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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-12-21, Page 4•.i L., . 1 �4. ti. •1. i 1;DVAACE rim :: •' L 4 1• .,, . ; ; ..�: ': •:� •: '' }}';}" :,}}"{ff•}y: h ;•: 1}yti}•1,•`}:•'{: \•: ;'.;:•i . : ^....... {•::4':• . 1y,;•;,•.,1y :':::}}•::{{.44 1}: ::•:•}Y::: �:•: ::;: ':• •:::;y'•::..•:ti�:::•.•:•.• 5::•::}}, •ti..ti .}11;:ti};: { :{ i L S.J.I. ,• L .,i }:Ly •,. ti'i{•:fi:; L {: ••i .1:: Y}:, \ti.ri. v.L '" k ., } '.y};ti.{.; 4 i ::v:• ; {.}L;. : .}:1;:,y}y} •:{ : � � r} �}: •"` ..ti;.i1: tiff{,1•.•:{..::y;:j:•�v :•v::•:v L 1 . }, •:;:;�::,fi:k v. 4: i 'L i i S L 1 .. ...... .... ..... . . .........,{....................................... {ffti ....... , ...............:•:tiff .... ...... .:..:. }.,1.: }' :�: • ..•:•.vv.4•:•:•: .i . : r:{•: {{ •.L} d ;•. Wishes at Christmastime "Merry Christmas!" That is an age-old greeting; it is usually intended to mean all things to all people. May we, this Christmas, be more personal? If you are sick, at home or in hospital; unwell and afraid to voice your fears—may the promise of a newborn faith bring you comfort. If you are still empty and alone because this year has taken a heart from its place be- side yours—may Christmas bring you ,rich memories of happy times together and the hope which .was born with the Child. If you live in dread that this age of violence and license. may infect your chil- dren—may this Yuletide refresh you with the knowledge that He, too, was once a youth and knows its trials and fears. If, by chance, your daily life is a mask for the endless emptiness of alcoholism or drug nightmares—may Christmas remind you that the Son of God experienced all your frustrations and - was torn by the same temptations. If you are short of worldly goods and worried about the future, let Christmas bring you the message of good will in the hearts of so many of your fel lowmen—a "wi l I that actively seeks to better your lot in life. If you are young and bored and impa- tient—may Christmas tell you that the adults around you, in spite of their faults and short- comings, love you and will sacrifice endless- ly to help you along the way of life. If you are old and alone—may your heart be filled with peace and warm contentment because, if nothing else, you have helped to create a part of the good life that the young and eager can enjoy. And finally—if you are full of life and health, aglow with success, possessed of the good things of life, surrounded by family and friends—bend your knees in thankfulness that Christmas can still be such a joyous time and that we live in a free land where even those who do not believe in the birth of Christ may pursue their own lives and faiths unhindered. Ties are weakening The patriotic slogan of the Victorian era was "The sun never sets on the British Em- pire". With holdings around the world the British were keenly aware not only of their military and economic power, but of the in- fluence they exerted on millions in a myriad of races. That old empire was unique. Not only q was it more far-flung o e ar lun 9any than in history; it eventually proved slightly more intelligent: In our own time we have seen it change from empire to commonwealth and from com monwealth to a loose aggregation of free na- tions, bound only by a common heritage of law and order. It is not hard to understand the reluc- tance of a great many Britons to join -the present alliance of European countries, for the new ties were bound to exert painful pressures on many of the old loyalties. Economic necessity has prevailed and the former British lands are being left to fend for -'themselves. It is thus inevitable that Britain and all it has represented for three centuries will become less impressive to the nations the Old 'Land has nurtured. The two largest countries in the British Commonwealth have already displayed tendencies ci es to shakeoff o f f rural links. Austra- lia's - lia's government has reservations about the status of its representative at Whitehall and Mr. Trudeau has apparently hard a courteous disagreement with the Queen about the posi- tion and duties of the Canadian–governor- general. We can expect more of these signs of eventual independence and it is not un- reasonable to make our position clear. If Canada is, in fact, a ration in its own right, the ties with Britain 'should be those of courtesy and mutual spect and nothing more. " Farewell to the moon There was a certain sadness in the voices of astronauts and announcers as the wo-man American team blasted, away from he surface of the moon at the weekend. It was the end of the final -radon visit. `No' fur- ther trips are planned. Knowing something of the fortune that has been expended on moon flights ($450 mil- lion for the latest expedition) the question is bound to arise... . for what purpose? The object of the moon missions is va6ue to most of us because we have none of the vi- sion enjoyed by the scientists whose curiosity has been appeased in part by moon exploration. Trained minds can ask