HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1976-09-15, Page 4Page 4 -Citizens News, September 15, 1976
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"I'm terrified of earthquakes — imagine the earth just opening up and
swallowing ..."
Education .costs
Never before in our history has it cost
so much to accomplish so little.
While that statement could apply to
many facets of our way of life in these in-
flationary times, the one area in which it is
being pointed out more than ever is in
education.
Canadians are second only to Sweden in
the amount of money poured into educa-
tion, and yet more and more, experts and
those who are considering the results of
those expenditures advise that we're tur-
ning out a large number of illiterates and
otherwise poorly educated people.
Universities are instituting English ex-
ams to test the qualifications of their first-
year students and ordering special courses
for those found below standard.
Canada Manpower finds many un-
employed people , do not have the
educational ability to hold jobs and can't
read or write well enough to enrol in some
of the retraining courses provided for their
assistance.
A Senate study recently completed
finds many things wrong in our educational
system and suggests a considerable portion
of the tax dollars being used are obviously
wasted because the results are not accep-
table.
Obviously something is seriously
wrong, and just as obvious is the need for
immediate corrective action.
The first line of offence for area
residents is naturally the people whom they
have elected as members of the school
boards. While they are not solely responsi-
ble for the deplorable state of education,
they are the people who are in the best posi-
tion to express our concerns and to
guarantee that the corrective measures are
carried out.
School trustees have an immediate
responsibility to study the results of our
education system, to determine how im-
provements can be made and to ensure that
those improvements are undertaken.
For too long they've been wasting their
time and talents on school bus routes,
auditorium rental fees and salaries without
considering the prime objective of our
educational system. The people to whom
they have trusted that objective have, by
all indications, failed miserably.
A complete overhaul appears
warranted.
World food book
The concept of a world food bank is not
new. It has been proposed at regular
intervals by United Nations officials, agri-
culturalists, politicians and church leaders.
Now a leading Canadian poultry breeder,
Donald M. Shaver of Cambridge, says such
a world food bank would be global insurance
against hunger. Every country should first
maintain agreed minimum levels of food in
stock to ensure against national shortages.
An additional quantity, says haver,-"
would be set aside for disaster reliShaver;-
and a
third reserve would be kept to feed the
hungry around the world. The richer
countries would have to help pay for build-
ing up stocks in poor nations.
The idea is indeed an admirable one
and should be pursued by the great powers,
and by international organizations such as
the United Nations, the Food and Agri-
culture Organization, the World Health
Organization, the World Bank and other
bodies.
But it must be remembered always that
countless difficulties stand in the way—
ranging frofn national and individual greed
in the affluent countries to indifference and
corruption among leaders in the poor
nations.
Quite apart from that, the international
community must not only face up to but
solve the serious transportation and storage
difficulties that exist. Stored food spoils
easily, especially in lands were refriger-
ation is a luxury and where storehouses let
in both rain and vermin.
Yet in the end what should be said is
this: The concept of a world food bank is
a'lofty ideal, and one that will be realized
when the people of all nations exercise their
political will to work together toward the
betterment of mankind. The difficulties
exist merely to be overcome.
The earth, after all, produces the riches
that feed humanity. Even India, with its
impoverished millions, announced recently
that it had achieved an estimated grain
output of 116 million tons. In the city of
Rampur, a former princely state, palances
have been converted to gain stores. Wheat
and rice are stored in temples throughout
India. The earth pours out its food through-
out the year. It is man who too often squan-
ders and hoards it. The world food bank
should be given much thought by all. For
to this day, there remain too many millions
who still go hungry all their lives.
by Cathy McKinley
By now most of you will have realized there are some
pretty stupid people around. Sunday night some idiot decid-
ed to twist the top off one of the prettiest trees along the main
street, the one on the corner of Victoria.
I saw the two-thirds of the tree which had been broken off
and there is no doubt in my mind that it was done deliberate-
ly. Who ever did it had had to twist very hard to get it off.
This is discouraging. Council goes to all the trouble of
spending hours figuring out how to make the main street
presentable, then takes the time themselves to plant the
trees, while all the people who live and work along the street
have been faithfully taking time off from their schedules to
make sure the trees and sod are watered properly, and what
happens? Someone with only half a brain decides it night
be funny or smart to tear down a tree. Well to my mind it
is neither funny nor smart, it is _just plain stupid and I hope
whomever did it has enough brains to feel mighty ashamed
of himself.
•****fieA ** A ******
I hope the people in the area surrounding Zurich do not
blame Zurich too much for the surcharge they have decided
to put on non-residents using the arena.
If you live in Stanley township or Grand Bend you are
exempt from the surcharge. The only reason for this is the
councils of both these municipalities have seen fit to give
funds to the support of the arena. They feel a large enough
number of their ratepayers use the arena to justify giving
financial support and I agree with them. The onus should not
just be on the village of Zurich to supply facilities for every-
one else to use, that doesn't make sense.
However, if you are a resident of Hay township, the sur-
charge is going to affect you personally if you or any member
of your family wish to participate in. any recreational activi-
ties in the Zurich arena, to the tune of $15 a head.
The reason for this is, your council has refused to acknow-
ledge any responsibility for helping in the upkeep of the
arena. They seem to want all the advantages of having the
arena available to them but want none of the disadvantages
such as having to pay_for the privilege.
If you are upset because of this surcharge, good—maybe
you should be. But, at least direct your anger at the right
place, your own council, the council of Hay township. If
they had seen fit to help out Zurich with the arena in the
first place, none of this would have happend, and it would
not be costing individual families $30 or $45 to send two or
three sons or daughters to play hockey or participate in any
other recreational activities in the Zurich arena. I can't
blame Zurich council for what they did, can you?
Also on the topic of the arena, I would like to remind every-
one the recreation committee of Zurich is trying to enlist
some volunteer help to%work on the arena repairs. The more
people who volunteer, the less the repairs will cost us in the
end—and that should make everyone happy.
Peter McNaughton night Friday at the Chalet was a suc-
cess, and a very interesting one at that. I had not realized
what a contribution Mr. McNaughton had made to the
Hensall community until I sat and listened to speech after
speech all basically saying the same thing—thank you for
your years of hard work.
It is good to know that as busy as eveyone claims to be
these days, the community of Hensall still feels ibis worth-
while to make an effort and take the time to honor a fellow
citizen. I know Mr. McNaughton was touched. He has
work -ed hard and waited a long time for someone to say
thank you, but he was paid in full plus interest Friday night.
It kind of renews your faith in the basic goodness of people.
Munli(gh
Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly. Newspapers Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
eNA
Manager - Betty O'Brien
News Editor - Cathy McKinley
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