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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-01-09, Page 6• The alternative is clear It is quitepossible that Henry Kissinger may be branded as a warmonger. The U'.'S. Segf e'tary of state was quoted last week as saving that "Only in the gravest emergency" WOUId, the 'United States resort to force over a shortage of oil. He spoke, too, of the grave danger to World peace which would be created by a "'strangulation of the Western economy" .. -a statement which seemed to refer not only to possible economic disaster for the United States, but to European nations as well. Kissinger, who has achieved more practical results in the settlement of inier- national disputes than any other single man since World War II, is surely not threatening the use of American military might to re- - solve its own energy needs. Rather,. we would prefer to believe he is pointing to his- torical facts. Most of the wars in human history have been fought for economic reasons — or more accurately fbr economic excuses. From earliest tribal times'the most frequent cause of mass bloodshed was the urgent need on the part of the have-nots to fight for food supplies or food -producing lands possessed by more fortunate neighbors. The hordes of Mongol warriors which poured out of Central Asia behind Ghengis Kahn to the very gates of civilization at Vienna wereseeking lands rich enough to feed their families and their ti •h1iK1ti1}'{•ti14'4, 'y .}}... %•.*. - n:•.'• :+. 4kmay �•. :� *'`ti . NZ'' 4 )e. .'.r v,rays:wsA+r.P4k 44,17** A.4144F Ai 16 1 Ai11A,4AN1141 1 0 beloved horses. The same basic forces were responsible for the fall of Rome, the devastating sweep of the Norsemen over vast areas of Europe, the Norman conquest of England and the Arab subjugation of Spain. There have been notable exceptions —, Alexander, the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler, men whose lust for per- sonal power led to the torrents of human suffering and enslavement. It is worth noting that in each of these cases the supremacy of the • conquerors was short-lived because there was no basic economic need for the lands they overrran. Food, of course, was always the basic economic need — but in our times the pro- duction of food is so highly dependent on powered equipment that sources of energy have become as important as the edible materials themselves. To even hint at the use of force today is nothing less than a re -chilling of the cold war from which, hopefully, we have emerged. There is no way the USSR could tolerate a Western occupation of Middle East territory. Any move toward the Arabian oil fields would be tantamount to pushing the button for nuclear war. This is a time of challenging problems for the Western world. It is also a time for cool heads and disciplined tongues. New solutions -must be fond Unless agreement was reached by Sun- day night more than 100,000 students in On- tario's separate schools will be without teachers, as thousands of secondary school students in Windsor have been since mid- November,,, The Letter Carriers' Union of Canada has already empowered its execu- tive to declare a postal strike in advance of the first meetings with -negotiators at the end of this month — and'such a strike would cost millions in financial and personal losses to business and private individuals. The Civil Servants'. Association of Ontario has, just completed a settlement with the Ontario gov- ern ent for'one sector of its membership anis . already threatening illegal strike action by office workers. • . Sure, you: know the sad and monotonous story as ,well as; we do. And the common de- nominator of all these labor-management disputes is the suffering ,of persons who have ,no part in the quarrel and who have no orga- rization to press `,'their Claims for a better share of the good life so loudly demanded by union, workers. We do not question for one moment the right of individuals or their organiiation's to seek higher returns for their labor. What we do repeat is that a better way must be found to arrive -at the decisions. We can no longer hj. afford the staggering 'cost of work stoppages and business losses. What, for example, do you farm people think of Canada's grain and meat inspectors right how? Again we say, look at Great Britain, where the right to strike has brought a proud nation -to the status Of a beggar in the world of in- ternational trade. - Obviously boards of arbitration they are ,now constituted are not the an wer. Talking with labor people we find th- t most believe the present boards are oveloaded with government appointees. Why, in the name of common sense, can we not bring down fresh legislation which will permit the impaneling of truly independent and intellir- gent referees who will carefully consider the .justice Of each charge and demand? As this column has so often said, if a man or woman must be . compelled by law to submit a decision,aboyt life or liberty to a cour of law, is it too much to.ask that WO - tions of work and .rates ot semupe at should