Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1973-05-03, Page 1NO. 18 FIRST WITH THE LOCAL NEWS THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1973 15¢ PER COPY 25 YEAR MEMBERS - Thirty members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Hensall Branch 468, were honoured last Saturday night at a special banquet in the Legion Hall, and were presented with their pins in recognition of their service. Some of the group who were present at the banquet are shown in this photo following the presentation. Back row left to right, John Skea, Al Scholl, Jack Simmons, Howard Adkins. Middle row, left to right, William Petty, Wilmer Dalrymple, Dave Sangster, Ernie Davis, Garnet Allan; front row left to right, Harry Horton, Wilfred Goodwin, Ed Munn, Sam Dougal, Peter McNaughton and Orville Taylor. e (by Shirley 1. Keller) County Clerk Treasurer John Berry presented the 1973 budget at last Thursday's session of Huron County Council. Member: passed the document quickly and easily causing Berry to com- ment, " I had better luck than John White." "There is no increase in the demands on local municipalit- ies for this year, " Berry told council. "Any extra money have been taken from the surplus At the end of 1972 the surplus totalled $317, 875 and if this budget were followed exactly as presented, by the end of 1973 the surplus would have been reduced to $110, 411. In other words, we are using app- roximately $215, 000 of surplus funds in order that the demands on the taxpayer will not in- crease." The total budget calls for over five million dollars. Of that amount, $3, 402, 543 comes from county sources; the rest is funded by government. The Hon. John White was mentioned again during the session when the Planning Board report was read. Chairman Gir- vin Reed noted that while the official plan had gone to the Ministry of Treasury, Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs it had not been signed and return ed. "The Minister's had other things on his mind the last coupl of weeks so I guess he didn't get around to signing it, " observed Reed. The' chairman also drew att- ention to the fact that John L. Cox has been retained by the planning board for the summer months. Mr..Cox, a student, has been hired under a program called "Experience 73" in which the Province of Ontario pays 75 percent of the students salary for the summer. He will be paid $l25 per week and will be gath- ering date for secondary plans. Council learned that wage increases have been granted to the engineers at Huronview amounting to 60 cents over a route year and a half. By July, 1974 members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 772 will be receiving $4.10 per hour. Thirty members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Hensall Branch 468, were honoured at a banquet last•Saturday night on the completion of 25 years_ of service to the organization. The men are Sam Dougal, Fred Beer, Harry Horton, Peter Mc- Naughton, Ed Munn, Alf Clark, William Petty, Ed Norminton, Wilfred Goodwin, Orville Tay- lor, Howard Adkins, Garnet Allan, William Bell, Wilmer Dalrymple, Jack Drysdale, Donald McKaig, Jack Simmons, Harold Bonthron, John Skea, Howard Smale, Tom Smale, Dr. John Goddard, Sam Rannie, Ernie Davis, Al Scholl, Dave Sangster, Ed Little, Ron Mock, Robert Baker, and William For- rester. The members who were able to attend the banquet were presented with their long -serv- ice pins by Zone Commander "Ted" Elliott, of Blyth. Mr. Elliott urged the members of the Hensall branch to become more active in the future and build a stronger organization in the next 25 years. "There is a big difference between these members who have been serving for 25 years and those who only belong and pay their dues, " he said. The commander also poin• ted out to the group that begin- ning June 1 sons and daughters of members will be eligible for membership, and this should greatly strengthen many branche Guest speaker for the occas- ion was Huton MPP Jack Riddell, who was highly critical of the current trend towards regional- ization in Ontario. "One of the most promising approaches to increased citizen involvement is to build strong local govern- ments by decentralizing power and strengthening local auton- omy, " Mr. Riddell told the gathering. "Local governments must haw substantial responsibility if they are to attract talented men and women, " he added. "With- out able people serving on local councils, public confidence in local government and the qual- ity of persons corning forward will simply spiral downwards." Mr. Riddell charged that the present government has taken just the opposite approach, and has centralized all power in a Queen's Park bureaucracy which has left governmental responsib- ility at the local level frag- mented in a host of boards and commissions. "The essential component in a policy to encourage local autonomy is a larger uncondit- ional grant to the municipalities and fewer grants with strings attached, " Mr. Riddell went on to explain. "The Conservative government has seriously inf- ringed on local autonomy in the manner in which it has arb- itrarily imposed regional govern meat across the province." Mr. Riddell also said that strengthening of local autonomy will not only bring about great- er citizen involvement, but wil: also make for more efficient government with less bureaucrat is