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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-04-05, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1979 Goderich. SIGNAL -STAR The County Town Newspaper of Huron Founded In 1841 and published ovpry Thursday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CWNA and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance '14.50 In Canada. '75.00 to U.S.A.. •35_00 to all other countries. single copies 35'. Display advertising rates available on request. please on for Rale Card No. 8 effective Oct. 1, 1978- Second class mall Registration Number 075b. Advertising Is accepted on the conditlgn that in the event of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item. together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not bo charged for but `ho balance of the advertisement Will bo paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of o typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or service may ,,not bo sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may bo withdrawn at any time. The Signal.Star is not responsible for rho 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 DONALD M. HUBICK - advertising manager Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Goderich Second class mail registration number — 0716 Poor attendance shows Reeve Eileen Palmer hit the nail on the head when she said absenteeism is running high on Goderich Town Council and tends to weaken the organization designed to run municipal affairs in this community. Goderich ratepayers just five short months ago elected nine people to vote on all the matters pertaining to the management of this town, and when only six or seven are present to say "yay" or "nay" to the various issues, it does indeed make citizens wonder about the wisdom of their decision on election day. The role of a town councillor in Goderich is demanding. Any member of council will tell you that the number of meetings outside the council chambers each week is phenomenal. Some will say that two and three such meetings in one day is not unusual. Add to that the responsibility of town councillors to be present at all regular town council meetings plus their duties to individual taxpayers, it makes a , full schedule. Only a dedicated, hardworking, eager and energetic person will stand up under the pressure of municipal office in that sense: That's precisely why this newspaper at election time urges voters to be thoughtful when marking their ballots. Elected officials must be more than popular figures with pleasant attitudes and a friendly platform. They must be ready to dig in with all the intensity they can muster, to do the work that is necessary ifGoderich is to continue to move forward in a modern society. They must ,be willing to be more than chair warmers; they must be servants of the people and champions of the cause. Councillor Jim Searls' suggestion that councillors be docked for meetings they do not attend without valid reason for being absent, is as some coun- cillors have pointed out stiff penalty. How does one assess what is a valid reason? And who does the assessing? But Searls does have a point. He's suggesting that councillors who are hit in the pocketbook py being away from meetings, may think twice about not attending. Council members do not get Targe pay checks for all the•work they do .... or are supposed .to do .... but having even a portion of that deleted ' because of non-attendance at meetings could in- deed be a deterrent for some councillors who are the most lax about meeting going. The matter seems important enough for all council members to take a close inward look at themselves and their performance todate this term. The'day is long past when being a member of town council was little more than a prestigious position in the community or assurance that your name would be on every dignitary's invitation list, although that is still a part of it. Today's council members must be diligent workers who give selflessly of their time and their abilities. It is a low-paying job with long hours and plenty of public abuse. The main satisfaction to be gained from such. work is the knowledge that the town of Goderich and its people are moving ahead.., "Thankfully there are still some men and women around the''council table who are giving what is demanded of them in this regard but as Reeve .. Palmer suggests, it.does make the load heavier for, a few: - SJK CBC in limelight The CBC has come under the scrutinous eye of the. Canadian Radio and Television Commission once again in connection with the programming the crown corporation offers the Canadian public. • The CRTC expressed "concern that the CBC was not living up to its obligations in, supplying the public with Canadian television. Good Canadian television at that. - The CBC was not atone. CTV was also criticised and the two networks, along with their affiliates, had their renewal licences cut to a two-year term. The networks 'Were previously granted five year terms. April is for fighting cancer iattle with a check up and a cheque The CRTC has finally resolved itself to the fact that the Canadian public will always be able to feast on a diet of American entertainment, either through cable or pay television. So what they have asked the networks ,to do is produce material to rival the American networks.. Perhaps it was just good timing when the CBC,. released the second segment of its Connections series last week. The second Connections production was a most powerful documentary unveiling Mafia operations across Canada and their links to groups in the United States and Italy. Connections, a sequelto thefirst production aired in June 1977, covered three and one half hours of viewing over three evenings and every minute of it .was fascinating and lurid in the truth it uncovered. The CBC Connections team spent four years and over $1 million to produce the series,from locations• all over the world and proved the timeandmoney were well spent. . Following the showing -of the series four American networks, ABC, NBC and 60 Minutes of CBS and PBS were clamoring to buy excerpts or the complete series. Not to mention newspapers, magazines and police departments 'who also learned things from the investigative crew. • The CBC Connection s production was television investigation' at its hest although it was at times sickening in facing up to the, reality of organized crime in our bahkyard. For a pleasant change the CBC has the viewing public and the American networks in awe. DS. Changing season Cover up Dear Editor, I too, would , like to comment on a situation at our local' hospital that was mentioned -in last week's letter to the editor. A woman wrote saying that they had to bring a blanket from home because there were none available for her elderly relative who was hospitalized with.. pneumonia. ,. Since that time I know of two other such in stances. A neighbour •of mine also had to bring a blanket from her home . for a mem her of her family. The second involved a relative of my own., Hospitalized with a heart condition, the patient requested a' blanket four nights in a row.. Finally she spread her housecoat over her bed for warmth. 1 think it is a disgrace that our._ local bps pital- that is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for new laundry facilities can't provide a simple comfort such as a warm blanket for its patients. C. Crowley Goderich Editor's Note: The ad- ministrator -at A•M&G has told this newspaper on several occasions there are plenty of blankets at the hospital for use by the patients • there ---Some problems may arise from time to time getting these blankets from the laundry to the linen closets on the floors. Audit action Dear Editor: The P.M. is threatening an audit,of the provinces' books. I suggest that the audit should he at the federal level, an itemized ac- count of all expenditures beginning from 1968 up to the present time, in- cluding the extra money By Dave Sykes DEAR EDITOR that was in circulation at that time. If the results were published before May 22, the P.M. would, I think, more than likely have to concede the election, because the electorate would give him the bums' rush before they got a chance to get to the polls, thus saving the taxpayer millions of dollars. If the provinces have to be accountable to him, surely he should owe the electorate an audit for the length of time he has been in office. How much has he allowed the provinces in OHIP payments for the inflationary spiral? The recent centerfold is an improvement to the Signal -Star and I think if they, - continue in this maner, `' they " will in- crease • the paper "•gs- cir- culation. Congratulations to all concerned. In reference to awards won: I was always of the opinion that for a small paper, it was well compiled. Yours sincerely, Norman J. Minaker Thanks Dear Editor: We, the' Goderich Figure Skating Club, would like to express our appreciation for the coverage which the Goderich Signal -Star has given us throughout our 78-79 skating season. Your write-ups and photos of the skate-a- thon, the carnival, test days and competitions let the people of this area realize what our club skaters .and members are involved in. We would also like to thank the people of this community for • sup- porting our club throughout this season at our various functions, such as craft and bake sales, skate-a-thon, carnival, dances, etc. If it wasn't for the people, there would be no club for the . .child.ren... 'of this - community. Thanks to all! Yours truly, The Executive The Goderich Figure Skating Club Come over Dear Editor:. The Royal Canadian Air Force Association will be holding its. national contention in London this year at the Holiday •Inn from Sep- tember 12 to 16 inclusive. It is being planned as a gala event as it will in- clude commemoration ceremonies for The Battle of Britain on September 15. Len Lapeer, national Accordingly, the public can rest assured that a similar accident would not happen here. But what of other un - for -Seen accidents? The incident at Harrisburg was not supposed to happen because seemingly en dless back-up system were designed to preven these reactors fro overheating. Just as these desig problems were unforsee to the American engineers, Canadia Candu reactors do suffe similar unseen,• unteste safety systems. On June 13, 1978 the Globe and. Mail ran a headline saying "Four er of the RCAF nuclear power plants in manager Ontario may be unsafe, Assooi.ation. in , Otte w-r,owercr'planning corn - ...win be' ^<in 'London a on • on•prtlrsSt'n told. -Saturday, ttarclt' Wfor"'a '°> press conference to Gordon Edwards, head announce the convention of the .Canadian Coalition and provide information for Nuclear Respon on the guest of honor for sibility (CCNR) had the Occasion. The con received leaked vention is expected to documents from the attract between 300 and Atomic Energy Control 400 delegates and will be Board (AECB) and hosted by London's 427 passed them on to the Wing of the RCAF Royal , Commission on Association. Electric Power Planning, Sincerely chaired by Dr. Arther G. Keith McGibbon Porter (incidently, the Program Chief, same commission that 1979 RCAFA convention held similar hearings in Wingham, March 26): The documents showed that Candu reactors do not meet the safety standards for which they were designed and that the industry was con- sidering raising ... the "acceptable" radiation levels to avoid making „ expensive (or im- possible) modifications to "Nuclear energy", the letter states, "though government promoted and government operated, has NEVER had a full, open hearing•in which the public could participate. The number of nuclear issues that are - still unresolved after s three decades of research t in Canada, issues in - m eluding the health and safety of those involvedin n all aspects of the nuclear n fuel cycle, is due in no small part to the ex - n elusion of bodies such as ✓ the CTIA from the d decision-making process." • In addition to technical and medical .problems, nuclear