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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-10-02, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL-STAR,,THURSDAY , OCTOBER 2,1975 EDITORIAL COMMENT ,The Canadian question • -According to the economics experfs k'n.fith the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, inflation in Canada will likely continue to run at historically high rates for the next few years at least, but the cobntry has a chance to reduce inflationary pressures if it takes action nOW. They say that Canadian policy makers have an excellent opportunity to bring domestic inflationary, pressures under better control. But they warn that if Canadians fail to reduce domestic cost and price pressUres to more tolerable levels before the next upturn in world( economic activity and commodity \ demand, the chances of achieving a reasonably satisfactory price per,- formance through,the closing, , years of the decade will not be bright. Commerce experts feel today's in- flation is, very, much a problem of excessive expectations translated into political action, causing an ever- increasing share of the national pi-odLiCtion to be channelled through the government sector. They say th,e ultimate causes of inflation are political and sociological rather than ecOnomic in nature, and stress, therefore, that the answers to inflation will be found, in political and .social adjustments,. New United States ,Labor Depart- ment figures show that US business is emerging from what is termed — "recession", lean, hungry and stripped' for tough'competitive action. Former, Canadian Finance Minister John • Turner repeatedly warned that the unrelenting ,drive for higher incomes was preventing Canadian industry from laying a new foundation for . competitive growth. The failure to slow labor costs means there is no way Canadian business in the next year can match the productivity gains and unit - labor -cost improvements now benning to Show- up dramatically in the, US private sector. Perhaps the vision of such troubles to come was`.a very real factor in the resignationse Mr. ,Turner. It isn't • clear- whether the June decision to let energy prices rise 'suddenly, rather than phasing them in slowly, haci Turner's approval. is evident, however, this action has sent the co-tisumer price index'''. lurching upward .and encouraged _already: - excessive wage demands it become even more excessive. The ill-timed one,shot raise for MPs set an example for what-the-hellism on the wage front, and the treatment. of agricultureby Ottawa as a completely depressed area of the economy in need of import protectigry and marketing boards has been an important factor in. the upswing of food prices. - The new finance minister for the country has his work cut out for h4m.. It's a safe bet that he'll be asking himself the big question: Can wage settlements be moved or talked toward lower ground, as they sensibly should, or should they be forced there by a system of contrbls complete ,with a whole new set of problems,.--SJK 0 ' Friends By Dave Sykes More nuciectr reactors, increased concern everywhere .In this part of Canada, more and more citizens are becoming engrossed in the nuclear question. Living on the threshold of Bruce Nuclear Power Development, the anxieties that accompany the existence of , a nuclear reactor are very real to thinkmg people._ In a speech to, the Energy and People conference in Saint Mary's University in Halifax,. Nova Scotia, the Hon. Robert L. Stanfield touched on the problem of • nuclear energy. Mr. Stanfield said that there is an almost • certtain future of the growing se -amity of cheap energy. He called the energy problem "immense" and "nricertain". He said Canadians are'not sure precisely how and to what extent ,the Consumer. society will have to change, but added it is a foregone conlusion that,th,e Personal habits. and ex-pectations of Canadians will be changed in many waYS in the future.-_, The Leader of the Official Opposrabn in Canada said the country needs 'a national energy ',policy .and • called - for tough decisions soon. ' For starters, he said Canadians must accept energy prices which will encourage exploration and th'ei development of alternativesources. .Conservation, Mr. Stanfield pointed out, has an important,role to play. He insisted that Canadians have done little more than pay lip service to ,conservation. He suggested' that in fact, Canadian citizens are trying hard not to face the energy problem, especially .the conservation angle. "But I'm not suggesting we panic," Mr. Stanfield continued.. "We must not throw aside, for ex,ample, legitimate en- vironmental concerns. And we must not use our alleged concerti t� help poor countries to justify for us the sale of nuc leaf reactors without adequate safeguards:* Sorn,e say that we cannot prevent 'nuclear proliferAtion and that if we don't do the business, others,,will. Are .our people prepared to turn