The Brussels Post, 1973-01-03, Page 2,fir.rompsgp
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13tussels Post
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community
published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bras. publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Torn Haley - Advertising
„Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario. Weekly Newspaper Assoc.ation..
Subscriptions fin advance) Canada $4.00 a year, Qthers
$5.00 a year, Single Copies 10 cents each.
Second class, mail Registration No. 0562.
Telephone 887-6641.
wo:1 Navin/4
0114.11keg Ak4
Important industry
As we become more mechanized
and think in terms of larger farm
units with fewer farmers, we are
inclined to regard the influence of
the farm community as becoming less.
Perhaps in terms of rural popu-
lation versus urban population we
are right. At least the larger
rural and semi rural ridings which
are necessary to maintain equality
of representation in the federal
house suggests this to be the case.
But we are forgetting that 45%
of Ontario's labor force depends on
agriculture and food industries.
Gordon Hill, Ontario Federation of
Agriculture president who draws our
:attention to the situation adds
"This makes farmers\important - too
important to be belittled as happy
hayseeds".
He goes on to point out that
Canada's farm machinery industry
employs 15,000 workers, and the feed
industry, 9,000. Last year, Canadian
farmers spent more than three billion
dollars.
Last year agriculture and its
brother industries accounted for 29
per cent of Canada's Gross National
Product. In 1970, more than 16 per
cent of Canada's exports were farm
products. Food was eight per cent
of Canada's imports.
All this adds up to the neces-
sitY ' of maintaining a viable and
healthy agricultural industry. If
this is neglected all Canadians -
not only farmers - will suffer.
tPl aPP e lpe, ea& 119001u
Winter struck swift, sure and without
mercy this year. Five days before
Christmas we'd had about two feet of
snow in these parts, along with the usual
combination of blizzard-force winds and
a generous sprinkling of freezing rain.
Today, with my driveway plugged again
and my sidewalk drifted in afoot deep,
and myself still nursing a deep cold con-
tracted two months agO, I'd be just as
happy if somebody marched me out, stood
Me With my back against the garage, and
shot me, right under the flower-box.
It was a pretty uncheery holiday at
our place. It wasn't planned; it just
turned out that Way. I'd bought the usual
pair of trees, a spruce and a Scotch
pine. Too sick to put them up and they
sit by the back door, forlorn, covered
with snow and ice.
The Old Lady caught her second round
of 'flu and just didn't feel like coping
with family, decorations and the whole
Christmas scramble. She was even too
sick t o lash me on to greater heights,
which is mighty sick. We had hanibUrg
for our festive dinner.
, Missed three holiday parties and had
to cancel. our owm. Didn't even get
Out to chUrCh.
Thought desperately of fleeing 'the
whole thing, going to Montreal to spend
Christmas with number one son, and
eating out. COUldn't get a plane or train
ticket and didn't feel up to driving.
ThoUght even more desperately Of
fleeing south, whatever the cost Same
thing, No abaft. .
Didn't get our car& started, let alone
finished. Didn't get the wreath Of holly
On the deer, or the mistletoe up. In
fact, you name it; and We didn't get it
&ie.
This is a solemn warning to whoever
Is in charge of things, If they don't get
better smartly in 1911, there's going to
be trouble,
I've been through two rounds of anti'
bittitida and about 300 pounds of calcium
tablets, In an dice to shift my Old.
It worked. I shifted it froth my head to
thy Cheat And badk again
penetrated as far as my big t Anoe,
d now it's
My; thit is a 'dreary little recital Of
WOO, isn't it7 Conie on, bill; surely
something reinotely pleasant happened,
Well, yes. We did enjoy getting cards '
from all the old friends. It's good to
know that not everybody has one foot, •
both physically and mentally, on the edge
of the grave,
And there is the cheering thought
that everything has no place to go but
up. Lucky that came out spelled right.
Typed it With all my fingers crossed.
And there is one thing to hang on for.
We're going to go south for a week in
March and try to make the sun and the
rum put some life back into the reluc-
tant boneS.
There will probably be a revolution
on our Caribbean island the week We're
there. But I don't care. By march
I'll probably be quite happy to be planted
under a palm tree, even if it's permanent.
It's a better way to go than a snow-
shovelling heart attack, or getting lost in
a blizzard between the house and garage
and being frozen to death.
Even the calendar conspired this year.
School teachers can usually count on a
week's holiday to recharge the batteries
before plunging back into the long winter'
term. Wouldn't you know it? This year,
with Christmas and New Year falling
on Monday, we got exactly three days of
holiday, aside from the legal ones, I
knew What you're saying, "tat your heart
out, teach."
Oh, well, you can't win them all, and.
I've won some good one's. I do admit
that I'm feeling a bit like Job except
for the boils. But then, of course, my
hemortgoids are acting up, so we're
even.
I guess, until we see what 1973 has
in attire, we'll jUat have to go f arbund
muttering things liket "Hatig in there,
k id" and "Keep the faith ; baby's and "We shall overcome" and '(Next year,
"tuTteraleet"no use COMplaibing, is there?
Especially when you've already been doing
so for some six hundred WOrda.
d t oyeehaa oekW/ htnoetdtt,
long,
ee
t wishing
itb:bich:
t hanking
all
; t, 6ert. tiaeecti
readers
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ei eurithteirie° eightdWr
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ng
aders
big, beautiful year to come With: ilet-, peCted0eAsant surprises and lotsa luck
with the lax eolle0ors.
Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley