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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-01-30, Page 4ADVAnC�-Ti �Jf1"1t+a. . �ti,'1�•.�^.,�,ti hy,•�Y k ♦,; i;`i. •. , h \ ^. ^ti \k� � �� L LL �� 1 1~•': �••�tii �'.L'�V••5s�' • � S:"4'{R}L�Lh , \yV.L�LL.� ' L♦,\ L,,1 • : ��L' ' •L�1L\ �"•LtT7.:'L`Li''.�♦' '\�y'\¢'553�w',. ei�\ti':�i. Y:���\iLiiY r�i�AS� r�♦L}�\'L�•.�L . New formula required The announcement last week that the Ontario government would increase the mintrinum wage to $2.40 per hour at the first of May came as no surprise. Nor will the new rate provide any tremendous luxuries for the man with a family who happens to be stuck with nothing more than that minimum. Nevertheless the public should realize that an increase in the minimum wage regu- lation is not limited to a raise for only those persons who are presently receiving S2.25 an hour, the current legal minimum. As soon as the increase becomes effective there will be a parallel upward demand throughout the labor force and a new round of inflation be- comes inevitable. The question arises: What is the mini- mum amount of skill, ambition and producti- vity that an employer should ask for an in- creased wage rate? A higher wage for the man or woman who js putting his best into his job is only fair in these times when the cost of survival is escalating so rapidly. However, it is high time that government labor ministries should recognize the fact that minimum working abilities vary great- ly. As an example, the minimum wage does not allow special status for persons in train- ing, other than a one-month period at slightly lower pay. We can think of a great many trades in which a month's training period is nothing more than a token. When an employ- er is required to pay $96.00 for a 40 -hour week ($2.40 an hour) to a person who requires the constant instruction and guidance of another and more highly paid workman, our economy has indeed sprung a leak. High starting wages have all but des- troyed ' the apprenticeship system under which business and industry supplied their needs,for trained help in years gone by. Few ES �hia•.�. ;•w4. •h♦ LLL ..{•: :.• � 'i. •V, •'•, L''�^. C°: S 'i;'•i•.`+�'� '1 % 'L .: • kt•:::;•�.L^L'°,:, ;1\:• ${:�{: ••}`'1:: fG}.•,v,{{ti{ti y:`}ti}.y'L L}LL..� . •, employers can afford to train new workers at $2.40 an hour. As a consequence there are several hundred thousand Canadians who are enjoying themselves on relief or unem- ployme t insurance while thousands of good jobs remain unfilled and national producti- vity is curtailed by lack of adequately trained help. Nit-picking and stupid regulations en- forced by the labor ministry add to the prob- lem. Here's an example: A few weeks ago a local firm advertised for a person to take over a specialized typing job on a machine which produces key-punched tape, and an applicant was found through Canada Man- power. Because the job required something more than straight typing ability the pros- pective employee was informed that she would be given an opportunity to work on the machine for whatever time was required to prove her ability to handle the job, and if successful she would be hired. After a day and a half of testing, under the supervision of one of the regular opera- tors, it was found that she would not be able to meet the requirements and was tactfully told she could not be hired. A week or two later the employer received official notice from the labor ministry that he must pay the woman something over $30 for the work she had done during her test period. Explanation of the circumstances to ministry officials made no difference what- ever. In fact, the employer was informed that he was being treated very kindly be- cause no penalty was being added to the bill since it was a first offence. As you might ex- pect, that employer is being very cautious about any job applicants and particularly those who are registered with Canada Man- power. Isn't it about time we got back to common sense? What is the right price? When members of parliament came out for a 50 per cent pay boost nDecember there was a tremendous outcry, a quick double shift by the NDP and a delay in the whole discussion.' Back in the House after the Christmas recess, the government has faced other business and stayed away from the pay increase question. The entire subject was dealt with from the standpoint of emotion rather than on the basis of common sense. Without, any doubt the timing of the 50 per cenf increase was horrible. A govern- ment can hardly demand restraint from its taxpayers and demonstrate lack of restraint at the same moment. However, a • calm evaluation of the question of remuneration for our members of parliament, certainly in- dicates that some sort of 'adjustment is nec- essary. Just what the, increase should be is open to, and will, without doubt, be the sub- ject of, some intense debate. Talking with one of the more recently elected members the other day we heard some very compelling arguments .about the near -poverty which present stipends inflict. He said that at present pay rates a member of parliament getsless than the doorman to front of the buildings. His contention was based on a comparison of hours. worked in each case. He also had it figured out that The strap is back London