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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-03-09, Page 4�I. u *CNA CD *CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD Second class mail registration number -0716 The m Ieariul, Werde in the English languaga tor . any father a; Some. Minor A semblyR•egllired,. The phrase not on too .ttarmleas, but it sounds so completely harness as well. Certainly there is nothing frightening about Some Minor. Assembly tell. Despite my youthful appearance, lack of street savvy, naievete and relative inex- penance in.the complex world of parenting, ll know better than to,assume that a situation is calm just because there'srn° ripples on the pond. Chalk it up to asyniclism or reportorial skills or even limited experience, but some assembly loosely translated, means that an engineer would have difficutlly assembling the product. Having worked in a major sporting goods outlet while in college, I have some' solid experience to pass on. Part of my labours and responsibilities were to complete the minor assembly on bikes, trikes and the like, before bozo dads got their hands on the SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT Founded In ISIS and published every Wednesday at OoderIch. Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Adver, Using rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance `111.W in Canada, *Mee to U.S.A..'SS.H to all other count - tries, single copies SOC. Display advertising rates available on request. please ask for Rate Card No.13 effective Oc- tober 1, 1U2. Second class mall Registration Number WM 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 fot but that balance of the advertisement will be, paid for at the ap. placable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising Is morally an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star Is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts. photos or other materials used for reproducing pur- poses. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER-President and Publisher DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES-Editor P.O. BOX 220, treaetiCHUCKINS ST. O INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 466 S\G FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 .Ila plate htstructibllts and parts in - v Thererwax nearer �atotlg�i - P % arts and parts er as easily as the never ,flirt:. slide together instruetions suggested. Force was generally the in mhr assembly. However, ifs Memory serves me correct, parts were made to fit with the gentle and subtle persuasion of a hammer. Sometimes a soft nudge here and=there will get the job done where persuasion often fails. The services of the hammer was on1Y. required when parts refused to slide together "easily" as the instructions boasted. Quite often the correct parts simply weren't available in the- box. No matter, assembly progressed as if all systems were go. I often wondered if those machines ever lasted beyond the first test drive. Life is cruel. On the weekend, I had another fateful y1 iL L r&r warnnq Oprat» lSIGNA.l.$TMt, WEPNESDAY, MO Ont • confrontation with SoMg.tniner. assembly;.It was required to Able My eon's new tricycle, a token of his parent's affection, in celebration of hissecond.. birthday. Bradley s proud parents e resumed the youngster needed is trik fo �e enjoymentand, a . y, new model was purchased SaturdayIf I had been t n&. a• pre;assembled, model would have been. demanded. Safely hate, our new box of parts, soon to - be a'ttrnme, was hauled to' the basement for assembly;... adley followed , tp , br. vio ly' Out. an o See how if o d dad could prodcue a trike from a box of nu ' bolts and assorted parts. I had the feeling he',teard about my ob.- vious lack.. of expertise in the mechanic* field. I could screw up a wheelbarrow if given the opportunity. I was hoping that. my fears of Missing and difficult to assemble parts would be allayed but as the assembly process progressed, it became obvious that this trike was no difn t ferent than other toys requiring tp . assembly. The mstructions, with black, homy pig tures .spoke of pasts I've never heard of and identifying theta was even tougher To matters, Bradley removed the 800 parts from the little plastic bag and distributed them evenly about the basement. A search and rescue misielon Woo organized before agaembIT could evbegtoen ,. MY fears were realized d , assembly process, and 1. was fa inventory problem.' The ports spoken of; e lo instruction manual were missing from the No inventory. The trike was slapped and banged together and the little guy seemed a trifle proud of his father's ac- complishments. Maybe if I don't say a word about the missing parts, he won't notice. Students need jobs Seeking out and landing a summer job has always been a rite of spring for thousands of high school, university and college students across Canada. Jobs are used to fund post secondary education and in most cases, the jobs are vital to the students. Without such jobs, the pursuit of an education becomes a hardship, a struggle. While landing a summer job was termed a rite of spring in the previous paragraph, that is no longer the case. The number of jobs is declining and students have to go out of their way to find employment. The students of this and any community have a lot to offer the labor 'ford and business, industry and com- merce should not look beyond the rolls of the waiting and eager students when filling vacancies. What students lack in expertise and experience, they often make up for their eagerness and willingness to learn and experience new situations. That type of attitude can only act as a plus in today's ailing economy. If you are thinking of hiring for the summer months, think about the student placement office at the Canada Manpower office. They will be able to provide a list of willing candidates and perhaps an insight into the number of provincial incentive programs offered. There are as many as 8,500 minimum wage jobs with the provincial government waiting to provide more than $12 million for Ontario students this summer. That amount represents about the same figure that the Ontario Youth Secretariat shelled out last year to provide jobs for students of the province. While the secretariat received a 14 per cent increase from the province this