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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-04-25, Page 4nam ' Q tmeo Published J Winuhdn! Ontario, P.U. Bu 390 • N11(; 2W0 10 Weimer B.rus. Limited arr> Wenger. Pre.idenl Robert U. Wenger. Sec. Treas. Hi nr> Hess. Editor Audre► Currie. Advertising Manager Member Audit bureau of Circulations Member —1. anadlan (ulilnlllltll\ NCNspaper Assoc. Ontario('onunullll\ Newspaper 1110111114. C 1 1.�5(I •-SSuhscnpt►ons 520.00 per }ear Second (.'labs Mail Registration No. (IK' I Ret mil postage guaranteed For jobs well dont Congratulations are In order for three outstanding women — two of them products of our own community. Wingham-born .Alice Munro was accorded a special honor when her short story, "Boys and Girls", adapted for film presentation, was awarded an Oscar at the recent Academy Awards presentation. This is not, of course, the first award won by Ms. Munro. She has won the Governor -General's Award and the Canadian Book Award among others. Her achievements in the world of literature are indeed impressive. In a very different field of en- deavor full credit should be given to Mrs. Pat Bailey of Wingham for her contribution to the community as a courageous and outspoken member of the local town council. People with firm convictions who are not afraid to stand up for their beliefs are not so easy to find. We regret that Mrs. Bailey has found it necessary to resign. Another woman is much In the news these days in the person of Iona Campagnola, president of the Liberal Party of Canada. Despite many urg- ings, she has so far refused to consider running for the office of party leader. No doubt her reasons are valid ones, and her decision must be respected. However, it would be very interesting to find an intelligent and capable woman at the helm of a national poli- tical party. New dictionary needed The age of the computer and the micro -processor has come upon us so quickly that the average person has been totally left behind in the dialogue which surrounds the new technology. In times past the earnest student of change could usually acquaint himself with new processes and ideas by reading the books and brochures re- lated to the emerging technologies. Sufficiently intent, he could locate and talk with those who are working with new machines. Not so today. The language of micro -electronics is unintelligible to all but the initiated. Reading doesn't help much, for few of us can understand the. words employed. Take this little para- graph from Ontario Technology News for example:. "The operating system of Incon is a UNIX -like system, one of the major standard operating systems for 16-bit micros. The alternatives, MS-DOS and CP -M-86, were considered limited in their expansion capabilities in such areas as parallel processing, hier- archiaI :file structures and newwork- i ng.,, is that clear? Well, don't despair. We'll tell you something we learned re- cently. The letters which form tte commonly -used name of the new tech- nology centre in Cambridge, Ont., are CAD -CAM and spelled out their .mean -1 ing is relatively, simple — Computer- aided Design -Computer-aided manu- facturing:, See? It's not really complicated, Is it? The rats should go Heard an interesting discussion on TV the other day. Rats, the taken -for - granted thieves which rob most farm- ers of a tremendous amount of grain every year, do not occupy such an de- structive place in the province of. Al- berta. Years ago, when the first signs of a rat invasion were noted in that prov- ince, the authorities, with the full as- sistance of farmers themselves, de- cided that rats were not wanted. A province -wide anti -rat campaign was organized — and so successfully that to this day the rodent population is held to a bare minimum. The grain bins of the nation are be- loved of the rats. What a wonderful place to keep warm — all winter — and food within snout -reach day and night. What a place to bring up a family! One pair of rats produces about 35,000 de- scendants in one year. It might be supposed that with rats so dedicated to the task of reproduction there would be little time for eatl'ng, but not so. Your average rat eats ap- proximately 40 pounds of food per year and pollutes about four times that amount or an additional 160 pounds. Thus one pair of rats and their off- spring can get away with approximate- ly 3,000 tons of food a year. Whether, or not this new age of science could devise a means of elim- inating rats is not known, but it cer- tainly looks like a worthwhile project for people who are smart enough to put a man on the moon. Slaves appreciated Raking lawns, clearing away de- bris and scrubbing windows are all part of the ritual of spring cleaning, says The Huron Expositor. These jobs, which can be enjoyable on a sunny spring day, can become overwhelming to seniors who are physically unable to complete them. And, in Seaforth, oa large population of senior citizens means there are many people who need help with their yard work. The Seniors' Slave Day put on by the Seaforth Junior Farmers is a great solution to the need for help with out- side work. About a dozen members of the Junior Farmers spent last Satur- day cleaning up the yards of approx- imately. 