HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-05-03, Page 2•
PAG' 2--GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1t 73
Canadian vs. U.S. justice
American President Richard Nixon
went before the nation on.. Monday
evening to finally take full responsibility
for the biggest scandal to hit the White
House and American politics in at (east
the last century. That mess we all now
know as the "Watergate Atfair."
Even though he finally admits the
responsibility for the bugging and
burglarizing of Democrat headquarters
in the Watergate Building must finally
come to rest in the President's office, he
still denies having had knowledge of the
plan, or the cover up after it was
discovered.
Even many Republicans doubt he's
telling the whole truth about his in-
volvement in the mess and they're
probably right but what the whole scan-
dal points up for Canadians is the vastly
superior justice system under which we
operate as compared to that of the
United States.
There seems little doubt that even if
Nixon were not involved the advisers
closest to him were, since they either
resigned gracefully or were fired on
Monday or in the preceeding weeks of
the scandal. The trouble is that's going
to be the end of it.
The small fish, who carried out the
aborted burglary attempt at retrieving
the listening devices, have been tried
and sentenced and there have been in-
vestigations but it doubtful the people
behind the mess will ever be brought to
trial or at least convicted. ,
In a system where there ,are elected
law officials, mostly Republicans who
gained offipe with Nixon's landslide
Republican vote, it's hard to see how
mubh justice coulct be done in cases in-
volving political espionage. Even the At-
torney General was involved.
In Canada we appoint our judicial
authorities. True, many such appoint-
ments are made out of political
patronage, but at Least those judges and
prosecuting attorneys don't have to face
the possibility of losing nomination as
a candidate in four years.
Our Canadian system of government
and law may have many faults but it's
not hard to see we're much better off
than our• neighbors to the south.
Child Safety Week
Each year the statistics tell the same
story. In Canada, some 2,000 children
under the age of 15 die from accidents
and over half a million are injured. Most
of these accidents could have been
prevented. They should never have hap-
pened.
The population of Canada is younger'
than most people believe. One out of
every three people, or more than -seven
million Canadians ,are under the age of
fifteen. The importance of protecting this
ag#-group cannot be over -emphasized
as they are the future of this nation.
Today's children live in an in-
creasingly complex world. An important
part of their education is learning how to
live safely in our modern, fast-moving
society. 'It is the responsibility of all
adults to guide and protect children
from the hazards that surround them.
In 1971, . the latest year for which
figures are available, 1,979 children died
in accidents.
Of the 5,616 traffic deaths, • 899 ware
children ,under the age of fifteen. Of
1,276 pedestrian fatalities, 478 or 37.5
percent were children under fifteen
years of age.
Suffocation fatalities took the lives of
569 persons of which 385 or 67.7 percent
were among infants, generally due to
regurgitation of food or smothering in
beds or cradles.
Of 1,064 drownings, 322 or 30.3 per-
cent were children under the age of fif-
n
teen. Males' outnumbered females about
6 So 1.
There were 647 fire fatalities and 155
percent were children under the age of
ten.
Accidental poisonings took the .lives
of 27 children under fifteen years of age,
16 of these happened to children under
five.
Every fifteen minutes in this nation, a
.child is accidentally Paisonedy•nfive-fie
minutes a child is needlessly injured.
-More children die from accidents than
from the major childhood diseases com-
bined. Canada' leads the developed
countries in the ,accident- rate for
children under one year and between
the ages of 5-9 according to the World
Health Organization.
The most dangerous ages of child ac-
cidents are two and three. These ac-
cidents happen more, frequently 'during
the late afternoon and evening hours.
Accidents do not just happen. A set of
circumstances which frequently with a
little foresight, could have been preven-
ted, all too often costs a child's life or
results in injury.
Within the physical and mental
capabilities of'children, teach them what
they want to do safely. The moulding of —
safe attitudes also depends on teaching
by example.
A positive attitude towards safety in-
stilled in children starting with the very
young will equip them to cope with
hazards all their lives.
iatomAL C ory rROL
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C.4NRY SPR,1'
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DEAR READERS
By Shirley J. Keller
A nation of stealers
Statistics Canada estimates $1 -million
worth of goods are stolen every day from
Canada's retailers by shoplifters and
light-fingered employees.
Stealing is on the increase'. Last year
1.0,000 Torontonians, for instance, were
caught, twice as many as in 1967.
We like to think we're a decent, hard-.
working, law-abiding nation. So why this
mass thievery involving, accor,,dirig to'
one Targe department - store chain,
people across the country?
