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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1977-08-10, Page 11,r. t+i�7 rf �I��•{ 1ti lltJi 'I 31 ,l. it ya, atl Jal'' 4f` -x fu twin. � Y 1;1y% it „9, a yr gni g�tf 74i "th AI' ii• ;i11' 4t. !y, v1 • E AD1A fl C •E 1' 1 1S Is the price right? During the past two years consumers have paid increasingly higher bills for electrical energy in Ontario. Hydro has asked for and has been granted several rate Increases (we have forgotten the actual number.) The average homeowner or businessman has complained surprisingly little as the, monthly or semi-monthly bills went up the ladder. There seems to have been general acknowledgement that with increased costs for both coal and oil and a sharp rise in labor rates, higher hydro bilis were inevitable. However, the consumer has to take the higher cost of energy in blind trust. Alan Schwartz counsel for the Ontario Municipal Electric Association (OMEA) has shattered that faith. Addressing the Ontario Energy Board last week he said, "There need be no price increase to consumers of electricityin Ontario in 1978.„ Ontario HydrQ has asked the Energy Board to approve an increase of 11.3 per cent •• to become effective January 1st. The OMEA says that through careful use of, windfall revenues, a reduced revenue requireme�,►t and Ontario government initiatives, increase in the price of electricity next year is not necessary. Schwartz, speaking for the OMEA, recom- mended that the excess revenues of $192 million arising from the unusual sale of n power to the United States duringthe winter er months, plus interest of $5 million, be returned to customers as a monthly credit during 1978, that the revenue requirement of • Hydro be adjusted by $61 million through a change in the accounting for the com- missioning of energy, thereby reducing the charge from $44 million to $4 million, by adjusting the in-service date for BrOce Plant No. 3 by two months as well as several other adjustments to reduce total spending. The spokesman described Ontario Hydro as a well-managed and carefully controlled organization, but expressed the OMEA position that the present, request , for rate increase is not viable. No sensible person in this province wants to see the future provision of electricity by Hydro endangered by lack of funds. But, on the other hand, Hydro's vast expenditures require the management ofersons p who may be somewhat out of touch with the exigencies of family financing in which any increasein the cost of living is a matter of grave concern. The Ontario Municipal Electric Association represents the con- sumers of the province — not just those giants of industry which use and can ob- vioujsly afford to pay for large power pur- cha$es — but more importantly it also speaks for the working man and woman and their families. If an increase is not totally necessary it should be denied. Old wives were. smart The attitude of sophistication which has been afforded us by science in the past half century has served to make most of the "old wives' tales” nothing more than supersti- tions. We have,a II but forgotten that those old maxims were often the culmination of centuries of experience. In times gone by farmers planted their seed at the proper phase of the moon, not because they had an explanation in terms of scientific reasoning, but simply because hundreds of generations had observed that they got better yields. (Recently we came across a delightful little book titled "Old Wives' Lore for Gar- deners”. Most of these old pieces of garden- ing -advice sound ridiculous but facinatiing. For example, when planting beans the bottom of the seed trench should be lined with hair _ horse, dog or human. Garlic will have a better flavor if olive pits are planted along with the seeds. Another emphatic piece of gardening guidance is that marigolds should be planted dose to and around every patch of vegetable garden. Personally we always thought that good gardeners added marigolds to their plantings simply for the sake of beauty, but our little book says that the roots of the flowers exude a life-giving vitality to the vegetables. Strawberries are particularly helped by the proximity of borage and sage, mint, thyme and rosemary are good for cabbages. Carrots, peas, beans and turnips all get along well together, but of these only carrots should be planted near onions or garlic. There is also a strong warning that mountain ash trees are just plain bad medicine for everything in your garden. Oh, well — these are just old wives' tales with, no vestige of scientific justification. Just the same, the way our own tomatoes look this year we wish we had spent an extra 75 cents