HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-03-06, Page 4.RECORD, T 1RSSDDY, MARCH 6,1975
Education Minister Thomas -Wells
last week declared that the Ontario
school system would begin to re•
emphasize' the basics of reading,
Ivrlting and arithmetic in the future. It
was a backward step in the right
direction says the Myth Stpndard.
Teaching the basics has been a dirty
word since the Hall -Dennis report
appeared to be revolutionizing the ►
school system a decade ago. The report
tried to open up the school system and
make the learning process an en-
joyable one for the students. All this
was good, but along; with it was the
foolish notion that people could get
along without a strong knowledge of
the basics. Why was reading and
writing so important in an age •of
• television, seemed to be the promise.
Why, worry about basic arithmetic
when computers and pocket
calculators make the job so much
easier ?
The answer, . of course, is that
whether we have television or not, we
stilt -have to communicate effectively,
and much of that communications
requires putting it down on paper. As
for computers and calculators, what
happens if you don'"t have one handy?
Are we to make our people so depen-
dent on machines ,they can't get along
without them?
As Mr. Wells said, not everything in
the Hall -Dennis style education system
was wrong. It was big of him to admit
that there were things wrong. Now if he
could just admit the government
goofed in setting up county boards of
education.
famine can be beaten.
The daily news diet . of gloom
becomes' depressing. Automobile
plants are shutting down in many of the
world's cities. The unemployment lists
are growing. Inflation has spread far
and wide, with the rate hitting more
than 20 percent in Australia, and above
40 percent in Israel. Countless billions -
of dollars have been wiped out through
inflation in many of the Western
nations.
In the poorer countries, the situation
is desperate, says the United Church.
In Bangladesh, tens of thousands have
starved to death in recent months.'
Famine in parts of the subcontinent
follows hard upon the years of drought
and famine in the Sahel region of
Africa, and in Ethiopia.
Perhaps it is hard at times to look on
the bright side. And yet that should be
the task of political and opinion
leaders, in fact, of every thinking in-
dividual. The world is not as gloomy as
it may seem.
Even less than a century ago,
famines, droughts and floods were
wiping out not thousands, but millions
in Asian lands. Most people didn't even
O
know about these calamities. Those
who did cared little, for they were
powerless to help.
But now, for the first time in history,
mankind has the power to banish
hunger and disease from the face of the
earth. Nations need the political will to
move ahead faster with their
development, but at least they have the
know-how. The international com-
munity has built organizations and
agencies like the United Nations, the
World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund, the various regional
development banks and many others to
guide and help the poorer countries.
The affluent West remains affluent --
despite inflation and the loss of
savings. People have social security,
welfare and health schemes, pension
and insurance plans to assist them
during hard times and in their old age.
The average person enjoys an
economic security our ancestors could
not possibly have envisaged. From
time to time, one must banish the
gloom with light. It can be done -- by
looking carefully into the pass. as well
as hopefully into the future. "
Sugar and Spice/By Bill Smiley
Stamp out postal strikes
I have personally had it, with the Canadian
Postal Service, so called.
I am sick to death of postal strikes and threats
of strikes.
And I almost throw up every time Honorable
Bryce Mackasey, minister in charge of the post
office, comes on television to state bluntly that
postal employees last year stole only a million
dollars or whatever, which is just a drop in the
bucket, and that we have the third best postal
service in the world.
His first statement practically condones theft
by public employees. His second must be
something he halucinated while recovering from
an overdose of stamp glue.
Admitted, that for years, postal employees
were sorely underpaid, and most of them were in
the job only for the secur:ty it offered.
But the security is still there, and they are now
far from sorely underpaid. Some of them, in view
of what they do, and the relatively simple
qualifications required, may be overpaid, in
comparison with some other jobs.
Admitted, many postal jobs are unexciting,
even boring and monotonous. This is no excuse
for the flouting of the public's needs, or for the
thumb -to -the -nose attitude towards the gover-
nment, employer of the postal workers.
Nobody forced those people to work in the post
office. Plenty of other jobs are just as
monotonous. If they wanted excitement why
didn't they go into high steel work or massage
parlors?
