HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-04-18, Page 5prig. owf:Io.
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Proceed with caution
While members of the Wingham
police committee are to be compli-
mented on their obvious dedication to
conserving the taxpayers' money, they
cannot afford to ignore the message re-
cently delivered by the chief of police.
In warning Town Council that the com-
mittee's style of budget -slashing could
poison an already -strained relationship
with the police department, the chief
did not appear to be making a threat.
Rather, he was serving notice of a
serious concern. -
There are grounds for his com-
plaint. In its zeal, the police committee
has strayed dangerously close to over-
stepping the boundary between setting
policy, which is its proper domain, and
directing operations, which is the re-
sponsibility
e-
sponsibiliity of the chief. The committee
has the right to establish a budget it be-
lieves is adequate to provide the level
of service it desires. If it deliberately
attempts to tailor budgetary Items in
such a way as to force changes in the
way the department operates, how-
ever, it is treading on thin ice.
It is true some predecessors were
overly generous in settlements with the
police, awarding frills which boosted
costs without improving protection,
and this may be a factor in the com-
mittee's thinking. Certainly it is hard to
be critical of any honest attempt to
trim fat from budgets which grow
larger every year. Still, it would be un-
wise to try to recoup past giveaways by
a too-zealous'shaving of operational or
capital budgets.
Chief Robert Wittig was hired by
the town to run its police department
and from all accounts — especially In
light of the unpleasant experiences of
some other communities — he Is doing
an outstanding job. His opinions about
what Is needed to run his department
should be respected and, unless there is
good reason, councillors should be cau-
tious about interfering. The short-term
gain of a few dollars on the bottom line
could easily be wiped out if the effect
were to create a lasting rift between
council and the chief.
School bus safety
At a recent meeting of the Huron -
Bruce NDP Riding Association in Rip-
ley one of the resolutions which emerg-
ed addressed a concern which has been
mentioned several times in this col-
umn. Passing unanimously, the resolu-
tion read: "Be it resolved that the
ONDP renew its call to improve the
safety standards for school buses and
request an immediate amendment to
the Highway Traffic Act to make seat
belts mandatory on all seats, standard-
ize bumper heights, and make a 50
km -h zone during school busing hours,.
one-half km in either direction, wher-
ever school buses make a left-hand
turn onto a highway."
The law requiring use of seat belts
in passenger vehicles has been in force
Search reg / Thlet j're
atil plugged info the
aarrle sap Mote
s
for several years, and accident statis-
tics have long since proven the effec-
tiveness of this particular safety pre-
caution. Yet we have never been able to
learn why school buses have been ex-
empted' from the regulations. School
buses are no more exempt from the
possibility of serious accident than are
any other vehicles on the road and
travelling as they do with loads of up to
40 children, the death and accident rate
would be tragic should such a mishap
occur. The fact ,that .,few injuries have
been sustained in school buses so far is
a tribute to the care with which most
drivers have met•their responsibilities.
Why, then, are authorities so hestitant
to provide for that extra measure of
safety which seatbelts would provide?
Debt beyond reason
Ontario Hydro has announced it
will seek an average increase of 9.1 per
cent in its wholesale power rates to
municipalities for the coming year — a
percentage considerably higher than
government standards of restraint
should permit. Such an increase would
come chiefly out of the pockets of con-
sumers who must pay for the neces-
sities bf life out of incomes held down to
minimal increases.
In a news release dated April 10
Ontario Hydro explains that without
the 9.1 rate jump, the corporation
would find itself short by some $349
million of the money needed to pay its
costs of operation.
Another paragraph in the news re-
lease •states, "The main factors contri-
buting to the additional revenue re-
quirement are continued inflation, the
retubing of Pickering Units 1 and 2, and
new generating units coming on line."
There is no mention, nuwever, of
Hydro's costs for interest on borrowed
money - some $18 billion at present
and estimated by some observers to in-
crease to $40. billion by 1992. The in-
terest on $18 billion, even at the banks'
prime rate of 11.5 per cent amounts to
something over $2 billion a year or
about $5.5 million a day.
