Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-04-20, Page 1Constable Bill Wilson of the Goderich OPP had his turn to visit with a new acquaintance Curly at the Clinton Public School. Constable Wilson attended the school to take part in Education Week and Curly the Boa Constrictor, an oc- cupant of Cam Addison's science room, was in his best humor to greet parents and children. Curly's only problem of the night may have been that he was not the best dressed since he was shedding his old skin. (News -Record photo) Teachers accept pact, •part sent to arbitrator BY JEFF SEDDON Huron County's 274 high school teachers ended a 31 day strike April 12, voting 205 to 47 to ratify their 1977-78 and 1978-79 contracts. The acceptance of the pacts permitted schools in the county to re -open for the first time since February 22. The settlement by the teachers was the final step in ending the strike. The board of education voted 12-1 in a special meeting April 11 in favour of the con- tract which was hashed out in a 33 hour marathon bargaining session that ended at 5:45 a.m. April 10. The settlement was a saw off the two parties agreed to, neither side winning their case but neither losing. The offer made to the teachers in the marathon session settled the disputed workload clause in the 1977-78 contract and sent wages and a sick leave gratuity clause in the 1978-79 contract to an arbitration hearing. The workload clause was the centre of the seven week dispute involving the ,eee�''mine how many teachers the board number of stridents a teacher is requneeds and where they should be placed. to teach in a subject area, the average class size and the number of periods a teacher is required to teach a day. The clause was in the 1976-77 teacher con- tract as a guideline the board of education aimed to meet. The teachers wanted it re -written to make it firmer and the board felt that if it agreed to those terms its rights to manage would be seriously eroded. The board argued that if it was bound by the terms of the workload clause the pupil -teacher ratio also in the contract would be meaningless and the board may be required to hire more teachers. It felt that it must reserve the right to determine how many teachers were needed in the education system and could only do that through the PTR clause. Both parties managed to agree on the workload clause by placing a stipulation in it that meant that the board would attempt to meet the guidelines of the clause as long as they didn't conflict with the PTR. That means that the board will make every effort to meet the guidelines the teachers requested but will not be forced into hiring teachers to do so. The teachers agreed to the PTR clause being the deciding factor in the workload clause and got added protection for their case through a workload committee. The committee was set up through board policy in March and consists of one senior education administrator, one board trustee, one representative of the teachers and one principal. The committee will monitor the board's efforts to meet the guidelines in the workload clause and will also work to That will be sent to the director of education for his approval and will be put to the board of education as a recommendation. The teachers feel that through the workload committee the terms of the workload clause will be given added insurance. Wages in the 1978-79 pact are still unsettled but both parties agreed that it would by unreasonable to permit a dispute in that contract to affect education now. Both agreed to settle the 1977-78 contract and continue negotiations for the coming year. If a Turn to page 3 • Kippen hold-up thw. ed By Wilma Oke Exeter provincial police are looking for three young people who were foiled in their attempt to rob McLellan's General Store and sub -Post Office in Kippen last Monday afternoon. Two youths aged 18 to 20 armed with a small handgun and a hunting -type knife and a girl aged 16 to 18 entered the store about 6 p.m. where Mrs, Ida Dickert and her 16 -year old granddaughter, Robyn McLellan, were working. The teenage girl asked Robyn for cigarettes and after paying for them left the store. As Robyn put the money in the till one of the youths came around the counter and pointed the gun at her. Robyn 'cried, "Grandma!" At this Mrs. Dickert, who was working behind the post office wicket, looked up to find the other youth with a knife pointed at her. She told him if he tried anything she would hit him with the metal date stamp. Neither youth spoke a word. The quick -thinking grandmother yelled to Robyn to get the dog, a Dalmatian, in the back yard behind the store, while she put up a tug-of-war struggle with the youth who had grabbed for the roll of money she was holding in her hand. She never let go of the money but some of the bills were torn. As Robyn ran for the dog the men fled the store. In her concern for Robyn's safety Mrs. Dickert fell as she rushed out of the post office section of the store. Getting up she locked the store door. The would-be robbers had disappeared in the waiting car. The Exeter police were called and roadblocks were set up by the Lucan, Goderich and Sebringville provincial police to try to