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The Huron Expositor, 1978-10-19, Page 1but was finally forced to close one of his• plants clown to keep the others efficient. • Mr. Scott said he will continue to deal with the Gray firm. Jim McIntosh, another local egg producer, agreed that the closing of the Seaforth plant will affect the emplOyees• SEAFORTH INDUSTRY CLOSES — This small sign 2:)n the front door of L.H. Gray and Son egg-grading plant is the only notice that the plant ehut its' doors last Saturday. and the town more than egg producers. Mr. McIntosh said the eggs will still be used in the system, and producers who dealt with L.H. Gray and Son will send their eggs out of town no* to be graded. When Mayor Betty Cardno was contacted by the Expositor on Tuesday, the mayor said she had asked Clerk Jim Crocker 'to , see if he could arrange a meeting bettlieeti'ioWri-offieialS and th' . ' owner of the egg grading station. The mayor said she imagined there would be some tax loss from the plant's, dosing and said she was upset both about it dosing, and about not having any warning of the impending closing. Mayor Cardno said the closing was certainly going to be a blow for the 13 people who had been employed at the egg grading station. Clerk Jim Crocker said on Wednesday that when he contacted William Gray, the co-owner of the egg grading station, Mr. Gay indicated in his view there was no need for a meeting between himself and Seaforth officials. Mr. Gray told the clerk the plant was losing money when he purchased it froin Gay Lea, and that he had given the Seaforth egg-grading plant a year to turn the situation around arid show a profit. Mr. Gray told the clerk he has no immediate plans to sell 'the plant or the equipment. Mr. Gray said he would keep Seaforth council informed of future decisions regarding the plant. P.A. fund gets $500 donations Inside this week /iuron k..,cpositor Northside Bazaar Teachers are I BL champs Niagara Excarpment More Grad Photos P 7 P 13 P. 23 P. 24 CANDY CAPERS — Who can blame sisters R.r.1, Dublin, for being all eyes at the Nort candy table on Saturday afternoon. Besides dOesn'i seem to mind. Susan and Nancy Stewart of • hside United Church bazaar , mother Joan Stewart really (Photo by Oke) Whole No. 5771 119th Year 412.00 a yOar Advance .copy 25 cents SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1978 — 24 PAGES lant es,la.out of work Thirteen local residents learned they were unemployed Saturday morning, with the sudden closure of L.H, Gray and Son Ltd. egg grading plant in Seaforth. The employees were called to the plant and informed Of its immediate closure by William Gray of Ridgefown, who operates the firm. The Seaforth plant handled between 75,000 to 100,000 dozen eggs a week and had a yearly payroll 'of about $170,000. Although the firm continues to 'operate egg-grading plants in Ridgetown, Strathroy and Moorefield,' ,the local employees weren't offered jobgIn the other branches. - Tom Young, who-has been-manager-of- the Seaforth plant for 12 years, said-he-first learned of the closure late Friday afternoon -wherrhe-w as-called-back-to the-plant-after- work. He said Friday, the. 13th proved' "unlucky for us (the employees) and for Seaforth," Mr. Young said there were fears the plant would be closed about six months ago, but business had improved and Smoke in eyes? If smoke gets in your eyes these days. it's more likely to be from burning leaves, than someone's cigarette smoke. Although the public can burn leaves on their property, they should be aware of the Town of Seaforth bylaw governing the burning of any materials in the town. 'Under-Bylaw 26, Section 14, passed by council members this year, "No person shall set any fire on paved or improved portions of any street (in Seaforth)." Clerk Jim Crocker said this means leaves can't bye burned between the sidewalk on one side of the street across to the edge of the 'sidewalk on the other side. Cheif John Cairns said his office hadn't received any complaints to date about people breaking the town bylaw w40.1*,,,7 biiininVieaves, froweVer, he said he imagined: it will be pretty smokey around town for some time new. employees had "no suspicion" there was a possibility of closure. Mr. Young said the plant employed four men and nine women, all of whom live in the Seaforth-Egmondville area. 1 he property was purchased by the Gray company about a year ago from pG$90laalAy,e0t.,yL.oe Lost Contract .Lea ' year r Foods for a purchase price of Gay Lea j Foods had installed $200,000 in s ped ed up equipment in the Seaforth In February, 1977, the