The Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-08-20, Page 4144
41,
ItOr"iti
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Who was reviled?
We find it hard to understand the Letter
to the editor from Dr. Mills,, (Reviled, this
page)•.' In view of what his occurred in. the.
past, and after several re -readings of the
first paragraph of the letter .objeeted-. to,
• this letter from Dr. Milds makes little
sense. " k
• Briefly, last week's issue of the
Signal -Star carried a letter to the editor
(Fed up) in which the opening paragraph
asked a question which was taken
exception to by Dr. Mills. He feels it has
reviled ". . . the reputation of all our
municipal councils to date."
Revile, by dictionary definition, is ".. .
to call by ill names, abuse, rail at." That's
what;Dr. Mills objects to.
On December JI, 1969 Dr. Mills replied
to a charge from a member of council by
using words and: phrases such• as:
stupidity, (referring to the relocation of
the dump, ironically enough); refused to
act on a matter because it would have
resulted in loss of _face (again about the
dump); ignorance shown to a local
manufacturer; trickery, (with regard to
the closing of the trailer park at Harbour
Park); lack of initiative,.
dunderheads, just sitting around passing
bills and making a nice political face
without • doing anything"; and
a m `: kstaobe sr • w'it ° •. regard- to' some
members of council. He also referred to
• the. '' . doddering of former councils."
One wopld hardly say the Doctor was
feeling very much tike protecting the
reputationofany-council-at-that time.--
We don't say whether he was right or
wrong in his actions then. We use, these
examples merely • to point, out how any
man can react in a;, time of anger.
Our • interpretation of the first
paragraph, of last week's letter was that it
was , just such a , case, and it gave no
impression of reviling this or any other
council but,,seemecl to confine itself to an
- assessment albeit an angry one L.-- of the
. situation over the fires at the dump which
had been turning quite a few people ON,
so to speak.
,And let's face it; while we may not
[lave been told' a lie about the dump, we
most certainly have never l?een told the
Whole truth. ,
We were told the dump waS 'closed. It
was not. We feel Dr. Mills would better
have spent hiS tirne righting a wrong M
against the peopl of the town rather than
set out .to right what he believes to have
been a wrong against himself and other
members of council.. Incidentally, Dr.
sUggested at the last Meeting of 1
council the members ask. the town 17-4
• solicitor to investigate ;the possibility o,f
legal action. The suggestion was not taken
up by council at that time and after the
meeting members of council voiced
ptizzlement over the mayor's aCtion.
Finally, Dr. Mills presumes tospeak for
all the people of the town "if. . . as the
elected head' of this municipality,." by
condemning the writer of the letter and
the Signal -Stir for printing it and further
presumes to speak for the people of
„ Goderich by stating the printing of the
. people of Goderich."
The—doctor presumes too much: Dr.
Mills does not speak for all the people of
of the—people and for the people of
Goderich, as such a public servant. He
may act on behalf of the people of
Goderich if council sees fit but the people
of Goderich have the right t� their own
opinions, "including the writer of the
letter.
Moral question - not legal°
. The Qntario Federation of Agriculture
has, fori some time now, been objecting to
the amount of money farmers must pay in
education takes. The federation is*asking
for ". . . fair and equitable tax system
based on the ability to.ppy."
This week the federation has produced
what' it feels .is a weapon that may be used
in this fight. The legal mindS behind the
federation heve discovered that only one
Ontario county board of. education
presented a budget by March I and, as a
result, now state that no municipalin,
other than Halton, which _filed a budget,'
has any "legal responsibility"to
share of education taxes this jrear.
Apparently the federation cares
nothing iror any moral obligation.
It would seem to be a case of
to put it a little more clearly, the
federation does not appear to care
• particularly what burden is imposed on
-others by non-payment of education
taxes.
The soCiety in which We live, fOr better
dr worse, is. sustained . by: taXation.
-Taxation is -a system of using money
obtained from property .owners
thr.pughout-----the country ' for use in
providing necessary services to be used by
all the people.
These same tax monies are used to
subsidize farmerso make grants for
drainage tile for farfh§, provide inspectors
for crops and cattle to protect theipublic
— and the farmers' — from disease, and
provide agricultural w5perts tb guide and
advise farmers on methods which help
toward greater production and better
reWards for their hours of labour. .
Everyone pays taxes, either directly,or
liiidirectly, "as a land owner or as a tenant.
Mot taxpayers feel they. are overtaxed
and certainly could use moneji,cnow paid
out in taxes, for other purposes. Based on
this assumptipn, very few people could be
placed in a category listing them as having
the abilit to pay. '
gripe. Perhaps the tax strutture as applied
to farms is unrealistic. Perhaps. But
nobody is going to make it any better Iby
ignoring the moral responsibilities we have
in this world. Subsidization of farrnsIs a
moral, responsibility, not a legal one. If
the federation of agriculture wants ,o,nly
the legal responsibilities taken care of let
HERE COME DE .1E1)6E!