stop the car of the fleeing threesome. Later, police were told by neighbours that a youth had been seen watching the store earlier in the day. tio,,.,},.,.,�. �nnversation with Mrs. Dickert, she said a robbery had never been tried before at the store which she and her late husband had owned since' 1950 until selling it to her daughter Merle and son-in-law Kenneth in 1970. Mrs. McLellan said Tuesday night her mother had spent the day after her or- deal with her in the store and that Robyn had attended her regular classes at South Huron District High School in Exeter. Mr. and Mrs. McLellan were in Toronto when the robbery was at- tempted. Man drowns in Maitland The body of Robert John Ginn, 29, of Listowel was recovered from the Maitland River at Pipers Dam at the end of Mill Road early Monday morning. Ginn was one of 10 canoeists, using five canoes on an excursion in the Maitland River, Sunday when rough water overturned several of the canoes. The Goderich OPP reported that three of 'the canoes were overturned sending six of the canoeists, including Ginn, hurling into the water. Five of the canoeists were wearing life jackets and clung to the overturned canoes until help was summoned. Ginn was swept over a ridge at the dam and was pulled under by the current in deeper water. Goderich firefighters were called to the scene Sunday evening but did not attempt dragging operations because of the rushing water, which is we!1 above normal level. Ginn was married and had two children. His wife, Helen, is expecting a third child. Clinton, Ontario 30 cents Thursday, April 20,1978 APRIL 11 12 13 14 15 16 1.7 113th Year -Ni. 16 aiher 1978 1977 Hi LO HI 10 53 36 G1 33 52, 35 42 30 41 31 44 26 46 26 Rain .87 ' 77 40 79 55 77 34 59 31 60 29 61 32 69 35 Rain .25 - No increase in Tuckersmith taxes by Wilma Oke Reeve Ervin Sillery said Tuesday night at a Tuckersmith Township Council meeting, "The tax rate is pretty well held to par as last year," following presentation of the 1978 township budget. The farm and residential rate for public school supporters was set at 111.9 mills for 1,,,428 almost the same as last year's mills, while the farm and residential rate for separate school supporters was set at 115.3 mills com- pated to 116 in 1977. Commercial and business rates were set at 127.5 mills for a public school supporter, a drop of 2.5 mills and 131 2 for a separate school supporter, a drop of 2.8 mills. Clerk Jack McLachlan, said a public school supporter in the township with an assessment of $5,000 will pay $559.64 this year compared to $560 last year and separate school supporter in the township with the same assessment will pay $576.71 this year, down from $580 last year. Only 50 students quit school Attendance counts Tuesday in Huron County's five secondary schools showed that less than 50 high school students dropped out of school as a result of the recent 31 day teacher's strike. Superintendent of education Doh Kenwell said Tuesday' morning that 95.2 percent of Huron County's 4,651 secondary school students were in school Monday, about five percent more than showed up the day after the strike was ettled and teachers went back to work. t Kenwell said . the latest head count showed that 138 students had dropped out of school but added that many of those would have dropped out had there been no strike. He said to estimate the number of students lost as a result of the strike he compared figures this year to attendance during the same period in 1977. From January 31 to April 17 in 1977 attendance figures showed that 84 students in Huron left school. During the First column: clean-up By Jim Fitzgerald Once again, yours truly is going to take a poke at all those messy people in town, which includes the News - Record, for not cleaning up their property. During the long winter, all the eye -sores around town have been hidden from public view by the snow, but with the final disappearance of the white cloak last week, the need for a general clean-up of many properties in town has become painfully evident. We here at the News -Record are the first to admit that our property definitely wouldn't make the front cover of "Better Homes . and Gar- dens" but our mess has only been around since last fall, while many properties in town have looked like used junkyards for many years. Not counting the thousands and thousands of regular tourists who pass through our town each summer, about 250,000 are expected to come into Huron County this September to visit the plowing match, and if one drives around Clinton and tries to look at things as a stranger would see them.... well, it's pretty em- barrassing. Town council has passed laws to clean-up these properties, but they are reluctant to step on anyone's toe's. I feel, just like council does, that co- operation is much better and longer lasting than confrontation. Although this sermon is aimed at only a very few of our citizens, maybe the better ones could do a little per- suasion. Grab your rake and shovel and let's get at it. +++ Even though the weatherman still thinks it's March, believe it or not, it's officially been Spring for nearly a month, so cold weather or not, we are publishing our annual Garden Guide