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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-02-17, Page 1863 • Dear Editor: After reading the article entitled "Police -Radio Telephone causing some trouble", dated February 10, 1977, members of the Goderich Police Association, feel that we must make a reply to •the article. The Association had no idea that the letter sent by us to Chief King and the' Commission would be made public. If the Association had been aware of this, an interview with a reporter of the Signal -Star could have been arranged, and a fuller explanation of the Association's position could have been presented to the public at that time. Tg say that the Association is "not overly enthused" with the radio system is a gross understatement. The Association feels that this system is completely inadequate for a Police assistance required. If an - Department. officer is' in the middle of a The safety factor with this major investigation, or in the system is non-existent, If an middle of a call such as a officer needs help, he does domestic call andthe phone NOT have time to dial a rings, this must be -answered number. If properly trained thereby losing the trend of the dispatchers are used, all the investigation or call. This is officer has to do is pick up a supposing that the system is microphone, give his location fully operational and the call and a code number to have from the citizen is completed. help on theway. The Bell Telephone assured If the situation -is -an ac lila "Polis Department that cident, all the officer will when using this system the have to do is tell the dispat- range would be ten miles and cher what is needed; am- reception would be better bulance, fire truck, tow truck, than with the old system. This additional units, etc. and then was true when the system return to the task of helping was first installed, but as' anybody injured in the ac- time went by reception has cident, handle any traffic become so poor, that at times problem or continue the in- it is almost impossible to vestigation. carry on a two-way con - With the new radio system versation over one of ..the there are no dispatchers, so mobile units. The range of the the officer has to waste mobile units has greatly valuable time making the decreased over the months. separate calls to get the In the cited case of Con- stable Webb and the en- tanglement of the receive; in the steering wheel, ,'this section of the Association letter appears to have been misunderstood. The point the Association was trying to make Was that, to talk to the Goderich OPP and request their assistance, it is necessary to hold_ a telephone --type receiver to the officer's ear, while driving at high speeds, Therefore, the turn onto the sideroad had to be made with one hand, causing the officer to lose control of the cruiser, putting it into the ditch. The problem in this case was that Constable Webb in order to hear the OPP had to keep the telephone -type receiver to his ear and this is very awkward when driving or making a turn. With the old system all he had to do waa tell the ) dispatcher The Goderich' Po�iiee,. tel hones a tali av r.., PpItc D P fait time , disp a ars, Ch1 f ,i qa ..Part a turn had to be, made,,; the Dep4rtaw t has had, to put ne r , pdz • ,feels ?lt#e xsi s *till e' , d. -:be ' , i :e. teething problems A _ lill7V:,', � �: l ... ,.. . hand microphone Goul with.... iia, N 1 g p hislapand the of . ft s• system , and there' .tha a ;: dlspatcb service ;is th}s Ft annerkr.:ao, dropped in • ,:, i Y � , m rye �.ef dent 'and adds be brpng;:t tat,. conversation from - the appeallobe no end m sight. t : the' safet of the tFieFQliie q lssi dispatcher would come over n; Does<a Citizen ' or 'a police $!' :lYr �' dispa Iii Pori lot,;sion ; er mounted in'the dash' officer 'ha a `to suffer due taa ' Fitizebsand police, ":: sped, Y The: section:, of the article .`Association hoppes tli After the turn has teen made; the •, inadequacies of this ,, . Ili en ':had letter has . elarif'" the officer can pick uP the redundant,;system before the saying .-that _no c z e micro hone and .con- Commission` .takes positive; cornplained •to Chief King position to the cit hand p tinue givingthe' dispatcher action? The Association feels. about ,not , being able to Goderich; iin .m Bards;' hisn contact the police is true.•T a present , co .Al" location and situation that _,_by,,, _removing thew _ muni - sy _i.