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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-11-07, Page 2•r PAGL 2.-,GQ1)>E~R'ICf :JIG 1s 1 t !I; 1111 1041)AY. 75 YEARS AGO' in response to' an inquiry, Mayor Thompson informed "us that he has not yet, decided whether he will again be in the field for the mayorality or not. He has been asked to stand by a number of ratepayers, but so far has not given his friends a definite answer. Work is being pushed along upon the improvernents at the power house arthe harbor. The roof of the extension is being shingled and the stone and cement foundation for the `new •chimney is being built. The officers of the tennis club requested town council to grant them the use of the town hall on a Friday evening for a social. The mayor said he had been informed that the social was to be a dance and voiced objection to the granting. Coun- cil however ignored his com- Aments and granted the request. The question of how to stop the poisoning of dogs was put to the town council at their last meeting:. The' person involved felt 'that the offering of " a" reward would° be effective. Some people said that it might <.. not be poison •but a disease from which the dogs are dying, and he 'thought the stomach of the next dog that died in this way should be examined to deci'de this ,paint. Percy H. Tom, son of J.E. Tom, public school inspector, competed in • the °sports of the Western University, London, and tied -with another student for the championship. Each of them will receive a gold medal. Mx. Tom was first in the run- ning high jomp, mile walk, half mile race,, and with a partner in• the 'fatigue race, second in put- ting the 12 pound shot, and third in the running hop, step land jump, pole vault, quarter mile and shoe race. .r a h,e(tr they're ;;iiing 1'0>i -educe the speed limit. - EAR READERS .rw,nor. Shirley �. KOH 1 50 YEARS AGO Messrs. .Barker" Bros:. of the Bluewater Garage and Service Station on the Bayfield. Road, . have been appointed agents for this district for Nash motor cars and heave now on hand one of. the models of this popular make. Their announcement in reference to these cars will ap- pear in our next week's issue. • The town of Goderich passed,. a bylaw .providing that the reels, . engines and vehicles belonging to the fire depart, ment or under their control • shall have the right of way on all streets And. highways within the, town while. they are proceeding to a fire or 'an- swering a ,fire alarm calla The law also requires any person operating a vehicle on a road that the reels are travelling 6n or a road that intersects with a road they are travelling on shall pull their vehicle to the extreme right side of the road- way in .the .direction _ in which they are travelling and allow the reels to• proceed. One' lady reported an unfor- tunate accident 'while loading herstove last week. It seems she was in the process of stoking the' stove and replenishing the fuel when the coal exploded and flew around the:room. The lady was struck several times with such , force that her skin was cut despite 'her heavy clothing. The finals in the Garrow trophy tournament were played at Maitland Golf course on Friday. Mr. W.A. Coulthurst defeating Judge J.L. Kiloran, It was an incredulous been truly bent on destruction Youngster: I'm going out for . Goderich that stood by last-.' they could have torn the place . a while. Thursday evening and watched apart,. brick by ;brick. '• Parent: Where? , as their children went wild in . They had every opportunity Youngster: Oh, maybe -up to The ,Square. On Friday mor- to-do 'so. - The Square to see what's going ning, the Signal -Star offices The .Square was almost on. . were buzzing with comment totally deserted except for the Parent: There may be trouble from men and -.women in . kids and a handfulof up there. You'd better stay at Goderichwho had, viewed the :policemen. Many businessmen home if you've got nothing bet mayhem first hand.., simply ,locked up their stores ter to do. " One lady, an unidentified and went home early - probably Youngster: Oh, I won't be visitor from New York, called hoping against hope that when long. I'm just going to have a to 'say she'd `never seen they returned in the morning' look, anything like it ... "not even in there would berm. damage done • Parent:. Well, okay. But you Harlem where the people are ,to their places of business. not, supposed to be '.as well Earlier in , the week ' The educated 'as' the people' in. Square had been stripped or. 