this week. It's bigger and ' a little better this year, and for the first time in our history, the front cover has been printed in full color, an ex- pensive but beautiful proposition. We here at the News -Record hope you'll enjoy the fine printing job the boys at the Signal pressroom did for us + ++ Before we leave hockey for a while, there is one important meeting tonight, (Thursday) at the Clinton arena at 8 p.m., when the minor hockey association cleans up a few loose ends. + ++ This next report from. Safety Canada is presented as the honest truth, and is printed without bias: "A British Automobile Manufacturers Association report says more than half the people taking a driving test fail, that women fail more than men, and the slowest learners are school teachers." same period in 1978, which included the 31 day strike, 138 students dropped out. Kenwell said based on that comparison he felt that 54 students were lost over the strike but added that not that many had actually quit school. Kenwell said it was not safe to say the 54 students quit education but pointed out that many had quit education in Huron. He said some had transferred to other school systems to avoid missing classes during the strike and some had applied and received -early admission into college or university. He would not hazard a guess as to how many actually dropped out of school because of the strike. The superintendent said he was "pleased" with the increase from last Thursday, the first day of school after the strike was settled. He said many students were working during the strike period and chose to finish the week on the job returning to school Monday. He said others were returning to Huron County schools from other systems and had taken the two days to make the move. A head count the day after the strike showed an average attendance of 90.9 percent. Kenwell said 4,251 students were in the classrooms Thursday. A school by school calculation showed that no one school appeared to suffer ex- cessive student losses. Figures Thursday showed 90.5 -percent of the students at Central Huron in Clinton returned, 91.4 percent returned to Wingham's F.E. Madill, 90.6 percent Turn to page :1 • Man pleads guilty to arson charge David Keith Sallows, 20, of Vanastra, was remanded to May 11 for sentencing when he pleaded guilty to a charge of arson in provincial court jfn Goderich, Monday. Sallows admitted starting the Oct. 27, 1974, fire which caused $18,926 damage to a house under construction at RR 2 Seaforth. The house, owned by former Seaforth constable Ronald Lauzon, was unoccupied at the time of the blaze. The budget of $1,118,747.61 down $44,,184.02 from 1977 calls for $130,801 to be paid to the County of Huron while $133,191.77 was paid last year; education costs will amount to $283,199 this year, down from $295,356.18 in 1977; $547,603.89 for general municipal purposes for 1978: roads, $275,040 this year, down from $345,661 last year; Vanastra Recreation Centre, $98,345 up $5,169 fronsri5year5;'f Vanastra Day Care Centre, $52,007, up from $48,427 in 1977. The total assessment in the township is $4,014,320, down $370,355 from last year. Council has budgeted $68,000 for a reserve fund for the year. Requests for building permits were approved for: Allan Carter, lot 30, concession 1, Huron Road survey, shed; Fred Gale, lot 75, plan 22 at Vanastra, porches; William Pepper, part lot 49, concession 1, London Road survey, barn; Cyanamid of Canada, part lot 31, concession 1, RRS holding tanks, Cor- nelius Dorssers, lot 8, concession 7 H.R.S. porch; Benny Bjerg, lot 170 plan 22, Vanastra, addition to house; William Fraser, part lot 1', concession 2, Egmondville, a shed. Clerk McLachlan reported that to date this year 21 building permits have been granted for an expenditure of $325,100, a large increase over the 11 permits at this time last year for total of $146,563. Clinton fire chief Clarence Neilans has informed council he and his officers will be inspecting the commercial buildings at Vanastra. These buildings, all in plan 23, will receive fire protection from the town of Clinton, rather than Brucefield in order that the businesses may receive lower fire insurance rates because the Clinton fire hall is within the three-mile limit. Chief Neilans says it is important that he and his men know the buildings where they may have to fight a fire at some time. Council re -affirmed that the Brucefield Water system's water con- nections will not be extended to any resident beyond the village limits at Brucefield. A scrap car yard permit was granted to William Brown on the westerly boundary of Egrpondville. Council authorized Clerk McLachlan to make the purchase of a cheque - writing machine and a dictaphone at an approximate cost of $600. The clerk informed council he had sent in the application to the ministry of housing for the 1978 grant of $66,110 for the Ontario Home Renewal Loan program in the township. He said last year's grant for $37,876 has been used up and there is a waiting list.to start off the year. Council has applied for the .01,10 provincial guidelines for property standards- under which the building inspector will supervise the building program. A