No doubt this horrendous load of
debt and its resultant service charges
can be explained as unavoidable costs
to assure adequate supplies of energy
for the future. Nevertheless there are
many knowledgeable experts who say
that w,e already have more than enough
generating capacity.
Is it not time for the establishment
of an outside audit of Hydro's total fi-
nancial and expansion policies. The
utility is owned by the people of Ontario
— and they are told little or nothing
about the inner secrets of their own
corporation's operations.
Health act becomes law
Over the past several months there
as been a tremendous furore over the
Canada Health Act — legislation which
would penalize Individual provinces,
dollar -for -dollar, if they permitted sur-
charges by doctors or user fees by hos-
pitals. The federal government de-
clared that every dollar charged to pa-
tients would be deducted from federal
grants to the provinces.
Well, the act was passed last week.
There were no disenting votes in the
House of Commons, regardless of party
or geographical representation. It was
unanimous.
The meaning of that decision Is
clear. Canadians want a universal
health care protection plan, and they
want all Canadians to get the same
benefits at the same cost.
This column has frequently ack-
nowledged the fact that doctors de-
serve to be well paid for their services.
. Theirs Is a unique profession, requiring
dedication, long hours and, at times,
the awesome responsibility for de-
cisions Which mean life or death for a
patient. Nevertheless, there is no
justice whatever in a system under
which the people of one community re -
r
ceive health care for the price of their
OHIP premiums and those in a com-
munity only a few miles away must pay
an additional fee for the same, service.
Had this variation of charges been
permitted to continue the entire health
coverage- plan was doomed. Last
week's unanimous vote is the answer.
Jobs, for
the willing
We hear a lot these days about the
numbers of unemployed young people
,— and those tales are certainly not ex-
aggerated. However, we might suggest
that there is some work available right
now for those who have the time and
the muscle.
. In all small communities there are
many home owners who are too old to
get out with the rake and clean up the
debris which winter has Teff on their
properties: They.could use, and In most
cases would be willing' to pay for some
help with their lawns and gardens.
Items from Old Fil
APRIL 1937
One of the county's best
known doctors, James
Benson Whitely, M.D., of
Goderich, died after a four-
day illness with pneumonia
in his 82nd year.
The annual meeting of
Wingham Post No. 180,
Canadian Legion, was held
in the Legion rooms and
Kenneth Weaver was elected
president. Vice presidents
are George Williams, J. H.
Currie and P. Harris.
Secretary is H. Browne and
treasurer H. E. Isard.
A large red truck was
standing in front of Hanna's
Garage and decked out as it
was with ladders and other
contraptions, many mistook
it for a fire truck. It turned
out to be Reeve Davidson's
new drilling outfit which he
had just received and
mounted on a truck.
The Selrite Store will in the
near future change the
location of their store. They
have leased a portion of the
Mills Block, formerly the
Peacock Cafe.
At, a meeting of the
shareholder"s` of the
Wingham Hospital 'Co.
Limited, the shareholders
surrendered their shares to
the Wingham General
Hospital and an association
was formed tq- ca the
operation of the ospital as a
community affair. A plaque
will be erected at the
hospital in memory of the
late Dr..J, P,,Kennedy who
was very;T tctive in the
founding of thehospital. .
Bud Wakeford, formerly of
Sudbury, has accepted a
New Books in the Library
II
FOODS THAT FIGHT CAN-
CER by Patricia Hausman.
A definitive book which
pulls together all the latest
information in this health -
finding breakthrough, show-
ing what now seems most
advisable to set in order to
protect oneself from the pos-
sibility of cancer. Certain
cooking methods trigger the
formation of carcinogens in
food, while others don't.
There are many tips for a
delicious diet, along with
tested recipes.
60 PLUS — PLANNING IT,
LIVING IT, LOVING IT by
-Allan Fromme
"The magic of making 60
plus, the best time of our life,
is in our heads. It's how we
look at aging and what we do
about it that will make the
difference between languish-
ing and living. The sooner we
refresh our outlooks the bet-
ter." Thus Dr. Dromme in-
troduces us to a most inspir-
ing book on all that can still
be achieved and enj oyed
without becoming trapped in
the past or overwhelmed by
the present.
