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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-03-03, Page 3Ate 1. OFA executive visits grass roots The Ontario Federation of Agriculture provincial executive took their show on the road this week OFA president Peter Hannam, vice presidents Ralph Barrie and iL1 Wolfe, along with executive directors Grace Stalker, Bill Benson, Jim McGuigan and Ron White began a series of 'Meetings and farm visits in the Wingham area with a press conference on Monday morning. The Western Ontario visit concluded with their mpnthly execative, 41) During Monday and meeting on Wednesday. Tuesday the group was 0 6 0 0 meeting with Federation executives from HuTon; Perth, Bruce and Grey, •aand held general meetings for all farmers from those counties. The OFA president stressed the need for grass roots participation in the Federation's activities and explained that holding executive meetings in various parts of the province was an attempt by the farm body to involve its individual membership in the decision making process. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture etimates that in. one way or the other it' represents 90 per cent of the Stop the presses 1 4 By Chris Zdeb After five months of news reporting in Clinton, I have come to realize that the greatest challenge of the job is fighting to stay awake throught a 61/2 -hour Tuckersmith Township Council meeting. Instead of stressing the importance of accuracy, ob- jectivity, and creativity in news reporting, journalism professors should be preparing student reporters for gruelling municipal rrieetings. Having just sat through my second six -hour marathon meeting, I am more convinced than ever that News - Record correspondent•Wilma Oke, who generally covers the meetings, merits an endurance medal. A Tuckersmith Township Council meeting is unlike any other council meeting I have ever attended. The meeting starts at 8 p.m. and carries on until the early hours of the following morning, adjourning about2 or 2:30 a.m. It's not that, I don't enjoy the company of the seven. articulate members of council: arid the traditional mid - meeting lunch of sandwiches, coffee and cake, served on a rotating basis by each member of council at about 11 p.m., is a very welcome break. I suppose I find the length of Tuckersmith Council meetings frustrating, because while I still believe in going to bed early on week nights, I must also admit that my brain ceases to function at the stroke of midnight. When Wilma can't attend a Tuckersmith meeting due to conditions beyond my control, Susan White of the Huron Expositor in Seaforth, and I, "fight" for the privilege of taking Wilma's place. Gracious and kind- hearted as I am, on, obtaining that privilege, I offer to forfeit the honor to Editor Fitzgerald. But alas, Jim is even more gracious and kind-hearted and insists the privilege is all mine. When all pleading and begging...0ops! that is, when all gracious offers to step aside from a Tuckersmith meeting are foolishly declined, I begin training for the upcoming marathon. I have tried to build up my ability to stay awake and alert after 12 p.m. but so far, I have only managed to stay awake through the first half hour of the late-, late, late shows.' watch in practice for the real thing. I try to go to bed about two hours earlier for two or three nights prior to the evening of the ,meeting, 'hoping the extra hours ,of sleep will add to my waking power on that crucial night. One thing I have learned in training, toothpicks or Scotch tape do very little in the fight againstidrooping eyelids. - Finally that night of nights arrives and I learn the awful truth, that if practice does indeed make perfect, I am still struggling with imperfection. I suppose the loss of- brain power with the stroke of midnight is purely psychological. It's hard to accept the fact that you're still sitting through a meeting that began the night before. But, it is also physical. Your body starts kicking that it's still in a longitudinal position when it knows it should be laid out flat on a mattress. Perhaps the solution 'rests ' with taking a nap in the afternoon before the meeting, the advice practiced by one Tuckersmith councillor. Another could be to adopt Susan White's suggestion that the councillors meet in the cold interior of the old Van Egmond house, encouraging them to deal with council matters more quickly or risk catching pneumonia. • Whatever the solution, Susan is privileged with at- tending the next Tuckersmith meeting that Wilma cannot report. I, meanwhile, will concentrate on making up for lost sleep, all the while praying for Wilma's con- tinued good health and attendance at council meeting's., As for the mystery of how seven can continue to meet for 61/z, hours straight, twice a month, the answer is quite obvious: they must all be incurable insomniacs. farmers in Ontario. "We are hoping for feed - lack from those members on the • major issues facing agriculture,". Mr. Hannam explained. "By gathering information this way we can use the information to take a stand and if its done ef- ficiently the OFA can get the clout it needs." He added that the executive wanted to personally hear what the concerns were. During the press con- ference Mr. Hannam made a call for More justice in the area of import quotas especially where those quotas concerned beef. He , said the ,beef