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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1981-12-30, Page 4t ADVAACE TI 0 • . Atw.'il . ofvtgii 1,4r,11 5 n BLUE R'BBOt'4 A'.A. A R D 1981. Z je ingjjan1 IbbancefZitne. Published al Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited Robert O. Wenger, Sec..Treas. "Bill Crump, Advertising Manager Barry Wenger, President Henry Hess, Editor 9 .744. Member Audit Bureau of Cirdilations Member — Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc. Subscriptions $17.00 per year Six months $10.00 Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Return postage guaranteed • 1( • 41 Winter of our discontent The media, which is fast becoming the whipping boy for every irritated.t politician, has been accused of spread- ing doom and gloom throughout the land. The media, however, have the responsibility for telling things like they really are, and the truth is that doom and gloom are sharp realities at the present time. True, there are still great numbers of Canadians who have money to spend, but at the same time nearly a million Canadians are out of work. Add to that statistic the numbers who are in danger of losing their homes In the battle of bank interest; again add the fact that housing has become so scarce and expensive that the prime minister himself predicts many of today's young marrieds may never own homes, and you have a picture sufficiently gloomy to merit comment in the nation's press. VELA itt Tea ZAWD/E, DON'T SPECT AfYY gagioThe owvoehvc.Ayveyver cegRePi 6v The net result is a new public attitude about national and provincial leaders. Canadians have a growing fear that upper -bracket leaders are more In- terested in their own personal power than they are in the problems their electors face. The long wrangle over the constitution, the costly delay in presentation of a budget and the calamitous tax clauses it contained certainly do not point to a deep concern on the part of our leaders for the fate of the citizens who must pay the bills. The year 1982 promises to be a difficult one for the average family and unless there is a change of attitude on the part of those who are directing affairs of state 1982 may turn out to be the point at which established political parties began the slide toward defeat in their next elections. Obligations of the press Extensive television promotion Is currently being devoted to a recently - released movie, "Absence of Malice". Although we have not seen the film as yet, we understand the theme of the picture revolves on the efforts of one man to clear his name after a big news- paper has printed a story about him which is not true. The young reporter who has written the story appears to be totally hard- nosed in her determination to stick by her portrayal of the man as something less than a desirable citizen. Naturally the movie seeks to convince its audiences that big newspapers are careless of their facts and that any individual would have a tremendous battle on his hands to prove the truth in such a case. Two prominent and reliable Cana- dian journalists were Interviewed about their response to the film and both were quite critical of the entire picture. They contended that the reporter broke almost every rule In the book of sound journalism and that she would undoubtedly have lost her job in real life. Obviously these two men did not want responsible newspapers con- fused with the scurrilous weekend tabloids which have appeared on news stands in recent years. Recently we happened upon an editorial carried by The Creemore Star which aptly describes the role of the newspaper in modern society. Here it is: On the news pages the responsible newspaper is obligated to present as unbiased a version of the news as humanly possible. When an issue is in dispute the responsible newspaper will try to present both sides of the picture to the best of its albility. But in its editorial columns the honest newspaper will present only its own viewpoint on a given subject. It would be dishonest for the newspaper to argue the other side, the side it believes wrong. The editorial page is the opinion page. Subtract the opinion page and, obviously, you have a newspaper without a heart. A nation's newspapers are consider- ed the "fourth estate", or the unofficial element of free government to go along with the legislative, judicial and executive branches. The editorial page is the proper place where a responsible newspaper exer- cises it obligations of leadership. This is not to say there is no place on the editorial page (or next to It) for the opposite opinion. The "letter-to=the- editor" column has developed into an integral part of the editorial page. There are other areas in which many readers do not recognize the beginning and end of a newspaper's responsibili- ties and obligations. For one, many readers bel leve that a newspaper "must" cover ail . events brought to its attention; or "must" delete news of a certain type. The newspaper's responsibilities in some areas are moral ones. In some cases there is no moral obligation. And in no case is there a legal obligation as to news coverage. The newspaper is a private enter- prise, just as the shoe repair shop or the steel mill. Those in charge of its management are free to adopt a course which will alienate a segment of its readership — or advertisers — and they often do. Of course, the newspaper business, is' like all other businesses. Capital and knowledgeable effort — knowledgeable to the highest degree that manage- ment can muster — are risked in the open market with .the hopeof profit. Alienation of enough customers for a long period will cause the enterprise to founder, and this also must be a consideration of management. Which brings us to a vital fact of newspaper Iife: the newspaper, like all other business ' ventures,' owes it to itself to be profitable. Because no newspaper can be truly a member of the free press unless it Can achieve a degree of financial indepen- dence. This requires, first, a strong readership, a circulation which repre- sents a healthy dominance of the circulation potential under today's highly competitive conditions. And it requires a substantial amount of adver- tising spread among a large number of clients so that when one or more large advertisers attempt to modify editorial policy, management can swallow hard and, if necessary, tell the advertiser where to go. If the newspaper lacks even the financial wherewithall to weather a tempest in a teapot the community suffers. Beyond the physical appear- ance of the community, it is the newspaper which primarily represents that community in the area beyond. A strong, healthy, vigorous, courageous newsp per is a community asset. The newsp er which is scared of its shadow is not Handling a tough job The Renfrew Mercury says that school bus drivers are not recognized often enough for the tremendous service they perform. It's a job that's far more difficult than most members of the public realize. There's much more involved ,ith n simply driving the vehicle to and from school. First of all, the passengers are children. Couple the kids' spontaneous enthusiasm with the normal hazards of the road and you've got a job that would test the nerves of the most hardy. It's a tremendous responsibility, ferrying our children every day, morning and evening. The hours are hardly enviable. And how many people take the time to personally thank the men and women who drive the school buses? More often than not other drivers will complain about having to stop for a school bus or ending up in a long line of traffic behind one. And every day a driver will break the law by passing a school bus while the red lights are flashing. If they could only realize how potentially dangerous this action Is! Children boarding or disembarking will often, without thought, cross the highway, secure in the knowledge that the law protects them. The schools are doing their best to educate the children on the dangers involved, but kids will be kids. The penalty, upon conviction of breaking this law is, at present not a very stiff one. Consideration should be given to increasing the penalty, in light of the very grave consequences. So, all year long, give special thought to those big chrome and yellow vehicles. And pass along a word of thanks to the drivers. They deserve it. Items from Old Files DECEMBER 1934 About 9 a.m. Monday, what might have been a very serious fire was stopped by the firemen at the Wingham Creamery. Damage is estimated at $2,000. The Evening Auxiliary of the Wingham United Church elected Mrs. W. A. Galbraith president. Vice presidents are Miss Blanche Bennett, Miss J. Murray and Mrs. G. L. Baker. Secretary is Mrs. A. W. Irwin and treasurer is Miss Minnie Barber. Fire swept through the anterior of . the Blyth Woollen Mills and destroyed a large stock of goods. The flames originated in a dry kiln and spread rapidly, despite ef- forts of the Blyth Fire Department. The school board has chosen Miss Grace Fuller of St. Marys and Miss Honey as new teachers at the Teeswater Continuation. School. Melvin McLennan df Teeswater will be the new principal of the Teeswater Public School, taking the place of Miss Alexander. J. A. Brandon of Belgrave, who has had the Delco lighting system in his home for many years, has now hooked up to the hydro. The annual meeting of the Women's Missionary Society of the Bluevale United Church was held in the church. New officers were elected, with Mrs. J. Breckenridge the president, Mrs. R. Shaw vice president, Mrs. J. Curtis secretary and Mrs. A. Shaw treasurer. DECEMBER 1946 A long and active life ended when Wingham's oldest resident; Tom K. Powell, passed away. Had he lived one more day he would have celebrated his inOth birthday. - At the annual high school commencement exercises, scholarships were presented to Ross Procter, Norma Brydges, Dawna Walker, Mary Darling and Alice Laidlaw. Field Day athletic awards were won by Lorna Dunbar, Hilda Pletch, Maxine Cowan, Barbara Irwin, Grant Ernest, Murray Stainton and William Lock - ridge. In a few weeks the Wingham General Hospital will be issuing an annual statement and everyone should watch for it. Even through the period that the new wing was under con- struction, the care of the sick was constantly carried out by Mrs. Morrey and her staff. The following year gives every.