Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1981-10-07, Page 11981 1980 HI LO HI LO SEPTEMBER 29 11 2 30 12 0 OCTOBE R 1 14 5 2 9 2 3 10 3 4 11 -1 5 14 3 Rain 34 mm Clinton's Monster Bingos again enjoyed a successful summer, raising $7,000, and bingo chairman Len Fawcett, centre, handed $5,000 of that money over to Doug Coventry, left, and Steve Cooke, of the hospital fund raising committee. The other $2,000 went to buy chairs for the arena. (James Fitzgerald photo) 20 3 24 10 25 12 16 7 15 6 8 3 7 3 116th year—No. 40 Wednesday, October 7, 1981 arm outlook as gloomy as skies By Jim Fitzgerald The outlook by the farming community lately is a cloudy and dreary as the skies overhead, as excessively wet weather has combined with a tough year giving them bleak outlooks. Rain seems to be the straw that is breaking the camel's back as corn and soy bean farmers, already faced with record high interest rates, high production costs and falling product prices, struggle in muddy fiuelds to get the crops in. But Don Pullen, agricultural rep for Huron County, is still optimistic that if the Education bd okays quarterly payments BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE The education requisition for the Huron County Board of Education will be col- lected in four installments from the municipalities effective Jan. 1, 1982. In a recommendation from the ad- ministration and approved by the board, the monies will be collected in the follow- ing mariner; 25 per cent of the total 1981 education levy for eaeh municipality will be due on March 31, 1982, 50 per cent of the 1982 education levy, decreased by the amount paid on March 31, will be due on June 30, 1982, 25 per cent of the 1982 educa- tion levy will be due on Sept. 30, 1982, and 25 per cent of the 1982 amount will be due on Dec. 15, 1982. Each municipality in the county will be notified of the change from two in- stallments per year to four paynients per year, before Oct. 31. In director of education John Cochrane's ernort, projected savings of $80,217.20 could be realized through quarterly payments. Trustee Murray Mulvey, representing the Townships of Howick and Turnberry and the Town of Wingham, said the tax- payer will still have to pay, whether the. school board pays. less or the municipalities pay less. He said it would be a narctstup on the rural municipalities. Trustee Dr. J.C. Goddard of the Township of Hay apad the villages of Hen- sall and Zurich said as school trustees it is their duty to run the school board economically. The topic of quarterly payments versus semi-annual payments had been discussed earlier in the year by the board, and at that time it was suggested it be considered again in the fall. In other business, the board approved implementing a special education ad- visory committee consisting of Trustees Goddard, Jean Adams, and Dennis Rau, Councillor challenges peers .to givefund stipend cillors quickly followed suit. The fund is over the $80,000 mark this week, but the board needs $170,000 in the bank before the ministry of health will allow construction to start. Other donations were given by: Clinton council took up the challenge of councillor Ron McKay last Monday night and will donate $100 of their council paychecks this month to the hospital building fund. Mr. McKay had said he was willing to give his money, and the rest of the coup- . • Mr. M. W. Durst and Mrs: Decorating Ltd., Mrs. Elda Ina Mae Durst, Mrs. Gladys Stephen, Mrs. Elva L. Mut- East, Mr. Jim and Mrs. ch, Mrs. Esther Wright, Mrs. Dorothy MacLaren, Mr. Verna E. Harris. Graham Johnson, Mr. Frank Mrs. Phoebe Brandon, Mr. Cummings, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond and Verna Whit - James Boyle, R. J. Lawrie more, Mr. Lorne E. Carter, Miss A. Mustard, Mrs. Marj MacKenzie, Mrs. Lois Wise, Mrs. Christine Ball, Mrs. Betty Thompson, Mrs. Marj Marshall, Mrs. Nancy Ad- dison. It's finally over. The happy couple are off somewhere enjoying their honeymoon in Northern Ontario (the lousy weather will give them a good excuse to stay indoors), and things are deathly quiet here at the News -Record office after a couple of hectic weeks planning for the wedding all the time publishing newspapers and two special editions. Our advertising -manager Gary Haist and news editor Shelley McPhee finally made the trip down the aisle last Saturday at North Street United Church in Goderich, and it was just beautiful. Shelby, as we call her in the newsroom, looked absolutly radiant in her long flowing white gown, and it's hard to believe she's the same girl I'm always arguing with over running cat stories or some such thing. The sun even came out just before the ceremony started last Saturday, for the first time in what seems like a month, allowing the happy couple to tour the Square in a surrey with a fring on top, drawn by a couple of well-behaved horses. The cool drive around the county town was followed by a smorgasbord feast fit for a king at the Candlelight, and after a few dances, the happy couple wa" off into the wild blue yonder. These marriages between ad and news departments are very rare in- deed, as usually a certain amount of hostility exists between the two departments. Unfortunately, that leaves both the ad and news departments each short a person, and it makes for a very in- teresting time while their gone. + + + All this preparation for weddings, vacations and whatnot caused this agent to miss the annual pilgrimage to the International Plowing Match for the first time in 12 years. And by the reports coming from Barrie, I didn't miss too much, as the site was tunred into a sea of mud by the pouring rains. People who attended the Match in 1966 in Seaforth will know very well what a sea of mud can do to one's aasposition. The joke is still making the rounds that every once in while an old rubber boot is plowed up at the olid Seaforth site. All the rain, along