quota question was one of the OFA's highest priorities and pointed to the quota on cut beef especially as being "full of inequities". First vice President Ralph Barrie also assured reporters that the dairy industry would be able to fill the 40 million pound gap in cheese supplies created when the government institutes a policy of stopping imports of cheese from abroad. He said present imports involve only a range of specialty °cheeses now being brought in from Europe. .With regard to import quotas on various farm commodities, President Hannam said the OFA was really looking at two problems; to alert farmers to the inequities which exist, and to alert the general public to the dangers of importing large quantities of foodstuffs. Such imports, he pointed out, threaten jobs in areas other than agriculture. He suggested the packaging industry as just one example. WIDE RANGE OF SUBJECTS Monday's press conference covered a wide range of subjects. relating to agriculture and farm operations, including income tax.reform. OFA director Grace Stalker told the gathering that the Federation was still not satisfied with inc?me tax rulings as it applied to the farm wife. "It is most unfair that a husband can not pay his wife. deductible wages -for the • work he does on the fathilt a farmer".' farm," she noted. "There will have to be a "we have been trying to get system of compensation• this changed for a long time developed," ht said, "such as now, we are still trying to get lower taxes to encourage the it changed, but with little farmer to let people on their success." land. Recreation and farming The question of electrical just don't mix." generating facilities and the Following the, press con - related hydro power ference the OFA executive corridors came up and the members joined represen- OFA president explained that tatives of the local township the group had set up a Federations to visit local committee to study that farmers and hear first hand the concerns of the grass._ roots membership. 5. increases around just large ' scale projects." He told reporters that from studies completed to date it would appear that ozone pollutiorf had a "very serious potential". "It has virtually driven the white bean industry out of Essex County and now It IS_ ,coming into Huron. White Beans are, perhaps the nrst sensitive crops," he 9b - served; "but other crops could be affected as the ozone levels rise because of in- creased pollution arising. from population growth •related to development like "tt, 1the nuclear power plants." Director Grace Stalker, discussion relations with consumer organizations, observed that these group* have been saying there was no Canadian food policy, or at least that the policy was not good enough. "The OFA believes we do have a food policy," she said. "We see areas where im- provements could be made, but from overall we think Canada has the best food system in the world". FOOD POLICY Picking up from Mrs. Stalker, Ralph Barrie. ob- served that the OFA had been 4 ' on thedefensive saying "we "I think we have to go on Despite heavy snow budgetdown have a food policy". Whipper Billy Watson cuts the ribbon officially opening the Whipper 'Billy Watson Snowarama for Crippled Children, last Sunday at Hully Gully. Of the 375 people to start the l' 'ICC. 326 finished the 100 -mile stretch. The effort netted For Huron County about $38,000 for the Crippled children. Hully Gully owner, Randy Collins, right, and Phil Ormsby, left, hold the ribbon lor the Whipper. (News -Record photo) the offensive," he told the press gathering. "We should sit down with its critics and debate the question in the open. I don't think we can lock ourselves into a,position of just saying we have a policy but don't want to change it however". Peter Hannam went so far as to suggest that, barring continued world disasters such as the West African drought, "we could have too Much food in the world very soon. Then our prices will' collapse." Asked about the use of farm land for recreational pur- poses, Mr 1 Hannam said the OFA did not believe that "farmers should be forced to grant rights for recreation use without some renumeration and some rights themselves". "There is the question of litter, property and livestock damage. All this can be'costly, question and had presented briefs to the Porter Com- mission representing the position of the farm com- munity. "Of course this is not just a question of power corridors or the take over of farm land for electrical production," he stressed. "There are also the considerations of pollution, particularly ozone levels, as they relate to population • Regular Price $4.35 YOU PAY ONLY For an \delicious EXTRA TREAT Be sure to take home our SALADS e n i.day COI Sanders Boys & bleli-Milte1001figer Lit Good • • • 4:?e: . Despite heavy snowfall even in the early part of this winter the Huron County Road Department has managed to show a surplus of $134,467 on its 1976 budget. • According to County Engineer Jim Britnell this surplus is approximately $63,000 higher than had been predicted in October. He said it can be attributed to several unusual factors in 1976. One reason was the late approval by the Ministry of Transport and Communication's of an additional $20,000 of subsidy for municipal drain assessments, a second reason was the unbudgeted receipt of $28,000 from Armco to cover the repairs to the Saltford bin wall that the depar- tment