Clinton News-Record, 1981-08-19, Page 4PAGE 4 --THE CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19,1981
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JAMES E. FITZGERALD - Editor
SHELLEY McPHU - News Editor
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Poisoningthe planet
Although wastes are a necessary evil in improving the quality of life, our self-
centred "out -of -sight, out of mind" waste policies are poisoning the entire planet
before our bodies have had a chance to adapt to the new environment, says an
article in the United Church Observer.
We dispose of wastes by allowing them to escape into the air, burying them,
dumping them into water and even exporting them to other countries, says the
article's author, Jim Taylor in the July issue. "Today, we're not dealing with
natural products like smoke and ashes, but with some 1.8 million artificially
created compounds and chemicals. Of these, about 100,000 are in regular com-
mercial use."
Our attitudes towards waste management remain old-fashioned,' says Taylor.
Halifax runs raw sewage into its harbour; ammonia, lead, mercury and 84
organic chemicals are dumped into Ontario's St. Clair river; and there's no proper
industrial waste disposarfacility in the Maritimes. -
PCB's, hundreds of thousands of tons of which have been• manufactured since
1930, are extremely carcinogenic for humans, says the article. Lead, most of
which has come from auto exhausts, can damage nervous systems and cause
mental retardation. Acid rain, caused when sulphur and nitrogen oxides combine
with moisture, has destroyed life in 140 lakes in Ontario and endangered another
140,000 in Ontario, Quebec and New England.
While society's attitudes remain fixed, some companies are cleaning up their
act, probably as a result of public .pressure and government regulations, says
Taylor. Some companies are turning wastes into chemical fertilizer or cattle feed
while others are recycling or re -refining oil. "One nose -wrinkling pulp mill in the
U.S. has turned port of its highly aromatic waste into flavours and fragrances.
which now sell for. as much as a dollar a pound."
St�ifI1.a. biackrnail
U.S. I'resi�en en'ald Reag�` as teff Otte doubt rr ' F e minds of mosf people -
hathe is .a man of action. His handling of the current strike by the air traffic. con-
trollers south of the border is ample evidence, says the Exeter Times -Advocate.
Reaganwarned the controllers they would be fired if they disobeyed the law
and went on strike. They decided to call his bluff and found to their dismay that
he wasn't bluffing.
Air travellers will undoubtedly be inconvenienced by the government's deci-
sion to fire those who failed to abide by the law, but there is every indication that
people are prepared to pay that price in return for a government that will not suc-
cumb to anarchy.
Now the Canadian government is faced with a similar situation. Air traffic con-
trollers in this country, in a move to aid their U.S. counterparts, hove decided not
to handle flights arriving from or departing to the south of the border.
They have no justification for the move. It is illegal. Will the Canadian govern-
ment show that it too has some backbone and not allow this type of blackmail?
It could be a case of now or never!
All washed up
by Shelley McPhee
remembering
our past
a look through
henews-recordfiles
5 YEARS AGO
August 26. 1976
Pastor Arie VandenBerg, his wife
Geraldine and their two children Mark; 10
and Sharon, 9 moved to Clinton from Essex
last Tuesday. August 17,to take up residence
at the Clinton Christian Reformed Church
manse on Raglan Street.
Due to public pressure, thee provincial
ministry of health has backed .Idown on its
initial budget cutback to the Clinton Public
Hospital. Weii informed sources say that the .,
cutback to the hospital will now be about
$25,000 which. is $200,00 Tess than, the original
cutback of $225,(100 which was 20 per cent of
their budget.
10 YEARS AGO
August 25. 1971
Mrs. Dell Jervis sorted family allowance •
cheques to be rerouted to the homes of—
families recently transferred away from CFB
Clinton.. as one of her last duties as post
master at the Adastral Park post office which
closed Friday. 1t is 17 years ago in October
that Mrs. Jervis came to the post office as an
assistant and she became post master in 1969.
She and her husband will retire to a mobile
home in Goderich for summers and spend
winters in another home in Florida. .