Isn't it about time for a showdown? Either
Canada gets a first rate postal service, as we
used to have, or we scrap the whole thing and
turn it over to private enterprise.
In my far from humble opinion, the latter
course should have been taken years ago. For
the past several decades, the performance of the
post office in this country has been a dismal one.
Each year, efficiency decreases; each year
the costs increase. Each new broom appointed as
minister has carefully swept the dirt under the
rug, instead of out the door.
I think it's too late for a pur in the post office,
-"whtc�- iercrrare-sir"constipated--that--nothia g,
short of dynamite would move those turgid
bowels.
No new minister has the guts to go in and ream
out the-dottle of the public pipeline. It would be
his head on a platter if he tried.
Nope. It's too late for half measures. It's time
THE CLINTON NEW ERA
Established 1865
to put the whole, shambling, sick, half -paralyzed
leviathan on the auction block, and sell it to the
highest bidder: buildi tgs, rick ,Miluitittient and
jobs.
And let's not get any phony nationalism mixed
up in it. If one of the new rich oil countries wants
to buy the mess and put it in running order, why
not? Canadian's can't doit, apparently.
You think this is too drastic? It seems the only
alternative we have to limping along with a
postal system that .the word "rotten"
inadequately describes.
You think something as big and important as
the postal non -system should be controlled by the
gOVernment? Hogwash! Anyone with ears to
hear or eyes to read knows that government is
notably inefficient as, an employer.
Let's look at one example. We have two
transcontinental railways. CPR `privately
owned, has shown a thumping profit year after
year. The CNR, government owned, highly
subsidized, is always in the red.
' You think I'm a little hot today? You're right.
Postal strikes have cost me considerable, in
terms of anxiety and cash. And I'm only a little
frog. Imagihe what the lousy service is doing to
slow down and thwart large companies, which
hire hundreds of thousands.
As I write, postal employees in Toronto are not
working, while mail piles up in thousands of tons.
Why are they not working? Because they won't
cross the picket lines of another, comparatively
small union that is on strike.
And get this. The Post Office gave its non-
working employees leave of absence without
pay. They were not fired. And those employees
have the unbelievable gall to talk. of suing the
post office because they are not drawing their
pay when they are not working; even though they''
are not on strike. Can you figure that out? It
makes my head reel.
This week, I sent a letter "special delivery." It
cost me 48 cents in postage. To make me expend
such a sum, the letter had to be mighty im-
portant. It's sitting in a post office, unsorted, in
which.the employees are NOT on strike. '
e --4w1 enough-,-Who'11;4oin met.
closing, may T add that I don't put the blame on
the postal union, not -all -6f it. These' people are
human andwill reach for all they can get.
The real r''ot of my rage and the fifth -rate
Canadian postal non -service is the gutless
politicians in Ottawa. ' w
THE HURON NEWS -RECORD
Established 1881
Member, Canadian
Community Newspaper
Association
Clinton NeWSReCOFd
Published ovary Thurrday
- at Clinton, Ontario
Editor - Jamas E. FItuEeratd
Oatmeal Mammal,
J. Howard Aitken
Second Class Mall
Istrstion no. 0517
OUDSCRIPTION RATES:
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SINGLE COPY .280
"1 don't see why anyone would need to jog in this town. With these•
potholes you get enough jogging just driving.'"
The Jack Scott Column -
- - -
Hou' we'll live?
For anyone who, in the year 2000, will have crept to the age of
70 the prospect of The House of Tomorrow may easily make the
future seem even more repulsive than it already is.
If we're to take the word of some of America's leading ar-
chitects, and I suppose we must, the dream house of the future
will probably look like a spool -between two saucers ("if the
family grows anthyou need more room simply stack another
spool and saucer on top.")
It will be composed largely of air. Instead of partitions
there'll be opaque curtains of energized air, sort of walk-
through walls, which may be erected or eliminated by simply
flicking a switch.
The furniture itself will float magically on invisible air
cushions and instead of a bed there'll be larger cushions of air.
No stairs, either. If you have an upstairs you'll reach the
spool at the top by activating your lightweight levitation belt
which will then lift you gently through the porthole in the
ceiling.
