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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1971-08-12, Page 4PAGE 4 ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS SIB .00 ee College voter in unfair position It used to be that the Lord giveth and the Ford taketh away. With regard to recent changes in provincial legislation, lowering the age of accountability to 18 years, it would seem that Premier William Davis is the one who gives and takes. On the one hand Mr. Davis gives 18-yeak-olds the right to vote - a move that surprised no one and was long due. Then he turns around and makes it difficult for a number of young adults to exercise their franchise by not allowing polling booths to be set up on college campuses. In order to vote, university students will either have to make it to their home riding, or appoint a proxy to vote for them. Technically, Premier Davis is right in saying that for those who want to vote, this will not prove to be ahardship. But why make it difficult for people to vote? Opposition parties charge the Conservatives, while appearing to be with, if not ahead of, the times, are really afraid of what a large youth vote will do to their majority and are therefore throwing a few stories in the pathway. If this is so, then the OCs could be making a big mist- ake. It might be that university students favor the Liberals or the NDP, but surely a number"of them would cast their ballot in favor of the Conservatives - if voting were as easy for them as for the next fellow. As it now stands, it would appear to us that there is at least a 50-50 chance that the PCs will regret their decision. It is just possible the students favouring the opposition parties will adopt the 'We're No. 2, so we try harder attitude with upsetting re- sults for the PCs. Along the same vein was the government's decision to ignore an all -party committee recommendation to have one-half of the returning officer -polling clerk team a member of the opposition party. Instead the Conservatives decided in favor of leaving things as they now stand, giving them the opportunity of naming party faithfuls to the job This kind of thing along with jerry-mandering has been going on ever since the two, or multi-party system came into being. It isn't going to be stopped overnight, but surely at a time when some parties are actually talking and limiting the amount that can be spent on any one election campaign, this kind of blatant conniving to cajole the party faithful into making that extra effort can be phased out. It is somewhat disappointing to see Premier Davis, after ta„ing a strong, individual stand on such an explosive matter as the Spadina Expressway, give way to party pressure on matters like these. (Listowel Banner) Sigh of relief! There is little doubt that most Ontario farmers will be breath- ing deep sighs of relief following the publication of Finance Min- ister Edgar Benson's latest tax proposals. Had his original White Paper plans been put into effect, the concept of the family farm business would have been destroyed. Confiscatory taxation of the most savage type would have stripped Canada's rural dwellers of their landholdings and quality livestock. Now the future looks relatively bright. Federal estate taxes are to be abolished January 1, 1972; a most welcome move. In their place, Mr. Bensaon plans a capital gains tax imposed at the death of the surviving married partner. Moreover, the effects of this can be greatly reduced if farm holdings are incorporated by the end of this year. More serious is the fact that along with the federal capital gains tax there goes a provincial sucession duty. True, the ceiling below which the tax is not paid has been raised recently to $250, 000; but on a growing number of heavily capitalized Ontario farms this is no protection. In addition, as inflation continues on the rampage, that $250, 000 may not be such a large sum in 10 years from now. Unfortunately, many farmers and even some farm leaders may not take this paint into account. Despite all the howls about the ever-increasing costs of production, few equate this with inflation and instability of the dollar. A succession duty on top of a capital gains tax is grossly un- fair and quite unjustifiable. If the family farm is to be passed intact from one generation to another, it has to be; abolished. Over the next few weeks Ontario Provincial Treasurer Darcy Mc - Keough should call his officials together - and with one stroke of the pen rid Ontarians of a particularly reprehensible tax. Such a move would earn him the deep and lasting gratitude of farm people. We feel that farmers will view with great displeasure some of the comments made by provincial politicians in Ottawa last week. They seemed panic-stricken at the thought of losing extra revenue from their share of estate taxes. Our advice to them would be to place a ceiling on government spending - and to start living within tougher departmental budgets. (Farm and Country) ZURICH Citizens NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISHERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB TURKHEIM, Publisher Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 AM" Member: Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association s, Ontario Weekly Newspapees Association et AO Subscription rtes: $4.00 per year ion advance iiem (Ca<mrax $5.00 in United States and Foreign; single copies 10 cents Just a collection of notes this week. Don't try to find any co- herence in them. I noticed in one of my favour- ; ite weeklies that an old friend of mine