The Huron Expositor, 1978-05-11, Page 25r-
e,
d,
Whole No. e5749
119th Year
e e
Calirec office if you want
bus to West Branch
• While a number of Seaforth
residents have indicated they
plan to attend the family picnic in
West Branch, Michigan on the
May 27 weekend,' none 'have
Firemen gel
false alarms'
Seaforth firemen have been -
getting their exercise lately by
answering false alarms.
Last Thursday evening's call to
Seaforth Sewer Tile in Harpurhey
was the first, false Alarm.
A motorist paseing the plant
--mistook steam from the drying
room for smoke and turned in an
alarm.
The second false alarm was on
Friday afternoon When Bell
Cfma da repairmen acidentally set
.off the siren.
purchased tickets to travel by
bus.
Recreation director Clive Buist
said he doesn't have any firm
committments yet on the, $15
round trip bus tickets.
Mr. built said if he dbe'sn't
have 35 seats booked by Friday,
then the plan to charter a bus will
have to be abandoned.
He said he knows there are a
number of people going to West
Branch by car.
The town of Seaforth has been
challenged to a bed race by ,their
twin.citiofkliVest Branch, and at
least Iwo beds from here are
expected to be entered in the
race.
However, supporters who want
to make the trip by bus must let
the recreation office, 527-0882,
know by this Priddy.
Inside this week
the uron
Jack Burghardt speaks P.. 7
Londesboto tree plantin P. 9
. Stepdancing secrets P.1A
Expositor Asks iSn't ease P.7A
expotor
SAFORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, IVJAY 18, 1978 — 28 PAGES FIRST SECTION $12.00 a Year in Advance
Single copy 25 cents
uron Wide
eans safer Seaforth, chief
Police Chief John Cairns, says , calls around the clock. the Seaforth hospital switchboard -
membership in the new Huron . Once the system is installed, for police calls will be discon-
County police , communication the only calls which will be made tinned.
system to be based in Goderich is directly to the Seaforth «police Chief Cairns seid the tive.police
going to mean "more protection 'station will be calls of an admini- chiefs from towns in the system.
for the man on the street,", for strative nature. 'as Well as one, member -of each
Seaforth. ' Chief Cairns said Seaforth will town council will serve on a
Chief Cairns said when one ofer• ceive.the same service as the• committee, overseeing the;
the Seaforth policemen spot a
suspicious vehicle or, person no'w, ' less money.
ur other municipalities, but for. dispatch service.
With the new system,' Chief
they have to go back to office,
phone the Goderich O.P.P.
Under the dispatch system, the Cairns said. a ,policeman will
calls will be recorded as well as always be in direct contact with
detachMent long distance and the time the Call is phone in, the the central dispatch office. Also,
then wait for the. information they ter e eie:worragion isepassed ,on
at my: I
Under the new system, which
will likely be in ciperation within
the next eight or nine months,
'SeefOrth police can radio to
Goderich and dispatchers there
are directly connected with the
Canadian Police Information
Computer System (C.P.I.C.) in
Ottawa. •
Within minutes, Chief Cairns
procedure is "very unsatisfaet- the crime and the time he
completes hieenvestigation. •
This information will then be
seet.down either daily or weekly
ID the local police stations.
Chief Cairns said tenders are
now being called for supplying
and installing the new radio
•dispatch system in Goderich.
He said when the system is
installed, people all over the
county will call the same
Taxes will go up $83.75 on a
farm assessment of $5,000. in
Hibbert following the approval of
' the township's 1978 budget last
,Thursday.
The farm and residential,mill
rate was set ,at 39.92 mills, up
frotre.32.47 in 1977. The school
and county,rates, over which the
township„-council has no control,
were up to 59.93 mills from 55.79
and to 14.35 from 8.58, re-
spectively.
The tax increase is mainly -due
. Seaforth town couticiPapproved
the 1978 budget last Wednesday:
night, a biidget which will see the-
establishhient 'of a • $25,000
reserve fund and which will try
and eliminate a' $21,000 • deficit
fiom last eeatee ..„„ """ee
Ma or et •
the end of ehe budget debate, ,
"Jim (town clerk Jim Crocker) is
eiming at a balanced budget."'