Chances are the house will not be on a lot, but placed on a
platform or ledge of a kind of monstrous skyscraper
honeycomb described as "ate -like structure 40 or more
storeys high with pre -fabricated housing units hanging from
corridors resembling branches attached to the trunk, each
house custom-designed by the owner and snapped on the
"branch" like Cl' istmas decorations on a tree."
The architects in question have conceded that people will
resist such innovations but that "it will be a hopeless battle." I
think they underestimate us. I know they underestimate me.
Certainly as a man grows older his concept of the ideal home
tends to harden along with his arteries.
While the architects are predicting curtains of energized air
the client may be wistfully dreaming of nothing more than an
old-fashioned verandah all the way around the house, like;the
ones he remembers from his youth.
The architects peer into the future and see a cistern -shaped
structure of plastic and glass, but I, for one, look longingly to
•
the past and enormous, barn -like structures with funny cupolas
and turrets sticking' up at the corners and great curving
staircases with bannisters for children to slide down and attics
full of photograph albums showing bony -kneed people in cotton
bathing suits.
The fact is I want a house just like the house that sheltered
dear old Dad and I want it more and more with each passing
year. Why, only last week I was in one such ancient mansion,
built with loving hands fully 50 years ago. From the moment I
stepped into the long, dark hallway I'd that rare feeling. of
belonging, a feeling I do not expect ever to get hanging like a
baboon from a button-down prefab 40 storeys in the,sky.
This was a place that was built for people, not automatons, a
castle where a man might grow old gracefully and with dignity,
a, consideration clearly not contemplated in the House of
Tomorrow.
It had real walls for real people, the switches did absolutely
nothing but turn on the lights and, by comparison, the house of
the future is clearly no place like home.
"Dignity", in fact, may be the key word here in my'loatling
for the whole idea of the futurama sky -hung cottage and par-
ticularly for the notion of substituting air for more traditional
materials.
Legless furniture floating on an invisible pad of pressure is
not for me. Even now, young and in my prime, I've a horror of
such modern monstrosities as bat-wing canvas chairs or those
tubular kind that always threaten to catapult you into outer
space. As for beds I do not see my stretching out with any
degree of relaxation on an air cushion. I am more the feather -
supported, four-poster type.
Nor do I see myself retiring to my upstairs bedroom by rising
slowly through a porthole with the aid of a levitation belt. The
way things happen to me I can picture myself bumping around
helplessly on the ceiling, an old, grave gentleman caught in the
ultimate horror of progress.
In_sbort, architects of the future, kindly count me out.
From our early file
. • . • • •
• • •
IO YEARS AGO
March 11, 1965
Lieutenant Joyce Irwin was
presented with her Green ;Tree
Pin at the Girl Guides meeting
Monday evening, by District
Guides Beulah Monch.
A delegation of residents of
Londesboro, presented a petition
to council for the improvement of
the present street lighting system
in Londesboro.
The tender of J.T. Murphy Ltd.,
was accepted for a new police,
cruiser for the town police rorce.
Herman's Men's Wear's tender
was accepted for an allotment of
police clothing.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Arkell,
Joanne and Kenny are home
again after a two year sojourn in
Australia and are staying with
his parents. Mr. and Mrs. F.P.
�,�,r.,�Cell�Bayfield. .,
At its regular meeting Mon any
evening,- Clinton town council
agreed to amalgamate three
existing town boards - into one.
The three groups were Clinton
Athletic Field Board, Clinton
Community Swimming Pool
Committee and Clinton
Recreation Committee.
The Clinton Volunteer Fire
Brigade raised $147.53 in their
recent funds campaign for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association
of Canada.
A concert was held in the
Township hall on Friday evening!'
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Middleton
showed pictures of Northern
Europe.'
Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Hugill,
Isaac Street, celebrated their
25th wedding anniversary on
Saturday evening with about 200
relatives and friends in at-
tendance.
25 YEARS AGO March 9, 1950
Deadline for submitting names
and addresses of handicapped
children in Huron County
requiring medical or surgical
attention is tomorrow, Friday,
March 10.
Goderich Town Council
Tuesday night accepted the
application of G.S. Elliott DVM,
reeve of Clinton for the position of
meat and food inspector of
Goderich. His duties commence
March 16.
