Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-02-19, Page 4LYTH ARD) v Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1986 The Clinton NawwIecord is pubilshed ouch Wednoadey et P.Q. Res: 99, Clinton, Ontario, Catpada, NOM 169. Tel.: M2-2449. Subscription Rate: Canada -121.44 Sr. Cltlsen - 614.10 per year U.S.A. foreign 644.44 per year it Is registered ma second cipso mall by the post office under the permit number 41117. The News -Record Incorporated in 1924 th 4$uron News -Record, founded In 1441. and The Clinton News Ira, founded In 1549. Total press runs 9.744. Incorporating H J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher ANNE NAREJKO - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HALLENBECK - Office Manager Display advertising rates available on request, Ask for Rote Card No. 1 S effective Oc- tober 1, 1944. MEMBER A BLUE RIOKDN AWARD 1985 No one else to blame. Huron County Council has clearly signalled its intention to proceed with dissolving its library board .and replacing it, with a committee of council. Judging from the tone of the session of council at which the decision was made, there was no apparent malice in the act. Still, there is some reason for concern. It is difficult to quarrel with the argument that county council, which provides three-quarters of the funding for the library, should have something to say about how its money is spent. Councillors are, after all, elected to look after the public purse. At the same time, it is hard to believe there are not some reasons why the Libraries Act endows library boards with a measure of autonomy. Could it be the legislators realized — as one member of county council himself admitted — that in the realm of county responsibilities libraries tend to come well down on the list, far behind such priorities as roads, for instance. An autonomous`board, on the other hand, could devote its full attention to the libraries, while still remaining accountable through its need for budget approval and the majority of elected councillors on the board. Whatever their reasons, county councillors have chosen to take upon themselves the final responsibility for any and all decisions affecting the Huron County library system. It is only fair to point out it is now up to them to ensure this system, which has already been recognized for its ex- cellence, continues to thrive. If not, they will have no one else to blame. —Wingham Advance -Times New project working well Dear Editor: One of the new projects taken on by the -Junior D Mustang executive this year is a bi- weekly Bingo. It is held in the upstairs of the community centre every second Thursday and response to the bingos has been terrific with increased attendance at each bingo. On February 13, some extras were added for Valentine's Day and the lucky winners were: Kate Spencer, flower arrangement, Cooke's Florist; Cecil O'Neil, dinner at Blackbeards; William Patterson, Valentine chocolates from Sharon White; Gladys Riehl, ceramic fork and spoon from Huron Day Centre for the Home Bound; L. Glousher, Kathy Ladd, Phyllis Lee, Lorene Letters The government's at it again. Last weak it was 'Neilson's eavesdropping that made the headlines and held the nation's attention. This week there's concern about the accounting practices used for lottery profits that pose the billion -dollar question. Wintario was started 10 years ago with the proceeds to be used as mad money for Ontario communities. These proceeds were initially estimated to be modest, but with the addition of more games, they grew and 1985 profits were recorded at $250 -million. An overview shows 41.3 -million in lottery . revenue generated over the 10 year period. The politicians didn't have the foggiest idea that the lotteries would go over so well, so they decided the money would only go towards fitness, culture, recreation and sports in each- community. But with the large cash flow now in their hands, they have expanded to aid five ministries - health, citizenship and culture, labor, tourism and recreation and environment. Wintario, Lottario and Instant Win profits go directly to sports, fitness, recreation and culture with Lotto 6-49, Super Loto and the Provincial grants go to charities, hospitals, medical and environmental health research. The politicians concerns? Some feel the money is being kept until election time and then handed out, making them look generous when in fact they are hindering the advancement of work by the communities. Their second concern is the lack of centralized records that tell exactly to whom, where, why and how much money was granted. Some politicians are calling the lottery profits a "political slush fund." The profits may not be handled in the proper way and they are right to question the procedures, but the amountof money granted each year is still amazing. Robinson, Val Marriage, boxes of chocolates from Junior D. Snack vouchers are also provided each weekby Dixie Lee. This event could not have worked without the help of Jean Horton, Joan Stapleton, Betty Farquhar, Cindy Fleet, Edith Falconer, Audrey Lyndon, Elaine Boyes, Marlene Hart, Heather Hart and Deb Bailey. Junior D Executive Executive has to stick to decision Recently the Clinton Junior D Mustangs' Executive ran into problems when a player' requesting payment for mileage had to be refused. A number of people are very upset about this and I'm not entirely certain all the players understand the reason for this decision. Almost a year ago, the major reason for dropping from Junior C to Junior D was to cut back on costs with the hope of making the Club financially stable