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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-04-08, Page 4Page 4 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1987 The Clinton New-Rocord Is published each Wednesday at P.O. Eton 39, Clinton, Ontgrlo. Canada. NOM 110. Tel.: 482-34.43. Subscription Rate: Cgnado-521.00 Sr. Citizen . 518.00 per your U.S.A. foreign 560.00 por year It Is registered as second class mall by the post office under the permit number 0817. The Novas -Record Incorporated 1n 1924 theHuron News -Record, founded In 1881, and The Clinton Nemo Era. founded In 1863. Total press runs 3.700. Incorportiting THE BLYT! STANDARD) ANNE NAREJKO - Editor FREDA McLEOD - Office Manager SHELLEY McPHEE HAIST - Reporter DAVID EMSLIE - Reporter JANICE GIBSON - Advertising LAUREL MITCHELL - Circulation/Classified GARY HAIST - General Manager CGNq eiA MEMBER MEMBER CNt SLUE AWARD AWARD 1985 Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective Oc- tober1, 1984. Paying more for less Unfortunately it wasn't an April Fool's joke. Canada Post has once again raised its prices. With the threat of yet another strike in the air, the price hike does not sit well with many. Sure they tell us that the extra money generated by this latest move will go towards eliminating their $184 -million deficit, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the employees are demanding more money, thus the strike threats. So, in all likeliness, the extra money will go into the postal workers' pockets. Why are we continually digging deeper iii our pockets and receiving poorer service and worrying about postal strikes? The problem is that if we want to transport something from one place to another, there seems to no alternative - or is there? Lately the government's faith in the postal system would appear to be waivering as they have found an alternative. At the News -Record we receive a variety of letters, press` releases, photos and information articles from just about any organization or government ministry you care to mention. Traditionally, these items have reached our office by the Canada Post mailing system but lately, more and more articles from government ministries have reached their destination via courier. If these items had a deadline and were written too late to make it through the mail system, it would be understandable, but there are items which can be used just about any time or which are delivered two weeks in advance. Canada Post is owned by the government, so when they use other ser- vices frequently, it raises a few questions. Turning our attention back to the deficit, Canadians have faced con- tinual postal price increases while service has been cutback in, what they say, is an attempt to reduce the debt. Despite the fact that they do have a monopoly, too many cutbacks will not be tolerated by the public, especially when the price continually rises. In time, it may be the couriervho benefit from Canada Post's price hikes. by Anne Narejko. Society takes new direction Dear Editor, Ontario Residents Beware! it has recently' come to our attention that the Toronto Humane Society has initiated a campaign to solicit new members outside the Toronto area. This campaign is targeted at Ontario residents, some of whom have never been active with Humane Societies anywhere in the province. Before surrendering to their appeal for money, local residents should be aware of the facts. The Toronto Humane Society has recently taken a new direction ... that of the Animal Rights Movement. The radical movement began with the re- cent election of Vicki Miller as president of the society. Miller, also founder and na- tional co-ordinator of the activist, group ARK ii. has been the cause of much con- troversy within the Humane Society Federation of the province. Her unorthodox beliefs and tactics have sprouted the recent dramatic decline in public support for the organization. This, I would imagine, is what has precipitated her plea for support from unsuspecting residents outside of the Toronto area. LQttQrs However, it is presumptuous of Miller to ex- pect our support for her society when our local organizations are squally in need of such funding. There is a vast difference between animal rights and animal welfare. The Ontario Trappers Association supports and en- courages Humane Societies that operate on an animal welfare basis and solidly believes that they need our support. Leadership, as Miller has displayed, is not the standard for the respectable Humane Societies of our province. 1 urge you - donate rather to your local Humane Societies. Well established, reputable local organizations deserve your support and will do much more to promote animal welfare on your behalf. Sincerely, James J. Donnelly General Manager Ontario Trappers Association Group opposes liquor regulation recommendation Dear Editor OPEN LETTER TO THE PREMIER OF ONTARIO We, the members of the Involved Parents Group of Gananoque, Lansdowne and District wish to oppose some of the recom- mendations of the Ontario Advisory Corn- mittee on Liquor Regulation released March 3, 1987 at Queens Park. We too, would aim for "individual respon- sibility and moderation in the consumption of beverage alcohol". However, we believe that liberalization of liquor laws, specifical- ly, extension of hours for licenced premises, patrons being allowed to bring their own beverage alcohol to restuarants, 24-hour room service and de -regulation of some Special Occasion