HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-04-13, Page 9Huron Schools on the Short End
Last week The Advance -Times provided
* its readers with a detailed account of the
drastic cutbacks which have been made
necessary in Huron County's education pro-
gram. Curtaliments by the provincial de-
partment of education in its grant structure
have seriously disrupted plans to improve
the standard of schooling we will be able to
provide for our elementary and secondary.
EM students.
The actual dollars -per -pupil in grants
will be increased, but the increases will not
equal the normal climb in salaries and all
other operating expenses, so that the ulti-
mate effect is an , unavoidable slashing of
funds at every possible point. -
As the county's director of education, D.
J. Cochrane, has courageously pointed out in
a letter to the provincial authorities, all pre-
vious pronouncements about equality of edu-
cation for Ontario's young people have be-
come "the great Ontario myth". The basis of
" his contention, and the aspect which has
alarmed all board members, lies in Huron's
position in comparison with other county
educational jurisdictions.
The Huron board could have set up am-
bitious programs for specialized teaching
two years ago. Instead they opted for what
they conscientiously believed was a more in-
* telligent approach. They spent many months
determining which programs in specialized
education would be of the most value to stu-
dents in Huron County. It was only last year
that the move was made to provide a broad
program of elementary school French, to
employ persons trained in psychology, com-
munications and learning difficulties, etc.
• Because the curtailment of grants will
w be based entirely on percentages of 1971 ex -
Ai
penditures, Huron will realize a much lower
-PO-pupil grant than thole counties in which
special and expensive programs were set up
a year or two previously. Mr. Cochrane ap-
pears justified in his contention that equality
of opportunity is indeed a myth.
A test program to utilize teacher aides
had been started in Huron last fall in what
should have eventually proved a great for-
ward step. The idea was to free skilled pro-
fessional teachers of some of the time-con-
suming detail work so their skills and ex-
perience would be utilized to maximum ad-
vantage. That experiment now goes down
the drain.
The budget for audio-visual .teaching
equipment and library supplies has been cut
in half. In these two areas of education lie the
heart of the self-help type of instruction
which leaders in education have been advo-
cating for years. Funds to provide trans,or-`
tatlon for field trips will be pared to the bone,
as will the money for teachers' supplies—
both considered vital to the newer concepts
in education.
Those taxpayers who have been highly
critical of administrative costs in the board's
Clinton offices migi-it take note that some of
the most drastic cuts have been made 'and
accepted in this department of the Huron
school system.
Goodness knows taxes are high enough,
and savings on the part of the provincial gov-
ernment should be an encouraging sign.
There are grave doubts, however, 'that the
education of our children should have to ac-
cept such a discouraging blow—particularly
when the cuts have been made straight ac-
ross the board without regard for the com-
parative standards prevailing between
counties.
Chane Is Inevitable
Last week's meeting of the Wingham
town council saw passage of a motion to seek
the services of a town supervisor -a person
who would take active control of many of the
duties now carried out on a free -time basis
by the chairmen of the council's several
committees.
The motion did not pass without opposi-
tion, which is understandable. The concept is
a new one for a town this size -but one which
we believe has much to recommend it.
There was a day when the town clerk
could single-handedly make sure that the
recommendations and motions of the council
were carried out efficiently. That, however,
was before senior governments set out to
multiply the rules and regulations with
which local mutDicipalities must compiy,, To
day it takes the clerk -treasurer and 'an as-
sistant to handle the paper work in the office
and there is no time left- over to deal with
matters which concern the -public works de-
partment, police, fire, cemetery, and a
dozen and one other facets of community
service. As a consequence, the members of.
council who have been named chairmen of
the various committees 'are expected to
supervise whatever workhas to be done in
their particular .fields.
Most of these chairmen are kept pretty
busy in their own businesses or employed
positions. If they take the time to do an ade-
quate job for the town they must be prepared
to sacrifice their own time and money to dd`
so. That is one of the reasons why it becomes
increasingly difficult to find good candidates
for public office. •
Those who favor the town supervisor
- plan feel , that "increased. efficiency in -the -
handling of all community services will
more than compensate for the salary' in-
volved. There is no way to prove the point
without actually giving it a test:
Interested in $300?
The "Hometown Newspaper" contest
which was publicized in' last week's paper
carries with it the offer of a worthwhile
prize. Most of us could use an extra $300 and
the conditions of, the ,contest make it clear
that no one has to be a literary genius to
.compete.
As the original story pointed out, the
I judges will not be looking for excessive
praise of the hometown paper—that's not the
point. The contest is sponsored by Dominion
Textile Limited, a corporation 'which has
long understood and placed a high value on
the validity and importance 'of smalltowh
newspapers as the backbone of free speech
in a country .which has been rapidly losing
V
i
I
•
-this particular essence of democracy.