'beautiful' Goderich.;�everything movable and, bu`r'- A businessman telephoned, to nable. Everything lay in wait, exhort the editor not to "gloss for -the annual Hallowe'en That's probably what hap - over" what really happened on -frolic in Goderich. `' paned. Trusting, permissive .The Square on Thursday. While nearly all of Godeoioh •parents allowed their children evening. He didn't have enough- cowered in their own little cor- : t,t go to The Square. ,words to explain how 'he "felt ners from six .o'clock Thursday Knowingly, .'the mothers and about the bedlam that . took evening' until the dawn of fathers of this town permitted place there. Friday morning, the kids - ,.our , Two young Signal -Star kids::: were given the floor to .do reporters, botch of whom• are in as they pleased. their early 20s and not that.far What an invitation? removed from the ages of the What luck thatotily 16 'court youth on The Square, came house windows,' one bank win - aback totally . unbelieving of dow 'and two store windows what they'd seen and heard. • were broken! Neither had experienced What, luck that nobody was anything like it in the cities in seriously,.lnjured or killed!' / which they'd t been raised. Neither0could fathom the ab- * * * Bu rn h lig t('(!VP.S' solute stupidity of the entire The editorial on the font Dear Editor", exerciser page of last week's Signal -Star' Others from the community. had the wrong. emphasis. -The A Another fall•is here. Our gar -4R Id have appealed g to dull. their common sense. had similar little bits of infor;° e . jpp d � -dens and trees ,have given forth mation to share. But the feat- to .the . ; rents or Goderich * * * , �' their beauty and their bounty. tions were all the same ... tam- those sensible,. responsible men The trees stand bare a sen ,plete and utter shock%a`i the and women who didn't know performance just passed. e�tough to keep their ,-children at home last Thursday -evening. * * * The editorial on the front The editorial' should ' have • ' page .:o1 the -,Signal -Star last been geared to moms and dads week was aimed at the youth of who. didn't have the backbone Goderich. it was' a good to say "No!",to their children editorial ... and it was a good who were headed out of the point. The, - oun people of house for more tricks .than Y - g �' p treats. . Goderich are ' not destructive: And believe it or not, they The editorial should have proved it last Thursday evening . pleaded with parents to do on The Square. . their. duty and lower't'he boom Yes, ` there were :some win- ofi any one of their brood that dows broken. There were some headed anywhere in the direc- eggs, rocks and various,. other tion of The Square last Thur- 'idems hurled•, There was sday evening. _ • ' abusive language. v It's a safe het that many, But there were between 200 • many homes in Goderich; had and 300 kids Tin The Square far. " q the same scene last Thursday the' entire evening. Had they' 'evening. ,4. stay out of trouble, you hear? Ybu .get,.into trouble andA,yctu get :rXo sympathy from mei. * * * DEAl EDITOR their children • to swell the crowds 'on The Square. No, they weren't bad kids. We're betting that.90 percent of the kids •on -The Square were. decent,good kids who really weren't' doing much more than looking to see what was hap- penin.g. Most of them Probably had no intention to get in- volved; some, of them probably, did though. Well-meaning parents therefolre are to blame for the disgusting display of destruc- tion on The Square last Thur- sday evening. They allowed,' their youngsters to be party to •a situation that would have fiz- zled . like a wet stick of dynamite had they stood their ground and said, `No!" ***,.. What's .the answer? One of the boys in. the editorial office suggested this „slogan for 'next Halloween: "Don't send your youngster to The Square. Take him." , 'Chances aye if mom and dad - or both were hovering nearby, 'the kids wpuld think twice• before jo,ining..rthe merrymaking. As was pointed out earlier;- the bulk of these kids arebasically• good kids who need a little • extra guidance on .Halloween when the excitement of a mob is apt 1,07'41- EDJT0R1AL COMMENT ammiummiiiimmimmummaii. `People want to know It is the eve of nominations for 'the 1975-76 representatives to Huron County Board of Education, To date, only the present trustees from the area have in- dicated their interest. -No one new has stepped forth. There are no issues. There is no concern. This is unfortunate but not surprising. The board of education seems remote to the average citizen. Its members func- tion quietly and efficiently, muchrof• the time in committee and away from any public intrusion. People are getting the message that school boards are special bodies with special powers and special privileges...and they have given up on ever returning to the ,days when they had something to say about the way in which their education tax dollars were spent. Part of the blame for this sad situation must be placed squarely at the 'feet of the weekly newspapers of Huron, County. They have failed to question and probe. They have not used their collective Strength ..to fend, off the great apathy that has gripped the people 'where educational matters are concerned. 