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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1984-03-21, Page 2Huron X.POSit01. �. SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST Qa N Incorporating Po!t 10 Main Street 527-0240 Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning JOCELYN A. SHR:EA, P)tblisher RON WASSINK, Editor, KATIE O'LEARY, Advertising Representative ;Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc Ontario Community Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation ',Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union Interfl,tlonal Press Institute Subseildtion rates: Canada $'15.75 a year (in advance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (In advance) Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1984 Second class mall registration Number 0696 Heritage is working Spring arrived one day early, Mar. 20. Actually spring was on time, but because of leap year, the official first day of spring didn't fall on the 21st. With spring comes the hope that the heritage conservation district plan will soon be. implemented for Seaforth's main street. Approval was unanimous at the municipal level to adopt the plan which was compiled by architect Nick Hill and our local architectural conservation advisory committee. There already are two buildings,' Cardno's Opera Hall and the Commercial Hotel which are planning exterior restoration work this summer. The Queen's Hotel owners are in the process of finding out what their hotel looked like when it was constructed in the late 1800x. If all ,goes well, this hotel will also .be restored to its original splendor. Seaforth council have discussed restoring the exterior of the town hall. Chances are work will start this summer. The heritage district conservation district plan Is starting to work even before final OMB approval has been received: The work that's already planned shows the foresight of several Seaforth individuals. It shows their interest in their town. If everything gees according to plan, main street will be restored and become a unique Ontario main street, a title It was once worthy of holding". In order for the plan to work, property owners have to work together and plan for the future. To assist owners, the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture will provide up to 50 percent of the funds required to restore building stock. Can you think of any better deal, where you can receive 50 cent dollars? - R.W. Seatbelts for buses Bruno and Boo' The bus accident on Vancouver Island that claimed the life of a 17 -year-old boy has focused the public's mind on the question of bus safety. The B.C. bus was more than 20 years old and had severely defective brakes in spite of a recent proyincial government inspection. In addition to the dead youth, 63 Injured, 15 seriously. One remained in critical condition several days after the accident. The chartered bus was carrying teenagers home from a school ski outing when It sped out of control, flipped on its side and skitided'', Metres before smashing into an embankment. Unlike cars, busekare not 'required to have seatbelts installed for their passengers. While there is no guarantee that seat belt use would have prevented the fatality or some of the Injurie9 in the bus tragedy, there is every chance it would have made an Important difference. Every day tens of thousands of children board buses for the trip to and from school. We have been fortunate in the fact that there have been so few school bus accidents, a testimony In Itself to the skill and caution of the vast majority of drivers and owners. But when there is an accident, the 'potential for death and injury Involving so many young people is frightening. Yet, school buses and many other types of public transportation vehicles are not required to meet some of the safety standards enforced on private automobiles. As a start, all buses should have seat belts Installed and wearing them should be made compulsory. If such action saves only one life, the investment will have been well worth it. In the wake of the recent accident, the B.C. government is considering making seat belts compulsory. The necessary legislation should be pushed through quickly and the other nine provinces, including Ontario, should follow suit. —Glengarry News LITERATURE CAME TO LIFE at the Seaforth Library on Friday when Toronto actors Jerry Sliver and John McCorkell presented This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall. About 60 children packed the library to see the entice of characters Bruno and Boots created by author Gordon Korman. • (Hundertmark photo) ou can tell a farmer by Many people, especially urbanites, often wonder what farming is all about. But probably one of the questions they ask most is What does a farmer look like," or "what does a farmer do?" Some people have the impression of a farmer pushing buffos from his livingroom easy chair to do his chores. After all, today's farming is ail done with push -buttons. Others have the impression of a farmer taking a two hour nap every day after lunch. They think farming is a breeze. But often these