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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-06-14, Page 24 PAGE 2--GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 197.3 ,;J EDITOREAL COMMENT Council satisfied If one cares to read meaning into Reeve Deb Shewfelt's statement at last week's council meeting regarding the Dearborn Steel Tubing issue of recent weeks, one can ;speculate that the In- dustrial Commission's concern over the block work on the front of the building stemmed from the fact its members believed they were never contacted in connection with the construction of the first plant, in Goderich's much discussed industrial Park. It 'may be a simple case of disjointed noses, and if this is so, Dearborn Steel has been the innocent victim of small town pettiness .... and short memories. According to 'former reeve Paul Carroll, Dan Murphy and Bruce Sully of the In- dustrial Commissiofi were both well acquainted with •the Dearborn.. deal. Carroll also recalls at least two oc- casions when last year's Industrial Com- mission was briefed on the project, once at a dinner meeting at Maitland Country Club and once at a meeting in the Bed- ,, ford Hotel. Carroll remembers that considerable finagling preceded Dearborn's relocation in the Industrial Park. The firm was giving some thought to ,shuf- fling its whole operation to Burlington when suitable arrangements for ad- ditional space at the downtown plant failed to materialize. Rather than lose the industry tb another community, former reeve Paul Car>4oll working on behalf of Goderich Town Council and with its full support at a time when Mayor Harry Worsell was confined to hospital, managed to negotiate the move to the Industrial Park. The move was not without its roalems. The firm "tolerated" - em- barrassment and expense when the Town's regulations pertaining to set- backs from the highway were found to be incorrect according to Highway stan- dards. Alteration was made by the con- tractor after construction had begun to conform with the new requirement. Dear- born 'also went along with the requirements of the then proposed Restricted Area Bylaw, according to Carroll, the demands of which exceeded those which were in effect at that time. Members of Goderich Town Council appear to be totally satisfied with the Dearborn plant as it stands. Several members of council voiced their ap- proval of the building in open council last week. Obviously, Town Council is convinced the battle to keep Dearborn Steel Tubing in Goderich was well worth the effort. Certainly Dearborn need accept ab- soiptely no criticism for falling short of their , agreement with the Town. The Town knows the terms were met as they were set out. If there is blame, it must fall to this year's In,,Oustrial Commission which failed to judge the Dearborn issue.ac- cording to the circumstances which surrounded its rise. Hail the champ! The Town of Goderich and most especially, the track and field en- thusiasts in the district, are proud of 16 - year old Tim McGee, runnerup to the shotput title at OFSSA. The lad is no ordinary youngster. Ac- cording to his coach Phil Bugler, Tim' may have lost first place to a competitor from Hamilton' but he was still the best shotputter in the All -Ontario meet. Anyone who has watched Tim perform - can vouch for his coach's trust. The thrilling part of Tim's recent achievement is the realization that he is still young - just at the right age to give some serious thought to working towards the Olympics which are coming to Montreal in 1976. As the Canadian government is well aware, talent is not confined to the cities or to the many fine track and field clubs throughout the country. Ability is to be found everywhere .... even in Goderich and district. That's what Bob Knuokey was here for last summer, seeking out talent, developing it, encouraging it. The Huron Harriers, the result of Knuckey's efforts, seem to have gone out of business even though the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 109 was right behind it financially. Too bad for dbzens and dozens of budding track and field competitors. But Tim McGee, the confident and powerful shotputter from GDCI, is still with us and producing extremely well. Who knows what honors are within his grasp if he reaches but for them? Two little girls Two front page stories from last week's Signal -Star were an unusual commtMtary on things as they sometimes are and things as they might have been. One story told of little Kawmadhi Weerasooriya who won the Kinsman zone bike rodeo. The other was about six-year-old Marion Popernitsch who was knocked from her bike by a car and injured. Get the picture? Two little girls of about the same age - one lauded for her ability to handle her bicycle, the other a near victim while riding her bicycle. Perhaps Kawmadhi was just lucky. Maybe Marion was