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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-02-23, Page 4Tiff !SIXTH STANDARD) PAGE 4 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23,19g rho C9auveen swot-,.,-Ct„acar �fric_fhoaf p.®. Lean YW Cabo gesce. Drat rfo. eann 1d5. roue.: c82 -8;s3. F,u�rcrA�uacav � �: bcazv:c"_ - "18.84D 4,uyoas-u or to rogaaoernnod a3 mWW§ abson anon by flee ®wt ofebso evco®os vba+pazonode ao 1fg11. glen IXOnors-dbacord lommilbeme.K0 leu /924 f14, tforon k osno-llo=aomd. isounstesollos 1881. and lrbo Cabman lbew fro. Ie,ondexa an 149819. Toe& somas runes 4.1.89. Incorporating SMELLk r McPFOEE - Editor GARY HAIRY - Advertising Meleager JANICE - Advertising PEGGY GIRD - Office Manager MARY A!1P MOtiUE/ ECIC - Subscriptions J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher A MEMBER MEMBER Display odvertlsing 'otos ovolloblo on roagoo3r. asb for Sere Cord No. 13 offoctivo Oct. 1 1901 Action better than stagnation For more than 25 years now, Clinton councils have been floundering and fum- ing about the old town hall. In recent years the continuing controversy has includ- ed the library building. Our most recent councils have finally brought the controversy to the head of the table, and have attempted to ot least get some action on on issue that should have been resolved years ago. Still, the answer is not an easy one. The townspeople, and even council members remain clearly divided as to the future of these two buildings. Costs have been estimated, time and time again, proposals and drawings have been mulled over and architects and engineers have been consulted. With all the discussions and plans, opposition and support, the only thing that has been reached is an almost complete state of confusion, misunderstanding and separa- tion between the two forces in Clinton. Enough is enough. Council, believing they have financially acted in the best in- terests of the ratepayers have agreed to investigate and proceed with a preliminary propos& to restore both buildings. Their studies have indicated that it may be less less expensive to renovate the buildings. While the initial estimated cost, $1,275,000, is more than this town can handle, council has found that grants and government financing may cover up to $600,000 of the cost. Two new, smaller buildings have been estimated to cost over $800,000. On new structures grant funding is greatly reduced. It has been estimated that only $100,000 in such funding could be received, leaving the town with a bill of $700,000. Council has agreed that no changes to the present restoration plan can be made until they have received final word on than six grant applications for restoration work. Mayor Archibald has plainly stated that if a manor portion of this money is not available, the restoration plan will be completely halted. Clinton residents must bear with council while they await word on this funding. No one can definitely say what the best proposal is until these financial figures are avaola.')le. The mayor has assured that this issue will not be placed on the back burner for another decade to come. In the event that restoration funding is not available, then the buildings will come down. The future of the town hall and library rest on a great deal of unsure possibilities at this time, but this shouldn't come as a new concern for Clonto- nians, it's being going on for years now. At least we have council members who are willing to take action, who took the risk of winning.and losing at the election polls for their opinions on the issue, who realize that the problem cannot be left any longer. Mayor Archibald noted that it would have been easy for him to propose more "bandage" work on the buildings. He could have spent his term of office "kissing babies" and by being a hand shaking, smiling politician. Instead he has realized that action is better than stagnation and Clinton residents should be proud of their council for making that commitment. -by S. McPhee behind the I scenes Hospital uses The news that Toronto hospitals are hop- ing to get government approval to sell the services of their laboratories to outside customers in competition with private laboratories seems to open up all kinds of new ways to increase government in- comes. In these days of economic restraint when people are insisting that government in- stitutions should be run in a riore business- like manner, the possibility of maximizing return on investment in government circles seems to be endless. For instance, there is an attempt being made in Toronto for private management companies to move up from the U.S. to manage several major hospitals rather than the normal internal management system that has run each hospital for years. I'm sure the new managers with their Yankee ingenuity will immediately see some of these possibilities. For instance, periodically when the pro- vincial government goes on one of its cost- cutting binges, hospitals