HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-03-08, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERJCH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, MARCH 8,1979
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Goderich`
SIGNAL—STAR
The County Town Newspaper of Huron
founded In 1$l$ and published every Thursday at Oodorlch. Ontorlo.:Mamber of the OWNA
and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance '14.91 In
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Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
ROBERT G. SHRIER — president and publisher
SHIRLEY J. KELLER editor
DONALD M. HUBICK - advertising manager
Mailing Address:
P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, oderich
Second class mail registration number — 0716
Business and Editorial Office
TELEPHONE 524-8331
area code 519
Get the scoop first
Members of town council have some soul sear-
ching to do this week in preparation for Monday's
first real honest to goodness budget session for 1979.
The object will be to cut at the bare minimum
$100,000 from the proposed municipal expenses for
this year if you believe the town ratepayers will
accept something like a seven percent increase in
taxation for- municipal purposes in 1979 .... or
$200,000 if you believe you want to hold the line on
municipal spending.
What's even more worrisome is that even after
you have scrimped and saved on municipal
projects, the tax picture may still skyrocket due to
education costs. No preliminary, budget figures for
the Huron County Board of Education have been
made public, but the trusty municipal grapevine
seems to indicate to municipal politicians that
Huron taxpayers are on the brink of a substantial
increase for education costs. No actual percentages
have been bantied around but it appears that those
in the knoww are holding their collective breath now
in preparation for the news.
There is little doubt that Goderich town coun-
cillors have their work cut out for them, and that as
usual, it is a matter of letting one's conscience be
the guide. Wisely, town councillors have agreed not
to become trapped into a feeling that if education
•
costs soar, municipal projects must suffer as a
result. Instead, municipal politicians in Goderich
are rightly and properly going ahead to set the
municipal priorities independently of the education
budget.
It does seem important though, that interested
citizens would get down to the town hall to sit in on
the budget debate. It should be interesting, and
what's more it should provide taxpayers with a
greater appreciation for the problems of municipal
councillors and their dedication to the future
growth and prosperity of this community.
Initial discussions'' will be held at council's
Monthly A committee meeting, a free wheeling
session when formal decision-making is set aside
for one tyeek and recommendations are formulated
for the regular council meeting on the following
Monday. This lapse of time is designed especially to
give ratepayers an opportunity to react to
proposals of council, and to talk it over with any or
all council representatives before the final vote is
taken.
Goderich town council is somewhat unique in that
it does offer this open and honest method of setting
the municipal budget. Respond positively and be
presentMonday evening. -SJK
Legitimate concern
Much has been written in, this newspaper and in
other.-area_n-ewspapers• recently about the hospital
situation. It is an issue which is dear to the hearts•of
most people and it isn',t surprising then, that some
are questioning , the-- whole thing and wondering
whether this community is being fed a "bill of
goods" to further the cause of a few.
Let's call a spade a spade, some people are
saying. Let's admit that it is to the•advantage of
doctors to keep hospital beds open. Let's tell it like
it really is .... that doctors aren't happy about the
prospect of having to change their methods of
practice to accommodate patients who aren't under
one roof in a hospital setting.
Politically, of course, doctors who protest the bed
closings aren't doing themselves any favors. These
medical professionals are in enough trouble with
government "already, what , with all the
dissatisfaction among doctors over Ontario
Hospital Insurance Plan rates and 'benefits. It
would be far better for the doctors. if they would
simply keep quiet and let the chips fall where they
may.
And what about the premise that doctors don't
want to make house calls any more? Don't want to
visit nursing homes?'Don't want to co-operate with
home care schemes? Don't want anything but a
comfortable community hospital with ample beds
and uptodate equipment and modern decor in which
to practice medicine? Is that really true?
There is little doubt that doctors could probably
increase their earnings by manipulating their
practices to receive optimum financial benefit from
OHI=P:-There1s also little doubt that -some -doctors
may "play the angles", putting patient care
secondary to dollars and cents.
But let's believe for this moment that doctors in
Goderich are for the most part sincerely concerned
about the welfare of their patients. Let's trust that
this community's medical professionals are correct
in their assumption that care of the sick will
deteriorate through the loss of hospital beds.
If you can't believe the doctors, then maybe you
can believe the members of the board at AM&G
who are saying it is a mistake to close so many beds
at the local hospital. Maybe you can relate to their
concerns that the ministry has made no allowances
for -the -fact --that- this is a tourist area with a flue-
tuating population. in the summer months; that
Goderich like other comrnunities in Huron County
his an unusal-ly high percentage of senior -citizens
for which no special consideration has been given
by the ministry; that Goderich has experienced a
drastic swing -around in • the methods of medical
practice in recent months due to the fact that nearly
every doctor in town is new here; that the ministry
won't tolerate any public funding for operational
expenses that would allow hospital boards to alter
conditions to suit local demands.
