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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1986-10-08, Page 1INDEX Births /A18 Classifieds /A14, 15, 16 Dublin /A9 Entertainment /A16, 17 Family iA18 Farm I A7 Grads /A18 Hensel! I A7 Legion IA17 Obituaries •I A6 People 1A18 Sports /Al2, 13 Walton 1A5 Weddings IA18 Golden couple celebrate golden anniversary. See page A5. 1,, CD Serving the communities and areas of Seaforth, Brussels, Dub- lin, Eiensall and Walton. • xp ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1986 — 18 PAGES 50 cents a copy Hur • Town talk Charlie Campbell has been recently appointed Justice of the Peace for this area. Mr. Campbell was officially sworn in September 30. A new Justice of the Peace was needed after Bob Dinsmore vacated the position to pursue a seat on Seaforth Town Council. Seaforth Public School recently elected their student council for this year. President is Jonathan Wheatley, Vice - President is Melissa Whitmore; Secretary is Susan Stewart and Treasurer is John M cKercher. Other representatives are: 2-3, Bruce Griffin; 3-4, Sheila Litt; 4T - Jamie Somerville; 513- Tracey Alexander; 7S Kalen Carroll and John McKercher; 7 -SE Sherry Harburn and Mark Smale; SM Melissa Whitmore and Jonathan Wheatley, 511 - Andrea Gingerich, 6C - Susan Stewart and 6R Robbie Shortreed. The Expositor was able to finish binding its 1981 newspapers thanks to the helpfulness of George Campbell, Mr. Campbell was able to supply the paper with a missing January edition. It came from the collection of his late wife Esther. Jack offers no magic cure for beanstalks BY PATRICK RAMS A visit by provincial Agriculture Minister Jack Riddell to rain -plagued farmers in southwestern Ontario last week, offered area farmers some assurance the government is interested in their plight -- but little concrete evidence help is on the way. Standing amidst a blackened field of rain -damaged beans on the farm of Ken McCowan, near Brucefield, Friday, Mr. Riddell told a gathering of about 25 Huron County farmers he was waiting for a "total assessment," of crop damage before decid- ing if any aid is appropriate. "W a haven't sat down and decided on any kind of aid programs, outside of what we already have in place," said Mr. Riddell. Cash crops in this area, particularly beans and corn, are in danger of being lost completely due to heavy rainfall in Septem- ber and October. Many farmers are without crop insurance and even many insured farmers feel the program is insufficient to make up for lost crops this year. "The intent of the program was nothing more than to cover losses," said Mr. Riddell, adding that to make the crop insurance program more lucrative would be more expensive for participants. "if you want an enriched program, you're going to have to pay for it." There is some possibility the insurance program will be expanded to help farmers this year and a submission has been made to the program administrators, said Mr. Rid- dell. However, he added, crop insurance is a joint federal -provincial government program and any changes to be made would require approval from the federal level. There's not a beck of a lot of sense going any further unless they (the federal govern- ment) are going to get involved," said Mr. Riddell. Mr. Riddell placed much of the responsibil- ity for helping farmers on Federal Agricul- ture Minister John Wise, saying that the Farm Credit Corporation, another federal . program, should be revamped to make credit more available to farmers. "We need more money for long, short and intermediate-term credit. at fixed rates of interest that farmers can afford," said Mr, Riddell. Also on the subject of credit, Mr. Riddell said he has been having "very, very frank discussions." with the province's banking officials, "asking them to show leniency in light of the fact this is an unusual year." He has asked the banks to consider such measures as foregoing payments until farmers can "get back on their feet." (Continued on Page A3 Local police make drug bust Charges are pending against a young offender on suspicion of a drug offence, at the Seaforth High School. The Seaforth Police Department investigated the occurrence on Friday evening, October 3. Seaforth Police Chief Hal Claus said at about 11 p.m., an officer•on patrol noticed a DAMAGED CROPS — Provincial A.riculture Minister Jack Riddell, right, examines rain -damaged beans on the Brucefleld-area farm o1 Ken McCowan, left, during a tour of farms In southwestern Ontario, last Friday, as other Huron County farmers look on, Mr. Merchants Reaction from merchants within Seaforth's business improvement district, to the imple- mentation of the Main Street Canada program in town. continues to be mixed. Brought to the town as a joint project between the Seaforth BIA and town council, the program is estimated to cost between 545.000 and 550.000 each year for three years. That amount includes a 527,000 annual salary paid out to Main Street coordinator Tom Lemon, To counter its share of the cost the BIA agreed earlier this year to double the tax on itself. from $10,000 to 520,000 annually for the three years the program will run. It is this decision, which members of the B1A said was made without their knowledge, which is generating the majority of the negative feelings about the project. "It's money we could be putting to use to actually improve the Main Street, not pay Riddell has not committed yet, to any government emergency aid programa for farmers affected by the recent heavy rainfall. Rattle photo number of youths sitting in the smoking area of the school. He approached the group and noticed a "sweet, burning odor," and subsequently discovered approximately 15 grhms of a "brown resinous substance,' believed to be hashish. The estimated street value of hashish is 510 per gram. said Chief Clpus. Car runs amok on Goderich Street West A floor mat, stuck to the gas pedal, is believed to have caused a vehicle driven by an 80 -year-old Seaforth area man to run amok, causing extensive property damage on Goderich Street West on Monday afternoon. Seaforth police report the incident began about 3:25 p.m. on October 6. A vehicle, driven by Joseph Ilugill, of RR 2. Seaforth, was reversing out of a driveway when the floor mat became stuck, causing the vehicle to hack across Highway 8, then cross back in the opposite direction, striking a porch at the