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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-01-12, Page 3"I'm going to get my big tank soon, since my hamster died," explained Henritta Snieder, 10. Henritta, along with her two brothers share their father, Hank Snieder's interest in tropical fish. Along with the large built-in tank, believed People in Profile: Hank Snieder of Clinton is a great lover of nature. He is concerned about nature's welfare, its preservation and is impressed with its beauty. "That's'the nice thing about Canada," noted the Holland native, "is nature and the places where no man has been." �"Nature should be left alone," Mr. nieder added. "Anytime a human • sticks out his hand and tries to do something with nature, they ruin it." Mr. Snieder has made a small attempt to preserve nature's beauty and health through his hobby of raising tropical fish. "There's no humanity for fish," he explained. "If you mistreat cattle or dogs you'll get fined or put in jail, but not with fish, they're defenceless." There is little doubt if Mr. Snieder or any of his family will ever be charged with mistreating fish, for they take excellent care and give great attention to their gilled wards. "For some people fish just swim back and forth, but they're much more..It's color, it's alive, they breed, they move. The fish become your responsibility to keep them alive, Mr. Snieder explained while watching his fish with fascination. Looking at the Snieders' fish and tank is a fascinating experience and as Mr. Snieder noted, "Who needs Florida, it's all here." Built into a wall, sits the tank seven feet long and two feet wide. It stands 30 inches high, contains 240 gallons of waxex.and weighs some 2,500 pounds. More importantly than the.dimensions of. the tank are the fish that make their comfortable home inside. Leisurely swimming amongst large rocks, ar- tificial plants and a background of natural bark which came from Spain, are some 20 odd fish ranging in size from a few inches to the Red Devil who is 10 inches long. (Normally Red Devils are only one to two inches long). Mr. Snieder noted that the size of the fish depend on the size of the tank. The bigger the tank, the bigger the fish will grow. "If you put a -goldfish in the lake they will grow up to two feet long," he added. The Red Devil has a habit of gathering to be the largest in the county, that holds 240 gallons of water the Snieders have several smaller tanks in their home for other fish. (News -Record photo) Hank's fish story true stones and spitting them out elsewhere. Although he lost his mate, he is still going through these actions to clear a spot to lay eggs. "He's a nuisance when he does this, tut he's such a beauty that I forgive im," said Mr. Snieder. "They all have their own habits," he added, "but we should not think of fish like human beings, . nor should a dog lover think of his pet in the same way." The fish know when it's feeding time and. Mrs. Freda Snieder noted, "When I come close they do nothing but when Hank or my son George goes near their tank, the fish start jumping around. I don't know if they feel them or not." Although much of the enjoyment of having the fish is just watching them glide through the water and ap- preciating their value, another main event for the family is feeding the fish. Henrietta, 10, and Jack 13, squabbled over who would take on the task, but Henrietta won, on this occasion. .Standing on a chair, she drops in piece by piece, the cat food Tender Vittles which the fish scramble for. The feeding routine usually takes place twice a day and along with Tender Vittles they are also fed dew worms once a week and in the spring fresh minnows from the river, along with other fish food. - Their menu must be kept versatile in order to please the eight kinds of fish in the tank. However Mr. Snieder warns that one of the mistakes fish owners do make is overfeeding. According to Mr. Snieder the fish 'should be alloWed'to.eat all they want in five minutes and then the left over food should be removed. He also noted that overcrowding fish in a tank is not good. Having fewer fish in a tank makes for a more natural environment for them, similar to their .own lake habitats. Although the entire project of raising fish in such a large proportion seems like a constant chore, Mr. Snieder explained that there is really little- work to them at all. Once the fish create a balance amongst themselves, they are com- patible to live with each other and establish their own territo' . One the have adapted to the water conditions, they take an average of five minutes care daily. "As long as they respect each other's territory they don't fight," he explained. Respect is one thing that Mr. Snieder is very concerned about and again he came back to the point of the value of nature and the treatment it is receiving, intentionally and unintentionally by