HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-10-28, Page 14'I:'A rEopERICH'SiGNAL..ST T R, l R$DAY, OCTOBER ?8, H 7(1
•
eekcod-afi trotible?_
Hallowe'en. Hallowe'en - the annual
frolic of the spooks and spirits - is this
weekend, and according to some
usually, reliable informedsources, this
year is apt to be a three -night hoot.
Why? Well, there's something about a
weekend that brings out the devil in
rabble-rousers.
According •to Jim Britnell, Huron
County Road Engineer, Hallowe'en
only serves as an excuse' for what goes
• on all around the county from January
• to December: He's expecting a rash of
vandalism this weekend because of
Hallowe'en, but hee doesn't dare to. hope
the activities of vandals will be con-
tained in that one, event. •
Mr. Britnelh says the vaondalism
where Huron° County roads are con-
cerned, is caused by "children of all
ages". Some people just never grow
„. up.. Age alone doesn't make a male
child •a man .... or a,female offspring a
woman.,
During the past few months, ' 400
a cedar sign posts ,have been destreiyedr,.
throughout Huron County. Of these, 90
percent ..were levelled at the hands of
"children" posing as , adults. At a
replacement cost of. from $15 to $50 per
Get interested this year
This year is an election year in the
municipalities. Time once again to
elect town council ' members, PUC
commissioners, school board
representatives.Are you interested?
Are you ,interested in municipal
government in Goderich?',In Goderich
Township? in Colborne Township? Are
you concerned about the kind of
representation you have on the Huron
County Board of Education? Does it
really matter who is elected? Who
seeks office? '
- Unless you can answer "yes" to each.
of those questions, . you need to .re-
examine your priorities: You needto
be.reminded that your tax dollars - and
they are considerable - arein the hands
of the men and women.elected to office
for the next two years. You need to
realize that the future of the children
who go to school in this district is -
resting' to a large extent on the
decisions of the men and women . .
named to serve on the board of
education. You. need to consider that as
the workload increases for councils -
and boards across fhe province,,the
What did he mean? -
Mayor , Deb Shewfelt tossed out a
remark at- a recent council . session
which may have , left some of his
hearers scratching their heads.- The
remark? Mayor Shewfelt toldcouncil it
was impossible to have "French in the
school house and sand on, the beach'.
Mayor Shewfelt made the comn`tent
when Councillor Jim ,Peterswas.
talking about a resolution from the
Waterfront Municipalities of Ontario
whi"ch' stressed greater co-operation
between ' all levels of government
where waterfront facilities and land
are concerned. Councillor Peters was
recalling how such co-operation would
have assisted the town atthe time of° •
the harbor dredging when. sand - the
clean, soft, white variety - might have
been hauled to the beaches in Goderich
instead of to the deeper waters of Lake
Huron to be dumped.
It seems what Mayor Shewfelt meant
was that the cost of haul•ing sand to the
beaches in Goderich washigh, and that
a hefty portion of the mqney to do the
work clearly would have had to come
from the federal treasury. In Ottawa;
howevver,.funds just weren't available
to improve Goderich beaches even
with Goderich's own brand of . send...
The money was being spenton such
things as encourag`ng a,,bilingual
Canada . - i.e. French in the school"
house.
post, the bill to entertain these.
"children" is no laughing matter.
But even the cost could be met by the
men and women of this county who
take life seriously enough to work hard
•id pay their taxes. The greatest
tragedy, though, is when mipsing signs
leave the driving public unprotected
from hazards on the road. •
Mr. Britnell recounted a Hallowe'en
episode near Brussels some" time ago
when a road cheek revealed a sign post
intact at 3 a.m. Between that hour and
7:30 a.m., however, the sign was
removed. At 7:32 a.m., at`r accident
occurred at that intersection which
sent three people to hospital, all
seriously injured. A sinister prank to
be certain. No, joke to that mangled
trio.
Mr. Britnell is 'right. Huron cannot
keep road patrols out on every mile of,
highway for two or .three night's this
weekend, It Would just not be practical.