'They have printed lengthy meeting reports faithfully but have been painfully slow to find the issues of interest ,to„their readt.rs and to make them come alive through their editorial columns: Much of the blame, however, must be, shouldered by the individual members of the' Huron County Board of Education. There is little fault to be found with the policy making of the board or the educational system in• Huron: What is of concern is the fact that. people feel left out of school matters. One of the most important jobs any elected official has is to make absolutely 'certain his ratepayers are fully informed. Most board members in this district have failed to do this. Mrs. Marion Zinn, Ash- field + -• West Wawanosh ..representative, has made a real effort toward the type of • communication that is ideal. ' She has written a column for her local newspaper, explaining board policy and answering questions sent in by,readers. The others are- something like the children of another era.. They do not. speak unless they are 'spoken to. They do not go to the people. They wait for the people to come to them... and when * they are lulled into the they don't come false belief that all is well and everyone is happy. 1rR .r. �tTjt oobericb SIGNAL—BTAR. -0- 'The County Town Newsfraper 6f Huron :►CNA ' vxwlrllrn CIPICULATTON Founded ih 1848 and published every Thursday at iioderloh. Ontario Member of the CWNA And OWNA ' Advertising rates On requds Subscriptions payable in Advance $10 00 in Canada. 511.50 Irl ail coun- tries Other than Canada; single copies 25 ceniy Second class mall Recolstration Number 0716 Adver- tising is accepled on the condition that, in the eveht 01 typographical error, the advertising' space Oc- cupied by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowprsbg for signature, will not be charged for but the balance -of the advertisement will be paid for et the applicable rate in. the event of -a' typographicerai•rer advertising goods or services ata wrong price, goods or service may not be sold Advertising is merely an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn et any time The Signet -Star is not respon- &bfe for the IOss or damage of unsoficited manuscripts or photos rosiness and Edltorist Office } iELEPHONE 524..8331 n '�4 alrea node 519 • Mailing Adores : 't oderic%• Second diet retilette'tlop number- -O710 Publi'shed by Signal -Star Publishing LnI ROBERT G. WIRIER -president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KEl.LER --editor, JEFF SEbbpN -editorial s!eif EDWARD J. EYASKI- .adv'ertisifg rnatiager DAVE 11°,,WIL'LIAMiS- advertising represent atti There. were likely some key tinel to the coming season' instigators in that young crowd their leaves a mat upon the •. Thursday evening. -One w�n- ground. What's 'this I see; dors �jukt haw brave they would people, raking, piling and bur- ning leaves. Do we not think; +have been if they'd' been by us, the most intelligent being themselves. without the- en--: On earth. - 4` couragement aof 'their curious ' Burning of leaves presents us peers and those equally curious with several problems.. Usually' citizens. they are burned' on the.streets Any adult who has encoun- in our town. Do people realize tared a foul-mouthed, smart aleck -hoodlum, male or female, what it cost;; to pave a street knouts- , how frustrating that such as Elgin? Do they realize the damage done to the aspmeeting can be. That's why the halt pea le : of Goderich should ,by burning leaves on it? Do • stand up and' cheer for the people consider' the danger °caused by the srnhke? polfcernen of this town who Recently I was travelling on kept their cool last Thursday burningNapier Street. A vfoman was' evening. , leaves on the north . Once in a long, long while a side of the street, the smoke ,policeman is provoked beyond hanging thick over the street. his capacity to endure. The law, Did she ° ever consider what quite naturally, cannot permit would have happened ened if two this to happen. A policeman is cars had been approaching each -a professional lawman whomust work within the Confines other? It,vya;;• impossible to"see to drive. Did she consider the . of legislation which is designed safety of children or adults who; to protect the guilty as well as may have.heen in the vicinity? the innocent. In a case like this, ' With a car approaching from' a Policeiari is quite rightly the- opposite side of the smoke, called to`give a public accoun- . a' pedestrian who was crossing ting. the 'street woi.TId never hate But that doesn't t prevent the hada chance. cr►t nunity from feeling a kin - had people consider their , ship with an officer in this kind neighbour whc� tiiay suffer froth of trouble. It doesn't_ stop,, asthma or some other citizens from taking a sym- respiratory problem? The pat1 otic ,.tai d and providing �> Smoke particles in air make breathing even 'more difficultall the moral support needed to - in some small measure, soothe problems, do people realize the Besides the above mentioned ' the hurt of hay+ng been ton waste that results from burning human, just for -an instant. , That. s why this newspaper gives full marks to all the leaves.., Leaves contain a large c,licerrten of this town, supply of plant nutrients that p ,o6uld he ,put to better: tape if especiailv -•those who were on they• were ` eon posted. The, duty Hallowe'en night. They did a great job in the face, of rc'�,tlt'ing}hitrttus ,wrtultld bell; to � _,' ev imp,- ;, ':e so' as weltoverwhelming odds and th , tr 1 ':the soil as A ,�, • should be commended by ever trttntir7uetl an page .11 citizen !tete. The stock reply to that charge is sim- ply that if ratepayers feel board mem- bers are not doing a satisfactory job, they can vote them out of office, But its isn't as easy as