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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-05-14, Page 4• . aa IONA TAR, T URSPAY,MAY 141, 1970 cl it�it.L.. Enough problems ,at home; Otirxeaders deserve an explanation into the accusations made in the letter to the • editor PREJUDICE reproduced'beld . There probably is nothing more anngying to readers than to be involved in a good story that receives no coverage by the local press: The story of the `negro students that'•were here from Chicago was a Iegiti-nate one and high on the list for human interest. It's not good, for any • ,newspaper not to cover this type of story and the Goderich Signal -Star Likes this kind of news better than most. The fact that kind, coverage was given is unforgivable but explainable. It is unfortunate that this writer has used this lack -of coverage to make accusations of "Prejudice." Why is it some people, will use the slightest excuse to bring race into 'an issue? Why is it that some people must always stir up 'racial trouble where none exists?. A sim.le,telephone enquiry from this woman would have revealed that a journalism student working with 'the Goderich Signal -Star. for .three weeks as part of his training was assigned to this • ° story ,and was at Colborne School with principal William Blaek for over an hour getting information. He knew where the tudentt` -warsI.cl. tie when touring the • —ne gfibortnr- r'rxd .-.carr..-,.Aras - provided for his use. He was not in -the office on the days the children were to be here and the editor was away until the following Monday. Irwas on that day it was found no story . --r or photographs — had been turned in. A little late for anyone t� be able to domuch about it then. The student had returned to college. • Mr. Black was asked if he could send .in some details, ofwhat had taken place but felt he had devoted enough time to the reporter. It was suggested someone from. the Signal -Star should -go out to the school and get the information. themselves. There was no time for tha,f either. I�%Irs. Kloeze indicates this visit was a first for Ontario,' perhaps for Canada. It was neither. ,Last year V ict - a is Public School in Goderich and Violet Elementary School in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, started an exchange program — which was, fully covered in the Signal -Star — and which has continued Ib this day. The last -exchange- students visited St. Clair Shores Iasi week- 3 Y�....� Mrs. Durst and Mr. Black, the apparent organizers of the visit of students from Chicago,. are to be congratulated. It is to be hoped the program will be .continued - with more students from ' Chirtago and other U.S.-'centres visiting this area. It also. is .to_be_hope.d that tace_wiI keP;t••aatut...of-..ariy.issue...thdtmight rise-4nt of their visits here. They have enough of those problems at .borne. uuuniuurpnlrnuunniiluuuupnrtnrtuurrluuuuuutuaquttturttrulrrrttrrrtgiuWunuunnnuuuuutnrurinurnumntuunuuu)uunanluunturulrrunrrlu • .t r .. „BLACK TULIP" • 4P • 'YFfoio j Ron Pnce_ ,.... . n , .. , - Ova :•. ... 1 b � the fuss about p Water pollution begins at "hoine-:in the kitchen, the bathroom and the laundry. And one of the most serious causes of pollution is the phosphates that go • gurgling down our drains across the • country. Pifbsphates are found in human and animal wastes, in farm fertilizers -and in many industrial wastes. Especially, tthough, we find them in household` detergents. Most of the detergents sold in Canada are used\in homes, and domestic sewage is the biggest source of phosphate Pollution.,- • In themselves • phosphate, are non-toxic. They ,are compounds of the element phosphorus, which is essential to life. Many of our soils are low in phosphorus and will produce good crops only if they are fertilized with phosphates; But in our waterways the ° phosphates act as fertilizer for weeds and algae, both serious and growing nuisances. Green for Danger. Slimy' green carpets of algae • now • threaten 'to stifle many of our lakes and other water bodies. They clog water intakes,- produce unpleasant tastes and odors, foul our beaches - and spoil our. swimrhing and boating areas. Dead algae sink to the bottom and decay, using up `dissolved oxygen needed by fish and other aquatic life. . • With the water depletedof oxygen, desirable species of fish disappear. Their place is -taken by 'coarser, less valuable ' species which need less oxygen. Meanwhile_ blood worms, sludge worms and other lowly 'organisms replace higher f'ofms of fife on the bottom. In' losing oxygen, moreover, water loses, a natural purifying agent, Dissolved .