humans. - "Look at the 400 tons of fish that were caught up at the Bruce nuclear power plant. There goes 400 tons of nature that had a role to play and just think what is happening to the micro-organisms and plant life in the lake," he shuddered. He went on to note that the whale is being hunted too much but not much is heard about- it. On the other hand he noted the baby seals -are being killed, but because they are cute they become a world issue. .Meanwhile along with the whale, the whooping crane and' the buffalo are, or are becoming extinct without much concern on the part of the public. "I like •nature. I think we should just leave it alone and look at it," concluded Mr. Snieder as he and the family sat around a table watching the Red.Devil, and the other fish swim in their protected home. rRl}.y�..a,":YCi'tth!MnfiT:RN'�.ni•.gH+1I CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1978, --PAGE 3 - More county budgets in, come up Huron County Council met Thursday, December 29 fora final 1977 session and during the day -long meeting studisd more budget figures and gave preliminary approval to them. The first budget draft for the Huron County road -cOrnmittee, shows that the total county contribution in 1978 will be up $167,000 or 13.2 percent. However, R.W.J. Lyons, chairman of the road committee pointed out in his budget that the budget -is only a preliminary one, and that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications may allow a sup- plementary ailocatien for , municipal drain assessments. "This could increase the MTC total contribution by $20,000 and reduce the county rate by $20,000 resulting in an increase in the county rate of only eight percent," said Lyons in the report: The regular MTC allocation is ex- pected -to -be up six percent by $94,000 to $1,661,000 in 1978. There is an estimated surplus from previous years of $190,000. This surplus will not be known ac- curately until the county audit is com- pleted in mid-January. Most fixed costs in the county road budget - roadside maintenance, hard surface maintenance, gravel surface maintenance, safety devices and c=ulvert maintenance are up in 1978. Engineer Robert Dempsey, however, estimated winter control at $450,000 for the year - $25,000 less than in 1977 becau.S,e, as Dempsey told council, he's hoping for a more normal winter this year. Expenditures for fixed costs are up from $1,726,000 in 1977 to $1,913,000 in 1978. Road construction and paving will cost an estimated $1,098,000 and includes County Road 30 from Clifford West; County Road 1 from Carlow to Ben - miller; County Road 31 from Varna to Road 13.; County Road 25 east of Walton; County Road 16 from Brussels to the Perth Boundary; and boundary Road 25 with Perth. The road committee answered questions concerning salt application during the winter months, and Engineer Dempsey said that while other sub- stances have been termed satisfactory for winter roads, salt has been found the most effective and the most economical. Dempsey said that people have come to expect 'a "certain level of service" even in the severest winter weather and - said the only thing to ensure the provision of such a level of service is salt. Tough ahead.. , a one year term as board `chairman • • • • • from page. 1 considering bow he would feel if the school were in his locality." Turkhpim said that if the board was to solve its problems it would have to concentrate.,, on communications and would have to'� work as a unit. He said that in the past a few trustees have carried the workload for others and that that situation would have to change. He said he didn't feel communications was the problem it was cracked up to be but did concede that the board would have to work together to improve lines of communication with teachers, parents, ratepayers and municipal politicians. The past chairman told the board that ANNUAL JANUARY SALE In Specially Selected Groups of This Season's Top Sellers in: SUITS * SLACKS * SPORTCOATS SWEATERS VELOUR SHIRTS DRESS SHIRTS * SPORT SHIRTS CAR COATS * TOPCOATS LEATHER COATS ETC... LOOK FOR THE YELLOW SALES -T•ICKETS LOOK FOR THE YELLOW SALES TICKETS ALL SALES CASH AND FINAL ALTERATIONS AT COST ON ALL SALE CLOTHING C.o1'd be considered pointing out that a N � Y second year in the chair is very trying. He said the second term of office is very tiring and that the effectiveness of the individual is affected by the workload. Less salt has been used in 191'7, said Dempsey, than in 1976 but that is simply because Mother Nature has been looking after winter control for the county road department. In other business, the road department reported purchase of one 27,500 G.V.W. truck with cab, chassis, box and hoist from Reg McGee and Sons Ltd., Goderich, at a total tender price of $21,94R.48. The budget for the health unit in Huron County is up about $50,000- in 1978, from $518,782 in 1977 to $560,340 in 