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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1987-10-21, Page 22A — THE HURON EXPOSITOR, OCTOBER 21, 1987 • ,..,1) . E Huron ixpositor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST incorporating ED BYRSKI, General Manciger The, Brussels Post HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor Published in Seaforth, Ontario 'amber Canadian CommunitTNewSpape'r-As ac— Every Wednesday Morning Ontario Community Newspaper Association , Ontario Press -Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: a Canada '20.00 ayear, in advance The Expositor is brought to you Senior Citizens • '17.00 a year in advance ' each week by the efforts of: Pat ' Outside. Canada '60.00 a year, in advance Armes, Neil Corbett, Dianne, Single Copies • ,50 cents each McGrath and Bob McMillan. 'Second class moil regisiration Number 0696 -_.--------- _ .1NEQNESJDAY,:OCTOBER 21: 1987 _... _._-. Editorial and Business Offices -10 Main Street, Seaforth Telephone (619) 627.0240 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth', Ontario, NOK 1WO It's about time Postal strike, teachers stike, shipping strike. it happened again, and although it took some time and some persuasion, it was reassuring to see .the federal government step in and do something to stop the citizens of this country from being held ransom. • When the powerful labor unions of this country decide they want longer lunch hours, or some similar demand, why is it the rest of us have to suffer. Each day the inside postal workers were off the job because of strike action, it cost the taxpayers of Canada between three and four million dollars. Not• only does the mail not get through, which costs money, but we also have to pay the salaries ($13.25 per hour) of replacemeht workers to stand around in case the rotating strike affects the area they have been posted. In the last strike that amounted to '$159 per day per replacement worker. Pretty good money for doing nothing but being ready. Canada Post, a Crown Corporation, loses millions of dollars each year - without a strike. Surely, government intervention ' in the form of a back to work order is effective, but often comes after a great deal of cost to the tax- payers of Canada. Canada Post is now arguing that cost can be cut by the closure of 10 rural post offices in Ontario. Now who suffers? It would not be so difficult to accept if the employees of. Canada Post weren't so intent on striking once or twice every year. No wonder Canada Post is in dire straits. Maybe the next time the situation arises we should follow the example of the Reagan administration. It fired .a whole lot of air traffic controllers who went on strike a couple of years ago, and gave their jobs to people who want to work. Admittedly this action is rather drastic, but it worked in the case -of the controllers and undoubtedly that union will think twice before they strike again. Why should the Canadian public have to suffer because of the greed of a select few? Whether or not the Canadian government would ever do anything as, drastic as fire all the inside postal workers is questionable. But, what is wrong with allowing replacement workers to handle the vital duties of the post office while the union and management discuss their differences. This should be done as soon as the union calls for a strike. We shouldn't have the replacement workers standing around "just in case". The people of this country are not pawns to be used in a bid to get higher wages, or better benefits for a relatively small group of people. When will it stop? Not until we, the pawns, make a few demands of our own. If the posties"aren't happy with making $13.25 an hour, let someone who would be happy with that take their place. Trade and labor unions in this country have become far too powerful. It's time to clip their wings and get back to the job of working for the country as a•whote. FROM THIS ANGLE by Patrick Raf tis 'Whatever happened to ..• When I contemplated a subject for this week's column I had decided T would com- S VV L1 A TSOCI S pletely by-pass the subject of baseball. I mean, it's been a number of weeks now since I've been doing the ball park beat . by Heather Mcllwraith and...well,.. I'm probably beating,a dead horse. But however honorable my initial inten- tions were I've found totally ignoring the subject impossible, for a couple of reasons. One - no matter what teams are involved I can't deny the fact that at the time I am • writing-thl- s column, we are in the -rads the World Series. TWo - I'm wondering what happened to a certain individual who garnered a lot of media attention earlier in the summeron account of his devotion to the Toronto Blue Jays. I don't know about anybody else but I've been wondering lately what became of the impaired driver who, due to the kindness of Judge Frank Dunlap, was given a delayed sentence so' he couldwatch the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. The fact he admitted to impaired driving causing bodi- ly harm and to failing to remain at the scene of an accident, had no affect what- soever on the judge's decision. He viewed the Sentencing as something that "would not badly abuse the interests of justice". Well, I've already debated that issue. tot—1-hayen'iheaF anything more about the • eventual caging of this jail bird, but I'im- agine he, moreso than the rest of us, had something to wail about when the Jays were served a hasty retirement from the 1987 baseball season. I have to wonder if he was counting ' on an extra month or so of freedom, or merely a little more time to quaff a few beers at Exhibition