with the November like weather and a very gloomy farm economic picture, combined to cut attendance to less than 90,000, far below the 250,000 expected. Next yearathe Match is just down the road in Lucan, and a little closer to the centre of agriculture in the province, so we look for better attendance, if both the weather and the farm mood gets better. + + + And hasn't it been wet! One farmer joked to me the other day that next year he is going to plow up a berm on one of his fields and grow wild rice, which judging by the price in the stores, is about five times more profitable than corn. And you don't need a $150,000 combine to take it off either, just a canoe and a stick to knock the heads off into the boat! Actullay he's not far from wrong, as we've had over a foot of rain in the last ten weeks, which has turned even some tiled fields into rice paddies. + + + Well despite all the complaining, there's not many among us who will go without a hearty Thanksgiving turkey dinner including all the trimmings, this holiday weekend. Despite all our moaning an groaning, it still only takes a few minutes of our time to earn enough to buy a turkey at 98 cents a pound, and half an hour or so to make enough to purchase potatoes, [nankin filling, turnip (at 25 cents a pound) and cranberry sauce. + + + Because this is Thanskgiving weekend, and our last holiday until Christmas, most businesses will be closed on Monday, as will the post of- fice, government offices and schools. The banks will close Friday evening at their regular time, with most stores open Saturday until 6 pm. + + + The Main Stret Wit says this week that so many people are leaving Ontario to go on't west that somebody has suggested we start up an Unwelcome Wagon. and non-members of the board from the Goderich, South Huron, and Wingham Associations for the Mentally Retarded and the Huron -Perth Association for Parents of Handicapped Children. weather turns around, most of the crops can be harvested and yields and quality will still be there. Although other areas, especially Essex County, have been nearly declared disaster areas because of the rain, Huron has also had it share, with 125, mm (five inches) falling in September, and 76 (three inches) already falling in the first six days of October. That's on top of the 96 mm (four inches) that fell in August. And that foot of rain (304 mm) in the last ten weeks (normal is 38 inches - 965 mm - for the whole year) bas brought all field operations t o a standstill in the county. "It's been a ripper for rain," said Mr. Pullen on Tuesday, as another heavy rain storm pushed by high winds, crossed the area, dumping another 25 mm on water- logged fields, and washing out any hope of field work starting until later this week. About 80 per cent of Huron's white bean crop is in area mills, and if the werarher drys up, Mr. Pullen is confident the rest can be taken off as well. "It's cold as well Clinton's newest business opened last Friday night when Wah and Connie Lee greeted their first customers in their Chinese Restaurant, in the former North End Lunch. The Lees come from Leamington, where they worked for their uncle's large 200 seat restaurant. ( James Fitzgerald photo) Council shelves new rooms after budget found empty By Jim Fitzgerald After learning that there's no more money in their capital expenditure budget, Clinton council Monday night decided to defer until next year a decision to build two new dressing room at the Clinton arena. Instead, they plan to let the recreation committee look into renting a portable dressing room for the winter. Earlier this year, the rec committee had received complaints that the present dressing rooms, build in 1967, were too small for large hockey teams. The com- mittee looked into adding two dressing rooms on the east side of the arena to serve not only hockey, but soccer and baseball as well. They got estimates of between $28,000 and $50,000 to build the rooms and went to council to call for tenders. But when council opened the tenders, the lowest cost was $68,000. "We've already had so many major expenditures this year, what with the industrial land and such that I can't see where it would come out of the budget," Ma or Chester Archibald said. Mayor Ron McKay, who is the town's r esentative on the rec board, said 25 per cent of the cost would be covered by a ministry of culture and recreation Com- munity Centres Act grant, with an outside possibilty of a Wintario grant to cover another 25 per cent. The rest would come from taxes. Larry Daw, president of the Clinton Mustangs hockey club, was present to make a pitch for the new rooms, saying that all players have to come off the ice at the same door and into the crowd, where trouble has started. He pointed to last_ Sunday night's exhibition junior game when a major schuffle broke out as both teams were leaving the ice. Five players from each team have been suspended. He said he was hoping the new dressing rooms could have been ready by January 1st when Clinton will host its first ever junior hockey tournament. Councilor McKay said the present set-up was inadequate, but he would go along with the portable idea until next year. Councillor Frank Van Altena said that enough money had been spent on recreation projects in the last several years, with a new swimming pool, and a new arena floor. "Tliie taxpayer is going to bleed," he said. Planning grant comes to town A community planning study grant of $11,705 has been allocated to Clinton, municipal affairs and housing Minister Claude Bennett announced recently. The grants are designed to assist municipalities and planning boards in preparing officialplans and zoning bylaws or in bringing them up to an acceptable level. The funds can also be used in preparing zoning bylaws to replace minister's zoning orders, to finance planning programs for unorganized territories or for other rele- vant