HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-09-04, Page 4ADvRncE-TimE5
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The right to know
News editors in Huron Bounty were
more than ,a little disturbed last week when
The London Free Press carried a st • ry to the
effect that the members i•f county council
would meet on Thursday to discuss the re-
structuring of mtt�itcipal government.
Reason for their concern was that the war-
den was quoted as saying that his councillors
were "adamant" in their demand that the
meeting should be a closed one, from which
press and public would be excluded.
A press conference called for Tuesday of
this week may or may not have explained the
situation to the satisfaction of the county
news editors. (This column is written, of
necessity, before the Tuesday conference).
Bill Elston, reeve of Norris Township
and a past county warden, informed us that
the Thursday meeting was only for the pur-
pose of providing all council members with
the facts and figures Nkhich have been as-
sembled by the restructuring committee so
that an open \counc l discussion would be
based on facts rather than emotions. If that
was, indeed, the case and the Thursday
closed session was no more than an informa-
tion meeting, all well and good.
if, on the other hand, the councillors did
actually get down to debating the l 'os and
cons of restructuring, the meeting should
have been open to the public, of which the
press is only a part. Long before any final
decision is made by county council on a
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question which is so vital to all citizens of
Huron the general public must be fully in-
formed on all the factors involved. The
people of Ontario have for too long been wor-
ried by the possibility (and in some cases the
reality) that their entire system of self-gov-
ernment might be drastically altered by the
imposition from higher levels of government
of regional administrations.
Mr. Elston says that the concept of re-
structuring, as it has been discussed in
Huron, is to anticipate dictates of the provin-
cial government which require consolidation
and hopefully more efficient forms of local
administration. In other words, to achieve
modernization in local control without
sacrificing all municipal identity in a huge
regional system. Under restructuring we
might visualize a common municipal council
for a fair-sized town and its surrounding
villages and townships—rather than the
combining of a city and two or three counties
into a regional administration..
Perhaps our vjsion of restructuring may
be miles away from the concepts of the
Huron committee. We have no way of know-
ing—and that is precisely what is bothering
us, as well as all those other residents of the
area affected. We must be told. We have
every right to ponder the consequences of.
change just as seriously as the members of
county council. And when the time comes for
the final decision we have every right to ex-
press our intentions on a ballot.
Made in Hong Kong.
The old concept of shopping at home and
supporting your own community has long
since been replaced., by the convenience of
the automobile and the shorter working
week. Nor has the urge to buy abroad been
confined to the shopping habits which take
the small town buyer to the big city.
Canadians are shopping all over the
world—and wondering at the same time why
we have so much unemployment.
Preparatory to departing for some fish-
ing in Saskatchewan recently we indulged
ourselves in a beautiful five -section fishing
rod—one which would pack into our suitcase
for the plane trip. After we assembled it at
home we noted a label which read "Made in
Korea". The accompanying reel was made
in Taiwan.
At a service station down country not
long ago we happened. -on a group of small
cars bearing a well- cnown North American
trade name but still tarrying the Japanese
shipping instructions which brought. them
across the Pacific.
Chances are the shirt you're wearing
was made in Hong Kong. In fact more than
one enterprising manufacturer in that Far
East city is sending out postcards to Cana-
dian businessmen telling . them how and
where they can be measured for a fancy silk
suit without going farther than the nearest
city.
There is no point in blaming the pur-
chaser of such goods if he or she can buy for
less than would be charged for Canadian -
made products. Nor should the retailer be
criticised for at,tempting to provide his cus-
torners with less highly inflated merchan-
dise. And obviously you can't censure the
hard-working Japanese or Chinese exporter
who is building up his business.
It is a dilemrna which faces the entire
Western world. The people of the East, who
have known little but grinding poverty, dis-
ease -and bloodshed are willing to work long
hours for enough income to provide them
with the necessities of life. They don't enjoy
the benefits of a minimum wage law; they
don't go out on strike because the wash-
rooms are unswept or the boss yells at them.
In short, they are glad to accept a standard
of living that the poorest among, us would re-
ject without second thought.
Our alternative is to accept a growing
rate of unemployment—a relatively huge.
segment of the population which will be for-
ever dependent on the earning capacity of
the rest of the nation who are at work. Add to
that unhealthy situation the fact that the oil
producing countries are draining off our
material wealth in previously unheard-of
amounts and you get the picture of a future
which may be vastly different for our chil-
dren and grandchildren.
