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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-12-22, Page 5[. 1 \" an plc, r th dave sykes Peace on earth, good will towars4s men and may your Chargex card remain durable until the last gift is purchased. Ah yes.'Tis the season to be jolly,good mates. And I have never seen so many jolly people as 1 peel off yet another green one as a down payment on a Christmas gift. In fact every time I dip my fingers into a pocketful of change there is suddenly a gathering of salespeople, all smiling and nodding approvingly. Those smiles won't disappear until all the change is gone. One salesman even offered to help me remove the change from my pocket. I declined passing him off as an over zealous salesman caught up in the spirit of the season. The only trouble with the season is that it begins somewhere in July and then by the time it is over it seems like you missed it. I can only anticipate, not being a parent myself, that the waning days before Christmas are agonizing for parents with small children. "How come it isn't Christmas yet mom?" "I told you yesterday that ,it was another week until Christmas." "Well isn't it a week since yesterday? How long is a week? The present I bought you might not be, breathing in a week. If Santa took an airplane like everybody else he would have been here by 'now. How come his reindeer can fly and our dog can't?" • "If you don't stop asking questions I'll show you how kids fly." "Mom. Billy thought the dog should have some presents so he let him open up all the ones you had wrapped in the closet. And Susan just climbed the Christmas tree to get the angel. Is that a real angel?" Real angels, yes. But then during the season school Christmas concerts are part and parcel of the activities. And GODERICH SIGNAL-STAIt , `["HLIRSPAY DECEMBER 12,1977--PkG proud parents flock to school gym- nasiums to watch their children, their little faces scrubbed clean and their hair combed nicely, portray Mary, Joseph, a shepherd or a wise man in the school play. And there is little entertainment that can compare to young children re- enacting the birth of Christ. They are so sincere. But it always seems that one of the shepherd's costume is a little more than he can handle and trips while making his entrance sending his staff crashing across the stage. The other children giggle and as the pooris epherd bends over to retrieve his staff his hat usually falls off. It could only happen to your child, right? And just at the key point of the play, an angel leads the wise men to the manger to present their gifts. The angel, halo askew but surely angelic with golden curls neatly arranged by a patient mother, hovers around the manger; and invariably sticks'a finger up a nostril, Christmas church services with a load of children can also provide anxious moments, especially if the gifts haven't been opened yet. Sometimes it would just be easier to tell them that Christmas is Santa Claus' birthday instead of going through the whole scene and the real meaning of Christmas. Reflections at the creche with the children are also interesting. "Hey mom, that looks like the same Jesus that was born in our church last year. How many Jesus' are there if they get born every year?" "These are just symbols of what really took place many years ago." "If Jesus was so poor how come he's got a neato donkey for Christmas. Can we get a donkey for Christmas next year?" Everyone should be like a child at Christmas. Merry Christmas. WEEK AFTER INFORMATION, BACKGROUND AND OPINION wzVe a k sXVXVXiV a' + XV k VX -VX- X` MVXV XVXVX a =Xaa ,'hGH ON uron County Council has approved ry increases for department heads range between 7.5 and 14.4 per cent. unty Administrator Bill Hanly in - ted that the increases were passed October session of county council outany hesitation or dispute. salary agreements marked the time that department heads fated their own salaries as other y employees do. Negotiators for department heads were deputy -clerk rer, Bill Alcock; planning director Davidson and social services fewa e reall ty th rime nanci 'aunty ;'r\ice -ogra chi tiv i r• h rt't th v plan •Sinn nuth n. rviccfo n n.nee Maty thi wit .Icvisio up th nea firs r recrir he co try. h Plan inion o Limited hirthda and wil ,ry sue ,Ijeratio t Friday Stephen Lewis, the Nev' crtic Party leader in the Ontario siature bid a witty farewell. 'just as he had played his hard politics in the past, Lewis made a gesture to bring down the gover- t of his valued friend, William iswith a motion of non -confidence. eLiberal caucus, reluctant to follow rilliance of Lewis, had to toss a coin Gide who would speak next and al MPP David Peterson (London Ire)said: "I lost." uis then brought laughter when he red. "radicalized in the ,twilight HERE IN HURON administrator, John McKinnon. The negotiators met with a special committee chaired by Warden Doug McNeil and consisting of members of the executive committee and chairmen of all other county committees. In a printed report prepared by the special com- mittee, it said the decision was reached to allow each department head an in- crease of $75 every two weeks or $1,950 per annum. The salary increases represent an average increase of 3.8 per cent for"the employees of that group. The salary increases mean approval of the following salaries; Administrator Bill Hanly, 7.5 per cent increase to $27,820; deputy -clerk Bill Alcock, 8.7 per cent increase to $24,310; planning