__ .e'ni-.se isi,,>_ :. has�been in use di at hers ani installing the,, As;iiici'atitlri-` member. '-haye- "'ayste!7'i We `realize: This approxi m P „t been stopped by citizens an dispatch s stem will For approximately one year,, present system the Cam , time of the. installation, missionhas taken one giant„ several: gccasions .arid `told . taxpayer additional:. At the Bell Telephone represen- step l3,aekwards." thata�hey had been unable to'but the ,increased soli contact; the Police Depart- efficiency, of : the tatives said there would be trouble with the system, as . Chief King was quoted as ment by phone.Departrenriwilenlt, for yih this is the first such system to saying, "the problems are citiz, justify be put into practical use.'strictly technical . We hope U n f o r till n a t e l y , the cost. There have been- numerous . your subscribers read the Association members kept no - problems with this system article thoroughlyenough to records of 'thiese incidents. _ Signed: Goderich over the past year, and these realize that the problems are That was why no specific , Association problems . seem to be in- not all technical'by any incident was quoted in the Assn ratio INery Witte' creasing greatly. means. Association's letter to the Vice=President;: La The Bell Telephone The Association is trying to Commission, ,If a citizen Webb technicians have not yet convince the Commission to experiences this type of y: Secretor George Lo corrected these malfunctions. do away' with this radio- . difficulty n -contacting the g pa me n Police wives fear for safety of their Dear Editor: After reading the article entitled "Police Radiotelephone Causing Some Problem", dated February 10, 1977, we were prompted to submit our views. We realize that the Police • Commission meetings are open to the general public and the news media, but "WHY" should a letter sent by the Police Association, outlining complaints, be made public? In our opinion, the letter from the Association to the Commission *contained in- formation which should have been confidential and could be used to the detriment of the Police Force. ,We say detrimen , that, this kind . of p licity en- courages more crime. It Was cited in the report that the Bell Telephone system has provided the Police Force with ONLY ONE open line. If this line is being used for an inquiry or minor complaints, then someone in need will be unable to obtain help, The Council of the Town of Goderich still hold "Com- m it„tee-of- the- whole meetings where the press and public are excluded. The same discretion "should be applied to the Police Com- mission meetings when it concerns information which should not be divulged to the public. One of our chief concerns is that, with this "system", the Police Officers may not have - time to some . precarious situations to dial out for help. The time it takes to dial the phone to receive help is considerably longer than the dispatch system where a code can be given quickly and help on its way. We feel this dif- ference in time could mean the difference between life and death. As these "police officers" are our husbands we feel we have a basis for our very real fear for their safety. It it requires two hands .to operate this telephone -radio, as reported in the article, how is an officer to drive? at last count they all had only two hands just like any other human being. As it was • cited in the article, Constable Webb ended up in a ditch trying to dial out to the OPP for assistance in pursuing w a vehicle at high speeds, and could have been severely injured. If P.C. Webb had not had to dial, as well as, drive, during this chase, the cord may not have become en- tangled in the wheel. We also express concern with the fact that various citizens have called the Police Department and have received no answer. Iestates that so far none of these citizens have had an emergency situation, but which of the Commission members wish to take a chance it won't happen .and could result in disaster? If the one line is not in working order at all times, then the citizens of Goderich are not getting adequate service from the Police Force. (Is this what John Q, ` citizen, wants?) It was stated in this article that the problems are "strictly' technical The excerpt from the Association letter claims that the fauits with the system have been brought to the attention of Bell service men to no avail. If the Bell cannot repair the many faults with the radio, then how are these "strictly technical” problems to be solved? Furthermore, the logic of the statement, "They are fluctuating,, problems" eludes us. With the dispatch system, many calls requesting in- formation or other minor inquiries could be handled without disturbing the officer who may be busy with more serious matters. It also stated' that " the dispatch .system would cost an extra $11,000.00. We feel that this amount is not such a great saving