Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-12-12, Page 4THE AD!ACE N-T'MES A page of editorial opinaor! �: ..... - Published at Wingham, Ontario, P.O. Box 3911- NOG 2W0 by Wenger Bros. Limited Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Henry Hess, Editor Audrey Currie, Advertising Manager Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations Member—Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc. fnojam Zibbance-Zimesi Subscriptions $21,00 per year $23.00 beyond 40 -mile zone Seeond Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Six months $12.50 Return postage guaranteed Christmas joy and sorrow A tremendous number of Can- adians have already demonstrated their sympathy for the starving mil- lions in, Africa. Not too long ago our hearts were torn by the devastation created in Mexico City when a gas plant exploded. The past week brought into focus the horrible plight of thou- sands of Indian people injured and killed by leakage from a pesticide plant. For millions around the worldit will not be a happy Christmas season. Although most adults in the western world appreciate the horror and suffering, it is difficult to make children understand such soul -wrench- ing disasters. Nor should we expect them to be grief-stricken by world events before they have reached the age of adult comprehension. Nevertheless Canadian families — millionaires by world standards, should be making their children aware of the responsibility we bear to other humans. Noting the range of toys which is being offered this Christmas and knowing that toys priced at anywhere up to $100 are on the shopping list, it is time to think of the need to offer some choices to our youngsters. The SE L FH E LP sale in Listowel at the weekend offered some truly remarkable alternatives, not only for adults, but for children as well. As little as $2 will provide a blanket for a child n one of the stricken areas. A blanket fo _1n adult can be provided for $5. And the list goes on. This particular pro- gram is sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee, and there are many other agencies doing the same. You might just try a suggestion to yL; Ur youngsters that he or she could be happy with something less than the most expensive of toys and let you send the balance to a starving, freezing child in another and less fortunate land. We don't know how successful you will be, but the benefits of a sharing spirit are not limited to the youngsters far across the world. If you succeed you just may have sown the seeds of an- other caring human being in a world which desperately needs such people. They don't change much Although the Mulroney govern- ment was swept into power on a plat- form of change, it is remarkable how much of the old order they want to re- tain. For the past two weeks Canada's auditor -general, Kenneth Dye, has been demanding access to cabinet documents from the Liberal regime which pertain to the purchase of the Belgian -owned Petrofina corporation by the Canadian government. Although the Tories themselves ranted about possible irregularities in that trans- action, they now inform the auditor - general thEt he can't see those papers. They are buried in the Canadian archives and will not be made public for years to come. The Tory govern- ment is standing by the "tradition" that cabinet business must be kept secret. Tradition is not a law; its rules have not been cast in bronze. Tradition is nothing more than an oft -repeated dogma, usually preserved to protect a given way of doing things and almost always opks,ed to progress and change. If the Mulroney government is sincere in its expressed intention of ending, once and for all, the secret • deals and questionable arrangements which are always paid for by the tax- payers, now is the time to forget those traditions and tell the people what they have every right to know. The Tory stance is not really sur- prising. Now that they have unlimited power, they can easily envision cabinet discussions which they don't want to make public, any more than did the Liberals in their time. The Mulroney honeymoon is over. The promise of open government with full access to information is evapor- ating. That is not to say that the new government will not effect some worthwhile changes. They well may do so, with an eye to the polling booths four or five years hence: But it is al- ready apparent that freedom of informaion will not be at the head of their list of priorities. It also appears they will continue to