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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-11-06, Page 13THS DVAflCE TTUMES A page of editorial opinion Z fjc ingiam Zibbance-Vmeo Nov. 6, 1985 Published at Wingham, Ontario, P.U. Box 390.4 NOG ZWo 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. Subscriptions $21.00 per year $23.00 beyond 40 -mile zone Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Six months $12.50 Return postage guaranteed ,! 4-1,--.:-/,,,,..„...-•-''''' i Hospital addition opened The fact that Wingham and area residents are intensely interested in the operation and progress of their local hospital was made evident on Saturday when about 200 people turned out in a pouring rain to attend the opening cer- monies for the new outpatients' wing. An added attraction, of course, was the fact that Murray Elston, Wingham area native and recently -appointed minister of health for the province was there to do the honors. The new wing will provide much - improved accommodation for emer- gency and other outpatients, private offices for visiting specialists and consultants and up -dated equipment to ensure the best of health care. Congratulations are extended to the hard-working board and staff members who have battled for the past many months to bring these ambitious plans to fruition, as well as the hun- dreds of donors who have provided the private funds necessary to supplement the available government grants. Nor should the hospital staff and supporters of bygone years be forgot- ten, for without the many building pro- jects and improvements of past years, the present addition would have been impossible. Wingham and the area it serves may well be proud of the fine modern hospital which now exists. The success of this latest building program certain- ly attests to that pride and loyalty. So much for so few The pre -Christmas months and weeks are loaded with appeals to the generosity of the general public — re- quests for donations to all sorts of worthy charities whose needs receive better support .when we are all in the mood for giving. One appeal which has met with sympathetic response is the sale of Christmas cards, the original paintings for which have been done by handicap- ' ped artists. The mailings carry pic- tures of artists at work, the paint brush manipulated by mouth or foot a sight which would soften the heart of most of us. Unquestionably such courageous people deserve assistance and that as- sistance has been given. The contribu- tion requested is reasonable — only $4 for a packet of about 10 cards and en- velopes, which is certainly a bargain in today's high-priced market. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have responded by paying several million dollars annually to aid this worthy cause. A recent television program, how- ever, revealed the sad fact that it is not the handicapped artists who are the chief beneficiaries. Of the more than $3 million dollars sent in last year, only about $80,000 was paid to the artists. The balance went to a company called Rehandart Canada Limited, which has a Toronto address, but is headquarter- ed in the tiny Swiss -border state of Lichtenstein. Interviewed on air, the man who is listed as president of the Canadian op- eration refused to be pinned down about the way in which the balance of the money is spent. He claimed he did not know the figures for the Canadian branch of the operation and vaguely indicated that the funds are used for the benefit of handicapped artists in other countries. Although_ he did not say so, it may be presumed thait these other countries are being milked for Parent money at a similar rate. s eX ress cone rnIn Canada onlyytwooartists are em- p concernployed full-time, according to the broadcast, and they receive a little ]about Greyteachers'over $20,000 a year each. Apparently strike Reach for Top team is second An enthusiastic Huron County 4-H Reach for the Top team placed second in the Ontario championship at the fourth annual provincial competition held -at Baden recently. Teams representing 26 counties squared off at the contest, which tests the agricultural, homemaking and general knowledge off 4- H members using a format similar to that of the television program. The Huron team consisted of Paul Hoggarth, Heather Love, Murray Rundle and Liz Stewart. They were unbeaten through the semi- finals and held the lead for most of the final game before losing to Victoria County by only two correct answers in an exciting finish. - The finish earned a $100 donation to Huron County 4- H clubs from the -Ontario Public Stockyards. Oppose proposal to Alternatives board meetings for Dear Editor, Presently I am sitting on the Huron County Library Board as a non -elected representative. I have been reading with great interest the articles regarding Huron County Council's request to Lily Munro, minister of - citizenship and cult seeking legislation to change the hoard to a closed com- mittee. Your readers will be in- terested to know that this request flies in the face of a historical background of. ' open public boards, ac countable to the citizens of Ontario, and the proposed change will go against the new Public Libraries Act of 1984. Some reeves have already been acclaimed and without the input of the taxpayer these persons may feel that their opinions are' the only standard of their com- inunity. I am hoping that many library users will call their reeves and ask them how they stand on the issue of closed committees vs_ public boards. Then, in turn, share their personal opinion with these people who are, after all, our political representatives. We should be' com- municating to all and anyone concerned — Lily Munro, Jack Riddell, the county warden, the library board — that •we do not want to risk losing . - a centuries-old freedom of access to a public library board and in its place be given a committee whose decisions will only be known to a few. Also your readers may not realize that this issue has not been brought up before ,the board. We have not discussed the issue or voted on our dissolution. So, in fact, our chairman, Grant Stirling, was never authorized by the board to speak on our behalf on this subject. I am assuming that he was offering his own opinion, something he did not make very clear. 