Brewers ' across the province have just
started giving one cent for each can returned,
They already take returned beer bottles and
give a tw6 cent rebate for each one returned
by the customer.
Construction on the new church in
Brucefield began Monday. it will replace the
Growing up with time
He's right ... for once.
Prime Minister Trudeau suggested
awhile back that Canadians had never had
it so good. As usual, his rather abrasive
bluntness raised a good many hackles, but
by golly, he was right. At least in one sense
- materialistically.
Despite our increasing panic about infla-
tion and pollution and the shrinking dollar
and the increasing taxes, we're so much
better off in the sense of worldly goods
than most other people in the world, that
our gloom and doom attitude would be
laughable, were it not a bit pitiable.
Certainly interest rates are horrific, but
our ability to pay them is probably better
than it was 35 years ago, when standard in-
terest rates were about five per cent.
When I went into business about that
time, I had to borrow almost $20,000, with
no security (try that sometime), and my
take-home income was about $35 a week. It
was 1.11ce purchasing your own personal
albatross and tying it about your own neck.
Certainly it's a pity that young couples
have little hope today of buying a house,
even with both of them working. When I
was their age, my chances of buying a
house were just as remote, or more so.
And in those days, very few couples had
two incomes, because we could not plan
our family, as you can today. Oh, we tried,
but every so often another little stranger
would pop into the family, and there was
no such thing as the mother dropping the
infant on a babysitter, or into a day-care
centre, and rushing back to her job.
Our first home was a one -room flat, with
a folding couch, a two -burner gas stove,
and a bathroom up the stairs and along a
hall in which people were frying things,
mostly onions. It cost $50 a mouth, and our
total income was : Ie a month.
Our next abode was a step up. For $70 a
month we had a real bedroom, a real kit-
chen and a real dining -living room. All fur-
nished from second-hand dealers, but with
a precious private entrance, a bit of
backyard and a loopy old landlady.
Then we took a real leap, sharing a
house with another young couple, each of
us with a child. Two bedrooms, living
room, kitchen, share the bath. And get up
every morning in winter, light the stove in
the living -room, thaw the water pipes, and
get a real blaze going in the kitchen stove,
after tossing the half -frozen infant in with
his mother until the place was not
unbearably cold. We thought we were in
clover.
And then another place with another
young couple, and then another with
another young couple. By this time, there
were four of us and four of them. You could
hear their kids screaming and they could
hear yours. You could hear the other cou-
ple fighting, and they could hear you.
Finally, we had a house all to ourselves,
complete with mortgage. As I recall, the
mortgage payments were $35 a month,
practically for life. And believe it or not,
we fell behind in our payments. But we lov-
ed it. This place had a real furnace and a
fair amount of property. The furnace was
of the coal variety, and from trying to keep
it going, I finally realized why my father, a
gentle, quiet -spoken man, used to go to the
basement and send up a volcano of pro-
fanity accompanied by shovel -banging of
the old furnace.
My point is that it took us nearly 10 years
to acquire a real house of our own, and we
were still up to the navel in debt. Along
about the eighth year, we bought our first
car, second-hand naturally.
I wonder how many young people today
realize that in most cases their parents
went through the same thing, living in
sleazy little apartments, doing without so
they could buy a home someday. '
I wonder how many young couples today
do not have at least one car. it seems that
they want instant security; house, fur-
niture, appliances, automobile, holidays in
the south, and a short work week, right
after they are married.
They feel deprived if they don't have a
patio, an expensive barbecue outfit, a
power mower, a freezer, a boat, a van, you
name it.
And because your friendly bank
manager or jovial finance company prac-
tically force loans on them, they get in so
deep that when a bit of a crunch or reces-
sion comes along, they weep and wail and
demand that the government do something
about it.
I worked my ass to the bone, about 60
hours a week, and so did my wife, before
we could afford any of these things. In
those days your smiling bank manager
wore an habitual expression of dour disap-
proval. You'd swear the loan was coming
out of his own pocket. He might loan you
500 if you had 10,000 in security.