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Our tastes are rough
Most of us have, at one time or another,
given some thought to the growing trend to-
ward violence -in our time—and too often we
have associated violence with young people.
However, there is a considerable body of evi-
dence which indicates that the love of vio-
lence is not by any means confined to youth.
Have you ever thought about the very
high percentage of the films shown in
theatres and on TV which carry titles
bearing the words "death" or "terror" ... or
at least suggest such themes? Looking
through the television listings for only two
weeks in July as carried for only five chan-
nels in our Crossroads section we came upon
the following: Dr Blood's Coffin, Night
Train to Terror, Night of Terror, Blood and
Lace, Heaven and A Gun, Triple Terror, A
Beautiful Killing, The Dance of Death, Cage
of Evil and Gunfight at Dodge City.
Granted, not all of those films with ter-
ror and death titles actually portrayed kill-
ings or fear. A few of them were merely
spoofs. And during that same time period
there certainly were other films available
which were good comedy, pleasant romance
or serious drama.
Film makers, theatre owners and tele-
vision program people do not make the deci•
sions about what they will produce or show—
we do. That's eight. If the demand for death
and terror were not there, the films would
not be made in the first place. Public ac-
ceptance is the guideline in the entertain-
ment business right from the word go. With-
out demand the industry would be a financial
flop.
The moralists are loud in their condem-
nation of obscenity in the movie industry, as
well as the publishing field. The only conno-.,
tation they have for obscenity' is exposure of
the human body and its implications of
sexual need or activity. To us the most ob-
scene act in the world is the physical suf-
fering depicted as. one human vents his ani-
mal cruelty on another. We do not favor un-
limited exposure of sex -oriented films of
course, but at least sexual contacts are in-
spired basically by the God-given instinct to
love and to reproduce. Cruelty and physical
enslavement are inspired only by what is
lowest and most savage in mankind.
Sometimes we wonder whether we have
reached that affluent stage in our civilization
which made butchers and sadists out of the
Roman populace. Remember, they got their
greatest kicks out of watching a few hundred
people die on the sands of the Circus
Maximus.
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Letters to
August 12, 1975.'
Dear Sir:
As a Coroner in the province of
Ontario, I have been concerned
by the frightful carnage that
occurs on the highways of this
province and, in particular, the
high correlation between exces-
sive drinking and accidents
resulting in fatalitis.
Drinking habits and the atti-
tudes towards the use and misuse
of alcohol in the province of
Ontario are changing. Consump-
tion as a way of life is beginning
at an earlier age. There would
appear to be a super -imposing of
European drinking habits (under
the guise of sophistication and
maturity) upon the traditional
Canadian attitudes toward
alcohol consumption resulting in
a serious stacking effect produc-
ing a marked expansion in the
per capita use of alcohol.
In 1974 there were 990 deaths on
our highways in which the blond
alcohol levels of the victims
exceeded the legal limit. As a
rule, we are unconcerned about
these statistics until we are
One thing about this Ontario election
campaign. It doesn't matter who wins, we've
got it made. All three parties are promising
that life will be beautiful if they are elected.
Just one problem. Every one of those
promises must somehow be paid for and we
have a creepy feeling we will not only enjoy
the goodies but will also have to foot the bill.
THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES
Published' at Wingham. Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited
Barry Wenger. President
Member Audit
Robert O. Wenger. Secretary -Treasurer
ureau of Circulations
Member — Canadian Community Newspapers Assoc
Subscription $10 00 per year Six months $.5 25
Second Class Mail Registration No 0821
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Assoc.
To United States $12.50
Return postage guaranteed
touched by the tragedy of sudden
death'. This tragedy is com-
plicated when we realize that this
occurs in such a high proportion
in young, healthy individuals.
The hazards of injudicious use of
alcohol are real and affect the
public as a whole, and are not
restricted to the so-called
"problem” or "heavy" drinker.
Death may enter the next curve
on the highway and touch both
the drinker and non-drinker
alike!
As a Coroner, I have also been
impressed by the concern and
conscience within the Attorney -
General's department, con-
cerning the efforts to control this
loss, by means of persuasion,
deterrents and finally punish-
ment through the courts. It is,
however, my opinion that little
will be accomp hed until an in-
formed and ccerned public
expresses its concern at this on-
going slaughter on our public
highways.
