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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-07-01, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGN.AL-STAR, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987 A funny thing happened on the way to producing the special Grade 8 graduation supplement included in this week's paper. While the production of the weekly ,irewspaper can lead to some rather in- teresting and intriguing moments, lately it has been the production of special sup- plements that has caused my journalistic confreres to age rapidly and induldge in comforting beverages on a more regular basis. Last week, pulsating newsroom col- league Pat Raftis, whose smiling visage occupies the basement of this page, outlined the personal trials of a photographer trying to complete the sim- ple task of taking a picture of children riding a tricycle for our Day In the Life of Goderich edition. It was a great photograph of two smil- ing children roaring down the'street with carefree abandon. As he outlined in the column, anyone DAVE SY who has doubts about children being photographed should contact both the Signal -Star, to verify that the photographer was taking photos for the paper, and the authorities if you can't eD readily make that verification. We will always introduce ourselves on all photo assignments, but please check for your own piece of mind. So Pat was questioned by the authorities as -to the nature of his acitivi- ty after the incident and released upon confirming that he was, indeed, working for the Signal -Star. "Anyway, this week we are pleased to present the annual Grade 8 graduation, supplement, a special edition that chronicles the conclusion of the elemen- tary school career of the graduates in our coverage area. It is customary for Signal -Star photographers to take pictures of award winners at the respective graduation ceremonies for inclusion is the special. And, in a few cases, we even take the pic- ture of the graduating class if one is not available for 'our use. That was the,case with St. Marys School. When the.•graduating class has its colour picture taken by an outside photograph r, we normally tag along and take a blaek and white for our use. No problem. Unfortuarately, the photographer in- advertently Used the incorrect shutter speed with the flash and only half of the frame was properly exposed. •In short, we didn't have a usable picture. No problem, the school administration informed us, the class would be assembl- ed at -the awards ceremony and a proper class picture could be taken a second tune: - Same class, different photographer. When the film is developed, the St. Marys School award winners are clearly visible. The four frames in between, where the class picture should be, are blank. Well, there is a faint image•on one negative, but nothing recognizable. The second photographer contacts the school. The secretary has some fuzzy pic- tures but gives us the name of a lady with a reliable camera who took colour pictur-_ contact the mother, have her fibra developed, -(we also bought a." replacement film) and the prints ,are rushed back to the shop. No class pictures. Back to the school. We are provided with the name of yet another parent who, it was suspected, also took pictures. Con- tact is made, the film is rushed to the store for development and prints• are secured: With the prints in hand at the office, we carefully open the envelope, only to be greeted with an out -of -focus photograph. While it was an ominous sign, our fears (we were petrified at this -point) were unfounded. We have an excellent photograph of the St. Mays School graduating class. And We have the school, Mrs. Hunter and Mrs. Glazier to thank for it. Now that's' community newspapering. Opinion THE NEWS PORTFOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 the EBT ALL POUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA' �(C,vnuaa, Gass 3500 45001C C e. A '3xtm.. NA..soaae, Camm,�wm t 994 SINAL -STAR Ink P.O'. '20 HUCKINB BT, INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICK ONT. NTA 41319'. PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded In 1848 and publlehed every Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA end OCNA. BubecNptlona payable In edvence 628.00, [Beath) Cltlsen■ 619.00 privilege card number required) In Canada, 880.00 to U.B.A., 860.00 to ell other countries, Bingle. coplss BOC. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 18 effective October 1, 1989. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, the edvartleIng apiece occupied by the erroneous Item, together with the reesoneble allowance for signature, will not be d 4 oherger but that balance of the advertleement will be paid for et the applicable rate. In the avant of a typographical error advertising goods or Services at a wrong price, goody or servicsa may not be sold. Advertising le merely en offer Co Bell, end may be withdrawn at any time. The Blgnal-Bter Is not reeponslble for the loss ,or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other Inaterlels used for reproducing purposes. General Manager SHIRLEY J. KELLER Editor DAVE SYKES ,Advertising Manager DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...pleese phone [S19)524-2614 Second class mail registration number 0716 —Member: +CNA CCNA Compromise is so ution• -. As the postal strike by the,country's 20,000 letter carriers entered its third, bitter week, it was refreshing to note that the federal government finally appointed Bill Kelly to mediate the disputer And Canada Post plans to stop using strikebreers to deliver the mail for the first seven days of the mediation process. What the public has ttitnessed over the past two weeks is disappointing and can only serve to tarnish the image of both parties involved. The violence is