down that kind of business? , It is general knowledge that high oil prices have prompted nuclear power project § in many nations. In the past year, 30 nations --not including the US --have increased their commitments to 'nuclear power, a survey of a :US trade organization shows" The number -of reactors operating, under construction, on order, or planned in the 38 countries rose to,426 from 348 a year earlier. Incidentally, the US has 55 reactors working, 63 under construction, 101 on order and 16 planned, for a total of , 235. , And the experts feel that the increase in orders for nuclear powerplants abroad in just one year is mostly due to economicl7nd political pressures caused by the Middle East oil situation. ' . The survey also found that U.S. nti'clear technology continues to dominate in new foreign plants. In the 38 nations sUrveyed, • so-called 'light water reactors, a US development, account for 70 per cent Of the plants. • This year, Switzerland is producing .17 per cent of its electric energy with nuclear power, the highest figure for any nation. The U.S. has the capacity to generate nearly 8 per cent of its electricity with nuclear plants. After Switzerland comes Belgium yvith 15 per cent and the U.K. with 10 per cent. „ln terms of total comtnitments to nuclear power, including plants planned, -France, Spain and , West Germany, lead.the world outside the US. By. the end of the century, some, of the *nations surveYed expect to -produce as' much as 85 per Cent of their electricity with nuclear i5ower. By then the US shouldbe generating about 50 per cent. . Light water reactors aren't new. In fact, French scientists have unearthedevideace that light water reactors fuelled with enriched uranium existed long before Noah built his ark-,— - If the scientists are right, twO or three fission reactors operated in what is now the African republic of Gabon about 1.7 billion years ago. • • These reactors, assembled naturally by geological processes, produced ' several kilowatts more or less continuously for at least 100,000 yeArs,and possibly for more than a. million. According to Scientific American, the existence of the natural reactors was first revealed three years, ago at the French gaSeons diffusion plant at Pierielatte when a laboratory preparation or uranium •liexafluoride, gas showed a slight deficit in the expected content of ttraniUm-235,\-',V Workers tracking.dovvn the discrepancy found that more than 700 tons of uranium shipped from a mine north of Oklo, in GabOn, Was depleted in U-235. • The only plausible hypothesis was that some of the U,,-235 had been consumed as fuel in a natural uranium reaction at the site of the mine. Two things were, essential for such a ^ phenomenontn have oCcurred; a sufficient enrichment of U-235 ablw the normal • value, and a moderator,' such 'water, to •slow down the fast neutrons rele d by spontaneous fission t� support a cha reaction. ' "Since U-235 spOntaneously disin- • tegrates with a half-lifp of .7 -billion years, one can calculate thaf1.7 billion years ago the Gabon deposits contained about 3 per cent U-235, or about the level of enrichment' found in the fuel of comniercial nUclear reactors," Scientific American reports. • "There is also geological evidence that the uranium, in the form of its oxide, was well mixed with a variety of hydrated minerals, so, that the reaction centres contained about 15 per'dent watec„ at least sortie* of it in liquid form, saturating the mineral bed. , "The.ratio.ctf water to uranium Oxide was • about the •same as it is in atypical man- made light -water reactor." Finally, the article states, the reaction centres had to be reasonably free of any Well-known nuclear reaction •"poisons" such as boron, which have a. voracious appetite for neutrons and would have made a chain reaction impossible, There truly is nothing new under the sun. This column in the past,, has dealt with strikes. Not until - now ha-Ve they really affected this newspaper. But alas, the paper mills are on strike asross 'the nation with no news of a. settlement at presslime. -Newsprint is a vital corn- rnodity to this "newspaper as well as all other newspapers in the countrY. If the strikes aren't settled, of course, it will simply mean shutting down the plant Until they are resolved. And that's • a headache for the management of SignalS tar Publishing Limited. A real mind boggier. . Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't. But•vve've been cutting back again, trying to cram, as much ' news and advertising into as few pages'as possible. The object is to save newsprint,' and ' stay in production aslong as possible. Aside from that, -it's business as usual... aiming t� please as many people as we can as much of the time as we can. A tEbt °bait!) SIGNAL—STAR —0— The County Town Newspaper' of Huron —0— Founded in 1848 and published.every Thursday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CWNA and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable in advance $11.00 in Canada, $12,50 in all countries other than Canada l single copies 25 cents, Second class mail Registration Number 0716. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of typographical error, the ad- Vertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but the balance of the irdvertisement will be paid"for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advbrtislog Olds or services at a wrong price, goods or servIce may 'not be sOld. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts nr photos. • Business and Editorial Office TELEPHONE 524-8331 aria code 519 Mailing Address: P..O. Box 220, Goderich SoCciitd class mail registration number -0116 Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. ROBEAT G. SHRIEO—president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER—editor JEFF SEDDON—editorial staff DAVE SYKES—editorial staff EDWARD J. BYRSK l—advertising manager ' In that regard, this clipping from a publishers' 'newpaper is rather interesting. It is entitled "Why*Don't You.'?" and deals with some of the questions most often asked by newspaper readers. It goes like this: Q., -Why don't you write an editorial and tell thoSe guys on the city commission what they can do to improve the town? A, ,Why don't you go down to the -next commission meeting and tell them Ourself? Q. Why don't you print.more letters to the editor? Why don't you write me one? And *sign it with youl- na me, plenw,•don't be chicken. Q, Why don't. you run more pages in the paper? A Because the, outgo would exceed the' inctime and then out I'd go. Q. Why don't you peint in color, say red, more often? A. Our entire supply of red ink is used in the bookkeeping department. Q.,Why don't you have funny papers? A. We think we have the funniest paper in the praiince already, Q. Why don't you have an "Advice to the Lovelorn" column, like Dear Abby?. A. None of our readers has any such problems. Q. Why don't you carry TV reviews? ./k. They • Can pay for their advertising. Q. Wicy don't yon_run a pin-up , picture one in a while? A. Why not? Q. Why do you make so many granimatical mistakes? A. Cause we ain't never learned no better. ., ' Q. Why do'n' t you run recipes? A. We did and left a line out: Twenty people got sick , and - cancelled their subscriptions. • Q', Why. do you devotip space to such trivialities as "Joe Smith entered the hospital this weA.ek? "cause good 014 Joe has many friends who are con- cerned about his health, even if you're not. And some of them • ht send him cards which he would appreciate. • These huestiong and answers have not solved a lot of problems, but at least 6tey should not have created any, which is quite an ac- complishment in these times. Despite the paper strike, and the stringent - conservation mrasure ordered by the press crew here, permissipn was granted to publish the first annual GDCI commencement souvenir issue. We're proud of it here .at the Signal -Star, and we're hoping the 'graduates and their families and friends will be pleased with the effort. ' Having, teenage kids of my own, plus a job,that puts me touch -with many of the students at the local high schoo1,1 get to - know quite a few young peoPle ,in Goderich. I must say I am , usually impressed , with the majority of these youngsters, and pleased 'to be able to support them in any .Way that I can. ' I attended the com- mencement exercises last Friday evening. ,,As usual I got a big lump in My throat,as the GDCI band struck up Pomp and Circumstance and the graduates -179 if they had all been present --filed into the auditorium. • I've been in Goderich long. enough now to have watched these young people enter high school as gangling, un- comfortable, sometimes un- Couth children. To see them now emerge as , poised, in- telligent and capable young men and women is truly a joy ahd a privilege. Valedictorian Mike Palmer Spoke of this Change in his classmates, as wr '.1 as himself. He said it was due to concerned parents, interested teachers and the friendship of fellbw !4tudents that this dramatic growing up process happens. He's righ,t, of course. . Maturing is a marvellous thing that occurs when conditions are right, Obviously, for the vast majority of the graduates at, GDCI, the combination was correct and the transformation is complete. , The community can take pride in the GDCI graduates for 1975. Many, many aregoing on • to institutions of higher lear- • ning to further their education and prepare themselves for the difficult years ahead when they will be the wage earners, the moms and dads, the leaders. Mayor Deb Shewfelt was one ofthe platform guests at Friday's ceremony in GDCI. He told Pete Willis, the first recipient of the Town of •Goderich $500 scholarship that there were strings attached to the award. Mayor Shewfelt told Pete that the community is looking forward to the time when he'll return to Goderich, take his place in the community and