when so many lives are, at stake. If the iiusbcituis citizens of Goderich are unable to reach a Police Officer when needed, due to this system, then is it worth the saving? A Policeman's job is unique, in that, it has more dangers than most oc- cupations, *and that any preventative measures should be taken to ensure their safety, and that of the community. We are asking 'the Police Commission to deal with this problem ob- jectively by weighing the pros and cons of the dollar savings, police safety, and community protection. In summation, we, as the wives of the concerned police officers, are underst upset with 'what we 1 dangerous working ditions, BUT also feel public should be conc this problem definit fects everyone in the T Goderich. , We ask, therefore, there are other citize share our , views alarming situation, voice their opinions hope that the Police mission will further c the seriousness o inadequate system 1 good of all. CONCERNED P OFFICERS' Private citizen claims dispatcher. is best service Dear Editor: After reading in our last week's Signal -Star regarding the Police radio telephones in our local police cruisers, I would like to give my opinion. I have worked very closely with our local police and have always found them to be most helpful when I have had the need to call upon them. I must say I strongly ap- prove the going through a dispatcher as a far better and quicker way. By the dispatcher taking your call you, are assured the phone will be answered. The way it is now, if an officer on duty in the night is in trouble or having problems with sprneone, he may not be able to get to the cruiser to answer the phone or use the walkie talkie so that citizen's call goes unanswered - and why should it, as perhaps that person was desperately needingpolice assistance. On one occasion on talking to ar officer he had to ask me' if he could call me back, as he was in the middle of making an arrest. Another occasion, shortly after I started talking town officer, I was cut off. Later he called back to say he was talking to me on the walkie-talkie and it cut out before I was finished. If your telephone call goes in on the walkie-talkie anyone nearby can hear the caller's conversation and there is nothing confidential about it at all. The officer may not be able to cut in to inform the caller he is on' the walkie- talkie before they have given out the biggest part of their information. This example I have experienced in our own home on more than one oc- casion. Is the dollar and cent sign going.to stand up higher than the going back to disoatchers and the ` safety and con- fidentiality of our citizens? t; Good Luck A Concerned Citizen ' Needs help Dear Editor, Your assistance reatl ;, a te g y i?�recia provided us wi' soitieo'ii`e who'h; ,a t the: iii would be dE, it,. you,' e of illi ole,; hid '+s Scotland, in May, we are collecting information on the Galbratth.,se .los ,i .. maria.. This information ; i . . being assembled on a voluntary basis. A good copy" of the summary will •be ),eft at the Ontario Archives, Toronto, as well as with anyone providing information. There wilt be no charge. Your assistance would also be greatly appreciated if you could provide us with the name of someone who has. information about William Milligan who died near Dungannon in 1909. He was buried near Napanee, Ontario.. It is believed that William Milligan farmed in Cam n Township before moving o Dungannon and that he had two daughters Nancy and. Sarah. I am assembling the Milligan family tree for the County' Museum at Napanee, •Ontario. I am near retirement as a supervising meteorologist at Toronto International Air- port. I am also a M.A. graduate in Physics at University of Toronto. Yours truly, Edwin A. S. Galbraith 46 Newstead Rd. Weston, Ontario M9P 3G3 Tracing history Dear Editor: I am in my fifth year of tracing my mother's family tree. The names I'm researching are Flanagan. and McGowan. • From what I can gather of my great - me to from older member mother's family, great 'grandparent r Canada from I ela in the early ,1840's and landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia. The family` included my great -great.. grandparents,' Peter Flanagan and his wife Margaret McGowan, their oldest child, •.Mary, who was born in Ireland December 11, 1837, .and Peter's brother November 28, 1899; Hugh John. `` • married•Ethel Jdne (Jennie) The brothers couldn't agree $ whicht direction ia1?l ll tfrom ° Gedney August n 22* 1 2,'1 d9a0at,;hddest chi22, , was r. ndparents werebntariobecause their next 194AL ` byrn Hugh F d .:� ht s: �'u 1 27, i.� March.�4i > 8 2, i edit t ,.a �..