director Gary Davidson, 8.4 per cent to $25,012; development officer, Spence Cummings, 12.2 per cent to $17,836; social services administrator John McKinnon, 11,8 per cent to $18,434; museum curator Roy Scotchmere, 14.4 per cent to $15,970; county librarian, Bill Partridge, 11.4 per cent to $19,006 and Huronviewo ad- ministrator Cec Archibald, 10.1 per cent to $21,242. The increases are acceptable under the anti-inflation guidelines since a medical officer of health and engineer were hired at less money than had been paid to the former employees. Former Medical officer of Health Dr. Frank Mills was earning $37,Q24 per annum when he left the county for a position in the Sudbury area. The new MOH,' Dr. Brian Lynch was hired at $32,000 per annum but that figure will be boasted to $36,000 per annum when he completes a public health course in Toronto later. Former county engineer, Jim Britnell, was earning $32,578 per annum when he resigned and his successor, Bob Dem- psey, is earning $25,000 and will receive an increase on January 1, 1978. Hanly indicated that the money saved on the salaries of the MOH and the county engineer were divided among the department heads, holding the overall increase to 3.8 per cent. The increases must still he approved by the AIB but HEanly insisted the salary increases will meet with the criteria set in the guidelines. In 1975 council ap- proved similar salary requests for PROVINCIAL POINTS hours of my career. I want to be able to smatlcapitalism from this side with occasio al frequency." Ar, democratic socialist he said, he has learned "the surest route to af- fection and esteem is defeat and retirement." "Quite simply and perhaps un- characteristically, let me say that I love you all, indescriminately and across every party line." But he warned legislature members that he plans to continue as the MPP for Scarborough West, as he has for more than 14 years, and wants to "barrack and declaim raucously and with a sense of inspired liberation. I want to make life wretched for the government." "Success brings abuse, perfidity, notoriety and occasionally shame but failure is a wondrous thing. My daddy always told me that. He said to me: "Son, there is no need to starve in a garret, just lose at the polls." Lewis had fought and lost three elections as leader but reflecting on those years he noted that despite the abuse politicians hurl at each other they manage to maintain treasured friend- ships. He wished Liberal Leader Stuart Smith well "despite the horrendous and crippling barnacle of Liberalsim which you carry around with you." He praised the loyalty of his caucus even at the times when he behaved like a prima donna. And he added that Premier Davis had been one of his most successful and effective opponents through the years. The secret, Lewis told the laughing members of the legislature is that "the premier is the only politician I've ever known who never takes a breath bet- ween sentences. They Rile atop the other, paragraph upon paragraph of mountainous, incomprehensible prose. What the electorate cannot understand they cannot repudiate." He followed his compliments with a ringing attack upon a favorite target, the Workmen's Compensation Board, and wound up with a diatribe against the government over unemployment and his non -confidence motion, which failed when the Liberals • supported the government. Lewis' non -confidence motion came over the issue of unemployment. Announced layoffs over the past several months have totalled 22,500 jobs and spin-off effects in the service industry could mean the loss of 55,000 by the end department head but they were rejected by the AIB, When the report came to the council table in October there were no questions about the special committee report and it received full approval from coun- cillors, The report was not handled in the local press and Hanly, surprised, suggested that the special committee report was left out of the press kits unintentionally. He said there was no reason the report should have been left out of the folder that contains committee reports. of 1978. But his criticism went almost without reply as his opponents treated his speech more as a last chance to revel in the Lewis wit as leader. Lewis said he was coming to the last hurrah without any regret or malice or envy. The last election for the NDP was a disappointing one and they lost their position as the official opposition. Three days later Lewis, announced his retirement. But Stephen Lewis was pleased that his last official act in the Legislature was "an adversary one." "That's what this place is all about," he later said in the corridors of Queens Park. r+,t`..� =&V=====XV!