Permits iS NOT RESPONSIBLE. Our area in Eastern On- tario spends its share of the estimated half billion dollars cost of alcohol abuse in the Health Care, Social Welfare, Law Enforce- ment and reduced productivity problems. The legislation to reduce the drinking age from 21 to 18 to 19 a few years ago effective- ly put legal consumption of alcohol into the high school age group. In that age group, Peer Pressure dictates that if friends do it, it's o.k. for me (age 19 is not the measure). This same student Peer Pressure is resulting 4n alcohol consumption at the public school age level. Our Community is only one of many n_ which is suffering from the epidemic of underage drinking. in October, 1985, we.Jost three students in an alcohol related car crash. At the Inquest of these deaths, the Cor- oner's Jury recommended that the drinking age be raised to 21 and that there be stricter controls on the sale of alcohol. The Leeds & Grenville Board of Education (November 25, 1985) passed three resolutions, 1) legal drinking age be raised to age 21, 2) the sale of beer and wine should not be permitted in grocery stores, 3) Government review lifestyle advertising of beer and wine. In this Province now, millions of dollars are spent in prevention programmes for students and adults alike (VIP, SADD, Alcohol and Drug education, etc.). Many groups such as ours, have formed to find the ways to protect our children and ourselves from further pain and cost brought about by alcohol. •We believe that liberalized Iigour laws do NOT "reflect the attitudes and expectations of the public" as Mr. Offer believes they do. We feel so committed to opposing liberalization of liquor laws that we are also sending this letter to 240 weekly newspapers across Ontario. We will also address the Gananoqu'e Town Council with the hopes of seeing a resolution sent to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. 4' The licence plate At one time we paid little or no attention to them, but over the last year or two, they have sparked a , new interest for vehicle owners. Licence plates may have remained the same color and size over the years, but they have received minor alterations. For instance, when a person purchases a car, they no longer get a new licence plate. A simple transfer will save the owner hav- ing to memorize a new plate. Then came the personalized plates. Up to 35,000 of these are sold annually .with Ministry of Transportation and Com- munication (MTC) Minister Ed Fulton presenting the 100th personalized plate late in 1986. When I look at these plates, they either hint at the person's profession, their nickname/name or the way they drive. I don't feel a need to get a personalized licence plate. My present licence plate is easy to remember: TOH 182. (TOH is 'hot' spelt backwards, and my car is a 1983, so I drop the nine and subtract a year.) Besides, I'an not sure of what I would put on the plate if I did choose to get it customized. For those who are purchasing another car or would like to put a new plate on their sparkling new car, the plates have also been changed. Instead of having the three letters first and the three numbers second, the order has been reversed to the numbers first and the letters second. Now that we have all of that out of the way, did you know that 1.2 million pounds of steel is used per year to make these licence plates? And did you know that 22,000 "blanks" (plates with no numbers or letters on them yet) are produced each day and that 9,000 plates are made per day? Over the next year, inmates at Millbrook Correctional Centre, located southwest of Peterborough, will produce 900,000 passenger plates, 200,000 commercial truck plates and 50,000 motorcycle plates. For the past 30 years, prisoners at the maximum security correctional centre have been making these plates that almost every household owns. According to a recent MTC News brochure, 27 inmates work on the morning shift and 27 work on the afternoon shift to produce these blue and white plates. The process for making the plates doesn't sound too difficult. First large rolls of pre - coated steel are brought to the centre where they are unrolled and put through a blank- ing press which cuts the plate shape and punches in the four holes at the top and bot- tom. These holes are the ones we use to put the screws :through to fasten it to our vehicles. From here it goes to the hydraulic die presses where the numbers, rim, "Yours To Discover" logo, letters and Ontario's crown symbol are pressed into the metal. At the paint stage, the plates are fed through a machine by way of a magnetized conveyor belt. The paint is then rolled across the raised portions of the plate which travels along another conveyor belt through 450 degree ovens. The final stages include inspection, plastic wrapping and the boxing for shipment. The job used to be a lot harder, but innova- tion reached the prison more than a decade ago. Prior to this, the plates were painted by hand with rollers and hung on racks to dry. As for how they come up with the com- bination of letters and numbers, they simply work on a series of numbers starting at 000 and going to 999. For the number combina= tions, they start at A and work through every conceivable three letter combination. So, that, in a nutshell, is everything you wanted, and didn't want to know, about licence plates. It'/EAI4 , FOR -NAT- PRICE WE THROW IN TABLE DANCING ! 