� •. M,. •thought John remail of tfi t allfax area but`he Peter -never heard fratri eat othc again On the 1851 census for Ontario, Peter Flanagan and yrs•family On five children) are'listed aS living on lot19,' Concession 4, King Township in the county of York. • Children born in Canada= besides William '(my ,great grandfather) were John, Peter and Thomas. William" 'Married, Harriet Sophia Maybee from Pen- nsylvania but I have been unable to obtain a date of their marriage. It's thought the couple had a Protestant marriage ceremony in Pennsylvania, then a Roman Catholic ceremony later in Canada. ' William Flanagan died March 31, 1922 in Newmarket and his wife died September 5, 1921.in her 79th year. Peter Flanagan, Margaret McGowan, William Flanagan. and Harriet Maybee are buried in St. John'. s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Newmarket, Ontario as are Mary Flanagan and her husband, Matthew Clancy, Mary Flanagan died June 10, 1911 and Matthew Clancy died May 15, 1881, aged about 85 years. He was also born in Ireland. , Peter Flanagan's. tomb- stone states he died May 6, 1855, aged 44 years, four months and was a native of Ireland. - k On his wife's toiribstone are the words: Margaret McGowan, wife of Peter Flanagan, died June 17, 1893, aged 85, a native of Ireland. Ontario records fail to list Margaret McGowan as a death despite .. the fact government records for births, deaths and marriages were started in 1869. Children born to William Flanagan and Harriet Sophia Maybee were Peter, John, William, Mary, Hugh and Oakley. Peter married Margaret Ann (Nancy) Tunney June 28, .1893; John married Bertha Mudge from Michigan but I can't track down a marriage date; William married Mary Montague April 5, 1899; Mary married Walter Leppard' ed l It's my opinion there are some Flanagans or McGowans or other relatives living in Canada who mayibe in possession of a family Bible or some sort qf"family records who could ;assist me in tracing this family from Ireland to Canada. I visited Ireland in. 1972 and 1974 but didn't have enough information at that time to be of greater benefit to several Flanagans I talked to. I understand some of the Flanagans from around Newmarket, possibly from King Township, moved to Ottawa and Vancouver around the turn of the cen- tury. I hope this letter will bring some response from any 'Flanagans •or McGowans in Canada. who are part of the family tree. There is a chance I may, be visiting Ireland in May of 1977 and would like to have as much information as possible. Correspondence can be sent to my home address or to me at The Sun -Times, Box 56, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada N4K 5P2. - Ji Yours truly, Ted Briggs 436 9th St. East, Owen Sound, Ont. N4K 1P3 Discrimination to the appeal hearings without advance notification was most inconsiderate. .>„ .A letter, is to: be sentitolloy McMurtry, Attorney -General of Ontario, requesting that the section of the Family Law Act which ' deals with Mother's Allowance be amended' when his Family Law Reform bill is rein- troduced in the legislature , this spring. This form of social assistance should be an allowance for single parents who wish to remain in the home to care for their children. Approval of an application should not depend on the sex of the applicant. Twenty percent of the single parents in Ontario are fathers. We cannot see this percentage decreasing anymore than we anticipate a decrease in the number of women in the work force. Mr. Binder's situation has brought attention to a section of the Family Law Act which should be amended and the Family Law Reform bill provides this opportunity. Sharon Dietz, Chairman, Women Student's Committee, Sheridan College. Dear Editor, An article in the Signal -Star which told of the discriminatory action taken by the Ministry of Com- munity and Social Services against Gary Binder of.. Lucknbw came to the at- tention of the Sheridan'. College Women Student's Committee. As chairman of this 'committee, I wish to. inform you that- the' com- mittee is sending letters to_,,; several government representatives in support of Mr. Binder's position. It is the committee's opinion that a father should be allowed to remain in the home with his children if he is a single parent even if he is able to ,work_ Being a father to three, ,children is •a; 'meaningful, worthwhile; experience and Mr. Binder,: 'sho ld not be asked to give e u his, intention. toremain in th homeecauseha man. The, action taken by the Ministryin denying hire the form of, ocial assistance was. discriminatory i and thou. `allure tti 1 >'i p, Cantle, ip Thankyou Dear Editor: Please accept the hearty thanks of the Maple Leaf Chapter, I.O.D.E. for your kind co-operation in reporting our activities during the past year. This excellent coverage is very much appreciated by our members. Sincerely yours, Maple Leaf Chapter, LO.D,E: (Mrs. J.W. Coates) Assistant Secretary. Deepratitude g a.