---oxygewnormally.allo °a••lar-r-fiver to cleanse itself after receiving considerable quantities of waste. By using up this oxygen, decaying algae therefore aggravate other pollution•problern Phosphates and Nitrates The excessive fertilization of our 'waterways, producing an overgrowth of • algae, is, known as eutrophication. Many ' factors are involved in the eutrophication ..process, such as availability of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, "abundant sunlight, •warm temperatures and clarity . of water for light penetration, but the .Y: phosphate nutrient factor is considered to be one of the most critical. Phosphates -arid nitrates (the latter -also plant .nutrients) are both discharged into our lakes and streai+iis ihrough *municipal sewage outlets.. Because they are used widely in farm fertilizers, some may enter directly from the land. When• fertilizers are worked, into the top few inches of soil,' however, they,become fixed and will not, .except in cases of severe soil "erosion, find their way in signifieant quantities into lakes and streams. • • The atmosphere is another source of nitrates and other nitrogen compounds. Falling with the rain, it is virtually impossible to control them. The -nutrient effects of nitrates,- however, are.,generally much less .potent ' than those of . phosphates. To slow the process of eutrophication, therefol, the obvious course is to reduce the volume. of phosphates being discharged into our waterways. This can best be done by carefully controlling and restricting the use - of • phosphates particularly in detergents, and by removing -the phosphates by special processes in sewage treatment plants. Neither course .of action by itself is enough. We must use both methods of attack. Phosphate Removal Ordinary sewage treatment. is designed. essentially to remove organic, wastes, which often harbour dangerous disease organisms. It is not designed to remove phosphates or ,nitrates, which in themselves are no hazard to health. Effective phosphate "removal requires special treatment facilities. The technology of phosphate relnoval from municipal sewage is under -- evel'©pment and action is being taken by -pollution-control agencies ofgovernment to move forward from the pilot plant scale of -testing to full-scale operational plants. The construction of suitable plants, however, will take many years and the cost will be high. HOW DETERGENTS WORK In the 1940's scientists found that combining synthetic soap with a special type of phosphate yielded a washing product far more effective than the earlier synthetic or organic soaps. This discovery led to the development of the phosphate -based detergents which ushered in a bright new ,age, of washday miracles. The advertisements were =right: the new - detergents got clothes cleaner and • whiter than ordinary soap, and worked'effectively even in hard water. Detergents now contain ,a number -of .'chemicals that, . do specific jobs -=like whitening clothes, protecting washing' machines against corrosion, •stabilizing' • suds in. Y top -loading machines and suppressing _them in -tumbler machines. Some detergent's also contain enzymes to break down • the proteins in ° blood., chocolate and other stains. But their main -components are • the surfactant (surface-active .agent) and the builder- usually a phosphate. The surfactant is the suds -producing ingredient, a superior re.placeinent for soap. Like soap, it, increases the wetting "action of ,water by lowering its surface ' tension. It'"emulsifies oily substances and holds them in suspension in the water; rafter prying .them loose from fabrics or other materials: Unlike soap, however, it does not precipitate mineral salts to form. • a curd -like scum. The phosphate builder softens the wash water, enabling' the surfactant to work more effectively. it also makes the - water more alkaline, thereby aiding the removal of grease and Oil. At the same -time, phosphate helps remove soil ,and other fine particles from cloth fires. Most important, ,th'ough, it powerfully reinforces the action of .the Surfactant, as a Loudspeaker amplifies a voice. WHAT WENT WRONG? People hrst became disturbed about detergents when billowing masses of suds appeared in our rivers, lakes