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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-08-09, Page 4PAGE 4---CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 ,1979 The Clinton News:Record Is published ePch Thursday at P.O. See 39. Clinton; Ontario,_ Canada. NOM 1LO. Member. Ontario, Weekly, Newspaper A„s eclatlon it is registered as second class mall by the post office under the permit number 01117. The News -Record Incorporated in 1924 the .HaronNews•Record. founded In 1{i1. and The Clinton New Era. founded In 1963. Total press run 3.300, Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association Display advertislng ,rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 9 effective Octal.• 1971, General Manager • .1. Howard Aitken Editor . James E. Fitzgerald Advertising Director • Gary L. Hoist News editor • Shelley McPhee Office Manager • Margaret Gibb Circulation - Freda McLeod Subscription Rote: Canada•'14.00 per year Sr. citizen •'12 per year U.S.A. & foreign •'30 per year Taking a bum rap Canada's farmers and fishermen have been taking a bum rap from consumers who continually lay the blame for rising food prices at the dockside, or at the farm gate. Bluntly stated, a lot of the com- plainers don't know what they are talking about. In fact, Canadians are among the best fed people in the world, and at prices that are among the lowest in the World. It's true, food prices have been rising at an inordinate rate during the past couple of years, but so have the producers' costs. Certainly, farmers and fishermen have been farming well of late, but that's the nature of ' the. `business. Producers earn a great deal of money in the good years, hopefully offsetting losses in the lean periods. ' Some misinformed city slicker complainers are bright enough to remain silent when food prices are dropping, and producers are in trouble. While there may be room for complaints about the inadequacies. and pricing policies of the nation's processing and distribution system, overall, consumers are getting food at. reasonable cost. Much has been made of the fact that it now costs $61 per week to feed a family of -four people in Canada. Atrocious, some, consumers would say. Yet Canadians only spend. about 22 percent of take-home pay on food. The complainers should look at Japan where, families spend as much as 40 percent of income on food. Or Europe, where it's not considered unreasonable if food costs surpass 30- 35 percent of family income. Canadian consumers complain about hamburg at $2.50-$3 per pound. 'Yet the same product in Tokyo ap- pears on retail store shelves priced at $10-$15 per pound. And the Japanese don't complain. What's, importantto note, par- ticularly considering the energy crunch, is that North Americans have not been faced with outright shor- tages of food. The producers are doing their job. Rather than complaints, Canadian consumers should be patting: farmers and fishermen on the back. They deserve a break. (by Roger Worth, director of Public Affairs Canadian Federation of Independent Business) Family farms are safe The decline of the Agribusiness - the involvement of huge corporations in farming - confirms something that the private farmer has known all along: If you want to be successful, you and your workers must be willing to do the work, the way it needs to be done, and when it needs to be done, says Donald Shaughnessy, in, a recent "Dollar Sense" column. Big corporations engage in farming the way they engage in producing cars or refrigerators or television sets. If something goes wrong along the way, it can be corrected at a later L stage. Example: A farmer must plant his corn by June 10 - in my part of the province. But if an Agribusiness has a 10 -day strike, and does not get the seed in until June 20, no amount of overtime is going to make up the 10 - day loss of time. Instead, the Agribusiness faces the prospect; of a 10 -day delay in. har- vesting, and the attendant frost problems. Farming is a business with tiny profit margins, and a 20 per cent crop loss due to frost is a disaster. No wonder Greyhoufid Corp. in the United States, Boise Cascade and other large American corporations, have been anxious to get out of the growing business. It is interesting to observe that the Soviet Union is into Agribusiness in a big way. Farm workers are "em- ployees" and do things the "company way". On their off -time, they are allowed to farm tiny plots -1.25 acres - for their own profit. The result is that the private plots, which account for only 3 per cent of all cultivated land in the Soviet Union, produce almost. 