HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1969-04-17, Page 4AL -STAR, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1969
Huron History
Corner
•
tc If all printers were determined not to print anytking till
they were sure it woild offend no one, there would be
very little printed . Benjamin Franklin
Conservation
Predictions that Canada's population
will almost double, -to reach' the 40
million level, by the end of this century
leads to speculation about what all this
growth and development will do for
Canada. In particular, what will it mean to
the well-being of the people of Canada,
and to the individual Canadian?
I f• -the forecasters are correct — and
unless some comprehensive plannin4;is
done soon — almost all of the expected
growth will take place in the parts of
Cahada which are already most densely
populated. Will Canada be a better place
to live when the Fraser Valley has become
one vast urban complex reaching
upstream, toward Hope? Can we really
look forward with " pleasure to a vast,
horseshoe shaped conurbation stretching
from Niagara Falls to Oshawa, to 15 to.20
million people living in a narrow strip of
land from Windsor to Quebec City? Will
the modest sized cities of the prairies be
better daces to live when their suburbs
and, industrial parks have extended out
over .miles of countryside? These are the
areas of Canada where clean water,
unpolluted" aird-dpen space for solitude
and - recreation, which should be
universally available in this affluent
,_society, are already in short supply.
In its 'National Wildlife Week program
for this year, the Canadian Wildlife
Federation and the Ontario Federation of
Anglers and Hunters suggest there are -
alternatives .to allowing evilly -nilly growth
to lower 'the 'quality of environment we
A have come to expect from a country so
rich in basic resources. It .proposes that
planning for use of land; whether urban or
rural, -be based on ecological principles. It
urges citizens to become .informed and
then get involved in planning the future of
their community.
For those unfamiliar with the term,
ecology is the science which studies
relationships between o'rga.nisms and their
environment. It 'is' concerned with
interactions within living communities,
with energy relationships within systems,
and with behavioral, growth and other
responses to changing conditions. The
principles which underly- this body of
knowledge point the . way to a more
rational use of resources and a better
relationship between people and their
environment.
M It is true that our use of theland has
not always been based on ecological
understanding. Our mistakes have been
legion. Massive programs under ARDA
and FRED are helping to correct some of
them, as are numerous belated efforts to
control pollution of water, and air. But,
viewed in the light of present knowledge,
we are continuing to make mistakes in our
use of natural resources. We will continue
to do . so until: we have a better
understanding of the relationships
between people and -14d and, as a result,
change some of our timewornattitudes
toward use of Ian&..,•
We tend to think of land as a
commodity to be bought, or sold for
profit or put to whatever use its owner
_may choose. Is there no responsibility to
society or to future generations to
maintain this irreplaceable resource in a
'productive state? We need to develop a
Sense of stewardship based on the -concept
that we never really own land — we use it
carefully while we hold it in trust for
those who will use it after us.
Comprehensive planning on an
ecological basis would sometimes mean
putting limitations on the uses to which
'privately owned land could be put. This
Would be one way of controlling urban.
sprawl and ribbon development which
cast such . blight over the. countryside
surrounding most cities. Are we prepared
to limit the choices oPen to some
individuals -for the benefit of society in
general?• Perhaps we should consider an
alternative arrangement whereby
governments assume ownership of land
affected by the planning process.
Our attitude toward growth — growth
of any kind -- has always been : one -of
unquestioning and uncritical approval. If
something is bigger, or more abundant, we
automatically assume that some beneficial.
form of progress is involved. But planning
based on ecological knowledge would
almost certainly limit growth, in some
regions to ' keep populations ih balance
with the resources of the area. Are we
prepared . to lookcritically at growth, to
weigh its disadvantages as well as .its
( benefits, and make impartial decisions on
the basis of the overall well-being of
society?
As the- Canadian Wildlife Federation
and the Ontario Federation of Anglers
and Hunters suggest, we do need to
inform ourselves about these vital issues
and-- become involved in the planning
process.
Try collecting
Here's a suggestion for,, an unusual, but
rewarding hobby. Try to collect waves.
Yes, waves. •Not the wet kind. The "Thank you!"
kind. Streets ,and highways would be safer
and h,appier places if more drivers would
exchange courtesies and waves of
appreciation.
It's a pleasant gesture. You show
consideration for another driver, offering'
him the chance to change his positjon in
traffic, and as he takes advantage of it he
raises one hand about 15 inches. You see
WORDS
it usually from the side as he crosses in
front of .your car to, get into or out of a
driveway; or from behind as he picks up
speed in the lane you have invited him to
share.
It's a kind of salute. Sometimes it's
given impassively, sometimes with an
accompanying smile, or a nod of the head.
'it means: "l' appreciate th„at."
Sometimes it also means: "That reminds
me — I must do 'the same for someone
else." — Safety News.
OF WISDOM
• The world record for staying under water was set in California by Robert Forster in
December, 1960, with 13 minutes 42.5 seconds. He huperventilated with oxygen for 30 minutes
• before his descent.
