HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-12-22, Page 5[.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.