- indication of being a banner year in our hospital history. Mrs. A. W. Irwin, Mrs. J. Reavie, Miss M. Barber, Mrs. W. L. Kress, Mrs. R. Hobden, Miss Alice Heard and Mrs. F. Madill were elected to lead the Evening Auxiliary of the United Church when the Christmas meeting was held at the home of Mrs.' James Hamilton. Mrs: W.. J. Henderson and Mrs. W. Williamson were awarded Women's Institute Life Memberships in appre- ciation of their years of attendance and wonderful support to the Wingham branch. Two Whitechurch girls, Roberta Mowbray and Miss McInnis, are engaged in Stedman's Store, Wingham, for the Christmas season. DECEMBER 1957 At the CKNR staff Christ- mas party a pen and pencil set was presented to a staff member, Mel Keating, who has accepted a position with the PUC in Exeter and will leave Wingham in January. At the meeting of East Wawanosh Council, Nelson Patterson' was chosen to represent the township on the Goderich Collegiate Institute Board, Walter McGill on the Clinton board and Frank Thompson on the Wingham High School Board. New Books in the Library REMiEM1BRANCE by Danielle Steel This is a novel of a love so tumultuous, it takes two generations to fulfill, it begins in the bitter turmoil of post -World War iI Italy where , ,19 -year-old Serena returns home from war years went in the safety bf an Arherican convent. She finds her family dead and her gracious childhood home sold. When Serena meets Major Brad Fullerton, it seems like the end to all her bad dreams. Their joy is darkened by the disapproval of Brad's family and a secret that follows them to their new home in San Francisco. NIGiIT WiND by Roberta .Jean ,Mountjoy As beautiful as the panoramic vista of 19th - century Western .America, is this passionate tale of love between Marcus Opalgate and his cherished Indian princess, Night Wind. The authentic tribal lore and the sweep and breadth of the land make this novel a vivid epic as searingly beautiful as it is grippingly taut. • Mr. and Mrs. Alan MacKay , and family will leave the latter part of the week to take up residence in Wallaceburg where Mr. MacKay is employed with Crossett Motors. Cal Burke of Wingham was elected president of the Walkerton and district zone 11 of Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario at a meeting of the zone held in Walkerton. Harry Gowdy has pur- chased the R. J. Hueston and Son coal and lumber business at Gorrie, also the chicken crate manu- facturing. He has sold his farm in Howick Township to Tom Inglis. Mrs. D. McPherson will lead the Behnore Presby- terian WMS during the next year, with her vice presidents . being Mrs. , G. Appleby and Mrs. A. Mun- dell. DECEMBER 1967 Winners in the hospital Christmas windows contest were Bob Hollenbeck, Mrs. Charlie Lee, Mrs. Doug Skinn and Miss M. McLeod. Fire destroyed the two- storey frame home of Fred Deacon on the tenth con- cession of East Wawanosh Township, despite the efforts of the Wingham and District Fire Department who bat- tled the blaze for hours . in below -freezing tem- peratures. The Government of On- tario introduces H.I.R.B. (Health Insurance Registration Board). If you have either Ontario Medical Services Insurance Plan 4j .! ODAY c.I . 14E1010 iALLEN Dougie has Just turned three. He is a cheery, healthy fellow full of life and the excitement of exploring new places. He loves especially anything that' involves climbing/and he has no fear. . Dougle is small for his age and because his bones are not growing at the average rate, he is not likely to be a big man. He is also behind in speech, though he certainly understands whatever is said to him. It is expected he will learn to talk however, even though late. Indian in descent, Dougle has registered Indian status. He is alert and affectionate, an easy child to live with because of his amiable disposition. He needs parents who will love him as he is and not worry about his slow development. He should live where special education and speech therapy are available. To inquire about adopting Dougle, please write to Today's Child, Ministry of Community and Social Ser. vices, Box 888, Station K, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2112. In your letter tell something of your present family and your way of life. (OMSIP) or Ontario Hospital Insurance (OHI), you will. soon be hearing from the new board, set up to act as an agency for botkinsurances. Mr, d Mrs,. ; Bruce Thompsolan"dfa'mymoved into the apartmdetat above Russell Chapman's store in the village of Whitechurch until their house, which was damaged by fire last week, is repaired. Don Hoist Real Estate Ltd. is pleased to announce that Mrs. Annalisa • Fitzsimmons of Wingham has joined the staff of the. Wingham office. The 1968 officers were installed+ -at • the meeting of the St. Andrew's Goforth Evening Auxiliary. Mrs: ' Ed Beard is president, Mrs. B. Feagan and Mrs. Bob McKague vice presidents. Mrs. Redmond MacDonaki is secretary and Mrs. J. Day treasurer. SNOWMEN, BIG AND SMALL, were noticed in front of the Bill Keil residence last Wednesday afternoon. The Keil children, Tharen, Kristin and Marc, must have been very busy constructing the snowmen and the snow fort. 1