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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-04-15, Page 4D PAGE 4--GODERICi`IS1GNAL $T*R, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1981 4 dave sykes Second class mail registration number -0716 11 Last week, a story In the dally press suggested that Canadians fritter away millions of collars on the job. We don't ac- tually toss bills away carelessly, but the author was bold enough to intimate that our work habits lead to wasted time. Lots of it. In fact Canadian workers waste so much time on the job that it is costing business and industry millions of dollars in lost productivity. _ .• Imagine that eh. Wasted time on the job is ..disguised In many forms such as daydreaming, idle chatter on the telephone, extended lunch hours, doing personal errands on company time, grabbing an afternoon snooze in the parking lot or falling asleep at or under your desk. . Anyway, all that lost time' computes into millions of dollars for business and industry. Productivity equals big bucks if my math is still sound. • Personally, '1\I fine that pragmatic assessment of our work habits astounding yet revealing. To be honest,.I. would never have thought that such paltry practices exist in our coveted labour force. But statistics don't lie. Obviously I am too young and naive to be cognizant of business pilfering and piracy practices. This sedulous scribe merely logs his 16 to 18 hours daily and slips home for a few hours sleep. Never one to brag, but the publisher has often spoken to the other_employees- about my rigorous work. day, exposing my diligent and exemplary work habits. It isn't easy being the object of good example, believe The facts, however, speak for themselves and examination of this writer's 'routine work day reveals it is saturated with productivity. Take today for instance. 8.35 a.m.-Arrive at work and head directly to the coffee shop for a much needed caf- feine injection: While sipping and smoking, talk to the' guys about hockey, baseball, hockey, baseball and throw in the odd lewd statement about a new female employee. 9.15 a.m.-Now it's time to get at the business of the day so I take the opportunity to carefully scrutinize the offerings of the daily press. Afterall, I am in the newspaper business. 9.40 a.m.-After reading several papers it is time for another coffee but I discover I have no change for the coffee machine. Walk around the plant three times, in- discriminately talking with employees about hockey and other key matters, until someone produces change for coffee. 10.05 a.m.-Arriving back at . my trusty desk with coffee in hand, I"get a sudden urge to visit the men's room. On the way talk to several employees about hockey and complain about the heavy workload. 11 a.m.-This is perhaps the most in- dustrious time of, the day and several telephone calls are received. All the calls are ,about the ongoing hockey pool. I coin - plain to the callers about my workload. 11.57 a.m.-I start the lead on a crucial story only to be amazed that lunch hour approaches. It is time to go to the lunchroom and play cribbage for big bucks and talk to some of the guys about hockey and the new female employee. 1.15 p.m. -Return to my desk and continue writing the story, making a few phone calls in between to make sure my facts are wrong. A couple of guys drop into the office to talk about baseball and we smoke. - 2.35 p.m. -The baseball situation has been straightened out and the publisher drops in for a daily dose of rude comments from the editorial zoo. In retaliation he takes a smoke and comments on the hockey games: 3.40 p.m. -Always on the go I have to leave the office and take a picture of a beaver presenting a.chainsaw to the horticulutural society. Then I drive around a bit. 4.30 p.m. -I am beginning to wilt from the hectic pace and decide to go homeand complain to the little woman about the heavy workload. SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT Founded In 114$ and published every Wednesday at Oodefich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Adver- tising rotes on request. Subscriptions payable In advance 41.58M Canada. 'SS.N to U.S.A., •SS.N to all other coun- tries. single copies W. DIsptay advertising rotes available on request. please ash for Rate Card No. le effective Oc- tober 1. PPM. 'Second clam mall Ileglstratlon Number 1711: Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item. together with reasonable allowance for signature. will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be gold for at the ap- plicable rote. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services ate wrong prlce, goods or services may not b. sold. Advertising Is merely en offer to sell. and may be withdrawn ■f any time. The'Slgnal.Ster Is not responsible for the lossor damage of unsolicited n nustrlpta. photos or other oreterPala or.e4 for reprcdc+clnp per. PUBLISHED BY:SIGNAL-STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER-President and Publisher DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising.Manager DAVID SYKES-Editor \, P.O. BOX 220, HUCKINS F. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 4B6 FOR ROOKS OR En!TOR!A' OFFICES please phene V19)324.8331 Taxes go into: space The American space shuttle finally got off the ground Sunday before most people were out of bed and now Columbia, a combination rocket -spaceship -airplane, is in orbit. Much of the world's attention was focused on Cape -Canaveral and the delayed lift=off that will make space history. . Although it may be hard to fathom, Canada has a space rAptogFarliefilrbittedly not as prodigious as the American • ogram, but still it lays claim to a space program. This week Science Minister John Roberts announced a $64 pori increase in space research spending and our na- tional space projects may be put under one agency like NASA. This is the first time Canada has made a commitment to finance space technology development over an ex tended period. This year alone the govetnment will spend $1.5 billion on scientific research and development. The Canadian space plan will give priority to technology development in the area of remote sensing for resource. management. An additional $14 million will be pumped into two earthstations producing photographic resolution of pictures of Canada's land mass and coastal waters. Canada `was also 'planning some joint ventures with. NASA that may fold due to recent budget cuts in the American space program. 