The Brussels Post, 1981-03-25, Page 14Brussels Pos
BRUSSELS
ONTARIO
Liberals hol
sea
109TH YEAR - ISSUE NO. 12 30 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1981
So why
aren't you
farming ?
SO WHY DIDN'T YOU GO INTO FARMING—
Bill Bramah a newsman for Global TV was in
the Brussels area on Wednesday interviewing
local residents about the farming situation and
the provincial election. Seated at the table from
left are Bill Bramah, Dave Thomas, Bob and
Lynne Rowe. (Photo by Ranney)
Global interviews Brussels people
BY HENRY HESS
It was nip and tuck, but in the end Murray
Elston accomplished what he had set out to
do: keep the Huron-Bruce riding in the
Liberal fold.
He overcame a strong challenge from
Conservative Gary Harron, in a race which
saw the lead change hands several times, to
win the seat by 324 votes, 12,164 to 11,940.
NDP candidate Tony McQuail polled 1,979
votes.
It was a tense night for Liberals in this
riding, grown accustomed to watching
Murray Gaunt sweep to victory with margins
approaching 10,000 votes. However they
were happy to see their candidate win in the
face of a strong Conservative tide across the
province.
Mr. Gaunt, who had stepped down at the
start of the campaign explaining he wants to
spend more time with his family, showed the
strain as much as anyone, having cam-
paigned hard for his successor.
"That was too close for comfort!" he
declared as he arrived at the Teeswater
Community Centre for the Liberal victory
celebration. He called the race "a real
nail-biter," recalling that one of his own
early elections was even closer.
However he assured 1,. Elston this was
the important one; now he has four years to
work hard before his next campaign,
He promised to help his young successor
in any way he can, offering to take him down
to Queen's Park, "and introduce you to all
those good Tories down there."
Mr. Elston arrived late, having watching
the race unfold from his head-quarters in
Wingham, and he appeared tired but happy
With his success.
"Thanks from the bottom of my heart to
each and every one of yoU," he told the
cheering crolVd, "I should be standing up
here applauding you."
He thanked all his campaign workers,
paying a special tribute to Mr. Gaiint, whose
contribution he described as "tremendous"
and promised he Will continue Working hard
for the next four years.
"The whole riding of Huron -Bruce will be
my home," he pledged. "I'll work as hard as
possible for everyone.
SURPRISED
Although Mr. Elston's campaign mana-
ger, Terry Merkley, had predicted two days
before the election that the outcome would
be decided by fewer than 1,000 votes,. the
closeness of the race appeared to take many
Liberals by surprise.
As the evening wore on, small groups of
supporters scattered around the community
centre kept one eye on the two television sets1
the other on wall charts giving the results
from local polls.
Optimism grew as it - became clear the
young Wingham lawyer was carrying the
Please turn to page 3
NEW MPP MURRAY ELSTON
Local residents opened the eyes of
Global TV newsman Bill Bramah about
farming when he interviewed three of them
at J.R.'s gas bar on Wednesday morning.
Bob Rowe, his wife Lynne, and Dave
Thomas were the interview subjects as part
of a feature Mr. Bramah had been doing on
what government can do for people in the
small towns.
Mr. Bramah and his wife Jenny had
covered three areas for the series--Midland,
Port Dover and Brussels; Midland because
it's close to their home; Port Dover because
they know Elsie Murphy who is a 'stringer
there and Brussels because they came to
interview Sam Sweeney about the airplane
he is building. They arrived too early and
stopped in at the gas bar for coffee where
they learned a few things about farming
,from local residents- .and that's .when they
decided to do further interviewing.
Dave ThomaS had told Mt. Bramah that
land costs about $2000' an acre here and Mr(
Bramah wanted to know what else was
involved in farming.
"You have to pay for animals, buildings, a
place to live and if you're in milk production
or egg production you have to buy quota,"
He told Mr. Bramah that quota was like a
Short Shots
by Evelyn Kennedy
This Saturday evening is the time to be at
the B.M.&S. Community Centre to be a
competitor in, or a spectator at, the Family
Costume Carnival sponsored by the Brussels
Figure Skating Club.