ST. PETER'S BANKER by
Luigi Difonzo
This is the true story of the
scandal that shook the
foundations of the Vatican
when, in March of 1980,
Michele Sindona, the
"Pope's banker", was
convicted of fraud, misap-
propriation of bank fund:,
and perjury. The machina-
tions of international bank-
ing are explored, showing
how Sindona used his power
and relationship with the
Mafia, the Freemasons and
the Christian Democrats to
fill the Vatican coffers. It
reads like a ' novel but it
really happened.
Seniors'
Day Centre News
By Pam Williams
Last Thursday we at-
tended the Belmore Maple
Syrup Festival and
especially enjoyed the
pancakes and maple syrup,
sausages and all the special
entertainment. There even
were a few people who did
well at the bingo game ,or
won a prize from the lucky
draws. The day trip provided
a change of scenery from our
ordinary program.
This week at the centre we
will have Peter Chandler, a
violin maker, as our guest
speaker Wednesday.
The day centre opened
offically April 17, 1979, and
five years later we still are
providing a social and
recreational program for the
homebound elderly. We will
celebrate this week but there
will be further celebrations
in June, coinciding with Our'
annual meeting.
There will be an Easter
dance and social gathering
Thursday from`" -3 p.m. A
potpourri of entertainment
will be supplied, so dust off
your Easter bonnet or cap
and join us Thursday af-
ternoon.
Next Tuesday afternoon,
April 24, Connie Jamieson,
manager at the Jack Reavie
Vocational Centre, will be
our guest speaker at 1:30
p.m. She will explain what
goes Non at the vocational
centre and what services it
provides for the community.
The hospital auxiliary will
be setting upt for the semi-
annual rummage sale next
Thursday for the sale next
Friday. There will be no
program at the centre next
Thursday.
The next foot clinic will be
Tuesday May 1 from 1 to 3
p.m. Please ,call the centre
for an appointment.
A thought for this week is
something' that Hillel, the
Elder, said in 70 13. C., "If I
am not for myself, who is for
me? And being for myself
only, what am I?' If not now,
when?
Hav& a Happy Easter.
position with the R. A.
Spotton Memorial Shop. Mr.
and Mrs. Wakeford are
residing on Edward Street.
APRIL 1949
At the annual meeting of
the Catholic Women's
League of Sacred Heart
Church, Wingham, Mrs.
Chris Newman was returned
as president. Her supporting
officers are Mrs. Michael
McPhail, Mrs. James St.
Marie, Mrs. Pete MacDon-
ald, Mrs. Tom Rafferty and
Mrs. Joe Fitzpatrick.
Cecil Cook has purchased,:
a tobacco business and
poolroom at Orangeville and
will move there soon. His
residence on Leopold Street
has been purchased by
Stafford Bateson.
Mr. and Mrs. James Doig -
•9f Drayton moved into their
newly purchased home in the
,village of Wroxeter. It is like
corning home to Mrs. Doig,
the former Edythe Gowdy,
who before her marriage
lived north of the village.
John Campbell and family
of London moved to the John
Hyndman house on the sixth
concession of Howick
Township. Mr. Campbell
recently purchased the mill
from Don Campbell.
Mrs. Ernest Casemore
was installed as president of
the Whitechurch Women's
Institute at the annual
meeting of the group. Her
vice presidents are Mrs.
James McInnis and Mrs.
Russell Gaunt.
Morley T. Somers, who has
been manager of the
Wingham office of the Hydro
Electric Commission, has
been transferred to Barrie.
Irvin W. Merrick from the
Barrie regional. office,
replaces Mr. Somers as
manager of the Wingham
area.
APRIL 1960
It has been announced that
Ross Hamilton has been
appointed Wingham
representative to the Huron
County Committee for World
Refugee Year. A campaign
will be held in May and it is
estimated that a Minimum. of
$1.00-- per family will be
needed in order to reach the
goal set for the county.