for some marigold seed. Flushing out the drain Here in Canada we seem particularly adept at throwing money down the drain. There is little chance of the drain ceasing to function. We always have Tots more dollars to give it. exercise. The latest slop -over is some $52 million spent by the Canadian government to develop a high-speed hydro- foil at Halifax, hopefully to become a modern-day sub -chaser. Headed for the scrap heap, the ship has been asked for as an exhibit at the Cape Breton Island museum where many of Alexander Graham Bell's original inven- tions are housed. Since Bell was the first person to conceive of the hydrofoil principle it seems fitting that the ship should find its final resting place there. But surely it will trouble the great.man's spirit that one of his most useful ideas has been so tragically wasted. Understandably governments, like in- dividuals, must be permitted their mistakes from time to time. Unfortunately when governments make errors they are usually very big ones. Among the monumental' ones are the'Avro Arrow program, abandoned on the eve of perfection after millions had gone into its development. And there was the refitting of our one and only aircraft carrier, the Bonaventure. Millions upon millions went into the Bonnie's face-lift -- before she was sold for junk. Mistakes are understandable, even inevit- able, but the people who foot the bill should be entitled to an explanation. Why was the Arrow abandoned? Why was the Bonaven- ture refitted and then thrown away? Why has the hydrofoil been left standing in the stocks at Halifax for years after such a promising start? Is it a simple matter of Canadian cold feet or lack of adequate homework before such ventures are started? As the stockholders in this big corporation we call.Canada it would be nice to know. Mutual respect begets unity ( From the Nanticoke Times) There are a lot of people caught in the middle by the question of Quebec independence. There are those in Quebec who feel isolated from the rest of Canada, who are deeply hurt when their language is booed at a hockey game in Toronto but who don't really want to take the irrevocable step of cutting their ties with the rest of the country. And there are those in English Canada who dislike the way bilingualism and bicultur- alism have been implemented and worry about what appear to them unnecessary concessions to the French-Canadians but who would be devastated by a Canada without Quebec. These people are not the convinced sep- aratists who wish to leave regardless of the possibilities for change, nor are they the rabid Anglophones who think Canada would be better off without Quebec. These are the people who are looking for Serious reasons to keep Canada one nation and who are willing to recognize the reality that the present arrangemerft of Confed- eration is inadequate to meet the aspirations of Quebecers and also the aspirations of many non -Quebecers, especially in the Western Provinces. The fight for unity will not be won with economics; it will be won when we realize that Quebec is part of our definition of Canada and that Canada is part of Quebec's definition of itself. Unity comes from the - heart and the soul, not from sneering or name-calling and not from, provincial and federal treasuries. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham. Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulations ember — Canadian Community Newspapers Assoc. ubscription $12.00 per year , Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Ontario Weekly Newspapers Assoc. Six months $6.50 Return postage guaranteed A page of editorial opinion 1.4 -"r-';"•y�u',i Wednesdayi`August 10 ''fi.%vtll/�.<.. .'r::.:C4i:•:•il.,^,•: ii :{:t r::::ij:: f:'.i•, �,1.:::'r,'{ ! ...,_.___411111111111111111111.11111[1111111111111111_11111:• r r �'� �Yr: ../.•:. ... ....::.Hj/i •li :: ly. .: /.•%%� .li:l.:':::�i.:•fy:::• i;.F �f•/ Letters to the Editor Junior Citizens lauded Wingham Advance -Times Dear Editor: Two years ago we founded the Wingham Junior, Citizens. It was a shaky startand so many told me, "You won't last, three weeks,",and many other discouraging remarks. It was also said that the kids were not worth it and I was sticking my neck out a mile. But the Fun -Fest has, as so many times before re- affirmed my belief in our teen- agers. In all the times I have been involved in groups and organi- zations I have never had so much satisfaction. Never • did I ex- perience so much loyalty, so much drive, so much enthusiasm and belief in success in what ever they started. The JC's are a very positive 'group. They have again -proved it by organizing and running the Fun -Fest. They took on a giant task and