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Zurich Citizens News, 1975-05-01, Page 4PAGE 4 ,. ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1975 Sooner the better! The Province of Ontario is, at long last, considering legislat- ion under which mobile homes may be recognized as human habitations and their occupants as human b•Ings, The legislation would set up standards for such homes, so tat they would, hopefully, not become collections of gypsy caravans, as so many municipal councillors have always considered them. There may have been justification 20 or 30 years ago for discouraging or even forbiding the establishment of trailer parks in a community, but those reasons have long since disappeared. The only thing wrong with trailer parks has been the fact that they were not controlled by either municipal or provincial reg- ulations and so were subject to the varying and often stupid rules set cut by owners of trailer parks themselves. Any legislator who is still unaware of the fact that most young couples simply cannot earn enough money to purchase a perm- anent home should resign his office. For many young people a mobile home which contains heating system, appliances and furniture is the only alternative to a tiny apartment with no outdoor play space for their children. Even federally and prov- incially assisted home ownership plans are frequently beyond the reach of young couples, particularly if there is a reason why the wife cannot brir in wages. What, we have wondered in this column for the past ten years, is so filthy bad about a well -made trailer or the people who choose to live in one? Is there any sound reason to believe that trailer occupants are fly-by-night crooks who will rook all the local merchants and disappear into the wild blue yonder? The continuing opposition to trailer parks is, perhaps, an indication that all too many of the people who make the rules are personally comfortably well off and have no real understand- ing of the problems of a new generation of Canadians facing life's responsl'bilities under very trying circumstances. (Wingham Advance Times) On booze! "Mix some thinking with your drinking--- that's one of the themes of a new alcohol information campaign that's been launched by Ontario's Health Minister Frank Miller. Posters, pamphlets, films and ads have been made up to tell us about the pressures to drink, the damage alcohol can do and the costs that drinking add on to all of us. It's not an axe swinging temperance campaign, it's a mild, low key information program and we are all for it. It is absolutely amazing how much alcohol has become a major part of our lives in the past twenty years or so. Booze is now served at bridge clubs, bridal showers, service club dinners, and in many, many homes as matter of course. We often drink liquor at functions where coffee, tea or a non-alcoholic punch would have been the noon a few years ago. The profit from the bar, not from the admission tickets, is what most clubs who sponsor dances look for in their fund raising budgets. Social drinking in moderation is just fine, the Ontario government campaign points out, but the fact that we are drink- ing more liquor than ever before also has its costs. Many of the health problems that make our health budget go up so alarmingly, are related to alcohol. Alcohol is also involv- ed in many of the car accidents that cause financil loss and personal suffering. Broken families, job loss and wasted lives can all be attributed to alcohol in many instances. Liquor is here to stay. As the government pamphlets point out, how often do we say "Come over for a drink" instead of "come over for a visit?" Too often, probably. We're not knocking booze. But we're saying that the increasing consumption of liquor in our province is exacting a heavy price. In Ontario today 300, 000 people of all ages drink enough alcohol every day to endanger their health. Think about the hidden costs of alcohol at your next party. Are they really worth that expensive and temporary high? (The Huron Expositor) ZURICH Citizeris NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISHERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB. TURiekeIM,,, Publisher Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 00 Ph, Agimaik Member: ;t (1015,NA eComedianVWeekly.Nemvspalsera- Association +� ', Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association i,Yre Subscription Rates: $6,00 per year in advance in Canada; $8.00 in United States and Foreign; single copies 2O • (by Raymond FLOATING, FLOATING ---- DOWNWARDS Did you ever wonder why the value of our dollar seems to fluctuate from time to time in terms of the American dollar.. You may have noticed in the Liquor Store or other business establishments that little signs are posted indicating whether the American dollar is being discounted one or more cents or whether a premium of a sim- ilar amount is being paid on it. While it has been at par lately, you may notice that these days it is being quoted at a 1¢ prem- ium, that is to say, that the value of our dollar has finally slipped to below that of the American. The fact that this value fluct- uates is due to the decision of western governments not to peg the value of their currencies to any fixed amount. It was actually the Canadian govern- ment that started it all back in 1970 when our dollar was pegged at 92 1/2¢ American. There were quite a few complaints at first but it finally .became the fashionable thing to do and now everybody is in the act. This is called a floating ex- change rate and it means that the value of our dollar in rel- ationship to the American doll- ar and other major currencies is subject to the law of supply and demand. If the demand for our money drops on foreign money markets while the supply of it stays about the same, this mean: that the value of it will also drop. Actually this is happening Oil a day to day basis but the change is generally so small that it doesn't show up unless you happen to be an avid read- er of the financial page of the Toronto Globe and Mail. Right now the value of the Canadian dollar has been dropp- ing for some time and still is a matter of fact. At the present time it is worth about 98 1/2¢ American and, for this reason, if you see any store in your neighbourhood that is discount- ing American money, they are either trying to rip off the tour- ists or they haven't kept up to date at their local bank. For the sake of good relations they should try to keep the American dollar at least at par or even pay the premium. The decline in the value of our money is due mainly to the fact that we have a sizable def- icit in our Balance of Trade. The Americans, who have a bad recession on their hands, and who account for 70P% of our trade, have cut down consider- ably on what they buy from Canada. At the same time all those strikes you have been reading about have not helped our exports in the least . On the other hand Canadians have gone on importing at about the same rate as before with the result that a two billion dollar surplus has been turned into a deficit of about the same amount. Hence the relative decline in VACUUM :tEANERS SALES.,&, SERVICE ;.FOIL , .Att.' MAICES BOB PECK demand for Canadian dollars and the drop in our exchange rate. You will notice that this decl; ine in value especially if you decide to be a tourist and go to Europe this summer. In places such as Germany and Switzer- , land to cost for Canadians ex- changing their money there will have gone up about 207/0 in the last year or so and this does not include any increases due to inflation. If you want to go there, don't let me stop you but don't say I didn't warn you. I expect to be over there next month but I'm prepared for the worst. One consolation is that I can deduct my expenses for income tax purposes, which is a decided help. If tourists suffer, exporters find that their goods start to become cheaper on foreign markets and this helps as a stimulus to foreign trade. Now • if we can only stop striking long enough to get the exports out. Oh yes! That horrible word inflation also creeps in. When the value of our dollar declines it means that all our imports cost us more in terms of Can- adian currency. Frankly we have enough inflation as it is and I don't like to see the price of imports go any higher. Maybe this is the year we stay home and enjoy a vacat- ion somewhere in Canada. One thing about our country, it is so big that you never run out of places to go. 0 Unused electrical wall outlets should be covered with a safety device, recommends St. John Ambulance, Young children have been seriously injured or even electrocuted as a result of tampering with such outlets. Banghart, 'Kelly, 'Doig aryd Ga. Chartered Accountants 268 Main St., 'Exeter ARTHUR W. READ Resident Partner Bus. 235-0120, Res. 238-8075 usiness and Professional Directory OPTOMETRISTS J. E. Longstaff OPTOMETRIST - SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE 527.1240 Tuesday, Taursday, Friday, Sat- urday a.m., Thursday evening CLINTON OFFICE 40 Isaac Stmt 402.7010 Monday and Wednesday Call either office for appointment, Norman Martin OPTOMETttI$T Office Hoare: 0.12 A.M. -- 1:30-0 P.M. Closed all. day Saturday Finn. 235.2433 Ehlett911 INSURANCES Robert F West Insurance /AICTIONIRIS PINKY WRIGHT LICENSED AUCTIONEER Klippen, Ont. 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