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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-08-04, Page 4,0" 1?, PAGE 4�--GODERICH S GNAL-STAR, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1977 •C A pu6ederich -SIGNAL,-STAR The County Town Newspaper of Huron Founded in 1118 and published every Thursday at Goderleh, Ontario. Member of the CWNA and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance SMOG in Canada, $10.5U to U.S.A., $2U.00 to all other countries, single copies 25 cents: Display advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Kate Card -No. 7 effective Oct. 1, 1010. Second class mail Registration Number 0716. Advertising Is accepted on the con- dition 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 the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong' price. goods or service may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and ntay be withdrawn at any time. r,m�slt thesi al,sett. Tuoikr,,rs_-•••3 Cv'i„Ar.Ea+✓ &, i- . ` , at Nasolletk:gi,nanustscfpta4n photos. Business and Editorial Office TELEPHONE 524-8331 area code 519 Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. ROBERT G. SFjRIER — president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER — editor EDWARD J. BYRSKI — advertiting manager Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Gpderich Second class mail registration number — 0716 New challenges Those who are involved in the weekly newspaper business in this country at this time are excited about the new and im- portant challenges facing them. Fading into the past is the idea that the community weekly newspaper is useless as a mer- chantdising tool or as a source of necessary information. Evolving at last is the realization that the community weekly newspaper is a force, a strong weapon not only to initiate change and improvements at home but at provincial, national and international levels as well. At the 1977 convention of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association in Toronto, the incoming president, R.G. Shrier of Goderich, spoke for instance about the need for` he .community press to become ac- tivery involved in the battle to preserve national unity. He spoke about the strong voice of the weekly press, and urged editors and publishers to unite that voice for a common purpose. Holding the country together is up- permost in the minds of many Canadians now. But it is becoming increasingly, ap- parent that the job is bigger than just retaining Quebec within Confederation. There is growing evidence that other areas in Canada are striving for identity, in- dependence and involvement. The Maritime provinces and the Prairie eyihces'k -'� ,.� e�•Quebec;'-)�ave•grlevances-to.- air. At the same time, the Ontario opinion must be heard. While only a minority Quebec faction is talking about separation as a means to 'an end, people everywhere throughout Canada are getting more vocal about the need for a complete overhaul in Canadian thinking. Federalism is due for some renovations. It has been said that the fact that hun- dreds of new community newspapers are springing up all over the country proves that Canada is becoming a nation of communities again. Time was when big cities wiped out community life. They grew. so rapidly that no one felt a sense of identification. But now that the growth has slowed just a bit, neighborhoods have stabilized and even the residents of the biggest cities have discovered that they share concerns with their neighbors. These new neighborhoods aren't easily defineddgeographically, but their residents feel the communal forces. Some believe 'it is this new attitude that will ultimately save Canada from destruction. The Canadian community newspapers have been one of the first groups to recognize the importance of the neigh- borhoods. They have been pioneers in the -,,art, of carving out their own markets in their own neighborhoods. They have learned how to provide valuable, necessary and appreciated Services for people. They have remained true to their conviction that people everywhere want information and deserve to have that information served up intelligently, attractively, eeconomically and locally. Yet community newspapers are a united force in Canada and for the first time they are-,heg'innt•ng--to••r eogniz6:Their full--ofe-.-- They -They are starting now to utilize that strength of unified purpose for the good of Canada while at the same time bolstering the local community and the people in it. Community newspapers are building up from the very roots of the country. They are accomplishing much. They can ac- complish more. It is a proud day for a truly deserving industry. —SJK Con man's dream Next to the question of national unity is the problem of energy conservation. Everyone is concerned about the depletion of Canada's rich resources so that in the years to come, Canadians will face drastic shortages of commodities like oil, gas, ,•lectricity, maybe even water. The federal government is working on some energy conservation measures, one of which is particularly interesting. Scheduled to begin September 1, 1977, the Home Insulation Program will cost $1.4 billion over the next seven years. Energy Minister Alastair Gillespie says the overall impact of the program on Canadian homes is expected to be an energy saving equivalent to the net production of one and one-half Syncrude -sized oil sands plants (50 million barrels of oil a year). He added this is also equivalent to a saving of almost $1 billion on the cost of imported oil. The plan is to make federal funds available to homeowners to install full insulation in . their homes. Eligible homeowners can apply for taxable grants Of up to $350 to cover two-thirds of the cost of insulation materials. Older homes will be eligible first as they generally have the poorest insulation. Nearly 20 percent of the houses in the country, or over one million homes, will be initially eligible under the program. In order to ensure that a com- parable percentage of units will be eligible in each province; the program will begin with units built prior to 1921 