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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1986-06-04, Page 2ElJuror) Xpositor SINCE 1880, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Incorporating Bruiser Post 10 Main Street 527-0240 Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning ED BYRSKI, General Manager HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor The Expositor Is brought to you each week by the efforts of: Pat Armes, Bessie Broome, Marlene Charters, Joan Gulcholear, Anne Huff, Joanne Jewitt, Dianne McGrath, Lois McLiwain, Bob McMillan, Cathy Malady and Patrick Raffia. Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada $20.00 a year, In advance Outside Canada $60.00 a year, In advance Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1986 Second class mall registration Number 0696 an Worthwhile efforts The Seaforth Lions C'tub, whose efforts have provided residents of this area with an attractive and useful park for more than 60 years, have launched an appeal for funding to maintain and improve the Seaforth Lions Park. The club is looking for $22,000 in funds to match an Ontario Neighborhood Improvement Program grant for a like amount, in order to make some improvements to the park which has served the community for four generations. This area Is,fortunate to have a substantial number of service clubs and volunteer organizations providing a continual source of community betterment and they deserve full support from all of us. The addition of a paved entrance road, equipment store room, added toilet facilities, water fountain and aeration facilities will all help to enhance the park. Hopefully the citizens of Seaforth and the surrounding community will get behind this project as they have so many worthwhile causes in the past. — P.R. Who needs it? oP1NIoN - Too early for water sports THIS I'ut really not sure, haw it happened. One 1 FRO j� /�' ANGLE chair minute I was sitting 'comfortably a can ofcool a lawn I lVl sun on ray liquid in by Patrick Raftis my hand and the next minute I was being dragged headlong through a lake by a speedboat, Why, tasked myself, do Ido these things. I really hadn't intended to go water-skiing last weekend. I had simply been invited to spend an afternoon at the cottage of some friends. A barbecue would be on the agenda, 1 was told, but as it was still only May, the possibility of watersports had not even crossed my mind. So when my hostess asked if I might like to be hooked to the back of the boat and dragged about the lake, I mistook her offer for some form of cottage country humor and laughed, Soon however, the others in attendance at the party took a shine to the idea of a little water-skiing. I might add though, they seemed in favor of the sport only on the basis that I was to be the one with a pair of boards strapped to my feet. No one else seemed to want to try. They pointed out that there were already a number of others skiing the lake and they saw no reason I should not join their number. I had been under the impression these skiers were members of some sort of daredevil's organization, perhaps the Polar Bear Club; or maybe Evil Knievil owned ew Icottag t e cross the lake. Either way,going in. I knew this for sure, until one or two cans of cool liquid later, when my host set a lifejacket beside my chair and began hooking up the water-skiing attachments to his boat. Then I began to suspect I may have been wrong. And so it turned out that minutes later I was sitting on the edge of the dock, holding onto a bar attached to a boat that was rapidly travelling toward the centre of the lake. Starting from a dock, I had been told, was more difficult than taking off from right in the when i thought I had to remainuprightfor pright well distance of nearly one foot before pitching headfirst into the water, my face smacking down between my outstretched skis. I was so surprised by my poor showing, that I forgot the cardinal rule of this sport, if you are going to fall -- LEP GO OF THE BAR, and ended up travelling several extra yards .underwater. On my second attempt, we tried the in -the -water starting method. This time, I almost managed a whole yard before I fell over backward. Being a quick learner, especially in matters which concern my personal safety, I let go of. the bar promptly this time, However, since I was going over backwards and the bar travelling forward, it sort of got tangled up in my legs and once again I was doing my high-speed submarine act. This particular incident left me with bruises which, even as I write this, make it difficult for me to bring my legs together. No quitter, I attempted to get started a third time, with similar results, at which point I decided to become a quitter. After all, I had already swallowed a significant portion of Lake Conestoga and if I were to continue my efforts they might have had to raise the dam to keep the water level up. W hen I informed my host, who was driving the boat, of my decision not to pursue the matter any further, he disagreed with me. "You're dung great," he said, with a face so straight I almost believed him. If I was doing "great," where were all those people who had done, "not so great?" Resting comfortably on the bottom, I suspected. At least during this respite I was able to convince Bob that my skis needed tightening, creating what I hoped was a plausible excuse for my previous failures, Amazingly enough, this seemed to work, for on the very next try. I was standing upright, cutting a.trail throV'dh the water and siding to beat the band. I thought it was great, for a while. But after several turns of the pond my arms began to stiffen, my back was sore and my hands were raw from holding the bar. On top of that, without my glasses and with water in my eyes and all this circular motion, I began to lose any sense of my position in the water relative to the dock I started from. My shouts of "W hat do you say we take 'er in now Bob?" seemed to get lost in the wind and the boat motored on. It