30_per cent of the food. Yet big companies have a role to play in agriculture. They produce the farm machinery, they are gradually taking over the production of seed, ' and they have an armlock on fer- tilizers and insecticides. t They can 'probably go no further. Farmer 'organizations are gaining control over the marketing of their output, and governments are shutting out the big corporate farmers. Inone case, a U.S. corporation k ras feeding 300,000 steers. The U.S. government allowed more Argen- tinian and Australian beef to be im- ported, undercutting th U.S price. Forevery one=cent-a-p° nd a price .. dropp d, the corporal on l st $3- millio. It was soon out of busi es's. Judging by these events, it nooks like the Canadian family farm will survive and prosper. (Mr. Shaughnessy is with G. H. Ward & Partners, Cobourg.) L • Nimirinemisomme 5 YEARS AGO July 25, 1974 Funeral services will be held this af= ternoon from the hall Funeral Home for Jabez Rands of Clinton, a 45 -year veteran of the Clinton Public Utilities Commission and the unofficial historian of the town. Mr. Rands was 71- years old. After a seven month wait, Clinton council learned last Thursday at a closed meeting that it will cost an estimated $400,000 to repair Clinton's 94 -year • old Town Hall, and as a result, council has asked, a London firm of architects to prepare rough plans for a new Town Hall. Mayor Don Symons said that it was too costly to think of fixing the old Town Hall. when a new one could be built for about $,200,000 and the London architectural firm of Tillman and Lamb has been engaged to bring in a. new Town Hall plan. 10 YEARS AGO July 31, 1969 CFB Clinton may "very likely" be one of, several defence department bases slated to close as the government tries to cap defence spending, Huron MP Robert McKinley told the News -Record this week. Almost 1,000 people enjoyed the Bayfield Lions Club's 23rd annual" frolic _ at the fairgrounds last Friday evening and Harold Weston, Lions president called the remembering our past event "very successful." Property has been changing in Lon- desboro recently. Mr. .and Mrs. Mervin Duncan of Stratford have purchased Norman Alexander's farm on the 11th concession. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander have settled in\the village, having bought a home from John Radford. John Radford has purchased the store facing the high- way from Mrd Alexander. Mother Nature, in one of her vicious moments, flattened Exeter district crops with a bombardment of -hail and deluge of rain last Thursday. Clinton, which escaped the storm entirely, was able to help the storm victims by opening its . hospital to half a dozen adult patients and one iinfant. who were among those evacuated when flood waters rushed through South Huron District Hospital. Nurses accompanied the Exeter patients, some of whom were still - in the Clinton hospital yesterday. t The Rev. Herbert W. Wonfor, who --'succeeds the Rev. G.L. Mills as minister on Ontario Sreet United Church in Clinton, will be inducted at a special service this evening. 25 YEARS AGO August 5, .1954 Summer is going along swiftly. The Library Park fountain sparkles prettily On the -wall It's a little like being an observer of the Fall of the Roman Empire. That's how I feel as I read and hear the latest energy crisis news. One of these days, in, the not -distant future, the last drop of that black stuff is going to drip into the last recep- tacle. How then, brown hen? Will we freeze in the dark? Well, a heck of a lot of red-blooded Canadians will need every bit of that red blood to avoid doing so. It's not as though the hand -writing has not been on the wall. It's just that nobody has been looking at that particurar wall. We've all been looking out our picture window, in- stead. I've been thinking about it during a particularly busy week in which a dentist saved one of my ancient teeth, a doctor gave me an allergy shot, and a barber removed some of my ancient white hair. Needless to say, I drove my ancient car to each of these places. None of them is more than a ten-minute walk. On my way to one of them, I drove down to the dock, parked, and wat- ched about three thousand boats trying to wiggle their way out of marinas, so that they -could open her up and cut a swatch -across the lake with their oil -burners. At the' doctor's, people were complaining because the air- conditioning wasn't working. The dentist used a high-speed electric drill in his air-conditioned office, with all the fluorescent lights on. The barber was sweating, turned up his air- conditioning; washed his hands in hot water, and switched on his 'electric clippers. By George, I thought, it's going to be quite a change., I visualized the dentist pumping away with his old foot -powered drill. The doctor giving me a shot by flashlight, because there are no windows in the joint. The barber using the old hand -powered clippers anld shaving myneck with c lid waterj in a steamy -hot barber shop. --It wouldn't bother me' too much. I was brought up on weed°stoves, coal- oil lamps, a block ' of ice in • the refrigerator, and a coal -burning furnace. But it sure would bother the doctor, the dentist and the barber, along with practically every human being in North America under the age of sixty. It's going to be quite an auction sale, I thought, when that last drop of black stuff flows from the last spigot. Listen to the auctioneer. "Lincoln Continental, 1982 model, like new. Tear out the insides and you have a grand out -door rec room for the kiddies. What am I •bid? Do I hear $30? "Here's a real steal. A forty -foot cruiser with built-in cupboards, septic toilet, sleeps six.