One area which has not been
fully explored, in my opinion, is
that in the area of public scrutiny
T0BAY'S CHILD
BY' HELEN ALLEN
Jerry is seven. a lively. energetic fellow with light -brown hair,
dark eyes, and. as you see. an enchanti g smile. Basically he is
a happy child but because of rejections in his past he is cautious
about trusting people. and he needs a lot of reassurance that he
is really liked.
Jerry will enter grade one in September. He is behind his age
group and for a time will need a structured special class.
Though now considered low average in ability, he is felt to have
average potential. He likes school. is eager to learn and will
unspubtedly benefit from being settled in a home of his own.
Jerry loves the outdoors and is beginning to be interested in
sports. He is proud to be a member of a baseball team.
He will be a fine son for parents who can help him believe he is
really wanted and loved.
To in,gvire about' adopting Jerry. please write to Today's
Child. Ministry of Community and Social Services, Box 888•
Station K. Toronto M4P 2H2 In your letter please tell Something
of your -present family and your way of life.
For general information. consult your local Children's Aid
Society
the Editor
and public ridicule. It is this
notoriety that, I feel, might be a
powerful tool in bringing about
the compliance of an individual to
the rules and regulations of
society. It has been my thought,
for some time now, that this old
mechanism may well have some
application in modern society.
For example, I would suggest
that some consideration be given
y the courts to publicity that.
publicly distinguishes drivers
who have habitually abused the
privilege of drinking and the
privilege of driving and their
combination, which we know to
be a lethal combination. I would
suggest that these drivers be re-
• quired to drive a brightly colored
automobile which the public
couldeasily distinguish for a
'specific period of time (their
sentence), so that the public
could recognize them as of-
fenders and also be able to pro-
tect themselves to some degree.
As we all know, anonymilyjs a
great cloak to cover innumerable
sins. The loss of a driver's licence'
is virtually a private matter
between the individual and the
courts. Such action as that pro-
posed would overcome the ob-
jection to interference with liveli-
hood and the punishment of non-
involved individuals within the
offender's family.
It is a source of amazement to
me that the public is so concerned
at the present time with gun con-
trol when the automobile and the
drinking driver is a far more
dangerous weapon than any gun
in the hands of the public. This is
a statistical fact that. I am sure,
will be readily confirmed by any
coroner , in the province of On-
tario.
Trusting that the Ontario
public will . become more con-
cerned with this serious problem.
I remain truly yours,
J. K. McGregor. M.D.C.M.
fi
540 Shuter Street,
Wingham, Ontario,
August 31, 1975
library news
Tremor Violet by David Lippin-
cott
Tremor Violet is an earthquake
of unprecedented proportions
that reduces the city of Los An-
geles to chaos and semi -ruin. The
lives of a handful of characters
are violently altered by the earth-
quake but the dominating charac-
ter is Violet herself who brings
death, drama and uneftpeeted
surprises in her wake.
My Name Is Mary by Anita Katz-
man
This very candid novel is the
story of one woman's need and
suffering as she discovers how to
go on living, after the death of her
husband and with the last child
gone from home. At first all sense
of her own self-esteem is
swamped by overwhelming emp-
tiness but eventually Mary learns
how to live without hate.
Green, Green My Valley 'Now by
R. Llewellyn
Because of social change in Ar-
gentina, Huw Morgan returns to
Wales to_find that the twentieth
century has penetrated his home-
land with a vengeance. Hating 4
the lawlessness and violence of-
the nationalists, Huw tries to hold
himself apart from them, making
the farm he built -for his wife a
place of calm and beauty, but he
finds that he must first come to
terms. with the brutal forces of
' the times before he finds the
peace he seeks.
•
to
readers, are interested in know-
ing what effects a storm similar
to Hurricane Hazel would have in
this area, I am sure that the staff
of the Maitland Valley Conserva-
tion Authority would be willing
and ..able to inform you.
Secondly, the .threat that was •
posed to the Lower Dam and the
concern that was created by the
high water could easily have been
avoided if whoever is responsible
for operating the dam had taken
proper action when it became
obvious that the rainfall was
heavier than normal and would
likely cause high water condi-
tions in the River. Such proper
action would have entailed the
removal of some of the stop logs
from the dam in order to lower
the level of the pond and increase
the flow capacity of the spillway.
This action would have prevented
such high water levels at the time
of peak flow through the town.
Apparently, this advice was
previously given to the town offi-
cials at the time the dam was re-
constructed. It appears this
advice was, ignored.