W.E. Perdue was re-elected
chairman of the Clinton Com-
munity Athletic Field Board
(Park Board) for 1950.
Miss Mary Asquith, Auburn,
was appointed by Stratford
General Hospital Trust, as
pharmacist for the new Stratford
General Hospital. She will take
over operation of the pharmacy
at the new hospital.
The question of artificial ice for
Wingham arena shortly will be
submitted to the ratepayers in
the form of a bylaw.
Miss Pauline Matthews, Reg.
N., Kitchener. Waterloo Hospital,
left recently to tate a post-
graduate course in psychiatry
sponsored by the University of
Western Ontario, London.
Mrs-. - M-: F . W pod s ....nod
daughter, Lucy, re`tur•ned,to their.
home . ori Wednesday after
spending the last three months at
Hensall.
Lloyd Westlake, Ontario
Provincial Police, Mount Forest,
spent a coupleof days this week
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Westlake, Bayfield.
A jump in cattle prices has h'ad
a slight effect on marketings last
week. However, blocked roads
had a detrimental effect on
marketing of Cattle and hogs.
There was a very active demand
with good prices being offered for
live poultry.
The matter of Daylight Saving
Time was discussed by council
and it was decided that from
April 30 to Sept. 24, "fast" time
will be in effect in Wingham.
50 YEARS AGO
March 12, 1925
John.Gibbings, Clinton's oldest
native -horn citizen, celebrated
his 86th birthday on Sunday.
Col. H.B. Combe, Mr. Harper,
T. Churchill and T. Morgan
represented Clinton Knitting Co.
at the funeral of the late Mr.
Vincent. a partner in the Com.-
pony, which was held in London
on Friday last.
Those assisting at the twilight
recital in St. Paul's Church on
Friday last were Mrs. Theo.
Fremlin and Rev. C.L.. Bilkey,
and Mr. and Mrs. Morgan
Agnew.
Markets were wheat $1.60;
barley 80c; buckwheat 75c;
butter 28c to 30c; oats 50c; eggs
22c to 25c; live hogs, 12c to $12.50.
Mr. J.A. Sutter is in London
this week attending a convention
of hardware men.
Potatoes were advertised at J.
Becker's Garden on the London
road for $1 per bag. Cabbage was
one cent per lb. as were carrots
and beets.
Making maple syrup is the
order of the day and farmers are
Thank -you
Dear Editor:
The Clinton Sarah Hale
chapter of thel.O.D.E. would
like through your newspaper to
thank the citizens of Clinton
and the surrounding com-
mupities for their whole* .
hearted support of the March of
Dimes Disability Fund cam-
paign.
Generous donors, thorough
canvassers, and the ladies who
helped us organize the canvass,
all were behind this worth-
while cause. Even the school
•.-'children helped considerably.
As a result we are nova able to
say we have raised $1,910, and
with several organizations
from which we have yet to
hear, hopefully with donations,
we may reach the $2,000 mark.
Again — thank you to you all.
Sincerely,
Janeen Clynick
Chairman,
0 March of Dimes Committee,
Clinton
D. Cooper & Co. has a special
sale of groceries, crockery on
Friday, Saturday, and Monday to
clear out his stock and have less
to remove to the stand, Searle
block, corner of Albert and
Rattenbury Streets.
At the urgent request of the
sitting member, R. Holmes, the
postal department has
established two new offices in the
west riding. One is at Rob Roy, on
the road between Dunlop and
Smith's FEB and be known as
Loyal, Mr. G.F. McPhee and will
be postmaster. The other is
situated in West V'awanosh, four
miles east from Dungannon, and
will be known as Falconbridge,
M.C. Robinson to be postmaster.
The lake is now covered with
reporting a good run. ice, being jammed near
Miss Jean Fisher, who has just shore, and this affords
finished a course at the Clinton fisherman an opportunity
School of Commerde, left Monday fishing.
trtnrfrrrtg'-�'t1`rttrk ".a."os tion' -r--�- ----- �=--:
Toronto.
Capt. Clarke of the S.A. i�' rn
London this week attending a
gathering of the officers of the
London Division which is being
presided over by the travelling
commission for Canada.
Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Paxman left
Monday for Royal Oak, Michigan
,where they have purchased a
grocery business. Mr. and Mrs.
B. Kaiser will follow shortly.
75 YEARS AGO , -
March 9, 1900
Hogs are the only stock which
are being shipped for which
p4•ices paid are five' cents.
Produce is light and few eggs and
light supply of butter were
brought in; the former going at
13c and butter from 21c to 22c.
The carnival and hockey match
at the rink tonight (Friday)
should he the biggest attraction
of the' season. No better fun has
ever been seen than the curlers
trying to ply hockey.
The interior of Newcombe's
carpet department, in the rear of
his dry goods house. presents a
well arranged and pretty ap-
pearance of tapestry and other
makes of carpets, as well as
handsome dresses on models.
100 YEARS AGO
March 11, 1875
4
An necessary
Dear Editor:
Isn't it time we took stock of
ourselves and where we are
heading? We condemn the
Government for the present
state of our economy and in-
creasing inflation. Do we never
consider that we might do
something as individuals to
help combat this state of af-
fairs?
No, no we must have more,
more, more. "The Government
pays 80 percent" we cry when
we plan some new project. "It
won't cost us much, the
Government pays" we repeat
over and over. How often do we
hear this idiotic statement?
Can we not get it through our
thick heads that we are the
Government?, That we are the
ones who pay? That every time
we ask for a grant our taxes of
necessity must go up?, That the
.Government is helpless to fight
inflation without our help?
Let's take a look at our
forebears and all they endured
to 'make this Country what it is
— the finest in the world if we
but would do our part and keep
it so. Read Nellie McClung's
"Clearing' in the West" and
Catharine Parr Traill's, "The
Backwoods of Canada". These
books should be in every school
library and a part of the school
curriculum.
Our forebears worked from-
dawn
romdawn until dusk without
luxuries or even necessities.
Did they howl for help to the
Government to feed them,
clothe them, find them a job,
pay their doctor bills if indeed
they had a doctor?
Take a good look at all the
handouts ' we get from the
cradle to the grave. Baby
-bonus, welfare, unemployment
insurance, old age' pension, 0.
J. Youth. The list is endless.
Are we grateful? Not a bit of it.
One group' needs bridge
tables and a piano. Ask the
Government! They get $1,204.
Not a very large sum you say.
But multiply that by a thousand
other such groups and it's quite
a sum. Besides which our
churches have pianos and
bridge tables galore which.
might be utilized.
With at least ten empty'
the churches heated, lighted and
the with every facility, why build a
of whole new building for senior
citizens? There may be 600
�" c tizens-o-V7r65'yarg btu get ti
not or or even a third -will use=s
Mr. Wharton Hodgson, of
Exeter, has purchased from Mr.
J. Potter of Oshawa, his
celebrated heavy -draught horse,
Netherby.
Mr. J.C. Gilroy has not only
imported a first-class cutter but
has also introduced a tailor that
can make up clothes fit to wear
and look at.
Mr. Charles Grainger of
Kinhurn, has imported an extra
thoroughbred colt, but there are
some misgivings about its purity
of breed.
The Clinton Brass Band went to
Seaforth on Tuesday to take part
in a concert given by the band A.that place, and pl?ved several
airs on the street before their
departure.
News -Record readers are en-
couraged to express their
opinions in lifters to the editor,
however, such opinions do not
necessarily represent the
opinions of the New• -Roca d.
P.oudonyma may be used by
letter writers, but no letter will
be published unless It can be
verified by phone.
such a place. Let . those who
want it build it and pay for it
but don't tax those of us who
don't want it.
Some people won't use a
church other than their own?
A presbyterian won't go to a
United Church? A Baptist won't
go to an Anglican? If such
senseless bigotry still exists in
the town of Clinton, woe unto us
hypocrites!
Is this a reason for spending
$25,000. And don't think it
will end there. There .`-is. 'still
furnishing and landscaping to
be considered.
For once let us use some
common sense. Let us make do
with what we have, especially
when what we , have is all
anyone could possibly need.
We taxpayers have had
enough of tearing down and
building up, senselessly, We
have been too apathetic over
many things but the time for
such apathy is long past.
Sincerely,
' E. D. Fingland,
Clinton