be decided in the sarrre WO? The very existence of a, prosperous economy in the Western World is hanging in the balance. Continuation of the idiotic sys- tem we now permit is a certain guarantee that we will face economic disaster within a few short years. Is that the sort of future we want for our children? Those' were the days! Today's youngster have a great deal to be thankful for. The public purse provides for not only their health and education, plus. a sizeable monthly allowance for their, parents to help defray the cost of keeping them clothed and. fed. The country kids no longer are forced to walk a mile or two every day to reach a drafty one -roomed school- house. Practically all the boredom of "readin', writin' and 'rithmetic" has disap- peared from the classroom. When it comes to those after-school and Saturday activities every youngster craves, few have any, chores at homethat take them more than a few minutes a day. There are teams galore to which he must belong and adults on deck at all times to make sure the kids are kept "right in there on, the winning team. No, problems about equipment; no sweat finding transportation ... It's a great life! Yet, we wonder at times whether today's children are missing some of the basic values that were a part of a more rough-and- tumble period of a generation or two gone by. The old-time brand of hockey wasn't nearly as professional as the sort the kids play today, but believe me, the youngsters of yesteryear knew how to put their energy into a game on the local pond — particularly after they had spent a couple of hours sho- velling the snow off the ice before the game. There was never a question about penalty points or broken rules when,a fight roke out on the ice. It was invariably a quick, sharp battle and -there were never any broken bones. There were no irate parents on the sidelines to either cry foul, or to egg their offspring into further violence.` Nature looked after its own checks and •balances. When the ice melted and the rivers were singing again there were boats and rafts to build, tree houses to plan, hikes through the woods to be enjoyed. Few parents had any time left from a six -day -week to do more than listen to their children's glowing ac- counts of adventure and innovation. Strangely enough those unsupervised years of growing up produced some very fine men and women — the kind who could en- dure hardship and go without luxuries when necessary. The sort of men and women who became outstanding political and business leaders, great teachers and preachers, brilliant inventors and fearless soldiers. It was a tough and independent sort of life, but it produced very few juvenile delinquents, scarcely any vandalism and no drug addicts. Have we really come so far after all? A case of money and mouth One thing the Christmas and New Year's holidays have produced is a distinct case of second thoughts on the part of most mem- bers of parliament. Just before the Yuletide bells were ready to ring out MP's of all brands got to thinking about a pay increase .for themselves — 50 per cent no less. The response has been deafening. The people who gave the MP's their jobs got mad. Con- versations with the folks at home over the holidays will, probably, have cemented a change of hear: Sure, their costs .have -_gone up. Sure, they need more money. Certainly they're good men and true ... but like the rest of us good men and true, they will have to settle for something within the bounds of common sense. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited.- -- Barry imite - Barry Wenger, President Robert 0. Wenger, Secretary-Treasiit°er Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member — Canadian Community Newspapers Assoc. Subscription $10.00 per year. Six months $5.25 Ontario Weekly Newspapers Assoc. To United States $12.50 Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Return postage guaranteed t smock 11001) PREFER To dt. ?Mt IN MNMARIO 114 OF 5Mint PfNOMI NATION 5' Letters to TO THE EDITOR A couple of months ago I wrote a letter to the Editor regarding the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and the Gorrie dam and Park in particular. Since then a lot of articles have appeared in the press that have a bearing on this subject, directly and indirectly. A large article in the Crossroads section of your paper regarding the MVCA and the Saugeen Authority, an article in the London Free Press about the wildlife: reserve in Hullett Twp. by Eric Bender, the World Foot ti eiiiiierence in - Rome has taken place and your • editorial, "The Suicide Course", as •well as, a public meeting in Brussels of' the MVCA. At the Brussels meeting I sub- -rnitted the following resolution: "We, the members of the "Colne Alive" Sr. Citizens Club of Gerrie, many of whom have no means of transportation, hereby petition the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority to have the Gorrie Dam on the Maitland River rebuilt and the park re- stored to the condition- it was prior to the flood of May 17, 1974. "These projects we feel should