14,
The highest dry -air temperatures endured by naked men in U.S, Air Force experiments in
1960 was 400 F. and for heavily clothed men 50b F:ASteaks require only 3,25,F.) The normal
Limit in humid Sauna baths is 215 F.
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ESTABLISHED122nel YEAR
1841 Zilr- (.6otipritil -Igttiti,-trsttar,
...,_ Thi County Town Newspaper of .Hurdn---p.-- op{}${ I C A T1I O N -
Published at Goderich, Ontario every Thursday morning by
SignalStar Publishing Limited
ROBERT G. SHRIER
Pres'ident and Publisher
RONALD P. V. PRICE
Managing Editor
EDWARD J. BYRSKI
Advertising Soles
Subscription Rates $6 a Year -- To U.S.A. $7.50 (in advance)
Second class mail registration nui.iber 0716
R
Photo•By Ron Price
Remember When ? ? ?
55 YEARS AGC
Two hundred, delegates,,
representing the municipalities
of Stratford, St. Mary's, Exeter,
Hensall, Goderich and adjoining
townships, . met in , the Exeter
town hall yesterday' for the
purpose _ of discussing the
formation of radial roads to join
the towns of the two counties.
The meeting was an .enthusiastic
one. •°
After many unsuccessful'
attempts, a Canadian club has
been formed in Goderich. It
took its birth or St. Patrick's
day at a representative meetin _
of interested citizens in the town
hall. The meeting was called at
the instigation of Rev. J. B.
Fotheringham who manifested a
lively interest in the work of thee
organization.
9
,17
25 YEARS AGO
Rev. Dr. Norman McEachern,
of Toronto, editor of
Presbyterian Publications, was
nominated by Maitland
Presbytery for the post of
moderator of the General
Assembly. Presbytery also
nominated Dr. H. H. Turner, of
Ingersol to be moderator.of the.
Synod of Hamilton and London.
Presbytery rnet'at;Wingham on
March 7th, Rev. Dr. W.O. Rhoad
of Ashfield presiding.
This was, in reality, the last
meeting cff Maitland Presbytery
as it.. is at present constituted, for
Duron and Maitland Presbyteries
'will merge on May 9, though
there will' be brief meetings of
each Presbytery on that occasion
prior to the joint meeting, which
is to be held in Wingham:
THAT'S LIFE!
By G. MacLeod Ross
POP GOES YOUR MONEY !
The annual report of the President of the Royal Trust makes
interesting comparative reading with the recent nostrums to which
oth ,the Federal and Provincial Treasurers have treated us. For
here you have the two extremes: 'The Saver and the Spendthfifts,
and you' cannot but be left with the belief that it is unfortunate our.
governmental fiscal matters are not in equally sane, conscious and
far-seeing hands as are the Royal Trust's. It becomes the' more
obvious that it is only institutions like the Royal Trust which make
it possible for people on fixed• incomes to eke out an existence to
the end of their retirement ,with some semblance of the standard of
living they worked so hard to acquire.
Here is the gist of some of ,Mr. C. F. Harrington's most telling
remarks:
'`No one would fight about new laws which are planned to reduce
tax burdens, or remove inequities, such as the taxation of pensions
under both income _ tax and . estate tax regulations. "A measure of
relief to lighten the impact of tax upon estates going from husband
to wife and vice versa seem desirable, although this has•to be paid for
by the next generation at rates which, by and large, will fall more
heavily on it than would the present levy
, "We, in Canada, have heretofore recognized the need for capital
formation'.... this is a new country 'and we still need. more capital
than we seem able to raise. This is partly because we want' to give
ourselves the best of everything- for--everyone:...an almost sure
prescription for national bankruptcy. But now we are told that
capital accu nulationl in private .hands and its transmission to
succeeding generations is not necessarily an estimable goal to strive
for. I find this unacceptable....
"I am fully conscious' that thle opportunities to take part in the
basic human activities, such as the ability to produce, save, create
ONTARIO TOWN PATTERNS WIDENING SCOPE
FOR NEW FAMILY •TIES IN EMPIRE
By Jan Tupper
Goderich,(cluring World War ll)--Goderich is sitting on top
of one df the finest things that this war will give to
Canada's future - and doesn't even know it.
A good many, people these days are making ;speeches
urging greater co-operation among members of the United
Nations: What those people don't know is that in a small
Ontario town, which still has the delightful' personality of
decades of unevehtful reserve, their ideal of friendship is
working practically in everyday life, as smoothly as
possible - human nature being what it is.
In the last two and a half years, Goderich's population
of ' 5,000 has been enlarged by 2,000, ,at a conservative
estimate, as airmen from all over the United Kingdom and
Canada have settled their wives and children here for the
duration of their stay.
Through the flower-scented, tree -shaded streets go
• young men from Canada's east and west, transients at +�
'nearby No. 12 Elementary Flying Training ..School,
R.C.A.F. That in itself is something new for a town where
in peacetime days the addition of one family would be the
event of the month.
