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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-11-27, Page 4T CETImEg A page editorial opinion Nov. 27, 1985 ttfje J• 'mgbant Zibbance©Qimeis O Published at Wingham, Ontario, P.O. Box 390 - NOG 2W0 by Wenger Bros. Limited -Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Audrey Currie, Advertising Manager Barry Wenger, President Henry Hess, Editor 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 THAT'S OUR NON _4'rARV/N6- ecTION, 51i Six months $12.50 ® Return postage guaranteed Target --young drivers "Young Canadians are responsible drivers. Help us prove it!" This is the theme of the Canada Safety Council's 30th annual Safe Driving Week. Driv- ers age 25 and under are involved in more traffic crashes causing death, serious injury and property damage than any other age group of Canadians. What is the problem? The Council says, "Young drivers' collisions receive only short-term at- tention. The collective concerns of all groups — governments, educational system, society, parents, police and other interest groups — are not co-or- dinated. Only a few see the problem warranting a high priority." Young drivers are often inexperi- enced, lack good judgment, often drink and drive, are willing to take risks and exhibit feelings of aggression and alienation while driving. What can be done about the problem?. The major emphasis must include parental supervision combined with mandatory safety education programs prior to reaching driver licensing age. A driver licensing system which in- cludes several aspects of safe driving must be implemented and co-ordinated at the national level. Such a system must include a graduated driver's per- mit with heavy financial penalties for non-compliance, universal alcohol and drug control policies and procedures, special insurance schemes with incen- tives for safe driving, as well as school- based driving instruction programs, such as Students Against Drunk Drivers. Yes, young Canadians can be re- sponsible drivers. We must all work to- gether to prove it. We don't know enough With the rapid expansion: of all methods of providing public informa- tion during the past few years, the fact still remains that the average citizen is grossly under -informed about the world and the society in which he or she lives. Take Star Wars as an example. What do any of us really know about that subject — except that the ,president of the United States is very much in favor and most peace groups are very much opposed? Proponents of the scheme claim Star Wars (SDI) research and develop- ment is the only way to protect our- selves from nuclear annihilation. But thousands in the western world and millions more in the Soviet block are sure SDI will be only one more step to doom. How about free trade with the United States? Canadians have been arguing that subject for at least 100 years. What do run -of -the mill Can- adians and Americans really know about the possible consequences? Marketing boards the farming community claims many of today's food producers would not survive with- out regulated marketing — despite the fact that price -setting agreements in any other sector of business are against the law, punishableby very heavy fines. Do you, as a reader of this news- paper, favor all the consequences of regulated marketing, including an added price of thousands of dollars for those who want to buy a farm and the marketing quota held by the present owner? These and a dozen other public questions should be of deep personal concern to every one of us, for the source of funding for each of them is, eventually, the hard-working and un- der -informed taxpayer and consumer. Doesn't cost a cent Several months ago the provincial government issued a warning to all car and truck drivers that called for lights on motor vehicles travelling the public thoroughfares to be turned on 30 min- utes before sunset and to be left on for 30 minutes after sunrise. So far we haven't seen much indication that the law is being observed. Naturally, since sunset and sunrise times are not the same for any two con- secutive days in the year, there is always room for doubt aboutthe exact___ minute at which the driver must reach for the light switch. However, since having your headlights on a few min- utes early or late doesn't cost one extra penny, the safety -conscious driver need not consult the national weather service to come to a sensible decision. Unlike the unthinking motorists who persist in driving without lights during the hours of dusk, both morning and evening, there is an ever -larger number of drivers who turn on their headlights whenever they drive, even in broad daylight. It's a good habit to acquire. Some of the other drivers on the road may not have the keen vision you are lucky enough to possess and the simple act of turning on your lights in daylight hours might well save some lives — one of them your own. You might think headlights shining on a bright, sunny day, are totally superfluous. However, have you never Send letters to Santa Claus Dear Editor, The staff at the Wingharn Post Office is delighted al the news that Santa Claus has once again requested that they help, him answer the many, many letters written to him by the boys and girls of Wingham. As we all know at this particular tirne of year Santa and his elves. are very busy making preparations for the annual trek to the homes of all good boys and girls. Despite his busyness, Santa has promised to reply to all letters he receives between now and Christmas Eve. In order to do this he has asked the local post office to help him deliver the replies, as has been done for a number of years now. Of course, the staff here was more than happy to oblige the jolly old gent. Children in the Wingham area may send their letters to Santa by mailing them to: Santa Claus, The North Pole, HON OHO. Thank you and Merry Christmas. Stepfather shows the secret of true friendship Editor's note: The follow- ing article appeared on the letters page of the Nov. 17 Sunday STAR. It is reprinted here with permission of the author. 