In permissive Canada where I:night bicomeS more right eveq day;
wheiie the police scrcatn to high heaven for mercy; where disunity,
, public disunity,' is such that two' or three delinquents can instantly
Command legions of ,do-goo0ers who can prove them innocent, it is
refreshing to read about how some judges acWn.decadent England.
Mr. Justice Melford Stevenson sentenced six demonstrators,
Cambridge University undergraduates, to prison for terms varying
from nine to 111.months. In a murder. trial for one, Jack (The Flat)
McVitie, he doled out sentences totalling 142 years.' Last year he
sent a 190year old to Borstal for robbery viith, the hope that "no.
softhearted offieial will recommend your early release.' One of his
colleagues Says: "Once you hear his digtinctive voice you'll never
forget it." Hendoes not mind who is on., the receiving end,Wearying
of the long drawn-out proceedings over the libcl action brought by
ek-Prime Minister Harold Wilson against The' Move, he said to
Quintin 'Hogg, Mr. Wilson's counsel: "I am tired of all this legal
claptrap." '
When jailing a man for three years for a defamatory libel against a
RI Flying Squad policemen, who accused the officer of stealing 10
'Ir• pounds from him; His Lordship said: "I bear in mind some evidence
in this case which I think the jury accepted, that this dastardly 'lie
rd may, have been put into your mind as 'a result of your
E communication with the Nrational Council for Civil Liberties."
As a Q.C. he went to Nairobi to prosecute Jomo Kenyatta inthe
ea Mau Mau case. In the'war he was legal adviser to Montgomery, where
— he was regarded as "reasonablY tough but Certainly not notorious."
An observer describes his use of "that awful instant of pause before
beginning a cross examination which brings a cold sweat to a shaky
witness. "
Perhaps English "law" is not quite so effete as it has become over
BEST STORY OF THE WEEK
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) messenger who hoarded
50,000 letters over two years. It would be a fascinating study in
office management to analyse these letters and decide how many
were essential and how often elle writers and addressees noticed they
had not arrived.
•
'GENERAL GARDENING'
Alan Brien relates how, when staying the weekend with Randolph
Churchill the latter thurst an., entrenching tool into his hand and
▪ mobilised hig- guests .for an _attack on the, plantains'In his lawn. "I
asked him tentatively, did he ever picture hiMself as Napoleon, or in
a his case more likely Marlborough, a giant general facing a horde of
pigmy inrantry, 'dividing. up the enemy forces, cutting off- the
tragglers, surrounding the reserves? He looked at me as though I was
Enad." "Of course!' he said, "doesn't everybody?"
"So tonight 1 attacked the roses which pour -over the porch,
guillotining every single blossom. I refused to apologise for admiring
green -thumbed Robespierre, liquidating these frivolous
decorations?"
•:...r 4 = "If the Trudeau and Robarts_governments are friends of business,
ffillaallIMIIIIIllallaliall111111111111111111111111lialallaiimaiiiiimaliammitamaiiimaitiatiiiiiiialltallaiiiiillalliallallifillallaillallallallal1111111111111111111111 ' then business needs no enemY."
Reviled
ta§e.
On behalf of the many finel
people that have served
Goderich on its MuniciPal
Council both past and present, I
take exception to the'Printing of
an anonymous letter which
reviles the reputation of all our
Municipal Councils to date.
Yo r ac ion in printing such a
letter ' its Carefully placed
innuendoes has lowered the
standing of•the Signal Star in the
view of all the people of
Goderich and left a feeling of
nausea for the sudden loss of
forthright principles and policy
that has been found in the Signal
Star in the past.
You sir, may have lost your
usual caution in_ the general
context of the Ietter relating to
the 'Dump' and with which I do
not argue, but 11,0 letter
printing, if in do' g, so it reviles
the character o the municipal
electorate, as well as the people
of Goderieh 'and receives the
editorial protection of
Mr. ,Editqr you have cast a
shadow across the " Editorial
content 'of. the Signal Star in
adopting this policy Or printing
anonymous letters, and many
people who avidly read the firey
editorials of the past will read
those in the future with little
'.'.clerrticisame.e.eptance of editorial
I, sir, as the elected head of
- this, Mnnicipality and the
repres,entatiVe of the people of --
this Town. of Goderich speak for
the -Council and the people, and
publicly condemn the writer of
this poison pen letter for his
attitude to our toWnspeople and
to our Councils, and also
publicly condemn the Signal
Star for its editorial action in
printing this anonymous letter.
Dr. Frank Mills,
Mayor,
Town of Goderich.
Remember When ? ? ?
W. J. POwell, the new
_postmaster Wild storekeeper at
Carlow,. late of Lucknow, has_
arrived and taken charge of the
business. Mr. and Mrs., Horney
have removed to Jos: Bell'g
bouse. Mr. Harney will be busy
this fall with threshing. He had
the first job with • his new
threshing outfit last week.
Edgar Robb arrived home last
Friday from London, and
commences his duties today ,p.s
A' bridge and „five -hundred
party was giVen by the guests of
the Point Farm one evening last
week. Mrs. W. ,Bell of Guelph
was the winner of the bridge
prize and . Miss Margaret
„Anthony of Detroit won the
five -hundred prize. ,"
The trouble with the man
who knows nothing. is that he is
always last to find it out. •
, The Ontario Mtmiripal Board
has given decision on a claim by
Mr. and Mrs. Burton R.