All that can be done is to plead with-
anyone'who sees•this editorial, to think
before acting and to encourage those
around to think, too. Hatlowe'en,is fun
for children : but some "chi rdren" need
to grow up and act their ages.= -SJ K
1„,•.
municipal elections became just that
much more vital to the proper furic-
tioning of a community. .
Municipal elections need more in-
volvement than getting -out to vote,
important as that may be. Municipal
elections require candidates ..serious
,candidates who are prepared to: gi e
time and effort—to the municipal cause
for a period of time. Are you .that.
concerned? Should you consider.
seeking a position on municipal council.
or board of education this year?
Nominations for the 1976 election
close on November 15. Between now.
and then, •the Signal -Star will be at:
tempting to spark your interest in the
upcoming election, as •a- potential
candidate and 'as a voter.: If you. have
any questions or. suggestions just
telephone the editorial .department of .
this newspaper or drop a line to the
Signal -Star Editorial Department, Box
,3.?.Ow:-lr,clustrial Park.
Have yourself a hjy-da-yii.Gerecti4e
° and set for this fall's electiorrcontest. •..
SJK
It was a terse and very pertinent
statement on the part of Mayor
Shewfelt... It brought. into sharp focus'
once againthat tax dollars - be they
federal, provincial or municipal - are
spent in a wide variety of ways, not
always approved" by the greatest
number of people and not always
readily seen' as tangible, legitimate,
expenses.
it also smackedof the, hostility felt
by a good many Canadians who resent.
the federal government's strong push
towardbilingualim, whatever ..the
cost, whatever the. results: • .Probably
most Goderich residents wouldprefer•
a beautiful white' sand beach to a
completely. bilingual .harbor master,
for instance.- There might even be a
good number of Goderich citizens who
wouldbecome most indignant and.
highly vocal if they were faced with
such a choice:
The mayor's simplified assessment
of the problem also had a note of
apathy in it. His comment left the
impression that it was a case of either-
or and he was probably being.
realistic in his views. Yet it is just.such
quiet.acceptance of federal, provincial
and municipal matters which
threatens pe pie everywhere always.
It is something fo recognize, to guard
against and to,reckon with aU the days
of our lives.' - SJ K
*CNA
Zije ':-o°berfc�j
SIGNAL—TAR
— The County Town Newspaper of Huron —0 —
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-Business and Editorial Office
TELEPHONE 524-8331
area code 519
Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
ROBERT G. SHRIER W-- president and publisher
SHIRLEY J. KELLER -- editor
EDWARD J. BYRSKI -- advertising manager
Malting Address:
P.O, BOX 220, Goderigi
Second class mail registr'atioirnumber-�•o11'a
•
Bleak shoreline
By Dave Sykes
By Shirley J. Keller
The weather last weekend
wasn't the greatest, but it was
necessary to take a trip out of
town. As the car headed &1St
on Highway $ I noted with
some degree of satisfaction
that Goderich doesn'tsmell
like other towns. these•days.,
And there isn't •that telltale
autumn haze which ,falls on
everything, making eyes
water and noses run. •
You guessed it. The smoke
from burning leaves in other
.totvps to the. east of Goderich
re bbndec(i;:me how fortur'1 to
are, arin. Goderich. It all.°
brought fo mind former days'.
in Goderich when the crisp,
quiet fall air was so full of
pollution that one choked °a-nd1
sputtered for the most of
October and well into
November. .
. There's no need to review
the hateful hazards of bur-
ning leaves: True, the- smell
of a pile •of dry leaves burning,
in the distance puts a scent in
the -ai:r Which is decidedly
autumn-ish...and -faintly
'missed in an odd sort of way.
But piles 'and piles of:heaves,
day after day smouldering
.DEAR READERS
and smothering everything,
isn't a happy memory at all.
+++ .
The
l-+-1-
The leaf shredder which is
oww ned.. by the ople'' of
(°itderich has been a real
blessing• to those persons in
townwho prefer clean air.
But as was pointed out at a
recent council meeting, the
leaf shredder brings new
problems.:: and new hassles
for the town's officials.
