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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1976-08-19, Page 4If clint a sea pie were upset budget cut at ►:tali last week that the top floor and -.- people losing. their borbs I anofhee" 1 haying their em- YtTlenfseVereiV curtailed, then facts me to life this week will add to the fare, first fact that is hard to swallow Is the knowledge that Clinton's $225,000 wCtlt is ablaut one percent of the Vernment's $25 million saving across he. province. 1t seems too large' a burden for such 'a small hospital to bear. ;The second annoying fact that came to iight'this week is the knowledge that twtt other hospitals also ordered dosed, but like Clinton given a reprieve by the Courts, Durham and Chesley, only suffered $12,000 and $17,000 cuts to their budgets respec- tively. But by far the most concrete fact to Taiwan is not China Although almost 20 nations pulled out, the XXI Oiympaid was a credit to Canada. The ' rumblings of world politics reached Montreal, of course, and this had been expected, says the United Church. What had not been anticipated, however, was the flap over Taiwan. Canada's insistence that Taiwan must not represent China at the Olympic Games caused a good deal of con- sternation south of the border. But in the end, the United States gave way. Taiwan withdrew- although Prime Minister Trudeau had said. the Taiwanese could march and compete under their flag — provided they did not carry a sign" designating them as tte Republic of China. Mr. Trudeau's decision was based on international law, and on Canadian convictions. Very soon after Chairman Mao Tse-tung proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, Canada began moves to recognize the Peking regime. A number of leading Canadians urged the Government to follow Britain's example in switching recognition from the Chiang Kai-shek • Government •to the Peking regime. But in 1950, the Korean war in- tervened. Canadian recognition was delayed by two decades, and when it finally came in 1970, an overwhelming ti Y, AUGUST 19,1976: +acne out again „tiing Citnton's budget so Sem ety Is the figures released by Stat/tics Canada Whith show Clinton to.. be among the most efficient hosptfhls Irv. Ontario if not Canada, durt_theAirst three months of this year. - Not only does Clinton have one of the lowest average cost per patient stay, at $772, compiri to -the national Tverage of $1,208 and the Ontario average of $1,218, buur average cost per patient day is a mere $81.79, cOm.pared to -the national average of $111.06 and the Ontario average of $122.33. Clinton also has a shorter average length of stay and a lower paid hours per patient day. Now i ask you, how can the govern- ment slash an efficient hospital's budget, forcing the people of this area to go'* to more expensive, distant hospital facilities? Someone in Toronto doesn't like us! ---by Jim Fitzgerald number of Canadians supported the Government in its move. Today, there is only one Chin,. It is the People's Republic of China. Ad- mittedly, there is a de facto state with its own, Government on the island of Taiwan. But Taiwan had been occupied by the Japanese during World War 11, and even before the war was over the Allies had agreed that all possessions seized by Japan would be returned to China. Indeed, in 1945 Taiwan was returned to China, but four years later the civil war ended — with the Chinese Communists victorious right across the mainland. " The problem of Taiwan in time will be solved, with most China -watchers fairly certain that in due course the island will drop into Peking's lap like a ripe plum. In the meantime, nations must choose which state they wish to recognize — the Peking Government which represents almost a quarter of mankind, or a small and discredited regime that certainly cannot lay claim to the nanlie of China. In the not -too - distant future, the real China will compete in the Olympic Games. Canada probably will not be the host. But at least this year the Government acted with wisdom and courage in refusing to let Taiwan use the name of China. Sugar and Spite/By Bill Smiley Mon 1real's omes Most readers of this column are quite aware of my attitude toward the Montreal Olympic Games. And I am sure that many of them have put me down as a spoil -sport, a wet blanket, a niggling critic of a glorious event. Not so, please. If you have read with care my ferocious attacks on the Games. you'll have noticed that I wasn't