ques- tions and find answers that would be 'mean- ingless to the rest of us. Now the American space program is to be shifted 'to other equally expensive pro- jects of test and exploration. A few years hence the Soviets will join the Americans in a co-operative space venture, pointing, we hope to a new era of understanding. Fateful decision The Parliament of Canada faces a grim decision next month—whether or not capital punishment shall be re=instated. Most of us thank God we do not have to vote on that fateful question. It is one thing to kill a fellow -human in the heat of combat, when survival is . at stake. It is quite another matter to coldly de- cide that any individual mint look at the sun for the last time because he has broken the ultimate rule of our society. Yet we dare not fail in ahy opportunity to protect ourselves and our families from the savagery of the criminal who, himself, places no value on the lives of ,others. Murder is intolerable. It must be stopped. Certainly the person who takes a human life must face a penalty so grim that similar ruthlessness in others will be deterred. What, then, must society demand? It's up to you A recent TV commercial boosted the acceptance of a color television set which, among its other attributes, includes a device to cut out the interference created by the passage of snowmobiles along adjacent streets. The manufacturer has an interesting point there—but for the life of us we can't see why the TV owner must pay for equipment to it is not difficult to find critics for such tremendous schemes. There 'is always the forceful reminder thatthe treasure required for space expjgr ion would feed t(n'illions of hungry people on earth—that we have an ur- gent need to improve conditions on our own planet before we travel to other spheres. The same argument, of course, was quite probably thrashed out in the taverns of Spain when Queen. Isabella decided to -pro- vide ships and men for Christopher Colum- bus. Theking of France was stingy with the contents of his purse when Jacques Cartier was preparing to sail for a land that we now call Canada. There is no way to permanently curb human curiosity about the mysteries around us. Sometimes that insistence ••on greater. knowledge can be delayed or temporarily di- verted, but in the final analysis man's need to know always prevails. It is that very thirst for knowledge. which makes us different from all the rest of the animals God created. Perhaps the greatest weakness in the system employed for the past five years has been the fact that "life" imprisonment was something of a joke. Everyone, including the criminal, is well aware that no prisoner stays behind bars for a normal lifetime. Parole procedures give solid hope for re- lease in eight, ten or fifteen years. With good behaviour a murderer can be free in less time than an armed robber. • It could be that the only acceptable an- swer is a law which would demand thetotal life imprisonment of convicted murderers. On rare occasions new evidence arises' which can prove the courts in error. A dead man cannot be released; a prisoner serving a total life term can be set free. It is not a pretty solution, but in an age of careless and increasingviolence it may be the only one we can acept. protect himself from the sportsmen. The anti -interference equipment should be man- datory on the snowmobiles. With all the goodwill in the world the average homeowner is apt to get impatient when the TV picture erupts into summer lightning every time a snow bug passes his door. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited. Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. • Subscription $10.00 a Year Second Class Mail Member Canadian and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Associations $5.25 for Six Months, in United States $12.50 in Advance Registration No. 0821 Return Postage Guaranteed A page of editorial opinion Thursday, Dece'mber 21 ..,., , ••r' w,v.}•.•}•.L;.,w, ,r., t• :^r.•.L•.vr •rr.^ v}:}ti•'rr:�::•{•titi;:ti;{:•:::};:;�:;}.;:•,:;�ti }vtiti:�;:•ti{y ti:,i:4::• '`LC': ti}�':;:::�, L 'vrt{ti J ' ..1v:,{:;:;r:�:ti� � }:;ti{•1..'ti•:{:•Y{::✓::•{J. .` �L4 .,}. f .;i ;;:$::$:•:v:}•,: �;}}:ti{•, y •,:: };{�.::r::vy;}ti r }}}ti ;.::;:;•ti�?ti}•4:,;},iti;:};:;:;}?,{TP.,,{• :•}✓,•{J; ;: r,"l••{y}};: if �}, 4 � 1 }r J ,,'f"J �$S.�ti{;};}:;r:;r, ,. : A fi• r , r f d Y r r:}.. h • 1 l l l d • Y. L•. rl. • S J r••" 1 .l •Yr L •.1{' • .L S 4 Y J S y J J • .i. Y• : l :•"}✓::•. }:ti : r .1 • •: ri .: I ... _ ,..4rJl/... l✓,{r+ .LV. ,I ..v SJr.