The Brussels Post, 1974-05-08, Page 2ESTABLISHED
1172
Schooling - How early ?
V/
se Post
BRUSSELS
ONTAR IO
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1974
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros.Publishers, Limited.,
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Tom Haley - Advertising
Member Canadian. Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association. ;
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $6.00 a year, Others
$8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each.
Second class mail Registration. No. 0562.
Telephone 887-6641.
A talk at the auction
Sugar and Spice
By Bill Smiley
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More than 40 years ago, the late Dr.
W.E.Blatz, most prominent Canadian child
psychologist of the thirties, predicted that
"within 50 years, children will be in school at
the age of two years". That prophesy is close
to fulfilment, with the almost phenomenal
increase in the number of nursery, day care
and pre-kindergarten facilities now available
for children.
Dr. Blatz at the time emphasized that "the
period from two to five years of age is
possibly the most important for the formative
training of the child's character". More
recent research in the field of child
psychology has indicated that even very
young children are capable of learning a
great deal more than was ever .thought
possible. More and more it is realized' that
many deprived homes fail to provide the
necessary stimulation -- if their children are
to reach a level of intelligence and social
adaption which will enable them to compete
more effectively in our highly competitive
society.
More than 40 years ago, Dr. Blatz
predicted that the cost for such a wholesale
"School Age at Two" program would double
the expenditure on education within 50 years.
For many different reasons, we've reached
that point already. Yet it would be unwise to
pare the educational budget where the right
to pre-kindergarten training would be denied
to those children who definitely require it.
One reasonable way out remains -- namely
that fees for pre-kindergarten schooling be
charged on the basis,of total family income.
Even today, that policy is followed in a
number of tax-supported day-care centres. If ,t
more generally applied, it would mean that.
those parents who want and who can afford
this training for their children would pay for
it -- those with lower incomes would pay less.
(Contributed)
To the Editor
National nightmare ?
Sir:
Commendations go to Jack
Riddell, Liberal M.P. for Huron,
on his expressing concern for the
long range negative effects of
Ontario Hydro's proposed nuclear
plant south of Goderich. It is
seldom one sees a politician's
vision go further than beyond the
next election!
Why this short range thinking
that allows unnecessary
concentration of power grids and
large scale energy buildups in
prime agricultural regions?
Agricultural land must be
preserved to allow for the
developing world food crisis that
United Nationi officials have
already forecasted as being
"desperate" '
Whatever happened to the
great opening up of our
untouched northlands that
formed such an impressive part of
John Diefenbaker's rhetoric? The
actuality has been left in the
hands of foreign oil and mining
interests whose vision is as dint
and selfish as any politician.
Recent documentaries on the
Soviet Union, the most similar
land mass to Canada, reveal
tremendous strides in
development of vibrant new
cities, cultural centres,
universities, etc., being
established in regions of Siberia,
every bit as 'unlivable' as our own
north. What we have in
comparison, are short range
raiding parties that leave a trail of
empty oil drums, tractor scars
imprinted on the perma-frost and
a new breed of dispossessed
native peoples. Yott.might Say the
National Nightmare,
Cedric Smith
Cruel tax
recently tabled at Queen's Park is
tax (Continued on Page 4
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Well, here's your Innocent Abroad
again. This week me and me brudder are
blasting up the autobahn to Ramstein.
Blasting is the word. As I mentioned,
Germany is probably the only country in
the world with no speed limited on its
autobahns, the superhighways.,
During the fuel shortage, the govern-
ment applied-a limit. The death toll on the
roads dropped drastically. But the govern-
ment caved in to an angry lobby from
auto-makers and racing clubs and lifted the
. speed limit.
The, result is somewhat like a combinat-
ion of the Indianapolis speedway and low
flying over mountains, that is guaranteed
to stand your hair on end, if not turn it
white.'
My brother is a good driver, and he was
only idling along about 90. But I was
slightly unnerved by his habit of pointing
out scenery with one hand and whistling
past a 20-ton truck with the other.
Even more hair-raising was the traffic
from behind. Those mad Teutons zoom up
to within inches of your rear bumper, hang
there, then, as soon as there's a chance,
flash past you as though you were standing
still.
Personally, wouldn't drive on a German
autobahn in anything but a fifty-ton tank.
Arrived at the halfway mark so weak and
shaky I couldn't even get a beer down, ip
the officers' mess. And that's pretty
shaky.
This was Baden-Soellingen, home of the
Fourth Canadian. Mobile Brigade Group.
There are three squadrons of CF 104's, a
token force, but a highly efficient one. This ,
is down from 12 squadrons in 1954.
Those remaining are 426, Red Indian,
439, Tiger, and 441, Silver Fox. They
received their colours last June from Prince
Philip, in an impressive cereinony. My
brother claims, seriously, that the
Canadian squadrons have the best pilots in
Europe.
Zoom Off again to Ramstein *here I
was plunged into a gay round of parties'
that would make a debutante green with
envy. But not before. I crashed out for a few
hours at the kid brother's apartment.. I had
to gird my loins for the big dinner and
party that night.
Like a number of officert, he lives off the
base, in a small village. He pays a tittle
over $200 for a two-bedroom unfurnished
apartment. This is subsidized to some
extent by the service. BUt rents have
soared in Germany.
On the base, a Canadian, Major George
Taylor, told me he 'pays - only $120 for
atwo-bedroom job.
My brother had to install everything:
stove, fridge, even cupboards, .in his flat.
Parks? Yes, there are some. Liquor is
$4.00 for 40 ounces of the best. Cigarettes,
for those afflicted, are $2.00 a carton. Food
and drink at the mess are relatively cheap.
But nothing ni,,,uch else is. The halcyon days
when our troops on the continent were
living high as lords are gone, thanks to
German inflation and the devaluing of the
dollar.
Change the shirt, shave the whiskers,
and off to the mess, It was a special.
occasion, and he didn't want me to miss it.
A farewell dinner for a German Colonel,
moving to another post. German? Yep. 1
felt rather odd to be drinking a toast to a
chap who might have been shooting at me
some years ago. But this is NATO,
remember? There were three other
colonels of the German Air Force at the
dinner.
Most of the others at the party were
Americans, and I was welcomed with all
the warmth and hospitality for which
Americans are well known. Mrs. Martha
Heaton said, "The Canadians here are the
'funniest and nicest Canadians we've ever
met." Brig. Gen. Dick Merkling, USAF,
our host, stuck me at the head table and
introduced me after the food. I graciously
murmured that the food was better than
last time I was in Germany.
And wasn't it just. A steak so big and
tender it made one to drool. Wine flowing
freely. Choice .dessert. And a lot of
beautiful women, fOr eye-feasting.
Lowest ranking officer there was a
major, and there was only one of these: It's'
a good thing I' look so distinguished or
they'd have turned livid at the thought of a
little old miserable Flight Loot sitting at the
head table,
Then it was back to his shack with the
brother, and a long' evening of reminiscing
about such things as how I used to diddle
him out Of his paper -route money, and the
girls we had tried to steal froni each other,
and old days' in the REAL air force, and
exhausted to bed. One More Muffin on illy
trip, If yolt can stand it.•