- Get a teamster to tow it into your back yard and you hive a dandy sleeping cabin for guests. Will somebody start the bidding with twelve dollars? "And here's another beauty. Three 1980 Thunderbirds, worth $23,000 the day they were bought. Cut the tops off, remove the wheels, and they'll make beautiful flower beds. Not ten dollars apiece, not even nine dollars each, but the three for $24.98. "And here's todays super -special. She's only thirty-five years old and guaranteed to work day or night, not like those electric things that were always breaking down. An almost automatic dishwasher. Yes, ladies and gemmun, the real thing. This little lady came on hard times. Her husband had a heating oil franchise. She's willing to wash your dishes like they've never been washed before. Only $300 a week." And so on. Snowmobiles, aircraft. It's going to be a -great day for the junk dealers. On the other hand, there's the bright side. Just as people today pay fabulous sums for junk furniture dug out of attics, the good folk of 2010 A.D. ,might go as high as $200 for an ancient, beautifully - finished Cadillac ora fine specimen of four -burner electric stove with infra- red oven. They'd Make nice con- versation pieces. Away back there, I failed to con- tinue the analogy to the Roman Em ire. But it's there. They had their bre d and ci cuses as the c untdown app oached. urs arenas, li a theirs, are packed s lid with sweaty, sadistic spe tators w tching the gladiators. We don't have enough Christians left to , hrow to the (ions. But we can always fire the coach, which is almost as good. And we have something Romans didn't. We have an almost -instant view of disasters all over the world. So I guess mankind has made one giant step backward in the past 1500 years. It looks as though the hand-in-hand waltz of the oil companies and the car manufacturers,' which has lasted nearly half a century,' is going to become, "Good Night, Ladies." But the merry Waipurgisnacht of the western world continues its mad whirl as oil companies and airlines and Car manufacturers and boat makers furiously advertise their Turn to page 5 Distillery ery research Dear Editor: As a history graduate student at Queen's University, I will be involved in .a research project for Wiser's Distillery this summer. My assignment is to locate any printed or graphical material relating • to the history of the distilling industry in Canada. Although the emphasis will be placed on the Wiser and Corby families, I am interested in photographs, articles, drawings, posters, advertisements, labels, permits, etc., that touch upon Canadian Whisky distilling as a whole. If any of your readers can provide me with material or leads on the subject, I would be most grateful. Sincerely Katherine McKenna \\ 227 Brock Street Kingston, Ontario KIL'1S3 Do you have an opinion? Why not write us a letter to the editor, and let everyone know. All letters are published, providing they can be authenticated, and pseudonyms are allowed. All letters, however, are subject to editing for length or libel. � J a look through the news -record files but the grass turns brown • nevertheless because rain has been scarce. The weather has been wonderful and half of the people who are taking vacation this summer have come back brown and happy. while the other half are happy in expectation. Only one unsatisfactory element exists and that is, the flies are here. People came from as ,far away as the Yukon to witness the three-day centennial celebration. in Auburn. Visitors out- numbered residents ten to one as they lined the streets for a parade of more than 70 gaily decorated floats. Stored away in 1918, a buggy came out of the Auburn district ' drive -shed to roll again in the parade. The traction power was provided by a horse owned by Lloyd Craig and a pony owned by Dan Pitblado. An early Roman holiday was the theme of a gathering held last Wednesday at the James Day cottage on the Bayfield lake shore. It has become an annual custom for the summer colony here to entertain a group from Oakwood. ' Garbed in gay ,costumes as gladiators, orators and noble Roman ladies, with their children in costume too, the Bayfield ,group .awaited the arrival of the Bar- barians from the Bend. They arrived in a horse drawn rack, to the fanfare of trumpets, with the mothers and children dressed in tattered sacks and the ,men in steel helmets, swords and battle ar- mament, marching alongside to guard therm. 50 YEARS AGO August 1, 1929 • What good is quality, value, service and low prices if people don't know about them. Advertise in the News -Record. The Bayfield softball team played the Wesley -Willis team on Monday night. All went well until Clinton began to gain, on the winning team, then the referee began handing out some raw deals which resulted in the game ending in a chewing match. The score at that time was 9-5 in favor of Bayfield. Owing to the holiday on Monday and the races in Goderich, the Goderich Township council will meet in the forenoon. Can you imagine a real Cook Stove for $13.95; a beautiful Sunny Blue, five quart tea kettle for.,$1.89; a copper wash boiler, regular price $4.50 for $3.09, then come see for yourself at Sutter and Perdue, Clinton. Why look elsewhere? The value is here. 75 YEARS AGO August 4, 1904 Some changes are in contemplation in • Why we need cliches Dictionaries say a cliche