'Those who want to enter are urged to
.concentrate on what the local' newspaper
means to themselves, their families and the
development 'of their community. A suggest-
ed approach would be to imagine for a few
minutes what life in your community would
lose if the paper should wither up' and blow
away.
Put your thoughts on paper.. -'at least 250
words but not more. than 700—and send or '
bring your signed, story to the ilial news-
paper office not later than April 21st. Since
literary skill is not a basis of judgment, all
entries will have the full attention of the
judging committee. But April 21st is the final
deadline.
Some Laws Are Useless
The continuing development of any so-
ciety is sharply reflected in the laws it pass-
es to control what, at any given time, is con-
sidered by the majority to be undesirable. It
is only in the more enlightened and ex -
per enced countries that true maturity in
law -making becomes evident. •
One of the basics in legislation is that
there is never any point in creating legisla-
tion which cannot be enforced. Perhaps the'
classic example of this sort of error was dur-
ing the prohibition era in the United 'States
(and to,a lesser degree in Canada). Despite
the most stringent regulations, it was proven
beyond'doubt that no laws on earth can pre-
verft people consuming alcohol if they wish to
do so. Not only were the laws consistently
broken, but they created such a lucrative de-
mand for "bootleg" booze that highly or-
ganized crime syndicates in the U.S. were
born and have been thriving ever since on
whatever sort of prey they could find.
Test cases are presently in the courts in
several Ontario communities where "strip
tease" shows were opened. Very naturally
many elements in our society object toany
display of unclad female flesh. It offends a
strict moral code and is frequently viewed as
a forerunner of doom which spelled the end
of th.e Roman Empire 1500 years ago. And
these moralists may be right. ,
Our only contention is that laws which
forbid strip joints will have no effect what-
ever on the total amount of skin which can be
seen if a significant percentage of the male
population happens to enjoy that sort of rec-
reation. The only consequence will be higher
prices of admission and a little more difficul-
ty in finding the addresses.
Moral standards have never yet been en-
forced by law. They are inculcated in hu-
mans at a,very early age and the extent of
"immorality" in any society is to a very
large degree dependent on the cultural back-
ground of its people. In changing times like
our own, parents are less sure of the mean-
ing of morality. They do know that many of
the "sins" of yesteryear, like playing cards
and dancing, have been accepted as social --
acts only, without valid moral connotations.
In recent discussion with a traffic expert
he admitted that there is absolutely no sense
in placing a 35 -mile -an -hour speed limit in a
zone where the average driver sees no need
for such a restriction. Unless there are
policemen behind every bush; traffic will
move at the speed indicated by the apparent
hazards or lack of them. Most of our laws
work out in exactly the sate way.
THE WINGHAM ADVANCE•TIMES
Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros, Limited.
Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer
Member Audit Bureau of .Circulations
. Member Canadian and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Associations.
Subscription Rate:
Suguieriptjon $1 halo a year, $5.28 for six months, in United Stales $12.50 in advapce.
Second Class Mail Registration No .0821 Return Postage Guaranteed
LETFERS
ir* �•��
Dear Editor.._
y
o
I read with interest Jtlr odd'
Tial "Nobody is HMV", .
most assuredly applies to -POO
t
who travel (or try to) by bus fro
here to Toronto and points ,,
west on north of Toronto.
It also applies to people who try
to travel to our area as I found Oat'
last summer. I went to the Bay
Street terminal to buy a ticket to
Wingham. The agent told me that
"you •, can't get to Wingbatkl Jay
bus." I told him I had come tci.To
ronto by bus and explained the
route. He was adamant. He woidd
not sell me a ticket to Wingtian t
He then made three suggestions,
1.) I could go to Kitchener and.
telephone friends to come for me.,
2) I could go to Stratford ate:
have some one -come' for arae ,
there.
3) I . could go to- London 'and
come up on the evening bus.
After much argument and re-
fusal by him to consult a time;
table, I did get a. ticket to Strat-
ford and was able to make con-
nections home.
This same treatment was given
to pther local people—one as re-
cently as two weeks ago. -
To add insult to injury, the bus
companies send brochures ad-
vertising deluxe tours in every
direction. .
I wrote to the president of the
Gray Coach Lines after my ex-
perience and had a .very Cour-
- teous reply. Apparently nothing
has been done to correct the
Situation. -
At the Toronto National Exhi-
bition there was an Ontario Gov-
ernment booth with photos of
various cabinet ministers. A
large banner -said if you'd sign a
question and put it in 'the ap-
propriate box, the minister con-
cerned would reply. My *signed
question to Mr. MacNaughton
has not been acknowledged to
' date.
Isn't it too bad that we all don't
have access to "free" planes
when we want to travel? It takes
longer td get to Malton Airport
ft -Sm here than it does to fly clear
across the continent.