make a joke of the office of the auditor -general. From one who surely knows Earle Miller, 75 -year-old father of a provincial policeman who was shot in cold blood a couple of weeks ago, is still opposed to capital punishment. He sees the death penalty "as a straight case of revenge." Vern Miller, 38, stationed at Math- eson, Ontario, was shot to death as he sat drinking a cup of coffee in a service station. The crime brought forth a further outcry for return to the death penalty, but the policeman's father sees it differently. "I can't bring my- self to favor it," he said, adding that he doesn't believe it would be a deterrent in pre -meditated murders. The elder Miller, a retired miner and former Timmins school board trustee for 25 years, said his son's death has hit "close to home ... the closest It can possibly get." This is for the birds Mankind has made some progress over the centuries in developing a more humane attitude toward the rest of God's creatures which inhabit this planet. Bear -baiting is definitely out of style (perhaps because bears are scarce) and bull fights are permitted In very few countries. Cock -fighting and the dog pits are illegal. True, we have not been quite so considerate of our- selves. We still pay big money to watch two prize fighters pound the sense out of one another and the bench -clearing brawl at our hockey matches remains a star attraction. However, when it comes to birds we have outdone ourselves. There was a time when a choice delicacy was a dish of nightingales' tongues. The lords of the realm all kept trained falcons which would mount to the heavens and then swoop down upon anything that happened to be passing In flight. But those days are gone. Instead we have disrupted nature's pattern by feeding the migratory birds from human hands so they need no longer fly south for the winter. Vast flocks of ducks and gyeese now live year-round on the Toronto waterfront and in many other hand-out locations. • u December 12 Road is called safety hazard Dear Editor, This past summer the road known as the fourth of Turn - berry was built up to ac- commodate snow removal. The problem is, it is too high, too narrow and is a safety _ hazard to all traffic. Sunday morning at approximately 6:40 it claimed its first car. Luckily no one was hurt. If Turnberry council in- sists on decisions like this, they had better get some advice. Maybe then their deficits won't be wasted and management would im- prove. Incidentally, there is at least a 50 per cent decrease in traffic. Roy Wormington RR 1, Bluevale "Suicide Alley" Items from Old Files DECEMBER 1937 Fred L. Davidson was re- elected reeve of Wingham for his fifth term. His majority was 124 over his opponent, T. R. Bennett. J. H. Crawford headed the poll for council and also elected were" R. H. Lloyd, J. J. Evans, R. S. Hetherington, W. VanWyck and E. Wilkinson. While the electors of Wingham were casting votes for R. S. Hetherington, his mother, Mrs. Jean Hetherington, was elected the first woman councillor of Goderich. Miss Ella Rae was returned as president of the Goforth Auxiliary of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Vice presidentrs.,3re Miss C. Isbister and Mrs. G. Gannett; secretary is Miss Margaret Currie and treasurer Miss Edna Carr. Henry T. Thomsonhas sold Wingham Produce to J. Howard Sloan and Robert C., Stewart of Toronto, who took possession last week. R. J. Scott of Belgrave was elected president of the United Farmers' Co - Operative Company. J. D. McCrea has been employed as car salesman by Huron Motors, formerly , the J. W. Hanna garage. The Women's Association of Bluevale United Church returned Mrs. Robert McLennan as president for another year. Her sup- In fact visitors to Ontario Place at Toronto can scarcely find a place to sit down without befouling themselves With bird droppings. Television shots of two Italian cities have reminded us of the presence of pigeons — Venice and Milan, where pedestrians must make their way through virtual clouds of birds. The eye then turns to the facades of the magni- ficent centuries-old buildings and the masterpieces in statuary which line the public squares — all drenched with the white offal of the municipal pigeons. Farmers have recently expressed concern right here in Ontario, about the increasing numbers of seagulls which flock inland from the lakeshore every time a plow turns e a furrow. They gobble earthworm b -the millions and foul their roosting sites with dung. Both gulls and waterfowl are pro- tected