board of education has voted to reinstate the use of the strap as a disciplin- ary measure in London schools. The return of corporal punishment was stoutly resisted by several membersof the .board, but they were out -voted. The principal argument about use of the strap has been that it only confirms violence in our society. Anyone who reads this column regularly knows that its editor is strongly opposed to violence, but here we fail to agree that corporal punishment falls into this cate- each Canadian pays something like 24 cents a year toward members' salaries. Of course the salary and expense ac- count, along with free transportation and other goodies available to the members make the average wage-earner think the men at Ottawa are rolling in greeli stuff and that a 50 per cent increase is sheer graft for them. It must be remembered,, on the other hand, that these people face higher and more unusual expenses than the rest of us. Living costs in two places are typical, but in addi- tion there are travelling expenses if the. member has to return to his riding more than once a week; available cash for the handouts we expect from him;. living stan- dards for himself and his family which we all expect to be above normal levels. What should we pay our elected repre- sentatives? Certainty their incomes should be adequate to attract truly capable people, rather than a group of dullards who could not succeed elsewhere. Nor should their pay be high enough to attract the sort of person who wants the job only for its fat salary. We all want dedication and integrity. The obvious objective of the `settlement should be to establish some sort of sliding scale for members' salaries, under which their pay would be adjusted fo the cost, not only of living, but living in a set of circum- stances most of us do not face. gory. Is a mother indulging in violence when she decides heryoungster needs to be re- minded e- minded that he has overstepped, the limits of reasonable discipline? Spanking is a last re- sort, but at times a necessary one. Use of the strap in school should not be indiscriminate, and it should be employed only after decision by responsible persons, but the student who refuses to permit his fellows to continue their work in peace must learn his place. Good men leaving It was with considerable dismay that we learned recently of the decisions of Robert P. Ritter and James Cardiff to terminate their service on the board of governors of the Wingham and District Hospital. Mr. Ritter has been a valued member of the board and one of its most effective chairmen. Mr. Car- diff, both as board member and vice-chair- man, was obviously a capable person to suc- ceed- Mr._ Ritter_ when the latter retired. Both of these men will be sorely missed in the months ahead, for local hospitals are facing difficult times. Already there has been a strong suggestion that our area should become a tiny segment in 'a vast hospital region which would extend all the way to Woodstock and Chatham. It is pos- sible that the region will eventually be A page of editorial opinion t \�}�,� �,,\ VL }i4 1 1 9 `rh 1 4• h "•. �h fi hL. 5, L �hh L A4 L• e`. •h i 1. ,•� •. h } L'L i V LL V.., ♦ . ,L •,., •;•: �♦� 'L h. www • .. 'L'• Stn A . , 1 �. . i w�1. TODAY CHILD BY HELEN ALLEN trimmed to more realistic configuration, but inevitably the plan for regional control will bring with it difficulties and drastic changes in hospital control. Some of the alterations will probably be beneficial, but . given officialdom's propensity for error piled on blunder, sensible and forceful people are needed on our local hospital boards to resist whatever is obviously ill-conceived in the minds of Queen's 'Park planners. Mr. Ritter and Mr. Cardiff no doubt have compelling reasons for their decision, but their loss to the local. hospital board is re- grettable in the extreme. All -we can hope is that some sincere persuasion is being prac- tised by their colleagues before the annual meeting in March. Robby is an appealing six-year-old with dark eyes, brown hair and medium complexion. His glasses are for far-sightedness. He is in good health but is an insecure little fellow who needs patient, understanding parents. He likes to be helpful and is usually co-operative, but can be moody when he does not get his own way. Robby is doing well in kindergarten but he seems o need a great deal of encouragement to try new things, as well s much praise if he succeeds. He is not expected to excel academ I y. He will be a lovable son for parents who appreciate his need for warmth and complete acceptance. Other children in. Robby's adopting, family will be an asset but they should be at least four years older. To inquire about adopting Robby, 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. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published et Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited Barry Wenger, President Robert 0. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member — Canadian Community Newspapers Assoc. Ontario Weekly Newspapers Assoc. Six months $5.25 To United States $12.50 A LOVABLE BOY wWMiN?ir�.. tit Y p4 pn Thi.. sdciy, January 30 Leiters to the Edit • r Wingham Advance Times Dear Mr. Editor: There is much talk of an elec- tion in this fair Province of On- tario, and several dates have been mentioned. The dates most often heard are July and October. Further to this talk of an elec- tion, the news media are sug- gesting that the Big Blue Machine and Mr. Davis have lost a- great deal of popularity. Yes, they probably have. This humble person feels very strongly that they have won the last two elec- tions by default. Lack of money, the news media, political patro- nage *and the lack of a concen- trated, orgazed political battle by the other ppa ve been the contributing causes. There have never been satis- factory answers given for the following debacles: the educa- tional mess of the 60's; the Work- men's Compensation Board; the Ontario Hydro building and the Hydro method -of letting con- tracts; the Ontario Hospital Insurance and the Ontario Medical Association; the Ontario Provincial Police and organized crime in Ontario. All of the above have at one time or another been brought to our attention by the media, and for this I commend them and the loyal opposition. However, they have let the issues die, get hushed up and glossed over without satis- factory results. *Te, the general public, were never really in- formed in detail about the solu- tions and outcome of inquiries into the above. The only indica- tion wehave is that many months later Mr. So and So`has retired. The latest of these was a short, • terse announcement that Mr. Gathercole of the Ontario Hydro has taken early retirement. This is approximately one year after the contract irregularities came to light. He was the head man. What about the departmental heads? These grey pekple who sign the correspondence and play God to all of us peasants- The de- cision makers. Even if the people of this province were to send the "Big Blase Machine" to sit in opposi- tion, there would be no dif- ference. The "Big Blue Machine" has had 31 years to make sure everything will be the way they want it. They have placed in very strategic offices their people. Therefore, the incoming govern- ment would have a very difficult task. They would in effect be fighting on two fronts. That is to say, in the house and in the various government departments which are heavy laden with the "Big Blue Machine" supporters. There ' are many more prob- lems besetting the giant killer who will unseat the "Big Blue Machine" and they are, to name a few: money, voter apathy, suf- ficient good candidates to run in the ridings, riding organization and in the case of the Liberal party the federal government. Many voters do not know and - or appreciate the difference between the feleral government and the provincial government. It is all government to them. Furthermore, they do not really care so long as they get their family allowance, social assist- ance, unemployment etc., cheque. It is surprising that a very large segment of the popula- tion does not realize what the British North America Act covers and the division of powers. This is perhaps the reason why there is so much confusion ih the minds of many voters. To many who are apathetic, it will be just another election, so what!, my vote will not , change it. (There are many ^reasons for this atti- tude, too many to write about Jin .this letter.). Well, good luck loyal opposi- tion. You are going to need it. So Silver Circle worker addresses WI members BELGRAVE — The Women's Institute met in the arena rooms last Tuesday .afternoon with(, President Mrs. gtan Hopper''%yin charge. A poem, "New Year's Resolution" was read by s Mrs. Hopper, followed by the Institute Ode, Mary Stewart Collect and 0 Canada. Mrs. William Coultes presided at the piano. The roll call, "A memory 1 erse I learned at public school", was answered by 18 members. Mrs. Glenn. Coultes explained a display showing the grading and cutting of beef. Mrs. Stewart Procter gave a reading, "Think of Me First as a Person". tt was the story of a re- tarded child. Mrs. Procter then introduced Mrs. Willie VanderWoude of Wingham who gave an interest- ing and informative talk on her work at the Silver Cirele School in Wingham. She explained that a retarded child is often caused by a mental deficiency that is mis- understood. The Silver Circle School is a pre-school nursery which has 10 children, three mornings a week, and those who volunteer their services learn as Subscription $10.00 per year. Second Class Mall Registration No. 0821 Return postage guaranteed much from the children as they teach them. Mrs. Procter thank- ed' Mrs., VanderWoude and pre- seriled her with a gift. Mrs. Ross Higgins opened the business part of the meeting with the reading of the minutes and treasurer's report. Training School for , the 4-H flub "What Shall I Wear?" will be held in the Wingham Salvation Army Cita- del on February 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 4, p.m. each day. Club leaders will be Mrs. Ruth Gor- don, Mrs. Norma Moore, Mrs. Artice Johnston and Mrs. Hinka Bakelaar. The Senior Leaders' Course "Baked in a Pie" will be held in the Wingham Salvation Army Citadel on February 4 and 5 and the leaders will be Mrs. William Coultes and Mrs. James Hunter. Motions that passed included fees to be paid, prices for bou- quets to be left the same as at present, and that the caretakers be rehired for the hall. The com- mittee to look after