Hove many kids today get out and make
their own money? I know marry teenagers
do, but most younger kids get an allowance
to blow on pop, junk foods, records, and
those star war electronic games which
have replaced the old pin -ball machines.
How many kids today in this country
ever go hungry? How many farmers,
despite their outcries, are forced off the
land because they can't meet their mor-
tgages, compared to the Dirty Thirties?
How many billions of dollars do we
spend on booze, cigarettes and other
poisons, when people in other countries are
literally starving to death. Think it over,
friends, and give thanks.
At the beginning of this polemic, I had to
admit Trudeau was right. It hurt to do so.
But I did add the word materialistically. 1
think we never had it so bad in the other
direction: spiritually.
• Do you harm ail oplinion:
1-1 by not trrile u.0 a letter to
I/o' e'elile►r, anfl let f'rer%one
know. All le'tte'rs are
�►rihlishf'el, l►rforifling there
is sufficient spare available,
and !he'o can authenticate'el.
I►se'trfle►lI yins (l►e'ii flames)
are allowed if the letter is
sigrned elsewhere, bill all
letters are .suloje'ei to e'ditinL'
f ror length for libel.
j
62 -year-old church destroyed by lire last
November 20th.
The new church will be built by Riehl
Construction Ltd.. of New Hamburg for
$122.000. The red brick edifice will seat 250
persons in the nave and includes a church
hall. Anotherprominent feature of the design
is a modern bell tower. 'separate from the
one -storey church. but connected to it by a
covered walkway.
The Clinton Junior Gardeners recently
captured third prize at a competition of junior •
clubs from across the prodince for scrap-
books.
.25 YEARS AGO
August 23, 1956
Official totals of the popllation of the Town
of Clinton. as received in the preliminary
winds of the 1956 Census of.Canada this. week
are 2.865. This in comparison with the'census
count of 2,517 made in 1951, records a gain of
alb persons in five years.
Flower fanciers throughout Clinton and the
district combined efforts on Saturday to
transform the Council Chamber in the town
hall here into a bower of beauty on the oc•
nasion of the annual flower slow put on by the
Clinton Citizens' Horticultural Society.
There was keen competition in all classes
and quality of bloom was exceptionally fine.
There were many novel arrangements and
one lady said she. "hadn't seen any better at
Western Hair in London."
if your child is old enough to ride a bicycle
outside of his own back yard. then he is old
enough to know the rules and abide by them.
One of the rules is. don't ride on the
sidewalks. Sensible enough, don't you think,
yet Chief Thompson tells us that it is being
done and that he has had to confiscate some
bikes in order to make the rule remembered.
50 YEARS AGO
August 20, 1931
Sometimes a bons dreams come true
What boys -has not dreamed at times of
rescuing someone in danger, or a whole lot of
peuple;'for• that matter? The other day •in
Hayfield John ('unnmghame of Clinton had
the thrilling adventure of realizing this
dream by bringing safely into porta large
pleasure yachl'which had got befogged and
lost on its way from Detroit to Goderich:
The flower display, at the Clinton Inn
proved to be a fine one. fresh ones coming in
to replace those faded from day to day. 1t
looks as if the chances for a flower show in
I932 are very good indeed.
The cottage being erected three miles south
of Auburn on Ceo. 11. Ball's property by the
different societies of Queen Street Church.
Blyth, is nearing completion. Last week the
Canadian Girls In Training in charge of Mrs.
E.L. Anderson were the first to mak' �f
the new camping grounds while this wc. e
Trail Rangers under Rev' E.L. Anderson are
taking their turn at camping there.
75 VEARS AGO
August 2t, 1906
On 'Tuesday a well-filled train of ex•
cursionists from Berlin went to Goderich to
enjoy an outing at the lake. That they were
not all teetotallers was evidenced by the fact
that they took half•a car .load of lager beer
with them to satisfy their thirst. On the way
home some of the' more jubilant ones fi red a
Large sky rocket through the window -of. Mr.