< Dear Editors ., ,One"year ago on 14febriall 4 disastrous. earthquake tin ",..22 a i l fi! �uatemriila•.lc killed .�.:..�0 �• people and left oyer, a trtillinfi Advisory Board had allocated $100,000 which` enabled the CARE -Guatemala ,staff to pitNiae`instant.aid .nd begin emergency food distribution to 300,000 _people each day. With the addition of CARE experts from nearby coun- tries, water systems were quickly repaired to prevent a possible epidemic and temporary shelters, blankets and medical supplies were distributed. As the funds came in from coficerned Canadians, CARE - Guatemala was able to ad- dress itself to the longer-term restoration of more per- manent facilities. Priority was given to the construction of inexpensive quake - resistant houses to be built by the survivors themselves. CARE's model was a simple structure with a light -weight zinc roof. The agency also provided tools, support poles, bracing' and rafter rods as well as training the people how to build their homes. To date over 12,000 of CARE's projected 21,000 houses have ,been completed, 10 million pounds of food distributed to more than 450,000 people and 150 water systems restored in one of the hardest hit areas of Guatemala. ' Because CARE has built up a staff of competent people over 30 years and has established facilities and emergencyy supplies t in 36 countries, this kind-ofainstant aid is_- possible and can be followed by`';, continuing rehabilitation programs. It is not a hit-and-run affair but it is possible only , because hundreds, of thousands of again :who in the; past would concerned Canadians trust not have expected the service CARE to carry out such ef- at all.'' -forts effectively and ef- which appears to be Anyone desiring relatively accurate and elaboration of this precise. _should feel free to c The fact that .many good 'Assoc,ation'office' (41 things- are happening in our schools is heartening. Mathematic 'results are better than in the past and the teaching of English is not in a chaotic state as charged by many educators and the public. We are concerned with the low level of achievement in physics: the imbalance between the "hard"` and "soft" schools: the lack of co-ordination amongst schools, school systems, universities and the Ministries: and the absence of long-range planning, particularly at the Ministry level. Cautions are needed, however.' Evaluation policies must be carefully and sen- sibly instituted over a long - period of time. We especially appreciate the reference that Dr. Howard Russell. makes to the phenomal expansion of educational services in the last 30 years. "It is . .. the single most important change of the last quarter century ... the change between the 1945- 46 school ,gear and the 1971-72 school year is from 120,000 to. 575.000. ,000. This is a five -fold increase in gross numbers of students and a change in proportion of ., secondary school aged students from about 40 percent to about 80 percent of all potential students., . . the schools .. . have had to provide service - and perhaps a new kind of service - to as manystudents .`their and Not to grasp this fun- ficrespontientlyd• with onsuch genbehalferosity. damental fact leads to a We thank them• with all our serious misconception of lila secondary schools role. In the heart . 1970's, As , Dr.. Russell points _ Yours sincerely h'O ublic, or secondar . or ost- ;National 17irector' _p a �' . secondary ;teachers, fail' to '"" take into account the. rapid ! • nl' • and,;, substantial changes in S g Kant research coin sitio of t e student Po n h Detir �t 3tor population, there will, indeed, �g..._: ,,,,, be expectations of 'students The 'recent . report on the which are unrealistic." state ;of secondary and 'The Ontario Association of liti larch ► ed ratio ,1.'in . the' ' Education , Administrative Illitlisiaty.: ,is.` Officials .'�" I w ll , be . , �arefulty tentlail of the :mist stud"` in the "re ort and will a. if caltnt ireseai'ch : o eats. bit a 're ! it a ,d wto 'initiate ac .J :S R S l7 � 0 # i5 ittx, !v, tl�s, ;tib„cti�i` ,eratl+nri.�1W'i ,rM1 �. t, y, 4% � iii• th ,tit dit� !fa>"f +e:�t 11ii till;; :e i it'letlitttirio :. 'l�eac t,haa tit .s l�"ed • a rust 3276. M.D. Roy, Pre W.J. McCordic, Ex. D Ontario Asso of Ed Adtfiinistration0 Do you have an opinio Let's hea from you s 1 .out, ; "when the: general rnaa:Y{roes rS "9 a New is wort $$ s5 for the b news sto e ;,of the w for the news sto of o hem r