HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-03-28, Page 2Incorporating
The Brussels Post
Published in
Seaforth, Ontario
Every Wednesday Morning
11*
the ExposlrorTs brought to you
each week by the efforts of: Pat
Armes, Paula Elliott, Terri -Lynn
Dale, Dianne McGrath and Bob
McMillan.
ED BYRSKI, General Manager
HEATHER ROBINET, Editor
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
Senior Citizens 47,00,a year in advance
Outside Canada '60.00 o year, in advance
Single Copies - .50 cents each
Second class -mail registration Number 0696
0
Editorial and Business Offices - 10 Main Street, Seaforth
Telephone (519) 527.0240
Mailing, Address - P.O, Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 1WO
Turban turmoil
unwarranted
Last week the House of Commons announced that Sikh RCMP officers
will be allowed to wear turbans with their uniforms, instead of the tradi-
tional Mountie Stetson.
RCMP lawyers believed that to ban the wearing of turbans would likely
be interpreted by the courts as a ban on Sikhs - a violation of human
rights law.
In truth the issue should have been resolved some time ago. A recom-
mendation to allow the turbans was made last April by RCMP Commis-
sioner Norman Inkster. The delay only appears to have served to impart
an undue significance to what is, after all, a simple change in a dress
code.
Will the proud tradition of Canada's finest fall by the wayside because
of it? Will potential RCMP officers now stay away in droves from recruit-
ment offices? Will Canadians suddenly begin thumbing their noses at the
mounties? Will the standards of law enforcement in the True North become
more akin to that of a third rate banana republic? Will the mounties no
longer be able to get their man?
Probably not. Despite hysterical noises from people such as Bernard Ker-
win, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities,
allowing turbans in the RCMP will not ''absolutely destroy the proudest
police force in the world in terms of morale". If that's all it takes to destroy
RCMP morale, if certainly doesn't say much for the calibre of the moun-
ties in the first place.
And allowing Sikh RCMP officers to wear turbans will not undermine our
democratic system of government.
In a country professing religious tolerance; in a country in which there
is a Charter of Rights and Freedoms explicitly stating that everyone has
a fundamental right to freedom of conscience and religion, it would be both
a moral and a constitutional contradiction to insist that Sikhs discard the T
turban in order to serve in the RCMP.
aper wallflower
Strangely enough conversation in The
Expositor office in recent weeks has
centered around home decorating - seems
everyone is in the process -.of doing
something orother to improve the ap-
Dea3ance of his/her home. But •hien again,
I Suess this is the time of year to do it;
Abe* a month ago however, the conver-
sation steered itself more in the direction
of how best to get certain jobs done, rather
than towards what lied yet.' to be ac-
complished. And it was an interesting con
versation - certainly
with. one I can now iden-
tifyl remember getting quite a chuckle as
my co-workers relayed to me experiences
of home renovation projects that had very
r'early.. ended their. miar-r-iages--I heard
about the impossibilities of spousal
cooperation in certain, areas of renovation
work, and got an earful of assassination
plots for husbands, that came extremely
close to being put into action.
I was advised to go it alone with certain
projects, or at least to engage the help of
someone I did not necessarily have to
share a home with once the project was
completed. And I was warned to never,
ever, on any occasion, seek assistance
from my husband when it came to apply-
ing wallpaper.
In retrospect that may have been sound
not so bail
SWEATSOCKS
by Heather Robbaet
advice - albeit, advice that I didn't follow.
Without belaboring the woes of my
washroom renovations, I will try to tell my
tale.
T embarked on my wallpapering
endeavor on Saturday, and was quite
pleased when I had the majority of the
work completed before my "mate" arriv-
ed home from his weekend duties. It was
ahassle-free project, and all that remain-
ed to be done once "he" walked in the
door, was the application of two rows of
border. A relatively simple task, I thought,
especially with two bodies working towards
the same end.
My assumption was wrong. It took me a
minimum of five hours to hang that border
with my husband's help - much longer I
figure than it would have taken me to
hang it myself.
Not only was I hampered by his
presence, but I was nearly driven beserk
as well. If I never see another measuring
tape, I'll live a happy and fulfilled life. I
mean, I believe in accuracy, but measur-
ing down from the ceiling and up from the
floor every two inches around the room,
was in my opinion, a bit unwarranted -
especially since we had no guarantee that
the floor and the ceiling were in perfect
alignment with one another. I never pull-
ed off and reapplied a border so much in
my entire life,. We're lucky the paint
wasn't worn off by the time the room was
completed.
Nonetheless, the wallpapering did get
completed, and despite the trials and
tribulations of working in conjunction with
my husband to get the task done, my mar-
riage is still intact.
I don't think, however, that I'll put it to
that test again. Next time I wallpaper, I'll
ensure my husband is either out of town,
or out of commission.
It's much safer, and certainly much
more enjoyable I've found out, to play the
wallflower when it comes to hanging
wallpaper.
