HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-07-06, Page 4•
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40 -GR .4f-v•••GOD4RILCH,$IGNAL-STAR.,_THtl.RSDAY, Jtruis,. 6,1978
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rich
I NAL TAR
*CNA The County Town Newspaper of Huron •- •
Founded In 1114S and published evep-y Thursday at Goderich„ Ontario. Riembiler Weise clethiale
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Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
°Business and Editorial -Office ROBERT.G. SHRIER — president and publisher
TELEPHONE 524-8331 SHIRLEY J. KELLER — editor
area code 519 EDWARD J. BYRSKI — advertising manager
Mailing Address:
P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Goderich
Second class mail registration number — 0716,
A matter of use
Goderich's Canadiari"National station house at
the end of East Street has been in the news...first
the fear that CN intended to abandon the building,
- then the efforts.' of town counil to keep the way a.
clear for the return of rail passenger service to 4r
Goderich and area. -
When council cpnvenelast Tuesday for a special• ..
0,
meetinewith CN offici s, it Was withthe idea that
CN was planning to mo1• e out of Goderich entirely,
leaving the station house vacant._ Interested
citizens. had prepared briefs outlining, alternate
uses for the lovely- old brick .building, but those
--Tau ns.-...- tis• •neVer-heard,.-at- .:the-,,r,:hlich.
.07g4,5V•0 --v;";3‘Y
'• - meeting; There Was nO pUtPoSe 6) theifir•It was
clear that CN did not intend to vacate the station
of the steam engine as it rolled majestically into the •
station. Or how about the sight of that red caboose
tas if faded into the distance, with only the
Zrminishing clickety-clack, ,clickety-clack as
evidence it had ever been there.
Trains are envisioned new -by some as the answer
to the conservation of gas -and oil. They are seen as
the solution to congested highways, polluted cities.
and many oter social ills broughton by the two -car
families of this, country. And it is probably true that::' •
trains could link- up many more centres .and ,be
much more useful foe -many more purposes in
pnada„,,,.,, ..,,,,. , ...7..,17;-7.,..4,..„.7.6,,-.7.4. r7,...,-- „,,,rf, „_ „,._,„ _., • . 7,,,i7:::7...,
--- tlfirlike-eVeigifiiiig OS e, trains: must h -e sia-to
the people first.Railway passenger service --was
iseent.X1160-4SeecK, -of...a,-Llackblic-sup-,-., 0
port...and it will only, be throu h a renewal of public
r;
support that train passenger service will be rein-
stated. There must be people o ride on the trains, to
pay fares, to demand and ut: izeitnproved service.
-How many people here inGoderich are genuinely
perspective Customers for a train passenger Ser.
The request- of CN to simply re -designate the
Goderich station frorn-ptiblic status to private CN
property, without alte-Fing in any way the service. •
to the community, shouldn't have been difficult for
council to grant. But council was at a public
ineetin:g• -called especially to deal with the CN
question. It didn't matter the whole thing had been
;ear Iht—grarf:;•:aiid—that
representatives • were puzzled by council's reluc-
tance to concur. Itappeared that some -members of
Cciuncil had come to the meeting to fight for the
renewal of passenger. train S'ervibe in the area and
nothing would deter,them from that cause.
There is little doubt that a .few Goderich town "
councillors areh'C'the only ones in Southwestern
Ontario concerned about the lack of passenger train
service throughout the district. That subject keeps
coming up ever and over again andis pare mountin
the minds some federal MPs who are on record
as strongly favoring the restoration "of ' rail
passenger service throughout Canada.
Trains are a romantic part of Canada's rich
history. The iron horse was a great factor in the
growth of -this nation and others. It provided fast,
economical transportation for passengers from
coast to coast in a time yvhen communication was •
just beginning to matter. It caught the•imagination
of hundreds of thousands of people who loyed the
sound of a train whistle in the distance, or the look
• - •
Happy
4
Canada Day
By Joanne Walters
DEAR READERS.
BY SHIRLEY J. E n terprizing stay open on • holidays.
bus.nessinen want to be Smaller business always
KELLER
vice? Would there be 10i) week travellin to
peoplea g
Toronto' try -rail if -the -op-p
More? Less. Less?... Would you travel by train to LOndon?
,..----,i
trod
To Clinton? How.many ,imes a week?
• Rail service is' costly to lie rovided as a
• Last Wednesday at
-77f6WiFfiaIr-111-6176-W-a-s-
-• furious attempt to decide
" an issue 'that Councilldr
John Doherty ,identified
as one of those ."darnned
_y_o_u_da,_ dammed:if you
don."t".....things _ wasn't
• easy for 'councillors to
, reach.. a conclusion • on
• whether or not to ,pass a
bylaw permitting all
bus inesses in-Goderich to
stayopenJuiyY.