Stadium, then drive home. Whatever the case he was allowed the luxury of both. ' And -since the Blue Jays have been history for' some weeks now, I am wonder-, ing what became of the man whose freedom depended on their success. Was he, rounded up and carted off to jail im- mediately following that fateful Sunday in Detroit? Or was he allowed a decent period of mourning? Maybe we decided to let him watch -the entire orld Series, even despite the fact Toronto was not one of. the con- tenders for the title. For all I know the man could have, in the months following his sentencing, purchas- ed tickets for the Stanley Cup playoffs, and used that as a bargaining tool for an even . more delayed sentence. Who knows? I would hope however, if that were the case, the judge would havemore sense than to delay sentencing based on an argument the Toronto Maple Leafs were•destined for • fame next spring. ' They're due; but are ready? APPup . lecart to its axels Some people just can't let Well enough alone! For most•of the '80s North America has enjoyed, if not overwhelmingly pro- sperous, at least stable, economic times. And yet, just because a bunch of Bulls decided to dump their loads all at the same time, the entire world economic applecart has sunk up to its axels in the muck in one day. Since the closest I get to dabbling in the, stock market is when I travel to the local market to stock up on groceries, I can't claim to have much of a personal stake hi the "crash" which hit Wall Street, Bay Street and comparable streets in Tokoyo,. London and Hong Kong, with un- precedented severity early this week. I can't even claim to understand it. Since the 'economy has been reasonably good lately, what is causing everyone to sell off? Experts (television screens simply teem with "experts" every tithe a crisis arises) claim the uncertainty among investors has something to do with high interest rates and the threat of war in the Persian Gulf. This makes little sense, because We've had high interest rates before, in the late 7O's they were over 15 per cent, and yet the market didn't crash then. As for the threat of war, I thought there was supposed to be nothing better for the old economy than o good' global skirmish. Wasn't it World War II that got people working and the economy moving again after the Great Depression of the 30s? Speaking of depressions, r truly hope we're not about to have one as a result of this baloney between the Bulls and the Bears (sounds more like a scab football game than economic finagling), because I'M finding it easy enough to be completely broke in a strong econotriy. „ , H things really went bad, well, my father doeSn t even own a sawmill like John -Boy Walton's dad did, so I have no idea how I would even survive a depression. One of the many players in 'the stock n arket who was httervieWed by the Media r in the wake of the plunge kind of put the whole thing into perspective. "This is just high-class gambling,'" he said, and I tend to agree. If one looks at it rationally, the price of their stock in the marketplace should real- ly have little effect on the fortunes of a cor- poration that is making a profit from operations. The trading of stock is a lot like kids swapping baseball cards.One Reggie Jackson might be worth two' Mark McGuires to a •kid who's a fan of the veteran slugger. However, that doesn't change the fact that McGuire had a very productive season at the plate, while Mr. October announced his retirement in September. Stock market prices are based on speculation and manipulation, while the economy is, or should be affected only by tangible factor's. While I would never presume to offer ad- vice to anyone who actually has enough spare cash to get involved in the market, I am expressing a certain amount of op- timistn about the situation. I don't think it's time yet to sell the farm and start bury- ing gold bars under the back porch. Perhaps the best thing one could do is corner the market on Kleenex tissues, which I have a feeling will be in big de- mand at stock exchanges everywhere for the next week or so. Other sure investments under the Cur- rent cirucrostances might include coni= puter screens many of which will have been smashed in by frustrated brokers and investors in the last two days and will need to be replaced;. and wine and spirits, a great deal of which will be consumed dur- ing the drowning of fiscal sorrows. As for me, I'm going to keep en stuffing uiy life savings into my mattress as shave done' for years. While my savings, thus Safely enclosed, won't be affected by market fluctuations, I must admit that it's rather difficult' 'sleeping on a bed of pennies. 1 TRic►c OR fREAY TN E SKEPTIC Point in article requires expansi.en In regard to your article entitled "Unemployment Below Average" in the Oc- tober 14•, 1987 edition of the Expositor, 1 would first like to say it was a well-written article. There is one point, however, which requires expansion in order to be accurate. It is the following paragraph, located on pages one and ten: "One thing that did give the researchers a bit more reason for concern was the fact the number of people dropping out of school in Huron County is higher than the national average. To find out why this is the case they are going to be conducting confidential interviews with people who have dropped out of school. They hope to get at least 50 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR volunteers to talk to them and give their opinions." While we are indeed concerned about the number of people who are dropping out of school in Huron, we are not only conducting confidential interviews with people who have