HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1975-09-18, Page 4Page 4 - Zurich Citizens News, September 18, 1975
Public business in private!
Last week this column commented on the decision
of the Huron County Council to discuss municipal
restructuring in a closed session from which the
public, including the press as the public's represent-
ative, was excluded. We expressed the opinion that
the closed session was excusable only if the question
of restructuring.was being dealt with for the purpose
of providing information to county councillors.
That meeting was not a study session. It was a full-
fledged decision-making meeting of county council,
at which the members voted against two proposals
for the amalgamation of some of the towns, villages
and townships within the county.
A press conference was called for Tuesday, a
time of the week which made it impossible for most
of the county's newspapers to report in their current
issues, but of course, made it very simple for any
• and all interested dailies to "beat" their weekly
counterparts by a full seven days.
The press conference received a report of the
outcome of the previous Thursday's session. News-
men and women were told that no change would be
made in the present county structure of municipal
government. They were. told what alternative plans
had been proposed by the Restructuring Commit-
tee and that neither had been approved.
What both press and public were not told was
which councillors favored a change in the present
system, or what were the arguments for and against
the proposals. The residents and taxpayers of the
cunty have been left to accept the decision of a
small body of men in a matter which is of gravest
concern to every resident, without ever having been
informed of the discussions which preceded that dec-
ision.
Yes, of course county councillors are elected
to make decisions for their constituents/ However,
some decisions are much more important than oth-
ers - and restructuring - to be or not to be - is of para-
mount importance. Its consequences will affect
the county for decades to come. It is public business
of the first order - a question which should
have been disclosed in every detail, with ample
time allowed for public reaction to the proposals.
A few - a very few - aspects of council and board
deliberations must be discussed behind closed
doors. But those same closed doors suggest, in
instances of such widespread concern, that elected
councillors are afraid to let their constituents know
where the councillors stand.
(Wingham Advance Times)
Sunday should be family day!
Fall and winter activities are in the planning
stages now. It won't be long before minor hockey,
bowling, dancing classes, school sports, clubs and
organizations will be in full swing throughout the
area.
It is a good time now to remember that six days
should be enough time in any week to squeeze in
all the activity necessary to any and all sporting and
community events involving yung children. The
seventh day - in this society Sunday- should be
family day.
The strength of the nation is directly related to the
strength of the family unit. The family unit in
today's modern society is deteriorating faster than
many care to admit. Much of the problem stems from
the fact that individual family members including
many times very young children, are racing in all
directions seven days a week. It must stop.
Many parents still believe it is important for a
family to wroship together at the church of their
choice. But even these families who do not attend
church services need time on Sunday to be together
in their own way, quietly and without pressure of a
dozen outside activities. Families need to eat a meal
together, play a game together, watch a television
show together, talk together, be together.
Let's make Sunday family day again. Let's
make every attempt to schedule Sundays loosely
so that mom and dad and the kids can get to know
each other again. The future of the nation depends
on it. - (Goderich Signal Star)
ZURICH Citizens NEWS
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The
nternational Scene
(by Raymond Canon)
OUT OF THE PAST
INTO THE PRESENT
I'm sure that most of us
have heard or read about
head-hunters, which are not
to be associated with the
wild men from Borneo. If
there is any one place with
which we associate these
head-hunters, it is the island
of New Guinea. Because of
the place's reputation for
primitiveness, it may come as
a surprise to you to learn
that it is the world's newest
nation, for on September
16, it will gain its independ-
ence from Australia and try
to make it on its own.
This is not to say that the
Australians will have nothing
to do on the island from that
date onward, simply that they
will no longer be running the
government. They will have a
great deal to do, from an adv-
isory and financial point of
view, for no fledgling nation
can make it on its own from
Day One. '
While the island is still
very much in the past in
many aspects, it is also very
much in the present in other.
respects. For one thing it will
start out with a tele -commun-
ications system as advanced
as any in existance elsewhere.
Any subscriber can dial
anybody else on the island
and even to Australia for that
matter. Not to be outdone
by other nations, New Guinea
is to have its own airling and
at the present time they have
a delegation at the Boeing
plant in Seattle deciding
which advanced type of jet
aircraft to start out with.
In case your high school
geography is a bit rusty, or in
case you never studied about
the island, a few facts might
help you get a better pict-
ure. New Guinea is not one
island but a group of islands to
the north of Australia, 181,000
square miles of them to be
exact. There are 3,000,000
people which is roughly on a
par with New Zealand. My
source of information tells
me that it is the 139th memb-
er of the United Nations and
that it is the last piece of
land of any size in the tropics
to become a nation.