•
w
"The special campaign
,conducted by the food industry
of Canada during the month of
February to sell -$2,000,000 in
war savings stamps has been
exceeded by more than fifteen
per cent, according to figures
received at the end- ot:the last
day," Mr. S. H. Young, national
chairman of the drive, stated,
"This splendid achievement,"
Mr. Young said, " was the result
of the .co-operation given . -by
• more than forty thousand retail
food outlets, restaurants and
hotels."
10 YEARS AGO
Approval of the proposed
GDCI addition will be sought by
Dr. N. C. Jackson, - board
chairman, when he meets with
Department of Education
officials.
The board voted to provide
facilities for serving hot meals in
the new cafeteria which will be
contained in the school addition.
The contract for alterations'
to the town -owned Capital
Theatre was awarded Tuesday to
Ideal Construction Co., whose
bid of $6,495 was the lowest of
three tenders submitted, to Town
Council.
The contract calls for
alterations to the auditorium
part of the theatre. The
southerly' 50 feet of the
auditorium will be used for a fire
hall.
Overhead doors will be
installed on two bays. A section
of the present- floor will be
removed, and a new concrete
fluor -will be laid throughout the
auditorium.
and pass on to 'one's descendants, are not yet as widespread in
Canada as we would like them tr'be; it is in the creation of more
such opportunities that we should be applying more of our
imagination and skill, not the taxation, reduction and elimination of -
capital formation
On the Provincial level' we have 1tardty dried 'our eyes after the
Treasurer's. .tearful budget of "crises" at every turn, when we open
the newspaper to read: "New Look for CNE" and learn that the
Robarts ,government . is "pouring" 'in 13 Million dollars for a new
look, while the jolly mayor of Etobicoke says the Federal
_government should "pour in" 15 million. Still another fatal optimist
tells us, with the financial loss of Expo fresh in his mind, that "an
admission fee....along with revenues from restaurants, snack bars,
and boutiques COULD eventually Over the coat of the Complex."
Our Premier tells us the Complex will be a "cornerstone" and a
"catalyst", while someone else sees it as just k"lever to pry funds
fromthe Federal government."
So here you see the start of another of those ill-considered,
financially unsound, methods of spending money in just another
round In the continuing competition of Toronto versus Montreal.
About all we shall achieve is to become "The Boutique Centre of
Ontario." God gave the People!
Mora Significant Fact
-But that's not -all. Even more significant is the fact that
at Port Albert, nine miles out of .town, is No. 31• Air
Navigation School, R.A.F:, to which hundreds of men
from the United Kingdom ,have been , posted or, a
minimum of *two and a maximum of three years. hey
come to Goderich in theVhours off duty, and what ey
bring is -of more intrinsic importance than the patronage
which has boomed every shop around the Square, the one
and only business section of the town. Yet Goderich takes
it all as a matter of course. The citizens just don't stop to
think about it.
. ' It's typical that the flight of three " bombers , in
formation -occasions not so much as a comment, while
when the fire siren' shrieks and the alarm gong rings '= as it
has for the last fifty years - everybody rushed into the
streets to see where the fire engine is going:
Sitting in the window of her. gift shop on the Square,
Mrs. E. Evans knits and watches Godef,ich go by.
V'ivaciout, sympathetic, and alert for "news," s,hc knows
nearly every one in the place. "I've been in this town for*
33 years, and there isn't a speck o: change. Nota speck,"
she told the Globe and Mail emphatically. She thought a
moment, 'and added, "Except they've 'taken down the
,railing around theSquare:"
,Yet she is the adoring adopted mother of five R.A.F.
boys, and has gleefully entertained many other, airmen
who Iopked the least, bit in need of-a.homey meal and a
chat.
The tremendous chemical reaction, whereby typical
people of two countries are getting to know and like one
another; is happening without anyone noticing it.
Itwould sound very fine to make a sweeping'statement:
"Goderich people have taken the R.A.F. to their hearts."
But the truth is less dramatic. What -has actually. happened
is that the majority of the men from Port Albert, some of
whom "have 'teen at the camp since it opened in October,
1940, have quietly settled into 'the community, become
citizens .too, . according to D. E.Hoites, Crown Attorney.`
"Ever since they arri'ed, they have been involved in only
one street fight; and in no crimes, apart from a few petty
robberies which were more amusing than annoying,.o.r,
dangerous," he said.
Many have been followed to Goderich 'by their wives
and_children. Others have married girls from the town and
the surrounding district. They live in homes on Goderich
streets, and •are raising "families which are symbols in
themselves of the British - Canadian mutual understanding,
.they're helping to reinforce.
' Many of the' single men, who live in barracks at Port
Albert,' are just as firmly entrenched. Each with his own,
circle of friends, they come to town to visit on the porch,
to shop, to go swimming, dancing at the Pavilion two
nights a week, or to the one hot little moving -picture
theatre for an evening's relaxation. Some of them intend
to stay on after the war.
Continued on Page 5
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