0-0-0 It started again with a sympathy card. My widowed mother had been reading the obituary notices regularly, she said, to keep up with what was going on. Then she spotted the death notice for an old school chum's wife. She had first met Frank as a young girl of 16. She had gone down to Lakefield to visit a maiden aunt, who introduced her to Frank so that my mother wouldn't be. bored during her visit. A few years later at the Ontario College of Education in Toronto, my mother bumped into Frank again. For the next several years she went to dances, parties and played a lot of tennis with Frank. Then she met and married my father within six months and Frank married someone else. Over the years, in her top dresser drawer, she always kept an antique silver metal purse. "Who gave it to you?" I asked, hoping she might give it tome. "Frank, a school chum. He always gave nice gifts." So my mother wrote on the sympathy card, "Have the courage to seek new paths." Shortly afterward Frank wrote back saying he was coming down " to - London to see some friends and could he call? Frank renewed his courtship of mymother as if they were both young again. He brought a trunk -load of dry firewood for a fire in the grate. He fixed and wound my mother's antique clocks. He repaired the back porch step, hung pictures for my aunt and carefully glued back handles on china tea Belmore Institute to be commended. Dear Editor, I was interested in reading in the Oct. 16 issue about the Belmore Women's Institute sending a birthday gift to the group's handicapped person at Orillia. I think these women have to be com- mended for faithfully send- ing gifts to the handicapped at Orillia. It was in 1968 that I first mentioned the need to befriend a handicapped person in one of the govern- ment facilities, and they immediately responded and have continued to do so for 17 years. I would also like to publicly thank my brother-in-law, Harry Mulvey, for con- tinuing to send us The Wingham Advance -Times, which my husband and I appreciate receiving. This keeps us in tune with the happenings in the area. Alice Mulvey London, Ontario cups and chips on precious plates. It took a whole day, but Frank cleaned out the basement. Every time Frank drove down to take my mother out to dinner she'd tell him her problems and show him i something that needed fixing. "Frank can fix any- thing,'' she would say proudly. My relatives were becoming curious. What was Frank up to? Did he intend to move to London? My aunt had been living upstairs in my mother's house; . she would have to move out. Did I have any objections to Frank marrying my mother? Did I object to a man who brought dry fire- wood in winter, fixed every clock in the place and made my mother happy? None whatsoever. As a newcomer into our family, Frank had a talent for friendship that I tried hard to analyze. He had golfing buddies, school friends and just everyday friends. Even the Wingham and District High School had been named the Frank E. Madill Secondary School. He had been the school in- spector forthe area, and' before that had been the principal. - Frank had taught math to Alice Munro, Canada's favorite short story writer. When I asked how she had been in math class, "Was she a good pupil?", Frank would just smile and say diplo- matically, "Math wasn't her best subject." • In conversation he never held forth on his own ideas. He never dominated the People should support noticed, on a summer day, how an on- -e-1 ect n_'ect _ --coming-car c��esappear ito tFie deep d r r shadow cast by a line of roadside trees? _ Your eyes have shuttered thems elves down to accommodate to the bright areas and thus your vision for objects in the dark shadows is almost non-ex- istent. Headlights on a vehicle in the shadow are totally visible. Since it costs you nothing, why not get into the habit of turning on your headlights, no matter what the time of day or night? Respectable advertising The unexpected has happened. Burger King, famous for its fast foods, has removed any mention of McDon- alds or Wendy's from its advertising. If there is to be a continuing burger war, The King won't be fighting. What a relief to find that at least one major advertiser believes it can survive in business without making slighting remarks about the opposi- tion's products. But we still have the Cold Wars and the Potato Chip Wars, plus several other major skirmishes to listen to every day. Television has brought about some major changes in the way the big boys do business. Years ago most of us learned that knocking -the -competition is not only bad manners, but also, In the long run, that strategy doesn't work. Very few newspapers carry that type of advertising. In fact, if one of the advertisers in this newspaper submit- ted an advertisement which openly knocked his competition we would re- fuse to run it. Dear Editor, I remember when I was a girl