species so little can be done to reduce their numbers. Pigeons, how- ever, do not enjoy such protection — and they make an excellent pie, a taste for which might be a good idea. No, we're not against bird life. We enjoy the birds as well as anyone. But we've got too darn many. porting officers are Mrs. W./ J. Johnston, Mrs. James, Johnston and Mrs. Joseph Curtis. DECEMBER 1949 James Walpole was elected Worshipful Master of Wingham Lodge No. 286, AF & AM, at a well -attended meeting. Other members of the executive are A. B. Adams, Don Jeffs, Gordon Leggatt, J. A. Fox and H. L. Sherbondy. Miss Jean Moffat of Toronto Normal School spent the past week practice teaching in Wroxeter Junior Room. Miss Margaret Wearring, also of Toronto Normal, was at Lane's School. Congratulations: to George Inglis and his rink of curlers' from Belmore who were successful in winning top honors at the bonspiel held in Wingham. Besides the Western Foundry Trophy, each won a beautiful Gruen watch. Harm Dummick has sold his farm near Fordwich, formerly owned by Tom Padfield, to Mac Bell. Rev. Leland Jorgensen, minister at Knox Presby- terian Church, Bluevale, will preach his farewell sermon next Sunday before leaving for his new field of labor in Mississippi. A large crowd represen- ting different parts of Howick Township gathered in the recently remodelled Township Community Hall DECEMBER 1970 Oscar G. Kieffer, RR 1, s re-elected to The members of St. Paul's Junior Choir presented Mrs. Barry Wenger with an engraved sterling silver pin. Marlene Foxton made the presentation in appreciation of Mrs. Wenger's services as choir mother, from which duties she has retired. At the Belmore United hurch, Miss Joyce cGuiness and Ross Fitch were united in marriage. Supper was served in the Belmore arena. Turnberry Township accepted delivery of a brand new road maintenance machine from Wabco Equipment at Preston. The big machine, which cost $31,448 , is equipped with a * Tilade,:, one, -way plow, and wing, all hydraulically operated. Businessman supports driver education class Dear Editor, I am writing to publicly acknowledge a co nmunity service by one of our local businesses. Since John Cullen arrived in Wingham in May, 1978, he has made arrangements each year to have a car available to be used for the Driver Education course at F. E. Madill Secondary School. We received delivery of another car on Dec. 4 this year. This is a co-operative arrangement with General Motors, the Huron County Board o£ Education and John Cullen Motors. We at the school feel the program is a very valuable extra -curricular service for our students. Each year approximately 130 students take advantage of the course. On behalf of the students, our school and the Huron County Board of Education, I wish to thank John for his support over the years. K. E. Wood Principal . MacWilliam pre - ed over the December itieeting of the Wingham Dl trict High School Board in the absence of the chairmkp, Leslie Fortune. The boa ('t discussed the possibility of installing a better fire alarm system and the property committee was instructed to obtain 'in- formation and to find out if bells could be put in a better location. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Elliott moved to the Mervyn Grainger house recently vacated by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Brown, in the village of Wroxeter. The United Dairy and Poultry Co -Operative Limited, Maitland Creamery Branch, Wingham, won the trophy for the Grand Champion Creamery Butter in a competition held recently. Ross Hayden of Wingham is a buttermaker at the creamery. The recreation room at the nurses' residence, Wingham General Hospital, was filled for the graduation exercises of the Certified Nursing Assistants' class. Miss Marion Bonnett received the award for highest scholastic standing and Miss Diane Compton received the geriatric nursing award. Miss Eleanor Schade was valedictorian. Tom Higgins of Wroxeter was a student teacher in the Gorrie senior room last week. Miss Saint of Wingham and Miss Helen Adams were teaching in the junior room. Miss Yvonne Sparling was a student teacher at Embro. Chairman elected by Separate School Board Ronald Marcy, 48, of Strat- mathematics department at ford, has been elected chair- Northwestern Secondary man of the Huron -Perth Ro- School, Stratford. man Catholic Separate Mr. Marcy said the three School Board. major issues to be dealt with by the separate school board He defeated the immediate in 1985 are implementing