Workmen are preparing to
pour the foundation for a new
home on the corner of
Leopold and Alfred Streets.
The house is being erected
by Cecil Merkley.
Pour candidates received
the Red Cross degree, the
highest degree in the Orange
Order, at a meeting in the
council chamber. All are
members of the Wingham
Preceptory 797. They are
George Baird, John Ward,
William Irwin and John
McInnis.
Miss Wilma Winkel of
Fordwich, who is attending
Teachers' College, Stratford,
and is a graduate of Norwell
High School, has secured a
school in Kitchener with
duties to commence in
September:
At .the annual meeting of
'the Belniore WUmen's
Institute, Mrs. David Eadie
was re-elected president.
Vice presidents are Mrs.
Fred Doubledee and Mrs.
Elmer Jaffray. Mrs. W.
Johann is secretary and Mrs.
John Rutherford treasurer.
Bob Thomas, who has been
employed at CKNX radio for
some time, has accepted a
position with the radio
station in his home town,
Cornwall.
APRIL 1970
Mrs. Kay Gregg was
initiated into the mem-
bership of the Wingham
Business and Professional
Women's Club. She was
introduced by Mrs. Jean
Rintoul and officially
welcomed by Mrs. Kae
Forgie and Mrs. Adelaide
Ahara.
A letter from Dr. G. P. A.
Evans, director of the Huron
County Health Unit, was
discussed at the meeting of
the board of the Wingham
and District Hospital. The
doctor outlined a proposed
comprehensive Home Care
Program by which com-
petent nurses, acting under a
doctor's supervision, would
call at homes where patients
could be attended without
need for hospital care.
At a meeting of the
Wingham Salvation Army
Home League, Mrs. Harold
Tanner was presented with
luggage prior to her leaving
to take up residence in
Alberta.
A former resident of
Belgrave, James F. Coultes,
who has been assistant farm
manager at, the Burwash
Industrial Farm, has been
transferred to the Butch
Industrial Farm at Brant-
ford. -
Dave MacDonald has sold
his Whitechurch home to
Alex Verbeek.
Cardiff is
named
ic"u
ag. critic
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An Easter resolution
Dear Editor,
Your readers might be
interested in an idea that
would make Easter '84 a real
landmark in their lives.
We all know about New
Year's resolutions. I'm
suggesting that we make
Easter resolutions.
Because Easter speaks to
us of renewed life and a
second chance, it just seems
this is an excellent time to
take stock of ourselves and
possibly set a new course for
our lives. In our mind's eye
when we visit that empty
tomb and come away certain
of a life beyond this one, then
we are released from self -
concern and free to make
unselfish, life-giving resolu-
tions — resolutions that will
change other people's lives.
May 1 suggest that your
readers consider the plight
of the destitute blind in the
developing world. These
helpless ones are forced to
live out their lives in
darkness and under the most
deplorable conditions
because they simply can't
afford the $25 that it costs for
a sight restoring, cataract
operation.
If any of your readers
would like to make an Easter
resolution to restore
someone's life by restoring
their sight, then I suggest
they make a tax-deductable
donation to Operation
Eyesight Universal, P.O.
Box 123, Calgary, Alberta,
Opposition Leader Brian
Mulroney announced April 6
that Murray Cardiff,
Member of Parliament for
Huron -Bruce, will become
deputy critic for agriculture,
replacing Gary Gurbin. Mr.
Cardiff was previously
deputy ^Critic, Ministry of
State for Finance.
Mr. Cardiff will continue to
play an active role on the
standing committee for
finance, trade and economic
affairs and looks forward to
continuing work on that
committee as he feels that
the economic problems
facing Canadians should be a
first priority for any
member of Parliament.
At the same time his new
role as deputy critic for
agriculture will expand his
responsibilities with regards
'to the agricultural sector and
he is greatly looking forward
to the new experience.
Mr. Cardiff has been a
member of the agricultural
caucus of the Conservative
party as well as the
agricultural standing
committee since his election
to the House i'N1960.
T2P 2H6.
Operation Eyesight is a
small Canadian charity,
started 20 years ago When
Dr. Ben Gullison, a medical
missionary to India was
moved by the plight of the
destitute, incurable blind. He
inspired a small group of
Canadian businessmen to
form an organization that
would give sight and new life
to these helpless ones.
I can speak with en-
thusiasm about Operation
Eyesight because I'm a
registered nurse who has
visited many of its projects
in India. I was literally over-
whelmed by how much g k d
this organization does and
today I still wonder at the
dedication of the Indian
medical staff as it performs
surgery and does follow-up
work under some of the most
difficult conditions that you
could imagine.
If any of your readers do
make a resolution to give
someone his sight as a way of
celebrating Easter, they
would be interested in
knowing this $25 covers
medicine, injections,
hospital care, food, follow-up
examinations and glasses in
addition to surgical costs. I
never realized that a few
dollars could do so much
good, work so hard and go so
far.
Lois Horan
Vancouver, B.C.
Baiiey g resi g nation T.
is cause for regret
Dear Editor, decent person and one who
It was with regret that we firmly believes in the work
learned of Mrs. Pat Bailey's ethic,
• resignation from. town Thank you Mrs, Bailey.
r' , '' ia, ' . , Yb ursilfigh lavet thUt Goat
Like so many others web
for much of the time take our
councillors for granted. We
cast our votes, grumble a bit
and then we more or less
forget about them until the
next election comes along.
Mrs. Bailey is to be
congratulated for her sin-
cerity and for her un-
compromising sense of what
is right, not always a com-
fortable or popular road to
travel. And, whether we
agree with her or not, I think
we have to admire her
dedication. It can't have
been easy to learn all the
rules and regulations for
governing our town and to
attend the many committee
meetings etc., but she
managed to do it all besides
helping to run a large family
business.
Being the lone woman
councillor must have had its
difficult moments too, that
takes courage! But it is to
her credit that in her three
and one-half years of serv-
ice, she remained true to
herself. We've lost an ad-
mirable council member, a
times that no one really
cared. But a lot of us did. We
appreciate all your hard
work in our behalf. Have a
rest and please try again,
won't you?
Catherine E. Forsyth
and Bill Forsyth
Wingham
Diabetes Assoc.
says thank you
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the Canadian.
Diabetes Association I would
like to take this opportunity
to thank everyone who
helped in our 1984 annual
appeal.
Those who canvassed did a
fantastic job and those who
contributed helped to make
this year'scampaign a
complete success.
Thank you again. With the
help of people like you
diabetes will someday be
cured.
Sheila Bauer
National Appea.
Chairpersor
TODAY'S CHILD
BY JUDITH ADAMS
This tiny little girl is
laiie, 51/2 months old
and small for her age.
Claire was born with
Down's Syndrome,
which always brings
with it slow develop-
ment mentally and
physically. She's an
appealing little girl,
quite fragile in appear-
ance with brown hair
and big, dark eyes.
Until recently, Claire
used to be content to
sleep all day, waking
only to be fed. Now
d she's becoming much
more alert and respon-
sive, smiling and
recognizing voices. She
seems to be bright and
high -functioning
despite Down's Syn-
drome and not very
behind in her motor
skill, language and cog-
nition.
Claire has an
enlarged heart which
could be a fairly seri-
ous px oblem requiring
surgery later, so adopt-
ing parents will need to
be able to accept that
problem when they
welcome her into their
family. There is a
"right ventricular
hypertrophy" or nar-
rowed right ventrical in
llgr heart, and further
investigation will be
necessary. It's thought
that her tiny size,
related to a reluctance
to take much of her
bottle at a time, may
be linked to her heart
condition.
• 'ro inquire about
adopting Claire, please
write to Today's Child,
Ministry of Community
& Social "Ser'vice, Box
888, Station K, Toronto,
describing your family
and 'wa '. of life