It seems that there are
really soiree ambitious and
fastidious homeowners in
Goderich who like to keep
their properties swept clean,
of .all leaves daily. Before the.
leaf shredder, these folks
probably raked their leaves
daily to the driveway or the
curb ;and ::also
d.uily...burned the pesky
droppings- from above. Now
that' such burning is against
the • law, these 'same
homeowners and taxpayers
expect the leaf shredder'to
make a daily call at their
places to suck up the leaves,
shred them! and cart them
away. . 1
It was pointed out by town
administrator Harold 'Walls
'and to*n foreman Stan
Meriam,this is totally im-
practical. Leaves can, be
vacuumed up by ; the big
machine alright - but • not
every day. Not even every
week at every.hotne in town..
It is.jjust plainly and simply
too expensive. •
Not long ago at one. of ,the'
council sessions, . the mayor
was heard to mutter (some
council members .-were
convinced it was in jest) that
-the •town: council should
declare 'a week of burning
• because it would. ,.;be
"cheaper"
Mayor: Deb' Shewfelt was, of
course, only: stressing a fact
' which is understood b3e.:fnost
thinking'ratepayers. Buying,
maintaining and staffing a
sophisticated machine like
the leaf shredder is ideal . ..
:hut expensive. Leaf burning,
1 -hough thoroughly unpleasant
and absolutely out -of -tune
with today's emphasis on
ecology, • is . still the most
economical way to get ridof
autumn's,'anded and . gold an
brown. ,
Mayor Shewfeltis•without a
doubt a.practical man with a
p„racti.cal viewpoint. He also
knowy the value of. theleaf-
shredder where comfort and
the -general well-being of the '
c:ommunity is concerned. His
statement : was probably
made in, jest, but like so many
things the mayor says it could
also be-�constr'ued.as a terse
and complete•assessment.of a
• municipal dilemma
. problem identified and
solution suggested all at
once. However, the cheapest
solution isn't popular with the.
masses and as usual it costs;,
money to be progressive.
-I-+ -i-
What I :fail to ultderstand.
the compulsion on the part of
• many people to rake leaves.:
In 22:years of borne owner-
ship, the Kellers haven't .
raked many leaves. Once in a•
protect and feed the lawn
naturally. '
What's more, leaves have
an uncanny ability to •mo•und
up along the fences and
beside the house... -whipped
there by the wind they make a
cozy covering for perennials
which must remain outdoors
through a long winter ahead.
In the spring., the leaves can
easily be pulled away from
the plants so that the warm
sun can coax them to life
again.
Leaves. Leaves dress up a
' dull fall day in a waynothing
else 'cart. Leaves • make
colorful mountairis for kids to
-jump in. Leaves add a
dimension to October' that
makes them special : and
beautiful. Leaves rustle when
you drag your 'feet through
them, yet they. fall as quietly
from the trees as the dew
from the morning sky.
Leaves make " you feel
melancholy in a peaceful sort
of way.
ong white, the eau
so great it threatens to kill the
grass or something if , left
• untouched .... but usuallya
few passes with the lawn
mower Will sufficiently
disperse the leaves into a -fine
mulch' that is spread evenly
on the grass and rots easily
throughout the winter to
Leaves come, only once a
year.`They are nature's gift in
the fall. Let's enjoy them.
Careful.Dow
Dear Editor:
Chuck Reid, through his
letter • to your paper
criticizing columnist Ron
Shaw for stating that the
decisidn to have an "•abortion
--is the private husinsss of, the
woman Concerned, reveals
how obviously unaware he is
to what is truly immoral - i.e:
forcing a • wo•man to bear an
Unwanted . child or into some
Whack -alley abortion shop. He
'also refers to Mr. Shaw 'as
"sadly: uninformed" on the
whple issue.
I would hesitate, Mr. Reid,
before calling Ron Shaw
uninformed. He and his wife
. have just returned from two
years of voluntary service in
the drought and famine -
stricken areas .of Africa. I
suggest you remove • your
blinders long enough to read
and digest from some of his
'on -the -scene reporting.
He is vividly .aware that'
this world is chock-full of
homeless, unloved, un-
•wanted, uncared-for children,
of all colourS;-sizes,'races and
creeds;. Many will die' in this
same deplorable state,. a good
many will live long.enough to,
• reproduce, and so the circle
Widens: Earlier this year we.
passed the four billion mark .
kind are now increasing at the
EDITOR
rate of 80 millions per year.