same people don't realize that farmers start their job early in the morning and work late into the evening. especially in the summer. Just ask any farmer's wife. As for the push buttons, there are machines that operate at the push of a button, but that doesn't mean there isn't any, work to do. The following article is reprinted froth they^ Kent County Federation of Agriculture. It's entitled, "What's a -farmer?" I'm sure many farmers and their friends can identify with the article. WHAT'S A FARMER A farmer is a person who owns between 20 and 30 hats. They have names on the front, just above the peak • names like United Co-op and John Deere. You can always tell a farmer....but not very much. Farmers never go out of the house without one of those caps. and that's why all farmers have white foreheads. Sometimes they wear To the Editor J Prescott has reunion The Editor: in co-operation with Ontario's Bi -centen- nial and the Town of Prescott's Sesquicen- 4 tennial celebrations, the alumnae of the former Prescott High School have planned a reunion for former students' and staff on Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30. Events will include registration, recep- tion and tours of the former school building on Friday afternoon and evening. On Saturday, June 30, there will be a chicken barbecue served at noon, an afternoon beer SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink them indoors. Young farmers wear them low over their eyes. Usually their dads wear them on the back of their heads and have the uncanny ability to, in one motion, take off the cap, scratch the scalp, and replace the cap at the same angle in about 2.3 seconds. Farmers sometimes wear their hats in the house until a) their wives make them take It off, or b) they go to bed. tine -can ways recognize a farmer by his finger's (sometimes farmers don't have all of then; by the way). They are usually very big and when you shake hands with oneit feels a lot like sandpaper - .and they squeeze as though they really are glad to see you. Sometimesfter you shake hands with a farmer he saps you on the shoulder and dislocates it for .you. if a farmer says it's goirig to rain, it does, but rarely when their land really deeds it. Farmers like new cars and always buy big shiny ones. Within two weeks after delivery there is three to four inches of mud on the new front floor mats, the dashboard is covered with dust, a pair of work gloves. a notebook and three books of matches. In the trunk of the new car can be found the air cleaner off the pick-up, a pair of boots caked With dried mud, a box of miscellaneous gears, cogs, two fan belts and three spare hats. Farmers are the only people who can keep their sanity while the rest of us bung our heads -on the wall in dismay over the weather, government policies, the weather, price increases, the weather and a county council which often forgets most of its constituents farm for a living.' Paraders read' agriculture bulletins, The Canadian Fanner nod the financial jfage; btTff"" not necessarily in that order. They know a lot about inset'ts, hail, crop dusting, irrigation, interest rates, curling, animal husbandry, engines, electricity, welding, and futures, but can never seem to figure out what the heck those guys in Ottawa and at Queen's Park are doing. Farmers like roast beef (usually well done), small children. especially their grandchildren, woodlots, big tractors. Hub- bard squash. pot roast and sometimes liver. They- like mashed potatoes with gravy, homemade pie. and almost anywhere in Florida Th liketi but not as much . evacations y , his 'hat as •their wives do, big bath towels, dogs, euchre and Hockey Night in Canada. Farmers don't 'particularly like zucchini, opera, the Liberals, hospitals, supermar- kets, the 401, gas stations (that's because they usually keep &a gasoline pump of their own near the barn, sort of a do-it-yourself service station), implement salesmen, bank managers and drought. Farmers are people who are convinced to spend a small fortune on.a sprayer and huge quantity of the new insecticide methyl bethyl aprozean, only to find out the day after they spray it has been banned by the federal Department of Agriculture and the Depart- ment of Health and Welfare because, besides killing bugs. it just maybe kills birds and a; few people too. .. s Fanner§- are •the people who know how to mite»food- in ,such . quantity,-,andaof- such `quality, we are a people blessed many times ober with their plenty at a fraction of the cost of what many in other less -privileged countries pay to eat. AN OPTIMIST A farmer is an eternal optimist who - site of rain when his land is soaking wet a d when it Is parched dry, hail n wh is corn or beans are at their peak, not withstanding interest rates and collapsing markets. government action or inaction - Still gets up every day, puts on his cap. and once again makes it all work fpr all of vs, who so often take our farmers for granted. Politicians selling pie in the sky The next federal election matchup is already determined, if the media opinion - makers are to be believed. it'll be Brian Mulroney versus John