Some steal to make ends meet. But
many (one was a judge's Wife) are well-
to-do. Some employees like to give away
the loot "to make them feel big", in the
words of one study.
Such widespread dishonesty should
warn us about the direction of our
society (Westerners visiting Red China,
for instance, report the Chinese to be
scrupulously honest).
Does this not suggest a society in-
creasingly corrupted by materialism? A
society 8f people losing its individual
morality', Every Canadian must face this
question.
:410,
trfjc •oaecfth
-SIGNAL—STAR
—0 --
The County Town Newspaper of Huro'n —0—
Founded
-0—
Founded on tads and pubt ;shed every Thursday al 37 West St , Goderich, Ontario Member of the Audit
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And may be withdrawn al any time
Business and Editorial Office
TELEPHONE 524-11331
area code 519
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Published by Signal -Star -Publishing Ltd.
ROBERT G. SNRIEA---pr sideht and publisher
SHIRLEY J. KELLER-,editor
R. W. SHAW—edforial staff
EDWARD J. AYR$KI—advertising 'manager
DAVE R. WILLIAM: --advertising representative
At last week's county council
meeting, the budge or 1973
was presented by Clerk
Treasurer John Berry. It as a
reasonable budget and will
utilize reserve funds to ke p the
mill rate stable in n for
another year despite the fact
the county will build an ad-
dition to the assessment office
this year and has several other
new projects underway.
Speaking about the
the budget, it has been evident
for many months now that 'a
good number of Huron County
councillors are torn between
the desire to maintain the
assessment office in Huron
County and _ the apparent need
to locate the facilities in
Goderich.
There's no doubt about it.
The Town of Goderich is not.
loved in county council circles
and the reason behind the
dislike seems to be something
as '' ridiculous as
jealousy jealousy because
Goderich is the place where
most county offices are located. •
Foolish as it may be, many
county councillors would have
torn down the jail wall ....
maybe the whole jail .... just to
prevent Goderich from having
.one more - toehold. They talk , -
about the money it will cost to
maintain the jail (although
nothing has . yet been decided
for the jail and therefore no
concrete figures are available)
but their real and abiding fear
is that the rest of the county
will pour money into Goderich
which will make Goderich
richer.
In the case of the jail, they
would have destroyed a
possible national monument
just to spite Goderich!
This build up of county of-
fices in ,Goderich began years
and years ago. Just why
Goderich warchosen I have no
idea. It might just as welitfave
been Clinton or Exeter or
Wingham or Seaforth, I sup-
pose. But - fate decreed that
Goderich would be the focal
point' for county activities and
there are those who are still so
bitter, they would continue to
penalize Goderich for that
stroke of fortune. ,.
In recent years, many new
county, departments have been
born. All have been located in
Goderich even though Goderich
has only two representatives
out of 26 on council and only
four votes out of a total of 54.
Yet the hatred for Goderich
continues and its represen-
tatives are continuapy subjec-
ted to the snarls and the snaps
of angry members from some
Huron municipalities.
**
For these reasons, I looked at
this year's budget' with
ciaderich in mind .... something
I've not done before5,because it
hardly seemed important.
The estimated county rates
for 1973 show that Goderich
pays 12`.4 percent of the appor-
tionment. It pays , 100,118
toward the general rate and
$91,512 into the highway fund
for a total of $200,630.
In relation to the other' towns
around, Goderich pays more
than twice as much as Exeter
with a total apportionment of
5.4 percent; three times es
much as Clinton and Wingham county concep
(4.1 percent ' and .4.7 percent like to think of it as a regional
respectively) and exactly: four concept) is so popular with so
times as much as Seaforth with many people.
3.1 percent. * * *
Stephen Township pays 6.9 Not that Goderich is totally
percent of the apportionment or guiltless in this situation either.
more than any other urban One of the best examples in
municipality with the exception recent months of the low regard
of Goderich. Goderich holds for its member -
As for neighboring town- ship in Huron County is 'the
ships, Colborne pays .2 ,9 per- haggling match which has
cent; Goderich Township pays developed over the hiring of the
- 4 3 °Percent Ashfield paXs 4 9 assistant arena manager.
t (some would
percent;East -Wawanoshpays It is a tract that a "locale
2.4 percent; and West man" in Goderich is believed
Wawanosh pays 2.3 percent. to be someo'ne from the
The five villages pay a total municipality of Goderich.