unlucky. There is lit - tle doubt, however, that both little girls have learned something from their recent adventures which will not soon be forgotten. With the warm summer sunshine and the lazy days ahead comes the reminder that Kawmadhi and Marion..: and their young friends will be navigating Goderich streets on their bikes at all hours. Motorists are herewith urged to watch for them and to remember that safety is often the furthest thing from children's minds during a carefree summer vacation. Just a little more caution this summer, drivers, please. eiA ane obtrcIj SIGNAL -STAR —4J— The County Town Newspaper of Huron ---0- • Founded,n1$48and publ shtdev►ryThursdayat37WestSt (,nder'irh,ontarin Member of the Aud,l Bureau of Circulation, the CWNA andOWNA Advertising r Stec on , •quest Subs rspl,ons payable in advance, 18 00 ,n Canada $4 SO ,n all rnuntries, other than Canada, single copies 20 cents Second class mail Registration Number' 0'716 Adverl,t,nq .s accepted nn the rond,hon that, ,n H, even, of typograph,caierror, that portion of the advorht,nq spar o.orrup,ed by I1ie erroneous ,tern. together with reasonable allnwanea for t,Qnafi,r• will not he charged fn. but the balance of Ow advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rale In Me'vont of a lypograph,,sl error advertising goods or terv,e.sataay, nngpr,c• goods or servile..may not be told Advort,,nq ,s merely an otter In toll and may be withdrawn at any lime Business and Editorial Office TELEPHONE 524-8331 area code 519 Second class mall registration number -0716 Published by Signal-Star,Publishing Ltd. ROBERT G! SHRIER---president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER--editor R. W. SHAW ---editorial staff EDWARD J. BYRSKI---advertising manager DAVE R. WILLIAMS---advertising representative 1-v5 THE ONLY 5oNc 7. eYkNOw, STA N DEAR READERS Is there a need to have municipal councils restruc- tured? That's a question which is being tossed around in many circles these days, not the least of them being within municipal councils themselves. As a reporter who has spent.. close to 10 years covering one municipal council or another, I feel• it is safe to say that within the last two three years there has been a considerable change in the field .of -municipal politics. Not only are councillors busier than ever before, there is a real need for them to be more clever than ever before. There are more problems, each of them more complex than the last. The days are fast fading when -a -municipal councillor can devote only part time to council business. It may still be a prestige position in a great many ways, but along with the prestige must go hours and hours of hard work or the whole municipal system is defunct. Presentsthe majority of municipal councillors throughout the land are men and women who believe them- selves to be concerned citizens but are unprepared to give the time and the energy which is required to do the job adequately. Not only are they not paid for the amount of work necessary to do the job, they are just not able to in- telligently cope with the mounds 'and mounds of paper- work and the endless checking and digging which is essential for thorough and totally accep- table council performance. Huron County Council has repeatedly insisted that local autonomy is a 'must' if local people are to be well represen- ted. While I have a tendency to agree with them, I also shudder to think of the kind of represen- tation there would be, if more work were piled on local conn -,4 cils without some severe adjust- ments in their schedules ..., and some carefully planned incen- tives to attract the best possible political minds from each of the municipalities. If restructuring is to take place, it must begin with some solid reform in the area of the individuals woo serve. Men with ability must be satisfac- torily paid for their labors .... and must be' given sufficient time to do the job required of them. ..* Up to now, municipal council elections have been a kind of populatlity contest. That's because as a general rule, only a certain kind of man or woman has offered himself or herself to the voters. Most municipal councillors are over 40 and either retired, self-employed independently wealthy. I do not suggest that these kind of, people are unfit for the job, but I do intimate that when the majority of coun- cil members are consistently from these classifications there is a definite indication that the municipal council System is out of whack. I also suggest that a Targe percentage of potentially suitable councillors have not been able to consider the positions.because of their finan- cial status and/or their commit- ments on their day to day jobs! If municipal council is to be restructured, then surely there must be legislation which will make it possible for all people of all ages to give thought to nomination and eventual elec- tion. * * And what about qualifications? About the only qualification a councillor needs these days is the ability to get elected. And there doesn't even need to be an election if public apathy is such that an ac- clamation is accorded. If restructuring I'S necessary', shouldn't- council 'members be qualified for their'•' jobs?