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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1969-06-19, Page 12PAGE TWELVE ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1969 The International Scene (by Raymond Canon) A question which people often ask is which countries have the highest standard cyf living. Nat- urally the answer is generally that the United States and Can- ada are about the highest, al- though it Must be admitted that the Swedes arc giving us a good run for our money. Actually the meaning of the expression "high standard of living" is rather vague to most people, and as far as they are concerned, it means the country where you can get the most for the money you earn. In order to make a good comparison you have to equate the standard in terms of how long it takes a person to work in order to buy a certain object. For example, if we accept the fact than rhe average teachers earns about S7, 000 per year, it will -take about ]half a year to buy a new car. In another country it may tale a reacher one, two or even three to hu) the same style of car. It is important to remember this since people often get the idea that prices in some countr- ies are cheap while others are expensive. To illustrate this, when I was living in Spain, one could get a haircut for :) pesetas or about 1:' cents our money . This Is much les: than the price of a haircut in Canada, and so it is easy to ger tate idea that life in Spain is tnuclt cheaper than here. This is true, bur only in terms of our income. if a Spanish worker earns only pesetas a da) a haircut is much more expensive for him tliari it is for us here. 11e may have to work over an hour just to earn enough money to get his cut, while here we can do it in less than an hour. liens: life in Spain is actually titer: expensive than in Canada, and therefore, the standard of living is lower. While we admittedly have a standard of living higher than most countries, it does not necessary follow that this will continue to be so. If our wakes do nor rise as fast as prices, the net result will be a lower stand- ard. This is not to say that wages should automatically be increased at a higher rate than prices, since it is letter to try to keep prices down than to raise wages too rapidly, However, there is no doubt that over tate past twenty years there has hceu a continual rise in our standard of living, and let's hope that it goes that way. but let's not forget that with this increased standard of living there will he some inherent hazards. For one tiling the pace of daily life seems to increase, our divorce and suicide rates grow, and the poorer ele- ments of the population often fail to keep pace with the in- crease. indeed it is one of the anoinalities of Canadian society that there is so much poverty in the midst of plenty. Other eauntries lool< upon us with a certain amount of envy, and yet Switzerland, with a lower stand- ard of living that he have, has far less poverty than Canada or even the Americans for that matter, What some countries have succeeded in doing that we have not done so far is balancing the national income tour: even- ly tliat while the standard of living may not he as high tis it is dere, neither is tile_ poverty level. Tr all adds up to the fact that \.Mile he may have one of the hi;g]hest standards of living in the world, we still have a loci way to go before we will he able to itiake this standard uniformly high. 0 E\1\L\N1'1'1. UCW \11:I:TING The highlight of tate Emmanuel t'C1y" June meeting was the show- ing, of slides on South America by the ;guest speaker Mrs. Lph- ri.un Cin<ierich. Mrs. Hoffman chaired the meetitt;g, and opc0 it with the call to worship. Several livnuhs were stats followed by a poem "Loving Words"given icy Mrs. Rrcake) and Mrs. Rader favoured with a duet. The Scripture has read respon- sively fcillowed by prayer in un- ison. A solo by Nlaura Gascho was enjoyed. The offering was received. The June worship to- pic was presented by Miss \ieda Surerus. The business session followed the worship service. eSczez`a,-'ke°endo e, - . OMBINE OWNERS' CLINIC Sponsored By Your Ford Tractor and Equipment Dealer • Owners of All Makes Invited! Wed., June 25 7:30 p.m. LARRY SNIDER MOTORS MAIN ST 4( Refreshments and Door Prizes On Wednesday, .irate 11 at t:•l:a p.m. a truck operated by John 13, Pryde of Exeter was pulling a trailer west on No. 01 County Rd, when tate trailer carte loose and went into the north ditch and damaged a farm fence. Damage •:stintated at :27th, Provincial Constable F. L. Giffin investi- gated. On Thursday, June 1:3 at 4:4:) p. M. a car operated by James W Bishop of Grand Bend, lost con- trol on No. 81 Highway durins; a heavy rain storm and struck three. 1),11.0). guide posts. Damage estimated at $:;:)hi. Provincial Constable P. 1.. Giffin investi- gated. On rrida), .Rule L't at t1:1.:, p. m a ear operated hS Charles A, Martin of RR :t Exeter, collided with a farm tractor operated by Whitney Coates of Exeter on No, G County Road. Charles 1\lartin suffered head lacerations, right knee lacerations and possible chest injuries. Muriel \lartiht suffered lacerations to head, a broken pelvis, puncture wounds to both legs, and a broken right wrist. Whitney Coates suffered lacerations to the forehead, chin and a possible concussion. The damage was estimated at $2, ;no. Provincial Constable D. A. La- niont investigated. On Saturday, June 1.1, at lo:2:) p.m. a car operated by 1). \Itir- ray Elliott of R122 Centralia, col- lided with a car operated by Gar- net R. Thorne of London, on No. i1 County Road at an entrance to Huron Park. Damage estitoated at $27:). Provincial Constable 1) A. Lamont investigated, Independent Shipper to UNITED CO-OPERATIVE OF ONTARIO LIVESTOCK DEPT. TORONTO Ship Your Livestock With Roy Scotchmer Monday Is Shipping Day From Varna Stockyard CALL BAYFIELD 565-2636 By 7:30 a.m. Monday For Prompt Service BALL - MACAULAY BUILDING SUPPLIES CLINTON 482-9514 SEAFORTi'I 527-0910 HENSALL 262-2713 "SPECIAL of the WEEK" Stec Standard Guage Galvanized 1035 Roofing Minimum quantity 15 squares THIS IS YOUR LAST C T INSURE YOUR H ANCE 1969 BEAN CROP June 25th, or 10 days after final seeding, is the last chance you have to insure your 1969 crops of White Beans. Act Now Don't Be Disappointed Robert Westlake Robert F. Westlake Insuran e PHONE 236-4391