LETTES TO THE EDITOR
Concern raised re:
Dear Editor:
A recent opinion poll cited in the Toron-
to Star finds "significant levels or concern
about irradiated foods". To our knowledge,
though, there is no regular commercial
marketing of irradiated foods in Canada. If
anyone knows otherwise, we'd appreciate
being notified.
Happily, the people of Florida have forc-
ed the abandonment of food irradiation
plans in their state. In December, politi-
cians in Mulberry voted to ban radiation
processing in their town, and the Florida
Citrus Commission publicly rejected ir-
radiation of produce. The Canadian nuclear
industry is trying to make Florida politi-
cians change their minds, but that doesn't
seem likely.
We joined with consumers worldwide
who send letters to Florida promising a
boycott if irradiation plans went forward.
This victory shows that citizens will not
tolerate the like of the US Department of
Energy (the bomb -making agency), or
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited influen-
cing food policy. (Food irradiation is a pro-
cess of bombarding food with radiation to
preserve It). A worldwide movement has
emerged to educate consumers about the
hazards of this technology.
Companies and grocery chains that
market irradiate foods will Suffer grave
financial consequences. The Canadian
Green Consumer Guide, prepared by the
Pollution Probe Foundation, indicates that
"English only"
compounds
the problem
To the Editor:
We were very upset to read in last
week's Expositor that Seaforth Town Coun-
cil has decided to follow the other in-
tolerant "English only" councils of Ontario.
Just because Quebec has chosen to be
French only is NO excuse for the rest of
Canada to compound the problem by being
as intolerant. Ttie attitudes unknowingly
e>,preesed by the polarization of these two
extremes are very upsetting, especially in
a world where communication distances
are shrinking daily. We cannot expect our
children to he, tolerant of other's dif-
ferences with this sort of example to
follow.
Margaret McLeod DeJong
Dick beJong
irradiated food
75 percent of Canadians are opposed to
food irradiation. In the United Kingdom,
where the process has been banned, 93
percent of people oppose it.
The Canadian Medical Association, the
British Medical Association, and the Inter-
national Organization of Consumer Unions
have expressed serious reservations about
irradiating foods. The Canadian govern-
ment's Standing Committee on Consumer
and Corporate Affairs has called for a
moratorium on the process until more is
known about it.
The nuclear industry says food irradia-
tion is safe. But this is comparable to
cigarette manufacturers telling us that
smoking is good for our health! The sub-
mission of public health standards to the
profit -driven needs of the nuclear industry
is unconscionable.
Dr. Walter Burnstein, President of Food
and Water, Inc., who testified at the
Mulberry meetings said: "The 'experts'
Turn to page 19
e sort of things we
Newspapers are reaching new heights in
tripe.
Every Tuesday, we at the Expositor bun-
dle up our photographs, stories and a cou-
ple of bucks for the the MacDonald's drive -
than and buzz up to Signal -Star publishing
to put the newspaper together. And every
Tuesday, there's a pile of what we call
"fill copy" hanging, naturally, on what we
call the "fill copy hooks" by our light
tables. Fill copy is stories, snippets and
sniglets that can be used by any
newspaper, at almost any time, to fill lit-
tle holes when there's no local news to
stuff into them. Fill copy can often be a
great thing,
Personally, fill copy scares me silly.
I was looking through a prominent dai-
ly newspaper from a city whose names
starts with a capital "L" when I ran
across the ultimate fill copy. It was a true
gem, and I suppose it couldn't even be
labelled as lowly "copy". It was a graphic
of the spinal structure of your average
human, complete with little signs and ar-
rows for the Lumbar, Thoracic and Neck
section of the spine. There was a nifty lit-
tle circle drawn around three of the lower
vertebrae, with the top one colored in to
show that if was especially important in
this darn important -looking graphic. The
picture had been taken from the American
Medical Association Book of Back Care,
ee
0
k
ow
and the title on the drawing read: Gloria
Estefan's Back Injury
I almost gagged on my coffee.
This respectable daily newspaper with
the initials : L.F.P. had wasted about 30
square inches of newspaper space to show
a waiting world exactly where the lead
singer of the Miami Sound Machine had
hurt her back in a car accident a week
earlier. Gosh. How DID we all survive
without this profound bit of intelligence.
Ever on the alert for a fast -breaking
news flash, I cut the graphic out of the
paper, copied it onto a piece of bond and
faxed it to my Goderich Signal -Star
cohorts. On it I had scrawled: "Editorial:
The F... P... scooped us again, dammit!
Who's to blame i 9 i i ?? signed, Irate Ex-
positor editorial staff".
I received no response. Either the
editorial department didn't get my urgent
communication, or they were shamed into
silence.
The thing is, this sort of mindless filler
is the norm in any daily newspaper. Have
you ever gotten your mitts on a typical
Saturday edition of the Toronto Star? If
you rolled one up and whipped your dog
with it, you'd probably send the mutt fly-
ing into next year from sheer weight of the
paper. Scan one sometime. Eighty percent
of stuff written in one of those formidable
editions is spineless tripe. Nastassia Kin -
ski's favorite Cream of Broccoli soup
recipe. The Star's picks for the Top Ten
Bathtub Caulking Compounds. Lifestyles of
the Butchers and Greengrocers of the Rich
and Famous.