Lucas' parlor, adjoining the station. It set fire
to the lace curtain and would have caused a
disastrous fire had it not been noticed
promptly.
In this immediate vicinity there has not
bx'en a good'soaking rain for many weeks and
the consequence is that vegetation of all kinds
is drying up. Gardeners complain that
vegetables are nothing like what they should
be: pastures are burnt up. and stock is suf-
t'errng in consequence A rain of several days'
odds 'n' ends
Best For The Pet
My pet was lonely. She never complain-
ed. Complaining wasn't part of her nature,
but I could tell just by looking at her.
I could tell by the way she moped around
the house all day. She'd lay inside the door
gazing wistfully through the open screen,
and at night, she'd stay in a corner while I
watched T V .
She was still faithful to me, doing
everything I expected of her and staying
wherever I put her. But I felt guilty know-
ing she was unhappy.
Finally the solution came to me. She
needed a mate. I know what you're think-
ing. What was I going to do with a bunch of
little pets around the apartment? I wasn't
worried. After her years of devotion, she
deserved a little fun.
One day I brought her mate home and in-
troduced them. At first they acted coy and
seemed almost indifferent to each other.
Each staked out a corner of the apartment
as private territory and stayed there.
In time and with a little manoeuvering
from me, they began to share a corner.
Soon they were soaking up the sunshine
together inside the front door.
The results were not what I expected. In-
stead of her mate's enthusiasm rubbing off
on her,,the despondency of my first pet in-
fluenced him. Soon I had two unhappy pets
instead of one.
After many sleepless nights, I know
what I had to do. I always believed it was
cruel to keep pets away from their natural
habitat if they could not adapt to their new
surroundings. The best thing I could do for
my pets was take them back where they
belonged and give thergl freedom.
One Saturday I took them for a car ride.
They perked up immediately, sitting on
the dash and staring straight, ahead. They
seemed to know a change was coming.
When we got to the beach, I laid them
gently on the sand among pebbles large
Dear Editor:
The Huron Day , Centre for the Home-
bound, located at Clinton in facilities
donated by Huronview Home for the Aged,
is looking to the businessmen and women
of Huron County for help in raising funds to
keep our Centre operating as a 'viable
alternative to` premature institutional ad-
mittance, as an extension of Home Support
Services offered to the elderly and
physically homebound residents of Huron
County.
Our Centre has been in operation since
October 1977 and may be familiar to many
who have read about our varied activities
in local news media. For those who are not
aware of our purpose, the Centre was
originally set up as a pilot project by the
Ministry of Community and Social Ser-
vices in co-operation with interested
citizens, i.e. doctors, public health nurses,
Home Care, V.O.N., social workers,
ministers and others concerned with the
health and mental well-being of the home-
bound in Huron County.
At that time funding was provided on an
80 percent basis from the Ministry, with
the other 20 percent being raised through
user fees, sale of crafts, public donations
and a small grant from the County of
Huron.
Since then, however, funding has been
reduced by the Ministry to 50 percent
which makes fund raising a very impor-
tant aspect of our lives at the Centre. With
costs increasing alarmingly, (our own
costs have risen • from $40,000 in 1977 to
over $60,000 for 1981) we now have to at-
tempt to raise, through public donations,
close to $10,000. It is with this in mind that
we ask you to consider our Centre worthy
of your concern and support.
If you would like to know more about our
program or have any questions regarding
our appeal for help, please call me at 482-
7943, Ext. 223, when I shall be happy to
answer your queries.
The HOMEBOUND need your support. I
trust you will be able to help in some way.
Thank you
Sincerely,
Rosemary Armstrong,
Cat -ordinator
duration would' be most acceptable. Some
idea of the drouth experienced may be
gathered from the fact that in digging a grave
the other day. Mr. ('rich found the earth dry
and dusty four feet down.
100 YEARS AGO
August 26, 1881
()range certificates printed in good style
and for sale at the Record Printing Office.
• Yesterday an excursion train of 12 coaches
passed through here on the Grand Trunk
Railway for Goderich.