knocking them, or the athletes. I am as red-blooded a Canadian as the next guy, and I groaned when the Canadians came last in the boat race, and I cheered when a Canadian scrambled to a second or third or fourth. And I almost wept when one of our beautiful little gymnasts tottered and fell off the bar. What I was smiting was the chauvinism, the hunger for power, the utter immorality that lay behind the acquisition of the Games by Montreal. Montreal needed those Games about as much as I need an amputation of my right leg, And the results will ije somewhat the s\atne. The 'city will be ct'ippied..for half a century because it wanted to hold a two- week party for the ,whole world. Chauvinism. Hunger for pu?er? Maybe that's the wrong phrase. More like a hunger for the lit'1telight. or a yrning for some sort of immortality (maybe lasting 30 years?) on the part of the archpromoter. M. Drapeau. During the Gaines, many critics softened up quite a bit on Drapeau. Through no virtue of his. the Games, wallowing in problems, had been scotch -taped together at the las 'nute by the government of Quebec, an the official opening was magnificent, veiling the fantastic debt 10. Worship had built up. Even hard-boiled reporters were suggesting we'd been a bit rough on Drhpe•a . that after all. he had had the vision, the tenacity. to pursue his dream and that we were all cashing in on it. Afraid I don't go for that jazz. That's like saying that Napoleon, who bled France dry. physically and financially. was. after iI1, not a bad little chap. that he meant well. that -he didn't really mean to lose half a million men in the retreat from Moscow, that his wife. Josephine, didn't understand him, and that his family Was greedy. Nuts. He did it for La Gloire. And so did Drapeau. The major difference between them is that Napoleon had to face only the English. the Prussians. the Poles and the Russians. Drapeau had to face' the trade unions. Beaucoup formidable! Well. let's get back to the Gaines themselves, before i turn puce. which is what 1 do every time i think of 72,000 people Wiring athletes while the raw sewage Flows obit of Montreal into the St. Lawrenee. Alt hail to the athletes! 'We may be greedy when it comes to;.tnaking a buck — as witness the federal government's knee- jerk to China, with visions of big wheat sales dancing in its puny head. But when it comes to winning Olympic medals, Canadians are certainly among the least greedy nations in the world. We are so hospitable about letting other countries grab the medals that it is almost embarrassing. And that's the way it should be. The important thing about international games is — or should be — doing your absolute best. And that's what Canada's young representatives did. My heart. and I'm sure yours. was right. in there thumping away with them, .whether they were finishing fourth or 14th. One of the things that really bugged me before and during the Olympics was the crassness of sports writers. Now, ad- mittedly, this is a species not known for its sensitivity. but the crudeness this time was simply too much. Canadian sports writers, on the whole, are pale imitations of their U.S. coun- terparts. Most of them are not, as they should be, extremely knowledgeable about the sport they are writing on. They are far More interested • in times, statistics and medals than they are in the human drama of the Games. It's no wonder that Canadian athletes rapidly became disenchanted with the press. When an athlete is "up", even ex- ceeding what he or she has ever done before, jock writers are dreaming about medals. When an athlete has a bad day or a bad race. the jocks subtly suggest that he or she has "let Canada down." Every single and solitary athlete in the Games, Canadian or otherwise, did the very best he or she could do at that given moment. And that's what it's all about. After saying all that, I must admit the ""SBC did a splendid job of covering the Games. Their commentators were no Mere partisan than human nature would excuse, and they kept the Imps, on the athletes, where it•shd'uld be. How strange to read a TV columnist, who was almost white -lipped with anger because the television commentators were not excoriating Canadian athletes who "did not live un to oromise." What a jerk! Oh well, it was a' great party while it lasted. Now the caterers must .be paid. If you are driving along beside the St. Lawrence River next summer, and notice that the water is a rusty brow*%e rather than