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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1969-10-02, Page 914, confusion Reigns Suprerne It $erns to be Utterly impossiblelto in, traduce a: broad -scale plan an of any kind without co p .. to departure from common sense. Thew "introduction of uni- versal .medical coverage in Ontario is 'cer- tainly. no exception. For weeks the government announced by every possible means, that there was no' need for anyone to worry about the coming of OHSIP. We ,were admonished to relax . . , to wait and all questions would be answered. At answer time, however, no one knows exactly what is to happen—least of all the federal and provincial govern- ments. AU we do know is that we had to be registered for the plan by October 1st or risk loss of coverage for three months. And in the face of this sudden urgency we found that the authorities hadn't even provided enough of the necessary forms to go around. To further confuse the issue word got out that OHSIP would pay only 80% of doctor's fees, rather than the 90% which was the case under its predecessor, OMSIP. That rumor has now been denied, but so far the federal, and provincial gov- ernments have° failed to agree on the right of the individual to• insure himself with a private carrier to cover the 10% of doc- tors' fees not' met by OHSIP. The big question, here, of course, is the basic right of the% citizen to carry any sort of Insur- ance he can secure and pay for. To re- fuse such a right would be contrary to the fundamentals of our Canadian nation. For a time it appeared that those em- ployers who contribute all or a portion of their employees' OHSIP payments,would be forced to pay income tax on those contributions. Though the point has not been clearly settled, it now seems that common sense may prevail and permit the tax deduction. • Such a decision, however, would be little consolation for the individual who cannot claim deduction for his contri- butions. The Collecting Fad One of themore harmless but certain- ly amusing fads which has emerged in this age of affluenceis the widespread urge to collect "antiques." And that word has undergone a complete metamorphosis since free and easy money has become a part of our way of life. There was a time when an antique was some item of furniture, or perhaps pottery, which had survived two or three centuries in relatively good condition. Perhaps it was an original Chippendale chair, the product of a master craftsman, or an authentic Stradivarius violin or a Ming dynasty vase. Not so today. A few months ago one of our acquaintances held up a small tin object and offered to bet that we wouldn't know what it was. We should have slapped down a ten-spot, for the object was noth- ing more antique than a nutmeg grater — and we can't remember a time when there wasn't one of those things around our house. We know another fellow who has his house jammed ':to the eaves with odds and bits from the older homes in the dis- trict and he expects to reap a tidy profit on every one of them. High on the list of desirables are. the old-fashioned com- mode sets—pottery basin, water pitcher, toothbrush mug and the you -know -what. Apparently these sets fetch a handsome price, as high as a hundred dollars if they are complete. All they do for us person- ally is bring back memories of a more uncomfortable way of life before we en- 4oyed the blessings of warm bathrooms and running water. Most folks paid a great deal more than a hundred bucks to get rid of those old things. An antique no longer need be beauti- ful nor even particularly old. Pieces of harness, a chunk off a plough; a homely old kitchen range, a wash board—all have achieved a new status in this age of so- . phistication. And brother, if you happen to have a 20 -year-old car stashed away in your barn, hang onto it for dear life. It's probably worth a thousand dollars right now and it's climbing at about an extra hundred every six .months. The Age of the Ridiculous Thev past 25 years have brought some tremendous benefits for mankind — per- haps more than any previous century.. But these same years have created changes inattitude which create situations little short of ridiculous. A few examples: Last 'week a university president sat by while a group of radical students searched his office for evidence that research on war projects was being carried out. That's not freedom—it's anarchy. The proposalto decrease the voting age to 18—when in 35 years of reporting we have rarely if ever seen a person under 21 at a nomination meeting. A labor law which declares it illegal to let .a man work more than 48 hours a week on • any one job—regardless of the man's need for money or the employer's need for skills which are scarce. A country which has $150 million a year to..spare for "cultural" development through its broadcasting system but has to pare and prune at its health and wel- fare. funds and raises veterans' pensions by meagre little handouts. A vote -purchasing plan whereby count- less millions are handed out in family alp lowances and old age pensions to all and sundry, without any regard for° who needs