planning studies. These grants are allocated as part of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing objective of . helping municipalities and planning boards prepare sound planning programs. as damp, whichis preventing the beans from sprouting," Mr. Pullen said. Muddy fields has also held up the silage and grain corn harvest as well as the winter wheat seeding. "I'd say about two-thirds of the silage corn is off and the grain corn crop looks like it may average roughly 94 bushels, dry, an acre, so it looks like a good year. Although the optimum time for planting winter wheat is fast approaching, Mr. Pullen says that even if wheat is planted a week or so after the October 15 date, yield might only be reduced 10 per cent because of poorer winte r survival. Although there have been reports of corn borer and root rot damage which cause the corn plant to break off and fall over, "it's not nearly as bad as last year," Mr. Pullen said. Corn and soy bean prices are also taking a beating in the market place, with grain corn prices in the $2.90 a bushel range, far below the agriculture • ministry's production costs of $3.38 ( which only takes in account a $75 per acre land cost). Soy beans, which once hovered near the $10 per bushel mark are now selling at $7.08, about eight cents lower than their production' costs. With the grain corn now being harvested at high •' moisture levels, Mr. Pullen estimates it could cost producers up to 40 cents a bushel to dry it. But there is one bright spot fob area cash croppers who grew beans. They=now seeing their crop selling in the per hundred weight bag, far above the .95 break-even costs. And the price could zoom even higher as a report out of Michigan Tuesday says the state, Ontario's may competitor, still has half their 600,000 acre crop out in the field, part of it under water. If cattle farmers still need a third cut for haylage, they could still get one if they wish, Mr. Pullen ''i, it they cut it high and leave a long able. "It hasn't been hit by a hard frost yet, so it still has good feed value. Horticultural Society hears of native's. travels by Elaine Townshend More than 250 people packed the auditorium of Ontario Street.. United Church on Wednesday evening, September 30, to hear Dr. Elizabeth (Sloman) Hillman, a former Clinton resident, now Professor of Pediatrics at Memorial University and on staff at Ganeway Child Health (;entre in St. Johns, Newfoundland. The occasion was the 75th anniversary of the Horticultural Society in Ontario and .Dr. Hillman's sister, Margaret Sloman, is resident of the Clinton Society. Her mother, Mrs. Fred Roman, is also an ac- • tive member. Dr. Hillman graduated from University of Western -E gtariS9A l School. in and OiSliealiliflediatrics atthild'eres' Memorial Hospital in Montreal for several years. In 1977, she became the first woman to be appointed to the Council of Canada, and the Governors of the Council of Canada have, named her as president for one year; her term will begin this autumn. Dr. Hillman has also served on the Board •of Directors of the Order of Nurses, Canada Safety Council and Canadian Association of Consumers. Dr. Hillman, her husband, Dr. Don Hillman, and their five children spent several years in Kenya. The first oppor- tunity came when the two doctors were on staff at McGill University in Montreal. A new hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, needed doctors from around the world, so Don and Elizabeth Hillman became involved through the McGill -Kenya Canadian Inter- national Development Agency Team. Dr. Elizabeth Hillman was senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi for two years. Many people wondered at the wisdom of taking five children, aged 41 to 12 years, to Africa, Dr. Hillman hinted. But thy perience proved invaluable to the family. While in Kenya, her three sons joined the Scouts, and their Scouting activities were similar to those in Canada, but hiking trips meant climbing Mount Kenya; camping meant learning to survive in the desert and making water by catching dew on canvas; and sailing meant bumping hippos in the Nile River. On a family camping trip, they visited the- grave of the founder of the Scouting movement - Lord Baden-Powell. The Hillmans returned to Canada, and when a chance came for a second stint in Kenya, the five teenagers were the most eager ,to go. Now the children are grown and. Dr. Hillman foresees all of them pur- suing careers that will allow them to serve in third world countries. "Young people Turn to page 3 • R,or, dogs , dogs upset mayor Dogs, dogs and more dogs are causing a lot of hand wringing at Clinton council, an even though the town has by-laws laying down when and where rover can roam, councillors were at a loss Monday night to know how to solve the problem. "There are too many dogs in town," said Mayor Chester Archibald. "Why on just one short stretch of street that I know of, there are ten dogs, and that's too,many." "Not more than one dog should be allowed per house," said Councillor Bea Cooke. "And we shouldn't allow any kennels in town at all," Mayor Archibald added. Councillor Bea Cooke said she has calls nearly every week about dogs getting into garbage and said at least one was from out of town. "We should let our police shoot them," councillor Ron McKay said. "If people can't look after them than we'll have to dispose of them." Councillor Wayne Lester suggested a dog catcher be hired. "They're pretty expensive," Mayor Archibald said. No motions were recorded on the doggone affair. Part of Clinton was without hydro power on Saturday evening, and the whole town was without cable television service, after a car hit a concrete pole on Huron Street, near Shipley about 10 pm. PUC and Bluewater cable workers spent most of the night restoring service. The car was driven by George Sutherland of Clinton. (James Fitzgerald photo) 0