Gay Lea Company n lost a six million dozen eggs a year contract - with—the Loblaws grocery chain when producer-graders undercut the Gay Lea price by three quarters cents a dozen. At 4 hat-time-th ere Was-SOM one errr the-plant would have to close. One of the producer graders who got the Loblaw's contract at the time was Joseph Hudson of Eastern Ontario, who was also a member of the Ontario• egg marketing board. Following the Gay Lea loss, the Huron County egg producers passed a motion that producers be disqualified from sitting on the Ontario egg marketing board if they had a controlling interest in a registered gading station licence, unless the grading station was handling the eggs of, five producers or less. ' Although' the Huron County producers presented their motion at a meeting of the Ontario egg producers, the motion didn't receive approval of thefi members. Lay o When Gay' Lea lost the Loblaws' contract in 1977, they were forced to lay off two of their 18 employees. At that time' the Seaforth egg-grading plant was handling about 26 percent of the province's eggs. William Gray, owner of the L.H. Gray and S on Ltd firm with his father, said hiS firm bought the Seaforth plant "with a view 'to seeing how it would fit into our operation." ' Mr. Gray said the closing is part of an "industry trerrl." in the egg business resulting from reduced egg quotas. Mr. Gray said the 35 major egg producers in Huron and Middlesex counties that have been served by the Seaforth plant will still be looked after by the company's other egg grading plants. M4.,Gray said his company has no plans for the Seaforth plant property at this time. When A.H. Goldrick, of the .Ridgetown office of L.H. Gray and Son was asked on Tuesday if equipment would be moved from the Seaforth plant he repeated Mr. Gay's statement that there are no plans -for the property. Bill Scott, of Scott Poultry Farms, said the closing of, the local grading station effects the plant's employees and the town more than it does local egg producers. Mr. Scott said although now producers eggs will be shipped further for grading, this really isn't a problem because "you can move eggs a fair distance." Mr. Scott said he was visited by Mr. Gray early -last Saturday morning and told • that the Seaforth grading station was being closed immediately. No Warning Mr. Scott said none of the local egg producers had any advance warning about the closing. He said Mr." Gray told him local eggs will now be shipped to the L.H. Gray and Son egg grading station in Moorefield.' Mr. Scott said it was obious that one of the Gray stations would 'eventually be dosed, and geographically Seaforth was the logical one to be closed. Mr. Scott said he thought Mr. Gray had tried to keep the Seaforth plant going here, SEAFORTH'S ONTARIO SCHOLARS -- The three.Grade 13 graduates who received Ontario Scholarships at the S.D.H.S. graduation on Friday night were, Deb Rose! who's now attending the University of Western Ontario; Dianne Oldfield; who's attending the same school and Linda Dorssers who is employed at London Life. (Photo by Oke) ,•• Elementary teachers ,principals The Huron County. 'Board of .EduCation . ratified. Monday in Clinton a one year contract, awarding its 365 elementary teachers and principals a total wage incrcas of 8.97 per cent. including increm is experience and qualification • Under he new pact, teachers will now earn a m nimum of $10,504 to a maximum of $26,730: 'An average teacher's salary will be $20,811, up from $19,178 in the previous contract that expired Aug. 31. The 24 principals received a flat raise of $1,385 which is a five per cent increase. Tremeer barn burns A barn in Tuckersmith Township owned by DaVid Tremeer of Seaforth, was destroyed by fire early Friday. It was partially covered by insurance. A neighbour who noticed the flames (.:called the Hensall fire department about 4:25 a.m. The fire was too advanced to save the 36 and 74 foot barn located on Lot 10 Concession 11 of Tuckersmith about three kilometres east of Kippen, Hensall Fire chile' Jim Hyde said a tractor, a wagon loaded with beans. a bean planter and a bean windrowcr and other machinery and tools were lost as well a full barn of hay and straw. Cause of the blaze is now known • LIFE MEMBERS Seatortlf Wi got tvvo hew life metribert last week when Olive People and Sarah Elliott were fibnOured. PrEtsetiting the certificateS are left Audrey Cameron and Jean KeyS. The four ladies together have more than 100 years of institute Service. ratified the pact Iasi week: Ron Ritchie, chief negotiator for the teachers said earlier the