had- carried out and paid for several years ago. A third reason was what Mr. Britnell called a "surprisingly low bid" on our hot mix paving on County Road Number 12. The surplus is to be transferred to the 1977 budget. In 1976 the, County of Huron . spent $1;305,660 on fixed costs for • county 'roads. This sum covered roadside maintenance, hard and gravel surface maintenance, winter control and safety' devises as well as maintenance on bridges and culverts, overhead, the purchase and machinery and con- struction of a sand shed. Another $740,238 was spent on road construction and paving. The estimated budget for 1977, ap- proved by County • Council at last Thursday's meeting, was $2,892,000. An increase of only $60,000 over the estimated budget approved for 1976. ----- The new budget provides $1,074,000 for fixed costs related to roads, $300.000 for • k•••:” •• • • • overhead and $215,000 for the Listowel, the lowest of five tenders for of new machinery. , two tandem axle dump trucks complete $40,000 has been set aside of culvert with box, hoist, snow plow and wing, will construction, and $880,000 for road supply such at a cost of $83.094. construction and paving. Under that last Valley Blades Limited will be paid item a section of Road 30 from Clifford $2,407 each for two underbody snow west for 2.5 miles will be built, a four plows for mounting on County sanders. mile section of Road one south from The Road Department will purchase a Carlow will be constructed as well as motor grader from Dominion Road paving a four mile section of Road eight Machinery Limited for $57,200 and will between Clinton and Summerhilland a buy 1500 cedar fence posts from Mervyn 9.3 mile portion of Road six between Rawn for $3.00 each.. Highway four and Kirkton. Centralia F,armers Supply Limited Huron County's 20 percent share of was given a contract valued at $f3,725 to constructing a boundary bridge between provide steel fence'posts, wire, tie wire Grey and Elma Townships will come to and staples. $85,000. Of the total $2,892,000 bill, the Ministry contribute $1,570,000 through its of Transport and Communication willCounty holds, allocations, Huron County will have to raise $1,123,000 but has a surplus of (continued from page 1) $134,000 from last year to make up the than was expected. remainder of its share of $1,257,000. "There is no doubt," he observed,. The budget, Road Committee - "that the county is in a very sound Chairman Robert Lyons noted in his financial position." submission to ouncil, is highly During 1977 it will be possible to add c. dependent on several things over which $550,000 to county reserves, meaning it there is no control - how much snow will not likely be necessary to borrow •falfS and how much competition there is money to get through cash flow for tender calls. problems—anti the taxes are collected. "If the balance of the winter is as That fact in itself will mean considerable • severe as the past three months and if savings in bank interest charges. the prices bid for paving and gravel Huron also boasts no large outstanding exceed our estimates we will, as in the debts. The largest, a 10 year debenture past, reduce the total cost by reducing to expand facilities a, t Huronvievv, was the length of some projects or by paid off in 1976. deleting some budgeted item," Reeve 1977 represents the third consecutive Lyons said. year that Huron has managed totold the In other business the road committee line on tax increases despite the fact . announced the granting of a number of spending has increased from $5,600,718 tenders. in 1974 to the 1977 budget total of Harvey Krotz Motors Limited of $8,321,207. •••••.•i • • 5. 'Community Living' presents a new future for the developmentally handicapped. This is what Ontario is doing about it. Mentally retarded people -are often capable of much greater development than had previously been thought possible. Although they learn at a slower rate than others, the developmentally handicap -ped can frequently develop skills and abilities that enable them to be integrated into the community as a whole. The plan to achieve this goal, known as "Community Living," is administered by the Ministry of Community^ and Social Services and is conducted in partnership with local Associations for the Mentally Retarded and other concerned community agencies. Basically, it calls for • creation and funding of .group homes and other kinds. of community accommodation • increased numbers of workshops and life skills programs • early infant stimulation programs, parent -relief and development • access for developmentally handicapped people to a full rang6of community services. All of these activities aim at achieving a better quality .of life for Ontariols developmentally handicapped, and at making their experiences as normal as possible. The approach is a new one. A good one. A healthy one. Your Support and understanding can -help it succeed. For more info-rmation, or to receive the free booklet "Serving the Mentally Retarded," contact your local Ministry of Community and Social Services office, or write to: Mental Retardation Community Services Development Branch 3rd Floor, Hepburn Block, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1E9 Keith Norton, Minister of Community and Social Services • •••.?$,V.K.,..`1 \S"As',. William Davis, Premier Province of Ontario . s au wz.,:,::41S • ‘' ' h. 4.. • •34X,,,.