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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1976-08-11, Page 4Page 4-('itizens News, August 11, 1976 "Sorry, sir — we're not allowed to serve customers in tank -tops!" Rectaflon The Huron County development com- mittee have come up with an interesting proposal to spark the formation of area recreation committees within the county. It calls for the county ,to provide a grant of $1,000 on a matching dollar basis to any municipality which actively engages in an area recreation committee with its neighbors. Ironically, it's the type of approach county councillors have labelled as blackmail in the past when it was used by the senior level of governments in an effort to win support for various schemes. The grant incentive was used to lure municipalities into the county library system. The development committee proposal is nothing more than using the municipalities' own money to provide the grant assistance. The only losers, of course, would be those municipalities which may not join area recreation groups. The concept of area recreation com- mittees is good. In fact, the five county towns and some villages have been Pop operating them for years, although their neighbors have been benefiting without paying their fair share of facility and per- sonnel costs. The time has come, when more equitable arrangements must be con- sidered so municipalities start paying on a per -use basis. However, the scheme is doomed for failure if the development committee guideline of $1,000 per municipality is followed. Even with a matching grant, the total of $52,000 in Huron would be less than that which Exeter now pays for recreation itself. 'This cost sharing is obviously the ma- jor factor to be deliberated and con- siderable opposition can be expected from municipalities which have been having a free ride -for so many years. That is being solved by some municipalities charging high out-of-town registration fees, but obviously it would be much better with all involved sharing the costs and the responsibilities to provide recreation for their citizens. There is such a thing as public relations but apparently the stores in Zurich don't believe in it. Unless we are badly mis- taken, when an empty pop bottle is picked up by Coke or Pepsi, the store they pick it up from receives 10(P per bottle. They are supposed to pass this payment on to the pop consumer. When an empty bottle is returned to the store, it is supposed to be worth 10¢. Now, in Zurich, it is worth Mt alright, but not in cash. Oh no, you have to take it out in trade. It doesn't matter if you want to buy anything at that particular moment or not, if you want your 10, you must. We say this is very unfair. It doesn't cost the store owner to pay the consumer his dime, the owner is payed by the bottle company. The argument the stores give is they get people they don't know dropping off bottles and not buying anything. Or, they drop off bottles and then go elsewhere to shop. Well, to us that is a pretty weak excuse. Even if the person doesn't buy something at the exact time she brings the bottles back, if she likes the atmosphere of the store and the service she receives she might be back. If she receives poor service or none at all you can bet your bottom dollar she won't be back. As for dropping off bottles at one store and shopping at another, we find this difficult to swallow, Except for Zurich, most stores do give a cash refund for bottles. If a person is going shopping, why would they drop their bottles off at one store and then drive to another? Doesn't make sense to make extra trouble for yourself. Besides, if they are shopping somewhere else, it just might be because prices are more reason- able and service is better somewhere else, and has nothing to do with the pop bottles anyway. The by Cathy McKinley Well it seems there is more than one way to skin a cat. The provincial government was not allowed to close down the Clinton hospital earlier this year because of a court order. However, they may succeed in doing it anyway. They have cut close to one quarter of a million dollars from Clinton's budget which will almost assuredly mean the closing of more beds and the laying off of some staff. It's a pretty sneaky way of getting your own way, but when you're the govern- ment, I guest you get your own way, sneakly or not. The freshly laid sod between the boulevard and the side- walk coming into Zurich from the west looks great. Obvious- ly, the individual hone owners in the area have been faith- fully watering it as sod is renowned for the amount of water it needs to root. Keep up the good work. If everyone in town cared how the streets looked, the streets would look a lot better. Here I've been complaining for some time there are not enough garbage cans around town, (in fact there is only one I know of) and saying I was sure if the garbage cans were there people would use them, but now I'm not so sure. In walking past Heimrichs yesterday 1 saw the garbage can was still there and almost empty while not three feet away from. it were three empty pop cans and some canly wrappers. It is pretty discouraging to see things like taut happening. Let's crack down on the litterbugs in town and make sure they pick up anything they drop. One place in town which is worse than anywhere else for litter is the ball park. Apparently no one felt responsible enough after the fair to clean the area up and it is a real mess. There are milk shake containers, candy wrappers, pop cans and all sorts of garbage all over the place. Assured- ly, there are no garbage cans over there to use, but couldn't we at least litter in a more orderly fashion? Better yet, perhaps the Lions or' Business Association could organize an hour or two some evening to get volunteers together to clean up the mess. It would not only look better, it would be a lot safer as well. There may well be a good deal of controversy over the 15 changes in the property taxes being proposed by the provin- cial government. One argument against having the govern- ment pay the taxes on farm lands and buildings set me thinking. If a farmer is considered to run a business, which I think you will agree is a fair suggestion, then he will in fact be paying no business tax as well .as no property tax except for his residence under the new proposals. One small businessman pointed out he did not think this was fair, and at my first reaction was to agree with him. That was, until someone else pointed out something I hadn't really thought of before. What he said was, who does the average small or medium sized business man in this area have to compete with to sell his goods? The answer is, of course, he has to compete with similar businesses in the same town or towns nearby. He may even have to compete with cities such as London, but not as directly as the competitor down the street. Now, who does the farmer have to compete with to sell his goods? This takes a moment of thought as the farmer not only com- petes with his neighbour and every other farmer in Ontario, he must compete directly with every farmer in every other province in Canada who is producing the same goods he is. Not only that, his competitors are in Michigan, Florida, California, Austrailia and the Carribean to name only a few. The provincial government is proposing to equalize the per- centage amounts of property and business tax within the retail, wholesale, etc. area so each business man can com- pete for the market on an equal basis with every one of his competitors as far as taxation goes. The taxes in other pro- vinces'and countries must be considered when a decision is made to tax farmers of Ontario and' if having the provincial government pay the property taxes on farm lands will allow the farmer to compete on a more equal basis with his compet- itors, then I can see how it might be justifiable. 71ar�o©GI) C4///4, MGwo Published Each Wednesday 13y J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Member: Canadian Weekly. Newspapers Association Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association Manager - Betty O'Brien News Editor - Cathy McKinley Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 Subscription Rates: $6.00 per year in advance In Canada; $8.00 in United States and Foreign; single copies 200