• Shouldn't they require courses in the various fields of municipal jurisdiction so that they can make intelligent and informed decisions on matters such as sewer construction, road building, grants and taxes, capital expenditures, budgeting etc. * * * Once the quality of the elec- ted officials has been assured through legislation, only then should we begin to look at the municipalities themselves .... their land area, their population, their strength in comparison to other municipalities. I've heard it said from time t� time by councillors that they feel they could represent twice as many people just as well. Elected officials who sa'y that are only fooling themselves. Obviously if an elected of- ficial is representing twice the number of, people, he or she will have to work twice as hard to satisfy twice as many viewpoints. There will be twice as many problems and twice as many pots to stir. To say that one can r present twice al many Des • e a one is presently representing is to suggest that one is re -pr:,; nting one's present electors s,' ly half as well as they s Would be represented. One needs only to look at the boards of education in the province to get an idea of the kind of representation which is afforded to voters. Certainly, approximately 'the same number of people are represented by one member, but the member who has his or her people concentrated in a small area (such as in a town or village) has more personal contact with them ... and con- sequently, the people in that district feel their representation is more effective. So it becomes increasingiy obvious that a scheme to ame�several municipalitielgamate s into one large area to be serviced by one member should be approached with extreme caution. Needless to say, under this type of arrangement, the quality of the representative is of even greater importance to insure best performance. If there is to be restructuring, then ahouldn'lthe local people have even bet r representation than before? Shouldn't local ri* atonomy assure voters an even stronger voice than they now have? * * * There's no doubt about it, readers. Proposals such as these would require a major shake-up in the present system ... and a substantial increase in cost. It may be a time to resurrect the adage, "Anything worth having is worth paying for" Where would the additional By Shirley J. Keller money come from? 'Already there are indications the Ontario government would prefer to decentralize certain services. Why not go the full route? Would it cost any more to pay trained, local, full-time councillors than to support of- fices and offices of civil ser- vants who know their job but have no real responsibility to the people of the province? It may be worth some thought. DEAR EDITOR FareweI Ell Dear Editor: I am enclosing the eulogium given at the funeral of Thomas Edward Bain, Esq May 26, 1973 by: The Reverend Dpctor L. E. Stotesbury-Leeson. I felt very sad at the passing of Ed, although we had a good many disagreements. Oddly enough the man argued with those he liked or those he felt had some semblance of political thought. He felt by getting them mad they would remember or perhaps think more. I enrolled in Political Science just for this reason- and also to be able to come back at him when he had me cornered in a discussion. As I drove to Goderich the thought went through my mind that he would be refected even in death. If the truth were known the man led a very lonely life. Before I mention Rev. Leeson's eulogium, I shall men- tion, that Ed went to various churches in his home for help, being.turned away by them all. This made him a very bitter man. He had quite the story behind him which no one here knew. Why in God's name do we as Christians turn away from an outstretched hand! Rev. Stotesbury-Leeson read poem of John Bunyan. "I feel that these words of John Bunyan, the 17th century political reformer, are most apt on this sad occasion, when we are gathered together to pay our last respects to a well- known local personality and friend, Thomas Edward Bain. I knew Thomas Edward but for a short time and can only* speak as I found., He was for- thright and very apt to be em- phatic as to his views. These views, whilst not pleasing to the majority of us, were sincere, unselfish and motivated by the desire to better- the lot of his fellow -man, at times, whether they wished it or not. When the clouds •of war loomed upon the horizon, Ed was there, serving three years afloat with the Canadian Navy. In peacetime, he extended this patriotism and public-spiritneee to the Trade Union Movement and attempts • at provincial politics. Finally he took that great but lonely step, namely of standing as an Independent Candidate for the Federal Election. This' called for the grit, stamina and err. tenacity,'which added together, give a rare man. If we had but the courage to stand by our convictions with half the zeal shown by our departed brother, surely we would live in a mdse enlightened world. 