• 4u :•rn Like, what's new, pussycat? Bill Smiley One of my wife's students brought in some old newspapers, and I found them fascinating. FOR GOD AND HOME AND NATIVE' LAND VOTE OUT THE SALOON AND THE LIQUOR STORE Thus cried the Globe of Toronto on October 18, 1919. It had a cir- culation of 86,547. It had 24 pages. Count the liquor advertisements in your today's big city news- paper. Things were 'not so much dif- ferent sixty-two years ago, aside from the booze question. The Irish had two front-page stories. There was "nearly a settlement on the Irish problem." "Hands were extended but they were never gripped." And the Sinn Fein political prisoners were released from Mountjoy Prison as the outcome of their hunger strike. Like, what's new? • START WAR ON DRUG TRAFFIC read another headline. There was to be a $1,000 fine for improper use of narcotics. Ap a parently the opponents of prohi-- 0 December 12, 1972: The Editor, Advance -Times. Dear Sir: • You are a man who seems to take an interest• in this country and not afraid to say what should be done, so here are a few thoughts on my part that might help, and in many cases support your feelings. 1. If I drive down the road, making a noise and interfering with other people's TV I could get a ticket—so why should snowmo- biles be allowed -to do -this all Sun- day and also keep people awake after, say, 11 p.m., not .to mention going over other people's prop- erty? 2. Why should we in the country get all the pollution that city folk create? They make hydro at Douglas Point but burn gallons of oil (the smoke from) which must blow over us, and we don't even bition were scattering a leaflet purporting to show that since On- tario went dry "the use of drugs has increased to alarming pro- portions." But the only drugs they were concerned with were those oldies, opium, cocaine and morphine. Apparently our granddads were not acquainted with pot, hash, .horse and speed. Or peEhaps they didn't use slang terms. Anyway, what's new? Another headline stated: LITTLE FIGHT LEFT IN REDS. The whole article revealed that the revolution in Russia was just as good as over, and the "reds" had had it. I wonder if Stalin or Kruschev read that, and what they thought. There was an election on. The Globe, as it still does, tried to tell its readers how to vote. • On page 1, there is a box, with a facsimile of the ballot, and the paper urges every reader to vote No to every question on the refer- endum: About booze, that is. Every story about the election is slanted toward the Tories, against the Liberals, and against booze. So, what's new, except the • booze adverts? In a desperate four -column twenty -inch advert, the Liberals try to separate the political issues and the booze issues. Not a hope. What's new? • The rest of the front page could have been printed yesterday. Trouble all over the world. Gold - dust galore from the Yukon. Lloyd George carried to his uni- versity chair by students, led by a ragtime band (except that today he'd have been humiliated and led by a rock band.) Somebody's wife, with a certain lack of novel- ty, had presented him with his' 'third set of twins. And similar garbage. THE WEATHER. Same old jazz as we get today. "Probabi- lities: Fair weather; stationary or higher temperature." In other words, it's going to stay miser- able or improve. What's new? But the real fun of an old news- paper is the advertisements, as Letters to the use this hydro. It's for Toronto again. Why give uslhe dirt (from the' oil) ; why not nuclear power only? 3: Now they want to truck tons •and tons of rubbish up into the country to burn or cover up. Why don't they keep the waste they Make and not treat us like dirt? This rubbish should, in most cases be re -used and surely some way could be found to make it safe to be put into Lake Ontario on ''Toronto's doorstep (no truck ing) 'and make the new airport on the land which would be created. :This would not waste good farm- land, would get around the over- head ea noise and' oily smoke. If a plane had to crash land in the water it ;would be safer than on land and it wouldn•'•t kill people in their houses, Best of all, it wouldn't waste our tax dollars; ' this seems to be the only thing that, makes people listen. TODAY'S CHILD BY HELEN ALLEN There is something of a contradiction about this good-looking boy.. He looks younger than his 12 years because he is slight and small -boned but he seems to be older when he gets talking about his interests which are many. Anglo-Saxon and Polish in background, Ray has fair hair, blue eyes and clear fair skin. Ray is in Grade Five. He is not especially aeademicallly minded but his school work has been improving. Outside school Ray is always busy. He is keen on sports and °plays most team games as well as enjoying swimming and skating. He belongs to the Navy League corps and is involved in a community drama program and in•a church sponsored youth group. He attends Sunday School regularly. Ray enjoys music and like many other lads, he carries his transistor radio wherever he goes. He follows a number of television programs. Ray's hobby is stamp collecting and he is getting, to the point of specializing rather than collecting everything available. Ile is interested in travelling and seeing new places. Enthusiasm for the outdoors makes Ray think farm life would be great. He likes camping, hiking and picnics. For a time Ray was apprehensive about adoption but now this likeable lad is anxious to meet people who will want him ai their son. To inquire about adopting Ra',, please write