them and who doesn't. . A defense department that spends $12 million to refit anaircraft carrier and then. .decides to -either tell it• or scrap it. A set of tax regulations so loosely de- fined that• a county school board and a town council arrive at . the brink of a lawsuit. You Have a Responsibility too This is Fire Prevention Week, and most of the words which will be written about it will emphasize the role of the property owner or the tenant in. preventing .fires by proper care and foresight. No doubt that is by far. the .most important aspect of this particular week, but there is an- other angle to the fire° protection story. In communities such as ours the fire brigades do a tremendous job without pay. They are men who willingly leave their jobs or their beds at any hour of the' day or night to protect our lives /and pro- perties. There are several ways in which we could make their job easier. One of the most important, we believe, would, be to give careful directions when a fire call is turned in. All too often the telephone message is indistinct and the ex- act location of the fire is sometimes un- clear. The route the brigade should take to reach a fire is important too. ' For example, to reach a recent fire in Morris Township the firemen drove south on No. 4 Highway and then about five miles across a muddy gravel road in the 41164444•40611446444444446044464•66644. 116,,,,,,,,, N,,.,,,,,,,,, 4,,, N... N 6446444446•464446466444464444/41144441141164 rain to reach a blaze only a quarter of a mile from the paved road south of Morris - bank. More explicit instructions would have sent the fire truck to the location with most of the , route on paved highway. Quite a bit of time and a lot of discomfort might have been saved: Of course not everyone •can remain cool and collected when fire is threatening their property, but it is certainly worth the effort, for we have known times when instructions .were so vague that the fire- men never did locate the fire. Here's a suggestion. Sit down right now, while you can think clearly and write out, in distinct letters, the directions which would bring the firemen to you by the best route in case of an emergency. When you have done this, paste or fasten the instructions near the telephone so that any member of your household could read them clearly if the need arose. Our firemen are willing and they're efficient, but a lot depends on the prop- erty -owner. NN 640660110441141166 • THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario; by Wenger Bros. Limited W. Barry Wenger, President • - Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulation Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Subscription Rate: 1 yr. $6.00; 6 months $3.25, in advance; USA $7.00 per yr.; Foreign rate 0.00 per yr. ,,Advertising Rates on' application Second Clans Mail Registration No. •0821 Return Postage Guaranteed q John was shyly watchful when the photographer saw him, as he is with most s strangers. But this twO-year-old soon becomes happy and Laughing. This little boy has big brown eyes, auburn hair and fair skin that tans well. He is developing at an average rate, though he was a slow starter. He says quite a few words and loves to provoke laughter by comical antics. He is a good-natured, cheerful child unless frustrated in his main desire -- to be outdoors. If he must stay in he reconciles himself by playing with his toy monkey which he calls ki-ki. He needs affectionate, active parents who will enjoy a sunny -tempered little boy. To inquire about adopting John please write to `a Today's Child, Department of Social and Family Services, ;,,Parliament Buildings, Toronto 182. For general information about adoption ask your Child- ren's Aid Society. PORK is on the moue The flood of applications for PARK (Parents Of Rotten, Kids), which was launched last week in this column, has not yet. begun to give local postmen the blind staggers, butit. will. It will. • In the meantime, I've received a letter ,from an Ontario woman, ''comenting on a previous ' column entitled, "The Kids Are Pathetic" She certainly qualifies for PORK and is hereby accepted as a full-fledged member of this fledgling organization, with all the disadvantages and lack of privileges appertaining thereto. She writes: "I myself must admit to being a parent of a 16 -year-old daughter now living at such a commune as you describe, right in downtown Toronto, and I am helpless by law to interfere. "Such is our society today that we have been forced to accept not only common-law living amongst adults „(Ed note: I'm not against that), but also now with children of such ran early age. I znyself have left no stone unturned in an effort to help resolve the situation, by writing or contacting every available society from social workers to the Hon. John Yaremko, : with the final realization that in .Ontario a child is "free from parental guidance and authority at .16. Jy "This same law; however, contradicts itself by not allowing them to marry until 18 without a parent's consent and signature. . In B.C. the age limit for a ,child to break away from parental authority is 18." In short, Ontario