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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-09-04, Page 4ADvRncE-TimE5 .�\.� \V.11\X\.��: :1` 1 11`1,♦1 � '`: 1'`..�, •1. 11NOM 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 j C TF FI SA FI SA SU M( TU WI CI TH TH FR SA SA 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. 0 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. We can't lose ti Ofi . ti ° � Aday 4 sa e of editorial a inion Thi®September• rrr r r •r> s a"r :•sfir•}.:•.':'�r'i{'r./.`r:��.•C.l1S.�i %Mx.,.. t� } a.9i• •,6yy{;"•{•'}+i,r...4-`. X 1 �r'1�, i1' :�: ' }}:{ : L: •'}"l,{.'�•r.•.: r�.}:{:• • y7'ti . i{}� {;�L F }. `• ',•y1'G:•.M:{�y�••.y��f • �'nr Ld' LL{` fi•a•.. ! •'•. L' .!ti Yl,:?`;; '1 .111 '•'{: � [ .}� .1• .L Yr. �j{ 1.. • !L: .1 ' L r' Tom.•. '•.1. 11�•'• •;tiy, '1 •L\. yily ,ti�\:L�''L.{LL%r{'.-h}•'11111„' 1 L::::: }•h•Y}}..'. v::•r.�:.L ::v........Lav:..:1. ... ,. ?X•�' y '' 1 \�"� '+ \ `,�,s�` 1\..•:L �•.,+5•':.• �•. v.Ltij'y ss's. . s s, ss . s..r •sti •'�},Z s s,.{ }�.17'�r $:.5; .. CAM YOU LEND Mt q Flo till Pay V4Y? 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. 0 4 e