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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-12-14, Page 4a • e Citizens News, December 14, 1978 Bend beach bulbs beam 1 V" le p o 1.* IIPI111111IBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIt11111111111111111111111itI1111111I1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111tII1111111111111111111111111iI111i1111111i111111111I111I111111111111111(11111111111111= zC. `lli iI11timuumuu 111111111111111!minimum ilium ill 111111lIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIt111i11111111111111111111111111111t111int minimum' IIIuIlIIllt11111111111111111111111111l11111111111111t niE A good choice of Canada The choice - of former Manitoba premier Ed Schreyer as Canada's next governor-general has to be one of the most astute moves which Prime Minister Trudeau has made in his 10 years in office. From a Trudeau standpoint, Schreyer is the ideal choice, for here is a former premier of Canada's middle province, who is multi-lingual and although officially NDP, has been termed more of a liberal than some socialists would like to think. Picking a politician who is still active of both mind and body indicates the P.M. is serious about the revamping of the constitution. It's quite a change from the traditional pick of either a French or English "easterner" who has been appointed Governor-General because of dis- tinguished service to the country One thing that is certain, is the abandonment of the grandfather image which the Governor - Generals of this country has had since the turn of the century. While Schreyer's time will be taken up with the many ceremonial duties which the position entails, it's possible that the former member of the House of Commons will serve as a confidant to the Prime Minister on constitutional reform. The revitalization of the Governor -General's office is indeed indicative of the changing times which this country is going through. Marketing boards help Marketing legislation as we know it in Canada has been hailed in some sectors as the saviour of the small farmer, and in others as a form of legislated tyranny. Hon. Bill Newman, Ontario's minister of agriculture and food had some obser- vations on the subject when he addressed the an- nual convention of the Ontario Dairy Council "I don't have to tell anybody here that the in- dustrial milk processing industry in this province is in a crisis situation. If Ontario milk processors and their suppliers think the milk quota system is out of control, who can blame them? That's how it looks to me and that's how it looks to a processor who can expect to receive only about half his plant supply quota. "And it, isn't just the plants on quota that are having trouble. The non -quota sector is suffering too. The processors aren't about to expand if their future supply of milk is in doubt. "There's a lot wrong with our milk marketing arrangements right now...I know because I see almost daily reports and analyses of the dairy in- dustry. I also know because I get a lot of corn - plaints. Many people think Ontario "should have more quota, and I agree. I give those complaints a very sympathetic ear; it's about all I can give them. Only the federal government can allot more quota. "I said We're in acrisis situation, but I don't think the public understands just what the crisis is. You hear a lot about disappearing cheddar cheese factories and huge milk powder surpluses, and I suspect there are a lot of people who believe On- tario has huge surpluses of butter stored somewhere." • The minister continued his address by pointing out that imported cheeses are being sold in large quantities in Ontario, at ever increasing prices, although locally owned cheese producers can manufacture comparable products they cannot secure sufficient supplies of industrial milk to do so. Newman also stated that although there is a keen demand for Ontario's high grade cheddar cheese on foreign markets the same situation per- sists. Not enough milk available to meet even our domestic demands, let alone foreign purchases — and this at a time when the country is crying over its foreign trade deficits. Readers of this column may recall that a few 'months ago we carried quotations from one of Canada's foreign trade emissaries in Vienna, who said exactly the same thing. Yes, marketing boards and controlled produc- tion have no doubt been of singular benefit to some agricultural producers, but any such limitation of the free market can be dangerous to producers. Regulations and their enforcement tend to fall into, the hands of those. who either do not fully com- prehend the entire scope of the product and its producers, or more dangerously, have an axe' of their own to. grind. Wingham Advance -Times 411111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111191TT!!!!,,,,,,,, Tu�u�l�!Iu�IIIUnI� Miscellaneous Rumblings By TOM CREECH Getting that :tourist dollar While• most people's thoughts these days centre around the 25th of the month, one of the most prevalent topics of conversation in recent months has been tourism and its effect on Zurich and surrounding vicinity. It's rather fitting that the discussion of tourism should take place at this time of year when the temperature cools down and the flight of local residents to warmer climates heat up. A theme which both Ted Mandy of the city of Lon- don's visitors and convention services bureau and Miki Tanner of the South Western Ontario Tourist Association mentioned was the need for communities in this part of Ontario to actively court the tourist and his dollars. One of the ways to bring visitors into a community is to stress that community's unique qualities and ac- cording to a Waterloo marketing consultant this has not been happening. In an address earlier this month in Toronto, Peter Crapo said the main streets of Ontario's communities are "remarkably similar,whether i t's'Chatham orTim- mins. From a tourist standpoint, that's not desirable". Fortunately, Zurichis in the position of having one of the most unique, downtown cores in the province with the renovations of Goshen Street from the corner to the post office expected to contribute to the beautification of the village. A trend which this writer enjoys seeing taking place is the construction of new buildings in the com- munity which hints of Zurich Swiss ancestry. In the village we now have the municipal building, the arena hall, the new Thiel Pro Hardware store, the new Hay Farmer a Mutual Insurance building and the new apartment complex constructed by Leo Meidinger which is' constructed with a Swiss motif. While Exeter struggles with a downtown revitalization scheme, it's nice to see the people of Zurich take part in an informal, unity of theme, beautification program. Over the years, Zurich has become synonymous with "bean" and it's this small white object which has brought many a dollar to this community. What would really help Zurich grab a bigger share of the tourist dollar would be another summer event. - To this end, I would like to propose a revamping of the fair two or three years down the road. What this writer is proposing is a fair similar in nature to that of Lucan's, a fair thatis unequalled in terms of attendance for rural southwestern Ontario. Such a change would require an alteration of the priorities of a fair, a switch away from the traditional, locally oriented fair to an event which would cater more to the urban dweller. There are three factors which'appear responsible for the success of the Lucan fair; and urban market only fifteen miles to the south, the procurement of "big .name"'entertainment and the adequate promo- tion of the event. In this writer's mind, the last two factors are the most important and they go hand in hand with each other. If people are aware a Ferlen Husky, a Sylvia Tyson or a David Bradstreet are going to appear they'll drive that 10, 20 o% 30, minutes to see a par- ticular performer. The second point is, if people are going to attend an event they have to know about it in advance. Just ask some of the London radio stations the number of Please turn to page 5 FIRST WIN IOU. NM .................� Published Each Wedneaday 8y J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. 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