laws are ,driving young people to, as •, we used to put it, living in sin. She goes on: "Recently in an. interview with a large daily newspaper, a professor of applied. psychology made the following statement: The mother in thehome today is an anachronism. The . role of the housewife used to have dignity and respect. There is. no need any more for a home manager.' His remarks are more than a little off -beat." I quite agree with you, dear lady, and with most of the other things you go on to say. I tried four days of "batching it" recently. The only place there's no need for a home manager is in a pigpen. My wife came home a day early and caught me cold. I had put • my dinner on and just shut my eyes for a • moment while the fish was cooking. She opened the door and found the house full of smoke, the kitchen full of dirty dishes, and an armchair full of me. I can't smell, of course; not even fish burning. And it was AT THE END OF THEIR ropes and squeel- of youngsters flew around On the $W1ngs. ing with both fear and delight this group', at the Brussels Fair.—A-T Photo. . NH /NNNuu.NluuNNN.N,N.NNtNNuuu NNNN.N{NMNNIWiNNNN.NM4imaitMssUmusslaW NNW00, 0u.“N rnasu.. 4flC4111Y Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, Oct. 2, 1969 SECOND SECTION' . News Items from Old Files SEPTEMBER 1920 Miss Oneida Irwin left on Thursday for Toronto to resume her duties at the University of Toronto entering on her second year in Honor Modems. Mrs. James Munshaw of De- troit is renewing acquaintances in town this week. Some years the nervousstrain of looking out for myself and the -cat for four days that had made me flake out like that. Lady,- you have my deepest sympathy concerning yotit daughter and the laws which create such an impasse. And the kids know the law. They have us right over a barrel. It's easy enough to say, "If they want to. go, let 'em -go. Kick 'em out." This is the favorite advice of non-PORK-ers... It's not so easy to do with a basically good, naive kid who is almost totally unequipped to cope with a world that is not exactly Eden. I've been teaching the play. . . Hamlet this fall. Perhaps you .remember the part where Ophelia'su. old man warns her that she iso hal* n6"thn further to do with Prince Hamlet. She *was about 16 and this took place in the Thirteenth Century. 'She obeyed him ' reluctantly, but without hesitation. . I asked my students what a girl of today would do if her father told her such a thing. 'They got it second crack. The first student said she'd say, "Drop dead." The second said she'd say, ,"If I can't go out with Hamlet, I'll run away." And she would. '^ It's emotional blackmail, and. 'they know it. The only real solution, I suppose, as . with • real blackmailers, is to call their bluff. But again, it's a wrenching decision when you love the child and when you realizewhat will probably happen. o - However, fellow - PORK-ers, thumbs up. We know there is a golden day coming, when our RK's will have matured and mellowed. And they will come and pick us up in their big car, when we are feeble and rheumatic, and take us for a drive, and stop before this big, handsome building. And they'll say, "Sorry, Mum and Dad, that I was such a worry to you. There it is. Gateviay Haven. See you on visiting days, if we can get a babysitter." S.S.: Guest .Editorial Our Father Who m..� I'm sure that most parents have been embarrassed at one time or another, much to the amusement of their guests,, when one of their offspring recited the wrong prayer at mealtime. Yet, they have only themselves to blame. Months may pass without a prayer of any kind being spoken. Then, when a relative or friend shows up for dinner, the innocent child is asked to repeat the long forgotten mealtime prayer. It's highly possible that the parents can't even re- member it themselves. If the parents really believed in the prayer that they were havin 'err child- ren recite, they would ma a en effort Oops Wrong Verse! By Carl Miller 12A to. have it repeated at every meal. Certainly, a number of people do re- peat their mealtime prayers regularly, but there• are just as many who seldom, if ever, remember any form of prayer. Why, then, do they suddenly make a desperate attempt to recall forgotten verses simply because a guest is present? After all, they are supposed to be thanking God for His gifts, n t impressing the guest. Par nts who.find themselves forgetting or thi king more of what's to eat than what's in the prayer, might just as well drop it all together. A false prayer does neither them, nor God, any good. ago Mr. Munshaw kept a jewel- lery store where Dominion Bank now stands. Mrs. George Green of To- ronto, is visiting with her niece Mrs. T. J. McLean and other Mends. The late Mr. Green conducted a general Store in the. building now occupied by H. E. Isard and ` Co. several years ago. e Maurice Wilkinson, son of the late Reeve Wi 1dnson, Is known in this vicinity as a child won- der. For over,20 months he has been strapped to a board to Strengthen a diseased weak spot in the spine. Never a murmur nor complaint is heard from him but on the contrary he is pro- verbial for his cheerfulness, his