11 Many times in the last feiv weeks, I have heard from various sources the statement that Ed was an athiest and or agnostic. To this, I say, most emphatically, No. that was far from the truth. How strange that less than one week ago, Ed visited me at my home to discuss Church and God, Life and Death, with myself and two other clergymen. I have since wondered -did Ed have some foresight as to the running out of his sands of time? That must forever remain a question- but athiest- NO. Thomas Edward Bain died in the light- the True Light. He had a great heart and I feel his most fitting epitaph to be. BEHOLD THE PILGRIM: BEHOLD THE MAN!" Mrs. Adeline Bateman (nee Robinson) 116 Sterling St. London 25, Ont. Nell* t'ie14' Political parties are obsolete. It is time for a new populism. Parties have become election machines responsive mainly to those who finance them.,M.P.'s who used to be channels of communication have been by- passed by the media. Parties used to produce candidates, policy, voter feedback, election organization and com- munication. Today, candidates are not developed within pat- ties, policy is set by the bureaucracy, voter feedback comes from TV and the open line radio show. Commuication is handled directly by the party leaders. As parties decay, citizen groups fill the communication gaps and as channels become clogged and slow, protest groups resort- to dembn- strations, sit-ins .and disrup- tions and governments rent and fast. The struggles of the 50's and 60's were between institutions, business, labour, religious, racial, language and cultural groups. Parties themselves became institutions serving (continued on pet* 3) 70 Yds X00 June 1ST The beautiful Greyhound of the s. Line, came in oa evening with bu Passengers frpm a Goderich ad. naboutg5; sardine, yesterday mo steamer took up the bou'5440r Kincardine 4 `and 5, a.m., but could ter the harbour in seas and brought them Goderich. The Toronto, fro authorities have a horse racing amd established an open a' show .11 pure and Simple. will be trials of sped for judging purposes. classes in the ezhibih show "are open to the The town council special meeting in the office last Thursday By-law number 18 aut the borrowing of $1,2pp for the electric light me. put through the three and posed, The Clinton "New E of the G.C.I. footbap which played in Clintl tly, that "they are tlernanly lot of young are a credit to the to which they came." Clinton papers agree in that lack of training chief defect noticeable G.C.L. team. John D. Rockefeller (C: ssed as a billions re orted t?e the tic ins wortold. Before t Afrrdan *War, Alfred Kimb rley was, accordi Englis list published i the wor 's only billio Hung C ang of China second t. the list $500,000,0 0 and Jo Rockefeller third $250,004,000. Only seven were given fortunes $100,000,000. They do queer things Orient. News from Jape that a native cultiva brought suit before t court of Usukimachi to a Japanese lass to reci his affection for her. He • the lady, he ded. 1897 and she has looked with favor u She invited him to he recently and after pa various delicacies at pence, slipped away a him to he uncererno kicked out by her frie those grounds he prays intervention of the -compel her to return h' 25 YEARS AGO , 1949 SaturdayJune will 10mark casion of the second an Force Day and for the and Communications Clinton the second ti the school has been ope public since its top security restrictions removed. As one of t advanced radio and schools on the North A continent the Clinton of great importance defence picture. Last planesweek werethirtyt5 br Sky -Harbour Airportf ment to Holland. Anad twenty are being mm the west and will be se' same destination. Since of last year, seventyfiv of the same lupe were Sweden, Currently number are being Or' airport. The largest North' caught at Goderich memories of veteran wads landed at the beck of the Maitland Rive The fish caught tt measured 38 13c ee 11 and weighed pounds. FIVEune 13, I. Sounds of strike being heard in G� emanating from One town's largest l about Workers of the voted in Goderich o whelminglY to go unless their wage met by June�20• New pilings ere stalled around thet by the" Depadm Works. The pro to be ompleted by �, is being supeNreedb . mens. of Public W0r Pat Patterson A sudden sad which reeked �voc e nit d tario TueadreY k e more than Goderich. II ntari ed th the, legis tself t .:libel t;\