to Today's Child, Box 888, Station K, Toronto. For general adoption information, please contact your local Children's Aid Society. HE HAS MANY INTERESTS 4. We must give people incen- tive if this country is ever to pro- gress the way it should. Small salaries with commission should be the rule. No unemployment in- surance unless there is real need -and that means (danger of) going hungry instead of buy- ing snowmobiles, which is what I hear some people on unemploy- ment insurance are doing. The minimum wage is stupid, as it takes many jobs off the market. Young people just can't earn $1.80 an hour to start as they need training, and it takes an they are today. Even there, the auto manufacturers took a lot of space. You had the choice among the Gray Dort, the Franklin, and something called the Lexington. But the copy hasn't changed much. Instead of power brakes, you had the "one -finger emergency brake." Instead of anti -freeze, you had the Franklin's "Direct air-cooled. No water to boil or freeze." Wonder what happened to that one? And instead of the 120 per cent performance promised for today's cars, the Gray Dort ad said it would take care of 80 per cent of a motor car's work. Won- der what happened to that copy writer. But among the names are ' many old, familiar ones. Mason & Risch. Phonographs? Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Shirriff's Marma- lade. Horlicks' Malted Milk. Red Rose Tea. And the all -too -familiar ads in tiny type for aids with 'dandruff, piles, under -arm hair remover for ladies, kidney pills, liver pills, Editor older person's time to do so. The "employer is paying twice what he • should and the way prices are go- ing he just can't afford this, so we end up with slipshod work. By all means pay a trained man or wo- man a decent wage when they can earn it. When I came to Canada 16 • years ago Ithad to work on a farm for $125.00 a month and the farm- er would have kept me working from 7 a.m. till 11 p.m. every day; given a chance. This is being done even today to many a poor man, -which isn't right.'0Ur fake workers in the U.K., 16 years-aga You Never Know A few years back an expert on nutrition made a statement that was news to parents but was something the kids have always known—spinach, he said, was highly over- rated as a necessary food item. We have for- gotten exactly what his proof was, but it cer- tainly made sense to a lot of sour -faced youngsters. Now the lid has blown' off completely. Another fellow who is supposed to know, says that we force our kids to swallow great gobs of milk every day—and thereby guar- anteethat they will get an early and substan- tial supply of cholesterol so they' can have early and massive heart attacks in adult life. Another expert (or maybe the same one)„ advised' eating lots of raw onions. He con- tends the odorous vegetables help to keep the inside of the arteries free of thrombosis - causing scale. By golly, you just never knoW, do you?' rheumatic remedies. What's new? - There isn't exactly an .enter- 'tainment section, as such, but the King Edward Hotel offered a din- ner de luxe for $1.50, with music by Romanelli's orchestra. The Alexandria was presenting ROADS OF DESTINY with Florence Reed. And the Princess suggested La La Lucille, with .music by George Gershwin. Evenings, $2.00. Matinees, fror'n 50 cents. This was live theatre. At Shea's there was a nine -act vau- deville show. Prices? 25. cents to 50 cents. What's new? I should tell you? And in a coloured supplement of the time, there are full-page ads for such things as chewing gum, Bon Ami for whitening your shoes, Borden's Milk, and Pebeco tooth -paste. Can youbelieve? In a recent Macleans, • Canada's "na- tional magazine," there were 126 pages of writing and just over 20 pages of liquor advertisements. So what's new? started at 6 a.m., but were all finished by 6 p.m., five and a half days a week with overtime after that, which occurred only during haying and harvest. These men were professional workers and happy at it. They were never looked down on, because they startedon a seven-year training period between the ages of 14 ,and 16 years. I hope all these items give you enough to, work on for a better Canada. Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. ���Yotu-si ncerel y, John A. Green, RR 5, Lucknow 0 0 0. Bayfield, Ontario. To The Editor, Wingham Advance -Times. Dear Sir: The shocking cruelty to. .wild'. life, shown . on the television: screen (Dec. 13) should arouse a storm of protest from many. Canadian . citizens. Those anti- quated trapping methods, being used in a civilized country, are barbaric. How could successive govern- ments, both Liberal and Con- servative, allow this to go on? Surely they must know that the Conibear- trap, designed for humane killing, has been avail- able for years. Why do members of the federal legislation do nothing to stop such a shameful practice? Certainly the cruel leg trap should be out- lawed all over Canada, NOW, .Yours truly,. Mrs. E. W. Oddlei fson • 0 0 0 �lbW aAE CHRISTMAS aweS.0A/Ly