'Please call your reeve and send a letter to the library board t Waterloo Street, Goderich,. Ont.) giving us your views on this most important change in library policy. Better yet, if you are able, come to our next board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:30 p.m. in the County Council Chambers, second floor, Courthouse, Goderich. Your presence and your' letters will tell so much: Thank you. Janis Bisback Hensall there are a few part-time artists as well. Those who have given so generous- . ly in the past would, no doubt, be happy to continue their payments if they could be sure the handicapped artists were actually receiving the money, but many will choose to give to a more credible cause in future., Oil cartel collapses Th -e- h-or-ren-doUSround of inflation and consequent recession which com- menced in the Seventies with the sud- den rise in the price of crude oil has created chaos in almost every country in the world. The situation arose when the oil-producing nations formed the cartel known as OP C nd _ � a bounced the price of crude oil to many times its previous level. Centred in the Arabian countries which supply most of the world's crude, other and more distant producing countries (though not all of them) fell into line and mutually agreed on the .new price agreement. Most of us are well aware of the conse- quences of that action. Petroleum products being the basic source of energy for most civil- ized countries, the sharply higher price effectively drove up the cost of many other commodities. Even the politics of many nations were disrupted, Canada being a prime example. Those nations which had limited supplies of oil or possessed as yet undeveloped oil fields went into a mad scramble to get their share of the new oil money. In Canada the debate threatened to disrupt our national unity as the oil -happy western provinces gloated over their good for- tune. Immense fortunes weresunk into oil exploration, made attractive by the reality of such high prices for the pro- ducts they --hoped to market. Even gov- ernments were not immune to the oil fever. The federal government in Canada sank millions in assistance to Dome Petroleum and other such ven- tures. Unable to resist the clamor of the oil business the Ontario govern- ment paid millions for a 25 per cent in- terest in Suncor Oil, only to find little or no profitable return on the investment of the people's money. In themeantitne-,qua.r►eling vw,iPhivr— the OPEC membership has heightened with the passing years. The more sen- sible members, such as Saudi Arabia, have been fighting to resist further price increases, knowing that the ap- proaching backlash might upset the entire pricing structure. Well, they were right. Last week it was announced that the OPEC cartel is no more. The entire OPEC plan has been abandoned and crude oil will now find its own price level in full competi- tion on the open market. All this might sound like good news to the average person who has to pay such a large proportion of his or her in- come to keep a car on the road and warm his home in winter.. But don't count on it. Since the politicians have involved their governments . in these massive oil investments they cannot afford to let the price come down. Re- gardless of how cheap Middle East oil m -ay become, we Canaatans will nave to pay the high price — if not for the oil itself, then to meet the taxes which will inevitably be added to protect govern- ment investment. The lesson is obvious. Govern- ments should stick to governing and leave business to the people who know what business is all about. Dear Editor, The Grey County hi school teachers-- are - strike. The attached lett was composed and sent concerned parents to t Minister of Educatio Please print this letter your editorial section. Yo county could be next! Dear Mr. Conway, .I am writing to express m deep and growing cancer about the serious effects o the students of the Gre County high school teacher strike., Families are -being -broken At this critical time in young person's developmen when family relationship are strained anyway, th stabilizing influence of the schools and teachers ha people who have been in- gh volved in community work - are often the ones who leave on er to continue their education. by The community loses their he input and they lose the op - n portunity to be a significant in part of the community. ur Young people are changing their . long-term education and career plans, switching Y from university to com-. munity colleges or colleges • to the work force. Some are Y dropping out of school for s, good and will further strain the social assistance budget _of. the province._ a The values they are being t taught are not conducive to a • strong society: personal gain e at the cost of another per- son's well-being and future; confrontation rather than cooperation; the misuse of authority; mistrust of public i'istitutions; the collection of taxes without value in return. • The powerless victims in this strike are the young people whom) the school h system was designed to a serve and shape into r productive citizens. There is p no justification for this. The r reasons for the strike may be a political and financial, but it is now fundamentals a_ justice issue: ,justice for our young people. new library, court house Dear Editor, This letter is written wit out bias as I only know abo two councillors. But .th people of Wingham wer very kind to me when I wa involved for 10 years i public office. I feel it is- m privilege to express 'm opinions when I see som heavy expenditures' o taxpayers' money whe some may already be findin the various taxes' a burden I 'understand the of building previously used by Gorbutt and Campbell as a woodworking shop is being considered for a library. I saw plans already prepared for a lux,urious building. I don't know whose idea it was or who supports