For many of these millions,.
Jae is a short but; agonizing
scramble for insufficient arftf
unwholesome food, :without
any of the niceties of•human
existence.
Weeping over the yet -
unborn is a luxury we .can ill
afford while we remain blind,
deaf and dumb to the agony of
the 'already born. To, argue
whether a fetus - which at 12
weeks is approximately nine
,centimeters long and less
than an ounce in weight - is
human or not, is pointless
since in the end what really
counts is what each 'person
feels in his or her own heart.
What. we really need 'is'
more . compassion and un-
derstanding for 'those. who
seek abortion and much more
education in •birth -control.
World population cannot
continue to grow, and will
shortly • be checked by a
combination of *con
traception, abortion, wap,
famine and disease. Since the
first is clearly not doing an
adequate job, not 'to mention
being considered a deadly sin
by -millions' of the "devout":
to be against abortion is to be
in favour of the latter three.
There are no other. choices.
J.C. Hindmarsh
Huron Planned Parenthood.
67 North St. Apt. B'
Goderich.
Poor handliog
Dear Editor,
I am ' writing ..about the
manner in which the door-
prizes.
oor prizes, were handled at the _
Colborne Christmas -Fair in
the Saltford Valley Hall.
The p.a. system was hardlyi
audible and . with ` the noise
and activity„ -from the crowds
it was almost .impossible to
hear at all. -There was no
indication' as to where you
were to pick up your prizes'
arid no one seemed' to know
either. Even the ladies at the
• admission stand didn't know.
Finally, one of 'the
continued on page 15)
v
. 40'7V ears Ago
The Musical comedy "1r s
A , Knockout'!'• presented
under the auspices of the
Goderich I -i( ('I b 1
,
•
LOOKING
One hundred issuing offices
throughout On torio'wi11 have
19:17. motor vehicle perrnits
and ' operators" licenses
ins u and
available Fri _,
•Novemher 3, earlier than
usual to'-a--l-Iow new car buyers
not to .have to purchase
permits and licenses for 1936.
The 1,ondon Little Theater,
the hest Little Theatre group
in Canada in 1.935, • Will be
presenting .r :'play, "Front
Page"-, ,Noverhber 13th ,lit
',I MacKay -Hall. The play
concerns the troubles a
,newsman has with one of his
reporters..
BACK
At the morning United ' 5 Years. Ago
Church' service Sunday, Rev, With the summer tourist
G. N, Hazen, representative season over arid, the. local
of the Ontario Temperance tourist information booth now
Pm. . sale oft
Federation ,- 1 e—on ; ,U tilos e d.--u.ti.t.i 1- ..th-e_._s.p
interests of that union.. figures have been released
' During the courserirbis---concerning the. number of
address . he scored . the fact ersons from out of town who
that both men and women are - have visited Goderich :this
drinking, women j'nuch more 'summer. The number of
evidently than over before. persons who registered at the lh
Even • women who init booth during the 1971 season,
themselves • self-respecting . was 7,457, about 2,000 niore
are to be seen going in and Out than in 1910 when 5,412 .per
of beverage room:5 and in one sonsief't their names:
rase in lluron County, two ' With autumn' and falling
women were' seen sprawled in leaves co'mes'the multitude of
a town drain ditch. • complaints concerning smoke
direciioe of iiirl Usher tin
Monday and '1 u'•s(lay nights
in aid of'(-ripplcd Children
and ' Welfare work was
greeted„ by large audiences
both evenings. .•The en•
tertainrntelt was widely
varied. Gay songs, pretty
dances' and choruses in
ter'pet'sed the' dialogue etf the•
play which • had many
humorous shies. All parts
were Well;taken.
p 6 .
from piles of leaves burning
in Goderich. Several readers
have telephoned this
newspaper asking why people
rings are perp -it -ted -to burn leaves--
and requesting that " the
Signal -Star bring attention to
the fact that there are some
people in,town why don't
appreciate the smoke from
these fires •
• Again the Signal -Star
reminds you that it is time -
again this weekend to turn
your clocks back one hour
and welcome an extra heour r,f
sleeps