is a hackneyed literary expression, a fixed`or stereotyped expression which has lost its significance' _ through frequent repetition. In everyday life, it's a handy phrase that slips out when we think we need something to say. For example, "How are you?" is an autornatic greeting answered customarily by "I'm fine." But is the question sincere? Do we listen to the response, and is the , answer always honest? The old cliche could lead us into a trap: "Hi, how are you?" "I fell Jast week and cracked four ribs." "Oh, that's great!" When we leave a person, we have to say something cheery, such as "Have a nice day!" there!" "Bye nc When we turn feel corn p. oiled i ear : "Hetle we "ake care!" "Hang'in w!" into ou driveway, we to tell veryone in the re." If askd to pass the salt at the itchen table,,,. !, send it along with a ""There yet- 9." With rt1ish, we the Londesboro Methodist Circuit. It is proposed to make' Londesboro .a. Station with a minister of its own, while Constance together with Alma 'and Turner's will be made a•Circuit. A meeting of the West Huron license commissioners was held at Inspector Paisley's office on Monday. In addition to the members of the board, there were several Temperance advocates present who entered their protest against so many licensed houses in Clinton. The King Edward was the principal bone of con- tention. The board granted the King Edward a license but as the population of Clinton permits only five hotels, the Queens was summarily cut off. We would like to know who the health inspector for the township of Hullett is. He is needed in Constance to order cleanedout a few pig pens and have manure piles removed or else build a high board fence to keep the smell from being offensive to neighbours. 100 YEARS AGO August 7, 1879 On Monday night a one -legged tramp, who gave his name as Stokes, came to town, and soon made his presence felt at any rate. For no apparent reason he struck with a stick all who came within his reach, in some instances bruising his victims badly. He was taken before the Mayor and fined $4 and costs, or 30 days in jail. Committed. On ,Saturday last Messrs. Ouimette and . Taylor of Londesboro shipped per G.T.R. here, about five tons of butter, which was destined for Montreal. A young man named Alex Fair, a butcher by trade, decamped last week,. leaving a number in town who would have been pleased to interview him on money '- matters prior to his departure. Miss Eliza Miller of Holmesville, who was prostrated with a severe attack of "inflammation on the brain" Ad on Wednesday of last week. The people of Bayfield cling tenaciously to the "railway scheme" and although they see no present prospects of their hopes being realized, they anticipate that "in the. good times coming" connection with Clinton byail, will be a settled fact. Not the slightest thing of importance occurred on Tuesday - tl a Civic Holiday here. As high as 90 cents were offered for Consolidated Bank bills in Clinton on Monday. i, elaine townshond-, t- watch the cook place the turkey in the centre of the table, and when .she beams "Enjoy!" that's our signal to dig in. A cliche is often used to buy time. For instance, "That's a very good question," "I'm glad you asked that • question," and "That's a difficult question to answer," mean we don't have an answer. When you're hot, you're hot. Sometimes we find ourselves dominating a conversation. We've suddenly been struck by a brain- storm, and we're sharing our terrific ideas with our companions. Words and sentences come tumbling out of our mouths. Gradually, though, our train of thought runs out of steam. We have everyone,',s undivided attention, and we don't want to lose it. While our mind searches for more brilliant thoughts, our mouth' fills -the gap with "for the most part," "i"by and large," "as a matter of fact," "1 believe,"' "actually," "really, "evidently" or "and you know." Sooner or later, our monologue mUst end and we s m it all up with "you know Where I' coming from" "and that's the truth" or "you get my drift?" - If i we become irritated, we repri>natid the agitator: "knock it p 1 - off!" "cut it out!" "smarten up!" "you never give up, do you?" or "Don't you ever grow up?" And of course, we can always resort to the veiled threat: "if you don't smarten up...!" We can't seem to argue creatively: "I've got a bone to pick with you." "Oh, ya?" "You think you're smart, don.'t you? Well; I've got news for you." "Oh, ya? Well, I've got something to say to you, too, Mr. Big Shot!" "Get off your high horse." Ultimatums may be delivered with intensity but they are no longer surprising: "You can shape up or ship out." "If you don't like it, you can lump it!" Cliches. Where do they come from? How many times must certain catchy phrases be repeated and how many people must identify with them, before they can be classed as cliches? Some cliches develop as slow as molasses ; others catch on like wildfire. Some seem as old as Methusaleh, while others sound brand spanking new. Some sound as Thad'as a hatter, but on the other hand, some are as wise as an owl. . Most buy us' some time, when we can't think of anything important to say but our tongues ' have to wag Anyway. You know how it Is! f