be completed before any other projects are undertaken by the Authority. "We, in this inland area, feel that we deserve these recrea- tional facilities and are only ask- ing for what we rightfully need. "At present this is an eyesore in the village and a very poor advertisement fof the MVCA." This resolution was promptly moved by Mr. Bob Wenger of Listowel . and seconded by Mr. Charles Thomas from Grey Twp., two ' people from outside our municipality, which was encour- aging. The president of the Authority informed us that since the resolu- tion was not sponsored by a re- presentative of the authority it could not be accepted lnd voted upon, so I handed it to our re- presentative from Howick, Harold Hyndman. They said it would be considered at a future meeting. Why advertise a public meeting if those other than MVCA re- presentatives are not allowed to bring in resolutions that can be discussed and voted upon? The word Authority seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. The Committee Reports were very interesting. The thing that seemed to be uppermost was the acquisition of more land. Like all other government projects, big- ness seemed to be the main ob- ject rather than improve what they already had or had,authority over. The Maitland River flows through prime agricultural land in Huron, Wellington and Perth Counties, but the word "agricul- ture" is never mentioned once in the reports. Not even the term water level in the soil. Nor was the term fishing or fish men- tioned. Surely these are some of our greatest natural resources. In these days of increasing world population, it is only a short time until the world will need all the available land in the world for food production, and food produc- tion should be our greatest con- cern. In 1970 the world population was 3.6 billion. By 2003 it will be 7.2 billion and by 2036 — 14.4 billion. This is an increase of 10.8 billion people in 66 years or exactly four times as many people as. there are in the world today. I realize that the re- presentatives • of the municipa- lities in the Authority are dedicated and capable people but I wonder if they •are just being told ,by the Ministry 0 -Natural Resources what to do;and not to do." �„, I. also wonder if there is any co- operation between the Dept. of Natural Resources and the Dept. of Agriculture as to what is best for our area. ' Surely the maintenance of the small dams eti the north branch of the Maitland River, at Ford- wich, Gorrie, Wroxeter, Bluevale and Wingham serve as reserve.rs to maintain the water level in the soil. • - `Anyone who remembers the coal oil lamp and lantern knows that the light remained constant the Editor as long as there was any oil in the bowl of the lamps or lantern. The oil simply soaked lip the wick until the bowl was empty. I do not pose as an expert but I have had some training in soils and drainage in my college days. The water in these dams acts in the same way as the oil in the lamp: By capillary action, for miles back from the river, the water soaks through. the soil and maintains the water level in the soil to aid in the growing of crops and supplies water for man and. beast. 'Anyone who"h'as traveled to Goderich on Highway 21 North in the het silmn'i'er` it have'ob- served that the water going under the bridge is no greater than the amount of water coming from Lakelet Branch where it goes under the railway bridge just east of .Gorrie at that time of year. Where does the water from the whole Maitland Watershed go enroute to :Lake Huron? It is . absorbed by capillary action all, along the entire route: The dams serve the same purpose where they are located. Thewashout at the Gorrie Dam TODAY'SCHILD BY HELEN ALLEN Douglas very much wantsto belong to a family. He's not being very specific about what kind of a family but he thinks it will be nice if they live in the country. Douglas is 14, a tall, slim lad with brown curly hair, blue eyes (his glasses are for near sightedness) and freckles. His background is Anglo-Saxon. In opportunity class, Douglas enjoys working with his hands and he has many interests and hobbies, including crafts and models. He is interested in stereo equipment, is a keen gardener and belongs to Scouts. We is sports -minded, with hockey, baseball and swimming his favorites. Polite, pleasant Douglas will be a fine son for a family who will appreciate his personality and will help him develop his potential in,non-academic areas. , To inquire about adopting Douglas, please write to Today's Child, Ministry of Community and Social Services; Box 888, Station K, Toronto M4P 2H2. For general adoption information, consult your local Children's Aid Society. Atsk, HOPES FOR COUNTRY HOME on May 17 should never have happened. It cannot be blamed entirely on the present manage- ment of the Authority. The management had just put the timbers back in place shortly be- fore and when the flood came there was -no equipment to re- move these timbers in case of emergency. If the engineers or planners . had taken this into con- sideration when designing the dam