I don't know about you, but I don't real-
ly feel that knowing any of this is going to
be make me a better person.
We have a good three pages of fill copy
hanging on hooks at the publishers, waiting
to grace the pages of the Expositor.
Somebody took the time to typeset the silly
stuff, so maybe we should pass it on to
you. We could probably cram an entire
newspaper full of it, if we wanted to.
Believe me, it would be worth your
reading dollar. If our fill copy is even
close to the stuff that they slap into the
dailies, it's pretty vital stuff, by golly. In-
quiring Minds Want to Know.
Brussels'
APRIL 1, 1965
Seaforth merchants will remain open
Friday evening until 10 o'clock, commen-
cing the first Friday in May. The decision
was taken at a meeting of the Merchants'
Committee in the Town Hall.
A two -car crash at the western outskirts
of town early Saturday morning sent nine
area youths to hospital with a variety of
injuries. Damage to the one car was
estimated at $1,200 and the car driven by
Charles Little was a write-off.
Seaforth police are investigating a break-
in at the Seaforth Coin Laundry, when a
coin box on a washing machine and a sort
drink dispenser were smashed open. About
$20 is believed to have been taken.
Construction of the new Seaforth Pioneer
Memorial Mausoleum in Harpurhey is well
advanced. The building is located on land
donated by Mrs. B. Scott. Meanwhile, the
responsible committee is continuing a cam-
paign to provide approximately $5,000 re-
quired to complete the building and
landscaping
MARCH 28, 1890
Mr. William Stewart of the Hibbert boun-
dary has three prolific ewes which have
yielded six lambs this season, and Simon
Campbell, of the Thames Road, has a foal
a couple of weeks old, the earliest in the
locality.
mule finds fame
IN THE YEARS AGONE
from the Expositor Archives
A
young lad of Wingham last week
helped himself to a nice little sum out of
a certain till. He then, in company with a
companion, hired a livery turnout and took
a quiet drive to Blyth. One of the fathers,
hearing of the proceedings, followed them
and when he arrived in the said town
there they were, quietly enjoying their din
ner at one of the hotels. Of course, the rid
home was not as enjoyable as the one o
the morning had been.
The city of Halifax and the town o
Windsor, Nova Scotia, are contending ove
their fat women. Windsor has named fou
whose weight amounted to 1,054 pounds
and Halifax has trotted out four who weigh
1,066 pounds. Cape Breton can beat this. A
Mrs. Houlet, of West Bay, tips the scale at
380 pounds and a Mrs. McLeod, of Mirat,
at 240.
Four hotels were burned in East Huron
during the past year, one each at Gorrie,
Cranbrook, Kinburn and Ethel. The Cron -
rook one has been replaced and the one
t Ethel will be rebuilt.
e
f
f
r
r
b
8
in, advertising
MARCH 26, 1915
While chopping in the bush last week
Peter Lamont, 8thConcession of Grey, was
injured by his companion's axe who was
working nearer him th
an he figured, Th
wound was in the back striking the
backbone. Mr. Lamont is out of danger
and will make a speedy recovery.
Tuesday of last week Percy Draper left
Brussels for his home in London, England.
He saw service in the South African War
and was wounded twice but seems quite
ready to enlist again to stand by the Em-
pire in the present struggle.
The little mule owned by John Galbraith
of Brussels has been sold to the Wiltshire
Oil Company, of Blyth, to be utilized for
advertising purposes. "Neddy" will never
see 21.
The residence of Mrs. Hugh Currie of
Cromarty narrowly escaped destruction by
fire one morning recently. Mr -
had occasion to strike a match, the flame
blazed up and caught the window curtains,
which were instantly a mass of flames.
The fire was quickly brought under con-
trol, but not before considerable damage
was done in the room.
MARCH 29, 1940
The condition of the roads in McKillop
during the past week has been very bad
and all day Wednesday and that night a
gang of ten men worked the whole night
through shovelling the tops off the drifts to
let the plow through. Those who worked
were T. Eaton, Harry Eddicott, Reg. Lit-
tle, Dill Little, Bill Montgomery, Ken Bet-
ties, Ralph Davidson and Roger McClure.
James K. Cornish of Brucefield received
notice this week of his appointment as
secretary -treasurer of the Tuckersmith
Municipal Telephone company.
Instead of the prevalent Easter bonnets
and new spring outfits, pedestrians plung-
ing through snow drifts in the middle of
the Dublin streets were in evidence Sun-
day. March 22 is the earliest possible date
on which Easter can fall, and April 25th is
the latest date. It is 141 years since Easter
was so early before, and according to
scientists, 451 years will pass before it can
occur again.
Fresh ground Richmellow coffee was
selling at the Dominion store for 39 cents
a pound, flour was 53 cents for a 24 pound
bag, and corn flakes cost 15 cents for two
packages.