'Most Canadians were probably not aware that this countryhad an active space program let alone that it consunies$1.5 billion per year. Maybe Canadians would be better off if some of the funds were applied to practical use on the ground and not frittered in space. D.S. Watch for phony bills It seems these days that everyone has to be on guard to , protect personal rights and property. With increasing regularity, people have become victims of one scam or another. Caution, doubt, skepticism and even distrust are em- ployed as regular safeguards to protect money and property. This .week Police Chief Pat King is warning residents to be wary of phony invoices that have turned up in town. - At least one such invoice was brought to his attention. The invoice looks like a bill for payment but small print at the bottom says "this is not an invoice..send cheques payable to.." Anyone who receives such a bill is asked to contact police. It is a sad commentary on our society when distrust common practice but it is neccesary for the preservation of right to property and ownership. D.S. Terry Fox Day planned One year ago this week Terry Fax dipped an artificial - limb into the Atlantic Ocean and set out on a gruelling 26 - mile a day pace that was intended to take him across Canada He was forced to abandon his Marathon of Hope at the halfway point in Northern Ontario as cancer spread in his body. But his efforts and spirit embraced the country and with thousands of donations and fund-raising events over $23 million was donated to cancer research. The spirit of Foxes t'iiti has riot waned and Sport Minister Gerald Regan announced plans for a Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Day September 13 and all Canadians are urged to run, jog or walk 10 kilometres to raise money for cancer research. Terry a nd his family have given approval for the special Monday morning was a bummer. Monday mornings are not bummers as a rule. I tend to like a recurrence of routine after a rip-roarious weekend, but this Monday morning could definitely be classed as bummer materiaL The weekend had been particularly rip- roarious, featuring here a party, there a party, everywhere a party party. I was ready for a good Sunday night sleep and work the next morning. Well. Fate had other ideas. Apparently, my cat, did not share my snoozing necessities. At 4:30 Monday morning, she was playing soccer in the bathtub with a shampoo bottle cap. I cahned her down with a swift and violent karate chop between the ears and she drifted off to a relaxed sleep on her favorite spot, draped over the telephone beside the bed. All was quiet for the next hour. At ap- proximately 5:30, Tessie's favorite spot rang, causing her to rise three feet in the air day and runs will be organized in communities across the . country for competitive runners, the disabled, joggers, children and even walkers can participate. Regan said there have been a number of suggestions to sponsor a major event in Terry's name since he was forced to give up his marathon. So the event will focus on One day and every Canadian is urged to participate in one way or another. The run is being sponsored( by the Canadian Track and Field Association, the cancer society and the Four Seasons Hotels. Fox's efforts last year mean that more than $20 million can go to cancer research and that figure could be boosted_ substantially if the one -day run goes well. D.S. and land with several claws attached to my scalp. I call that a rude awakening for both of us. Now, telephones ring a trifle differently at 5:30 Monday morning than any other time. They ring loudly. They ring anxiously. They ring morbidly. In the space of two seconds my heart was beating 467 times a minute and I had every relative and friend dead in a car accident or trapped in a burning house. I picked up the phone and said, "WHAT!" There was silence on the other end. After a couple \more hellos, I hung up and tried to restore order to my shattered nervous system. Five minutes later, the phone rang again with the same results. Five or ten minutes after that, it beckoned me again. I unplugged the telephone from the wall jack after that call, something I should have done after the first ring. Upon discussing the incident at the office, I learned that this happens in Goderich "all the time," probably a prank coming from Smiie! n.. Photo by Cath Wooden EAI BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER REA Frank Falconer, Huron Board of Education trustee, has a very low opinion of the local community'press doesn't he? Avid readers will have noticed that Falconer wanted to have no part of meetings held on Thursdays instead of Mondays, to accommodate the weekly press. Said Falconer, "If they had a week to print the Lord's Prayer, they would still make a mistake." (My goodness, I hope the reporter got that quote down correctly.) Of course, Frank Falconer isn't alone. The parade of persons who believe newspapers should be infallible, is long indeed. - Add to these the numbers of people who think newspapers should be able to read the future, and you have quite a list of skeptics. But alas, newspapers are something like school trustees - they make mistakes and they need a whole lot of patient understanding