The 1978 budget consists of
. total municipal expenditures of
$640,277, exclusive of education..
and .county requisitions. Of this
anieent;$256;524-will be raised
through taxes, an increase over
the-$232,238 raised ftom taxes in
1977.
.Howc;ief'. , nubile • school
supporter's this year will be
paying a slightly lower tasince
the public school mill rate has
dropped .92 mills.
Last year, on an {'(average
assessment of t2,500 on a home,
the residential - public school
..,,________:-.supporter_wou la have -paid-
$448.05' in take's, and in„1978 he
will' pay $445.75., _
Separate school' supporters
won't 'experience the same
decrease in taxes.
In 1977; the residential
separate ,school supporter with a
$2,500 aSsessment paid $448.15
'in taxes. and this 'year he or she
will pay $450'.13.
The overall mill rate for
residential separate school
supporters has increased by ef3
The major change in this year's
town budget is the plan to
establish a $25,000 'reserve fund
For the past five years, teere
haven't been any maternal deaths
in Huron County-hospitals.
This is only one of many
statistics contained in the 1977
annual report of the .Huron
Qiunty Health Unit.
In 1977, there were 861 births
to residents of Huron County.
Although there were no maternal
deaths, five babies were stillborn;
there were five neonatal deaths
(up to 28' days after birth), and
three infant (up to one year of
age) deaths in the county.
The county's birthrate has
fluctuated constantly- during the
five years from 1973 to 1977. The
biggest year was 1976 when 900
were born while the feerest births
were the 849 recorded the pre-
vious year.
In a report submitted by
CatherineWalsh, director of the
public health nursing program,
less Walsh reports prenatel
classes across the county are in
'greater denraed and attendance is
increasing.
Other clinic's and classes which
attracted the Most attendance
during the year yvere the pre-
school.clinics, and the dental and
health education programs.
Miss Walsh reported. "Meirtal
health has increasingly absorbed
the public health nurses' time ."
In 1977, 970 mental health
contacts were made by The
nurses..
The nursing director added,
"Close liaison is maintained with
the Alexandra Marine aed
General Hoipital Psychiatric Unit
lb Goderich and with the London
'Psychiatric Hospital and• their
mobile teeth. who run a weekly
mental health clinic it the Exeter
Health Unit office."
Theennuaf report also lists the
number of communicable dis-
eases reported during the year,
none of which proved fatal.
Among the diseases reported
were 17 cases of diptheria, six.
cases of hepatitis, 116 of scarlet
fever or streptococcal sore throat,
three newly diagnosed casesof
tuberculosis, 10 cases 'of .veneral
disease and 16 cases of fotid
poisoning.
Miss Walsh said most, if not all
of the 16 cases reported in •the-
scarlet fever and streptococcal
both the east and west of Seaforth
have alreadyeswitched to meters
using nickels and dimes.
The increased, revenue, from.
Seaforth's new meters is
expected to, pay for the cost of
installing the meters within, the
next five Odes.
During the hour. and a half
budget debate, members of
Ottneckliscussed the feasibilityof
installing d' sprinkling system in
the town arena to lower insurance
rates on the building and whether
this year'se$3,000 grant to the
Seaford] ,Lions Club would. be
adequate. • , .
Last year, council granted. the
dub $4',000 but council,members
reconsiderecethis grant since ti y
having the, new assist nt
manager at the pool .bring
more money ,in; with the ' pool
operating on a'fulltime
Mayof Betty Cardno, said the
lions grant could be reviewed
later in the year. She also_
suggested the clicbThe-ailiiii to
prepare a statement of revenues
and ekpenses in the operation of
the pool.•
The town's auditor Clarkson
Gordon suggested ' council
members consider selling" the
government bonds they ' won,
which are now earning 4% per
cent interest, and re-invest this
money to receive the nine per,
cent interest available in short
terek plan's.
Council members did not come
to any decision about selling the
$24,000 they now hold in govern-
ment bonds, which come due in
1983.
category, wpuld be throat in-
fections, rather than scarlet fever.
- le the area of rabies control.
health inspectors investigated 97
complaints in 1977, and found 16
positive cases of rabies.