and sewage disposal plants. This happened because the• surfhe • .. sudiin' ingredient—would not break down under sewage treatment or other bacterial action. , In 'other words. it was not biodegradable. The 'surfactant then commonly- used was a petroleum industry product, known to chemists as alkyl benzene .sulphonate or ABS;.. In the early '1960's,. to. end the sudsing ih our waterways, the industry produced a riew su•rfactant'-linear alkylate sulphonate or LAS. LAS decomposes •readily under bacterial action, and has been used since 1966 in all detergents. sold in Canada. Dm etergents ade with LAS are often ESTABLISHED 1$4$ \:J�$ aIYbertrt'tgnattar 123rofYEAR —0— The County Town Newspaper of Huron ---0-- PUBLICATION Published at. Goderich, pntario. every Thursday morning by Signal -Star Publishing "t,im.ted ARC TELEPHONE 524-8331 area ; code,519 ROBERT G. SHRIER, president ana publisher RONALD P.-17►: PRICE .managing editor SHIRLEY J. EDWAID J. BYRSKIR alive tisine�ma r .r� >tiagerSubription RakesSe a" Year --To l`►:;.A. $7.50(in. advance) C74141Pi 4.5 Second class mail' regist .ation . r au :.l,ber- .,...07.N>,6i. , "Y. •WJ osp ates • MYr labelled "biodegradable", but this can be -"misleading. Although the surfactant is- biodegradable, s biodegradable, the : phosphate `builder is not: and it is the-phosphate`whicll causes the r" problem. The buildecommonly used -is a sodium salt called sodium. tripolypliosphate or. STP. WantecL A, substitute To slow the .process of eutrophication. we Inst either stop using detergents or drastically limit the amount of phosphate they contain. As soon as possible, indeed, we should eliminate detergent phosphates altogether. Restricting and eventually eliminating the use of detergent phosphates is,'however, only .the• first step in the gradual elimination of phosphates from all sources. To .maintain the cleaning effectiveness • of the detergents, tile, phosphates will have to be replaced by ,• an equally effective biodegradable substitute. ,The most promising substitute to date is a by-product of ,the plastics industry, sodium nitrilotriacetate or NTA. Although' NTA docs not contain phosphates, " it does contain a ,small amount of nitrogen:' In Sweden, one detergent manufacturer has replaced 70 per cent of the phosphates in some, products with NTA. The products involved account for approximately 15 • percent Of Sweden's total detergent sales. Over the -two-year• period during" which NTA has been in •use, no undesirable environmental effects have appeared, Our readers s. ""- rite 4d • PRAEJUDICE? Are you ' prejudice? Why , doesn't your =Paper report good news, newsthat is good enough for The.,Toronto Star. To set the record straight for your readers 48• all negro students and teacher from Chicago visited Colborne Central School from April 27 to May. -2.; The students. were the guests of 'various homes in the Township. As fai as we know this exchange is a first in Ontario (maybe Canada). The children from both schools had a wonderful time together. A lot of thanks and appreciation of giving us this opporttinity and experience goes to Mrs. Albert Durst and Mr. William Black.. I, And what did your Paper do to •share ;this good news with its readers? Nothing! !•! ! I(illi Kloeze. twd.d`itor's Note: Please see Remember When '? . 1 Year` Ago Goderich Town Council last Thursday gave the Ontario Water R e so toces Commission the go-ahead to purchase and install fluoridation' equipment at the local water treatment plant. Council Thursday night unanimouslyapproved a budget of- $1,337,775 that leaves the` general tax levy, yirtually unchanged, although.educational and county levies will push the.. residential rate up 9.97 mills and the rate for ` industrial and commercial assessment up 10,53. The 1968 budget was * $1,273,065. If you thought you were dreaming and saw snow when. doing your weekly shopping last Friday evening, you weren't. Wet snow fell heavily in Goderichon Friday' night and ' during parts of Saturday. 10 Years- Ago A by-law appointing three town councillors as members of Goderich Arena Committee' until April 30, 1961, was passed by town "councilx•Friday." The three are -John E. Huckins, Ken Croft and Reg. Jewell. 25 Years Ago Central Home - and School Association held the final meeting of the-vseason . in the school Tuesday evening. Members of the next executive are Mrs. C. W. Kemp, Mrs. J.M. Graham, Mrs. M. F. Nobel, Mrs. . , hae-leton,.