perhaps one day make the , same award to some other leserving student in the town. I guess, in reality, that's why the investment in education for the young people is so wor- thwhile. Certainly the coun- try' S hope rests with the kids like those who graduated last weekend in Goderich. Surely some of them will come back to Goderich to work and make their homes.; if not them, then some other young pegple from some other communities just like this one. Our future is only as bright as the graduates we send out... and judging from the guys and gals who picked uo their diplomas last Friday, we've got a great future ahead, • Bat the job isn't over. There's another class this year:' there will be another one next year; and the year after that and the year after that. We have to keep on supporting our youth in every conceivable way... at school, at home, at church, at play. We have to set • eicamples for them. We have to encourage them with everything we have„ Let the kids ofGoderich know they are imPortant to the If there is anything you can do -- individually or collectively --do it. It's the best insurance I know for continued prosperity and progress in town. Great service Dear Editor: Since I have been only a visitor • in Goderich, I ,am not acquainted, with the type of letters written to the editor,,so I trust thiS will be acceptable. I came here the second week of September to visit a friend who had just recently moved to Meneset Park. We managed to get a bit of sight-seeing in, and made plans to twice a more thorough visit to the various historical sites of the area.' Alas, on my fifth day here I 'found myself rushed into emergency in your hospital. Both being strange to the area, we km: w no doctors so did the quickes; thing by phoning the hospital and, were told to Come in. I was , given immediate treatment by a very competent staff who left nothing to guess work, The dtictors, lab technicia-ns, nurses, dietary staff of Goderich: hospital are - all to be commended and your town should be justly proud of them, At various times we hear rumblings in hospitals regarding staff, food, meals etc. and I want to say most • sincerely that I was mire than satisfied with the care and treatment as well as con- sideration for my well-being. .Being on a special diet I did not , have the liberty to choose my foOd but I can assure you that I could' not have chosen- better had I had the privilege. I must add that you are also privileged to have so many young ,doctors — now please do not .misinterpret —because the older ones have their place too as well as the older nurses, but there comes a time.. As someone once said: "The old have faithfally served their time The young wist_ take :their turn; There's something often tc forget , But something More to learn. In closing I want to thank Pastor Brubacher, Mrs. Wilfrid Stainton (a friend I had not seen in 45 years) and Mr. and Mrs. • Roy Wintemute;* also friends I knew several years ago, who.. came to visit me. Being 140 Miles from home and thinking I was among strangers, their appearance did much to brighten my days itr hospital and,not forgetting my Meneset ' Park friend, Mrs. Pear who faithfully visited •.each day and . attended ' my special needs outside Of hospital. • I hope to be back again to Goderich to finish my planned - visits — perhaps even bring a, busload of historians. It is 'a beautiful town,- Sincerly, ) Mrs. Mildred (June) Lees, Waterford, Ontario. Fath healing Dear Editor, We have just returne'd home from a five day Morris Cerullo Holy Spirit Teaching Seminar in Chicago, where so many miracles happened— The sad part of it all, not everyone .is healed, but as the Holy Spirit moves, these men of God, expect that soon at these Meetings everyone will be healed. If a person is not healed the first time they attend a Meeting, often they are the third or fourth time. • 1. tv mail with a double hernia for forty years was,healed. • 2. A lady whn waS in a wheel- chair— walked. Her husband • said he had just bought himself a bicycle and now he'll have one to buy for his wife. •- 3: A young boy with a brain tumor with a tube draining it, was healed, even the tube disappeared. • 4. A girl who had a' kidney transplant from her mother, which wasn't successful, 'and the calcium was being drained from her ,bones — walked. This miracle, we, actually, saw happening on the stage. I could go on and on. Nothing is impossible with God. MOITiS 'Cerullo is coming to Toronto, next year, We can hardly wait. Kathryn Kuhlman, another of God's servants, • is on TV Channel 11 — 8:30 Sunday mornings. Her book, "I Believe in Miracles", can bibought at most book stores. My first cousin, Harold Goss: of Orillia had cancer. The doctors gave him only a short time to live. He was healed, by the Holy Spirit, at a Miracle Service of Kathry.n Kuhlman's at Peterborough, Ont., about two, years ago. - Rev.. Bill Prankard of Ottayita, interviews people on his TV (continued on page 5)