Turner. it also appears it will be the election of theubig lie. Neither man has spent long explaining his policies as yet. Mr. Mulroney is protecting himself from having his campaign shot down before it even begins. Mr. Turner has just declared his candidacy for the Liberal leadership after eight years out of politics and says he'll have more to say on policy as the campaign goes along. Bit so far both men are saying the same thing: the thing the voters want to hear, the big lie. Both give lipservice to tackling two' major problems in society: massive unemployment and a huge deficit. Both promise to find mere jobs yet also say they will attack the deficit. But in case that sounds too much like Ronald Reagan and reqs anomies, they also pledge their undying allegiance to social garden and tribute to Ytia ceremony, all on the old school lawn. The reunion will end with an old "PHS Formal" at the Community Centre on Saturday night. PHS graduated hundreds of persons between 1920 and 1958 and these former students are spread across Canada today. Former students wishing further infor- mation can contact Barbara Mills, PHS Reunion, Box 1984, Prescott, Ont. KOE ITO. Yours truly John A.H. Morris Publicity Chairman Help with atlas Letter to the Editor: In compiling information on the Seaforth Agricultural Society for the Huron County Historical Atlas we are asking the commun- ity for help. We are looking for the names and the missing dates of presidents and those people receiving service diplomas. lf.any one has old prize lists, documents or minute books prior to 1973 for the general and prior to 1960 for the ladies division, they would be appreciated. if anyone has anything to add or any changes to make to the following lista please call the undersigned: Past Presidents: Russell Bolton 1951, 52 and 5S; Art Nicholson 1953, 1'954; Robt. McMillan, 1960,1961; Gordan Papple 1962, 1963; Harold Pryce 1964, 1965; Earl McSpadden 1966 1967; Arthur Bolton 1968, 1969; John Murphy 1970; Earl Dick 1971. 1972: Alf Roots 1973. 1974: Joe Devereaux 197S; Ken Campbell 1976, 1977; W.D. Wilson 1978; Ken Moore 1979-1980; Ken Coleman 1981-1982; Robert Broadfoot 1983. Service diplomas : Mrs. Jos. Grummett 1958; Mrs. John McCowan 1964; Dave McLean 1969; J.W. Crich 1969; Mrs. J.M. Scott 1971; Robert McMillan 1972; Gordan Papple 1974; Mrs. Irene Jamieson 1974; Arthur Bolton 1975; Alf Ross 1977; Mts. Wna. Hodgert 1977; Joe Devereaux 1918; Ken Campbell 1979; Dorothy Hayes 1980 .1. Turnbull;1981; Ken and Lots Moore 1982; Kathleen Cuthill 1983; Claire Reith 1984; Russell Bolton - no date; Mrs. Ethel Boyes no date; Mrs. Mae Hillebrecht, no date, Art Nicholon, no date. Thanking you for your help. Bob Broadfoot, President 527-1498 Sharon Flanagan, Secretary 345-2406 Today s I I Sometimes i am convinced I was born 30 years too soon. When I see the went kaki opportunities for travel young people have today.i tutu pea-green with envy. When you and I were young, most of us didn't getnauch farther than the next town. A minority visited the city occasionally, and it was considered a big deal. And a shal whale of a lot of people never did get to see abig.city hi their entire lives. And were no worse for it, of course. Man, how that has changed. No'adays, young people go gall, . .g off to the four corner* of the earth . no_ more thou ht about it than we'd have given too a weekend in the city. They.'re so blase about it that it's sickening to -an old guy like me, who has always yearned to travel, and never had the time or money or freedom to do it. my day, during the Depression, the only people who could,,jford to travel *ere the hobos., Thep could- *fiord if because they didn'thave **motto, They rode free on.the tops iinaiinside the boa•atraof freight tains. And they 'didn't halve - any . responsibilities etc pt the neat meal and a plate to sleep. Looking back, 1 waaane of the lucky onet. Mostofinygeneratibstof youth wtls forced h circumstances to stay home, get any job available, and hang on telt like grim death, never venturing forth on the highroitdsoflife. I was theenvy of my classinates, when, at 17, I nabhed a job on then lake boats, and could ootne home brayggnig of having been to such bizarre. exotic p as Math, Sault BEHIND THE SCENES by Keith Roulston ' projects and the universality of medicare. family ailowances, old -age pensions and so on. The promise to build a stroflger defence policy but also say we need to decrease taxes on business to stimulate growth of the private sector. They go on with their vague policy statement but what it really comes down to is that they're selling pie in the sky, trying to convince people that we can have it all, the government services we've come to expect. and less government at the same time. You can't blame them in a way. If they really told us the truth we'd turn against them. We want to think that government can -be all things to ail people, both big and small at the same time, stimulating business and providing a safety net for the disadvantaged and not costing a cent. We dream of perfect government the way we dream of winning S14 million in the lottery. We aren't ready to face the truth that if we want social programs they will cost money. If we want a larger army. it goes directly against lower taxes. We can dream all we want about the government being able to cut out waste and still give tis the programs we want while still cutting the deficit but it's precisely that: a dream. There isn't $30 billion in waste In the government. To cut • the deficit we're going to face either massive cuts in programs we've all come to expect or massive increases in taxes. There's no magic formula for having it both ways. Yet politicians continue to feed us the hoax that there is. They spout the platitudes about jobs and lower taxes and less deficit and never really explain hew they'll gull off this magic act becauso-they know that s what we want to hear. We dont want to face up to the fact that, powerful as the government is, it hasn't as much influence in the world as people think. We don't want to' know that we're likely to face years of unemployment because of the massive upheaval in the way business and industry operates. We prefer to think that we only have unemployment because the incompetent. almost malicious, bungling Of a present prime minister who we blame for all that's wrong. And only when one of these new dream -sellers becomes leader will we find out sadly that we've bought a bill of goods. youth travel the world SUGAR AND SPICE by Sill Smiley Ste. Marie, Detroit, the Lakehead. Today's youngsters would sneer at such boiitgeois travels. They exchange anecdotes about Morocco and Moscow, Athens and Australia, Paris and Port-au-Prince, Delhi and Durbrovhik. Fair nauseates me, it does. By the time he was 22, my own son had lived on both coasts of Canada, been to Mexico, New Orleans, Texas, Israel, Ireland, and a hundred ,other places that are just names in an atlas to me. He's been to Paraguay, South America, and has visited Argentina and Bolivia. He speaks four languages. I speak one, not too well. My nephews iia re seen more countries than Cutis Columbus or Sir Francis Drake. Ono's an airpline pilot, and knows Europe, North Avner ea and the West Indies the way I know my way school. Another has worked in the Canadian north, Quebee, the Congo, Jamaica, and Costa Ries. My nieces are haat as peripatetic. They've been to the West Coast, Prance, England, Russia. Afent-day triptoNewYork, for them, is scarcely worth mentioning Miggaairvd, have 'given my left eyeball to see New York when I was their agel 1 thought it was pretty earthshaking the first time 1 saw't't'oronto. Toronto, ye-a-c-chf Thousands of university students annually take a year off, borrow some money, stuff a parksark and head Out for a year of bumming around Europe, the Mediterranean. North Africa, India. Rotten kidsl In the last decade, the travel bug has spilled over into the high schools. Some of them are beginning to sound like agencies, with frequent announcements over the P.A. system: "Will the group going to Rome in the winter break -please assemble in Room 202 at 3:30 for lesson in tying your toga." "All those taking the Venezuela trip are requested to see Mr. Vagabond in room 727 at 3.15 today." "Those who are involved in the spring break trip to the Canary Islands should have their passports by March 1st." "An urgent meeting will be held today for those who plan to take the London -Pari§ trip during s ring break. All seats are now filled. If enou 1i are interested, Well hire another plane.' It fairly makes your head swim, especially when your own idea of a trip south is 100 miles to the city for a weekend, a trip west means *visit to great=grandad, and'a trlpeast means you're going to a funeral or a wedding among the relatives.' Next thing you know, this travel bingo will bulge over into the elementary schools, and great 747 -loads of little shavers from grade eight will be descending on the unsuspecting residents of Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro. Lord help them. The residents, not the kids. Perhaps this sounds like sour grapes. Well, it is. As Shaw said: "The trouble with youth is that it is wasted on the young." And as Smiley says: "The trouble with travel is that itis wasted on kids who don't know a Greeian urn from an Italian pizza." Oh, it's not that i haven't travelled. i've been to Great Britain. And spent two years staggering around in the blackout or wading, through the , torrential rains of bonnie Scotland. I've been to France. Slept five weeks in a tent in an orchard in Normandy. Been to Belgium, Antwerp: buzzbombs. Know Holland well. Spent two weeks locked in a box -car in A railway siding at Utrecht. Am intimately acquainted with Germany. Was bombed in Braunsweig and Leipzig, and spent a delightful six months in salubrious Pomerania, as a guest of the Third Reich. Oh, I've been around all right. But somehow it wasn'tquite the same. Rattling through Deutschlatld on a train with a 10 -day stubble of beard on your chin and a tag -end of sour black -bread stuffed into your battledress blouse is not quite similar to'climbing aboard a 747 with your tote -bag and waiting for the stewardess to bring your first meal. . Would 1 trade? Not on your life.