These are real concerns, real needs. Coupled with
the determination of the Ontario Ministry of Health
to, impose uniform restrictions across the province
and to make no exceptions, these are acute con-
cerns, acute needs to which the doctors of Goderich
are reacting in a normal and predicatable way.
Last week in conversation with health ministry
personnel,' it was learned that the Ontario Ministry
of Health is developing alternate programs to take
up the slack. What kindof programs? When?
That hasn't been explained though surely these
programs should have been planned to coincide
with the announcement that hospital beds would be
cut. And some skeptics tend to believe it will be
while yet before these new alternatives will be put
forth and enacted.
In the meantime then, write your letters and sign
your petitions. Let Queen's Park officials know you
are concerned about the delivery of health care
services in this Community. Let them know the
board of AM&G is prepared to fight to keep suf-
ficient hospital beds open to meet the legitimate
needs of this community, and let them know you
approve of that action. a:
Let's demonstrate some trust that the doctors,the.
nurses, the hospital staff and the hospital board are
only giving fair warning that the health and well-
being of this community is at stake here •.for what
now seems like a long, long time ahead and that the
ministry is steadily cutting off any grassroots
decision making as far as hospitals are concerned.-
SJK
l,"
Ship shape
Likes lights
Dear Editor,
After reading letters in
the paper regarding the
new street lights on the
Square, I purposely drove
uptown to find out what
all the hassle is about.
I was delighted with the
new standards and lights
-- they add dignity and
charm to our very unique
main street.
Probably I am
By pave Sykes
DEAR EDITOR
prejudiced as I always
felt the lights which are
being replaced were a
horrendous mistake
which turned our
beautiful, little Square
into a glorified parking
lot.
This is just theopinion
of one Goderich old-timer
who has a special feeling
for the Square 'and it
certainly should retain its
unusual and distinctive
features.
It is hoped that the new
standards.. won't. be
removed, without at least
an opinion poll of the local
residents.
Thank you.
Yours very truly
Martina Schneiker
(Mrs. Carl Schneiker)
Solutions
Dear Editor
In regards to the
conundrum the hospital
faces' at the present time,
Turn to page 4 •
The Goderich Signal -Star staff is pleased'' and
proud this week to hang yet another.award in the
trophy case in the entrance way of theoffice
building in Industrial Park.
It is always pleasurable to receive the,plaudits of
peers and to get tangible recognition for efforts in a
somewhat intangible field.
But this newspaper would be remiss if it did not
share this award with the people of Goderich and
area who for so many years' have supported this
newspaper as ad-vertiser--s,=-subscri-ber-s, readers
and contributers.
To say "thank you" seems trite. But "thank you"
- each one of you - and may this association con-
tinue for many more years to come. -SJK
75 YEARS AGO
W.R. Lasharn, son of
the late William Lasham,
who served his ap-
prenticeship with
jeweller W.T. Welsh in
Goderich, is prospering
in his Dakota home.
The storms of the past
five weeks were a great
drawback to the
manufacturing industries
of Goderich and ex-
ceedingly injurious to
retail merchants.
The combination sale of
purebred registered
shorthorn cattle and
Yorkshire hogs at the
British Exchange
stables, South Street on
Wednesday, was well
attended and prices
realized were fairly good.
The Knitting factory
opens at 7 a.m. daily from
today and its employees
will now work 10 hours
daily.
Colonel Varcoe tookout
LOOKING BACK
to his farm on Tuesday a
manure spreader, the
first of these labor savers
we have seen pass
through Goderich.
Those of our citizens
who have just a living
income ' or work for a
weekly wage are finding
it difficult to make both
ends meet these days, the
general 'trend of
household necessities
being still upward. The
rise in the price of flour
has raised bread 33 per
cent;. Rockfeller raised
oil from 18 to 25 cents;
milk has risen 20 . per
cent; potatoes 100 per
'cent; coal 20 per cent and
cordwood anywhere from '
80 to 120 per cent.
25 YEARS AGO
Huron County Council's
property committee is
slated to meet here today
to discuss building plans
for the new Court House
to replace the century -old
one destroyed by fire two
weeks ago.
When a brand new all -
steel fishing boat for Mac
and Norman MacDonald
was launched at Goderich
Harbor on Wednesday
afternoon, it rang down
the curtain on the fishing
days of their old wooden
boat which for over 20
years was operated out of
Goderich harbor.
An eight -man planning
board was named by
town council last Friday
night with a view to zone
Goderich for any future
building. Named to the
board were William
Anderson, Garnet
Mathieson, Cec Hoffman,
Malcolm Mathe'rs,
George Ellis, William
Wood, R.C. Hays and
Clayton Laithwaite.