was only after I gave up and let go, in order to converse with the driver, that I discovered he'd already made a couple of passes by the dock and had been expecting me to get off there. With all that was going, on, I guess I just didn't recognize it. When chilled to the bone and bruised to boot, I finally straggled back onto dry land, I was so glad to be standing on something solid, I didn't even mind the prospect of being stiff for several days. What really worries me though, is the fact my friends, these same people who initiated me to the fine art of water-skiing, tell me they also own the equipment necessary for something called para -sailing. Apparently it involves a parachute -like contraption and a sensation not unlike that of hang-gliding. I'm almost glad I have to work this weekend. The industrialists don't like it, the farmers are afraid of it, the provinces aren't sure what their role in it Is and the average taxpayer thinks it's a waste of time. So, just who needs Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's pet project, freer trade with the United States? Prime Minister Brian Mulroney -- that's who. Mulroney has put too many eggs in the free trade basket to let the current chaotic state of negotiations on the subject scramble his plans completely. To avoid ending up with egg pn his face the Prime Minister will have to find a way. to reach an agreement of some sort with the Americans, or admit to ignominious, embarrassing defeat. It remains to be seen what price the rest of the country will pay as its leadership attempts to salvage this debacle. After building up the idea of freer trade flow across the border as the road to economic salvation, the Mulroney government was left dangling when the Americans began to turn a cold shoulder to the Idea. When the Americans slapped a tariff on Canadian wood products, they were indicating to Canadians they will drive a harder bargain then the prime minister led us to believe. Mulroney has replied with counter -tariffs which the government openly admits are retaliatory. This may be the proper step to take now that things have gone this far. One cannot expect to go to the international bargaining table unprepared to talk tough. But, did we really need all this aggravation? The United States has long been Canada's closest trading partner and a reasonably equitable situation has resulted from that for many years. By attempting to pressure the Americans into an even closer relationship, the government may have given them cause to fire the opening shots in what could be a trade war that will force our two countries further apart than ever. — P.R. Double-edged sword HEAVY HAND — Rob Malloch of the Seaforth Karate Club shows Just how much concentration can contribute to a person's strength. Mr. Malloch drove his hand through three slabs of concrete during a karate demonstration Wednesday. Mciiwralth photo With all the controversy surrounding the ban on extra -billing by doctors, the government has opened up another hot topic in Ontario - the whole question of having beer and wine sold in corner grocery stores. And, like the doctors' dispute, the wine and beer Issue has the same type of "double-edged sword" appearance. There, again, are two, well-defined camps being either for or against the sale of beer and wine in convenience stores. The government, on one hand, argues the whole idea of an open system of beer and wine distribution would be a boon for small grocery store owners, with some owners estimating sales could go up by as much as 30 per cent with the addition of beer and wine on the shelves. Furthermore, the convenience this system would bring is another point being taken into consideration by the Liberals. Consumers could pick up a six-pack just about any time of the night or day, rather than be limited by the hours of the Brewers Retail outlets. The politicians also point out beer and wine sales have been going on in the states and in six Canadian provinces for years with very little negative effects. Consumer Minister Monte Kwinter, in a recent Toronto Star article, said a number of studies have revealed there is "no correlation between increased availability and increased consumption." However, on the other side of the fence, the whole idea of lessening the controls on beer and wine sales has fervently been opposed by a number of groups, municipalities and police forces. In the forefront of their opposition is the effect the Increased availability of booze would have on teenage drinking. Most say the accessibility of wine and beer not only Could have grave Implications towards increasing teenage alcoholism, but especially on drinking and driving. The proposed legislation certainly runs contrary to the current campaign being waged against drinking and driving. Also of concern is the policing of beer and wine sales. Most feel the system under the Brewers Retail is better able to detect minors, thus . controlling, to some extent, under -age drinking. The Liberals have vowed in their election campaign to bring about beer and wine sales in Corner stores in Ontario. The rumblings riow indicate they're now ready to move on this promise. But, before anything can be Passed into legislation, the government must prove that this type of distribution system Will work for Ontario. And, most of all, this system must provide sufficient safeguards to keep the beer and wine out of the hands of minors. The Lucknow Sentinel Confessions of a soccer fan -� of CO�t.NUCOPIA. I first became fascinated by the game soccer during the 1966 World Cup. I was barely a teenager, but I vividly recall Jeoff Hurst's three goals that propelled England past W est Germany in overtime. The English have not managed to recapture the magic of that 4-2 thriller but that single game made a fan out of me. I must admit, however, I was somewhat less then devastated when the North American Soccer League folded a couple of years ago. It was a league that catered to the ethnic communities, had some of the dumbest rules