The new nation is not start-
ing out with a handicap such
as that experienced by such
new nations as Bangladesh.
It is rich in a number of
scarcely touched natural re-
sources such as copper, lum-
ber, fish, .hydro -electric
power, oil and natural gas.
The question here, then is far
more how these immence
resources can be exploited by
foreign firms without the new
nation losing too much of its
economic freedom such as
many believe the case to be in
Canada. Already one major
;problem has come up which
I think is worth relating.
Part of New Guinea is the
island of Bougainville, scene
of some vicious fighting bet-
ween Americans and Japan-
ese in World War II. This
island is rich in most of the
resources which I mentioned
a minute ago and it has so
much copper that the major
companies have already
started lining up to get at
it. The people of Bougainville
were so afraid that most of
the money from these cop-
per deposits would go to the
main island of New Guinea
that even before the day of
independence was announc-
ed, Bougainville declared its
independence from New
Guinea. Right now nobody is
quite sure whether or not they
are going to make it stick
but nobody can say that the
new nation doesn't have prob-
lems right off the bat. We'll
just have to wait and see how
they work that one out.
Because the islands were
part of the British Common-
wealth, their government will
be similar to the one we have
in Ottawa. However, as you
can well appreciate, the
English system of govern-
ment needs a great deal of
experience to make it function
properly and so the first
government in New Guinea
is a rather primitive collect-
ion of lobbies rather than
distinct political parties such
as we have here. Some of
these lobbies are composed
of capable men;others have
characteristics that are dub-
ious at best. This tend to
make the more competent
beurocrats are already get-
ting annoyed at some of the
more blatent pressure groups
and one can see a certain
struggle for control shaping
up.
All this while certain ele-
ments of the country are still
settling their differences by
bow and arrows and spears.
News of
Huronview
Miss Robertson and Mrs.
Overholt were welcomed to
the Home at Monday after-
noon's activities. Marie
Flynn, Lorne Lawson and Nor-
man Speir provided the old
tyme music and led a sing -
a -long of favourite tunes.
The Bluebells, four girls
from the Clinton and Seaforth
area, Elizabeth Gibson, Deb-
bie Westerhout, Barbara
and Judy Carter provided
their own guitar accompani-
ment and sang several num-
bers at Tuesday's "Family
Night" program.
Jill Wheatley of Seaforth
sang two vocal solos and help-
ed to lead a sing -a -long. Mrs.
Jim Lobb and Mrs Elsie
Henderson played a piano
duet and Mrs. Henderson
played the bells accompanied
by Mrs. Lobb.
Mrs. Butt expressed the
appreciation of the residents
for the fine musical program.
Two new members, Mrs.
MaCauley and Miss Roberton
were welcomed to the Over
90 Club on Wednesday aft-
ernoon. Twenty-eight memb-
ers attended the get-togeth-
er and following the games of
euchre and crokinole, tea and
cookies were served by the
Walkerburn Club of Auburn.
TODAY'S CHILD
-BY HELEN ALLEN
Just to look at David you can see this 10 -year-old has a zest for
living. He is a very active, enthusiastic boy, always in a hurry.
Anglo-Saxon in descent, David is handsome and healthy with
light -brown hair, blue -grey eyes and fair skin. He makes a good
impression on meeting strangers because he's friendly and
outgoing. People who spend a lot of time with David need both
pep and patience to keep up with his energy.
Tests show this lively boy is average in ability but he has had
problems in school, probably because it is hard for him to
concentrate. He was in a special class but has now been in-
tegrated into the regular classes. Reading and arithmetic have
improved a good deal though he is still behind in spelling.
David needs to be kept busy. Fortunately he is keen on sports
which helps to work off some of his surplus energy. He plays
volleyball, basketball and hockey and loves camping, swim-
ming and fishing. He likes music and wants to take guitar
lessons,
David is anxious to belong to a family. He should be the
youngest and will be a fine son for involved, active parents. To
inquire about adopting David, please write to Today's Child,
Ministry of Community and Social Services, Box 888, Station K,
Toronto M4P 2112. In your letter please tell something of your
present family and your way of life. For general adoption in-
formation, please consult your local Children's Aid Society.
NEEDS AN ACTIVE FAMILY