red tape. As an example he cited the field of land use plan- ning, suggesting that once an official plan has been adopted by a municipality a developer (continued on page 2) County council agree save fail wall (by Shirley J. Keller) Only 14 votes separated the county councillors in favor of retaining the jail wall from the I county councillors who would have it torn down... but those 14 votes have preserved the histor- ical old building located at the northern entrance to the Town of Goderich, possibly for a nat- ional monument. It was Reeve Ed Oddleifson who announced the possibility of the faormer Huron County Jail becoming a national monu- ment. In a lengthy and some- times heated debate, Oddleif- son pleaded with council to "pre serve a monument older than Confederation." He said the time may be "very near" when the site will be named a nat- ional monument and in that case, no one will be able to touch it. The recorded vote which followed council's deliberat- ions showed 34 votes in favor of retaining the wall and build- ing the addition to the assess- ment building on the present paved parking lot just north of the existing offices of the Huron Perth Regional Assessment Office. There were 20 votes in favor of removing the wall -- even though the Town of God- erich has indicated it is unwill- ing to issue a demolition permit for the project: --and building the proposed addition to the east along Napier Street. Reeve Derry Boyle, of Exeter and Reeve Allan Campbell, of McKillop led the fight to dem- olish the wall. Both men drew attention to the fact that at a previous meeting council had agreed to take down the wall and build to the east of the pres- ent building. Both men express- ed fears that the cost of preserv- ing the jail would fall back on the County of Huron sometime in the future. "We have to look at econom- ics, " said Reeve Boyle. "History is fine. It was one of my best subjects in school. But I'm af- raid someone will be coming to the county to help maintain the jail." "There's no way I'm going to be bulldozed into something like that, " complained Boyle. "If the rest of county council feels the wayl do, I'm sorry for them." Reeve Campbell asked, "Who is going to finance keeping the jail as a museum? Is this going to come back in for the county to maintain and staff?" Campbell also reminded coup cit about the waterproblems which had been encountered at the assessment office basement excavation and could only be rectified with sump pumps. He also deplored tearing up the asphalt in the assessment parkin€, lot, laid at considerable expense to the county. Architect Don Snider was present at the meeting and said the water problems had already been anticipated and noted that plans had been made to over- come further complications by raising the basement floor from six to eight inches. Snider also said that the cost for the addition would run about the same (estimated $150, 000.) and the overall space would remain exactly the same, 3, 150 square feet on each of the two floors and the basement. Reeve Harold Lobb, Clinton, chairman of the property com- mittee, told council that in his opinion, time had become a factor for consideration. He said it was his feeling, and the feeling of the majority of mem- bers of the property committee, that if the county held out to build the addition to the east of the assessment office, The Save the Jail Society would tie things up in the courts for enough time that the assessment office would be moved out of Huron. "I'm convinced the assess- ment office will be moved if we do not go ahead and build the addition now, " stated Dep- uty -reeve Stan Profit, Goderich, Continued on page 16 of train service (by Shirley J. Keller) R.E. McKinley, MP for Huron was at Huron County Council's April session last Thursday and held out strong hopes for restor- ation of passenger train service in the area. McKinley heartily endorsed council's action in concurring with a resolution from Robert S. Cherry, Palmerston, who is petitioning the Hon, Jean Mar- chand, Minister of Transport, to act "decisively and immed- iately" in this regard. "I see a trend coming back, " observed McKinley, "but I think we should get busy at it." In his submission, Cherry wrote, "I believe that the CNR is certainly morally, if not leg- ally, obligated to provide rail passenger service in this area until no need for this service exists at all. I believe that rail passenger service throughout our area would greatly assist in reducing highway air pollution, along with reducing traffic acc- idents, increasing the safety factor and providing much need• ed employment for men in main taining track, running trains, etc. "In conclusion, " wrote Cherry a great many citizens in our area need and desire rail pass- enger service, the Province of Ontario has affirmed that this service is necessary and indeed opposed the elimination of the railiners. Why can't we have it? McKinley said that a "few more members are taking up the cry" for the return of rail passenger service to the area. He said that while bus routes would have to be co-ordinated with train schedules and times would have to be much more convenient for travellers, the return of rail passenger service was coming and he was going to make an election issue of It if it was returned before then. "The best way for them to (continued on page 11)