.• Actually, , -the by•law
which was finally passed
by council allows
buslneSSes in goderich.to'
stay 'open on .all•holidays
'except Sunlitys and
Christmas. Bat according
to Clerk _Larry McCabe,
there is every likelihood
there won't- be another
holiday in a long while
that will be like the July 1
holiday just passed. It
was the summer
Saturday closing -
especially in a tourist
area - that seemed to be
the cruncher.
Saturday, some would
argue, is no longer
favored •forshopping by
the majority of five-day
or four-day week folks.
Many businessmen feel
that Thursday or Friday
is the busiest time for
merchants.
• But it isn't , for local
people that the stores
--would rethain open. 11 is
for tourists - those
remarkable visitors for
whom every day is the
same. When you are
travelling -• or camping,
yOu fully expect places
:-Blong rade to be.open to
. service your needs,- You
expect it' because it is
usually the case in tourist
•
romantic frill or a once -in -a -while convenience. It .
m usrha v.e st.dye-'ntrfous suppOTtd-eren-therr,
trains hauling pass ers can lose money:Soli-le 'OT
the most efficientra ways in the world •are located
in countries likeJapan where the. population is
concentrated and dense, and rail transportation is
the prime method of travel. And even in that kind of
a situation, trains are not moneymakers. Some
railroad experts say trains never will be self-
supporting.
Before rail passenger service • is restored
throughout Canada, there will need -to • be a
wholesale change in the attitude -of Canadians. That
is a tall order -and judging .from many other at-
tempts to alter people's thoughts and actions, there
will be many more . weeds on the tracks before
passenger trains sweep them away. - SJK
Criticise .health• councils.
The decision of a study committee in Huron and
Perth Counties against the establishment of •a
_district health council is justified by the outcome of
a- recent gathering in Toronto. MuniOnal
representatives, meeting with members of the
prbvincial government said that tax money is being
wasted'through the province by the councils. -
The meeting was told that it is costing 'the region
of Peel $45,000 year for a health counCir
executive director. Mrs Misissaitga Alderman Hazel
McCallion said the next high -salaried executive will
be a researcher and of courSe,additionatclerical
staff. -Municipalities can handle.00r own health
services without creating expensive bureaucracies,.
she said. ' ••
William Thake; of Leeds County, said' boards of
health are moving beyond the control of -
municipalities. "DOW! make them- like the school •
boards, where they're kingdoms unto themselves,"
he said. - •
A spokesman for the government insisted that
local councils have too 'small a base to handle
health care. properly and, that overlapping of ser-
vices by neighboring hospitals is a' costly waste of
money: 1-1d also said that government will continue
to insist that-20-per-eent-ofThe representation on the
board- of a health,conncil Or a board of health must
be from The municipality., Obviously 20 per cent
representation leaves the province . well in com-
mand of-, all ,,clecisions which the health council
faces.
The degunient that provincial appointees can do a
better job of operating health services than can
local board' members is one with which we cannot_
agree. There are many excellent smaller hospitals
across the, province, and every one of • them was
built and operated for years by locally appointed or
elected boards. The local board has ,4 better un-
derstanding of the community's. needs and can
provide -fora much more und.erstanding attitude by
hospital personnel than' i possible in the city
hospitals, -
The last thing we need in this part of the world is'
morecentralization. -Wingham Advance -Times. •
Friction can be cured ----1:
It is inevitable that some friction between "‘
politicians and Th -e- press will occur from -11-m-e to
, time if the press is doing its job properly. Much of,
the conflict- arises from a misunderstandingof the
separate tolesrtf-That councillors and reporters must
play. •
• It is not thejunction of a- reporter to he the
council's public relations agent. lf,searching out the
truth creates a few embarrassing moments for
members of eouncil„then-that must be accepted as
part of the political process. ..,
Individual councillors also have a role to pray as
watchdog. .Although ohe person's expressions of
opposition may ruffle a. few feathers on' council,
councillors who feel a articular •olio should be '
-c-hange -a • •
- &aid to coMe forward an sea
up. In too Many cases, local politicians treat council
as if it were a private cltib and consider it_bad
form. to publicly disagree with another member..
