About a year ago the writer received a letter from
a gentleman in England who had a very unusual hobby.
The writer tossed the letter aside not thinking much
about it until recently when he received a similar
communication from the same gentleman.
The letter is as follows:
12, Mayflower Drive,
Stokehill Estate,
Conventry
CV2 SNP
England
17th, November, 1980
Dear Sir,
My brother and I have, we think, >a rather unusual
hobby in that we colledt flags or mastheads from
newspapers. The part that we save is the actual name
of the paper, including the date and price, that is nor-
mally printed across the top of the front page.
Our collection began about twelve years ago with
a few local weekly papers and the British national
dailies. This gave us an Interest in trying to obtain an
example masthead from every paper, daily and
weekly, that was printed in Britain.
After about eight years, and with lots of help from
the printers•and publishers, we achieved our aim. We
then chose to continue our hobby by saving overseas
mastheads and the collection now includes around
eleven thousand examples from over fifty countries
and isla d groups.
. We would be most grateful if you could assist us
with our hobby by sending us a masthead from your
paper, The Zurich Citizens News. If you have any other
weekly papers that you could sparemastheadsfrom for
us, we would be very pleased to receive them. Thank
you for your kind attention.
.11 j'1( 1)
•+:%i:�i:C}.'v+ f%%i ..: {{,:'•::•11'4...:
Yours Sincerely,
D: Mills
{
it I l( inti. I (♦� �.
Published Each Wednesday Sy J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly Newspapwrs Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
News Editor/ Tom Creech
Second Clam Mail Registration Number 1385
Subscription Rotes: S8.50 pbr year in advanct in Canada
519.50 per year outside Canada Single copies 25t