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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-08-24, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL- TAR THUR.SDAY, AUGUST 44, 1978 - A Gthe Ciderkil • SIGNALSTAR The County Town Newspaper of Huron . Founded In 11110 and published every Therschey at Goderich. Ontario. Member of the CWNA and OWNA. Advertising rates on wariest. Subscriptions payable In advance 93.00 In Caneda, 91.00 to 60.S.A...n.e• to all other altuntries, single copies 30 cents. Display adver- tising rotes available on request. Please ad t for Rate Card No.. 0 effective Oct. I. 1077. Second class mail itegistration Number 0710. Advertising Is accepted on the coalition that, In the event o4 typogrophkel error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not bo cherged for but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goodi or services at a wrong price. goods or service may not be sold. Advertising is merely en offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal•Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Business and Editorial Office TELEPHONE 524-8331 area code 519 Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. ROBERT G. SHRIER — president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER — editor EDWARD J. BYRSKI — advertising manager Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Goderich Second class mail registration number — 0716 Another side of it There are always two ways to look at every situation, but it is regrettable that Goderich Town Council members did not seriously consider more ofthe advantages to asking town residents who are -----plagii-e-d-b—Y-Sk-iiiikS-RThelflobritie-Eill for the skunk trappers. Passing the total cost - or a portion of the cost - on to the homeowners was dismissed easily by council. There were two main arguments. • . Clerk Larry McCabe recognized such a decision as an administrative headache. Quite rightly, Clerk McCabe saw immediately that billing citizens for any or all of the costs for work contracte.d by the to.wn would result .in extra bookwork in all eases and nasty collection expenses in some cases. The administrative costs, he reasoned, would be more than to pay for the removal of the skunks. Citizens who have suffered through the ordeal of skunks in residence on their property, feared that homeowners might not use the trapping service if they thought they mould have to pay for it. It was suggested that in instances where skunks were allowed to remain unmolested, breeding grounds for a continuing problem would be permitted. What's more, the threat of rabies is very real...and skunks, well known as prime carriers of the disease, must be controlled for health reasons.. Stiff,' there is much need for greater ,citizen participation in every area of municipal life. Taxpayers simply cannot continue to demand an increasing number of services from the town and expect their bills to remain consistent. There is much truth in Councillor John Doherty's logic, that the members of town council are willing to spend a million dollars on a road or on a runway, but reluctant to pay for the small things that make life in a small community better. But at the same time, town council can_ be. ni.c.Idesi and (limed. to death...paying for services it has no responsibility to provide and leaving undone those projects which are vital if Goderich is to keep pace with the times. Certainly town council is to be congratulated for finding the means to deal with problem skunks.Even having available at the town hall the • names of reputable trappers, their telephone numbers, their services, their hours, their fees etc.. • would have been a great help to homeowners. -• There might have been consideration given to the town paying for • the removarof skunks from the homes of senior citizens ;• or all private homes in the core area; or homes infested by more than two skunks; or some other reasonable situation. • There could h. ave been some thought giy te time limit during which the town would pay for the removal of skunks in Goderich, ensuring a swift war on the smelly critters which would end on a definite date. There might even have been a 50-50 agreement planned - pay.for the removal of one skunk, get one skunk removed free. Surely taxpayers in Goderich a -s -in every other municipality in Ontario must be encouraged to halt the practice of running to government for every kind of service known to man. It is time that politicians everywhere learned to say "no" to taxpayers who want government to provide ser- vices for which taxpayers easily could and probablyshould pay for themselves.