imaginable; and for the sake of totally ignorant American T. V. network executives, played the game on artificial turf. That was the tantamount to having Montreal and Calgary play for the Stanley Cup in a cow pasture. The late unlamented league had soccer purists howling in the aisles. Canada thus became the first country to ever play in a world cup without having a league at the professional level. In fact, we have been made 1000-1 longshots to win it all. We are looked upon with indifference and by Dave Broome some distain by the soccer world and with some justification. After all, we would laugh until our stomachs caved in if, say, Uganda challenged us for the Canada Cup. North Americans cite a number of reasons for soccer's failure to become a force in the sporting conscience. They say the game is slow, dull, and full of prima donnas that fake near death when felled by a tackle, then suddenly bounce up as if nothing ever happened. It can be slow and boring and, indeed, has its share of air heads but is there anything more sleep -inducing than watching baseball on T. V.? Pitcher has the ball. He adjusts his cap. He turns the ball over in his hand. He adjusts his cap. He looks at the catcher. He Reader slams forestry The Honourable David Peterson Legislative Building Queens Park Toronto, Ont. M7A 1A1 Dear Mr. Peterson: In the words of a senior forestry technician in the Wingham District, "this year we have no forestry program." This is not the fust time that seasonal employees have faced lay-offs, but it is the first time that the forestry budget for the district has been cut so drastically that most of the ten technicians have been laid off with little hope for recall. There remain only two permanent staff members to handle an area that stretches from Grand Bend up the shore of Lake Huron almost to Kincardine, east to Harriston and Listowel, and south of Stratford and St. Marys, over 4200 square miles. What is the purpose of the whimsical and haphazard funding weh vebeensubjectedto in the past few years? have management programs are long-term commitments t0 long-term resources and require consistent and stable funding. They also require well-trained, experienced, career -oriented technicians to implement them, This year, as usual, we have planted 500,000 trees in the district, but tree planting is only a part of the forest management program. As with any other crop, trees must be tended if they are to yield a maximum harvest. This areahas the climate and soils to produce bumper ere S both in agriculture and in forestry, and certainly these two resources are complimentary, as marginal lands are utilized to 'give the landowner a future forest resource with the spin-off benefits of erosion control, recreational use, gives himself a scratch. He adjusts his cap. He spits. He looks at the catcher. He's ready. He steps back. He throws the ball. Foul ball. Repeat over and over until sleep or death occur and you have the ingredients for the world's truly dullest game. Before you toss me a beanball pitch let me confess that I like the game - like - not love. Football, hockey (as witnessed by this year's playoffs) can be painfully somnolent. it Is really too bad soccer has not stirred the imagination of the sports -minded folks in this country. It really is a wonderful game and should Canada continue to show the world that we are not a fourth-class soceer power, our performance in Mexico will go a long way in determining the future of the sport fn this nation. cutbacks TO THE EDITOR aesthetic and wildlife enhancement, local economic and employment benefits, and water control. We are years behind in all the aspects of tending and maintaining our existing planta- tions. stotions. The result: young pine plantations are crushed because competing vegetation is not controlled; young walnut plantations will never produce good quality veneer logs because they are not correctively pruned to produce straight stems; older plantations are stagnated for lark of thinning and will never be bottom -branch pruned to produce knot - free lumber; access trails become overgrown and useless as maintenance and recreational routes. Again we ask, what is the purpose of such whimsical and haphazard funding? Is it to reduce the status of community -trained technicians to that of migrant workers? These technicians, experienced in planting, tend- ing, and woodlot stand improvement, must wait for a minimum of ten years before they are offered the security of a permanent position, ten years of not knowing whether Group wants to he The Stanley Township Sesquicentennial Committee wishes to compile a list of Stanley Township babies born in 1986 and senior citizens 80 or older born, raised of residing in Stanley' Township or in Bayfield prior to incorporation. If you know of an'yon'e in either of these the funding will provide them six or sixteen weeks of employment, ten years of being unable to make any long-term commitments to the communities in which they live. With regard to the situation before us: we do not need benefit packages or recall rights unless you can afford us the opportunity to work on a reasonably steady basis. This year we have, with one week's notice, been told that there is no funding to do the work that we know has been neglected for years. 'Some of us have special training and most of us are experienced foremen and competent to quality -control contracted work. All of us are capable of the high-quality work this district demands. Where is your government's commitment to forestry and to us? We feel desand dissatisfied. If tiertedne work was to be contracted to private companies and some of us would be monitoring those contracts, then, although woefully inadequate in Volume, at least some tending would be done. To our knowledge, this is not the ease. Continued on Page A3 ar from residents groups please give names to Joyce DawsonSincerely 565-2523, Carol Simons 482-9970' or Jean Ratliweil 262-5292 as soon as Vapornssiblea,Ontario. . Joyce Dawson R.R.1, NOM 280