of 5.8 percent of the budget Could not a local man be a
with' Hensall kicking in the man from Huron County?
most 'at 1.7 percent and Blyth Should a Huron County
_ and Zurich tied for the least at resident not, be considered
.9 percent. seriously by Goderich folks as
Let's assume for the moment homebred? Does not Goderich
that Goderich should pay the flourish because of Huron
total budgets for the county of- County residents Huron
fice buildings within the town. County
The Huron County Pioneer
Museum (note, not named the
Goderich Museum) has a
budget of $40,000; the court
house budget is $47,960;
registry office is $5,380; ad-
ministrative building
(assessment office), $11,500;
CAS office, $6,460. That's a
total of $111,300. .
Let's ...also • assume -that
Goderich pays one -twenty-sixth
of the county departments from
which it benefits directly. That
would be development, $1,100;
library, $7,400; land division,
$1,200; planning $2,700; Social
Services, $15,000; CAS, $4,000;
Huronview, $2,500; Health,
$6,000; protection ,,to persons
and property, $500; general
government, a $2,000; general
administration, $4,000;
reforestation, $280; grants,
$700. That's a total of $57,280.
So far, then, we've spent
$111,300 t� maintain the offices
of the county in Goderich (as
. far as I can determine, that
should be the total bilis) and
$57,280 for one -twenty-sixth of
the costs of the various depart-
ments in the county.
That's a total of $168,580
spent thus far of a total amount
of $200,630 to be paid by
Goderich this year to the
County of Huron.
That leaves $32,050 for the
road budget. That's only about
one-third of the amount
Goderich is actually paying
towards the road budget in the
county ($91,512).
Let's look at that for a
moment. The total road budget
is $1,987,000. The county por-
tion is 4738,000. One --twenty-
sixth of that is $28,385.
Goderich would be paying in
$32,050 under the system I'm
proposing. That seems fair con-
sidering the fact that county
maintained roads are not too
plentiful iri the Town of
Goderich.
Thus it appears that
Goderich is paying its way.
• This is not to imply, of
course, lit any way that
Goderich is paying more than
its share .... or that other
municipalities in the county•are
paying less than theit share. It
is simply another way of
looking at things and an at-
tempt to show that the ill -will
which constantly blows for
Goderich is something less than
desirable in a time when the
and
business and Huron
County government? Why must
someone moving from another
point in Huron County be made
to feel like an outsider, perhaps
even an intruder? Are we really
that small?
One former county councillor
remarked one day that
"Goderich thinks only of
Goderich". I° argued with him
because I felt it was an unfair
statement which should have
been tempered with understan-
ingfor municipal�pridea,
But this business of under-
standing' is a two-way street.
Some peoille have this ability
to see the other fellow's point
of view. Some do not.
Fortunately, the majority of
county council members seem
to be Ole to decipher between
Huron County pride and local
municipal pride. There is a
place for both .... and each must
be in its place if Huron is to
grow in strength and numbers.
amu.
DEAR EDUOR
Loenl mon first
Dear Editor,
It seems quite clear that the
town council and ' recreation
board are having a game of
donkey baseball over hiring an
assistant arena manager.
Neither one seems sure who
or what they want. Mr.
McCauley spoke up and said to
Mr. Gower, Pruder wasn't the
only one that put in for the job,
well it seems Moore must have
been the only one to apply, they
seem quite set on him.
Few of us would like to know
why wasn't he picked the first
set of applications he must've
had all those qualifications the
first time around and why did
he not apply the second time.
As far as learning through
the grapevine he wasn't wanted
in town, he couldn't want the
job very bad, oT he would have
applied regardless.
The editorial comment fired
away at town council for being
unfair to Moore, we figure they
are being unfair to Pruder. He
has helped the town with the
arena for years, he is able and
willing to learn, he is capable
to be sent away as well as
Moore, and if Moore• is as
qualified as they say, he
shouldn't have to be sent away.
Does driving a potato chip
truck, delivery chips from one
arena to another make lin
more qualified than Pruder,
who has worked at the arena
for years, if so I say Pruder
should take to driving a potato
chip truck on the,side to make
him as qualified as Moore.
Mrs. Haydon said it seems to
her there are a few that are
going to make sure Pruder gets
the 'job regardless, it seems to
me Mrs. Haydon and a few are
sure Moore will get it.