—SJK Ministry takes a stand A letter to the editor last week in this newspaper asked this question: "Are we, the public, losing our rights to use the public beaches of Lake Huron?" The writer said the beaches of Lake Huron are there for the use of all the public, but that certain cottage owners are claiming the beach in front of their property also belongs to them and is private. This subject has been broached previously in this -column, most recently in MaTiri editorial which pointed out: "Property owners along the lakefront often claim to own the beaches and some would believe they'd° simply by virtue of the fact that'no one can reach it except on foot from another part of the beaeh. But according to law, property owners can only claim rights to the high water line .... whatever or wherever that is .... while the beach is public domain." Shortly after that editorial appeared, the Signal - Star editor had a visit from Chris Kiar, Goderich surveyor, ,who brought with him a binder con- taining a compilation of various papers, judgments, historical records and references pertaining to the right of people who own property along the water's edge. Kiar presented as his argument a section' in that book which stated, "By Jaw, the limit of a parcel having a water boundary is the edge of the bed of the body' of water. This line has been variously described as the original high water mark, the bank, the edge of the bed, the shore, margin of the lake, the line of the lake, the water's edge, etc. Court cases show that the terms are effectively synonymous. Even the term "low water mark" being legally one and the same with "high water mark" on non -tidal bodies of water." The binder, published in Manitoba by the Department of Renewable Resources and Tran- sportation Services in 1976, may or may not be applicable in Ontario: But according -to -Warren - Knight, who is lands technician with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Wingham, all beaches in Huron County with the exception of ico locations in the harbor areas at Goderich and at Bayfield are public land. Knight said the Ministry has searched all the titles of the land......adjoining beaches in Huron County, and has found that all- the °shoreline in ,Huron County Wag' patented to"the Canada Cern- pany. The Crown has taken ownership up to the high water mark, described as where the sand stops and vegetation begins. The only way individuals't. can gain rights to the water's edge is by proving in Court that he has occupied the property for 60 years or more. This is a legal process requiring a Quit Claim Deed.• The same matter has been debated for years, and in order to clear uP the argument once and for all, the Ministry has published a brochure entitled "Beaches" which is ayailable at the Wingham office or at the Goderich Tourist Information booth. It clearly indicates the access routes to the entire shoreline in Huron County. About the only things the people aren't permitted to do is litter or destroy property. T9 enforce this right, th,e Ministry has erected Public Land signs from Boiler Beach to Grand Bend, making the public and lakefront property owners alike aware of their rights. Unfortunately vandals have done their dirty deeds, and these signs have been removed. The Ministry has planned a counter attack. Already steel postshave been embedded at strategic points along this strip, waiting for the arrival of steel signs which will be .bolted onto the 10 -foot posts. It is hoped that vandals will weary of the labor involved to remove these new. signs. Beach goers must, of course, be aware of their responsibilities. They can swim, sun, fish arid boat to their heart's content, but they, must not leave bottles and papers and filth behind them. They must not mutilate public property or venture onto, private property to cut firewood or willfully darnageltees, Iand, fences orbuildings. It is to be hoped that lakefront property owners and beachgoers will. learn to live together in har- mony. Lake Huron's beaches are among the finest in the country and with a little co-operation they 47 can be a blessing to everyone. - SJK Just about time, too Changes in the.Marriage Act which became ef- fective August I this year, now make it illegal for anyone under the age of 16 years to marry for any reason. It used to be that persons 14 to 18 could marry with the consent of one parent .... or that a girl 13 or youhger could marry if she had a doctor's certificate attesting to pregnancy. But that:" all changed now. Larry Grossman who is the consumer minister, says the Ontario government wants to make it more" difficult for young people to marry. He says he doesn't believe that, individuals under the age of 16 haVe either the maturity or .the stability to undertake the , responsibilities of matrimony, and apparently other members of the prOvincial legislature agree with h'm. The 's little room to dispute that Grossman and his as °elates are on thd right track. Marriage breakdown has reached epidemic proportions and while there is no guarantee that by marrying at a ‘. later age a marriage will last, there is plenty of evidence to show that people who marry at a ver . , young age are