Perhaps Town Council should
insure that someone with some
knowledge of proper water
management practices and dam
operation is charged with the re-
sponsibility of operating our
newly rebuilt Lower Dam. Other-
wise, we may soon see the hard
work of Councilor Mowbray and
thousands of Wingham's tax
dollars washed downstream to
Goderich and out into Lake
Huron.
Dear Sir,
Concerning the article entitled,
"Late August flash flood poses
threat to lower dam... appearing
in your issue of August 28, 1975,
there are two points upon which I
wish to comment.
Firstly, you mentioned that,
"• the fanned Hurricane Hazel
dropped only 3.9 inches 10 or 12
years ago in the Toronto area "
This is completely inaccurate'
The rainfall experienced during
Hurricane Hazel in the Toronto
area. that is at the centre of the
storm, was in the order of seven
(7 , inches and that seven inches
of rain fell on saturated ground
Neither the conditions preceding
the August 23rd. 1975 storm nor
the rainfall experienced therein
were anything like Hurricane
Hazel in the Toronto area. which
occurred in 1954, twenty-one ( 21 ►
years ago. 1f we had experienced
conditions similar to those of
Hurricane Hazel in the Toronto
area, the Lower Dam, and likely
the Upper Dam, would have been
well overtopped and washed far
down the River if you, or your
Yours truly,
Andy McBride
Broadcasts From the Front by 'A.
E. Powley
From the nightly barrages of
the London blitz, through the can-
nonades of Italy and Normandy,
to the final shots in Germany,
Canadians daily heard the sounds
of battle along with reports of the
accomplishments of their fight-
ing men. This book tells of the ex-
perinces of the small band of in-
trepid correspondents who went
into, battle to record the war
`live'.
Aug. 30, 1975
FOR CHILDREN:
Jacob Two -Two Meets the Hood-
ed Fang by. M. Richter
Poor Jacob Two -Two is inside
the children's prison and his
jailer is the fearsome Hooded
Fang. But although Jacob Two -
Two is small and young he is far
from helpless and -when the In-
famous Two come to his rescue
the result is a marvellously funny
story.
Dear Editor
While recently visiting your
town I decided to spend my even-
ing enjoying a baseball game.
Upon arriving at the park I saw a
gentleman standing at the gate
collecting the admission fee from
any spectators wishing to see the
game. I was appalled.
After questioning several by-
standers I found that this was not
a usual procedure and I can
understand why. This calibre of
baseball• slow pitch, does cer-
tainly not deserve to be put in a
category that one should have to
pay a set price to see it being
played.
Several times in the last couple
of months I stopped at the ball
park to enjoy the baseball sport
and regardless of whether it was
a play off game or not the proce-
dure was always passing of the
hat and people would donate as
they wish.
All these times the calibre of
hall was higher than that of slow
pitch and i must say the audience
was a lot larger for those games
than the game the other night
where they were collecting at the
gate Perhaps this says some-
thing in itself.
1 am an avid reader of the
Wingham paper so if anyone
would care to offer an opinion on
the subject 1 would be quite inter-
ested.
Yours sincerely,
Albert Greene
Black Beauty's Clan by J. D. & C.
Pullein-Thompson
This is the story of the children
of Black Beauty. Like their fam-
ous ancestor, the three horses are
involvedin many adventures
sometimes with people who love
them and are kind but also with
some cruel owners.
Spends month
in Africa
Of interest to many local
residents is that Miss Colleen
Farrier, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Carman Farrier, has spent
the month of August in Kenya,
Africa, as a representative from
the Toronto West Presbytery on
the International Youth Ex-
change of the United Church of
Canada. One of the church's pro-
jects during its 50th anniversary
year is to send 90 young people
from across Canada to • various
countries in Asia and Africa.
Colleen is keenly interested in
learning how the people live and
how Canadians can helpin bring-
ing about social 'and economic
justice for mankind through the
practice of Christian principles.
She can foresee a more common
bond between races through
sharing their cultures and their
faith.
According to early reports
from Colleen, she has been very
favorably impressed with the
whole mission, especially the
grace, hospitality and the beauty
of the people and their country.
Upon their arrival home the
group is expected to share the
fruits of this most memorable
experience in the various presby-
teries which they represent.
In return, youth groups from
these countries will vivit Canada
next year, thus completing the
proposed Youth Exchange.
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