HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-12-21, Page 41
PAGE 4 --GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1978
Gujderkh,
SIGNAL -STAR
The County Town Newspaper of Huron
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area code 519
Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
ROBERT G. SHRIER — president and publisher
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Mailing Address:
P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Goderich
Second class mail registration number — 0716
Good decision council
It should be quite a revelation for Goderich
taxpayers when the Ministry of Revenue does its
study of the assessment in this municipality early
in the new year. If everything goes as expected,
there should be some happy ratepayers ... and some
irate ones, too.
But in general, the people of Goderich should be
pleased that town council has taken the step to ask
for a study of the assessment in Goderich and
what's more, if the Ministry of Revenue finds
enough serious inequities in the town's assessment
roll, the citizens here should be pressing for 1979
taxes • to be levied under Section 86 of the
Assessment Act.
Jack Letner of the Ministry of Revenue pulled no
punches when he talked to town councillors this
month. He said if a,rsubstantial number of
inequalities in the assessment roll are discovered in
Goderich ... and judging from other municipalities
in Ontario and the number of complaints in recent
years there are plenty of inequalities ... there will
be a full reassessment of the municipality,
equalizing all . property in a certain class, using
mark value as a base.
And according to Letner, that will mean that
some ratepayers will be paying less ... but some
will be paying more. No more fax dollars will be
raised; only the individual shares of the total wiU.1 be
different. But two horpes (two industries;' two
businesses) of equal value will be paying the same
taxes in 1979 if Section 86 is put into effect/and there
should be no argument about that. Fah- taxation is
an acceptable idea and council shorild not have to
apologize for it.
Section 86 is, according to those who should know,
the -interim step between the bad tax structure in
effect now throughout Ontario and the complete
swing to market value assessment. Section 86 gives
equity in assessments without ending up with the
tremendous tax shifts predicted by provincial
politicians who are dragging their heels on market
value assessment because of its tremendous impact
throughout Ontario.
Someone has called the new legislation per-
mitting the use of Section 86 under certain cir-
'Cu'mstances ironing the assessment roil" ...
smoothing over the wrinkes and the rough spots.
But Section 86 does even more than remove the
inequalities of the present. It prevents some
inequalities for the future as well. For instance,
every property improvement regardless of its
value automatically goes on the next assessment
roll. And that keeps assessment rolls current,
something that has been impossible in the past.
So it's a big "thank you" then, to Goderich town
councillors who have` seeh'fit to ask for a study
which could lead to the implementation of Section
86 in this municipality for 1979 taxation. With brand
new tax factors coming into play during 1979,
there's perhaps no better time to have the town's
assessment base in order.—SJK
Christmas
,Christmas is more than a day at the end of the year,
More than a season of joy and good cheer.
Christmas is really God's pattern for living
To be followed all year by unselfish giving...
For the holiday season awakens good cheer
And draws us closer to those we hold dear,
And we open our hearts and find it is GOOD
To live among men AS WE ALWAYS SHOULD...
But as soon as the tinsel is stripped from the tree
The spirit of Christmas fades silently
Into the background of daily routine
And is lost in the whirl of life's busy scene.
And all unawares we miss and forego
The greatest blessing that mankind can know...
For if we lived Christmas each day, as we should,
And made it our aim to always do good,
We'd find the lost key to meaningful living
That comes not from GETTING,
but from unselfish GIVING. (Helen Steiner Rice)
Keep plugging, team
On really does have to sympathize with the
members of the Goderich Economic Development
Committee, many of whom claim to be frustrated
by the fact that Industrial Park still isn't properly
zoned. One member, Gord McManus, claims he will
leave his committee appointment unless some
immediate steps are taken to insure the park is
rezoned promptly.
But it may well be that the purpose for the
committee isn't all that clear, even to members.
That seemed to be indicated at a recent GEDC
meeting when Dave Gower and the Huron County
development officer Spence Cummings argued that
the committee is not to worry about rezoning land,
but selling it. Under the present order of things,
GEDC sells the land, the planning board then
rezones (or does not rezone) the land .... and the
buyer, the new industrial developer, waits. And
waits. And waits some more.
The main problem at the moment is that some
promising prospects to buy land in industrial park
just don't have time to wait. And that's probably
what frustrates committee members more than
anything else. Having a real live customer on the
hook and not enough time to reel him in.
January now is the target date for coming to
grips with the matter of zoning industrial park. But
unless there's a miracle, the decision on industrial
park won't be made in January. There are just too
many reports to consider, too many points of view,
too many nasty, niggly little bits and pieces to clear
away before it is clear sailing for GEDC. Planning
is a slow, painstaking process and experience
teaches that time spent now in planning carefully is
worth the wait for.the future good of the project.