had been arrested for being drunk. When he turned up in court the following Tuesday, he was so drunk he had to be taken away for another week. This takes some ingenuity, But I'm not surprised. Same chap some years ago, when his house was burning, threw his six child- ren out the upstairs window into the snow. Saved them all. Why don't people ever listen to me? At least ten years ago, in this space, I said firmly that Red China should be recognized admitted to the U, N. and that silly old dictator, Chiang Kai Shek, turfed into the Indian Ocean or somewhere, The columr was received with real anger in some places. Now, everybody and his brother is buttering up the real Chinese and pouring cold water on the phoney Chinese on Formosa. Oh well, even my wife won't listen to me, so why should the politicians? And speaking of that woman, who has made my life a roller- coaster of ups and downs, she pulled another one recently. I'd been muttering for months about a colour TV set. Each time, she stated unequivocally, which is the only way she ever states, that we couldn't afford it with two child- ren at university, the mortgage, the insurance coming due, and yak, yak, yak. Each time I subsided, as is my wont, and also because I didn't really care. Hardly ever watch the stupid thing anyway. So, I came home late one afternoon, a couple of weeks ago, and there she was, playing with the buttons on a huge, expensive colour TV set. It's been here since, "on trial, " and I've been subjected to endless hours of discussion about colours. Its been worse than those unspeakably boring sessions we've had over the years on decorating. Do I like the mushroom with the lime green? Do I not think that the teal in the drapes will clash with the off -blue in the rug? That sort of thing. At no time could I have cared less if she had painted everything midnight black, but I had to pre - Photography r Children • Portraits • Weddings • COLOR or BLACK & WHITE HADDEN'S STUDIO GODERICH 118 St. David St. 524-8787 tend I cared, or there'd have been an ou-burst of tears and recriminations. "You just don't care, do you? Other men are interested in their homes. I'm doing my best to make our home' beautiful and you just sit there with that look on your face!" And so on. It was like that with the TV set. Didn't I think there was too much orange? Why wasn't the green coming up more vividly? I finally called the dealer and said we'd keep it. That's the way I buy a car. I don't shop around trying all the models. I just wall< around the beast, kick the tires, and make a deal. The other woman in my life is about as much trouble. She is more convinced than ever that capitalism is beastly, and that she is an exploited slave of the system. As I was driving her home from work the other day, she exploded bitterly, "I only made eight lousy dollars in tips today!" I had to bite my lips so hard it drew blood. Those tips, plus her wages, made it $20 for an eight-hour day. My first job paid one dollar a day, for a twelve- hour day, seven days a week. (Kim's opinion of the capitalist system is seasonal . It bothers her not in the least to milk the old man, for a cool $2, 000 when she's not working, but going to school.) Finally, another woman has entered my life, out of the shad- ows before I was born. Back in June, when I had a birthday, I challenged readers to guess my age. Some charming people sug- THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1971 gested 48, 49. One miserable old editor, Jing Nesbitt of Brooks Alta„ had the indecency to sug- gest 54. But Mable McRoberts of New Liskeard, Ont., was dead on. She named my parents, my older brother and sister, the street on which we lived, and described the house we lived in. She knew the exact year in which I was born. She had been a high- school girl boarding in town. The people with whom she was board- ing carne down with the terrible 'flu of that era. My mother took her in for a month. Women. Nothing is sacred, even a man's age. Farm sold Golden Arrow Farm, owned by Alvin Walper, on the Bronson Line, Dashwood north, has been sold to Ernest Miller. Mr. Walp- er is planning an auction sale on the premises, August 25. Mr. Walper plans to devote his full time to the auctioneering busin- ess in the future. DICK and DAVE'S PLUMBING and ELECTRICAL Dick Rau Dave Durand 236-4607 565-5281 "Service that Satisfies" Business and Professional Directory OPTOMETRISTS J. E. Longstaff OPTOMETRIST SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE 527-1240 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat- urday a.m., Thursday evening CLINTON OFFICE 10 Issac Street 482.7010 Monday and Wednesday Call either office for appointment. Norman Martin OPTOMETRIST Office Hours: 9.12 A,M, — 1:30-6 P.M. Closed all day Wednesday Phone 235.2433 Exeter Robert F. Westlake Insurance "Specializing In General Insurance" Phone 236-4391 — Zurich Guaranteed Trust Certificates 51% 1 & 2 Years 3 & 4 Years 7% 5 YEARS 8% J. W. HABERER ZURICH PHONE 236-4346 AUCTIONEERS ALVIN WALPER PROVINCIAL LICENSED AUCTIONEER For your sale, large or small, courteous and efficient service at all times. "Service That Satisfies" DIAL 237-3300 — DASHWOOD FUNERAL DIRECTORS WESTLAKE Funeral Home AMBULANCE and PORTABLE OXYGEN SERVICE DIAL 236-4364 — ZURICH ACCOUNTANTS Roy N. Bentley PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT GODERICH P.O. Box 478 -Dial 524-9521 INSURANCE For Safety . 0 0 EVERY FARMER NEEDS Liability Insurance For Information About All Insurance — Call BERT KLOPP DIAL 236-4988 — ZURICH Representing CO-OPERATORS INSURANCE ASSOCIATION