contract is "fair." Other changes in the contract the teachers were granted include an increase in mileage allowance from 19c to 21.7c' per mile, which is, equivalent to the school board's rate. Another change is an improved monetary reimbursement for leaves of absence from $33,000 a maximum yearly rate. Shirley Hazlitt, trustree for Colborne and Goderich townships, and chairman of the board's negotiating team, said later the board is "pleased" with the contract. "To be honest it is ,more than we had hoped to settle for... but because of the arbitration ruling we felt we had to be fair* the other panels," she said. A provincial arbitrator awarded the secondary teachers in the county a 6.75 per cent increase for 1978-79. In other business, Mrs. Hazlitt suggested a letter from Education Minister Betty Stephenson, outlining the governments anti-inflation program be sent to arbitrators rather than to school boards. "Clearly, it is of.the utmost importance that arbitrators, in making their awards, adhere not only to the princip les of fair compensation but also to the necessity for- general economic restraint in the post Controls period," read Mrs. Hazlitt from the minister's letter. . —All I know is that last ydr our allotments (grants) were down considerably and yet our costs were fixed by the arbitrator." she said -later, adding that the gap between grants, and salaries has to be passed on the local taxpayer. Mrs: Hazlitt also suggested a copy of the letter be sent to the various teachers' federations and the provincial education relations commissions, which oversees teacher's negotiations. Huron may start moral education Mr. Sdntor said in his presentation' the program is aimed at "helping kids grow from self-orientation to concern for other persons". Mrs. Hazlitt suggested the principals study three questions concerning the prograin, First, if there is as need for it in Huron, and if there is a need, what type of" program would they suggest for schools. . The third question was whether. the topic could be discussed at a professional development day. "I think the principals' association should comment on it...they are the ciries tvfie would know." she said'. The highest wage for a principal in Huron is now $32,435. Vice principals are paid on the teacher's grid plus a responsibility allowance which remains the same as last year from $2;800 to $3,400. The total wage package will cost the Huron County board of education $7,600,131 compared with $7,003,748 last year, a 8.52 per cent increase. The teachers, members of the Huron branch of the Ontario. Public School Men Teachers Federation and the. Federation of Women Teachers Associifion of Ontario, Mr. Tremeer, called to the scene by a neighbour, said he was relieved to find his children's riding horse .outside when he arrived. It had been free to go in and out of the barn to pasture. The .barn was still smoking at 10 a.m. Friday. A large tractor standing in a field near the barn had its glass melted and paint blistered. Mr. Tremeer bought the farm several years -ago from his uncles. One of them Wilson Tremeer said it was around 60 years ago when the barn was raised. "They conic down a lot faster than you put em up," Mr. Tremeer said. Get 8.97% raise The Huron County Board of Education agreed at its regular' meeting Monday night in Clinton to study further the possibility of a moral educatiom program in the county's schools. The board adopted Colborne and Goderich township trustee SI . Ha zl it t' s notion asking the principal's association to study the need for a moral education program as. presented to the board in • September by Don Sanior of the London b6ard of education. The program uses everyday .moral problems 'to teach children skills to overcome moral dilemmas and develop self CStelll II The Seaforth Broomball League and the Seaforth Minor Hockey Association both donated $500.00 this week towards the new P.A. and light ing system at the Community Centre. The estimated cost of both the new lighting and new P.A. system is $12,000 - of which it is anticipated that $6,000 will be paid by provinicial grants, $3,000 by the municipality if $3,0001' can be raised by the private sector. To date the account stands at over $1,600.00 and another $1,400.00 is needed before work can begin. Anyone wishing to make a donation, May do so by sending it. Seaforth Community Centre Fund Raising Committee, P.O. Box 885, Seaforth. Official receipts will be issued and all donations are tox deductible. Other donations this week were from Aucleery 14eLlWain $20.001 Mark. MeLlwairi $5.00 and • 13avid .McLlwainS5.00.