it would never, have washed out. The Dept. of Natural Re- sources who sanctioned this con- struction were' largely guilty for- dr or _ thwashout.' ;,It was stated at the meeting that no one expected a flood at that time of year. No one. ex- pected a flood at the time that - Hurricane Hazel. struck a few years ago in October. Engineers should know enough to take these precautions and prevent such catastrophies from happening. For many years there was fairly good fishing in the mill- ponds at Gorrie and Wroxeter, but no more. The water now is all drained out, supposedly for flood control purposes and no water is -left for spawning grounds for the fislhis, too, was never con- sidered by the engineers, or the Dept. of Natural Resources when the dam was reconstructed a few years back. Another oversight or bltmder. When the Authority took over these premises there was already a millpond and a park that the - Community Club of the Gorrie area had established. Our reasons for having it festored are in the resolution and we sincerely hope they will be acted upon. The present memberls of the Authority no doubt ac epted in good faith designs that the Dept. of Natural Resources approved. We hope that when the dam and park are restored that the proper emergency precautions will be included in the plans. We live in hope. Elmer J. Farrish Gorrie, Ontario Attend baptism WROXETER — Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke attended the bap- tism of ther granddaughter, Chantell Denise, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Robinson of Wingham by Rev. Barry Pass- more in the Wingham United Church on Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Clarke were dinner guests at •the Robinson home. I1 the d!Ya 4 f pression, the., tateo n r Vddie believed e Cantor' though mast 1.�. afford to spend money to "gip, others, they might. t ,th dime or two. So* founded the March of Dime to help fight the then dreaded pohomyelit With the advent of the Salk Yse ' eine, polio died -but the new . March of Dimes lives Vin, adapt. ing its program. of ' ces wllb the changing times to aid all handicapped adults, regardless. of disability. In these inflationary times, should till Mach of Dimes change its name le the March 14 Dollars? Definitely not, claim the organizers of the new March �tf Dimes Ability Fund campaiin being held this week in our conic munity. "An - individual dime doen't buy much today, bit Eddie's philosophy still . holds true," says Doug. Harley, director of fund-raising. "If every single one of us --gat d 1' I include the handicapped— parted with a dime or two, the March of Dimes could continue to provide the essential assistance needed for the disabled adults in. this provihce." This assistance call mean the provision of relatively inex- pensive items such as crutches to the more expensive items such as wheelchairs and prosthetic ap- pliances. It means the main- tenance of ability centres wherea handicapped adult is re+traitw:d to enter the work force or where, for. the severely disabled, a work recreation program is available. Without this kind of help, many handicapped people becotr.e "shut-ins" with nothing but' time on their hands. It can mean a summer holiday at a camp for those who wou:td otherwise have no place to go for a vacation. Or it, can mean the inauguration of a transportation service, a swimming program or the instigation of regular social get-togethers`.. The March of Dimes stands ready to serve whatever way it can. But the agencyt depends cin volun donationus. So when bre 41414010t`r Diines: Ability Fur► corilraae calls on you, gi generously. Or give a dime or two. It all adds up to an invei t- ment in people. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor : On behalf of the players and management of Brophy Bros. Tires Slow -Pitch softball team, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the excellent support you and your staff gave us during the past ball season. Without the exposure .ytie re- ceived every week in your news- paper during a rather long season, ours would not have been the successful summer it was. As a first year entry in the W.O.A.A. Slow -Pitch League, we received extensive publicity and subsequent fan Support which un- questionably encouraged "us , to play better. It was as much fun for all of us as a team as we understand it was for the many faithful supporters who came out to see our games. We were proud to represent Wingham and were moderately successful in reaching the league semi-finals. Your support and that of the fans who encouraged us was an important part of our progress, It is our hope to do as well in the coming season. Yours truly, Dick Eskerod, Publicity Committee Lakelet Mr. and Mrs. Jim Inglis visited Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. John Findlay at Eden Grove. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Metzger and family visited Monday with Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Greenley and Barry. Gerald spent the week v, ith Barry. COMING SOON SWEETHEART SWEEPSTAKES a 4 1 4