HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-08-09, Page 39
Goderk
SIGNAL -ST
The County Town Newspaper of Huron
Founded In 1848 and published every Thursday al Goderich, Ontario: Member of the CWNA
and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable in advance '14.50 in
Canada. '33.00 .to U.S.A.. '33.00 to 911 other countries. single copies 35'. Display advertising
rotes available 00 request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 8 effective Oct. 1, 1978. Second
class mall Registration Number 0716. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the
event of typographical error; the advertising space occupied by the 'erroneous Item,
together with reasonable allowance for signature. will not be cborged for but the balance
of the advertisement will be geld for at the applicable rate. In the event of a
typographical error.gtlltgrtising, goods or services o1 a wrong price, goods or se(3rlce may
not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell. and may bo withdrawn alany time. The
Signol.Star is not responsible for the Aws or dgmage of unsolicited manuscrlpff-o, photos.
Business and Editorial Office
TELEPHONE 524-8331
area code 519
Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
ROBERT G. SHR.IER — president and publisher
SHIRLEY J. KELLER — editor
DONALD M. I{UBICK advertising manager
Mailing Address:
P.O. BOX 220, Industrial. Park, Goderich
Second class mail registration number — 0716
Pocketbook deterrent
Provincial Court Judge William Cochrane took a
major step forward recently when he announced
that effective August 1, the fine for having an open
bottle of liquor or package of beer in or on a motor
vehicle will be doubled. The fine goes from $50 to
$100 plus court costs.
Judge Cochrane hopes that the increase in fine
will deter more people from carrying open booze in
their cars. And those hopes are very likely.sharecl.
by' many citizens. As for the police, it is quite clear
that officers whole-heartedly approve of the .up-
dated fines for this particular offence.
Liquor offences under the Highway Traffic Act
are increasing in Huron. Judge Cochrane knows full
well the implications of that trend - more traffic
accidents, more injuries, more deaths, more in -
Sports pages
just right
It is still too early to have any opinion about what
Signal -Star readers are really saying about the
sports pages in this newspaper. After all the opinion
of those'on this matter readers was only sought one.
,-
week ago: r
This is. just a reminder. If you think Signal -Star
spor,ts coverage should be expanded -.or reduced -
please let your opinion be known to Signal -Star staff
as soon as you can.
•' By the way, one reader - a senior citizen who for
reasons of some physical disability isn't able to get
out about the community as much as She would,like
- took the time to telephone and say that in her
opinion, the sports pages are just fine the way they
are.
And do you know what? She says she always looks
at the sports pages - the pictures, the headlines and
occasionally: some of the stories. And .she .also feels
the pages much be of tremendous interest to folks
who directly or indirectly, are involved in sporting
activities around the cominunity.
Do you .agree ur disagree? Let's'hear from you,
too.-SJK . _ _ _
nocent people suffering because of a foolish few.
While most thinking citizens admit to these hazards
and attempt to avoid them, there are still those
thoughtless, reckless individuals who feel certain
that drinking and driving will prove no problem for
them.
'Unfor'tunately, it almost appears that one must
he involved in a traffic accident while having open
booze in the car, before one can be caught. One
must do something to attract a police officer's
attention to the car. At least in the majority 'of
cases.
And this too is how most people prefer it ,..,
unless, of course, getting caught happens to the
other fellow. -
Policemen are criticised so often for "not doing
their job". Nitpickers.will complain that so-and-so
often drives his car with a mickey in the glove
compartment and has never once been caught. But
when the same policemen stop a car to search in
vain its contents for liquor or beer, the comment is,
"Wouldn't you think they would have something
better to do than'stopping law abiding folks."
Judge Cochrane's plan isn't foolproof. It isn't
guaranteed to get all offenders' into court ... or to
make every charge stick .. or even to be a -
deterrent in the majority •of cases. It is simply a
step to try to curb the dangerous practice of , •
drinku g:and.driying, and the judge .h.as._promised-
that if this initial fine increase isn't stiff enough to.
make a dent in the court docket, he will take
another kick at the cat.
This newspaper endorses Judge Cochrane's
decision.l,At the same time, it should be pointed out
again that safety on the highways isn't the sole
responsibility of the police and the courts. It is a
solemn responsibility for every man, woman or
youth who sits behind the wheel of a_motorized
"vehicle.
What's more, traffic safety isn't just for drivers
and law enforcers. Traffic safety is everyone's
business every day of the year. If you see
something or know something that could help
driver's or law enforcers to prevent an accident ....
and if you fail to get involved ,.. you must share in
the blame.