in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and units built before 1941 in Newfoundland, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The qualifying year will be progressively advanced, and by 1984 all units completed prior to September 1, 1977 will he eligible for the grant. Units' completed after that date will not become eligible, as they should be constructed to conform with higher insulation standards. The program will be phased -in to permit manufacturers to handle the expansion in demand for insulation in an orderly manner, and at the same time allow suf- ficient production for new housing. °As with all federal programming, the ideals behind the legislation are excellent. Theoretically, the plan sounds helpful ovej-- the long haul, yet most Canadians will remain skeptical. Thousands of people across the nation are already plotting and scheming ways to channel this new found source of revenue into their own pockets. For some, this $1.4 billion placed in the hands. of individual Canadians is like Christmas every day for seven years. Energy conservation will go out the window as unwary homeowners are duped, left and right by unscrupulous sharpies bent on lining their own nests with federal money. As if by design, the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations is circulating an information sheet entitled Hints for Homeowners: Avoid Renovation Rip -Offs. While the thrust is general, the suggestions are specific: seek reputable workmen; avoid door-to-door installers; don't sign anything until you are absolutely certain (get another opinion if there is the slightest doubt) ; he aware of local bylaws; don't pay for work in advance; keep a good eye while work is in progress. It is to he heed that the Ontario Ministry of Consumer' and .Commercial Relations steps up this advertising campaign in time for the Canadian Horne Insulation Program. What's more, it is important that successful applicants to the Canadian Home Insulation Program he urged to hire local, respected businessmen to install the insulation irthey are unable to do the work themselves. There must be some way to take some of the wind out of the con artist's sails from the start. —SJK Rates dropping? Here's a switch. Canada's largest car insurer, Royal Insurance Co. of Canada, is lowering its 1977 car insurance rates by 1.6 percent countrywide and subject to regulatory . approval for rates in Alberta, Newfoun- dland and New Brunswick. With the exception of Alberta where rates will go up by 2.6 percent. most provinces show decreases, from 0.7 percent in Ontario, 1.2 percent in Quebec, and 3.9 peircent in New Brunswick to 9 percent in Nova Scotia meld Newfoundland, and 11,9 percent in Price Edward Island. Royal emphasizes these changes can vary within each province. The cost of the collision portion of Royal's car insurance coverage showed the greatest decline with a countrywide drop of 13.1; percent. The drop in collision rates is attributed to a decline in accident frequency. Thus Royal's top brass is anxiously looking at changes in the economy tilat mightpush frequency levels upward again, reports The Financial Post. Can you name these folks? BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER Looking at the editorials already prepared for this week's issue, I find this page is getting a little heavy on matters of national scope. Yet some weeks there is justification for comments about the federal govern- ment's actions which directly affect .the risen and women aniT cliitdren 'wTio live In an8' around Goderich. This week I received the notes for a speech delivered by A.J. Mooradian'of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited at the Canadian Community Newspapers Association convention in Winnipeg. The snappy title was "Atom and Eve". One of the main concerns I have about nuclear energy - indeed it is the main concern of most people I know - is the safety aspect. Mooradian addressed himself to many topics relating to nuclear energy, but he devoted a good portion of his lecture to the safety aspect. He was able to surface a couple of ideas which are new to me and possibly new to you as well. The speaker admitted that although there is no hazard which has been more in- tensively investigated, scientists still don't know all DEAR READERS. there is to know about 'radiation and its effect on living organisms. That's why the standards which are set for public exposure to radiation are based on what is thought to be a conservative assumption. All of the experience to date, Mooradian said, in - aspects of nuclear energy development, including mining of uranium, than would be . the case for the generation of an equal amount of power by coal. "The point is often made that no risk however small tshould be imposed but rather should be a matter of if dicates that the exposure .to� dlu.idua1-choice-;' luIo radiark a.ucj>t-s systems a Te uiretl tom:. contain exgerts.,, -'tire` public o"f `lhe`�`most ex- said. "Yet in 1974, of 46,000 check y the design com- prtnctpal task is t°157 traffic fatalities in the United States, 8,700 were incurred by pedestrians who made no choice other than going for a walk." would be very much cheaper and easier to produce than is the case. Indeed the key to the problem of design, con- struction and operation of nuclear power plants is the recognition that both men and machines fail with predic- table regularity. "Internal and external components, all of w within statistically experience. In Canada there - less than 20 fede provincial agencies scrutinize .all asp nuclear power p before they are allow built and go on 1 travagent program of nuclear stations is likely to impose' a radiation burden which is only about one-third that which an individual would receive if he moved from Toronto to Calgary. Because' Calgary is higher than Toronto, the speaker ex- plained, it receives more radiation from cosmic rays. As well, the speaker went on, the best scientific evidence indicates that for the whole of Canada, based on the conservative assumptions which We're mentioned before, a nuclear dominated energy supply would have an extremely minor con- sequence