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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1973-03-01, Page 4nkc, Sorry for ourselves • One of the saddest aspects of an era of inflation such as we are passing through right now is the self-pity with which every element of society views its own particular Evidence of this state of mind was quite apparent the day after the federal budget was brought down in the House of Commons, and has been added to eVery day since. That budget, because of the dire need of the Lib- eral party to please all phases of the elector- ate, provided more handouts for more people than has been the case in many years pre- vlously—but now from every side we hear how unfair it was to someone or some par- ticular class. Everybody is in the mood to grab, and ‘' when a good fat handful is assured the only regret seems to be that one hand was Orab- birfg instead of two. The people we hear the least about are the ones who have the most to lose in this age of high prices—the pensioners and the man other classes who must live on fixed In- comes. They have to pay ever-increasing a.mounts for the necessities of life, but have no opportunity to increase their sources of income. True, governments are trying to in- crease these basic amounts where pension revenues come from the public coffers, but there never seems to be enough money to go around for those who have outlived the age of • usefulness and the power to demand atten- tion. Nor are pensioners canfined to those who • draw their income from government -con- trolled sources. Thousands of older people • must live on pensions based on their former earnings with business firms or professional ' associations frcim which there is little or no chance of securing increases which relate to the rising cost of living. All the restof us who have our health and earning capacity are sure we are There is nctdoubt we are headed, for the poor house or for bankruptcy. Strange, then, that all the statistics avaltable indicate we have never before drawn such fantastic wages for labor, nor such high profits from our busi- nesses. Despite our conviction that tedaY's dollar buys next to nothing, the fact remains that no generation of Canadians ever ate so well, dressed so well or spent so freely. The luxuries of yesteryear have become the necessities of today. If you think we are poverty-stricken people, just take note of the average age of cars on main street; the number of snow- mobiles whizzing past your door; the num- berof boats on the summer highways headed for open water or the new homes in any or- dinary community. Not even the government wants to talk too much about the staggering total of the liquor and tobacco bill for the nation. The millions spent on sheer entertainment—the expensive kind, would relieve the needs of all poverty -Class homes in Canada. Let's quit fooling ourselves. There are some in this land who are having a rough time. Probably there always will be. But the Vast majority are lapping up a rich standard of living they never dreamed of 25 years ago, and still they protest, complain and go out on • strike. hot law is that? MOsfolder and m iddke generation, people have been brought up, in the belief thatthere are laws in this land which provide set forms of punishment for those who disregard the rules formulated for the, general good of society. Apparently a lot of younger -people have'never.heard,of the majesty of the law and,a lot of older folks have forgotten abbot it. Nor -cto fhe events and decisions of recent ears Seen,likely to -remind them. _ ioeeic'or so- agothe engineering stu- ents at the, University of Western Ontario IA 'a: little Party. They invited fellow engi- S'fromt-other uniterslties.and they laid, lyre ihitivestiniktfains'fdi, 4.,,iritti .11VI UV • 'rt.; -411/ .r9bo aypois o No doubt youffigl)ea Vead'IraboVrtagaiir flowed liberally throughout the ,elienhig.., female strippers brought in to NPrittmScePe'aPParentlylivorged several of he guests • as well and the 400 -odd mob suc- ceeded in: creating about, $2;500 worth of amage to. the hall in which, the event was Naturally there was a certain amount of • fuss and commotion in the dean's office the next morning. In fact some ofthe university • authorities were quite stern. An order has . come down from on high that the engineers are not to hold any more parties for a while Dear Editor, and they are to find the money for repair's to Several weeks ago I read with the hall. Now, the authorities didn't carry things to a state of cruelty. They didn't exPell any- one. They didn't charge. •anfilone • with • malicious damage. In fact, as far as we can find out, they didn't even call in the police. •They must have realized that these i?oor • Apo ,•? Thusday, March • Elizabeth is five and extremely pretty with blue eyes,-..kraw*: hair' and fair skin. Her. background is Scottish, This child Wilt goad general health but Was hoittwith cerebral* :palsy lack of muscle Control) WWI" handicaps ho ettly Her halsksee IS poor, She walks awkwardly and has linilted use of her right Iwo. sh(iiesrs orp,hopedito hoots liecauifie of flat feet . - • and to helpher walking;::. •* Despite these difficulties Elizabeth Is *cry active and plays all, the game* other children do. She hos A tricycle and Manages It • well, lieehaatiti; more help to'her .than she realizes heause she „ie.ati Use It when reminded -and when on a swing she hOlds, the. _ *mita with beth 'hands. 