came through in a beau- tiful way. Wingham shook at its roots from'thebeehive activities created by our young people, But what a tremendous load of work. Some of the -kids were stag- gering for lack of sleep and hours of work, but kept on going. One of my most pleasing observations was that we had the full co-opera- tion of all the .service 'clubs as well as some of the ch-urches which had 'fund-raising projects and turned over part of their pro- fits to the JC's. Many of the mer- chants took the trouble to go through another sidewalk sale. Business and local industries were very receptive and donated trophies. It is a commendable and a very gratifying fact that we noted a great upsurge of interest by the adult population of Wing - ham toward the JC's and their constructive activities. The adult people in Wingham should use the JC's as an exam- ple for the great things we all can do. I, for one have high hopes for the future of our town with to- day's high calibre of teenagers, who will be the adults of tomar- orw. Don't let them put us to shame. Let's do our part today. We adults still have a chance to show our ability, especially with the ploughing match and the cen- tennial coming up. If you want to do something now, please call Sandy Deslauriers. We are still in need of consultants for the JC's. As far as the JC's are concerned, my most profound congratula- tions. I am very proud of you. for a giant job well done. You will feel the real impact of 'your ac- complishment later in your life and at the same time you will be able to say, "I was part of it". Thanks kids, you were and are marvelous. A Keet CONGRATULATIONS ON FUN -FEST Wingham Advance -Times Dear Editor: As a proud parent and resident of Wingham, I would like to con- gratulate the Junior Citizens on their successful Fun -Fest. We who were close to those who worked so hard, realized how much it meant to them. My husband and 1 helped chap- erone the Teen Dance on the Thursday night. Never have I seen so many well-behaved young people at any such event. They were just great, and it was a pleasure to be there. Of course, we thought the music was loud, but they enjoyed every minute of it. I think it's about time we adults rallied behind our JC's and all the teens in town. For the few JC's who did most off the work it was a tremendous success. Congratula- tions "Kids"! We're proud of you! Norma Brenzil JC'S CONGRATULATED Aug. 6, 1977- , Dear Editor, We would like to take this op- portunity, to . congratulate the Wingham Junior Citizens on the success of their first annual Fun - fest. We would especially like to thank Kevin Netterfield, Brenda Foxton and Sandy Brenzil for the countless hours they put forth to make the Funfest a reality. We would also like to thank all those people who participated in the many Funfest activities. It was a real pleasure, to see so many groups and organizations work together during this event. Once again, thank you JCs. We sure are proud of you:. Ian and Sandi Deslauriers JC'S SAY THANKS Dear Editor, ' I would like to thank everyone who helped in anyway in making Wingham's first annual Funfest a success. The number of people -,.whoparticipated is endless but everyone has to be thanked. First, I would like to thank all the groups who put on the events for us. The Kinsmen for the beer gardens, the Lions Club for the bicycle parade and penny carni val, the businessmen for holding their sidewalk sale on our week- end, CKNX for holding a well run slowpitch tournament, to the United Church Women for hold- ing a delicious pancake breakfast and to everyone in Wingham who participated in the noise minute. I would especially like to thank everyone who participated in all the events as their support was very much appreciated and very necessary to the success of the Funfest. I would like to thank all the companies and businessmen who donated trophies, prizes and prize money. The individual peo- ple who helped are countless. A' few are Bertha Miller and Don Delenage with endless amounts of support and advice and Audrey Currie who gave her time and ex- perience in all our ideas. I would like to thank Des Brophy who gave us grea?amounts of support and the use of his truck When we needed it. I also appreciate the use of Middleton home Funish- ing's truck because without Bob Middleton's generosity, the bar- becue would have been eaten on the arena floor. •I would also like to thank Frank Ohm, Tom MacLean and Pat Orien who drove us around when we had to pick up tickets. I would especially like to thank all the Wingham JC's who de- voted their time, helping make this a success. I want to thank ap- .preciatively Sandy Brenzil and Brenda Foxton, assistarit chair- men