growing up in Northern Ontario and I was so proud to be a Canadian! I live here, - now and am still proud, but I wonder, why are we all abusing our wonderful country's system of govern- ment? We have an election, make our own personal choice in the polls, and when our candidate, and as a result our prime minister or our premier is elected, and our vote has done---its--job, -:we cheer; we are so happy; and WE SHOULD BE VERY PROUD! Hooray, another lection over and our party won. Now we can settle down nd live our lives and do our obs while our own per- onally-elected men do their obs. Let us stop these reported urveys that say how our rime minister or our, remier's popularity has lipped. Let us keep our e a J s J s p p s opinions solidly behind our prime minister and give him eight or 12 years to do his and our other chosen representa- tives' best for us. Let us stop criticizing him; we voted him in. Please give our prime minister a fair chance and give our elected represen- tatives a fair chance to do their best for us and our won- derful country. ' Let us, as Canadian citi- zens, go about our chosen jobs--and--do-_our --best --to- be good citizens and raise our families to the best of our abilities as parents. Let our government get on with its job and let's stop making a mockery -of all our splendid country stands for. Put your support behind the man you voted for and whom you are paying through your taxes. Be proud your vote was not wasted. Support your chosen man, whether Conservative, Liberal or NDP. Let us continue t� be good, proud Canadians and enjoy our democratic rights and do our best as citizens, because that is what we are. If we know better than our prime minister orpremier, we would be that person. Let our country survive and let us stop making fun of our fine, chosen government officials. Back your chosen party and be a good, honest member, and let us keep choosing good, honest men to represent -us:_. -Let -us- ----- -- with the job and let our coun- try continue to be the best, as it always has been. Let us all do our best in our own chosen endeavor and let our fellow- coun.tr-ymen-do their best: Let us help our children understand their wonderful heritage as Canadians. Let us be good ones and enjoy our lives. Thank -you for reading this letter, D. A. Munn . A -Postmaster Wingham conversation, nor did he try to make himself the centre of attention, and yet a high school had been named after him. What was his secret? When he'd see an old friend he'd ask them how they were doing, what their plans were, how their health was, and asked for a tip, like when was the best time to plant tomatoes or what was the best fertilizer for roses? Often in conversation he'd just sit and listen and add a few comments of his own, but most of all he listened. He was a -very good listener and when he did say some- thing he never said anything negative. Perhaps that's Frank's secret for friendship: be a good listener and accentuate the positive. Penelope Johnston Toronto Canadettes appreciate fine coverage Dear Editor, On behalf of the Wingham Canadettes, I would like to extend a special thank -you to Henry Hess and Margaret Stapleton for the time they have spent taking pictures of the girls in the corps. We really do appreciate their expertise and the promotion they have given the Canadettes with their good -quality pictures and write-ups a bout our events. Thanks again from all the Canadettes and . thein director, Patti Robertson. Mary E. Hall, Secretary Mothers' Executive RR 1, Wingham Be like a duck, keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like the devil underneath. TODAY'S CHILD. BY JUDITH ADAMS " J - Jeffrey is an appeal- ing, active little boy who's five years old. His ccevelopment is somewhat slow due to a medical condition with which he was born called Pilader Willis Syndrome. But he's showing an ability to learn and retain what he has learned, and every milestone he meets is an exciting achievement for Jef- frey and for everyone who works with him. He's a most affec=. tionate little fellow and full of surprises, for he has a good sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye. Recently when we visited the Zoo together, he gave a mother sheep a big spontaneous kiss. And when he was allowed to feed the miniature horse a carrot, he first took a big bit of it him- self. It's vital to control Grace Netterfield Wingham id16044-' < 46,4,10, his eating and keep his weight, trim for the sake of his overall health, for people with Prader Willi Syndrome who don't curb their appetites become very obese and unhealthy, very quickly. It is only recently that Jeffrey's kind of health problem has been recognized and dealt with for `what it is. Parents of children Prader Willi Syndrome have formed a group in Tor -on to -and -i -n --ad d i -t ion_ to offering support to each other now, they hope they can find the resources to set up a semi-independent living situation for chidren likely Jeffrey once he is an adult. Jeffrey ,goes into Junior Kindergarten this coming year in a regular public school,. but in the future he may need a special education program. If you think you may be the family for this delightful little boy, and._.ca.n_pro-v-ide h-im-- with the patient, con- sistent nurturing he reeds, please write to Today's Child, Ministry of Community and Soi- cal. Services, - B,ox 888; Station K, Toronto. Describe your present family and the inter- ests you share-, and include your telephone number in the letter.