power poses moral issues because the nuclear- option includes losses, and benefitsrisks and gains. But the degree of loss and the degree of benefit cannot be ac- curately and objectively calculated or predicted. Therefore, value jjudgements, facts and informed predictions play an important part when considering the pros and cons of nuclear power., I am not suggesting that we close and abandon „current nuclear installations, nor do I advocate a return to the days of the horse and buggy, rather I feel we should not put all of our energy eggs into the nuclear basket. An informed population in Austria, recently voted and passed a national referendum to halt .construction of their single 'nuclear power the reactors. facility. In a detailed letter• to New Zealand decided to the Canadian Medical postpone planned nuclear Association Journal, development indefinitely Energy Probe (a after a . significant per- • " University of Toronto tentage of the population based energy con- signed a petition opposing servation publication) it. expressed support for the Nuclear is only one way CMA s "recent to go; it needn't be the resolutions at. the 111th only way to go. Perhaps Annual Meeting" ex- the current film "The pressing concern 'about. China Syndrome" and the the decision-making parallel accident near process as it affects Harrisburg will further pr�bkrehealth and safety open ..the_.prtblic's-...eye...to.___- in the nuclear industry. Turn to page 5-• Nuclear notes Dear Editor: Therecent accidentat. the Three Mile Island nuclear facility near Harrisburg, Penn- sylvania justifiably has many Goderich and area residents wondering if a parallel event could occur at the nuclear installation at Douglas Point. Ontario Hydro representatives, have been quick to suggest that the super or Candu nuclear generating facilities with built-in safe -guard systems, automatically evacuate any radioactive leaks, thus preventing a release of -ra-d-ration —into---the- environment. • DEAR READERS I have just finished reading the first instalment in The London Free Press of Margaret' Trudeau's story, Beyond Reason. I would assume that -anyone who reads it will have the same reaction as I had: "Wow. What a past." Psychologists will have a field dad' with the hook. For the first time ever, the Canadian people are invited inside the head of a prime minister's wife ... and there is 'little doubt there will be plenty of amateur analyzing going on over coffee, lunch and maybe even polite dinners. Why, it's almost the same sort .'of thing as those articles in American magazines about the first ladies of the -United States .... their innermost thoughts, their favorite recipes, their decorating'tastes, their sex lives, their health problems, their intimate family situations, their clothes budgets, even their beauty routines. It never Ceases to amaze me how Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis keeps cropping up in the movie magazines along with Sophia Loren and Ann Margaret, There's no doubt, Jackie is a world -known woman. And that i her activities interest practically everyone who gets excited about jet setting, high fashion and fun -loving people. But to feature Jackie in a movie magazine seems just a" little far- fetched to me. Still, there she is, large.. as life on covers, in color, with bold\ headlines portraying month after dreary month her latest escort or worse yet, dredging up the day her late husband, the president, bled all over her skirt after being shot down in Dallas. Whether it is breast cancer or a face lift, a new hairstyle or a fund raising effort, the first ladies in the USA are forever making the news. Mercifully, ' the Canadian people have been spared that sort of thing .... until now that the young, vivacious Margaret has decided to hare all not only to Canadians but to the whole world. Talk about one up- manship! The free -spirited Margaret is quite a contrast to some of the real ladies who have graced the Prime Minister's house in the past. Who will forget the pracious , Mrs. John Diefenbaker. Or Vlrs. Lester B. Pearson. Or Mrs. Louis St. Laurent. Or Mrs. Robert Stanfield. Each one of them epitomized the Canadian way .... straight, strong, sensitive, supportive, silent. And submissive you say? Perhaps. But these women were what the Canadian people expected ... at least in public. Maybe their private lives were totally different than the image portrayed to the people. Who is to say? And who really cares? The thing that made them memorable was their quiet way of dem=onstrating to the world they were genuine helpmates to their busy, elected husbands, serving the nation too in a special, sophisticated and womanly way. When Margaret came on the scene, Canadians were ready to accept a• change from" the usual strict decorum that surrounded the prime minister's household. After all, Pierre Elliott Trudeau had brought a flair to the PM's post that hadn't been seen in quite a few years. He dressed with flair; he holidayed with flair; -he ad- ministrated with flair; and he even- tually married with flair. - No one really was surprised then when he brought a young wife in blue jeans and sweat shirt into his home. No one really cared that she didn't fall into the staid pattern set for her by her predecessors. Margaret was her own person and Canadians loved her that way. Canadians went the "extra mile" as far as Margaret was concerned. They were only mildly concerned when she got a bit tipsy at a state affair and sang an impromptu solo to some am- bassador or other. They were sym- pathetic when she announced to the country she was - having mental problems and was seeing a psychiatrist. They were supportive when Margaret ,left her husband• and three small sons to follow a career in photography. But Margaret couldn't let it go at that. And now the Canadian people are upset .... and just a little ashamed, too. Ashamed that Margaret will not let this country forget that she's a rebel who seems to have set out at any cost to make a mockery of her homeland and the motile in it.