at. serious- risk of separation -or divorce. - But perhaps the most interesting change is the;. , move to give more public officials the authority to 5 - marry couples in civil ceremonies.. The growing popularity of civil marriages prompted the move tb allow justices of the peace, under the direCtion of a judge, to perform marriage ceremonies in Ontario. In 1977, about 17 of all the marriages performed in the province were civil ceremonies. And the move is supported by many church of- ficials who believe that some people simply do not want religious services at , their marriage and should not have them. And it is also in keeping -With the viewpoint of church upporters who are growing weary of maintaining a church building and an organ and a Minister year in and year out for a growing number of people who once in a long time want to use the church tb stage an elaborate wedding with all the trial m ings. The aisle at the town hall may not be very long or the seating capacity adequate, ba that's where men and women without -religious convictions should be m a rried.'For too long the church has been little more than a picturesque and proper setting for meanitikleis; showy weddings and now, at last, there's an alternative. The Ontario government's new marriage regulations are a vast improvement over the old.- S,TIC 7. •'417'r47,777^.^,7'..1mx.m 555 i• • • IkI44n• • ub-a-dub-dub ,7747,k74. By Jim Hag -arty BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER --- What Dr. Brian Lynch says makes a whole lot of sense. The people of Goderich and district can do something about keeping doctors in' town." They can, as „Dr. Lynch 'suggests, retOci' their medical men. I guess I have to take it on the chin.. As a part of the "press" this newspaper has at times taken pot shots at the doctors in the province of Ontario. Looking at those times from the point of view of a patient, I could probably be excused on the grounds ofignorance or selfishness or just plain bias. But assessing those stories from the stand- point of doctors - the men and the women whose responsibility it is to administer to the sick and the wounded and the distressed year in and year out without fail or favor - it really could be said the local press was .unkind, unfair and un- justified. + + - On the other hand, this newspaper has oc- casionally attempted to praise the men and women who make up the medical beam in Goderich. - DEAR- 'READERS: But the good stories never wipe out the effect of the bad stories, the doctors must surely feel. And as Dr. Lynch says, "When you hear something over and over again, you begin to believe it." When I consider the times this newspaper -has given what the doctors would call "adverse publicity" or negative reaction" to their profession, I think I am correct in saying it was always in connection with the whole health care situation ,.... and the ever increasing cost of health care. And there's no doubt about it. Even doctors will admit that some doctors flog OHIP for everything they can, Even doctors will tell you that some of their associates really fail to give the unsuspecting patient the proper care and attentibn because of the urge to push as many patients through the office as possible in one working day. Medical support staff will testify too, that some doctors just simply don't put, the welfare of the patient first in all in- stances. And even that isn't surprising. Not many professions or callings or jobs have 100 percent - dedication to duty across the board. It shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that doctors can also be un- professional and even unethical. + Generally speaking, though, I think it is safe to say that doctors who serve in small towns are dedicated men. There are two ends to the dedication scale, of course. There was the beloved Dr. John Wallace who lived his whole life for his patients and there is the modern young energetic doctor who makes a conscious effort to separate his professional life from his private life without jeopardizing the safe medical care of his patients. Not long ago in con- versation with a doctor, I said I believe many people today are looking for the Marcus Welby type of doctor - a person who is • a friend and a confessor and a first-rate doctor all roled into one. People in Goderich who knew and loved John Wallace will know exactly the kind of a doctor I mean. My doctor friend ,,said not many of today's doctors wanted to be that kind of doctor. They didn't want to be con- sumed by their profession and their patients. They wanted something left of themselves to be romantic spouses and interested parents and avid hobbyists. Some special people have the gift of unlimited stamina but most doctors are just ordinary folk with specific training in the field of health services and an average en- durance level, my friend said. Doctors, too, long for privacy and rest and regular working hours. In that