are forced to close rooms, even whole wings. A sharp manager would see the potential here for turning these into inexpensive hotel rooms. Rather than having those rooms stand empty, you could rent them out to visiting tourists and businessmen for $50 to $100 a day. The rooms might not be fancy but you could offer what no classy hotel can offer: a fully -trained and equipped medical staff on call 24 hours a day. Smart managers might also see the possibilities of other hospital facilities. For rnst.anc . why not in the evenings when the rise is ,fight anyway, turn the hospital's physio therapy departments into health clubs' And after they've served their nor- mal use in hospital waiting rooms, magazines rould be sold to antique dealers. But this seining of services could spread through the whole governmen bureaucracy. For instance, for schools an organizations having courses on publi relations, the post office could rent its to officials as consultants on how to d anything in a way to get the most peopl upset with you. If there is too much d mand for the post office to fill in this area the folks at the Metric Commission coul certainly help out. In the same line Premier William Davis could give in struction to classes on meditation for in somniacs. He's guaranteed to put anybod to sleep after only five minutes of talking. But it's down in the U.S. where Ronal Reagan faces criticism for both his budge Ieficit and military spending that the mos exciting potential lies. On a small scale Mr. Reagan could start a rent -a -genera program. He already rents generals t( countries like El Salvador of course NI his would be a plan to help out the poor harried party -givers of America who ar ooking for something to give a new charge o their parties. They could also, perhaps work out a franchising system with peace movement groups to rent a protester. The confrontation between the two sides should uarantee no more dull parties. The possibilities go much farther. You tight even say they're earth shattering. Why not get rid of those old atomic warheads which aren't up to date enough o deter the Soviets by using them to clear he centres of American cities for owntown redevelopment It would be ice to tell the blacks and other poor to move out first but if they didn't, well that ould cut the welfare deficit wouldn't it? nd you could rent out weapons like the erm warfare, to countries that are wir- ed about the birth control problem. Just hink, a good shot of bubonic plague will ot only reduce the present population but make people sick enough not to be able to o anything about increasing the popula- on. t d c p 0 e e- a, d y d t t t e 1 t g n d n w A g 1'i t n (1 ti 7 - IaMeeces" SU rand spice Back to basics WITH parents screaming "Back to the Basics", teachers trying to remember what the basics are, and Ministries off Education never letting the left hand know what the right hand is trying to do, it's almost inevitable that the subject off corporal punishment in the schools is revived. It's a perennial, and it's always good for a headline, whether you are for or against. It's almost as popular as capital punish- ment for criminals. And you have no idea, gentle reader, how many people, incluf,'ng students, are in favor of that. I'm quite sure that a referendum would show a majority of Canadians would vote to restore that particular form of official murder. But while criminals make up a com- paratively small segment of our society, rotten kids are always there in great numbers. And there's always someone who wants to pound them, vicariously, through the school system. Usually, the business of beating kids is seen in black or white. Or black and blue. On the one hand, you have the fun- damentalists, who go back to the Old Testament, "'Spare the rod and spoil the child." These people forget that several off the disciples were fishermen, and that what this particular one meant was, "If you don't let the kid use your spare rod once in a while, he'll grow up to be a lousy angler." I don't remember Jesus ever saying anything about pounding kids, but I may be wrong. On the other side of the schtick are the other crazies: psychologists and such, who think a kid who is thumped will be warped for life; mothers who read articles by psychologists; and former child -beaters who are now vice -principals. dispensed by bill smiley And in between, as usual, are all the confused, decent and sensible people like you and me, who have given our kids the old belt, and felt rotten about it. Both the extreme camps, of course, are full of crap. In the first group, we have people who were whipped unmercifully when they were kids, and now, by some weird type of logic, insist it was good for them. They can hardly wait to spread some of this "good" around. And in the second group are all the other people who were whipped unmercifully when they were kids and are trying to prove that that is what has made them queer ever since. A plague on