humor and contentedness. Mr. Thomas J. Baker has ' bought the farm on the fourth concession of Turnberry owned by M. John Martin for the sum ,of $6.000. We are•sorry•to lose. !4r. Baker . and his family from our town. Mr. John McCracken of the Bluevale Road has sold .his farm andhas purchased 'a fine ghahon'se " - in Wiiim from %i ; '1 int oul. SEPTEMBER 1934 A union meeting of East and West Huron Teacher's Institute will be held in Mackay Hall,. Goderich, on Friday, October 5th. There will be two sessions, • one in: the morning and one in the afternoon. At the afternoon session, Miss Norma Coutts will give a talk on Mental Arithme- tic. • Reg Jones', 14 -year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Jones, Francis Street, had the misfort- une to fracture his left arm in two places between the wrist and elbow on Tuesday after four at the High School. Reg has been quite keen on p o 1 e vaulting and was practising . this art after school when he had a fall with the above results. He was taken to the hospital and the fracture was set and is now resting as comfortably as canbe expected. • .On Thursday Walter Lock - ridge was operated on for ap- pendicitis in the. Hospital here. His many friends will wish him a speedy recovery. On Saturday night a joy ride was taken by some boys. They took a car that was park- ed in town and had a short trip. A short time after the . car was missed , it was found parked in front of Dr. Colborne 's resi- dence. Mrs. R. J. Tyndall is in Stratford this week attending the Provincial Conference of the W. C. T. U. which is be- . ton B. Adams, Omar Hasa, - grove, Ronald Rae, Dr. George Howson, Dr. W. 4. Crawford,: J. H. Crawford, J. P, . hlcKib- bon, Reg DuVal, G 1!. Me,,- Avoy. Lieut. M. Gitsham who has. been the Salvation. ArmyQf fitter here for the past several mo ntbis is at present at.herhome In Hamilton on sick furlough. The new officers in charge of this work here arrived lastweek. They are Adjt. A. Howells aid Cadet B. Law who were,trans.• ferred here from Fort Erle ��`' Dr.F. G.Thompson has returned to his hone 'in CHnton: and will resume the;practice of .r medicine after serving fat r tore than five years withaheltoyah Canadian Army' Medical,,Corps with three or more years over- seas. : congratulations are extend- . ed o„Miss Anne Chimney of Donnybrook who won first prize in the senior vocal competition... .in co unction with the:Belgrave 00 it -stProlowrigsr Three more additions have been made to the CKNX staff as the expansion program gains momentum with the forthcom- ing television station. One of these will be welcomed back by all Wingham residents, for heis a very popular local boy, Ross Hamilton, who will not only be handling television but also will be featured on camera during the studio presentations... Ross at present is commuting between Wingham and Seaforth, but hopes to be settled in town shortly. Jim Angus, former foreman on the public works department has taken a position with the Supertest Petroleum Company, and will manage the new sta- tion erected by them on Jose- phine Street recently. Mr, Angus is at present attending the Supertest school for service station employees in London, and will be taking over hisnew position shortly. John Merkley and Shirley Armstrong were named senior boy and senior girl champion respectively at the Public School field day last week. Brian Rider and Sharon Brown were the runners-up in the sen- ior class. Intermediate champ - pions were Doug Spry and Sue t4asmith, with John Strong and Betty Ann Lapp as runners-up. Dennis Callan and Bonnie Steuernol:were junior cham- pions, with John Bennett and Patsy Purdon as runners-up. Barbara Gaunt registered at he University of Western On - b ing held on Tuesday, Wednes- • tario, London, on September day , Thursday and Friday this 24th fot her fourth and final week. The afternoon tea held at • the home of Mrs. H. C. Mac Lean on Friday afternoon by the Ladies' Auxiliary to the General Hospital, was well at- tended and a substantial amount was raised to aid the ladies in their very important work. SEPTEMBER 1944 Mr. Joe McGill, Belgrave, has purchased the Mills proper= ty, north of the Advance -Times, office, at present occupied by. H. F. McGee and will, we un- derstand, transfer his radio business from Belgrave to Wing - ham. He gets possession at the end of the year. • The following from here at- tended the Granite Curling Club's annual Golf Tournament at Kitchener on Wednesday: Al - year in Honors English and ' French. During the sutnrtler ' Miss- Gaunt spent several weeks at Trois Pistoles, Quebec, and attended the summer school . • conducted by the University of Western Ontario. At the closing, exercises she receiv the award; for the highest standing among the English speaking' students in atteridan.ce. Barb= ara is a graduate of wingham. District High,School and the ' daughter of i r. and Mrs. G. Gaunt of Be1grave. ,--Wits, Donald Campbell and sons of London Visited on 'Saturday ,with her mother, Mrs. Gordon Elliott of Edward Street. Little Lisa Campbell who had been here with het grandinoth- er for two w e e-ks returned home with her mother.