^\`�CtW X-VXVA X -V ve l'\`A►4 his final news conference of the Prime Minister Trudeau told dians to turn their packs on mism and he more positive about ountry's future, eau said that economic indicators tte a fairly -good year in 1978. The dian Conference Board, a private rch organization, has predicted a strecovery for the economy in 1978 t the same time predicts a high ssratethat could reach 8.5 per cent. easonally adjusted unemployment ow stands at 8.4 per cent. deau said that we now have cause Gently, the Soviet official per Izvertia, came out with an Ial on the New Soviet Man. °society that has ever existed," it has done or could have done as for the people the toilers as has doneunder Soviet socialism." country is now marking letpower and looking back one can 60 years an impressive list of national hlee ts. moral the creation of a just, them Y has not been ity has been one of the features CANADA IN SEVEN to he optimistic but if we destroy our own confidence in the future by being pessimistic about it, then the fine economic upsurge just wouldn't happen. He said that inflation like slow economic growth, is 'in part a psychological phenomenon. The Prime minister added that if there was confidence in the future people Would invest money in it and therefore the view that the investor has of the future is extremely important. If workers are pessimistic about the in- flation rate they will seek higher wages to compensate. Once wages increase, costs will go up, prices will' increase and again, we're stuck with inflation. He said if people stop being afraid of the future, the future will not he as bad as they expect. "I think there is a bit of despondency in Canada, part of it is self-inflicted, part of it due to the fact that all of the in- dustrialized world has not performed as well as expected," he said. "Canada has a particular problem, 1 suppose, due to the fact that there is now a separatist government at the head of the province of Quebec." So as well as economic uncertainties, there are also questions being raised about the political survival of the country. Trudeau said one of the things he and the 10 provincial premiers will address at their economic summit meeting in February will be to communicate a faith in the future of Canada. In commenting on the first three months of this current session of Parliament, Trudeau said the answer is always pretty much the same at the end of each part of the session. He said he was disappointed that so little legislation went through. WDRLDWEEK of life in these six decades and it has helped to spawn the flaws and vices that always accompany scarcity. In their society, people with money or with political wallop manage to get what they need. You ask a Russian how he managed to acquire his vodka, black caviar, smoked salmon, salami, veal chops, fresh cucumber - none of which is on sale in the state stores? the answer is, "we get it." Most people in Russia are always looking for a connection, a man who can get it for you. One of the main precepts for living well in Russia is - what you need is not a good brother but a good connection. In the new class structure the store managers and the salesgirls belong to the moneyed group. Every store, now and then gets a small supply of scarce items. The assistants then sell them to preferred customers - at a marginal profit. Other money groups are the masons, the carpenters, the plumbers who sign an illegal contract with a collective farm, or the manager of a small factory or an apartment owner. But to get things that you want in Russia the most important thing is to have a contact, or at least know someone who can get you to such a person. One man in Moscow had no fur- nishings for his apartment and was very anxious to acquire it. He went to the railroad station and told the cab driver that he needed furniture. Naturally, for a small fee the driver knew where to get his hands on any type of furniture. The man was taken to a furniture store where he was sold all the furniture he needed but again was forced to come He also took a shot at the opposition parties for holding up debate for about three weeks on a variety of income tax changes before the government finally moved to terminate the debate. Trudeau said that was unsatisfactory in.his mind and he didn't like Parliament to spend so much time quibbling over a subject which has already been decided upon, instead of putting the matter to a vote. When asked about an election in early 1978 Trudeau told newsmen that it was too early to start playing that game. "Why don't we wait until somewhere around March or April? Then you will across with a little something extra for the store manager. Not unlike any other country, in Russia you have to pay to get what you want. But it seems that for something like furniture, which is taken for granted in North America, many people in Russia dream about owning it. However, this method of buying is not unique to Russia. In World War II housewives in North America bribed their butcher to get a good cut of beef and the butchers made some profit, And the same situation existed for nylon stockings and cigarettes. But the start the election fever again and I'll say yes, no, maybe, I'll tell you later or don't ask me now," he said. "I don't know if we are going to have an election." But before the House recesses Con- servative leader Joe Clark asked the federal government to introduce an employment credit hill promised in October. Clark said his party would give swift approval to the legislation that will create 50,000 temporary jobs. Finance Minister .lean Chretieh said the plan will include $100 -million worth of tax credits to companies which provide jobs. He hopes the bill provide 50,000 temporary jobs in Canada. big difference is that all this took place during wartime when the essential supplies were used to feed the armed forces and other allies in trouble. But the world war ended a third of a century ago and when it comes to the consumer the Soviet government con- tinues to exercise war -time stringency. The public is told that thanks to the wise leadership of the party, it is now having peace and contentment.. But it knows better. They realize that peace and contentment comes with a little Money and a connection.