It's a shame there isn't a penalty for that kind of
neglect, too.-SJK
Action pays off
A recent news' release from the Ontario gover-
1 nment tells about Ontario Energy Minister James
Auld who is a bit of a handyman around his Brock-
ville residence. The story deals with how Mr. Auld
shaved about $150 off -'itis energy hills in 1978-79
despite inflation and the fact that there was little or
no , variation in the weather factors over the
previous years. •
The Minister and his family didn't move to a
compact bungalow.. Far from it. They live 'in a
three-storey 100 -year old home on th.e chilly St.
LawrenceRiver, and while th(; home was rebuilt in
1936, the Auld family found the house still had a few
flaws preventing. it from, being as energy-efficient
as it should he.
Included arming Mr. Auld's conservation im-
provements were replacement of old insulation
hatts with newer, thicker insulation hatts; in-
stallation of glass doors in front of two fireplaces;
and insulation of steam pipes and water pipes from
his furnace and'hot water heater.
Mr. Auld says he began his energy-saving
campaign long before energy conservation became
fashionable. He started in the usual way - with
caulking and weatherstripping to stop drafts and
fuel wastage. This kind of activity immediately
makes the house more comfortable to live in.
But perhaps the most, significant thing Mr. Auld
and his family did was to turn down the thermostat.
The average temperature in the Auld home is 68
degrees F. when the heat isdon ... and while it takes
a bit of getting used to, it can be pleasant (and
healthy) for the average person.
With fall coming sooner than most readers like to
imagine ,.. and with heating bills just around the
corner ... why not take... a hint, from Ontario's
Mnister of Energy'? He -doesn't just talk about it ...
he does something. So shoulveryone. - SJK
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 , 1979 ---PAGE
Dangerous Dive
Thank -s
Dear Editor.
I would like to say
thank you to everyone
who helped make this
year's Carnival for
Muscular Dystrophy a
success.
My helpers - Lisa
By Dave Sykes
DEAR EDITOR
Baechl,er,. Paul Alcock,
Pam Bender, Tim
Connelly, . .and my
brother, Stephen, and I
managed to clear $72:85
this year. This is the best
year we have had.
Special thanks to the
moms - the ones who
made the popcorn,, the
ones who supplied the
-Iemanade and the ones
who made the fudge.
Many pedple gave
donations' in the farm of -
money and others, in-
cluding a favorite aunt, in
the form of prizes and
things to sell.
• All these efforts greatly
assisted us - thank you
everyone. '
Yours truly
Jamey Sturdy
rite a letter
today!
75 YEARS AGO
Constable Postlewaite
lost his fine horse,
"Hyperion Gold Dust"
early on Monday from
acute inflammation.
Chas •Bates delivered
on Thursday to the far-
mer's orchards, Goderich
Township, the first 100
apple barrels for the
season of 1904. They were
for apple king David
Cantelon, Clinton.
There was a family
gathering the past week
at the residence df Mr.
and Mrs. Hezekiah Hale,
Park Street.
About 200 excursionists
arrived in Goderich on
Friday morning from
Drumb', .Bright and
Plattsville and as the day
was an ideal one,. they
LOOKING BACK
had an excellent time:
Auctioneer Gundry sold
the buildings on the
Distillery flats to the
following: The big
building, Jno. McEwan
$200; the house, Peter
McEwan $56; the office,
Noble Smith, $17.26; -and
the barn, A. Mugford $30.
In many sections of
Huron there was frost on
Monday evening.
25 YEARS AGO
The stage is set for the
big Trade Fair sponsored
'by the Kinsmen Club of
Goderich next 'Wed-
nesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday at
the Memorial Arena and
Agricultural Park. All the
planning that has been
m^a^ during the last two
rnonths has materialized
into a program that
should draw banner
crowds from all parts of
Ontario. Lorne Wakelin is
chairman of the Trade
Fair committee.
The old World War I
cannon in Court House
Park -will have to be
repaired or taken away.
That was. the feeling of
town council last Friday
after hearing a report
that the cannon was
falling apart.
Figures obtained from
the Tourist Information
booth on the Squaire show
,that the number of
tourists registering there
up to the end of July had
decreased by 276 from the
number for a similar
period last year.
Introducing a new,
wide cinemascope screen
on Monday and
presenting on it the
Academy Award picture
"From Here to Eter-
nity", the Park Theatre
.has been drawing
capacity houses this week
with numerous people
beingturned away.