context then, I take my hat off to the general practitioners everywhere, especially here in Goderich.... and especially right at this moment. And I hope you, dear readers, will join me in this toast to the men and women who are the family physicians in our Midst. Dr. Lynch made a valid point. He said that the same' few people staff the doctors' offices in town and work in the hospital's emergency department and deliver the babies and set the broken bones and make the ipital rounds. They are working un-easonable hours most. days and still are not meeting the, demands of - the people. While they are as human as the people who work at Champion or at Dearborn, doctors are required to be much more industrious, much more responsible, much more available, much more self-sacrificing. 'While they encounter the same everyday hassles as other people - a spouse who feels neglected, a car that won't start, a house with a leaky r6of, a son with a ballgame, a motheron Mother's Day, a friend with theatre tickets - doctors are expected to be at the hospital any time of the day or night to meet the needs of the inexperienced mother whose baby has prickly heat and a touch of fever. Or at the bedside of a chronic patient whose only real and immediate distress is loneliness and fear. Or across the desk from a man whose wife sent him down to the doctor's office because he snores all night and she can't get any sleep. And while they aren't gods endowed with super powers, 'doctors are expected to be infallible, all-knowing, .all -wise and all-powerful. They must get to the root of the patient's problem speedily, accurately and Turn to page 6 75 YEARS AGO • The beautiful flower gardens at the Park House are now looking their very best and are a continual source of in- tereA and pleasure to passers-by. The well -kept plots call forth many words of praise- on the skill and taste displayed by Mr. Wright. A number of the veterans have received their certificates for their local grants in New Ontario, having located . their claims through the agency of the Veteran's Locating' and Colonization Association. '• Among those who have located land are J.J. Wright, k Vilson Salkeld, John Mitehell, J. Brophy and A. Straiton. The tug which W. Marlton built on the island was launched on Saturday morning. In Material and work- LCIOKING BACK manship she is one of the best boats which has been built here. Her engine and machinery were supplied by the Goderich Engine Works and the boiler came from Hunter Brothers in Kincardine. A cinder path is replacing the lower part of the plank walk down the harbor hill. The old store formerly occupied by T. Hall is at last being moved, work being started on Tuesday. It will be taken to Buchanans and Lawsbn's mill yards for a storeroom. The new Wallwin store will be proceeded with a§ soon as the old structure is out of gat way. 25 YEARS AGO Hoping to surpass or at leak, equal the record in grain shlOments set last year, Goderich Elevator and Transit Company had its hopes dimmed during the past week as lack of export movements slowed down shipments practically to a standstill. During the past week only one boat arrived with' /' 93,000 bushels of flax. Elevator officials said that at present grain movements were the "deadest they have been in the middle of the shipping season" fora number of years. Don Jolley; popular leader of the Goderich Girls' Trumpet Band,. his' taken over the band- master duties of the Blue Water Band, following the retirement of Al Close. Appointmerft of Frank W. Saunders as bus' ess manager of Alex ra Marine , and General Hospital was announced last week, Citizens of Goderich and vicinity opened up their hearts and their pocketbooks last Saturday night as over 2,000 at the final skating show in Goderich Memorial Arena con- tributed more than 81,200 as a benefit for Upward Carroll, popular Goderich man who was injured recently in a serious accident at the harbor. 5 YEARS AGO Copies of an agreement hammered out by negotiators for Local 682 of the International Chemical Worker § Union and Domtar Chemicals Limited Sifto Salt Division were,distributed to the. union membership - on WednesdaY for their study prior to a ratification vote called for Saturday. George Morely of RR 2 Goderich has built an electric car. The vehicle originally.a 1966 Vauxhall Viva four cylinder has a top speed estimated at about 45. miles per hour and a driving range of perhaps 70 miles. Although the Goderich Municipal Marina at Snug, Harbor does not officially close until September 30, Marina Manager J. Ale k Wilkins feels the season is pretty. well over and it hasn't been a good one. , For the first time in their four years of Work, the Huron Christian Men's Association have retained the services of a • full-time pastor in the person of Rev. Ron Curl - Who took up duties as of August 15. He will con- duct services at Huron Men's Chapel in Auburn each Sunday evening.