Council is not a, club, however. It is a public
policy-making instituiion. Each member of council
should faithfully represent his constituents as he
sees fit. At times, this may mean' takingan opposite
---phiition to -other members -of council, bittit, must be
„. I'd...Membered that -ail idividuars primary„
•.• allegiance is to the electorate, not to other coun-
-
Instead of covering urefor each other and blaming
the..presg fol. "kicking up douneillOrs should
, be 'questioning why there Is 5j much dirt iyisg
art In thellfst place. • • "
We would also urge more g'raserbots involvement
in government-in-rnid-term-. In-m-any-eommtinitiest-
active citizens' organizations keep council mem-
bers on their toes between elections. These groups
also ensure that good candidates, come forward at
election time and that the issues are debated. •
One change we would frankly welcome is the
presence of More -women on our township councils.
These bodies have been' the sacred preserve of the
male -of -the species for long -enough. Women are just
as intelligent as Men and in many cases have more
tini-e tb deVote t6 the -office.
In the meantime, we would like to pass on Some
guidelines that • Michael. Smither, editor of
Municipal WOrld Magazine, recently suggested to
1r
ava lable. Even the ---did have the Ch6iCe abbut
goy rrirre-rit --of -Ontario- • whether -4o- not • to -Stay- -
recOgnizes this special open on holidays. Now the
industry that caters to the -.bylaw gives the larger
totirist,The province stores a choice, too, and
makes provisions in the
Act to promote the tourist,
industry.
they, had an obligation to
the men and women who
-are 'emploYed at these_
-stores- ,t,they....:
got time • off• from their'
labors --;as well as the
people who are employed.
'by the town 'or • by
hy. Dear-
hOrn or anywhere else. '
Again, it -was
teresting to hear the
discussion, for while
council obviously was
genuinely concerned for
the workers, there was
cause to wonder if by not
allowing the stores to
remain open, it Could be
accused of _prohibiting
some people from .a .
chance to work those
precious ''overtime
hours'.'.
There are provisions
under the Act to control
the number of people '
working on holidays. It is,
very unlikely that any
store would maintain a
full staff for a holiday ....
and chances are it' would
be those people' who
would want to work who
would be on -hand. People
who did work would take
time off another day.
4,Certainly staff is en-
titled to -7 cePt a in
privileges and there isn't
much doubt in this
enlightened age, most
workers • would get all
•that is coming to them in
v•
•
Whether or not you feel
Goderich is a tourist tomn
- or whether or: not you
Want Goderich to become
a tourist centre - is of
• little consequence. The
fact remains Goderich is •
on The Blue Water Rpute-
and-- qualifies as. a
bonafide tourist area.
The businessmen in this
part of the provincehave
a right to_take advantage •
of their location and it
isn't Surprising some
wish to dd jUsi that.
Clerk Larry McCabe
made it very clear' that
the Zehrs supermarket
management knew its
rights and hadvdone its
homework. The bylaw to
permit last Saturday's
'operfirig-15Y--Zehrs was
requested in Goderich
Township last year. The
bylaw was . passed in :-
September.
Now other businesses
within the town of
Goderich want a similar
privilege. How could it be
denied? Why should it be
denied?
Those -were -the kinds -of -
questions placed before
town council last Wed-
nesday. It was interesting
to hear the debate:
One of the things
mentioned was that the
bylaw gives the
necessary special per-
mission to the larger
stores..: those over 2,400
areas. sqliare feet in size --
to. some councilliirs, this
seemed -like a Mistake.,
It was pointed out- that
some small businesses in
Goderich thrive on the
times when the bigger
stores are closed ......late
evenings, Sundays,.
holidays. And there was a
distinct feeling among
councillors that if town
council approved .the
bylaw, it was somehow
cutting into the -livelihood
of the smaller stores.
And yet, running all
through the debate was
the belief that Canada is
built on a free enterprise
system .... and that a
local :council really
should not have to rule on
any matters which affect
the system which
stimulates and sustains
business in this country.
The °opinion shared by
all councillors seemed to
be one of reluctance to
-approve -the ,bylaw. On
one hand, council felt
compelled to protect
small -- business ' in
Goderich from the big
chain stores .... and on.
the other hand it was like
speaking out- against
motherhood to suggest
against the very prin--
ciples upon which -this
country was -established.
•-•
Another point for
debate was the staff at
businesses in Goderich
which now could be open
on holidays, thanks to the
new f bylaw. Some
councillors wondered if
have regular - quitting_
times .-... it depends
.1btally on when the last
This is no reason;
'naturally, to -pile more on
their plate. But still, sales
people know that •corn -
petition is the '• key to
• ... and that to.
•-•compete, one must • be
•aVailable when the public
demands service'.
Anyone who isn't
w Ming' to live the life of a
sales• persOn will soon
find another rine •of en-
deavor: ;r+: •
--
+++--
- And finally, there was
••• som-e concern at. the
council table about the
national holiday ....
•DominiOn Day.or Canada
Day or whatever you like
to call it. , Don't people
respect . the national
holidays any more?