The year before, there were 109
reported cases of rabies, and only
eight of these 'proved to be
positive,
In 1977. 17 cattle were tested
for rabies, and three positive
cases were identified.,
Of the 21 dogs examined, only
one was found to be rabid, and
only one cat died of rabies during
the 'year.
Of the wild animals brought in
for testing, one bat was rabid,
• nine of 15 foxes were found to
have rabies, and one skunk had •
died front the disease,
The health unit hasn't 'yet
compiled rabies statistics for the
first months of 1978.
Although some health units in
the province compile statistics on.
cause of death of county re-
sidente, the Huron Courity Heealth
Bit 'd'tiOt tibuihw this
information.
which means ,"all in the bag".
Mr. Pullen said corn planting
will likely be resumed in the-next
day or so, 1-16 ,,eaid there is no
cause for undue concern at this
point; given the normal summer
growing season.,
Mr. Pullen added old timers
agree it's been "an unusual
spring" with the prolonged dry
The
and
the
to th loss of about $15,000 in Hibbert had.an all day meeting
proyineal resource grants which and ..after setting the 'budget,
Hibbert of last year but won't in councillors toured township
1978, cle.k Charles Friend ex- roads.
plaited. •
They were concerned by In 1976 the township did a lot of damage to the Ttickersith/Hib-
Municipal drainage work and bert Township Line by gravel received the grants for it in 1977. trucks. A meeting with the Not as much drainage work was Tuckersmith Road Superinten-
carried out in 1977, Mr. Friend' dent and the Huron CoUnty Road
said;
• Foreman resulted in a promise of
Police want
repair of this road:
An inspection of the Township
• Constable Jim McLeod, of the
dynamite caps
dangerrius dynamite caps were
stolen from the Teledyne Explor-
ations site, at Lot 17, Concession
2. Hullett Township sometime in
the last five days.
Seaforth O.P.P. detachment, said
Five cases of, potentially was in progress. it was decided to
dragline was digging a new hole
use the Township Dump Truck
and one other dump truck to
convey the excavated soil to thee'
site of the proposed road con-
Landfill site followed where a
struction for 1978, as shouldering
material.
During the tour the toad
the big concern is that children
will find the dynamite caps -and
accidentally detonate them. .
The caps were stored in orange
and black cardboard' cases. The
seismocaps, themselves are silver
in colour, from 2 1/2 to three inches
in length with orange 'eoeductor
wires of 10 metres or 33 feet in
length attached to them.
Anyone who-suspects they have
found the caps is asked to call the
O.P.P. or the local Seaforth police
imneorendsitaatbelle
y . McLeod said the
caps are "highly explosive in the ,
g hands," wrolhn e m
ite was bein8
stored in a powder magazine on
the Hullett Township site.
policemen 'will be able to work
with the O.P.P. much more
dosely,in the future, since they
will have a direct line, to the
O.P.P. from this dispatch for any
C.P.I,C. messages.
Chief Cairns said both
ambulance services and a the
county fire departments are
probably going to be watching the
dispatch service carefulljAto see if
it could also handle their
emergency cells_ in •the future. _
The Ag. Rep. said the rain, was
very valuable and one benefit is
that conditions are now ideal for
herbicides to work.
He said. grass in the pasture
fields has also started to grow
better since the rain so people
who pasture' cattle are getting
them out on the, land.
Mr. • Pullen said he expects
dairy farmers• will start turning
their cows out to pasture in the
'next week.
•ka
superintendent and clerk re-'
ported that the new Officee--
Station had been working very
well, resulting a much better
liaison between the Clerk and the
Road Crews. It was, felt that the
coming winter would be the
crucial test.
Seaforth bakery
broken into 3 times
Crichs Bake, oei Main Street,
was broken into on three different
occasions last week.
The break ins occurred on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
night, and money was taken from
the tell during the robberies.
The Seaforth policefound three
juveniles were involved in. the
break ins 2nd no chargei will be
laid,
HAig. ANOTHER HELPING, "PLEASE — Nancy. Stewart was obviously
delighted with last week's beef barbecue at Northside United Church. More Photos
inside the Expositor. / (Exposito'r Photo)
'S'EOforth's:... 'budget-
0ims_for -..reserve.„
of working capital which the town
council hopes can lee built, up iri
the,next few years, eventually to a
point `where the town will not
have to issue debentures on costly
'capital expenditures.
