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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-06-12, Page 4Let's pound the metrics "I was treated like a convicted murderer. And it wasn't just me; they were treating everybody that way." The speaker is a lady from Michigan who had paid a traffic ticket. She was responding to a survey of 1481 Americans by four social sscientists. They were seeking to find the level of service provided by Federal Government Services and the level of satisfaction experienced by the people. The results are reported in the current Psychology Today. The feeling of our researchers was simply that a basic measure of direction and movement in communities and society at large e.g. (Where are we going?) could be obtained by measuring the quality of the relationship between individuals and government services. This statement is rather sur- prising. In years gone by it would not be true. Increasingly in- dividuals look to government services for their personal support in one way or another. Almost every American will make use of some government service for life support and, of course, the same is true of Canadians. In other words, we are in- creasingly dependent on bureaucrats. The quality of our life can be measured by the quality of our encounters with bureaucrats. Do our bureaucrats serve us well? Hamlet spoke of the "in- solence of office." Civil servants are often seen as, being lazy, independent, not very helpful, a trial to king, and commoner alike. Our American friends foundthat while there was a general dissatisfaction with government services, yet in a majority of cases these individuals had had a fairly satisfactory encounter personally. It is reported ". . .. two thirds of them reported complete satisfaction with the way the office handled their problems and more than four in ten said they were very satisfied . . Only 14 "Aren't you a little young to be concerned with fringe benefits, bonus and pension plan just to pick strawberries?" Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation March 31, 1975 5,249 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $9.00 Per Year; USA $11,00 eStotraitafZ;At,iw.fgliatAMRIVWIZM:garak:ag1,VM:AgfZ,Zaa;NR&AN:g ME 15 'A.,. is Our response to now By ELMORE BOOMER Counsellor for Information South Huron For appointment phone: 228-6291 or 235-0560 Insolence of office Two important decisions Don't. hang up! Two important committee reports were tabled at the most recent sitting of Exeter council and within the next few weeks the decisions, required on those reports will have to be reached. The town hall and street numbering committees have done a good job in their presentations for council's consideration and certainly were most deserving of the commendation passed their way, This type of citizen involvement in such matters is most encouraging and allows the community as a whole to accomplish many tasks that would be impossible if left en- tirely to the small number of people who serve on council and obviously do not have the time required to undertake special studies along with their routine affairs. In that regard, these special com- mittees must realize they haye an obliga- tion to present all the facts possible, both from a positive and negative viewpoint so council members can reach a decision on the basis of the information received. Per- sonal bias should be avoided. Our initial reaction to the town hall committee report was that the cost figure presented was strictly a "guesstimate" because there was nothing in the report to substantiate the figure suggested to coun- cil. On talking with a member of the com- mittee, however, we learned that they had solicited estimates from several tradesmen and in fact the figure was realistic based on expert advice. Obviously those figures should have been detailed in the report so, there would be no avenue open to opponents of the recommendation to suggest that the cost had been grossly underestimated or not in- clusive enough. The committee member said these figures had been kept "as our ace in the hole". Our contention is that a good card player doesn't keep an ace in the hole when the hands have been called. He lays all the cards on the table. Obviously this was the responsibility of the committee because it is pertinent information required to make a decision. + + + Given this information, the writer is more readily able to accept the recommen- dation of the town hall committee. Earlier estimates on the renovation had been cited in the $200,000 bracket and even higher, and obviously such an expenditure on a building, however architecturally signifi- cant, would be most difficult to justify. But a cost of $30,000 to $40,000, if it can be documented by the committee, is a small investment in view of the return. Not only will it enable the community to retain one of its landmarks, but it will also provide adequate facilities for the police department that probably can not be duplicated for the same money. Basically, the issue boils down to one of economics, and it can not be resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned until a detail- ed cost study is presented. The engineering study completed over a year ago suggested "it will become ap- parent that the only thing which is being salvaged is the building shell and the ques- tion of whether it is worthwhile to spend a 'large amount' of money on such an old shell will demand an answer." The engineering report outlined deterioration of brickwork at the grade which would have to be replaced and some water damage to the brick footing under the bearing walls. A need for a "control joint" to overcome large cracks on the in- side wall was also outlined and it was ex- plained that the bell tower was in such serious need of repair that the engineer questioned whether it would be better to remove it entirely. Were all these faults in- cluded in the committee's estimate? Even if the repairs were undertaken, the engineer noted that "no upgrading of the building will have been accomplished in its overall appearance, comfort or usefulness to the community". "It will still be an old building needing continued care and maintenance and providing no more in the way of useful ac- SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., 0.W.N.A. and ABC Publisher — Robert Southcott Editor -- Bill Batten — Advertising Manager Assistant Editor -- Ross Haugh Plant Manager — Les Webb Composition Manager — David Worby commodation than it is now providing." + + + The concluding remark by the engineers appears to be one of the most im- portant, that of securing the cost of repairs, It was the need for establishing this cost that persuaded last year's council against placing the disposition of the town hall on a ballot for the people to decide, They must be given accurate and com- plete estimates of the work envisioned by the engineer and the committee. That, of course, requires detailed plans similar to the situation in which council found themselves in calling for bids on the renovations to the former post office. Unfortunately, there appears no short cut to ascertaining such costs without hav- ing an architect draw up plans and then having bids received from contractors. ' Many people who have undertaken the renovation of an old building haye found that costs often exceed their expectations by considerable amounts and many con- tractors refuse to submit firm tenders because they do not know exactly what they will find once they commenced the project, Some members of council will recall that about three years ago a $10,000 addi- tion was planned for the arena, but when the work was completed, the bills amounted to well over twice that figure. The disposition of the town hall has been delayed too long now, and more delays will result in further deterioration that may make repairs impossible. Council's decision appears to be a matter of obtaining a detailed cost es- timate and then putting the matter to the people, either through public meetings or perhaps a referendum. If the town hall can be restored at a cost in keeping with the benefits it will provide, it should be approved. However, it is difficult to back a suggestion that it should be restored whatever the cost. + + + The street numbering committee report will demand some considerable deliberation by council as well. Cost is not a particularly large factor if individuals provide their own numbers and volunteers do most of the planning. The major consideration appears to be just how much upheaval would be involved in providing an entirely new system and thereby resulting in all new numbers for every property. In a Small community where postal service is not dependent upon house numbers, wholesale changes may not have many adverse complications. However, there may be some in the community who can think of problems, and if so, they should speak NOW or forever hold their peace as they say at the altar. Some of the alternative proposals presented by the committee are worthy of due consideration and it may be that some changes should be implemented, par- ticularly in new subdivisions where the gap in numberspresents the most difficulties. Obviously, council should attempt some scheme whereby all residents get numbers and possibly this is a project in which the Kinsmen could assist without too much effort. People should realize that the main consideration in the whole procedure is the problem associated with emergency vehicles being able to find exact locations with a minimum of difficulty. Residents who fail to post their home numbers are placing themselves in a precarious situation if they should require the assistance of firemen,, police or an am- bulance. The precious seconds lost can be dis- astrous and the cost of house numbers is a small investment indeed to prevent serious problems. Some changes appear required in the present house numbering system, and if there are no serious problems in making widespread changes, council should proceed with plans to have one of the pro- jects undertaken. This could certainly be done in stages once the master plan is prepared. I knew it! I knew it! They started screwing around with that Celsius thermometer, and the weather has gone crazy. Who ever heard of a heat wave in May? We had one this year, at least in these parts, and the entire population was reeling around, sunburned and sunstroked, when they should have been wearing sweaters and turning the heat up in the evenings. As I lay on the bed the other night, nothing over me, both windows open, gasping for breath, I up and told my wife, I told her: "It's that danged Celsius, that's what it is. They've thrown the whole country out of kilter.I must have lost a litre of sweat and a gram of weight." She told me to stifle myself, as far as she was concerned. She has been a little owly laterly, owing to the fact that she can't zip up her new slacks owing to the fact that she has been hitting her own desserts too hard, and chiefly owing to• the fact that I told her she had gained about 25 millimeters around the bum, which sounds a lot worse than a couple of inches. And so it goes.