reprehensible, augmented by the indifferent stand of Canada Post.. • - Mediation is, at least, a,starting pont to solving some of the differences here with some semblance of reason -and sanity. If the differences' between the groups had been allowed to degenerate further,it would have weakened, and Perhaps, destroyed, the country's postal • system. • Business finds alternate methods of dealing with communeation during mail disruptions and no doubt Canada Post will lose some business. when operations resume.. A mall strike is inconvenient and it's easy to cast -an accusing eye at the letter carriers and lay the blame at their feet. That wouldn't be entirely fair. ' They earn an average wage of $13.43 an hour, which is probably better than many Cana- dians can hope to earn, for relatively unskilled work. They are uncompromising in their stance but not over wages. Rather, they have asked for little in that respect and are mostly upset with Canada Post's austerity program that will demand concessions from the employees while substantially reducing the workforce. The carriers are seeking a measure of job security in wake of the corporation's move to use Supermail.boxes and reduce staff while improving both efficiency and cost- effectiveness. It's simply too much for Mulroney's government to ask for. The carriers are' backed into a corner. The government is bent on eliminating Canada Poses $184 million operational deficit by April 1 o next year. In order to 'meet that sort of ludicrous deadline, Canada Post has no choice but to eliminate small, rural post offices and begin using the supermailbox system. It will mean a cut in service and a reduction in employees. . The government is right to make a move towards making the, postal system more cost ef- fective but surely it would be more prudent to improve the service and improve the relation- ship between management and unions while moving towards a break-even situation. A committee commissioned by the government in 1985, headed by Guaranty Trust presi- dent, Alan Marchment, suggested Canada Post be given at least until 1990 to eliminate its deficit. Marchment also pointed out in his report that post office labour relations were "poisonous to the pointro£ the potential destruction of the enterprise" and there was a com- plete lack of trust. He added that the relationship was reminiscent of a war. By the same token, he noted that it was not uncommon for carriers to complete their walks in five hours and complete all or part of another walk at overtime rates. Some concessions .in that respect may have to come from the union if the post office is to • be cost-effective. In trying to Meet an unrealistic objective, the government has only angered rural com-. munities and created an adversarial climate between itself and its employees. That can on- ly create bitter employees. There has been enough provocation in this labour dispute and hopefully. Kelly can bring the one ingredient to the dispute that will resolve it. And that's compromise. D.S. ' • gl or,//N&'a/RONGLII�H you'? PHYS/!vE, THAT.9 L17%tE RD/57P/B1/7704 tila1Y FIX C. Students tour Signal -Star facility . at the Pavillion in the evening. The fleet will leave Goderich on Sunday for Southampton and Port Elgin and the following day will proceed' to Tobermory where the "Fourth" will be celebrated, From Toberniory a part of the fleet will go: on to Little Current; some of the partywill go to Mackinac Island and others will spend the tires fishing, swimming and exploring interesting cor-. ners of Georgian Bay. A brief stop may be made at this port again on the return trip of the fleet. - 25 YEARS AGO June 28, 1962: • Goderich councillors are all for extending mail delivery to "small urban :municipalities". and will likely endorse a Clinton resolution sent last Friday to com- mittee of the whole for a report at the next regular meeting. Councillor Jewell said however that Goderich is only 24 households short of the required total. The resolution forwarded by CLerk John Livermore of Clinton set forth that mail service is provid- ed in rural areas and that seryice to smaller urban centres would provide equal treat- ment, provide some permanent employ- ment on a year. -round basis and improved delivery of mail.. Accordingly, the Clinton council petitioned the government of Canada and the federal post office authorities to amend the regulationsto pro- vide for letter carrier service in those municipalities not now having such service. Copies of the resolution were to be forward- ed to the Prime Minister, the postmaster general and the MP for Huron. ` Three groups of school children from township schools included the Signal -Star plant in their itinerary during Wednesday morning tours. Out of their beds by 7 a.m. and into the Signal -Star shortly after 9 a.m. were 20 students from School Section No, 13 McKillop Township. They were in charge of their teacher Mrs. Mclllwain. Included in the tours were visits to the Goderich Manufacturing Company. Sheaffer Pen Company; Huron Museum, the Town Library and of courge the harbour area. A half-hour later, two groups totally '50 students from SS No. 3 and SS No. 6 Turn - berry Township arrived with their teachers Miss Brenda Breckenridge and Miss Lauraine Husk. The children showed keen interest in the jobs of putting nut a weekly newspaper. ' Tribute was paid on Tuesday night at the Victor Lauriston School to John Cory who °has devoted 31 years to Scouting. This week LOOKING BACK he resigns the position of Cub Master of the Goderich Wolf Sub Pack and will be suc- ceeded by Charles. Goddard.' The Goderich Lions Club made a presentation to Mr. Cory ori Tuesday night in recognition of his 14 years of service in the interests of the Scouting -,activity sponsored by the ,Lions Club. For his first five years, he was group committee 'chairman and Acting Assistant Scoutmaster. For the rest of the 14 years he was Cub Master. Of the 31 years -John Cory has served in Scouting there were 2 years of service as a leader. He first jod the Boy Scouts in Saginaw, Michigan in 19$$$$$$0 and resumed his ' interests in Scouting in Goderich when he came here -in 1946. 50 YEARS AGO . July 2, 1937: An event of the coming weekend which is .creating a stir of interest in advance is the visit of the fleet of the Yachtsmen's Associa- tion of America which will call at Goderich on Saturday on its cruise to Georgian Bay. It is expected that about 75 yachts will make port here on Saturday afternoon for an all- night visit: The cruise, which is expected to, become an annual event, will draw 500 yachtmen from Cleveland, Toledo, Rochester, Detroit and other yachting cen- tres. It is sponsored by the Vachtmen's Association of America and the Yachtman magazine. The fleet will assemble at Sarnia on Friday and will leave for.Goderich Satur- day morning arriving here in the afternoon. On arrival, the yachtinen will be given a civic reception at the harbour. The visitors will be entertained at a dinner at Hotel Sunset at which the town fathers will be pre- sent and a dance in their honor will be held 70 YEARS AGO June 28, 1917: ''Great preparations'. are being made for, the garden party and barn dance to be held at J.B. Reynolds, Huron Road, on Monday evening July 2 under the auspices of the Patriotic Society of Goderich Township. The attractions include vocal and in- strumental niugic, speeches, fortune telling, refreshment'booth, etc. The dancing will be held in Mr. Reynolds' fine new barn with its hardwood floors and electric lights.. There will.be a jitney service between the Square and Mr. Reynolds' place during the evening. Admission to the grounds is 10 cents. Mrs: J.J. Edmonds of Plymouth, Michigan sending a change of address for her copy of The Signal, writes: "I am almost lost without my dear old Signal. Have received it ever since I left Ontario. Father was-orie of the very first subscribers to,The Signal." Goderich and district were visited with a violent electric storm and a heavy rainfall which began about midnight Monday and continued on and off until noon of Tuesday. Notwithstanding • the severe lightning, no damage was done but many fields were almost completely submerged by water. It was one of the first violent and probably without exception the longest continued electric storm this district has known in many years. As you may have noticed, your favorite weekly publication has arrived at your doorstep one day later than usual. There is a reason for this, but first of all I would like to make perfectly clear, that it's not my fault. I had my column written on tirne this week ( and given the - publisher's esteem for the contents herewithin, I. hardly think he would have held the presses for it anyway). The delay in publication also has nothing to do with postal strikes, shor- tage of newsprint or phase of the moon. No, your weekly bundle of joy is late this week because yesterday both we and thee were busy celebrating one of those increasingly ra a occasions, a mid -week holiday. Yes, June 1 s Canada Day and I tru- ' ly believe we have far more reason to take the day off than to wait around for Wayne Gretzky's announcementabout whether or not he will Rtay in this fall's Canada Cup tournament. Since the day was designed as a celebration of things Canadian, I am go- ing to deviate from the usual media prac- tice of belittling, badgering; criticizing and cajoling. This week, I will devote my weekly word allotment to saying somet�iing nice, about all things Canadian. And now for something completely different. Something nice about Brian Mulroney: His term of Office is more than half over. Something nice about the Free Trade talks: The deal isn't signed yet. Sorcething nice about the Canadian Football League: It gives Toronto Maple Leaf owner I;jarold Ballard something to do in the sumAner. Something nice about Harold Ballard: He doesn't own a baseball team. Something nice about the Toronto Maple Leafs: They have a darngood slowpitch team. Something nice about Canadian winters: The'create a great deal of employment in the pile -lined boot industry. Something nice about Canadian televi- sion: It provides an ideal vehicle for - American programming. Something nice about Revenue - Canada: They don't take AI,L your money. Something nice about Pierre Trudeau: He dosen't like Brian Mulroney either. Sonlething nice about the Canadian Arined Forces: In their current condi- tion, they're not liable to hurt anybody. Something, nice about Canadian politi-. clans: They get involt-ed in far fewer sex scandals than their American counter- parts, opting instead for scandals about things like tuna fish. • Okay, so tliis column -hasn't turned out as hositive as I said it would. There are from this angle Patrick Raftis some genuinely nice th ngs about Canada that should be noted or nada. Day. While our winters are unpleasant, we probably have the most comfortable sum- mers and most spectacular autumns on the globe. While the quality of our football may be suspect, we still play the best game of 7 hockey on either side of the big pond. And, how about those Blue Jays? We have virtually no television evangelists to speak of, and those we do have keep a lower profile than American video preachers: We brew the best beer in the world (we also have the best beer commercials) which helps take t e edge off some of the other things we don do so well. • We also have a coup y built on ' freedom and compromise, rather than blood and guts and a crime rate that makes most American cities look like battle zones, No, this isn't a bad place to he on Canada Day, or for that matter, the rest of the year. „ Kind of nice, isn't it? 4 9