So, for the time being, the community should
urged GEDC to keep plugging away at the things it
can do .... even to "spending hours" talking with
people 'who are interested in locating in Industrial
Park. Slowly,, Industrial Park is filling up with
business and industry that is adding to Goderich's
well being. Surely GEDC must take some of the
credit for this fact.
And this newspaper would urge GEDC to pursue
its suggestion from Champco that a sign and a
map showing the different industries located in
Industrial Park, be put up at the entrance to the
facility. While this idea isn't new, it certainly is
worthy of consideration. At least GEDC can see to it
that the park looks planned and 'progressive during
the interim when members are looking forward to
concrete, black and white legal steps to finalize
what has been started there. - SJK
In sympathy
,Dear Editor;
Thursday with sym-
pathy we read the letter
to the editor, from a
Goderich citizen
regarding the removal of
decorative lights.
On Saturday evening,
when about to turn on our
lights, we found we were
in a similar situation.
We do not abuse the
privilege of having
outdoor lights, and do our
best to abide by the
recommended standards
of the P.U.C.
Each year, for the
festive season we take'
pride in decorating the
outside of our home,
which provides a warm
welcome ' to our family
and friends who come to
visit, and we hope neigh-
bours and passers by find
it an enjoyable sight.
Unfortunately some
one found the need
Friday night to remove
four of our outside
spotlights. Needless to
say our loss has been
their gain, we certainly
hope they have not been
destroyed, and are being
used in good taste,
providing enjoyment to
others as well as the
takers.
Wishing alI the
newspaper staff the
peace and joys of
Christmas and a
prosperous New Year.
Howard and Evelyn
Carroll
In `reply
Dear Editor,
In his letter in last
week's Signal -Star, Mr.
Warr points out the need
for me to "rightly divide
the word of truth"; then
he proceeds to say that
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says,
"GRAVE (not hell)", (I
was quoting the Douay
Bible of 1609, the oldest
English-tra•n°slation)`
Then Mr. Warr concludes
with the implication that
if I would get on his
"bandwagon", would be
a much happier man!
Now, about "Hell":
Mr. Warr ought to know,
with all his experience,
that, in the King James
version Bible, the
Hebrew word "sheol" is
31 times translated
E:t ITcR
"hell", 31 times "grave"
and three times "pit"
The American Standard
version, copywrighted in
1929 "to insure the purity
of the text" by,. the
International Council of .
Religious Education (and
if I remember correctly,
the United Church of
Canada was a member)
leaves "sheol" un -
i
translated.
And regarding "hap-
piness": Last week's
Minister's Study, "Take
heart, .help is on the
Turn to, page 5 .
Waiting for Christmas
By Dave Sykes
75 YEARS AGO
The roof of part of
Armstrong Brothers'
pump factory fell in on
Sunday night with the
weight of the snow.
Early in the afternoon
on Tuesday, an engine
crashed into a flat car a
short distance north of
Dietrich's mill on the
siding on the river side of
the track running to the
dock.
The match last
Thursday at the rink
between the Big Mill and
the Shorties resulted in a
score of 7-5 for the mill.
The pupils in the junior
division of St. Patrick's
ward school (Miss„ Vesta
Watson, teacher) made
up the sum of $3.50 for the
Hospital ' for Sick
Children, Toronto.
A carload of turkeys
was shipped to Toronto on
LOOKING BACK'
Friday, the price paid
here being 141/2 cents a
pound.
James Wilson has
purchased the late J. M.
McLeod's medicine
business.
The Knitting Cpn)pany
had their most successful
year's business this year.
25 YEARS AGO
Dean of Goderich
physicians and
prominent in civic affairs
for many years, Dr. W. F.
Gallow died in Alexandra
Marine and General
Hospital on Tuesday
morning in his 83rd year.
He served as mayor of
Goderich from 1923-24.
Sgt. Robert Streles, the
son of a former Goderich
woman, Mrs. Paul
Streles of Detroit had the
distinct honor recently
when he was the only
serviceman present at a
reception given for Queen
Elizabeth and the Duke
Edinburgh when they
passed through the Canal
Zone on their way to visit
Australia and New
Zealand.
At a meeting of
Colborne Township
Council on Tuesday, Mrs.
William Sallows was
appointed clerk. At an
earlier meeting, her
husband who had served
as township clerk for 20
years, tendered his
resignation.
The Sunday School
room at North Street
United Church was
crowded to capacity
Friday night last for the
annual Sunday School
Christmas concert.