Chief damage was from
smoke when a fire broke
out in an apartment over
the store of T. Morris at
Saltford on Monday.
Thieves who broke into
the general store at
Auburn on Saturday night
escaped with a quantity
of stock but failed to
break open the safe. The
store is. owned by R.D.
Munro.
5 YEARS AGO
Goderich Signal -Star
editor Shirley J. Keller
this week announced the
appointment of two new
employees in the editorial
department. They are
Bill Dimmick and Jeff
Seddon.
The Lancaster bomber,
now located near Sky
Harbor as a Royal
Canadian • Legion war
memorial and historic
site, will soon have
company. A Sherman
Tank ,"M-4 has been
purchased by the local
Legion branch and is to
be placed on a concrete
pad next to the aircraft.
The Goderich Planning
Board heard plans for a
new subdivision near the
proposed shopping centre
site on highway 21 at the
regular board meeting
Tuesday night.
Mrs. Donna Reed of
Goderich has won the
Britain Bound holiday
draw sponsored by the
G.D.C:I. students who
will be travelling to
.Britain during the March
break.
After two years of
planning, construction
and decorating, the
former Gledhill woolen
mill at Benmiller
reopened to the public
and a new way of life on
Saturday. Jo -Anne
Mazzoleni who co -
developed the mill with
her brother Peter Ivey,
calls it a retreat for those
who enjoy the country.
DEAR
READER
BY SHIRLEY J.KELLER—
Every once in a while, it happens.
Try as you do to avoid it, it happens.
Somebody somewhere notifies 1,,be
Signal -Star editorial staff that an event
is going on. That's all.
And then, when a reporter or a
photographer doesn't show up at the
appointed hour, it suddenly becomes an
issue of some importance with the
group that has notified the newspaper
staff. Now it is clear the notification
wasn't simply an invitation but rather
an order to be there or else.
It would seem that some' people
believe that the newspaper staff on a
community weekly is at the beckoned
call Qf its "readers". These people are
directly opposite to the other faction of
"readers" who call the paper with a
news item and ask,"How much will it
cost me to have this news item put in
your paper this week'?"
Despite the efforts of an editorial
staff to educate people otherwise, the
fact remains that "readers" don't
understand at all the way their
newspaper works. What's more, it
would appear that "readers" may not
be really be reading their paper with an
eye to finding out how that product gets
its news and reports it week after week.
There may even be very clear
evidence that "readers" of the com-
• munity weekly newspaper are a special
kind of audience with a. special kind of
misunderstanding about the function of
the weekly hometown paper.
It is worthwhile then to once again
attempt to explain the basic philosophy
of The Goderich Signal -Star editorial
department.
Since the Signal -Star editorial staff
believes that a good weekly newspaper
mirrors the community it serves, it is
important to know precisely what is
going on in this community all the time.
Therefore, Signal -Star editorial staff
is grateful when "readers telephone
or otherwise notify the reporters before
an event takes place in most cases, or
after the event in other cases.
' But from there on in, it i§ up to the
newspaper staff to decide whether or
not it will Over a certain event and
how. Readers should not assume that
because they have notified the
newspaper that something is hap-
pening, that staff will be present to
report on it. The two do not necessarily
follow one another.
As well, newspapers do not normally
charge for the items they put into their
news columns each week. I't simply
isn't true that if you "grease a palm"
you'll get a story the way you want it
when you want it.
While this is a basic philosophy at
Signal -Star and the: majority of weekly
newspapers, it does of course happen
that errors in judgement are made by'
editors and reporter -photographers;
that. legitimate news events are
overlooked despite the factthey have
been outlined to news staffs; that
circumstances arise that interfere with
the normal day-to-day routine that
must be followed to produce a good
newspaper week after week.
Things do happen that mar the
performance of the Signal -Star from
time to time - an appointment is
forgotten, a reporter is late, a date is
misunderstood, the wrong information
is given, pictures •are lost in the
processing etc.
But -these are human -type mistakes
from which no business is immune.
While this is little consolation perhaps
to the "readers' whose event has been
overlooked, it should be readily un-
derstood by anyone who has ever been
wrong about anything.
Most importantly though, the object
of this column is to remind "readers"
that it is the editors and the reporter=
photographers at Signal -Star who
decide what events will be covered and
when. There is no charge for these
services but they are provided with the
hope that "readers" will comprehend
the decisions are made carefully,
thoughtfully and impartially ... and
that those decisions are subject to
human error just like any others.
When one considers the number of
events covered by Signal -Star staff in a
year in relation to the number that are
missed, ignored or forgotten, it
becomes obvious the track record isn't
too ba.d. Signal -Star is mirroring the;
community without prejudice and
withoutfear nr fuvrtr