15 seniors. The demand for help was so great that the volunteers will continue to work next Saturday to complete all requests for assistance. As well as getting the job done, the Junior Farmers spent some of their time visiting and enjoying refresh- ments. By co-operating, both the seniors and the volunteers made the day enjoyable. Through -the Seniors' Slave Day the Seaforth 'Junior Farmers provide a valuable community service and still manage to have some fun. Campaigns co-ordinated The Federated Health Campaign Is a new name for a fund-raising effort that was called the Cancer -Heart Cam- paign, or, in 1983, Cancer, Heart, Di- abetes Campaign. The name change reflects the expansion of the campaign to Include four additional organiza- tions, each with a long history of caring and helping. The organizations includ- ed it the 1984 campaign are: The Lung Association, the Canadian Paraplegic Association, Canadian Hemophilia So - 1 News Items from Old Files APRIL 1937 At a special meeting of Wingham Town Council, it was decided to purchase a fire truck. The sum of $3,500 will be raised to purchase the truck by issuing serial debentures for five years. Selection of the truck will not be made until the debentures are sold. All is now set for Wingham to have a girls' softball team and if plans now being made are completed, the team will compete in a league com- posed of Lucknow, Ripley, Brusselsh, BI h and Wing- At .the annual meeting of John Street Baptist Church, George Pocock, John Kelly and Albert Hot'it -were elected deacons. Mrs. George C. Hanna is organist of the church and H. Collar is treasurer. Wroxeter residents con- gratulate Thelma and Clif- ford Denny who took part in the amateur contest at Fordwich and were among the prize winners. Their number was a duet, "The Moose River Mine",' Clifford playing the accompaniment on the guitar. Miss Marion Campbell has opened a beauty parlor in the barber shop of M. D. Irvine in Gorrie. The members of the Belgrave Women's Institute met at the home of Mrs. Carl Procter and elected Mrs. N. Keating president for another term. Vice presidents are Edith Procter and Mrs. H. Wheeler. Mrs. R. Procter Jr. is secretary and treasurer is Mrs. J. M. Coultes. APRIL 1960 John Crawford has completed his first year at Emmanuel College, Toronto, and has accepted a charge as student minister for the United Church in Saskat- chewan for the summer months. His charge will be at Cadillac, in the Cypress Hills district. Workmen this week in- stalled "sidewalk service" at the Bank of Commerce. A slotted opening in the west wall off the building will permit depositors to drop their money into the vault_ after ba11' `ngiiours: — . The Wingham Sportsmen's Association has just received the necessary equipment for trap shooting, which will be set up at their property in Turnberry just West of the town. We can predict 'keen interest in this latest ad- dition to the local sports agenda. Mr. and Mrs. H. D. McDonald moved from Teeswater to the village of Whitechurch, to Victor Emerson's house. David will work with the Towland Construction Co. for the summer. Miss Karen Swanson, nursing assistant at the Wingham General Hospital, was successful in passing the provincial examinations for Certified Nursing Assistants. See the hilarious comedy, "Some Life It Hot", with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, at the Lyceum Theatre this week. ciety, the Kidney Foundation, Diabetes Canada, the. Canadian Cancer Society and the Ontario Heart Foundation. Canadians have been very gen- erous In their support of such cam- paigns, but are,usually left to winder which of. these organizations is in greatest need of support. It is hoped that a federation of these organizations will provide for a fair allotment of funds according to practical needs. APRIL 1949 Old age pensions will be increased under legislation to be started through the Commons by Health MinsterMaktin. Aproposall to increase the basic, pension from $30 to $40 a month will be the major change in- troduced by the government. Ken Hingston, an em- ployee of The Advance - Times, joined the active army. He leaves next week for Shilo, Manitoba, for training. The Wingham firemen answered a call to Molesworth where a fire, swept through a service station, general store and egg grading station, with damage estimated at $40,000. The firemen kept the fire from spreading to a church and nearby homes. At a meeting of South Kinloss and Kinlough Presbyterian Churches, a unanimous call was ex- tended to Rev. Gordon S. Baulch of Teeterville. Work was started on the new home which Robert Graham plans to erect in the village of Gorrie. Cellar excavation was made in a few hours by Addie Jacques with his bulldozer, a job which would take men alone several days. Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Jardine and family of Westfield have moved into ° the house of George Cook's farm near Belgrave. APRIL 1970 Workmen have com- menced to operate on the lawns and walks in front of the town hall, in preparation, for a general beautification program that was approved by council last year. The plan call for landscaping and planting which will do a great deal to improve the appearance of the seat of local government. Business seems to be picking up at the local hospital, at least in the maternity department. -`There were s r s dun% the past week and that's above average. Maybe it's not an outdated custom after all! Gordon Seale, who has just completed his first year in the hotel and food ad- ministration course at the University of Guelph; has been engaged by the Wingham Golf Club. He will be in charge of the kitchen and bar at the club house for the spring, summer and early fall months. Mrs. Alex Graham was returned as president of the Gorrie Women's institute. Her vice presidents are Mrs. Raymond Gowdy and Mrs. Jack. Ferguson. Secretary- treasure'r is Mrs. Russell Adams. A general meeting of all senior citizens, both men and women, will be held in the town hall auditorium to discuss the forming of a P. Bailey is missed on Wingham council Dear Editor, Recently when Mrs. Bailey resigned from council, it came as a shock to the people of Wingham. Pat had a lot of drive and tenacity and believed in fair play. Her heart was with the working class. Only too well did she know the struggle, they have in paying taxes or rent. It was always uppermost in her mind to keep unnecessary spending to a minimum. On behalf of all of Pat's friends and supporters, we wish to express our gratitude for a job well done during her three and one-half years of dedicated service. We wish her well and how nice it would be to have more people like her. —Edward Rich in the Library PETS AND THEIR PEOPLE by Bruce Fogle For all pet lovers, this will prove a highly entertaining book. The author is a veterinarian with a sense of humor and also a great understanding of the bonds that tie owners to their pets. The text is enhanced by delightful drawings.' ATLAS OF ONTARIO by Metromap Travelers around Ontario will welcome this detailed atlas. Besides road ' maps, there are street maps of all the major cities and towns. i So if you are going to an address in an unfamiliar town, come in and checkit out. It might save you some time! BERLIN GAME by Len Deighton Another suspense tale from the master of the spy story. Treachery and false trails lead to murder. The name of the Berlin Game is knowing whom °you can trust. The hero, Samson, knows he must find the answer to that question = or face the loss of all he loves. senior citizens' club in Wingham. The meeting is organized through the Recreation Department and Director Jim Ward. Mr. and Mrs. Fraser Haugh and Eileen were honored by Wroxeter friends at a surprise gathering and were presented will. a wall clock. They have moved to the • Bluevale home which they bought from Arnold Lillow. a TODAY'S CHILD BY JUDITH ADAMS This appealing six- year-old needs to find the right adopting fam- ily. Michael is a 'good- natured little boy, and he's just crazy about cars. Whenever he's facing a new or stress- ful situation, he talks about cars or plays with them and feels much better. Usually he's a very animated, enthusiastic child. He does best playing with one or two children, rather than a big group, and he knows that about himself. He likes being with adults and communicates well with them. Michael has come a long 'wayin the past short whip He had very little chance to socialize when he was younger, and now he's really catching up. He's becoming much more relaxed with other children, and responsive ;to adults. He used to have trouble trusting grownups, especially women. Now he's becoming much more affectionate and he's more comfortable showing it with hugs and kisses. At six, Michael is still full of the wonder and joy of discovery, and his enthusiasm is contageous for those around him. He has a good sense of humour, and he doesn't mind teasing when he knows it's done in joking, fash- i:orh It would be good for Michael to have a fam- ily with perhaps one other child either older or several years youn- ger,' where he could still have the more - than -average amount of attention he has missed in his early life, and yet have that valu- able give-and-take that brothers and sisters provide. If you think you may ' be the family for Michael, please write to Today's Child, Min- istry of Community and Social Services, , Box 888, Station K, Toronto. Describe your family and your present way of life in your letter. t...the-4Ects straiit Lt.,pqI.iceSpendiflgL.6 Dear Editor, In your editorial of April .18, 1984, "Proceed with caution", youstate with regard to Chief Wittig, "His opinions about what is needed to run his depart- ment should be respected and, unless there is good reason,. councillors should be cautious about interfering. The short-term gain of a few. dollars on the ,bottom line could be wiped out if . the effect: were to create a 'lasting : rift between council and the chief." Perhaps, Mr. Editor, you should know about what you speak before you put your pen to paper. The Police Committee surveyed 13 local, similarly -sized municipalities and found it cost $18,705 more than the average to run the Wingham Police Department. This is due to three factors: 1. Over -staffing (source: Ontario Police Commission). 