Chairman of the concert
was Sunday School
superintendent, M. H.
Stephens.
Goderich Samis
of- Poritiacs grabbed a tie
with Forest for first place
in the Cyclone Hockey
League Saturday night
when they trounced the
Zurich Flyers 9-2 before a
large crowd at the
Memorial Arena here.
5 YEARS AGO
Representatives of the
A&W food outlet chain
were in Goderich last
week for a meeting with
municipal leaders at
which the construction of
facilities to house an
A&W on lylighway 21
south were announced.
Suncoast Estates Limited
will begin construction of
the new fo•Oi services
faclity in the spring of
1974:
Secondary School
Teachers employed by
the Huron County Board
of Education left their
jobs on, Tuesday in
compliance with a
directive from the
Provincial Executive of
the Ontario SeconOary
School ;Teachers'
Federation to protest
against Bill 274 by at-
tending a rally in
Toronto.
Councillor Elsa Haydon
brought forth a letter
from Police Chief Pat
King at last Thursday's
Administrative Com-
mittee meeting ex-
plaining the police's need
for the vacated space
once occupied by the new
defunct business college
Students of the G.D.C.I.
drama club are planning
to visit several centres in
Englanfjb,- during the
March break.
DEAR
READER
It hardly seems possible it is time
again for my Christmas column. The
older I get the faster the years appear
to be going. It really does not seem that
long ago that I was sitting at this same
typewriter, looking out this same
window and thinking these same
thoughts.
Traditionally, my Christmas column
is a collection of very personal thoughts
and I see no reason to deviate from that
tradition. Christmas is indeed a family
time, a happy time, a peaceful time.
This fall, I've been taking part in a
Bible study course at our church. The
course has touched on just about every
aspect of Christian living but one of the
most interesting aspects so far to me,
at least, has been our study on angels.
Angels, we were told, are creatures
especially created by God. Human
beings don't die and become angels,
then. Angels are separate and distinct
from God's people.
And, we were told, there really is
reason to believe there are such things
as guardian angels. Our family had
reason to'believe on two occasions this
year there are guardian angels on
watch for those moments of
carelessness when we mortals forget to
take care of ourselves.
One time was in the summer when
our youngest son fell from his bicycle
as he was being chased up the Saltford
Hill by two transport trucks; another
was when I was in collision with
another vehicle this fall and walked
away from the crash without a scratch
to find that two elderly ladies in the
other car were also unhurt.
What an absolutely marvellous
feeling, my friends, to really feel that
you are being watched and protected
by God Himself and His Holy angels.
Wow!
• +++
Christmas will be ,,special for the
Keller family this year. For the first
time there are .six of us — mom, dad,
two sons, and this year two daughters,
not just one. Our eldest son married
this summer and now we have the
added joy of another lovely family
member.
All the kids will be home for
Christmas and the excitement is
building now. The tree is up, the gifts
are beginning to pile up around it and
the Christmas menu is starting to take
shape. Husband even got around to
putting up some outside lights this
Christmas season to add a little extra
cheer in the neighbourhood.
There will be church services
Christmas Eve and Christmas
morning as usual. Just a little different
this year will be a decision to open our
gifts after Christmas worship on
Monday morning...and before our
Christmas dinner. Just imagine how
the tension will build through that long
wait!
+ + +
Boxing Day will again be grandma's
Christmas, but I think it is going to take
a little different form this year. I have
an idea last year was the start of a new
tradition and I like it.
My mother-in-law comes from a
large city. So did her husband who died
several years ° ago. Now that all her
surviving sisters and brothers, sisters-
in-law and brothers-in-law are getting
older...and' families are getting more
and more scattered. ..grandma feels
that the Keller Christmas is a time to
invite all the great aunts and uncles to
come for a real old fashioned family
get-together.
Last year, we had a choir of aunts
and uncles. What a treat. To see them
clustered together around the
Christmas tree and to hear them
singing their favorite Christmas hymns
in German, warms the hearts of young
and old.
The little ones love it. Most of them
sit quiet as mice to hear Grandma and
Uncle Peter and Aunt Lucinda and
Uncle Adolph singing carols in Ger-
man. In fact, the grandchildren all love
to hear grandma and her friends.talk to
each other in German. There's a
special feeling of pride that seems to go
along with the knowledge that gran-
dma is bi-lingual.
+++
Yes, the Keller Christmas is a family
Christmas...and my hope and prayer
for each of you is that your Christmas
may be just as happy and blessed as
ours. May God watch over all of you
during this Holy Season and for all time
to come. ,