the past vice-chairman, Michael French immersion program Moriarity of RR 2, Bayfield in Goderich and Stratford, and Tim McDonnell of RR 2, Gadshill for the position. Mr. Marcy has been chair- man of the finance commit- tee as well as the hoard ac- commodation review com- mittee. He served as board chairman in 1980 following a year as vice-chairman. One of the two Stratford representatives on the sep- arate school board, Mr. Marcy is the head of the making a decision regarding a Catholic secondary school in the system and working on recommendations made by the Ministry of Education earlier this year. Trustee Vincent McInnes of the Wingham area was elected vice-chairman of the board. He too defeated Mr. McDonnell and Mr. Moriar- ity for the vice -chairman- ship. s blew o the house which also took fire but Teeswater firemen were able to save it from complete destruction. There was a light turnout at the polls in Wingham as residents elected councillors for a two-year term. Elected ,were George arter, Jim ,Cur rid Bateson,, Mrs. Margaret Bennett and William Harris. The immediate past chair- man is Ron Murray of RR 1, Dublin. For the first time, the school board as a lhole elect- ed chairmen of the three standing committees. Pre- viously, individual com- mittees elected chairmen. Mr. Murray was acclaim- ed chairman of the finance, policy and bylaw committee. Ernie Vanderscott of RR 7, St. Marys, was named chair- man of the personnel com- mittee. Dave Durand of the Zurich area was elected property committee chairman. He de- feated Mr. McInnes and Mr. McDonald for the position. Eugene Frayne heads Board of Education Eugene Frayne of RR 3, Goderich has been acclaim- , ed chairman of the Huron County Board of Education for another year. Mr. Frayne follows a tra- dition whereby chairmen of the board, although named each year, remain in office for a two-year term. The chairman is the Catholic school supporters' repre- sentative for the northern part of Huron County. He said the board has had many tasks during the past year, "but we have achieved many things." With one exception, chair- men and vice-chairmen of the three. standing. commit- tees will remain in office. Only the personnel commit- tee has a new chairman, Graeme Craig of RR 4, Wal- ton. He succeeds John Jewitt of Londesboro. Art Clark of Wingham con- tinues to be the board's vice- chairman and as such, chairs the board's in -camera sessions. An election took place for the chairmanship of the board's management com- mittee. Dennis Rau of RR 2, Zurich, and Joan Vanden- Broeck of Saltford, were nominated for the position. Mr. Rau, the 1984 chairman, was re-elected. Frank Falconer of RR 5, Clinton will continue to head the education committee. The heads of the three committees as well as the chairman, vice-chairman and past chairman, make up the board's executive com- mittee. The past chairman is Dorothy Wallace of God- erich. Some local politicians were on.hand for the board's inaugural meeting. Huron County Warden Torn Cunningham expressed the hope that the lines of communication between county council and the board of education remain open. Huron -Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell said he wanted to do more than just bring greetings from the Provin- cial Legislature, so he took a few swipes at programs in- troduced by the Provincial Government. He said that while Liberals supported in principal the in- troduction of special educa- tion, .. the Conservative gov- ernment has shifted grant money. originally earmarked for special education into general funds. Mr. Riddell also criticized changes in the secondary education system which could reduce the num- ber of students in technical programs. Individual committees were named at the inaugural meeting. On the management com- mittee are Dr. John Goddard of Hensall, Clarence McDon- ald of Exeter, Donald Mc- Donald of RR 3, Brussels and Tony McQuail of RR 2, Luck - now. The personnel committee is made up of trustees Wal- lace, Murray Mulvey of RR 1, Clifford, John Elliott of Blyth and Mr. Clarke. The education committee comprises Harry Hayter of RR 2, Dashwood, Bob Peck of Varna, Mrs. Vanden- Broeck and Mr. Jewitt. PRESS COUNCIL The Advance -Times is a member of the Ontario Press Council which will consider 'written com- plaints about the publica- tion of news, opinions and advertising. If a com- plaint can't be resolved with the newspaper, it should be sent to the On- tano Press Council, 151 Slater St , Suite 708, Ot- tawa, Ont. K1P 5H3