to get the job done. Unfortunately, Frank Falconer'rwasn't at the meeting called by the administration of the Huron County Board of Education: A representative committee of board members was there along with the high school principals and the editors of the five county weeklies or their designates. The meeting was called specifically to talk about ways to improve communication con- cerning board of education matters in Huron County.. - All the discussion centred around the board's desire to foster new appreciation for the direction of education in present day Ontario, and to create new co-operation between board and taxpayers as the thrust of education changes again. one particular dialing finger from one particular sick person. Though I have a well -cultivated imagination, I find it difficult to picture in my mind a person, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, who at 5:30 in the morning sits and randomly picks numbers to dial. I don't find whoever you are obscene or frightening, just damned annoying. Someday, somebody is going to blow a whistle in your ear as suggested to me by a friend. But it won't be me. I can't find it in myself to take revenge on a sicko; but I can't find it in myself to pity you either. Anydgay, back to the bummer of a Monday morning. M you will understand, I was thoroughly awake rather early in the morning. I thought I'd show up at the office early and astound newsroom cohorts. But naturally it didn't turn out that way. Could it turn out any other way? The old car started fine and I pot it into reverse, only to D ERS The editors of the weeklies, of course, assured the board representatives that the weekly press was determined to tell the education story Completely and fairly. It was explained, for instance, that as education has changed, so have weekly newspapers. Where 20 years ago, newspapers in Huron County were published and edited by individuals who operated the newspaper as a kind of small business enterprize, today's eight county papers are owned by four publishing companys, only one of which is based solely in Huron County. It was pointed out that modern-day editors are hired employees who may or may not have direct day-to-day involvement with the publisher. It was fiirther shown that while publishers still hold a vital interest in their newspapers, they each run multi -faceted operations that prevent a total comrnitment to one newspaper in the same sense that yesterday's publishers were com- mitted. It was demonstrated that newspapers in Huron County have banded together in a group known. as Bluewater Regional Newspaper Network (BRNN). ' This was done to avoid costly duplication of reporting staff. Under the BRNN system, one reporter is hired by the eight newspapers in the county to cover the meetings of the Huron County . Board of Education, for instance. That lone reporter, until now (this could change in the coming weeks) carrying a full work load at his or her own newspaper, is charged with the responsibility to get the full education story for all the weekly newspapers in thecaunty. It was explained that When the meetings are held on Monday afternoon, the reporter was called upon to attend the meeting and write un a hear a tumultuous thumping and bumping. Aw, jeeeeez. A stroll around the vehicle revealed an extremely flat right rear tire. It was all I needed to cap off a lovely morning. I drumrned up every disgusting and explosive noun and adjective I could think of and marched back inside. There was no way I was going to change the stupid tire. A hysterical call to the office resulted in a fellow reporter coming 'to pick me up although she was frightened of "catching my jinx." Needless to say, the rest of the morning was spent being comforted by un- derstanding workmates who aided me through my hours of need. Some of them, hearing of my telephone caller, even strolled by my desk panting heavily..I thanked them for their tenderness. But friends came through, carted me hither and yon and changed my tire. But next Monday morning, I think I'll just stay in bed with the phone disconnected. complete, error -free report of that meeting in timefor Tuesday morning distribution to weekly newpapers throughout the county. It's a tough enough task when Monday evening as well as Tuesday morning \ is free. But when a reporter must attend a meeting Monday evening somewhere else most town councils me et on Monday evenings, for instance - the job becomes even more difficult. If you add some interruptions on Tuesday morning at the office telephone calls or un- scheduled interviews or production details to handle - the chances of preparing a complete and thorough report from the previous afternoon's meeting get a little more remote. But for Mr. Falconer's edification, the county weekly editors did not ask for the day of the meeting to be changed,. Board members at the joint meeting picked up • on the fact that the scheduling of board meetings ' was' a partial solution to their communication problems. They wisely and graciously suggested that a change of meeting days might alleviate some of the pressures for the weekly press and at the. same. time, better serve the needs of the board of education. - It was a sensible compromise and the weekly editors thank the board administation and trustees for their vision and co-operation. As Frank Falconer so clearly pin -pointed, we're only part-way home. Improved com- munications and full, accurate education reports won't necessarily happen automatically just because the meeting date has been changed. No one should expect that to take place without some more work on everybody's part. But surely even Frank Falconer should see that it was a small, reasonable sacrifice for the board to make at this time ... and that if the result re disappointing, it won't be because the board didn't try to remove some of the obstacles.