5 years ago April 8, 1982 Council Makes Town Hall Future Doubtful Again - Some Clinton Town Councillors still haven't written out the possibility of building a new town hall. At council's April 5 meeting, the old 97 -year-old building was up for discussion again, just two years after more than $50,000 was spent to repair the structure. In 1980 exterior work was done to secure the walls and foundation of the building and now in 1982 council is looking at the inside of the building, and trying to decide to make major repairs, or simply give it a quick paint job and look at building a new town hall sometime in the future. Firemen Rescue -Three From River - In a tense 3.5 hour drama last Wednesday, March 31, the Clinton volunteer firemen were successful in rescuing three men from the rampaging Bayfield River at Clinton. The three adult men who were not iden- tified by firemen, were part of a party of four who had set out last Wednesday morn- ing for a trip down the river from the Clinton sewage plant on a raft made from barrels. However the river was at least five feet over flood stage following a heavy rain'on Tues- day night combined with a quick thaw. Only a half -mile downstream, they became stranded on some tree limbs, and the raft was swept away, leaving two men stranded on an island, and two in a tree. Wingham Hospital Plans New Addition - The Wingham and District Hospital is look- ing at an ambitious new building project. The $2 -million project has been improved in principle. The plan calls for a new wing to house an expanded emergency and outpatient depart- ment, offices for medical consultants and a new intensive care unit. 10 years ago April 7, 1977 Council To Prosecute If Properties Not Cleaned tip - Property owners in Clinton will be given three weeks grace to clean up their properties, or face prosecution under the town's property maintenance and clean-up bylaw, town council decided last Monday night. Council resurrected the bylaw , passed on- ly last July 8, 1976 but never enforced after council received two more complaints about dirty properties in town, including a written complaint about Blake's Welding, and a ver- bal complaint about ,Jervis Aluminum. "This is the time of year for clean-up", said Mayor Harold Lobb, "and I think we should give these people a chance." Farmer's Market Back On Street - The location of the proposed Farmers' Market for Clinton has changed. The market will be located on King Street. between Mary and Isaac Streets for its first two months, Clinton Council decided at their meeting last Monday night. Originally, the Clinton Retail Merchants Association had requested the King Street site, but were told last month by council that it would create too many parking and traffic problems, and told the merchants to locate in the community park next to the arena. Grandstand May Be Ready By June - At a special emergency meeting last Wednesday night, town council in a joint meeting with the Kinsmen, decided to go ahead and without any more Toss of time, build a new grandstand for Clinton, at an estimated cost of $250.000. 25 years ago April 5, 1962 Few Ready For Emergency Power Break if Hydrorr$trike - Clinton is far from ready for an emergency should there be a serious interruption in electrical power during the impending Hydro employees strike. in a survey made Wednesday it was found that there was no standby electrical equip- ment at the hospital Lor illumination, nor refrigeration of the blood bank. When asked if Clinton's hospital had standby electrical power, the superinten- dant, Mrs. W. R. Phinney replied "no." Bulletin - Prime Minister John Robarts announced Wednesday night that first reading was given to a bill to outlaw the strike of over 8,000 Hydro employees tonight. The bill would effect compulsory arbitra- tion for both union and management. Other readings of this no strike bill will be expected later today. Two Guilty Of Careless Driving, Fined - Two local men were found guilty of careless driving in magistrate's court held in Clinton Wednesday morning. Another man was found guilty of having liquor in a place other than his residence and a truck owner paid $20 and costs for not having a conversion unit licence on his vehicle. 50 years ago April 8, 1937 Boy Scouts Training For The Handicap- ped - The growth of Scouting for the benefit of physically and mentally handicapped boys in the United Kingdom is shown in the latest Scout Association annual report. Of a total of 5,211, mentally handicapped number 2,324, cripples, 1,901, blind, 444, deaf and dumb, 489. Eight Ships To Carry 8,000 Boy Scouts - Eight steamships have been chartered to transport the British contingent of 8,000 Boy Scouts and leaders across the Channel to the World Scout .Jamboree in Holland this summer. CNR Earnings Continue To increase - The gross revenues)of the all-inclusive Canadian National Railways System for the week en- ding March 21, were $3,614,905, as compared with $3,233,715, for the corresponding period of 1936, an increase of $381,190. 75 years ago April 11, 1912 Nervous Diseases In The Spring - It is the opinion of the hest medical authorities, after long observation, that nervous diseases are more common and more serious in the spr- ing than at any other time during spring weakness and weariness from year. Improving - The interior of the Baptist Church has again been improved. The pulpit has been moved forward and the organ and choir back, the front row now being very much like Willis Church. The pastor likes it better and so does the choir and the people. 11