blue, don't be alarmed. And don't think it is merely the usual human excrement from Montreal. i is. but added to it is a healthy infusion of the blood of Montreal and Quebec taxnaverc "Thought I'd come in and really get bombed. " Odds 'n' ends e by Elaine Townshend Olympics for the disabled The Games in Montreal weren't the only Olympics that took place in Canada this year. From. August 3 to 11, Toronto -hosted the 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled. In 1958, the intertiiitional games for the paralyzed were initiated in Stoke Mandeville, England. by Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who maintained participation itn sport could help Abe handicapped to re-establish self-tespect and self- discipline and to make the most of their remaining capabilities. Since 1960, the date and location of the Games have coincided with the regular Olympics. 1976 Marked the first time events were scheduled for blind and amputee athletes as well as for the wheelchair pa_:-ticipants. The three divisions - wheelchair, blind and amputee- had separate competitions for men and women. All the athletes were classified according to the degree of their disability and competed in their own class. The events included swimming. track and field, weightlifting, fencing, archery, lawn bowling, rifle shooting, basketball. table tennis and pentathlon. Inaddition, the wheelchair slalom involved manoeuvering the chair between gates and up and down ramped platforms. For the amputee athletes, thefaur lanes of the slalom course required walking, hurdling, running and football dribbling. Meanw_�t� Ile 20 American and Canadian athletes demon- strated Wrestling for the Blind. which at present is an organized sport only in North America. Our Canadian athletes fared well in this year's Disabled Olympics, capturing more than 50 medals. It was Canada's best stiowing since joining the Olympics in 1968. What did the two _ 1976 Olympiads have in common besides being held in Canada? Both feature top', athletes from around the world striving to give their best ner- formances : Olympic and World records were shattered. Unfortunately politics marred both Olympiads. About 1700 sportsmen and women representing 50 countries were expected to compete in the Olympics for the Disabled, but a dozen- countries boycotted the Games to protest South Africa's participation. Both Olympiads awarded gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three competitor's in each":vent. More than 3,000 medallions were needed for the Torontolympiad. On the face of each medal appeared the official games symbol and name, while on the reverse side was engraved the phrases "Everyone Wins" and, in braille, "1976 Torontolympiad". In addition, both Olympiads boasted an intricate Graphic Symbol. The symbol of the 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled consisted of three elements: an equilateral triangle with rounded corners, a pictogram of a human figure with arms raised in a gesture of achievement, and three interlocking rings. The triangle depicted the pyramid of the international sports movement for the handicapped. which rests on a vast base of sport and recreational organizations throughout the world. The triumphant figure at the apex of the triangle portrayed the handicapped rising above disability through participation in sport. The rings were the traditional symbol of the Stoke Mandeville Games - three wheelchair wheels representing Friendship, Unity and Sportsmanship. This year the three rings also represented the three disability groups com- peting in the Games - the blind, amputee and wheelchair athletes. One of the most important bonds between the two Olympiads was the opportunity they gave the athletes to travel, to compete with their peers, to enjoy comrade:.hip and to experience the honotir of representing their country. Froin our early files 0 0 0 10 YEARS AGO AUGUST 25.1966 "The Home Paper With the News" compiled an excellent record in the 1966 Better Newspapers Competitions conducted by the Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association. Of the 36 papers from all over Canada. in the circulation class from 2.001 to 3,000 weekly, The Home Paper" was adjudged fifth for "all-round" excelle t�c scoring 69, points out of 100 as against 76 for paper number one, Fraser Valley Recori��dd, Mission City, B.C. Last in the••class had 47.5. Clinton Turf Club staged a very successful- `harness race meet here last Sunday — over 1.000 persons attendi)d The last harness races were :held here in June 1961. A Clinton horse won the feature race — the Clinton 'and District Merchant's Pace. Frank MacDonald. local plumber. who is co-owner of Rhythm Brook C. with .farmer Charles Brandeon. drove the lig five-year-oldlo two straight wins in the merchant's pace. A. 1966 graduated_ of CI4SS, Richard Tinsley. has received a telegram from Minister of Natio 1-tDefense Paul Hellyer coag atiiig ` him and an- nouncing that he had won a scholarship under the regular Officer Training Plan to attend the university of Western Ontario. London. for the next four years Richard will major in poiiticalscience at university and t.,ke training under ROTP at university and during the sum- mer holida s Attguse29 marks the transfer of ' training for certain- RCAF technical officers. from CFB Centralia to CFB Clinton. On this date. a new Officers Train Division will be aliened at :,11Radar and Communicatl' School, Clinton. to replace the* training facilities prrviltu's$yV,t}" situated at Centralia The Clinton Kinsmen span. sored Plantes baseball team won the WOAA Peewee "111- 13' - chca pionshlp in two straight ove Walkerton. They heat Walkerton by the scores of 4-2 and 13.5 to clinch the trophy The Clinton lin' up included Arian l.angvilie, ss . Dan Cniquhnurp. 3b.: Barry Edgar. r , urian Edgar. cf.,p . Dave Fawcett. 1f . limn Irwin, rf: Bruer Craig, 2h, Gary Cummings, Ib: Steve Switzer. p.cf. The Clinton Legion Midgets Palmerston in two straight games to win the WOAA Championship for the second consecutive year under the leadership of Howard Tait and Bob Livermore. As yet the team has not suffered a loss and will now advance' into the O.B.A. playdowns. 25 YEARS AGO ' AUGUST 30,1951 Donald MacLaren. a 12 year- old Hensall boy, lost his wallet containing his money. and a feat„• The • Collegiate Institute debentures are being rapidly, taken up by investors of Clinton and surrounding country. A good portion of the whole.amount to be issued has already been sold. Mark the name of Beaverton on the road map. It is one of the few Canadian towns where the roads in town are better than the high- ways -leading to it. That used to be said of Clinton's streets before the speeding tourists wore 'em all out. Local markets: eggs, 21c. to 34c.: butter. 32c.: wheat. 51.1,5 to .61.20; oats. 35c. to 40c.: buck - other possessions, not *hilt-- much, except to a boy. while riding a combine a week ago. It seems that the barley Donald was cutting was shipped to a big elevator in Toronto. where someone found his wallet in a pile of grain and returned it intact. Popular "Head Man" at CDCI will commene'e his 26th year as head of Clinton District Collegiate institute (formerly :Clinton Collegiate Institute), when school commences for the fall term next Tuesday morning, September 4. at 9:30 o'clock. Before he came to Clinton. • Mr. Fines taught at London Technical School. When he first arrived at CDC1, Mr. Fines taught boy's P T . cadets. science. and mathematics Tiii4e years iiftet- he came here to tOlth. hebecame principal Ever since that time he has taught science and mathematics as well as assuming all the responsibilities of a principal. A telephone career which began in Clinton in 1905 at the age of 14. ended recently with the ridtirement on pension of R. J. R. t Ray ), Rumball, general plant pisac'rinent supervisor for the eastern area of The Bell Teieplibne Company of Canada in M gtrcal. lhe town of Clinton is now c iiyvertrd" from 25 -cycle to 60 - cycle power. with the "juice- ( cemtng in through the Seaforth ,.tlhtattnn Only the waterworks .pliniptng elation remains on 25 - yule power. 50 YE.ARS AGO AUGUST 26. 1526 The windstorm on Saturday evening Last did, quite a bit of damage in the rnmmunity. Mr. Fred Potter had part of the roof torn off tris barn and Mr. D. Gltddnn had a shed blown down. wheat, 60c.: barley --60ct hogs. 512.75. 75 YEARS AGO AUGUST 23.1901 The new granolithic walk on Townsend - street has been completed and also three crossings on Rattenbury street. Inspector Wheatley has the men busy at the walk on the north side of Ontario street (inside the trees) and when this is finished they will continue the walk from the school to East street on the south side of this street, which will be one of the prettiest streets in town: The local market seems quiet in almost everything although the buyers are after the fruit. which is mit coming in freely. Cantelon Bros. shipped 210 baskets of apples to Toronto for table ser- vice and in a short while they will be handling shipments of plums. In produce. 