`:M :..rs. L....L. -Q GV.hetst°o'ne., ..- ss:;]1 .133 :14ow,eit;' Baxter, Mrs. C. Holland, Mrs. G. Recent tests on a variety, of washing' and cleaning products by.'scientists of the Department of Energy, Mines , and Resources showed a range of phosphate content of, from less than one percent to as high as 66 percent. At the upper end of . the, scale were the heavy-duty laundry detergents and. automatic dishwater products with `phosphate content between 28 and 66 .percent. Liquid . all-purpose cleaners. ranged from less than one percenrt• to about 10 percent. Testing generally less than one percent .were the liquid detergents for manual dishwashing and fabric softeners. The phosphate level is high in products used specifically for . softening and, conditioning water for laundry and washing purposes. • PHOSPHATES and FARMING The farmer needs phosphates to grow his' crops, whether. in' chemical ,fertilizers or in -natural manure. Once worked t? to soil,' phosphates are held there so i rely that they will not easily wash out. The= pollution hazard in agricultural operations usually arises fronnhe animal • waste and other organic matter carried off the land by melting•snow. Sometimes*, too, sizeable areas of fertilized topsoil are washed away not only by snowmelt in the spring but also during heavy storms. This process •is known as sheet erosion. • These and other causes of phosphate pollution can 'be controlled by .good (armingTpractices...For _example, animal MO" . Filsinger,iss Videan and Mrs. li. Homan. Announcement is trade this week of a change in the control of " the Dominion Road Machinery Co., W. C Attridge having sold his interest to Air Vice -Marshall. John A. Sully, C.B., A. F.0., recently retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force. Mr. illy is now in charge as president and general, manager of the company. 60 Years Agos, At a'` meeting in the 'council chambers" last Friday evening, arrangements were made for a memorial service in'honor of the late •King Edward VII: A special memorial service will be held in St. George's Church in memory of the departed sovereign. This service will take the same form as that to be conducted at Windsor Chapel in England, with the appropriate psalm, hymns, lesson and sentences authorized by the Anglican Church. In his sermon Dunday morning, Re. M. Turnbull of St. George's said: "In the death of King Edward the nation realizes with intensity it has sustained an irreparable loss, and, may I not add, one that we all feel in a sense, to be very personal. The burning of an outhouse at the convent gave the fire "brigade a run Monday afternoon. The fire was extinguished without difficulty. • J. Spahr of Wellesley, who recently ._purchased the -grocery business.-:4of- t:Sha :kringle° ° f i-tamilion- Street, -arrived" i town• and took possession last week. wastes..should be carefully disposed • of or conserved for use as fertilizer—perhaps in a special pit or storage bin. Sheet erosion and excessive runoff. can be prevented by contour plowing, proper land drainage or seeding to grass. It's Up To Everyone . • Checking phosphate input to our lakes and streams is not just a job for farmers, housewives, engineers • and detergent manufacturers: It's up to everyone who uses phosphates • or c other phosphorus coinpbaids in garden fertilizers, pesticides or, oth`br materials. It's up to everyone who maintains a house or cottage where no ' sewers exist for the -disposal of wastes—where septic tanks._., or other faci.li.ties must be provided. •" Where sewers do exist we must press for adequate, sewage treatment, including the removal (51 phosphates. Recognizing that harmless substitutes for detergent • phosphates may not be available in Canada in. suffic` nt 'quantities for „some time, we should; in the interests of protecting the quality of our water 'resou"rces, be prepared to -.accept detergents that are somewhat less effective. "We should also, support ,legislation to control the use of phosphates—not only in soaps and detergents, but .in other materials as well. Whether we act as individual citizens or as members of an organized group, the responsibility is ours. 30,141iel SLICED ---'SAVE 30e lb. BACON. BONELESS -= SMOKED-- COOK D i •1 DE „ENR: �1) HO '' Ib, Ib. Ib. HOME MADE, 'HEAD C °• Ib. 9 SET U.S FILL YOUR WITH 015I1 WHOLESALE We E3uy Direct From The Producer -- Save The Cost •Of etsM3xf+�e Mn-•aAll Our Meat Is Government' Inspected n tr