dropped out of school. We are also con- ducting interviews with anyone who is cur- rently unemployed or underemployed. Per- sons who n'ieet these• criteria, whether Seaforth hockey school should This is a retort to the Hockey School write- up in last week's Expositor. I, for one, believe the hockey school is an entity that should remain. Skills such as skating, positioning, shooting and passing are emphasized. Goaltending techniques are also taught. This is the only place, other than practices that these skills will be taught. As for the statement regarding older kids going to hockey school, only a handful from Seaforth go. Most do not. And what about the tiette and effort of guys like Terry Craig, Ben Van den Akker, Jim Moore and the rest who devote free time and instruction so that Seaforth can have better hockey players. I agree that other organisations should have the opportunity for early ice time but surely an equal time schedule can be allotted. I am sure I have much support from con - school dropouts or not, are welcome to call the project office in Seaforth at 527-2150 (collect if out of town) if they wish to participate. We appreciate the article about the project. Yours sincerely, Mark Seasons. Coordinator, stay intact cerned parents and hockey fans. Above all, Minor hockey should support and applaud the efforts of a few guys who are willing to relinquish their spare time for hockey school instead of downgrading it and saying it won't be missed. The entire effort of hockey school is for the betterment of the Minor Hockey System. Rick Fortune. Hensall man picks 15-inchapple OCTOBER 22, 1887 One day last week Mr. F. Glen of Stanley, fell down and seriously injured his shoulder. It pained him so much that he at last -con- eluded to go see a doctor, not anticipating that anything more severe than a bad sprain had happened. When the doctor examined him he found that the shoulder was dislocated, and it required the combined strength of three men to get it back into place again. Five large cases, weighing 1,1001b'S. were shipped from Brussels station On Tuesday of last week. They contained clothing and other useful articles, for gratuitous di5tribu- tion among the Indians on the Assiniboine Reserve, Indian Head. The articles were contributed by seven of the Auxiliaries in the Maitland Presbyterian Society, viz., Kincardine, Huron Langside, Lucknow BluevaIe, Ethel and Brussels. A foot ball match was played on the Recreation Grounds, Seaforth, last Satur- day, between Mitchell and Seaforth High Schools, which resulted in favor of Seaforth by a score of 6 goals to 0. W. McDonald, J. Killoran, and A. McLean did the necessary for Seaforth, each securing two goals. Mit- chell made several strong attacks ori the Seaforth goal, but was unable to score on ac- count of the superior play of the Seaforth defense. OCTOBER 18, 1912 The new Presbyterian church at Walton is nearing completion. It is a very handsome building, Well designed' aid of excellent workmanship. The building committee have been wise in using the best material'. throughout such as Milton pressed brick, American slate, Georgia pine lumber, •etc. IN THE YEARS ALONE from the Archives 1 The contract for the leaded glass windows has been given to the Lutfa Prism Com- pany, of Toronto and the church seats and furniture to the Valley City Seating Com- pany! of Dundas. J. Hunter of Cranbrook is the contractor and the contract price is $8,180. This with the furnishings complete will cost about $11,000. Messrs. Park and Brown of Cromar- ty, have the mason contract from Mr. Hunter and their fine work has won loud praise. A few days ago Mr. S. Smillie of Hensall picked from a tree in his garden an apple of the Ontario variety which weighed two pounds and measured fifteen inches in circumference. The barn south of Clinton on the London road, belonging to Reverend Mr. Wade, was destroyed by fire which started between ten and eleven o'elo'ck on Tuesday night. The barn Was a substantial one and could not be rebuilt for less than $900. Ten tons of hay were destroyed, and there was no insurance on it. The cause of the fire is unknown' but it is suspected that it was of incendiary origin. OCTOBER 22, 193/ Apple Day, held on Saturday by the Boy Scouts, was ve-ry successful, the Scout's realizing a profit of about $50, an increase over 1936. Early in the morning a thorough canvass Of Seaforth homes was made and throughout the day Scouts in uniforms sold apples on Main Street. Impaled on a branch of a tree about nine feet from the ground a wrecked automobile, its nose pointed down, greeted Traffic Of- ficer Norman Lever when he was called to investigate an accident near Zurich recent- ly, Herbert Ness 17, and Harry •Render 20, were, pollee said, the occupants of the car. They escaped with minor injuries. Ness lost control while rounding a turn. The machine turned over twice, struck a tree, reared up on its nose, the steel top piercing a sawed -Off limb. There it hung until released. OCTOBER 25, 1962 The season is here when all hearts and minds turn towards hockey. Tuesday night an executive was forriied to operate an In- termediate "B" hockey team' in Seafor- th,The officers are as follows President, Bob Beuttenmiller; first vice-president, Ray Anstett; second vice-president, Jack McLI- wain; treasurer, Harry Cilniming; assis- taut, Dave Tremeer; secretary, Doug Rowcliffe; coach, Jack Webb. The team will be known as the Seaforth TOwners'. Highly styled exteriors and attractively appointed interiors featured the 1963. line of General and Zephyr Mobile Homes, unveil- ed in Hensall on Monday before more than 50 dealers (real coast to coast.