Yours truly,
Agnes Williamson.
Constant research
batfies many
causes of cancer
THIS VIEW OF the river looking northeast 'from Water
Street shows that a great deal of the. snow has already melt-
ed and the river will soon present a' summer-like appear-
ance. Staff Photo.
?mit
bbancto t
Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, April 13, 1972
SECOND SECTION '
Many Places
He'd father Be
As I write, the so-called first
day of spring has long gone,, but
the only indication that winter is
nearly over in these parts is that
the curling season is drawing to a
close.
Outside the window the snow-
banks look like .the iceberg -that
sank the Titanic. Inside, the fur-
nace thumps away like a .bull
moose that has just outrun a pack
of wolves:And every four days, it
seems, the oil. delivery man
wades through the drifts, -inserts
that solid gold nozzle in the side of
the house, and whistling cheer-
fully, pumps another $30 worth of
oil into the great guzzler. .
It is a time to try men's souls. It
is a time of year when I curse my
Irish forebears- for not emigrat-
ing to New Zealand or South
Africa or Jamaica.
However, "it happens , every
year, and there's- always some
More time -and financial re 11f t1 ra y of" spiritual` or emotional
sources have been expended on '-sunlight to penetrate the " late -
trying to defeat cancer than on winter blues.
any other single medical prob- My Jittle ray' of sunshine (at
lem. In Canada, more money is four o'clock in the afternoon) is
allocated every year for research sleeping the sleep of the pure at
into.cancer's causes and possible heart. She's been in the sack
cures than for any other disease. since 7:30 this morning, after sit-
The extent of the cancer prob- ting up all. night talking to ..her
Iem is suggested by the fact that crazy mother, who suffers from
it occurs not only in people and , insomnia. .
mammals, but in birds, fish, lob- It's not that Kim disturbs the
sters, beetles, ants, bees and quiet, gentle routine of. our daily
plants. The speed and complexity life. 'She doesn't disturb it at all.
of events inside a single living ' She destroys it.
cell, where a million or two As I mentioned, she's a night -
chemical units can be assembled • owl, writing. essays 'and °stuff,
within seconds, are staggering after midnight. And just like the
even to the scientifically -trained owl, she can sleep all day.
Mind, . Same with eating. She's never
TODAY'S.CH'iLD
BY HELEN ALLEN
l�
A I,ivELY BOY
This manly youngfellow regarding the photographer w ith a mixture
of caution and interest is Tommi, who -will soon be five.
Of Ojibway Indian and Anglo-Saxon background, Tommy. is a tall,
slim boy with big brown eyes, dark hair and oli% a skin. !Le is -in good
heath, except for a heart murmur. which is considered o be of no
significance. He has scars from burns on his right shoulder and left'
wrist.
'Pommy is an alert youngster whose searching e”es seem to miss
nothing. On first acquaintance, he appears to he rather placid but
really he is a normal four-year-old ,with all the botrnce and verve
associated with that age. He mixes well with children his own age and
can be quite communicative with adults when he feels he knolls them.
thwn.
Rather an independent child who likes to do things his own way.
Tommy is most responsive to affection.
Tommy would rather be outdoors than in, both winter and summer,
but if he must stay inside he entertains himself well with his to3 s or
with children's TV programs.
This engaging boy needs loving parents who will appreciate both -his
lively personality and his Indian background.
'I'o inquire about adopting Tommy, please write to Today's Child,
Itox 855, Station R, Toronto. For general adoption information, ask
your Children's Aid Society.
hungry when anyone else is. If
dinner is carefully planned for
six -thirty, she is suddenly
famished at five -thirty and
smashes herself up a big mess of
bacon and eggs or spaghetti and
sardines, leaving her mother and
I looking ruefully at the roast. Or
else she is not hungry at dinner -
hour and will eat nothing but
some celery, and then about
eight thirty is fainting and slaps
.up a vast concoction of fried
bananas and mushrooms.
These are minor things, of
course, and she's a • delight to
have around the house. When,
she's here, at least I know why
my socks are disappearing and I
haven't a clean shirt to wear.
The problem, you see, is that
we ask, her home for a weekend.
She throws a clean blouse in a
shoulder bag and heads home.
But she hates the city so much
that her weekends turn into a'sit
day sojourn, and she has to wear
somebody's clothes, and she and
her mother- can't abide each
other's taste in garments, so she
wears mine, which are so drab
and nondescript that nobody
could fight over them.
As I said, these are trifles. But
she's always in sortie kind of has-
sle,and these are the things that .
produce the hours -long, all-night
sessions with her old lady, while I
lie blissfully, dreaming of the
grand old days when she was a
cuddly' infant. She's still pretty
cuddly, by the way, but not for
the old man.