Qddly enough, as
pointed out by Councillor
Elsa Ha.ydon, a native of
Estonia, it was Councillor
Haydon and new
Canadian Stan Profit, a :-
native of Scotland-, who
were most vocal about -
Canada's national
holiday. Other- co -un- •
dillors• got on the band -s •••• •
wagon too, of course,
after the point was made.
Day doesn't really excite
me as a Canadian.
• Certainly I appreciate
ffie time off (newspaper
people often work, by the
way,.on holidays because
that's when things
happen). But it really
doesn't do anything -much
to build my national pride
to -take a ,day off on the
first of 'July. .
Pride in 'Canada is
something that .I feel
Turn to page 5 •
the long run.
--Having a husban-d who
is employed in the retail
sales business, I know
from experience -That
these people are a special
breed of cat. Six day
weeks aren't uncommon
for them and oc-
casionally, during stock
taking for instance, seven
day weeks are the. norm.
Sales persons often don't
WO
411111•11111111.'
75 YEARS AGO
Prof. Tripp was here
yesterday conducting
piano examinations in the
Toronto Conservatory of
Music course. There were.
over 20 candidates, the
majority being pupils of
W. Glenn Campbell.
1. Recognize your office as a publit trtist. It never
belongs to the office holder.
2. Understand that for the proper discharge of
your responsibilities, not 'only must the public be
aware of whatypu are doing, but you must also b'
aware of the public reaction.
3. Clearly separate in your mind the role of.the
corporation and your role as an individual Member
Of that council.
Keep restrictions imposed upon the media toe
5. Give the media the fact S only. Don't try to write
the story.
fi. If yOu can't, or won't, answer n question, don't
heat about the bush. Say so.-Glongrwry News
•
• eq al to one year's salary
t ugh under no
obligation to doso..
Saturday morning
between 10 and 11 Mrs.
Vivian's house an West
Street was discovered to
z• be on fire and it took the
fire brigade some time to
lextinguish the blaze.
for West FIuron made a
flying visit home- this
week he carried with him
a cheque for $1,050 being
the amount of a gratuity
he had been successful in
• securing from the.
Government for Cpt.
McGregor of Goderich,
late of the Government
steamer Bayfield who
receklYxetired from the
serviceafter a long term
dontrol of that boat.
The Minister of Marine
was good enough to make
the captain a gratuity
* •
library • building is
completed •with. the eit-
ception of a course -of red
stone which will be put on
this week. •
•
_ 25 YEARS AGO .
Huron County Museum
on North Street continues
to be one of the Main
attractions for visitors to
Goderich«.. :The total
number of visitors ,during
the phst two years, to the
Juneis 10,162.7.4.
A tnechanism reieritly
r • p
„re
t.
developed which enables of the Maitland Air Cadet
a patient- to administer Squadron journeying to'
anaesthetic to himself, is ---the air base for a two -
now in use, at Alexandra, week training period.
Marine' and General
Hospital in Goderiti and 13 YEARS AGO ....
winning acclaim of Some controversyhas
patients. _Die new been stirred in Goderich
anaesthetic used with the over ttre past week with a
gadget is called Trilene.
ericti °titter •-of t e
recent , Move of the
'0 a -Trufell •': Wirmrm'an ic girdlYrwr'ci ic rea
and visitor ---from- three
Company (A and P food
different counties will store) to extend its hours.
swell the population of to include Sundays.
Goderich to double its
normal size on Saturday
"turned More than 150 people
out on Tuegclay
Twelfth.-" ' -will
when the "Glorisl14
evening to the Goderich
ch
-
celebrated here -for the and District Cbllegiate
first tiine in more than -20
pbblic meeting., of the
cafeteria for the first
ears
Alie
" "build , the Midi - Com-
' Godericb will be well mittee". 'As a re -suit, an
repreiented ' at the Air army of petition carrying
Cadet Summer Camp 'citizens will be going door
which opens Sunday at to door through Goderich
AyIrrier *Rh IS tnembers_oi,et. the next *eels in an
effort to raise more than
3,500 names in support of
the Committee's ab-
jectives.
G.D.C.I. students
qualifying for Ontario
Scholarships this year
are Doug Culbert, with
87.2 per cent; -Don McGee
with 85.3.• per cent;
Murray,,,Widan with
41 per cent;17M37
Ryan with 84.2 per cent
and Peter-Frayne
82.5 per cent. ' 1,
The residents of
Goderich and visitors
alike were treated to a
-spectacular display of
aerobatics last weekend
as pilots from all over
Canada' and .parts of the
U.S. converged upon this
community to try their
skill as well as luck in the
Canadian Aerobatics
ChnTripion los and Air
Show.
t•