it, if the costs are anywhere near what is rumored (estimates are always low). In my opinion it is a serious mistake. It would be in- teresting to know what the plans cost. I took' a casual look at the roof and outside' walls of this old buildingand feel it's in poor shape and should be demolished and the land used for a town parking lot when the town can afford to do so. I feel any business acumen would suggest council look and at using town property nd buildings for any equirement of this kind. The resent old fire hall might be emodeled and extended if dditional space is necessary. Properly done it could—m-a-ke—a--good--library building. However I would suggest me serious thought be ven to extending the esent library to include the adjoining courtroom, pro- h- viding this would be enough ut space. Fix it' up properly e . with new windows where. e necessary and propel- ventil- s ation and light and use the n old fire hall for a courthouse y building. y This building I think could e be properly done over, first f • floor extended if necessary, n to make a lovely courthouse g building that the people could be proud of. I feel this d building is of good con- struction; I think. I had my, engineering department at Supertest, London, prepare the original plans.. . If this could be worked out, we would be using' town property and buildings,, greatly reducing the costs of any new buildings. The town can't afford ,to end up with unused, emptyy buildings and space. Further I suggest if the right people approach the proper officials we can get major financial assistance for the major portion of the costs. A courthouse building should not be an exclusive Town of Wingham liability 'if it serves a large. area. Did we not help pay for the court- house in Goderich? . We must not overlook the fact the town is confronted' with other major expenses for dams, etc. We must protect our credit rating and avoid debenturing ex- cessively. Our taxpayers just can't carry the load. R. E. McKinney, B7uevale Evelyn Carson, so Linda Lesage Dundalk, Ontario pr been removed. A young _oppy is_the_s mbof of grateful remembrance forced out of her home by the strained circumstances and is living in Toronto, in a room, in a sleeping bag. Students in Grades 9 to 11 who want to continue their education and seek to enroll in another county must pay a high non-resident fee after their parents have already paid their taxes and are not receiving the services the taxes paid for (a double taxation?) or their parents must go through the courts and relinquish legal custody of their children. On top of that thet; oung Y. person's living expenses must ,be paid. Students in Grades 12 and 13 will have these fees paid by the board, but that ,raises the question of whether or not that money, along- - with alt the advertising money, wouldn t be enough to bridge the. small gap between the teachers and the board in respect to a wage set- tlement. The effects on com- munities is also significant and long-term. The young Dear Editor, Every November I wear a poppy, not,because someone tells me to nor because it's a custom but because I know about the brave men and women who fought for freedom. When I lived in Britain when World War ii was fought, I remember that mahy young men from our town went to war. They didn't wait to be called when - their country 'required their services. Many left behind wives and children; duty's call was strong. Each leaving home was an im- portant event for the whole Commonwealth. Everyone spoke to the serviceman and of him. He was a man willing to give his life for us 'all. Farewells, though' tearful, were usually "Till we meet again." Some of those men never returned. Some came back crippled in mind and body. Time (passed; some resumed civilian activities; others found their jangled --nerves couldn't cope with everyday life. Mine wasn't a family of veterans, but relatives, classmates and friends married them and some of their children became my classmates or nursing mates. But veterans had one thing in common: each Nov. 11 they wrrre a ---poppy • and - gathered to remember the dead and living. I don't feel that Remembrance Day is a glorification of war. Perhaps their silence is a prayer that war' wil-1 be nu more. BOO I s, movies and television shows about war convey to us pain, anguish and fear suffered in combat or the anxiety and terror felt by their families. Many of 'us can never fully appreciate their desire that war shall he no more Veterans and their families can instill in young Canadians the importance of Remembrance Day: the poppy we wear Nov. 11 we need to remember with`" gratitude not only those who gave their lives, but also those who returned. .Agnes Smith Gorrie Names were left ft off program Dear Editor, At the Howick Agricultural Society's "Awards Night" presentations on Oct. 28, two exhibitors' names were left off the program through an oversight on my part. 1 wish to apologize to Miss Shirley Boonstra and Miss Sharon Borg of Fordwich, who were the winners of the artists' sketch kits, I have been trying to eri- courage talent, not discourage iI. Eileen Hamilton Wroxeter Films featured at workshop Comedian Foster Brooks stars in one of 1fte_films�t.o_be..-...._-.-._..--' featured. at the Festival of Films being sponsored by the Huron. Council for Action on Alcohol and other Drugs (CARD). The films will he part of the afternoon session of CAAD's all;day workshop to be held Thursday, Nov. -7, at the Bethel Pentecostal Assembly on the Ba_vficld Road, Goderich, Beginning at 9:00 a.m., the workshop will include a morning seminar addressing the role of the clergy in dealing with alcohol-related • problems in 'the community. The film festival - willbe featured between 1:30 and, 4:00 p.m.. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate; lunch is included in the registration fee. For in- formation call 524-4264. TOPAZ DONATED A brillant, rare 1059 -carat topaz from Brazil was donat- ed to the collections of the National Museum of Natural Sciences. Not heated and ir- radiated as 'are most topaz gems, it was a unique find.