planning the Credit Union banquet on Febru- ary 7 is Mrs. Ross Higgins, Mrs' Stan Hopper and Mrs. Glenn Coultes. It was moved to accept a stove donated by Mrs. Ivan Wightman tq.,be used in the hall.n rs. Stan Hopper and Mrs. Np g+.olittsk are to arrange to have a more suitable place for storing chairs made at the hall. They are. also to arrange for new cupboards to be built in • the kitchen. Mrs Clar- ence Hanna will purchase two large coffee makers for the hall. A ladies quartet entertained with two musical numbers, "It''s a Long Road to Freedom", and "That's the Glory of Love". Mrs. Stan Hopper, Mrs. George Proc- ter, Mrs. Glenn Coultes and Mrs. William Coultes were ac- companied by Mrs, Norman Clultes. Arrangements were made for canvass to be carried out in February for the Heart Fund. The co-ordinator is Mrs. William Coultes. Mrs. Norman Coultes gave a very interesting report of the London Area Convention held in Stratford in November. Mrs. William Coultes and Mrs. John Kerr were asked to look far your preparation fir the attack has been rather dismal. Respectfully You Bertrand P. Morin after the W.I. Class in the prize list for the Belgrave School Fair. It was moved to send a, dona- tion tb.,the Save:the :sight Fund: and also the Silver Circle School in Wingham. The meeting closed with God Save the Queen and lunch was served by Mrs. William Coultes, Mrs. JeSse Wheeler and Mrs. Lorne Jamieson. Smoke damage at hones home Jan. 27, 1878 Dear Editor: It was certainly pleasant to hear that the cabinet ministers of the : Ontario Government sugp Besting that they take a pay cut of five per cent. They are setting a good example. Nearly every week during th the past year we have heard a great deal- about strikes and the refusal of civil servants and others to continue working without an increase' in pay. I am all for a cost of living allowance to compensate for inflation and many strikers were 1 justified in asking for an increase in pay and I am pleased that they received it. However. I would like to point out that not everyone can go on strike to get an increase in pay. I am satisfied that those in the business of agriculture, the small businessman, the merchants who serve us well in keeping our daily needs available and those on fixed incomes received very little increase in income in 1974. It is predicted that we may see many strikes during 1975 and this is not good news. I would hope that those who intend to strike. for more pay and shorter hours would exercise some restraint in their demands for 1975. Elmer Ireland January, 1975 Dear Editor : ° We invite young people in your community to send us paintings, , drawings, poems and stories which express their feelings about themselves, their environ- ment, and the world we live in. Our project, ALL ABOUT US - NOUS AUTRES, is a non-profit group which collects, publishes and exhibits creative works by Canadians from six to eighteen years of rite:- Our purpose is to provide a way for our six million school-age people to get to know each other better. We hope many in your area , will share their ideas, their interests, hopes and" pOI ter*t p �� s ' tOirigirfal or:from all parts o Canada, received by May 1, 1975, will be considered for the third annual art exhibit and a second volume of writing planned for fall publication. The national art exhibit will open in Ottawa dur- ing Festival Canada, and travel to various regions throughout the year. Pictures and writings should be sent directly to ALL ABOUT US. - NOUS AUTRES. Please include name, age and address on each item so we can let you know about exhibitions and publications. Students, teacher and the public can write for further information. Sincerely, Betty Nickerson, Coordinator Box 1985, Station B Ottawa, Ont. KIP 5R5 GORRIE — Jimmie Jones returned to his home here on Fri- day after attending the funeral of his brother-in-law at Newmarket to find his house full of smoke. He had left the electric blanket on a low setting on his bed to keep his pet dogs warm during his absence. Only the springs on the bed remained and his dogs were dead. There was extensive smoke damage. 4 4 4 0 Hydro• nuclear unit sets new record Ontario Hydro's Pickering nuclear power generating station has set another Canadian operat- ing record. Hydro announced that Sunday, Jan. 19, was the 170th day of round the clock operation at essentially full power for reactor 4 Unit No. 2 and the unit is still in continuous operation. This surpassed the previous record of 131 days, 19 hours and 17 minutes achieved last May by the NPD (Nuclear Power Demonstration) unit at Chalk River. In. 1973, Pickering produced more electrical energy than any other nuclear station in the world M and had the world's highest pro- duction record of 83 per cent of capacity. - - For 1974 the station had a yearly production of 74.2 per cent 11 of capacity despite temporary shutdowns for planned main- tenance to two of its four units plus the loss of Unit No. 3 since Aug. 1 because of leaks in 17 pres- surized tubes. To Dec. 31, 1974, Pickering has produced 35.4 billion `kilowatt hours. 0 High blood pressure, a major contributor to heart attack and stroke, has no usual symptoms. You can have it and not know it. Have your blood pressure checked regularly and follow your doctor's orders. 0