5 YEARS AGO
After 15 years of
golfing, Town
Administrator Harold
Walls finally 'had his
dream come true with a
hole -in -one at the Sunset
golf course on the
weekend. • ..
Construction on Textral
Fibres Limited's new
manufacturing plant in
the Goderich Industrial
Park is scheduled to start•.•
by the end of August,
president of the .com-
pany, F:G. Burgess told
the Signal -Star this, week.
Another milestone in
the road of Goderich's
latest tourist • attraction,
the Huron Historic Jail,
has been passed. The jail
was toured by nearly 700
people over the long
weekend putting the total
number of visitors over
4,000 this year.
Members • of th.e
International
Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers, Local 1788,
walked off the job at the
Bruce Nuclear Power
Development Tuesday
norning and set up picket
lines on the two access
roads into the Site.
DEAF
4
BY SHIRLEY J.KELLER
This week it is a tip of the hat'to
Jamey Sturdy and friends who have
just had another successful backyard
carnival with the proceeds to go to
Muscular Dystrophy. Jamey's buddies
include brother Stephen and Lisa.
Baechler, Paul Alcock, • Pam Bender
and Tim Connelly. Together the kids
cleared $72.85 for MD. .
Jamey isn;t riew•'to the MI) carnival
• business. Neither arc' his friends. For
several years now, these kids have
used
part of
their
suiiimer to work for
people who are striken with this
troublesome, deabilitating disease. As
far as I'm concerned, 1 think that is just
great.
It is possible that some adults from
• around the community could • take a
lesson from Jafney and his associates.
in fact, selfish individuals everywhere
could examine themselves in the light
of the example these youngsters have
set.
Service to othcers is a dying response
in more and more humans. We're so
caught up in our own lives and our own
READERS
survival. al. we are totally unable to cope
with anything that smacks of effort for
other people. And that's sad.
in Goderich and arca, we are for-
tunate to have several good service
clubs, and many church groups and
community organizations that struggle
year after year to improve somebody's
lot, not usually their Own.
One example that comes quickly to
mind is the Kinsmen's Club's centre for
recut cicd adults.
But there arc others. Lions do much,
work, publicly and privately, for all
.kinds of People in all kinds of ways.
Rotary, the Legion, the LODE, the
Kinettes, the hospital auxiliary,
sorority, the Forester's, women's in-
stitutes, nearly every Church group you
can mention and probably many more i
have not listed, all give of their time
and their talents so that somebody else
can bcnr'fit.
Rut in truth, the numbe!,.of devoted,
dedicated worke'r's rs dwindling, :par-
ticularly among younger people.
Fewest' and fewer young • Wren 'and
women, are willing to give tip. even lar
small part of their leisure time to assist
sohteonc else. If 1hero isn't. ii direct
borltis for them, they want no part of it.
When you think about it, the entire
community 'will he the poorer for it.
Take a look around this area. Think of
all those things this community could
not now boast of, if someone before us
hadn't put his or her shoulder to the
wheel to work hard without pay, for the
good of the whole.
Now, try to imagine the future
without this same kind of get-up-and-
go.
Even the church is experiencing this
Lack of love among its members.
Nearly everywhere church attendance
is dropping off and even some of those
people who do attend church from time
to time are sitting on their duffs, hoping
nobody will ask them to do anything to
help out.
What's wrong? -
Someone once said that money is the
root of all evil. And there is no doubt
that in this affluent society, money
tends to he treated 'as the,magic elixir.
There doesn't seem to any trouble at
all, for instance, to go "over the top"
when you have a drive for funds. The
1110 in problem will be getting enough
bu:uule interested in the i'nucn to an nut•
to collect it.
Money doesn't have the same value
today as it did 20 years ago to he sure,
but labor is much more expensive. So it
is that a man who gives $20 to a project
and feels his duty is done is only fooling
himself. How much better for everyone
if he'd given only $10 .,,. hut offered his
service for two or three hours.
Jainey Sturdy and hi,s pals have the
right idea. These kids get together
during the summer molnths and put
their leisure hours to work for MI). To
generate $72.85 is one thing, but to
organize gr. ze the carnival, staff it and do all.
the work necessary. to put $72.85 into
the MD coffers is quite another matter.
It is guile evident these kids didn't
ask the question,"What's in it for me?"
More likely the kids entered the
project with vim, vigor and vitality for
the soul purpose of running the best
possible carnival so the most possible
money for MD could be raised. And
that's just the kind of spirit more
people should aini to have.
What abo t it folks? Let's hear it for
the kids .4 hnd let's admit they've got
the right Aftiturin