home of Paul Carroll,, 131 Goderich Street W est. The vehicle continued travelling over lawns and ornamental shrubbery until it struck n stake truck. owned by Kurt Stryker, 11 Sperling Street. No one was injured in the incident. reaction to Main Street program mixed someone to tell us that's what we should do," said one business person. "it will take a lot of sales to cover the increase in our taxes," said another. "The economic times aren't the greatest and they're not going to get any better for us if aur expenses keep going up.': Businesses located off the Main Street are especially resentful of the fact they've been forced to pay double their normal tax rate, and express some skepticism the program will improve business for them. [zeal service stations, for one, have already been improved on the exterior and operators express some doubt the program will help them, sinced business varies depending on the needs of the community, not necessarily the aesthetic appearance of their business. Other businesses view the arrival of Main Street Canada in Seaforth, and coordinator Tom Lemon, as unnecessary and say Fire burns driving shed on Winthrop area farm Seaforth firefighters spent three hours battling a blaze, but couldn't save a driving shed on the farm of Dyke Wheatley, RR 2, Dublin, last week. The fire. which occurred around 7 p.m. on October 1. destroyed a driving shed and a nearby tool shed and also a tractor, plow, bean windrower and a number of small tools that were in the shed. Damage is estimated at $5.000. businesses in town are fine the way they are. Mr. Campbell added he thought small Some businesses even find the entire project municipalities like Seaforth have to take a insulting, since in essence, they say, it look at establishing a format for the future of d 't their downtown cores, and said while Seaforth's Main Street is not dormant, It isn't thriving either. "W e don't want to end up like some other towns. W hen you look at them you see death on the streets. We're not in a desperate position now, hut we don't want to reach it either," he said. "If we sit dormant and do bugger -all about it, inevitably the town is going to fall to the next size down. The rural population nnis already down and the municipal pop not up. We're going to have to start capturing some of the market that is shopping in Mitdiell, Clinton and Exeter." "When you need medical advice you consult with a doctor, when you need legal advice you consult with a lawyer and when presumes to tell the merchants they on know how to run a proper, and thriving business. Still other businessmen think a program like Main Street Canada is long overdue in Seaforth and think the negative reaction by some merchants is premature. "it's damn hard to put together a comprehensive package when only two or three bodies care enough to attend the BIA meetings," said Charlie Campbell of Camp- bell's Home Centre. "And it's always those people who don't attend the meetings who are the first to complain. i think we have to be positive before we're negative. We have to give anything an opportunity to prove itself before we condemn it." you need financial advice you consult with a banker W e need strong advice and guidance on our main street. and it only aks god sense to consult with a p ho is in tune with the �mblems some encountered by businesses in a sma 1 town. Mr. Campbell said he can appreciate the fact that other businesamen•wamen are concerned about the cost of the Main Street program. but said he expects the money will he well spent. "I know there are going can yoto u do fosr incurred by myself, but nothing?" he asked "This is one of the first times we, as business people got financial assistance from the town, and 1 think that tells us something. if our commercial bases fail we don't have a sufficient industrial base to keep the town afloat But if the commercial sector (Continued on Page A3 Earlier in the week, Seaforth firelighters were called to extinguish a small fire in a barn on the Wheatley property. Fire Chief George Garrick said little damage was done in the earlier blaze, which occurred on September 28. teo one was injured in either fire. Cause has not yet been determined. The Ontario Provincial Police are investi- gating the incident. Former Ross Scott fuel company employees ponder their future applications out," he said. Robert Webster, of Varna, who has been With the Ross Scott organization for 18 years, dating back to when it was actually owned by Ross Scott, before it was purchased by Sun Oil in 1969, is more optimistic. "i think I came out of it better than anybody," Mr. Webster said, "I got a good settletttent." Mr. Webster said only three regular employees, plus two who worked on contract, were offered jobs within the Sun Oil organization. He said some of the employees, who had not been with the company a long rinse will have a hard time because of the layoff. "I feel sorry for them," he said. Mr, Webster said he has already had other job offeis and expects to "end up back on the petroleum litre," Despite fits optitriistn, Mr. Webstersaid it was a "Shock", to learn of the sfiht down. "s'1"here's nothing you can do about it. When they lower the boom -- that's it," he Said, Former Ross Scott Fuels employees appear to be maintaining a postive outlook, although laid off with only three working days notice when the company was sold bySun Oil Co., to the Hensel] Co-operative. The 18 employees affected by the sale were informed of the impending closure of the Brucefield opera- tion at an afternoon meeting on September26 and their final day of work was Tuesday, September 30. Despite the short official notification, one fanner employee, Keith Keyes, of Clinton, said workers had been anticipating the closure since last fall. "We all knew it was going to happen sometime but we didn't kniow when I kind of thought theywould have given us more notice," said Mr. Keyes, who has driven a tank truck for the company for the 'peat 13 ye. While Mr. Keyes was "quite pleased" with the severance package he receivedr he is uncertain about the prospects Ofobtaining another job. "When you get to be 85, not; that many people want 10 hire you I have a few BIB BLAZE--'Seafortti flretlghters °pent three hours battling this fire in a dthilii i Shed ori the property of Winthrop area farmer Dyke Motley on October Datong° 'wee e$tlmaled at $5,000. . Raft's photo ,y,