•?• Crocker said a safe figure
to aim for in a reserve fund would
be $106,000. This Money could be
invested in short term savings
plans to , bring the highest
. possible return.
However, the clerk added that
it .wouldn't be possible to say in
advance how much money can be
put aside 'each year for the
reserve fund.'
Other' changes in the'budget
included the addition of a fourth
constable to the town. police force
to provide 24.-hour polie
protection on certain days of the
evele. the hiring of an assistant
arena manager and the hiring of ,a'
dump 'supervisor to act as care-
taker at the sanitary landfill site.
(dump) and to ' eliminate
encontro 1 led-fires-a-neepollutioneate
• the site. , •
A final change is that the
council's transpoetation'
committee has proposed
replacing the 15 year old parking
meters which accommodate, one
to five.-cent's with five to ten cent
meters in the near future.
„Wayne Ellis said the old meters
aren't working properly and parts
can no longer be purchased to
repair them:
He added the size of pennies
May change in the not so distant
future, which would make the
present meters obsolete.
Councillor Ellis said towns on
Health, Unit statistics show no
maternal deaihs for 5 years
with the tape recording device,
police chiefs will know if there
was a lengthy period of time
between the time the policeman
on duty received the call and
when he answered it.
Also, the dispatchers can
replay their tape of.ealls to clarify
any garbled message whichenight
have been phoned in by , n
excited caller. ,
Chief Cairns said the adio
dispatch service means Rica!
said, the Seaforth police will have emergency number. This means However, be said some fariners period followed by last week's
information on a suspicious the present system of calling into say their corn is still "all in - heavy rains - - person or vehicle end act on it. ' -
A policeman on the beat with a
walkie talkie can talk directly to
Goderich, and learn the informa-
tion he may need to emelee an
arrest within minutes..
Chief Cairns said the equip-
ment currently used by the
Seaforth police detachment is
"outdated" and doesn't have the
range the new dispatch system
• will offer.
He said the furthest the local
police can talVon -their present
system is to Clinton. He added
last week, during• a• high speed
chase, the redjo in the police car
quit, 'cutting off communication
between •the policeman involved
in the chase and the local office.
Also, with the radio system,
Seaforth policemen can hear
everything said, in other county
police offices.
• For examplee-eif e`-store is --
.robbed in. Clinton, police 'officers
ie Seaforth will hear about the
robbery at' the same time as it is
reported to Clinton lipoliee.
The new system, which \will
serve Clinton, Seaforth;
Wmgham; and Exeter as well as
.Goderich, will be used 'for all •
emergency police calls.
Emergency police calls are now
handled through the' Seaforth
---C.-ommurrity-te-Hespital—esevitche—
board.
The other towns employ private
individuals to operate their
dispatch services in. their homes.
The chief said When the woman
operating the Clinton' service
asked for a day off last yeae, the
Clinton police calls had to be
patched into the Seaforth system
for the day l'
The .initial costs of installing
the treiv radio eispatch system
will be divided, with the province•
paying 75 percent of the casts,
and the five Huron municipalities
paying the remaining 25 per cent
of the costs.
Chief Cairns said the municipa-
lities will divide the cost on the
basis of population, and since.
Seaforth is the smallest town, it
will be paying the s' tallest
proportion of the costs.
After the system is installed,
the ongoing costs will include the
salaries of the five dispatchers
who will be employed to handle
I'M GOING TO-MARCH. MY BAND OUT —
girls of the Seaforth High School trumpet band
leader George 'Hildebrand practised for
Hibbert sets" budget
Don Pullen, Huron County Ag.
Rep., said the growing season in
Huron County is about two weeks
behind last year's schedule due to
the heavy rains recently.
He ,said mane farmers were
able to plant their spring grain,
and some of their corn during the
prolonged dry period which ,pre-
ceded the rain.
iequire. to the policeman on the street, the . e
Chief Cairns said this time he arrives at the location of Rain puts crops behind sc edule
uppoming Lions convention with an informal patade
down Main Street last Wednesday.
(Expositor Photo)
Taxes up '7 mills or about $83