that. If people are too apathetic, too unconcerned, too quiet, they won't care whether board members are doing a good job or not. They will not let their names stand for election and the, incumbents are returned without opposition. Voters don't make a choice. They just provide a meaningless' man- date for board members year after year. Round and round it goes with the`apathy getting worse and the trustees .feeling secure. This county needs trustee candidates who will do everything in their power to bring the board to the people. They will visit the local councils from time to time to make reports and answer questions: They will call on + their local newspapers to inform staff there of pen- ding policy making, issues of local c9n- cern or new decisions having special ef- fect oh their ratepayers. -They wilt. urge their local editors' to air all aspects of education in Huron; they will insist that • ratepayers know the reasons for all decisions and their- own personal. feelings about them. They will not sup- press criticism; they .will welcome it, thrive .an it, invite it:.: They will request opportunities ,to. - speak to 'such, groups as Lions Clubs "u and Women's Institutes. They will carry the comments of their ratepayers back to the board. They will fight for the needs of their voters and they will keep them informed every step 'of the way. . 'This is the eve of nominations. Let's +have, done with itis.•feeiirtg` a"mond';; the people that~, the board is far away and uncaring for their little needs. Let's have nominees pledged to bringing _ the school board to the voters...and reviving that close association that trustees used tohave with their electors.' / It .can be done. It must be done before ,school boards are ' phased out com- pletely. in favor .of sub -committees" -on regional councils where nobody knows or cares about anyone's thoughts. Those drinking drivers As a follow-up to last week's special editorial column written by Kevin Cox concerning drinking and driving, there is this week the annual report of the On- tario Ministry of Transportation and Communications setting forth statistics relating .to motor vehicle collisions. On pages 16 and 17 of the report are -the figures about alcohol where drivers are concerned. In 1973, only 8.9 percent of 322,126 collisions involved alcohol. ' More than 87 percent of the drivers in- volved in all these collisions were ter- med "apparently normal" - 2.7 had their ability impaired by alcohol; 6.2 had been drinking; and the remainder were classed as "other" or "not known." In fatal collisions, the statistics were • slightly more dramatic, Of 2,461 fatal collisions in 1973, 60.3 percent of Me drivers were termed "apparently nor- mal"; 12.7 percent were impaired; 12,8 percent had been drinking; and the' remaining 14.2 percent were classed as :other" or "not known." In accidents where alcohol usage in- formation was assimilated (this infor- mation is not provided in all in'= vestigations it seems), less than half (48.8 percent) of the fatally injured drivers were `found . tops be "apparently normal," More than 36 percent were discovered to be impaired and another 15.6 percent were, found to have been drinking, In the segment entitled . Driver Con- dition By Age Group, All Collisions, some More interesting statistics were found. The age group responsible for the largest percentage of the accidents in the province was•those persons between 25 and 34 (81;508). the next largest group was between the ages : bf 20-24 . r (63,685); third (and here's a surprise) ) ' f rom 85-44 years of age (58,365), and fourth -from 16 -19 -years of-age°(45,266);:A close fifth was the age group 45-54 (41,568). • Where alcohol was involved, the age group 35 to 44 had the dubious*distinc- tion of having the highest.percentage of . impaired drivers (3.1 percent); next were the 25-34 year olds with 2.8 per cent; 20-24, 2.5 percent; -and: 16-19; 1.8 percent. Of drivers who had been drinking, 8.4 percent were 20-24; 7.9 percent were 16- 19; 6.3 perdent were 25-34; and 5,4 per- cent were 35-44. *** , Some conclusions can be drawn from all this. •• It is clear that the middle-aged group (35-44) and probably the moms and dads of the 16-19 group: do not set a very good example for the, kids. !t rr also abundantly evident the. kids (16-19) are doing a fair 'amount of drinking and, .' driving ... and one could assume from the figures provided that a fair percen- tage of the drinking and driving is being done by youngsters under the legal age... of 18. .1 The statistics also lead one to believe' that ,if it was definitely determined whether or not alcohol was a factor in all accidents, the chances are the percen- tage of impaired and drinking drivers would be substantially greater. This is witnessed by the comparison Of figures jh fatal collisions. Where it was established if alcohol was in ilved, it Showed over half the fatally .injured drivers had been drinking: Where this . fact was not clearly determined, however, it appeared that over 60 per- cent of the fatally :i'nju'red''dri ers were apparently normal. . That party season is upon Us, please, if you drink det'l't drive: If you drive don't drink: