The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1972-10-19, Page 4OUR POINT OF VI
Could be chaotic
YAM MAIO HADOPARitt
1/6. L141/111.
lAtftit MIr MIK leS
*mit WI
"First the good news from our survey — 54 per cent 01 the people polled never heard of
you . .
Ratepayers'
Meeting
Wed., Nov. 1
8:00 p.m.
EXETER TOWN
HALL
Come Out And Discuss The Operation
of the Town With the 1971-72 Council.
NOTE — THIS IS NOT A NOMINATION
MEETING
SIto ed4 7-4 ad,
Wrong approach
Ontario's Environment Department
recently announced it would spend
$150,000 on advertising to get people to
pick up their litter. Shortly afterward
the Consumers Association of Canada
criticized this method of controlling
litter and asked for legislation instead.
However, unless the legislation was
enforced it wouldn't work either.
We have anti-noise laws now but do
you ever see a policeman stopping a car
racing and roaring up the street without
a muffler, or are there any fewer noisy
motorcycles or sports cars disturbing the
peace on residential areas? Unless some
attempt is made to enforce legislation by
authorities such as the police or by
citizens groups through protest, the
problem will continue.
We have highway signs now reading
$50.00 Fine for Dumping Trash" ori,.
some other such warning. 'Does'-it stop
people from dumping trash? Obviously
not.
Most intelligent people today are
aware of our serious environmental
problems and are likely to regard the
Ontario Environment advertising
campaign as a feeble gesture in the
wrong place.
If instead they spent the money on
cooperative programs with industry to
recycle tin cans, bottles and paper,
offering some benefit to the public for
collecting these and turning them in at
government supported depots in turn, to
be transported to industry, this service
would benefit everyone. Without
intelligent planning to follow up litter
collection, although unsightly, it might
just as well lie on the camp ground, the
park, or the ravine to be recycled
eventually by Nature.
The problem is disposal and
$150,000 of taxpayers money should be
directed towards the solution to THAT
rather than into advertising to tell us
that we are litter-bugs.
Contributed
I rest in bed and look at me
Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881
Amalgamated 1924
exeleames-ifitiorafe
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC
Editor — Bill Batten — Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Women's Editor — Gwyn Whilsmith
Phone 235.1331
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0386
Paid in Advance Circulation,
March 31, 1972, 5,037
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $8.00 Per Year; USA $10.00
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WAIN ST, The Store With the Stock EXETER
Municipal election procedures have
always been dictated by the provincial
government, and rightly so. Some rules
and regulations had to be set up to bring
some continuity to the procedure.
However, the provincial powers
over-stepped their marks with their
sweeping changes for this year's
provincial elections, The result could be
complete chaos.
The problem is that what works in
Toronto or some other metropolitan
area will not necessarily work in rural
Ontario. Many city council members are
paid to the point that it is a full-time job
with them. Elected officials in smaller
communities perform their tasks out of a
sense of dedication and the pittance they
receive in no way covers the amount of
time and abuse with which they are
faced.
Be that as it may, changes have
been made and we'll have to put up with
it.
No longer will municipal officials
be nominated at a ratepayers' meeting.
Those wishing to run for office must
have the signatures of 10 qualified voters
and submit their nominations to the
clerk's office. A nomination meeting will
not be held.
In past years, rural communities
have had problems attracting candidates.
On many occasions one's attendance at a
nomination meeting was the sole criteria
on which he was presented for office. lie
was "talked into it" by others at the
meeting who realized there were
vacancies to be filled.
On occasions, "undesirable"
candidates got themselves nominated at
such meetings and others at the meeting
then took steps to make certain there
would be an election to keep these
undesirable candidates out of office,
These situations will not present
themselves this year. The onus is strictly
on the candidate to make up his own
mind and then get the required
signatures.
However, it also puts considerable
onus on ratepayers to make certain that
people who would make strong
administrators are urged to seek office.
It's not too early to be looking
about for such people, or to consider
running yourself.
Certainly, the new regulations
require that all diligent ratepayers keep
abreast of what is going on so they can
take whatever steps are open to them to
keep local council posts filled by capable
persons. Payment is the big issue
It takes some people a long
time to realize that they are
completely dispensable. I
realized it years ago, but keep
forgetting until something jolts
me,
Today it's the mother and
father of all colds. I haven't
missed a day's work in about
three years, at times tottering off
to the job with one foot in the
grave.
For some reason, I had the
conceit to imagine that the entire
English department, if not the
whole school system, would
crack, crumble and collapse if I
weren't there.
Common sense tells me that if I
were ill for a month, nobody
would know the difference, and
that if I dropped dead this
moment the human race would
not falter for a second in its
pursuit of folly, happiness and all
the other things that make it tick.
So, here I am surrounded by
soggy kleenex, coughing up
chunks of lung, and sweating like
a mule-skinner every time I do
anything more vigourous than
blink my eyes.