both their houses. Most of us olders were whipped, now and again, but not unmercifully, and we deserved every stroke of the hairbrush, skelp of the yar- dstick, and swish of the willow -switch. It didn't warp us physically or psychologically. It taught us something about the society we would be living in as adults — that there are certain limits, and if you transgress them, you take your licks. My mother used to work over my kid brother and me about every two weeks, whether we needed it or not. She used a fly - swatter, which has a sting like a scorpion, or a yard -stick, which transfers fire to the bum, when we got under the bed and the fly -swatter wouldn't reach. It did us no harm whatever, and probably saved her sanity. My dad, like most men leaving the dirty work to the mother, rarely laid a hand on us. But when he did ... boy, some hand. He could spank your whole ass, not just one buttock at a time, with that hand. The same kid brother and 1 were in the same class in school one year, and once a week, our teacher, Old Mary Walker, would give us a good strapping, along with a few other delinquents. We thought the world of her, and she of us. The strappings stung, but once in a while, we'd jerk back odds 'n' ends Winter of surprises A green Christmas in this part of the country is unusual but not unheard of. However, seeing a snowman being pro- tected by an umbrella on Christmas Day is enough to make anyone do a double take. The makeshift umbrella looked like a cardboard box or a clothes basket turned upside down. I wonder whether it helped the old boy to survive the rain that fell all day and turned the green Christmas into a rather muddy one. it was only the first of many surprises that the winter of 82/83 has dished out. Last year everyone asked, "Can you believe this winter?" The snow kept piling up, covering cars, sheds and porches, and people wondered where it would stop. Now famous by Shelley McPhee our hand and Old Mary would give herself a good crack on the thigh. This doubled the number on each hand, but raised our status in the class. I've smacked my own kids, occasionally, and the grandboys, but their smoldering anger, and mine, never lasted more than 15 minutes, because the smacking was not done in malice, and they knew they were asking for it. Beating kids in school? Many parents would like it done. Many others would have a lawyer on you. There are only two reasons for a teacher to use a strap: 1) he or she is a poor teacher; 2) it adds a little drama to the humdrum off the classroom. In 50 years, I've never seen strapping scare anybody or deter anybody. A word to the bleeding hearts. There are many more insidious ways to warp a child's personality than physical punish- ment. The real sadists of the classroom, and they are very few nowadays, are those who use person harassment, hectoring, and sarcasm. These can do far more damage than a good thump. Ask any kid. In the whole debate, naturally, my sympathies are with the teacher. There are times when I would have been happy, not just to whip, but to strangle some kid, and go to jail for life meaning five years, with good behavior. Looking back, I almost wish i had. It's peaceful in prison. But I have no time for the bully in the classroom. Teachers who know their stuff and have some strength of character have few discipline problems. However, let's think for a moment about the sensitive, young woman teacher who asks a lout to do something, and he says, "Screw you."? So the punk gets a "suspension" for a few days t translation: holiday 1. And the teacher sits, shattered, among her crumbled ideals. Whot to do? I'd turf gum out of school for a year, and let his parents put up with him. Serve both parties right. Any opinions? Let's have them. "streamers" swept oil bake Huron dump- ing their loads on the ''lee of bake Huron - or the "banana belt" as some of us cynical- ly call western Ontario. This year people are still asking, "Can you believe this winter" But the reasons are different. A sifting of snow is the most we've received. Skis seldom leave the garage, toboggans stand in corners and snowmobiles hardly run long enough to get warmed up. Besides the fun missed by winter .sports' enthusiasts, lack of snow has caused pro- blems for people who make their living from seasonal sports. Some of us, who are less energetic in the winter, have guilt feelings. We're torn between empathy for our fellowman and our personal enjoyment of this "easy" winter. The unusual conditions have not been confined to Canada. in Europe, profes- sional skiers had difficulty finding enough snow for their World Cup competitions. But, the most surprised people this winter were probably the Californians who woke up to snow one morning. Typically, the kids didn't mind Rack in western Ontario, meteorologists have spotted systems headed our way We've held our breath thinking, "Now we're gonna get it: " Storms have come close, hut surprising- ly they've stopped