It's fine for her and a few
more that are on, or' having
anything to do with hiring an
assistant who came from out of
town to live in Goderich1 they
have been accepted in this
•
-town; they figure bring -more in
from out of town, there are
people who have lived here for
years can't find jobs because
someone else from out of town
comes.
So where do our young
people go? Elsewhere because
there is nothing here.
It's about time we gave our
young 'people a chance to prove
they can be as well qualified
and can be sent away to learn
as well as the out of town man.
It seems strange they have to
advertise three -times for an
assistant arena manager, when
did they advertise for a
recreation director? But again
the out Of town man came to
Goderich.
We say it's about time we get
together and give a town man a
chance to,prove he can be and
will be as qualified as the out
of town man.
If we don't give our young
people a chance to prove he can
do it, *hat chance has he at all.
Robt. Henderson.
Density is problem.
[OOkIN
LOOKINp
70 YII
URI
MAY 3, iota
Geo. W. Thomson
are turninga�
out a bicyck
the "Thomson," wwth tV
latest imtarovemen� i,
hygienic frame' end
coaster brake. The na
is a handsome one, y
name of the wl b
maple leaf in natural
Those who are getti
wheels should have a�j,,
the "Thomson".
An accident at the
Trunk Railway yards on?'
averted what might have
a serious diaster. In
of the way of the noon genial
which was almost dueto
-the yard engine ran int
open switch on the main,
and heft the rails. Two •
were brought from the
dhouse to replace ,it oil
track, a task that took
hour. In the meantime tie
press was semaphored. f
yard engine had not ran
the 'open switch first tie
press would have done so,
possibly very serious
The need of an electrk
alarm system in the ton
exemplified last Friday
ning, when the hose n
made a tour of the towni,
Hamilton St., turning at?
hotel, along Nelson, Arthur
Wellington streets)
arriving at the scene of tit
at Dan McLeod's house
Britannia road. The fire
ted from the stove ink
Chen addition and the ,
this part of •the house
pretty thoroughly des,,
All the furniture was r,
but the house proper was
jured.
LOOKING BACK
25 YEARS
MAY 3, 1948
The first anniversary„
smen Club was observed
sday night last, when
-hundred were present
banquet meeting 'held
British Exchange Hotel
smen were present from
cardine, Stratford, Fort
London and Owen
A program of factual'
mation concerning Gi.
proposed new arena i
launched in the near
with the idea of fully i,
Goderich citizens prior
submitting of the Ric'
law which it is expected
to the ratepayers some
this Summer._ This declaim
made at a meeting d
Goderich Community
committee held Tuesday
and presided over by f
Mooney.
An announcement from
tawa is that F.G.W. Mac
tie, a native of Gode''
been appointed a"'
medical director•ge-''
naval service headqu
the, last two years Craft;
Hattie has been p
medical officer at the
hospital at Halifax.'
Dear Editor:
With no intention- of
reopening the Bennett , Street
apartment building discussion
and not attempting t ' -breathe
new life into what I consider a
stillborn decision, I never-
theless feel that I ought to
clarify, for those who are" in-
terested, the most basic point'
which somehow became ob-
scured in the end.
At no time were my objec-
tions directed against Mr.
Krohmer's apartment building
itself, only against its size.
Both the 1958 Zoning By-law
and the new Restricted Area
By-law permit apartment
buildings in the district in
question.
Our registered Official Plan,
however, restricts the density in
a Residential Area to 20 units
(Continued on page 3
LOOKING SAO YEARS
MAY 3,190
e Goderich
willTh'celebrate its fortyCrohn'''
niversary Friday night
club, second oldest in 1,,
was formed in 1922 bye
of Goderich young men
W,
unanimousJames ly elected
of the board of gove
Alexandra Marine and
Hospital at the April
A board memos
nand vice-chairman i
s
:i
has been Huron
Engineer since 1956'
Other members
board are vice -chs°' pati:
treasu l; secretary',
treasurer, Milton REa're; ac
Laverne Asmun'
Club
thenarmembetold rs GodTue11erich
1Y
at the Bedford Hotel ,
of Bolivia ''
very sympa d eiti i taredoa',
munismpeople an It'„s they
them
for themone tobit. go' a
Mr. AsmuSeen a1
Bolivia shortly after
revolutionary, Che
was shot. Guevera'a
tern was only 30 I'
AamusuN
where Mr.
staying• tr aijun0
A would
Asmussen was in
an RotsN lnc�^0
help' g riot in �
build a hoop
Montteroh:
__
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