1.000 doz. of eggs were sent to the eastern market but the weather is too hot to handle butter. The quotations are:- Butter. 14c. to 15c.: eggs 9c. to 1Oc.: potatoes. 75c per bush.: apples'. 50c. to 60c. per bag: plums. 25c to 35c. a basket: peaches. 70c. a basket; pears. Si to 51.25 a barrel. This is the time of the year that is usually the quietest in the dry goods business. a good reason being a general. holiday and a visiting time. To' nakethe month a busy one Newcombe has arranged with the • Waterloo Fbrniture Co. to give away an elegant parlor suite. containing five pieces With the suite came ''.000' keys and with ,each dollar's purchase of goods a key is given. There is only one key in the 1.000 that will unlock the furniture and is only known by the Furniture Company who sealed the en- velopes. On Saturday. the I7th. the keys were started to be handed out. on Saturday. Sep- tember 17. all parties having keys are asked to go to the store and the person who holds thekey which will unlock the furniture wig the beautiful parlor suite. Quite a number of keys have already gone out. The rural schools opened on Monday. the 19th. and the town schools will open nn Tuesday. September 3 Nail Dear Editor: Congratulations on your editorial, re the Clinton Hospital cut backs. Apparently it hit the nail on the head. Good ! ! ! Ail the best, cheers! Al Merrill, Clinton Clear Dear Editor: I would like to reply to last weeks letter from Mr. Ron McIntosh of Bluewater Cable T.V. So you are frustrated and concerned Mr. McIntosh, people won't listen to you and if they do, they don't pay attention and you feel that you are not allowed to discuss things! Isn't this the way you have been treating your subscribers when they complain to you about poor picture quality? You say that people should express their views and feelings, that we should""spell it out for them" (the government leaders) — Mr. McIntosh, for over two' years your subscribers have been trying, to spell it out to yon, by complaints and op- pition to rate increases that they anted better picture quality. You appear worried that the government as you put it. will censor out some American TV stations and claim that "the CRTC is , telling Canadian people thlit`- they are not mature enough to choose and watch certain channels." But isn't this exactly what you have been doing Mr. McIntosh. when Bluewater Cable distorts picture quality and color. not only of American stations but also of our own Canadian stations. to such' an extent that they are often com- pletely unviewable! Isn't this denying us a choice of channels? Frankly we can't miss what we are not getting now: it is usually not a question of a choice of channels but which channel is viewable on any given night. over Bluewater. So you see. we just can't get as excited as you are over your dire predictions. Now. why not start at home where you can do something' Mr. McIntosh. and institute a little quality control over Bluewater's picture tran- smission. Remove the frustrations of your sub- scribers — make them happy by giving them good quality pictures on all channels in ordinary. natural. living color. Then if someone tries to take some of these chan- nels away from us. we'll get excited too -- then we'll back you 100 per cent — and maybe you will be happy too' Art Coombs. R R 5: Clinton. News -Record readers are emspraged to express their opinions in letters to the editor. however. such opinions do not necessarily represent the opinions of the News- Record. Pseudonyms may be used by tetter writers, but no,letter will be published 'unless it can be verified by phone. 'iternttrt tanlarm H,•ekib %respire, lssati ition - The Clinton %rocs Retard is pablished rids Thursda, •1 P to tlee+ 19 Clinton tatrtarto. t anadn. "ell tt.b 11 Is registered as second rias, mail ter the pent office under thr permit number Met: The %eas Keroid tnrorporated in 1924 the 'loran %roll Revert founded in tMa and ltd Chalets Niro }rs feondrd in ins Ttstal. tattoo is 2 MA fat mhrt t .,n tdtin t^:ammtAit' %••-vi q' %...+t tal.tattt 1ltsplat ads eritseng -.rates as astable era rtrgar .1 rah 1a, 114'10 1 ant %n • rtfe-ttise tka t Editor ' James E F,ttgeratd Advertising director Gary L. giant General Managet .1 Howard Aitken News stall Bev Clark Subscription Rates. Canada - 611 per year U.S.A. 613 Se Single ter/ 2Sc