But it's not all bad, My wife is
dancing attendance . on me,
something she rarely does
because I'm almost never ill. I
have a good, foolish detective
story which I'd normally never
have time to read.
And perhaps most important of
all, I have this lazy, hazy feeling
that I have stopped the world and
got off, even if only for twenty-
four hours.
My wife has just forced on me,
quite against my will, a large
libation of hot water, lemon,
sugar and some sort of cough
medicine with the odd name of
Teachers' Highland Cream. It
makes me sweat, but certainly
eases the cough. In fact, it makes
life look almost rosy. I hope she
doesn't run out of lemons. And
stuff.
Isn't it a pity, though, that we
go through life, or the biggest
part of it, with this feeling that
we're so important, when we're
less than ants on the face of the
earth?
Businessmen flog themselves
daily to meet the competition.
Executives and lawyers drag
home their brief cases. Doctors
burn themselves out in twenty
years of inordinately long hours,
Teachers develop ulcers or
quietly go mad. Why don't we all
relax a little more often and let
the earth take a few spins without
us?
Perhaps the most guilty of all
are politicians. Right now the
country resembles a disturbed
bee-hive as our politicians hurtle
about, every one of them con-
vinced that his constituency, his
party, and his country will go to
the dogs if he, personally, is not
elected.
God forbid, but what would
actually happen if Trudeau,
Stanfield, Lewis and Caouette
had a four-way air collision,
which is not an impossibility at
the rate they're haring about
their homeland?
Would we just have to throw up
our hands and sell the country to
the highest bidder? Fat chance.
There'd be enough power-hungry
men and women, or just plain
idiots, to fill their shoes before
the bits were picked up,
Nobody is irreplaceable. The
sky didn't fall in when the British
kicked their great war-time
leader, Winston Churchill, out of
office. The States didn't disin-
tegrate after, the deaths of Lin-
coln, Roosevelt, Kennedy. When
Joe Stalin finally expired, Russia
didn't exactly hit the skids.
It seems that the only way to
stay Off that treadmill of feeling
While unemployment is
becoming one of the main planks
of the opposition parties in the
federal election, most people
appear to be more concerned
with the situation regarding
unemployment insurance and
some welfare schemes.
The point is, that many
Canadians are convinced that a
large number on the unem-
ployment statistics are there by
their own choosing anctAittle
sympathy is expressed.
Many Canadians are also
vexed over some of the money
spent by the Trudeau govern-
ment in creating jobs; par-
ticularly some of the schemes for
which funds have been made
available under the Opportunities
for Youth program.
The question then arises as to
just how many Canadian families
are in dire need from lack of jobs.
Even in this community, there
are people receiving unem-
ployment benefits who don't have
the least desire to get a job. They
have been employed in seasonal
work to augment their income
and are not interested in full-time
employment.
Having paid into the unem-
ployment insurance fund, they
naturally feel they are entitled to
the benefits as long as they are
eligible and few will deny their
right to that position.
It is apparent that a more
detailed study is required on
unemployment figures and
perhaps new guidelines
established for those wishing to
draw benefits.
The Canandian public will not
have much sympathy for those
unemployed as long as they
continue to hear stories about
people making unusually high
wages.for seasonal work and then
heading south for the winter
while drawing unemployment
insurance.
+ +.+.
The unemployment insurance
scheme, and not unemployment
itself, is one of the main com-
plaints we hear from area
residents.
Local employers have dif-
ficulty filling jobs, with part of
the reason being the fact people
aren't interested in working for
$100 to $125 per week when they
can draw $100 a week for not
working. In some cases they get
paid more for not working.
The work incentive has been
taken away.
While many people toss the
indispensable is to be poor. The
fewer our possessions, the freer
we are to step off the merry-go-
round, take a look at the won-
derful world we live in, and
realize that we are about as in-
dividually important as grains of
sand,
I have a fellow just like that
sitting downstairs talking to his
mother. He drifted in this mor-
ning from Montreal. He's off to
Alaska to spread the Baha'i faith.
How is he going to get there?
Well, if he can get to Penticton by
Friday, he'll catch a ride north
with some friends. I point out that
there is no way, short of flying, of
getting to Penticton in two days.
Oh, well, he may hitch-hike,
going through northern
Saskatchewan. (He got the hint
that I wasn't going to loan him air
fare.)
Whatwas he going to take? Well,
he has a sleeping bag and, a
sweater and jeans and boots, and
it's only about three thousands
miles, so there's no problem,
He's been to Mexico, New
Orleans, New York and across
Canada from coast to coast, His
total assets are those listed
aboife Physical, that is, On the
other hand, he's completely
bilingual and has an education no
University could provide.
Best Of all, he knows clearly
that he is not indispensable.
blame directly at the govern-
ment, it is not their fault alone. A
great portion of the problem
stems from the fact too many
people are willing to take ad-
vantage of the system and also to
take advantage of those who do
work to pay their benefits.