in relation to the natural incidence of cancer and genetic disease. There have even been a number of studies recently which in- dicate that the hazard to the public is very likely significantly less for all ••• Mooradian said one of the important' '' "ri`fisieonceptions with regard to nuclear power plant safety arises from the mistaken assumption that nuclear reactors need perfect people to produce a perfect machine and that perfect people are required to operate them. This, coupled with .the sure 'knowledge that neither men nor machines are perfect, results in the belief that a low level of public risk can never be at- tained. Mooradian shot down that argument thus: "If we could depend on the perfection of men and materials, nuclear power ponents, systems_and con- public interest. struction. Stringent com-"The probability missioning procedures are plant will explode like needed, to check out every is zero. it is simply facet of the system. mitted . by nature "No component or system likekihood of a' major is allowed to operate wipiout of radioactivity is sol a knowledge of its possible *of practical imperfections. Reliability 'periodic breakdow' and . safety are achieved industrial types of a through such provers devices are much more likely as redundancy, fail safe .. doubt will happen." principles, backup.systems, • • • inspection procedures and Mooradian went on systems tests. about_ spent fuel mana "It comes as no surprise and waste disposal within the industry to hear of topicwill be left unt failures which are often week. presented as' near -miss ac- Oh yes, about the titl cidents. In fact, they whole and Eve. exercise anticipates that such Mooradian even e failures can take place this. He says, "I m without imposing a risk to the ' confess that I used public. The very low Atom and Eve becaus probabilities which are advised that a litt quoted for public risk are the always makes a good result of failure assessments Sounds like a good of real systems and real which to end this -col r. rea mer erd: ons. mis] is i awai ship con io. ajor near me the the. ildi ling sing ince mon ure e ai wi are; 11,,p r, w mon de% o pi ecai on's glic CO inf bei; eg epo so end lly rt ed cor ckg or Question Dear Editor: In your "Church Page" of July 28 there appeared an article by James A. Taylor, of the United Church, entitled "Words to Live ,By;', which concludes with "0 Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. "Also David is recorded as "whooping "Hooray for God". The Bible refers to "the. gods of the nations", "the DEAR E gods of Harhath and Arpad", "the gods- of Sepharvaim", the gods of these countries". "God of Israel"; "Nisroch his god" and also "the god of this world (who) has blinded the minds of unbelievers." Now the question arises: Which god was Mr. Taylor referring to? 'The God for whom David was rejoicing is clearly identified at Psalm 83:18 as the one `.whose name.alone is Jehovah, the Most High over all the earth." In the original 0 ITDR Hebrew that name occurs nearly 7,000 times in the form of the Tetgrammaton, which Dr. Young, in his Con- cordance says is improperly translated "the Lord". Of Jesus it is reported "I made known to them thy name". Therefore another question comes up: Why do men who claim to teach the Bible so consistently fail to "make known" that name? Sincerely yours ' C.F. Barney Fine spirit Dear Editor: An around us there is nowadays much talk about what is wrong with our country, our society. When the people of our town set out to make preparations for the recently—completed concentrated . period of celebrations, individuals and groups took certain tasks upon themselves. After all these smaller parts had fallen into an exciting and inspiring overall picture, one away with a feeling and grateful satisfact individually,and colt we had actually show is right with"our count People ° whose an had been among the settlers worked celebrated side by 11 relative newcomer recent arrivals, memorating not just of our town, but accepting responsibi Turn to 75 YEARS AGO Trooper Arthur C. Yule, the only Goderich boy who served the Empire in South Africa reached home at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Our representative of the 'Hart River heroes' was received officially by the mayor, a large number of citizens and the marine hand. July 29th will be a day of memnories for the Baptists of Goderich. The call for a recognition- council was responded to by about 12 pastorsand church officers, in addition to a number of LOOKING BACK visiting delegates. The' council met at three o'clock in Temperance Hall and for an hour and a half ,entered into the business of the newly organized church, deciding unanimously to proceed with the public recognition in the evening. One hundred and ,,sirtty guests were registered at the summer hotel in Godcrich this week. 25 YEARS AGO A parade two miles long wound through cheering thousands in Goderich as the second day of the 125th an- niversary, Old Home Week rollicked along on Monday last week. Taking advantage of the return of many former Goderich men to this town, to attend the five -days Old Boys' Reunion that was concluded. on Thursday, war veterans and militia veterans held a gathering Thursday af- ternoon at Agricultural Park at which plans were made to form -a local ex -serviceman's association. - Winner of the 1952 Dodge car valued at $2,500 in the draw sponsored •by the Goderich Kinsmen Club, made during the Old Home Week celebration was Frank Smith of Saltford. 5 YEARS AGO Goderich Harbor Com- rtlitteechairman Paul Carroll announced on Tuesday that authorities this week are beginning a crack -down on marine violations along the local waterfront due to a number ._.of -W. _boating ..in-.. fractions. An early morning Wednesday did e damage to Dr. C.F. home on St. G Crescent. This evening at representatives of Goderich PUC, Town Council and General Electric vi part in a ceremonp ficiallly turn on the ne lighting at the Completed recently al close to $28,800 1 lighting will generate the light pt illuminating the thoroughfare. 0 C ort] e of gnf y rs re i at t nh the; 0m1 co a by e