A large number of the candidates who
failed at the late Intermediate examination,
and who were only a few marks behind, in-
tend appealing immediately.
Who was the young man, who, when he
went out driving a few evenings ago with two
ladies. lost the bottom out of his buggy. and
came very near losing the ladies. No one
seems to know anything about it. yet it ap-
lx•ars to have been a fact. We doubt if all the
boys on Victoria Street can say that they
don't know •
'(lie residents of the Albert block have
graded up and levelled the lane behind their
black, which will be a great improvement, as
well as a convenience to them.
On Friday evening promises to be one of the
finest entertainments of the season. The
stage is being handsomely decorated and
carpeted. while the music is to be.of a high
order "'l'he Ten Virgins." all should see. and
Miss Maggie Foster will sustain the
reputation she has already won. That the hall
will ix' crowded is evident from the fact that
up to the hour of going to press do reserved
seals have been secured al Ransford's. Only
Inc•ents extra for reserved seats
The 1Ahite Mountain Apple Parer will pare.
core and slice a bushel of apples in fifteen
minutes Available at R.M. Racey. iron and
hardware nter•chant, Clinton
by
elaine townshend
and small. Then I walked away. I looked
back once, but they weren't even watching
me. They were engrossed in the new but
strangely familiar surroundings and
friends.
I went back to visit only once. It almost
broke my heart. After an hour of sear-
ching, I finally found them but they show-
ed no signs of recognizing me. How could
they forget so quickly?
In my heart, I know I did the right thing
even though I miss them terribly. I miss
them most when the fan blows all my
papers aroluid the office and I have no
paperweight to grab. I miss them, too,
when the wind blows the front door shut in
a visitor's face because there is no door
stop.
I take comfort, though, in knowing my
pets are lying in the sun somewhere on a
sandy beach with a bunch of little pebbles
around them.
High rates can spell trouble
Talk to most farmers these days and
you'll find one problem uppermost in their
minds — rising interest rates. Some for-
tunate individuals have debts that amount
to no more than 5 per cent or so of assets
but they are worried too. Interest
payments on that level of debt can still eat
up 5 to 10 per cent of cash income.
For farmers with heavier debt loads, to-
day's interest rates can spell real trouble.
The danger point is reached about the 20
per cent mark — that is, when debt charges
consume 20 per cent of revenue. The in-
dividual who reaches that point may not be
able to service his debt for very long.
If you as a farmer see yourself moving
into the danger zone, you should take a
hard look at your over-all situation to see
what can be done to improve your interest -
to -income ratio. Here are some ideas:
1. Undertake no capital spending unless
the savings or extra earnings are going to
be more than enough in the first year to
pay the finance costs.
2. Get rid of any assets you don't need in
yolk ,current operations. Do you have 40
acres sitting idle a couple elf miles up the
road? Two tractors- when one would Ado?
Dump them fast. If you have a larger herd
than you need, sell off the surplus and
lighten your debt load.
3. Don't operate a sideline business that
depends for success on upward trends in
the market just because you have surplus
capaci;,y. You'd be wrong, for instance, to
try augmenting dairy earnings by raising
steers in hopes that beef prices will im-
prove. It's always better to lose a little
than lose a lot.
4. Keep careful tabs on your operations
with a month -by -month cash flow budget.
If trouble arises, you can spot it quickly
and head it off at the pass.
5. Don't make any decision that an-
ticipates lower interest rates in the next 12
months. A down -turn just doesn't seem to
be in the cards.
6. Consider incorporating. That way you
can take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime
Small Business Development Loan.
Because lenders don't have to pay tax on
these loans they are attractively cheap.
Right now the going rate is 113. to 12 per
cent — and banks just love this kind of
business.
7. Finally, speaking of banks, it's a good
idea to keep in close touch with all your
creditors, especially if you anticipate pro-
blems of any kind. Farmers generally see
their bankers once a year, but every 90
days is a better bet in these difficult times.
More than anything else, lenders dislike
uncertainty.