Prime Minister Trudeau has
inserted "Canadian integrity"
into his campaign, and while it is
a rather vague term in the
opinion of most Canadians, it
may have been much better had
he appealed to the integrity of
Canadians,
In many cases the integrity of
Canadians is disappointing.
+. +.+
Unfortunately, political
campaigns are such that leaders
of the opposition parties find it
difficult to be positive in their
campaigns.
Obviously, Robert Stanfield is
not going to indicate that
unemployment insurance
benefits are going to be with-
drawn from a great many people.
something like seven per-
cent unemployed, it would cost
him most of those votes if the
unemployed thought the PC party
was going to reduce or curtail
their benefits,
'So, he goes about speaking only
in generalities or criticising the
government.
Unfortunately, it gives the
uncommitted voter no op-
portunity to know exactly where
the opposition parties stand on
this major issue and it is one of
the main problems with election
campaigns.
The voters know where the
50 Years Ago
On Tuesday of this week, the
Exeter Times purchased the
Hensall Observer printing plant.
'The first snow of the season
fell on Wednesday but soon dis-
appeared.
The hot fowl supper served by
the ladies of the Trivitt Memorial
Church in the Dome Rink on
Wednesday evening was a
decided success. Following the
supper, the choir of the
Presbyterian Church, Seaforth
put on musical entertainment of
a high order.
Caven Presbyterian Church
held a successful anniversary
service on Sunday last. The
church was filled in the morning
and the evening service was held
at Trivitt Memorial Church. A
union choir composed of
members from the different
choirs of town furnished some
splendid music, Rev. C. E.
Evans, of St. Marys conducted
the services.
Rev. C. W. Down of the
Saskatchewan Conference was a
delegate to the General
Conference in Toronto.
25 Years Ago
Exeter Public School trustees
have secured an extra room in
the Exeter Legion Hall to relieve
the congestion in the over-
crowded classrooms of the
school.
Boy Scouts under their leader,
Ted Buswell, gathered eight tons
of scrap paper on Saturday.
The Athletic Society of Exeter
High School held a sweatersvving
in Exeter Arena to pay for the
athletes' trip to the W,O.S.S,A.
Meet in London.
Evelyn Desjardine, Grand
Bend, carried off the gold medal
in elocution at the contest spon-
sored by tire W.C.T.U.
A meeting to wind up the
operations of Exeter District
War Time Committee is being
held in the council chambers on
Priday,
government stands on certain
issues and they should expect the
opposition parties to present their
alternatives and not merely their
criticisms.
+ +. +.
One of the boys in blue at the
OPP station advised us this week
we could be facing an end to our
facial foliage if the problems now
growing in England arrive in
Canada.
Seems that across the pond an
infestation of lice is reported
among students.
The problem is being placed
squarely upon the shoulders of
those who wear long hair, par-
ticularly the males. It is noted
that boys have not yet learned to
live with their flowing locks and
don't give it the attention
required. Some get a shampoo
only when it rains or when they,
go swimming. . •
Our concern of the epidemic
spreading to these shores is.,the,
fact there is only one cure for
lice. You have to shave off every
last scrap of hair and start from
scratch—both literally and
figuratively.
Similar to wartime conditions,
it may be necessary to set up "de-
licing" stations for visitors
arriving from abroad.
Meanwhile, stay a good arm's
length away from anyone you
happen to spot doing an unusual
amount of scratching.
He may have 'em!
15 Years Ago
The opening of the new $120,000
Hensall Public School Friday
evening was attended by
students, parents and interested
citizens. A former teacher, Miss
Mattie Ellis, with 36 years of
service in the teaching profession
had the honor of cutting the rib-
bon to the new school.
Joseph McCann, 34, RR 3,
Dashwood was seriously injured
Saturday morning when he was
run over by a tractor. His left leg
was fractured and he
received numerous cuts about
the head and right leg.
Principal Greta Lavender of
Zurich Public School cut the rib-
bon to officially open a new $40,-
000 two-room addition to the
school.
Bill Batten was elected presi-
dent of the Mid-Western Zone of
the Christian Young Councillors
Convention at a rally in Owen
Sound this weekend.
10 Years Ago
Exeter District Co-op
announced this week it plans to
erect a new store and office
facilities at its location near the
CNR station, A 30-foot extension
will be added to the new
warehouse, erected last year on
the east side of Station street.
Harvey Pfaff, Exeter , post-
master, has resigned as area co-
ordinator for the emergency
measures organization.
John Snell, president of the
Exeter teen town was named
editor of the Ink Spot at an elec-
tion held among the students at
SHDHS Tuesday. The 17-year-old
son of Mr. and Mrs, Russ Snell
will head the nine-member ex-
ecutive who will handle the work
of the school's annual year book.
A private airplane flipped on
its back Wednesday while
making a landing on the
Haigrneier farm south of Grand
Bend, None of the occupants was
injured, The craft came from the
Tillsonburg area and mechanics
flew up to disassemble the craft.
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mortgages
see us
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