_Robinson; now of Goderich,
lately of -Ooderich Township,
against the Ontario Department
of Highways for damages by
flooding on the plainti'ff's farm,
Lot 8, Concession 1, Goderich
Township. l'he decision was that
the evidence sulimitted had been
suffered by the, claimants by
reason of the work done on the
roadl. by the Department of
Highways and the clana, war
Flight-Ifientenant Donald
*McKay is making satisfactory
Hospital, London, after an
operation for appendicitis.
The Bentniller -Junior Club,
composed of fifty members,
held a social gathering- on the
evening of August 8 in honor of
•
71.. (rale mrtarrtrli tigtiat-Otar. 123rd ,YEAR
of
—0— The County Tow•Wiwspaperof Huron • puBLKATIoN
mOrning by
Published at Goderich, • Ontario every Thursday
Signal -Star Publishing Limited
iELEPHONE 5244331 Urea code 519
"libiV4Pjf 'nliztr%igtrretitior
two boys of the Benniiller
community who had recently
returned from overseas, FL/Sgt.
Elmer Fisher and CSM James
Pitblad,o. During the evening the
two guests of „honor were
presented with wrist watches.
•
Headlines: Huron .Con n
Museum Hits New- One Day
Attendance Mark— 601.
attendances. have featured the
Fun Fair Cooking School being'
held in the GDCI-,,auditorium
this week. It is sponsored' by
:—The director of the cooking is
Miss Jean Wright Who spent 20
years as a teacher of home
before becoming associated with
this first type of Canadian,,.
cookiitg school. Cold Lake and will commence,
Pa SPart..Who fell into the ohefrthdeutbjeasseAhnogsupsittal2r5Shaes enixaptercotns
harbO between the north dock to be stationed there
works crew was in the vicinity. Corporal and Mrs. Laurie D.
And luckier still that Cyril iviarshall, 9 Bennett Street,
Proctor,' Bayfield Road, a Goderich, was'ilding her bicycle
, member l'bf the PWD party, giong the highway when she was
assistance, he hauled Spain out g. McLeod, 65, Goderich. She is
as he came up a second time, " listed' in serious donditia in St.
There were 14 reportable Joseph's Hospital; London,
accidents in No. 6 District,
served by the Goderich
detachment of the OPP during
July, and also nine
non -reportable 'accidents.
0,0
of -Warren Street was presented
to town council last week with a
letter from one of the residents,
H. L. Sturdy, requesting a
meeting between residents and
council to»discuss improvements -
for the street.
0, Headlines: Former manager
breaks word; Goderich ball club
suspended. ,
Captain Shirley Robinson,
nurging sister ,in the Canadian
.Armed Forces, and daughter of
left Mbnday morning for CFB
SHIRLEY J. KEL—L.E women cdrnitor
Mayor upholds council;
taxpayer diAraits election
Dump too far.
Since I have been on My
holidays this week, I decided to
clean out the basement. I loaded
the car with the dusty- remains
of things that tend to
accumulate over the' years in a
basement and drove to
HolmeSville to dispose of tlie
refuse,. On arriving, I discthered
that,the dunip Was only open to
the residents of Goderich on
Wednesdays and Saturdays
Although, a ording to the sign,
caretaker o duty, 1 couldn't
find him on t site. Thus, there
was nothing left r me to do
but to return, the miles
homt without disposing the
garbage. On my arrival h me,.
, my wife Alt vtk_v___Lny attenti to
the editorial page 6U' al -Star
,where the state of the Old town
dump was being discussed. Not
only - do the residents of
Goderich... have to drive., nine
miles to the dum' p; not only is
the dump only open two days a
week; not only is there any place
for residents' to dump old
refrigerators, stoves, etc.; not
only have no provisions been
.made for local industry; .not
only is it costing the residents of,
.Goderieh an additional $5,000 a
year (the figure quoted in the
paper) for the new dump; but
the old, dump still is not
,completely 4closed. Smoke still
Pollutes the air and the fresh '
refuse dumped by the town and
'others, continues to provide
suitable shelter for an unknown
number of healthy rats.
It appears the new dump is
too far -Tor the Town's work
crew to take the ;refuse it
collects. _Or, is it that the dump
is only open on certain days for
the'town work' crew_tod and it
wasn't convenient for them to
take their garbage on those
days?
What are we getting for the
money we have spent on the
new dump'? The answer seems to
be NOTHING.
We are aware that there are
some members on the Council
yvho are concerned about doing
a conscientious job; but, when
we elect members in 1970, let us
ensure first that all for whom we
vote, are reSponsible people with
more , foresight than -many on
our present council.
P. 0'. MAIN
tf all printers were determined not to print anytking tilt
tile,/ were sure it would offend no one, tkere would be
Benjamin Franklin
very little printed' . ."
'OVEN READY
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GUARANTEED TENDER
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