number of grants were approved at the meeting and most will be kept to the same amount as last year -- Federation of Agriculture, $600; Seaforth 'Lions Club, $300; ' Seaforth Community Hospital, $150; Seaforth, Clinton and Hensall Agricultural Societies, $100 each; and $4. per member for each 4-H member in the township, last year's amounted to a total of $208. A first time grant was approved for $600 to the Vanastra Recreation Association because as the reeve said, "If we don't support it, we'll have to pay for it in the end." The Huron County Plowman's Association will receive $50, up from $25. The Salvation Army grant was raided from $15 to $25, Cancer Society the same and also the Mental Health program. Firemen get b If the price is right, firemen with the Clinton area fire department will have "beepers" within three months. The Clinton area fire board decided at their meeting last week to go ahead with the "beeper plan if the price doesn't exceed $10,000 for the whole system." Once the fire board gets the price set, it -can put the figure in its budget, and then get final approval from the five municipal councils. The "beepers", worth about $400 each, are, pocket -sized radios `carried pers by each fireman and are used to summon them to the firehall when the alarm sounds. Each of the 22 men on the depart- ment would carry one and they have a range of up to 10 miles. Clinton mayor Harold Lobb said the fire area board was taking the action after volunteer firemen complained that many couldn't hear the fire siren, especially if they lived in the south end of Clinton, known as "Little England." - Rec. budget up only four per cent Thanks to some sharp pens, and their first suplus in several years, the Clinton recreation committee brought in their, new budget that is only asking the town ratepayers for four percent more this year. The rec committee last Thursday night approved a budget that requests $86,049 from the town, up from last year's request of $82,687. About $3,000 of that increaseis to pay extra benefits, mostly in OHIP premiums. The total recreational budget for 1978 has been calculated at 153,852, but revenues are expected to recover roughly $65,534 of that total, with the rest coming from the mill rate. The biggest item in the budget is the cost to run the arena, estimated to cost $88,922 this year, compared to $79,450 last year, down from the projected $85,435. Revenues are expected to be $55,950. In that arena budget, major ex- penditures include $26,000 for canteen supplies, $23,142 for saldr,es, and $13,630 for utilities. Of the total administrative budget of $30,470, $12,460 goes to salaries, .$8,000 for allowances and benefits, and $8,800 for insurance. Of the total parks budget of $7,350, $2,650 is expected to come from revenue, and in the pool budget of $16,910, about $5,000 is expected to come hack as fees, admissions, etc. It is expected that it will cost $3,847 to run the playground program this year, while the revenue is estimated at $2,629, including a $1,700 government grant. The budget, presented by budget chairman Ron McKay, must now go to town council or approval. In other business, parks chairman Dean Reid was given approval to 1:71' ahead and make a small sotfball diamond inside the larger hardball ,diamond, giving the town two lighted diamonds, as well as the other unlighted diamonds in town. Mr. Reid said the cost would be very small to install the smaller diamond, and would not interfere with its use by the hardballers. The rec committee also gave the Kinsmen permission to put up a four -foot fence along the baselines of the small ball diamond, at no cost to the town. Tenders will also be invited for a new lawnmower for the park, and the merchants were granted permission to use the grandstand for their Farmer's Market. PUC passes on rebate Thanks to a $4,269 rebate from Ontario Hydro, electrical consumers in Clinton won't see an increase in their electrical bills until at least July, the Clinton Public Utilities Commission learned at their meeting last Monday night. The. rebate was mdrie'y returned to the Clinton PUC on orders from the Anti Inflation Board, and will help the PUC continue to absorb a rate increase of eight percent from Hydro last January. The PUC buys power from Ontario, Hydro, and then resells it to customers in Clinton. However, PUC manager Guss Boussey warned that if costs continue to rise, then a rate increase would be necessary by July, but it would only be 3.5 percent. In other business, the Commission decided to pull up pump number three in-. the municipal water system, and have it completely overhauled at an estimated cost of $8,000. The pump, installed in 1946, was last overhauled and inspected in 1967. The tender was awarded to International Water Supply. The commission also accepted the tenders of McGee Motors of Goderich to supply a one -ton dump truck, and a 3/4 - ton utility truck. McGee's bid of $4,494 on the one -ton was the lowest of three tenders which included Lorne Bron Motors at $5,109 and Clinton Chrysler -Plymouth at $5,885. On the 3/4 -ton truck, McGee's was also the lowest bidder at $3,691, compared to $4,340 from Brown's and $4,815 from Clinton Chrysler.