again. To achieve this end, one of the expenses that had to be cut back was mileage. It was decided by the executive that the two players living the far- thest would be paid mileage and anyone liv- ing in between would have to ride with those players. Therefore, when we were approached about more'mileage, we had no choice but to refuse. If we paid one more, there were at least -three or more players that should have been entitled as well: It was not a question of NOT WANTING to pay the . mileage or a reflection on any of the players, but a ques- tion of where to draw the line. And, unfor- tunately, we had to go with the original deci- , Sion. It is because of the volunteer efforts of between 12 an15 people that the club con- tinues to exist and it is the responsibility of those people to come up with various pro- jects to raise the necessary funds to keep the club in equipment, ice -time, etc. People seem to have forgotten that this year's ex ecutive started out $3,000 in the red and that four individuals had to sign bank notes for $1,000 each to give us the capital to start the year. There were not a lot of volunteers who stepped forward when that became • necessary. I myself was not one. I think these people should be commended for their efforts, not criticized for the decisions they have to make. We could not have come this far without the support of the community. Be it .. at games, bingos or our various draws, and we greatly appreciate the support. Anyone that doesn't agree with the decisions the ex- ecutive makes or has any input, is more than welcome to attend our meetings. We would especially like to invite, the parents of the players as wgll as,anyone else interested in the future of junior 'hockey in Clinton to our next meeting. March 19 at the Clinton Public School at 7:30 p.m. We can always use the help and ideas. Deb Bailey, Treasurer. Council gets pay .increase 5 years ago February 19, 1981 Councillors, Mayor Given Raises -Members of the Clinton Council have ac- cepted what Mayor Chester Archibald has called a very reasonable raise of nine per cent. At their February 16 meeting, council passed a bylaw approving an $8 raise for meetings the mayor attends and $5 for coun- cillors. The increase covers the next two years and brings the mayor's allowance up to $93 from $85 for each council meeting, full com- mittee meeting and special Meeting he at- tends: 'Pilemayoris paid for each sub- committee meeting he attends. Councillors now receive $60 instead of $55 for meetings they attend, and $45 for sub- committee meetings. Revived Piano Factory Ships First Pianos -The fir fano produced in over two years rolled off the production line yesterday at the Sherlock -Manning plant in,Cllnton. A well-respected name in the Canadian piano business, Sherlock -Manning produced a small number of high quality pianos. The company was the result of a merger of the Doh rty Piano and Organ Company, which ha e ' : It manufacturing hi Clinton since Early FiIss 1869 and Sherlock -Manning Pianos of Lon- don, Ontario. Production was consolidated in the Clinton plant in the '20s. In 1934, Caryl W. Draper one of the owners, designed and built the first apartment -sized piano in Canada - the Minx. Nominations This Week -The mechanics of the nomination procedure are slowly gain- ing steam in the Huron -Middlesex riding. The -Huron -Middlesex -Liber -al -Association will hold its nomination meeting at the Ex- eter Legion Hall February 18 at 8 p.m. Liberal MPP Jack Riddell is expected to gain the riding nomination. The guest speaker will be Huron -Bruce MPP Murray Gaunt, who announced his retirement from the Legislature when the election was call- ed. Gaunt, 45, has served his riding for more than 18 years. - The Huron=Middlesex Progressive Con- servative Association will hold. , its nominating meeting in Eiteter Thursday. To Turn to page 5 t, For example : - since 1983, $47.7 -million has been given to the Ontario March of Dimes and Bereaved Families of Ontario. - during the years 1985-86, the environment ministry will receive $2.3 -million to research acid rain and drinking water. - the health ministry will receive $3 -million for research and to fund research of equipment. - $150 -million will be spent over the upcoming 15 years on rtew hospitals and cancer treatment facilities. - the citizenship and culture ministry will receive $55.361 -million in 1986 for cultural community centres, libraries and arts groups. - tourism and recreation ministry will receive $48.6 -million to 'spend\ on sports, recreation facilities, training, coaching and travel. - labor ministry will receive $1.2 -million for education and research. - up to $15 -million will be granted by the Trillium Foundation to help groups such as Big Brothers and the Ontario Association for Homes for the Aged. But, we mustn't forget one of the most exciting parts of the lotteries. Sitting in front of the TV set clutching our tickets, or opening the newspaper to see if we need to go into work for the day or just go in to tell your boss you quit. Being a winner must not be as easy as I think it is. I thought all you did was collect your money and then decide what you want to buy first, second, third... I must be mistaken because the Ontario Lottery Corporation recently published a Winners' Handbook. It tells you everything to consider at banks and trust companies, gives accounting and financial advice, tells you about the law and taxes, explains the pros and cons of investments, tells about insurance and how to handle the news media and donation requests. Also, at the bottom of page one, it states, "This