-You never get much appreciation around home, whether you are battling the town council, or taking on the whole government of Canada. But I can tell you that there are a great many people in this country who think the current move to Celsius and metric is as stupid and arrogant as I do. I've had a steady stream of letters since a recent column lambasting the change as needless and heedless of the people's desires. Many of the correspondents are also writing their MP's, and getting back the usual oily, evasive and feeble letters we expect from our MPs. These letters are not from cranks. They are from intelligent Canadians who are getting sick of being pushed around by the mandarins in Ottawa. Ann Judd, who writes a column for the Port Elgin Times, says: "No matter what the federal government tells you, believe me, it's a rip-off." She goes on, as many other readers do, to point out the tremendous cost of the • unasked-for changes. And this in a time of racking inflation, when every citizen is, and the govern- ment should be, trying to make every dollar go as .far as it will stretch. A chap with the charming name of Volodimir Barabash makes the same charge in a poem called It's Madness printed in the Dauphin Herald. Wes Rodgers of Mar,, Ont., and Fred Salisbury of Peterborough agree with me completely, and see nothing' beneficial in the change. Angela Aldworth of Waterloo says: "If it's not too late to stop the big wheels from rolling regarding change to metric and celsius, my vote is NO." It's never too late, Angela and all you others, We have only begun to fight. You see, what we are dealing with here is chickens. Politicans arechickens and civil servants are chickens. Who ever ran away from a fight with chickens? Doug MacLellan of Fergus wrote a stringent letter to the editor of the Fergus-Elora 50 Years Ago Messrs. W. E. Sanders, G. E. Anderson, W. W. Taman, and R. N. Creech of the Exeter Bowling Club won second prize, carving sets at the Blyth Bowling Tournament, Rev. Edward Sheppard will succeed Rev, W. E. Donnelly as pastor of JaMes Street United Church Four thousand dollars is left to the parish priest at the Roman Catholic Church at Mount Carmel by the terms of the will of Nor- man Farrell, Biddulph Township farmer. Mr. Colin Hudson, Hensall has a white leghorn hen that laid an egg six inches round and eight inches long. The members of Lebanon Forest Lodge, AF & AM together with a number of visiting brethern from Clinton, Hensall and Lucan attended Divine Worship in James Street United Church on Sunday evening. 25 Years Ago The 25th anniversary of church union will be celebrated in Centralia church on Sunday. Lucan Community Memorial Centre will celebrate the official opening Wednesday June 14, and Friday, June 16 and on Sunday, June 11,'a memorial service will be held. The Huron County Old Boys' Association of Toronto celebrated its fiftieth birthday at a golden jubilee dinner at Chez Paree June 1, Kenneth Stanbury proposed the toast to Huron County. Grade nine pupils of Exeter District High School have just concluded their turkey project. Five weeks ago they purchased 200 broad breasted bronze turkeys which they have cared for under the direction of agriculture teacher Andrew Dixon. Most of them have been sold - but several students took home a few birds to raise. Miss Myrtle Reeder, who recently graduated from Woodstock General Hospital School of Nursing was awarded that the introduction of Celsius is "just about the' last straw" in minorities forcing things on the majority such as • that pitiful Canadian flag and bilingualism. She adds: "I'd like to know just who they (the gov't) did ask. Nobody ever asked me or anyone I have come in contact with.The silent majority just got taken again." Even my old high school math teacher, Earl Felming, said he was waiting to see me blast it in my column, Now if a math teacher doesn't like metric, or sees no need for it in Canada, surely there isn't any. I've run out of space, but not out of mad. Come on, you silent majority:Let's make some noise. I'm sick to death of being buried in that stuff that is emitted by all those chickens in Ottawa. And I know I'm not alone. Keep the letters flying and the shouts of outrage echoing. You there lady, you with the beautiful 38-22-38 figure. Maybe you're apathetic and you say we can't fight City Hall. But you'll change your tune when they call you out in centimeters. You'll fight when someone says you are a 95-55-95. You're gross ! the Dr. C. McPherson award for proficiency in operating room technique. 15 Years Ago This year Huron County had the highest count of confirmable cases in animal rabies in the province. At the anniversary service of Kirkton United Church, Rev. R. S. Hiltz, Exeter delivered an inspirational address. James Street Women's Association highlighted the June meeting by visiting the rose garden of Mr. & Mrs, C. V. Pickard, Mr. John Goman, public school inspector for South Huron ad- dressed ,the Exeter FWTAO unit at the annual banquet. • Mrs, C. A. MacNaughton, Mrs. Fred Dobbs, Mrs. Richard Dickins attended the June meeting of the Women's Auxiliary to the Huron County Home to plan for the Christmas Fair for the residents. 10 Years Ago The severe windstorm which swept through Exeter last month may have forded cancellation of any proposed sidewalk repair or construction this year. Exeter businessman R, Ross Tuckey miraculously escaped with only a fractured hip and cuts and bruises when his car was completely wrecked when it crashed through a culvert under construction on Highway 4 early Wednesday morning. Catherine Ann Rader, who graduated from Kitchener Waterloo Hospital school of nursing on Saturday received word that she was successful in passing her Registered Nurses' examination. Miss Rader is the "daughter of Mr. & Mrs, Harold Rader, Zurich. At the Provincial Trap Shoot at St, Thomas Saturday, John Anderson was funnel' up in Class C with a score of 192 out of 200, Mr, & Mrs. A, J. Sweitzet at- tended the Lions Convention in St. Catharines and spent a fe days visiting Dr, and Mrs. I. . 