'She goes to the tripPle‘Chliziren'a, Centre about every three' ,months for assessment and has one exercise :to d0'at twine* Plzsibttit gees to, senior kindergarten in the alterations. Shell, v,illiOderOt to be aliwiearaerb0 her tooter mother'seYs she, Is keeping up, with -her classmates.,' , . Flig4/YOth has stt(0.04 memory. Slie comes home foil of gager stories :about school and likes to sing 'school songs and corn, mereials beard on television and -radio; • • An affectionate child.' Ellzabethis accustomedto mOch,at- tention frOM her foster ,pirents andtheir three Older children. She needa a loving heMe;Whe're her limitations will be accepted: and ,1110e, the parents will herhappy to 'work' *closely with g, medicalteam in the interests of helping their: adopted: daughter, • .10 luquire about adopting Elizabeth, please write to Today's Child. Box $83., Station It; TorOntolVI4P .2112. For, general adoption information, 0.10.10e contact your local VhIld'ren's.Aid Society, W 07 , •0114i0lilikall-'corile,froM 'betoken anciim- r VileVicifjefFljon4savott4rie-parems vitte'r'eurt- 1;1616 ProVide any of the finer things in life. Probably the boys really didn't know any better so they arebeing given a second chance. • Strange thing. You can get a couple of years in jail for shoplifting, but for $2,500 damage to public property you get your • wrist slapped. • • preserving Not long ago the Cruickshankfamily in- terests offered Sky Harbor airport to. the Town of Goderich at 'a sum reported to be $125,000. So far we have not heard that the 'matter is settled. • There has been a great 'deal of commotion over the possibility that the Old Huron County jail may be demolished or • . partially so. Although we agree that the jail • is a historic site of some significance, we feel • that the airport is a practical facility which is at least of equal importance.. • • Sky Harbor was one of the earliest of Small town airports in the province, The idea • was initiated by Cass Hoygh of Plymouth, • Mich., along with a fewfarsighted Goderich • residents. Opened several years before the • war, it began -to serve American and Cana- dian commuters who Wanted fast access to the lakeside resorts from their distant • homes. During the war years, of course, the airport served, as an elementary- flying school and since the war has been operated • on a financially precarious footing until a , disastrous fire several months ago. Admittedly the present need for an air- port may not appear too pressing, but to re- linquish a facility which will so obviously be needed in the future wikI be sheer folly. The use of aircraft in one form or another is certain to increase as the years go by. In fact the location at Goderich makes it doubly im- portant, lying as it does in an area from which all rail passenger service has been re- moved. . No one but the principals in the Airport • ownership are sufficiently well informed to know all the financial implications, but it is quite obvious that the site should not be per- mitted to revert to paiture land. Highway death traps • At times officialdom seems blind to facts. construction of highways is a com- plicated business in which the factors of engineering and high-cost workmanship must be taken into consideration. However, after a highway has been in use for a few years (sometimes only a few months') mis- -takes become apparent. Then it seems to take forever to have them rectified. The classic example, of course, was a new intersection just south of Wingham at the point where Highways 4 and 86 cross. Car damage, physical injuries and fatalities continued at this point while larger warning signs and blinking red lights were added. Rumble strips in the roadway were installed and even then accidents occurred and still do, although the driving public seems to have become more aware of the risks. There is a stretch of No. 4 Highway north of Blyth that has become the scene of traffic accidents out of all proportion to other stretches of that road. Another very dangerous spot is a -curve in Highway 86 about a mile east of Bluevale. At this point an upward tilt of the road sur- face on the outside of the curve is totally lacking. It's as flat as a pancake and a real test of driving skill, particularly if you are going west and there's a bit of snow on the road. That was the scene of a double -fatality on Thanksgiving night. Surely there are some answers for ob- viously dangerous areas. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham, 'Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited. Barry Wenger, President Robert 0. Wenger. Sec.-Treas. Member Audit Bureau of Circulation 0) Member Canadian and Ontario Weekly Neyfapaper Associations Subscription $10.00 a Year $5.28 for Six Months, in United State $12.50 in Advance ..Registration No. 0621 Return Postage Guaranteed geootdCissi. Mali 'great interest and I intisteenfess **, much pleasure, a forthright and detailed report by Mr. ,JallieS Currie addressed to our .tow,n council. I have been patiently waiting and scanning the newspaper for some reaction to this scathing artisk Agt.kftlave seen nothin Being a local boy, lfri'ld this was going to happen as 1' know the apathy that is apart �f this town. Thus I ieeriebecessary to voice My own opinion in this matter. I feel someone should speak up to congratulate:W. Currie, if for nothing else, than for having the courage to speak openly and frankly about issues that he must have known would not sit very well with our council representa-. fives and some citizens and ern,- ployees of this town. • The first reaction a lot of people obviously had to this report wag probably to write it off as "sour grapes" on Mr. Currie's. part. However true this might be is not the issue. The issue, as I see it, is whether ornot the conditions de- scribed and the procedures re- ported are or are not fact. . 11.one reads carefully with an open mind, there are an awful lot of questions raised abaut the management of this tovvn and es- • pecially. the need for a town man- ager. , Assuming that the points raised by "Mr. Curries ate fasiet * (a'fid there has been no refuthtstArgu- P %ask', fitraYd,v inust asSume this) then the need for a' town Manager is not only obvious but imperative. Mr. Currie is not 'known for his bashfulness but his indignatitm.is well founded and 1 might add, shared, if council has: 1. Discarded the need kir a ' town manager without listenirig to, any report from Mr Currie on • his trial 'period in this. position. • 2. Not seen fit to divulge to •anyone valid and honest reasons for not hiring a town manager. 3, Dismissed Mr. Currie for personality reasons under the guise of not supporting the neces- sity for ia‘ town manager. 4. Continues to ignore obvious poor management and basic bus - loess "sense" in the handling of personnel and requisitioning and inventory procedures. If the statements presented by Mr. Currie were Unfair and not hased'on fact, as I'm sure some council members will contend, then why the "pregnant :pansy" or euiltY, silence' from eamoil? Why have there been no state- menta#:Matuni for not hiring a tovikonsalitagerlAVIsybiOpthere been no,Attilement fput#7 Uncil either mtifingrat fidthlt to atrocious conditions 'brought Out by Mr. Currie? Ignoring an issue and hoping it will go away is an old, and I'm afraid, ton often successful ploy that has been used before in this town. This silence from Council makes me terribly uneasy, Pnr afraid. Is silence an admission of guilt or indifference? .1 have heard the excuse that Mr. Currie doesn't warrant the satisfaction of an answer. This to me is not only uqfair but is childish spite. Beside, : I'm afraid* that Mr. Currieisn't the only ,one inter- ested in the answers. • Yours respectfully, R. Hollenbeck k I f. I THE YOUNG FOUR, a talented singing group from Clifford wai a winner at Wingham Lions Talent Hunf show at Winghilm Feb 22 and may proceed to the finals. They are Deb. Murray, Bruce Ditk(Of and MarkAuger. ' "(Staff Pnofe) bie Lou Creighton, Judith Anne SIRE NEEDS LOVIINo 'FAMILY • visit Kik' ener oronto, London in June The Queen and Prince Philip will visit Ontario Jime-2.5 to June 30 and again on, July, 3, Premier William Davis announced 'today, The Queen and the DUke of Edinburgh will Spend two days in Metro Toronto and then, travel - ling by Royal Train, Will Agit Co. bourg, Kingston, the Kitchener - Waterloo -Cambridge area; Lon- don, St. Catharines, Niagara -ort - the -Lake, and Brampton: On' July 3, en route from Prince Edward Island to Regina, the Queen and the Prince will visit Thunder By. , • They are scheduled to arrive in Toronto aboard an Mr Canada DC -8 June 25, While in Toronto the Queen and Prince Philip, will attend cere- monies at Queen's Park where Premier Davis will )deliver the • traditional Loyal Address. The province will host a dinner that • evening. Also scheduled for To- ronto is a visit to City Hall to be followed by a civic luncheon • ' At Osgood e Hall, the Queen will •. open new law courts. The Queen • and Prince Philip will visit On- tario Place and the new Scar- • borough Centre, At Niagara -on - the -Lake they will attend the Shaw Festival. • On June 30, prior to their de- parture for Prince Edward Island, the Queen will attend, the 113th running of the Queen's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack. Additional details will be an- nounced when confirmed. • Bargain foods can cut grocery bilis in half * Weekly grocery bills can be cut in half for some Canadian fami- lies simply by buying bargain forms of food. An examination completed the first Week of February showed that weekly grocery bills to feed a family of four in Ottawa Can vary from $28.70 to $69.90. Home economists in Agricul- ture Canada's Pond Advisory Services Section - drew up a halanced, nutritious diet for a week. Then they chose the moderate, intermediate and generous methods of hopping and eating. All three weeklyitnertus feature the same basic ingredients—such as poultry, beef, fruit juices and vegetables—but the type, form, processing and packing of items differed. Per example, the generous diet Included two take-out meals (from a pizzaria and a fried chicken outlet) while the moderate diet featured home - cooked meals. • ."Vite are not suggesting that all Canadian families should eat the moderate menu," says Agricul- ture' Minister Eugene Whelan. lihere may be very valid •reasoris for a hodsewife to buy convenience foods, partially -pro- cessed items and the more ex- pensive forms of food. The choice is the consumer's. "What the study does show Is the wide latitude that exists for Canadians to eat cheaply or ex- • pensively. Even the moderate diet is not the cheapest nutrition- ally -adequate diet that can be bought." Savings were made by cutting out expensive forms of meat, frozen prepared foods, out -of - season fresh fruits and vege- tabies, bakery goods and by sub- stituting items sueii as skim milk powder farfresh whole milk. Housewife on telephone: 'Come quickly. bur houtie is on &el" Fireman: "How do we get there?" HOusewife: "Gee, don't you have your red truck any more?" 'Wlusband, as tailor mea - fah sures his waistline: "It's Ione amazing wlAn you realize that a, Douglas tIr with that girth would be I* feet tallii" 4