book is intended as a guide only. The Ontario Lottery Corporation bears no responsibility for advice contained in this material." In a survey, based on 1,090 responses from winners of all amounts, one section of the book states that 91.2 per cent of the winners received fair treatment by the media; 16.1 per cent were asked for money but only 2.4 per cent found the requests a problem; 90.2 per cent did not give up their jobs. The majority (80.2 per cent) of the winners put their money in the bank or some other type of investment; 44.2 per cent shared their profits or gave some to a charity; 28.4 per cent bought a new vehicle; 27.4 per cent bought a new home or paid off their mortgage; 24.6 per cent went on a vacation; 6.5 per cent used the money for their education and 5.2 per cent paid off debts. , The amount of money that goes back into the economy from a $1 or $5 ticket is remarkable. The profits come back to communities in the form of grants and the winners spend their winnings one way or another. Sounds like the,government has,set up a pretty good system. Now all they have to do is become more accountable on their end o'l it. CHSS Festival Don't forget about the Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) Music Festival on February 21. This unique annual event will feature choirs from Huron and Perth Counties as well as guest conductor Robert Cooper. In the past, the music festival has provided great entertainment, and this year should be no exception. The music will get underway at 7:30 p.m. in the CHSS auditorium. Frozen Solid? By Anne Narejko ack Riddell, MPP Two bills designed to protect consumers of prescription drugs in Ontario - the On- tario Drug Benefit Act and the Prescription Drug Cost Regulation Act - have been strengthened by amendments proposed to a legislative committee recently by my col- league? Health Minister Murray Elston. In order to ensure that the interests of all concerned were protected in drafting the legislation, the government consulted exten- sively with groups representing phar- macists, drug, manufacturers, drug wholesalers, consumer groups and senior citizens' organizations. Th a Ontario Drug Benefit plan will, con- tinue to provide senior citizens, those on pro- vincial assistance programs, and other 'eligible people a wide range of drugs at no charge. The drug plan cost $350 million last year and^has been- projected to cost more than $400 million this year. That's up from $100 million six•years ago. One of the major reasons this cost in- crease has occurred is because manufac- turers have set artificially high prices for many drugs listed in the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary. This legislation will reduce inflated prices by allowing the government, for the first time, to set realistic drug prices under the 61 :63 plan. The legislation also offers consumers pro- tection in several ways, First, pharmacists Will have to itemize the price of a prescription drug and the dispensing fee on the customer's receipt or prescription label. Second, a proposed amendment to the legislation would require a pharmacist to in- form a customer - when prescriptions are either phoned in or brought into the store - whether lower cost drugs of equal quality are available. The legislation will also require phar- macies to post their dispensing fee for inter- changeable drugs. All these provisions will help consumers become better informed. And as the adage states, the best con- sumer is an informed consumer. Right to Know. Legislation The Liberal government believes that both workers and the communities in which they and their families live have a right to know- about -potential-hazards-in-the-pro-- vince's workplaces. Acting on that belief, Labor MinisterBili Wrye recently introduc- ed legislation designed to provide Ontario's workers and comtnunities with more com- prehensive and specific • rights to -know about these potential hazards. • Wrye told members of the legislature that each person in this province should be able to return to his or her home, unharmed by the environment in whieh they work. "We hope to 'raise in the community and in the workplace,. the profile of occupational health and safety, to heighten publie awareness and thus expand,pi blie involve, • ment," he said. The legislation, which will amend the Oc- cupational Health and Safety Act, deals with physical agents, chemical and biological agents. The main provisions of the legisla- tion involve inventories of potential hazards, effective labelling, material safety data sheets, and instruction and training for workers. The end result will be safer workplaces, fewer accidents and healthier workers. IBM to participate in school Microcomputers Education Minister Sean Conway has ;welcomed the participation of IBM Canada in the development of educational software. The IBM system, to be developed in co- operation with the school boards purchasing it, will receive the same level of financial assistance as the schools working with Burroughts-CEM Corp ICON. __Conway sak"I believe the province and the schools will benefit from the increased choice' and increased competition the IBM entry creates." IBM, Burroughs, Meridian Technologies and Waterloo Microsystems Inc. wil be co- operating with the Ministry of Education to ensure a common environment for educa- tional software development. This means that the software the 'ministry is acquiring for Ontario schools will be compatible with any qualified system, As well, this will allow the Liberal government to concen- trate on software development and get max- imum value for its investment.