8. Steiner of Welland, this are those who have not ex- perienced it or who choose to deny the mass of testimony of the many who have. Isaiah said, "Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it." There is a danger here, though, for some people insist they have been guided by God when they have really only made up their minds to do what they want to do. To say one is guided by God is a solemn thing and should not be said unless we are positively and inwardly sure. There are certainly times in the lives of most of us when we have difficulty discerning God's guidance, because sometimes our best judgement runs counter to His. Even St. Paul had dif- ficulty here. His own judgement told him to go to Bithynia to spread the Good News, but the Spirit stayed him; and God called Paul against his judgement to go to Macedonia, to Europe . . . and thence to us. The old Quakers, who knew a great deal about walking in God's inner light or guidance usually solved a particularly difficult problem by the test of 'peace'. They waited before God in utter stillness, held out the dilemma before Him and waited! Unhurriedly! Then they took the road, whatever the cost, that gave them peace in their hearts. "You shall hear a voice behind you saying, This is the way, walk in it."., Wait for God to answer. Don't be in such a hurry to hang up. percent were very dissatisfied with the service they got." It was found that Americans are fairly tolerant of red tape. While the many forms to be filled in caused comment, yet on the whole they were accepted and the results obtained more than compensated for the drudgery endured. Only 12 percent of the respondents indicated they had had trouble finding the right man. There were more problems with medical services and • Workmen's Compensation than with other government depart- ments. This latter find is of interest for administrators. There seem to be some services organized more clumsily, inviting some dif- ficulties. It would be easier to change procedures and organization than general at- titudes and thus we can have a collective sigh of relief. Most agencies were counted as being very helpful. Fifty-seven percent felt that their public servants had helped enough and another 12 percent said they helped more than they had to. Most felt they had been served efficiently. One in ten only reported contrariwise. The young (those under 30) and blacks reported some discrimination in service. But only 13 poercent overall felt they had been treated unfairly. Generally speaking people were happy with the services received and the discrepancy in this general finding had to do with age and race again. Very few older people were dissatisfied and one in four of the young reported dissatisfaction. More blacks were dissatisfied than other racial groups. On the whole, our researchers were happy with the results of their survey. But there are some unhappy inferences. While most people were happy with the service they received personally, yet they continued to believe that government agen- cies were generally unfair and difficult intheir delivery of service, Also it was found that most people revered the flag and other general symbols of state, but were cynical of the government process. Congress is far away. The rules and laws seem to be divorced from the people themselves. Individual welfare is drowned in a sea of bureaucracy, This means, of course, that personal experience does not affect general attitude. The people have resigned their task of seeking to influence the govern- ment and its law-making ac- tivity. They merely hold up their hands to receive, This in turn leads to another unpleasant. inference, If people are not using reasonable ap- proaches to government, they are open to less rational appeals. It is well for us to be exercised in the process of government lest the process takes over and dic- tates terms to the people. ./046'0:411. fit , ts" • • e ,14 What is more annoying than hearing your phone ring and have the party who's calling hang up just as your hand reaches the receiver? Having rushed from the far end of the house or perhaps even from the bathtub, you stand there frustrated, wondering who it was, or if you've missed some important message. I've heard, that the Bell Telephone Company suggests the caller allows 20 rings before he hangs up, but many persons can't let the phone ring beyond three times before they're convinced you're out and slam down the receiver. It's not only annoying it's rude. A lot of us hang up on God, too, I think, We may send up a prayer, but if we don't get an immediate answer we assume He's not there, not listening, or just doesn't want to answer our call. There's a waiting and listening side to prayer, too, just as there is to a telephone call to any of one's friends. Not all prayer, says W. E. Sangster, is made up of our human speaking, It's both courteous and highly profitable not only to talk to God but to wait and listen to Him. But God cannot be hurried; He may keep you waiting for assurance until the time comes to act. God speaks to us in many ways, • of course. He guides us through Scripture and through the Church. He guides us through counsel of friends, but there are also times when counsel comes direct from the mind of God to the mind of man. Those who scoff at SONIVZWAT:!..72.'•:!WZ.!MW;1;MMTO.WWPC9rAMMINFONANfit,C..crIMPM.,,,A.WERAIMMW7f).!•: Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 exelealimat-ibuorafe Express, opposing the change, and sent a copy to his MP, The Express editor pointed out some of the follies of the .change and said: "Lately a few people have suddenly said 'Is it worth it?' " Believe me, chaps it is not worth it, and if you don't oppose the changes for any other reason, light them on the basis of cost. Ontario alone has just allotted$1.5 million to schools for converting measuring articles. Multiply this by 10 and you have just scratched the surface. Connie Hodgins of High River Alberta, is hopping mad about the arrogance with which the measures have been introduced. She claims somebody must have brainwashed the MP's to "prepare them to act like a flock of sheep and vote without waiting to hear what their con- stituents' wishes were." A pungent comment from a reader in Renfrew :"Yes,we have Celsius and the politicians tell us it is for export. Where can we export our weather except to the USA and they don't want it. The government is preaching economy. Each road sign to be replaced by a kilometre sign will cost $30. How do you like those bananas? Sick-sick-sick." A lady from Waterloo suggests