2. High wages (The cost is $24.63 per professional hour, according to the Ontario Police Commission Statistical Report, 1982.) 3. , ".Lack off management control over controllable cost (personal opinions after reviewing available data) . This year Chief Wittig requested $260,600 to run the department. This is 9.4 per cent over last year's budget. In an attempt to control, cost and bring cost into line, the • Police Committee cut $6,100 from the police budget request. As you feel this is only a few dollars on the bottom line, perhaps you would like to contribute this $6,100 to the town. I am sure. it would be gratefully ac- cepted., Your position is surprising because in the past The Advance -Times has been the first to complain about rising cost and taxes. I trust The Advance -Times is not promoting a double standard — the over -spending in one' department is acceptable while in another department it is unacceptable. Every department in the town was told to stay within and trim all budgets. You suggest a rift between. Chief Wittig and council should be avoided. I am sure if Chief Wittig brings his costs into line the rift would be avoided. In closing, I do not feel that Chief Wittig should have the sole say in what is needed to run his department and thereby have free access to our wallets as you suggest. Thank goodness we can rely on some competent people on the police committee to control cost and not The Advance -Times. In conclusion, to clarify another situation, bylaws should be enforced with plain common sense. You do not drive business people out of town, nor do you tear down houses. There should be fair and honest assessment of all situations for the benefit of the community. Patricia Bailey Wingham What about our grandchildren? Political hopefuls, are quick to dis- miss the threat posed by our national debt, due to the assumption that pay- ment of debts and increased unem- ployment go hand-in-hand. With all sympathy for the unemployed one can- not help wondering what our grand- children are going to think about the way their grandmother and grand- fathers handled money. The billions in debt p led up by the federal government are only the ob- vious tip of the iceberg. Add to those billions the debts of many crown cor- porations, which may eventually fall on the shoulders of the average taxpayer and we indeed have cause to worry. (Note that the horrendous debt owed by Canadair was recently shifted from that corporation to the taxpayers by the simple act, of declaring that we now Road employees receive increase Huron County Council etc- cently approved a five per cent salary increase for its road employees. • The hourly salary ranges are as 'follows (with 1983 salaries in brackets): labor ranges from $7.09 to $8.12 ($6.76 to $7.74) ; skilled labor $7.81 to $8.90 ($7.44 to $8.48); truck driver, light equip- ment and stockkeeper hourly salary, $7.69 to $9.76 ($7.33 to .35) ; grader operator and heavyequipment operator from $8.24 to $9.53 ($7.85 to $9.08; .foreman's assistant from $8.35 to $9.64 ($7.96 to $9.19); and mechanic from $8.81 to $10.12 ($8.40 to $9.64) . The yearly salary ranges are as follows with 1983 salaries in brackets: shop foreman from $22,568 ,to $25,792 ($21,502 to $24,570); maintenance, road construc- tion and bridge construction foreman, $23,712 to $26,572 ($22,594 to $25,325); survey party chief, from $22,880 to $25,792 ($21,814 to $24,570) ; engineering technologist from $27,378 to $28,548 ($26,078 to $27,196). own a debt -free company called New Canadair.) Whether or not the present popula- tion of Canada will be able to pay even the interest on these huge debts is a moot question. The next couple of gen- erations will have to finance this grow, ing burden out of an economy which may be less able to do so than we are. It is an acknowledged fact that industry is moving to the Third World countries where labor is much Tess costly. No one seems to have arty clear vision of what money -making activity wilt fill the. vacuum thus created. In ancient Rome 'the rulers con- tinued to spend fortunes on crowd - pleasing holidays until the entire hol- low structure colllpsed around their ears. We shouldawaken to reality before it is too late.