before they've reached our area or they've taken detours The ground hog didn't see his shadow, and a few robins have come hack Could we be surprised by an early spring this year' Maybe, but March can be a tricky mon- th. Some of us are still expecting a wintry surprise package before it's over. ,1 Dear Editor: Various good causes are now confron- ting us and all worthy of support. January, March of Dimes; February, Heart Fund; March, Red Cross; and April, Cancer. It is to be hoped each will keep to its own allotted month. That has not always been the case which makes it hard for each. Last year February very badly ran into the March Red Cross canvass. This should be justified if at all possible. The Red Cross committee wishes good support for all. The committee headed by Mrs. Marearet Allan is Ken Flett, Bess Fingland, Ed Godkin, Helen Cooper, Marg Caldwell, Wynn Hornuth, Garnet Harland, Val Galichiuk and Gretta Mediger. They are geared for action March first. Sincerely Bess Fingland Villa of love Dear Editor: Ritz Lutheran Villa uniquely situated just north of Mitchell on Highway 23 is truly a home for the elderly, men and women. Concern and care ot residents and staff alike are blended to achieve a warm at- mosphere. For the aged, this is not an institution it is a "Villa of Love" which enables them to live with continued meaning and purpose. The handicaps which may seem a hin- drance to us, are bypassed by the aged, by means of home and wood crafts, exercises, cards, and numerous other activities, in- itiated by the nursing, craftroom, and even administration staff. My mother, Anna Middegaal was a resident of this home for most of three years, until her death on Jan. 11, 1983. She and any father Lambertus, im- migrated from the Netherlands in 1948. After farming in Blyth area, and following the death of dad, mother lived by herself until it was necessary for her to receive the care provided for by this honie. The English language always proved a bit of a barrier to mother. In consideration of this, the staff at the Villa placed her with Clara Leasa. Being of German descent, Mrs. I.easa was able to understand mom quite well, when she spoke her native tongue. Having been so long a part of the far- ming community, the view from her window allowed her to see not only the area farmers working the land. but also the picturesque greens, and the winding Thames River. During mom's declining days she was allowed to remain in her home, and we, her family were able to stay with her around the clock. The care, love, and comfort she received from all touched us deeply. The doctors from the nearby Mitchell Medical Centre are always within minutes from the Villa. This was a comfort to mother and us, One of the doctors even made a special visit to her Jan. 1st to wish her a happy New Year. Most of us have only one mother and father during our life, and we no doubt want the best for them, especially when it becomes necessary for extra care, to be given to them. I truly do appreciate the care that was given to niom by the staff of the Ritz Villa. This home is an excellent residence for the seniors of our community and area. Thank You! Ritz Lutheran Villa for the respect and dignity you give to our seniors and parents. Mrs. Harry ( Helen ) Van Moorsel RR 5, Mitchell Children of note Always left until the final disastrous minute, with the yellow bus waning, lights flashing impatiently, the .cry is heard, "I need a note for my teacher!" Small wonder most notes are written on bizarre scraps of material: wallpaper, paper towels, bills, candy wrappers, cigarette packets, old shopping lists - whatever is closest to hand. Messages are usually succinct and spelling, grammar and syntax are the last of the worries while Susie or Johnny waits restlessly. The precious note is then crammed into a pocket or lunch box and produced, crtunpled, at morning roll call. Here is a selection of such "Dear Teacher" notes collected from those un- sung heroes from coast to coast who continue to guide and cherish our children, iiiop up tears ( and worse' (, settle disputes, wipe noses, share lunches, give out pencils, stars, tissues. and notes, notes, notes. Dear Teacher Please excuse John's absence for he has a cough and a cold which c'o'nes and goes Yesterday it came Dear Teacher Barbara was not at school yesterday afternoon because her mother was having a baby. It is not likely that she will ne missing school again this year for the same reason Dear Teacher Anne d1(1 not do her homework because i couldn't understand it. Dear Teacher I kept Monica at home today i)ecaace she was not feelinw tool bright - from St Joseph s S. hoi.I newsletter Bhp NMI /1111'0' r1n 'r1'rrturn'' U h. 1'r„I 1'r rtl' 1'r, �r /r Ilt r In Illy• tvlrlur nn,l lr•I ''r e'rN,rnr• 1,11,m ill 1,rrLlr.ltt 1'l, 1u'rr rrlrrrrr Ih, , (.411 1,, ;flrflt'•rllr,:lr,•,B. .1/111 1,N, u1/„rrl frt.. art. ;ill ,1'r' ,l Ill .,r'• •0111, , l l,, '",lrlrn&r l,rr /' HL lir tor lib,/