And that's the sort of thing -she
and her Ma can talk about for six
hours at a stretch, without either
one drawing a full breath.
They can talk about Don and
The Wedding. This is not the title
of a Russian novel about the Don
River. Don is the other man in
her life, and The Wedding is
causing more confusion around
here than anything since the day
we discovered our tomcat was
pregnant.
The great event is scheduled -
for May. Typically, Kim an-
nounced,that they had chosen
May 7th as the day. And typical-
ly, her mother, who' never misses
anything import :,-iike,4- t ,,
though I doubt if she knows the
- name of the prime minister,
checked the calendar and dis-
covered that May 7th, is a S; day.
Not many people get ma ' l"' d on
Sunday, though I don't know why
not. There isn't much else to do.
I've had a lot of free advice
about the wedding. Most people
chuckle fiendlishly as they tell
me what it's going to cost. "Well
she's your. only daughter, so
you'll have to go the whole hog,
eh?" Or, "Well, it only happens
once and it'll cost you a bundle,
but think of the loot she'll get."
Consoling stuff like this.
Inthe first place, I wouldn't
care if I bad ten daughters. Well,
maybe I would. But in the,second
place, I don't want her to get a lot
of loot. We'd wind up storing it in
our house for ten years until she
and her broke intended are-mak-
ing
re-making enough to .afford more than an
unfurnished. room.
Her mother promptly an-
nounced thatshe was not up to a
big, wedding with all the frills, the
' smartest decision she has made
since she agreed to marry,,. me.
Her mother, that is.
Next, I laid it on -the line. Four.
choices. A small wedding, imme-
diate family only, and a fair-sized
..;.,cheque.: A -slightly: bigger dem;
with' a smallish reception, to in -
dude close friends, and a small'
cheque. A big splash, with a lot of
people, and no cheque. Or a mas-
sive affair, with pomp and cir-
cumstances, in a city hotel ball-
room, with her uncle and god-
father, a well-to-do lawyer, pay-
ing the shot, if she could talk him
into it. • .
She chose No: 1. But -we'll see.
We're far from out of the woods
yet.
The Hometown Newspaper
Rev. Henry t. Jennings
Wroxeter, Ontario
We- have had a weekly 'friend
come to our home for many
years, and the week wouldn't be
complete without it. It is the
Hometown Newspaper.
As a newspaper it not only
brings us news of current events,
also tells us about those folks
down the line or or, the same
street that,we have been too busy
to visit.
The first thing that catches our
eyes are the excellent photo-
graphs of current events in which
we recognize friends and rela-
tives, making us proud of the con-
tribution that they have made to
the community or more in-
terested in their achievements.
Newcomers are introduced to us
by picture and article. The
stories with the pictures come
next, and they include weddings,
anniversaries, birthdays of
senior citizens, reunions, or-
ganizational activities, births, fu-
nerals, community celebrations,
church ads and activities, sports,
political and municipal activities,
educational events, and many
others.
Our friend the newspaper tells
us -about our own friends and
events in their lives that we are
interested to know.
Next the most ir,,eresting head-
lines catch our attention and the
article with it. 1'f there has been
an outstanding event in the com-
munityaat comes next. We are
pleased to see the humorist given
a prominent place, our world to-
day sure needs more "Smiley"
people.
The paper is not only a collec-
tion of news and ads, it is educa-
tional for all age levels. We learn
about things of nature, science,
ecology,, etc. and knowledge of
the world outside our community.
it is a business institution with
its ads bringing sellers and pur-
chasers together, often for the
benefit of both. In view of the high
cost of living we are informed of
economies in spending to help the
family budget.
The Editorial Page is always
worthwhile, and easily under-
stood by all adults. There are not
enough people who read this
page. It is often the key to under-
standing complex world prob-
lems and troubles told in • the,
news: We feel that the editor is
trying to be unbiased concerning
political, social and religious
matters.
We like those little, bits of
humor inserted here and there.
News of the larger community
from correspondents have that
personal touch. We would suggest
that the name of the correspon-
dent be placed at the top of his or
her column.
The sectional parts of the paper
give attention to all segments of
'tow costa 9
our community, — ' sports', or-
ganizations, women's page, want
ads, young people's activities,
and senior citizens. Those inter-
ested in local history 'enjoy news
from the old files, and stories of
pioneer days? and our sportsmen
are not forgotten.
.In view of the other forms of
communications, television,
radio, daily newspapers, maga-
zines, etc., the Hometown News-
paper still holds its place in the
news media.
To sum it up there is something
for everybody.- It is old, yet is is
up-to-date. It gives valuable
service to the community and in a
economic manner considering in-
flationary conditions.
O,ur week would not be com-
'plete without the "Hometown
Newspaper". May it live a long
and happy life.
•...-•+..ria. ____
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