1978. The county and the province share the costs on a 50-50 basis, the report noted. Salaries and wages are up as are employee benefits, fees for services and honoraria, rents and utilities and ad- ministrative expenses Travel expenses, equipment purchases and materials and supplies have been reduced. Thg Family Planning budget is down about $12,000 from $6,5,430 in 1977 to $52,920 this year. The province funds this program in its entirety. The plumbing and the environment section of the health unit brought in a budget which is up from $79,550 in 1977 to $86,850 in 1978. The county pays $28,950 towards this department; this province, $19,000; and inspection fees generate an estimated $38,900. General government costs are down slightly in 1978 from $84,800 to $78,900 with the major item being funds for the history project - $10,000 - transferred into the library budget. The general ad- ministration 'budget is up an estimated $2,000 from $196,100 in 1977 to $198,000'in 1978. - The library budget is up considerably, from $354,650 in 1977 to $383,550 in 1978. Administrator Bill Hanly said the main increases are in salaries, the cost of books and periodicals and telephone costs. It was explained that the library telephone has been extremely busy with 25 percent more bookings for films over 1976 and telephone requests for in- formation and material from. headquarters and the Midwestern Regional Library System. For this reason, another telephone line into the library has been installed making the monthly telephone bill higher. The planning board budget, which was turned back at the November session of county council for restudy by the committee, was revised and approved at a total of $145,800. The initial budget for $162,200 called for a new senior planning technician which was deleted from the revised budget. Huron's share of the budget is $135,150. Community Study grants were reduced, council learned, as a result of certain projects being deferred. . In All; 25 projects nine of them already in progress, will have to be delayed due to the lack of funds and the budget cuts. Included are projects in Wingham, rs Hayfield; Colborne, Howick, Goderich, Seaforth, Blyth, Brussels, Hensall, Hullett, Stephen, East Wawanosh and Clinton. Chairman of ,the planning board, 13111 Clifford, Goderich, said the budget still represents an 8.7 percent increase. Grants for the planning board, Cliffojd said, were reduced by one-third as compared with other county budgets where in practically all cases, grants remained unchanged or were increased. According to Gary Davidson, planning director, the workload will be divided between the three planners in the department with much of the routine drafting and metric conversion 'work being handled by a junjor planner and draftsman. Metric conversion is, a costly item, Davidson said, adding that it is time consuming for staff. He said all plans, even those in existence, will have to be converted to metric measure in com- pliance with provincial regulations. New agency....... • from p 1 The hourly rate is age $4.20 in town and $4.60 out of town. The out of town rate is in effect anytime a homemaker has to travel more than five miles from her home to get to her work. McKinnon pointed out the homemakers are not paid mileage and the extra 40 cents per hour is in lieu of mileage. The daily rate is $33.60 in town,, $36.80 out of town for an eight-hour day. The live in rate is $50.40 in town and out of town per day. The Home Support Program has not been all that successful to date in Huron County, but according to J.R. Hunking, chairman of the social services com- mittee, it is working well in other areas and it is possible the Ministry will ap- prove funding beyond March of 1978. "The program, which provides home support services to elderly and han- dicapped adults .and includes heavy or seasonal cleaning,gardening, repairs or alterations to the home, transportation, etc., is based on a fee for service arrangement and is provided to all persons regardless of income," the chairman said. "As a result, some receive the service free while others pay on a sliding scale based on income," Hunking added, saying the charges range from a few cents to the actual cost of the service. The, committee feels that a co- ordinator should be employed to develop and establish guidelines for the program in Huron. This person would be hired on a 50-50 basis with the province for a short term contract. McKinnon has been given authority to investigate the possibility of hiring a home support program co-ordinator on a contract basis. He will report back to committee in the new year. , JANUARY FASHIONSALES 1/z PRICE DRESSES • now marked to 1/2 the original price THE O SHOPPERS St5UARE ' GODERICIi much more fashion merchandise marked down to give you savings of 20 °/ and more OPEN WEDNESDAY MORNINGS OPEN FRIDAY NIGHTS TILL 9 P.M. EARANcES w: C• •