fiscal year, most of that increase has already been spent on winter job programs for the unemployed aged 15 to 24. The money provided for students has been held to the $12 million spent last sum- mer. However, gone are the days when summer jobs received top priority from the provincial government. Now, the emphasis has been placed on helping the unemployed under 24: And with good reasdi`i. Tile l`a 4gg. group has been the hardest hit by unemployment anti the months of January, February and March have traditionally been the toughest in the job -market. With thousands of students flooding the job market now, many seasonal jobs may be gobbled up early and the com- petition will be keen. The provincial government's Experience '83 program will avoid make-workprojects this summer but as part of its youth employment program, the Ontario youth secretariat is predicting a substantial rise in the number of participants in the student venture capital program. This summer, more than 650 students across the province are expected to receive $2,000 interest free government loans to start a new business venture. Brochures and pamphlets describing these and other programs have been distributed to guidance offices in high schools throughout the province and information is also available at student placement offices. The local student placement office is located in the federal building on East Street in Goderich. Too expensive In an editorial appearing in last week's paper it was suggested that former Liberal cabinet minister Donald Macdonald was not worth the $800 fee he commands as head of a federal government royal commission on the economy. While Macdonald has vehemently defended his position and salary, it has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Canadians. Last week Canadians learned that the royal commission submitted a bill to parliament for $1 million. That from a royal commission that is barely five months into its three- month madate. Figures released from Ottawa last week indicate the Liberal government will seek approval to spend nearly $1 million of the taxpayer's money to get Macdonald's commission through to the end off March. However, while the taxpayers of this country shell out millions of dollars for the commission on the Canadian economy, its present and future, the commission will do very little, if any, original research. Rather, it is content to rely on available information. So why is the government so eager to spend !pillions of dollars when the commission is content to base its findings and revelations on existiang information? Will looking at old facts and figures change the commission's perspective on the economy? Hardly. The commission will use facts and figures from the Economic Council of Canada, a federal body that costs the government $7 million annually to act as an economic advisor. Based on the figures presented to parliament and projected over a three-year period,- the Macdonald commission will cost taxpayers at least $7 million over its three-year term and the government is already paying $7 million annually to a permanent economic advisory body. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau has agreed to hold an economic summit with the 10 provincial premiers in the near future and the premiers should question his flagrant misuse of funds and needless duplication of information in trying to get a true picture of the economy. For the price of a few long distance phone calls the PM could talk to two or three unemployed people and learn about the state of the economy. Campaign approaches Springtime in this part of Canada, besides the reawakening of nature, means campaign time for the Canadian Cancer Society. Daffodil days and bike -a -thous and door-to-door canvasses are as recognizable to generous volunteers and donors as the familiar red sword symbol of the society itself. However, this spring, unless householders and businesses are alert they could find themselves mailing donations to an organization that sounds and has a logo similar to that of the Canadian Cancer Society, but isn't. It is the Cancer Research Society Inc., a Quebec -based organization that has its headquarters in Montreal. Literature pertaining to the Cancer Research Society Inc. is now turning up in the area. The promotional materials are very similar and anyone glancing at the material would believe it to be from the Canadian Cancer Society. The Cancer Research Society Inc. is generous in its use of red ink which is also the trademark of the Canadian Cancer Society, and its red sword symbol which includes a circled cancer sign could easily be taken for the society's red sword. As far as anyone can determine The Cancer Research Society Inc. is an honorable organization. However, donors should realize that most of the funds it collects stay in t19t province of Quebec, althot h the literature ac- companying the appeal for funds also lists universities in British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Ontario as recipients of grants and fellowships. We wouldn't for one minute suggest anyone should not give a donation to the Cancer Research Society Inc. However, at the same time, they should not confuse it with the Canadian Cancer Society which will be making its annual appeal for funds in the next few weeks. Distant digger 'By Dave Sykes DEAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER We weren't really eavesdropping. But last week we overheard this statement: "There's sure not much,to read in The Goderich Sigiial- Star." I guess I take offence more easy than some would to that statement. Working here week in and week out, I know firsthand just how much ef- fort goes into the production of The Signal -Star --- just how much self-sacrificing is done particular- ly by the people who gather the "news" in Goderich and area. But I won't bother to get into that right now. Most readers don't give a fig that Dave Sykes, Terry Marr and Joanne Buchanan each work well over the normal 40 hours put in by most other people at their jobs, and that many of those hours are logged in the evenings and on weekends when the rest of the world is at leisure. You're right of course. They chose to work in journalism. Such things go with the territory. But I doubt that the folks who railed against The Signal -Star really analysed last week's edi- tion