The official, date for the arrival of spring
passed without it materializing. Like a shy
young maiden it wrapped itself in a cloak of
white, reluctant to put in an appearance.
Though tardy' spring cannot delay long and
should soon be with us.
*******
The Provincial Election is over and we
have a majority Progressive Conservative
Government in Ontario. The Big Blue
Machine rolled over opponents crushing
them effectively enough to give Bill Davis
• the Majority he so much wanted. Now that
he has it, we will be watching attentively to
see what they will do with the power they
have gained. What about all the vote-catch-
ing promises made? Will they be conven-
eintly forgotten or if kept where will the
money come froth? Where else but out of
one packet of the taxpayer to be put in the
other pocket tjnless a few miracles can be
produced. Such things have been in short
supply in the past and likely to be so in the
future. Whatever happens we have little
right to growl for the majority of those who
bothered to vote put then in power. Those
who did not exercise their right to vote have
no right to complain.
The election produced a close race in
Huron-Bruce. Long held by the Liberals it
was touch arid go for a time with nary
Harron P,C., close on the heels of the Liberal
candidate, Murray Elston, a Wingham
lawyer, who kept the riding for the Liberals.
He follows Murray Gantt wile has retired
license to practise farming.
He was also asked how much he would
have to gross a year on his farm to break
even, and he replied about $450,000.
Dave graduated from the Ontario Agri-
cultural College in Guelph in 1978 and said
lie didn't think more than 20 per cent of the
graduates would be in farming because he
didn't think they could afford the capital
investment to get into it.
Bob Rowe who is also an agricultural
college graduate said he didn't go into
agriculture because he couldn't afford the
investment,.
When asked what the provincial go,•ern-
ment could do (no matter who got in, for
farmers, Bob Rowe suggested if they got
inflation and unemployment under4:ontrol it
would help,: because then people 'Would. be
ab! e to affor44f4rmers‘..,...prodlicts.
"With one in four jobs in Ontario- ielutea
to agriculture, the government's going to
have to realize that agriculture is very
important," Bob said.
Both Dave Thomas and Bob Rowe agreed
that farmers were too independent. for
farmers' co-ops.
When asked her opinion, Lynne said,
"From what I know of farming it's a great
way to get ulcers."
from the political arena.
***-****
What wonderful opportunities are avail-
able to young people these days. Things
never dreamed of in my days as.a, teenager -
The B ussels Lions Club are sponsoring a
Lions Youth Exchange again this year. This
offers an excellent chance for girls and boys
ages 16 to 21 to travel to distant places; to
become acquainted with other people and
,places; to make new friends.
If one can believe the predictions of
Canadian scientist David Suzuki, machines
will take over from humans within a decade
or two. Sounds incredible, does it not? But,
just think of how much science-fiction we
used to read with a laugh, has become fact -
men have walked on the moon, space travel
and space station are a reality, not to
mention sundry other things that not so lone
ago seemed impossible. So perhaps we
should not be too skeptical 'of Suzuki's
predictions. He tells us that there will be a
microelectronic revolution within the next
decade. He says we are mistaken when we
assume computers are just stupid machines
and that we could pull the plug. He predicts
they will talk, be as common in homes as
T.V. and do all the work women do such as
cook, remember appointments, shop, etc.
These will be computers that have intelli-
genceof their own. Within a decade after the
first artificial intelligence these machines
Will be thinking thoughts beyond our ability
to comprehend. While it would be nice to
have a machine do our work the whole thling
is decidedly frightening. We would probably
end up being controlled by them. Who wants
to take orders from a stupid machine, - but
that is a mistake. They Will be highly
intelligent, an intelligence beyond the
comprehensiOn of humans. Horrible
thought! Oh well, it is highly improbable
that I will be around When all this happerit.
ESTABLISHED
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