who did a lot of the work to make this idea go over. Without their help the Funfest .would never have happened. A lot of people were involved. Some I may have forgotten, if I did I am sorry. The support everyone has given us has defi- nitely encouraged us to hold Wingham's second annual Fun - fest next year. f Kevin Netterfield a Wingham JC's s New :Books . he Library THE LADY WHO LOVED NEW YORK by R. L. Gordon This is the story, .of Aliee s" r- rington Melville, a 95 year old grandmother living in Van- couver and recalling her girlhood days among the prominent and wealthy New York families, Here are the Vanderbilts, Whitneys and Rockefellers, among many others, with theirhabits and atti- tudes — and of course their par- ties. TRACING YOUR ANCESTRY; A Step -by -Step Guide to Research- ing Your Family History by F. Wilbur Helmbold There iS a natural instinct in all of us to know the biographies of our ancestors. Certainly it is an instinct close to all Americans. This book has been written and edited not only to launch you on the path to researching your an- cestry, but,wto lead you by the v hand through therather complex maze of available source mate- rial to an understanding of how to accomplish the job. FIRST PERSON SINGULAR; Living the Good Life Alone by Dr. Stephen M. Johnson This remarkable book could raise the consciousness of mil- lions of single men and women. Forget the slick . magazine lay- outs of smiling swinging singles lolling by poolside or furnishing cozy apartments with little money and lots of imagination. According to clinical. psycholo- gist Stephen M. , Jahnson, many men and women who are single would realty rather be married or living with a friend — anything but single. QUEENS OF BRITAIN by Norah Lofts • Norah Lofts' superb new book is an evocation off English history seen through the eyes — some- times anguished, sometimes amused—of our sovereign ladies and the consorts of our previous sovereigns. In a year in which Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 25 years on the throne of EngIand, it is fitting to publish a book in which her predecessors make their appearance; their success- es, their mistakes, their dangers and wars as well as their high moments of happiness, pomp and power. THEY WERE RAGTIME by Warren Forma Stronger and stranger than any fiction, this documentary account of the, breathtaking historic fi- gures who peopled the Ragtime era floods the imagination with resh insights into the thoughts nd deeds of the people who - haped the America of today. SLOW PITCH—Unidentified batter cracks out a hit during the slow pitch tournament held during Fun -Fest. A team from the Bruce Inn, Kincardine, emerged as overall winners of the tournament, which attracted 12 teams from as far away as London. CKNX Try Herds organized the tournament and donated the championship and consolation trophies. An MVP award donated by the Manor Hotel, Wingham, went to Butch Mclvor of the Bruce Inn team. TODAY'S CHILD BY HELEN ALLEN David, with the engaging smile is 10, a healthy, handsome lad who very much wants to be adopted He has only one concern He\is fearful lest his adopting father might expect a super athlete, arid though David plays . baseball and hockey he is not really keen on team sports His preference is for activities like swimming, skating, bike riding, camping Because of some unsettled years David is living in a small institution for children with emotional problems , While there he has overcome a deep distrust of people and he now has good relations with staff and other children He is ready to belong to a family. David had earlier troubles in' school but as his personal difficulties improved so did his work He did well in Grade four this past year He is reliable and trustworthy and adults find him good company. David needs a mother and father with patience and un- derstanding who will give him much love and reassurance that he is indeed their son. it will be especially good if there is an older brother in his adopting family. To inquire about adopting David, please write to Today's Child, Ministry of Community and Social Services, Box 888, Station K, Toronto M4P •2H2. in your letter tell something of your present.family and your way of life. For general information about adoption contact your local Children's Aid Society. GO! ! !—A Brophy Tire team jumps off to an early lead in one of the bed races held during the JCs' Fun -Fest. Belfast Slow Pitch won the adult division in the races, with the Brophy Queens taking the teen division. DRMCO Fitters won the adults' most original prize and Wingham Centen- nial Pool won most original for the teens. .icwdWdY^"Alit/ lam'9?m..w".9.,, • • m.km Baa.>n