as I did. If they had, they would have known that Dave, Terry and Joanne worked their butts off to record a pretty respectable amount of the happenings in Goderich and area for the previous seven days. There were 91 different stories in last week's Signal -Star, 32 of them written by Dave, Terry and Joanne about the men, women and children who live here. The same trio took 31 photos for last week's paper containing the' faces of something like 125 local people: Not bad eh? There were four stories about Goderich Town Council; tive stories about health; one police story; two stories from business and industry; three farm stories; five stories about clubs in and around town; six stories about entertain- ment coming up in the area; two stories for and about kids; four stories from the church com- munity; one harbour story; one political story; two stories for senior citizens; one historical piece about Goderich; five stories from Huron County affairs; and the reports on the deaths of two citizens. The recreation section had a story about the figure skating club, seven hockey stories, two curling stories, three high school basketball stories, one bridge story, one chess story, two ringette stories, one feature on a local girl who hopes to bring windsurfing to Goderich this sum- mer, and three stories about the plans of the recreation department for you. There were 110 advertisements from business people all over the community, providing you with ,the news about where to buy the best bargains in everything from lettuce to Levis, fur- niture to flowers. There were four classified pages packed full of news about jobs available and houses to buy, pets to give away and maple syrup to try. )f'he photos covered Guides, Cubs, Legion public speaking, high school basketball, the ice carnival, Mary Mae Glen's 100th birthday, the hospital, the harbour, Victoria Public School, arm wrestling at the Bedford, Goderich Little Theatre and the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority. There was also news from almost every com- munity surrounding Goderich, places like Auburn and Dungannon, Holmesville and Col- borne Township. Five people took time out to express their opi- nions in Letters to the Editor. There was editorial comment on Donald Macdonald's $800 a day and on the puzzling gas prices. There was a column by Dave Sykes on the last episode of MASH and another by me on whether or not Canada should try to lick unemployment by tak- ing 50,000 Canadians into the armed forces. All in all, it was a dynamite issuelhat: mir- rored many of the actions of nearly every seg- ment of society for one whole week. Nowhere else in the world was such a complete synopsis given of Goderich and area for the same time period. The Goderich Signal -Star was very definitely on the job for you and your family last week, as it is every other week of the year. I'm convinced people who say there's nothing to read in The Goderich Signal -Star don't really want to know what's going on all over the town and the environs of Goderich. They are small- minded people who are only interested in their own little corners of the community and nothing more. They are the same ones who deal in gossip and pettiness. For those kinds of readers, nothing short of a tact sheet about the comings and goings of every person in town EXCEPT themselves and their closest family and friends (of whom they already know even the most intimate truths) will suffice. The result, of course, is no newspaper at all. Think about it. Writer embarrassed by attitudes on homes Dear Editor: I am writing this letter in reply to last week's letter to the editor column concern- ing the group home situation and concern in our town. First of all let me say this, "I am ashamed and outrag- ed." Ashamed and embarrass- ed that some attitudes regar- ding the mentally handicap- ped are still kicking around. Where are our positive thinkers? Evidently some have lost that ability. In my opinion, group homes are a very positive move. Try wearing the shoes of a parentput into this situation by our great Minister Frank Drea and ask yourself, how would I feel. What if this was my child? Drea is taking away the only home some of these peo- ple have ever known and sending them God only TTE S Mann knows where or back into the community. The community is saying 'not 79 Wellington St.' (as you put it in your letter) that's too close to home. Where would you like these people to live? There are people with human emotions and needs just like ours, and accep- tance is a very important part of social adjustment for any of us. Itwas also mentioned that Goderich is getting more than its share. I agree, if you are talking about crime, and vandalism. Bear in mind that these crimes are being committed by our so called "normal citizens' not people in group homes. Supervision plays a big role in group homes, perhaps we should take a few lessons and do a little more supervis- ing elsewhere. Group home residents are independently funded and that makes them responsible for their food, clothing, rent, and all the other things that involves managing a home, but most of all it makes them individuals with citizens' rights to live on any street they choose, just like us. No one is above being af- flicted by mental retarda- tion, so count your blessings and have some compassion for those less fortunate. Letters, like the one in last week's Signal, indicate that you have not done your homework. Before this cancer spreads further heartache to all par- ties, get your priorities straight and your facts in order. This info would benefit you immensely. One closely related to the mentally handicapped. Judi Williams Thank' for support Dear Editor: I would like to take this op- portunity to express my sincere thanks to the residents of Qoderich for their donation to the On- tario March of Dimes. This is our second year to hold a mail canvass in Goderich, and we are again pleased with the success having already collected to date $2,010.00. My gratitude to the girls who helped fold letters and stuff envelopes in prepara- tion for mailing. The co- operation of the Town Post Office staff and carriers and greatly appreciated essential to the campaign. Again thank you donors for your consideration hasfor others, your caring helped our cause. Goderich Campaign Chairperson, Ellen Connelly