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Times-Advocate, 1979-07-04, Page 4Mainstream Canada Promoting the Games By W. Roger Worth , Canada recorded its first known lottery-related fatality recently when 32-year-old New- foundlander Gerald Roberts, an alcoholic, died after appar- ently consuming too much booze. Roberts, who left a wife and three boys, became a mil- lionaire little more than a year ago when his numbers came up in the Loto Canada draw. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. While Robert's sad demise is perhaps unimportant in the overall scheme of things, it raises questions about the methods Canada's bureaucrats turned hucksters are using to flog their lottery wares across the nation. Here's Bonanza veteran Lorne Greene, for example, front and centre on the nation- al television network, cajoling Canadians to buy the $10 tick- ets that have created more millionaires than the Klondike Gold Rush. The provinces and regions of the country, following Ot- tawa's lead, are spending mil- lions of dollars on high-priced, high-powered advertising to win business away from their federal counterparts. The argument is not whe- ther Canada should have lot- teries, or who should control them, Lotteries and games of chance have become a way of life, 'particularly since Ottawa set up Loto Canada to help finance the debt left from Montreal's Olympic debacle. In addition, the financial support for amateur sports and community projects pr o - vided by the proceeds of pro- vincial and federal sweepstakes has been helpful. Still, the system seems to have gone berserk. Advertising budgets for virtually all of the lotteries have rocketed as the market peaked. Now, federal government promoters are attempting to squeeze the small businesses who made the schemes so suc- cessful. Supermarkets are al- lowed to sell Loto Canada tickets, pulling business away from the corner store. The basic question, though, is why Canadians are beseiged with material promoting the instant millionaire. In their claims, few of the advertise- ments mention the fact that only one buyer in every 625,000 (the best odds) is a winner. Gerald Roberts was a win- er. You can bet Loto Canada will not be using his name in upcoming promotions. • , 55 Years Ago , Mr. Henry Reynold, of Victoria park, town, picked from a single bush in his fine garden, twenty one quarts of gooseberries. Mr. R. G. Seldon, who is in attendance at the bowling tournament at London this week, was on Monday elected president of the Western Ontario Bowling Association. W. J. Heaman, E. J. Christie, W. W, Taman and R. G. Seldon captured the Turnbull trophy at the Lon- don Bowling Tournament this week. The building in connection with the open air skating rink, Hensel!, has been taken down and other more- up-to-date rooms will be erected about twenty feet farther south, which will make the rink a good size, 30 Years Ago The Officer's Wives Aux- iliary, RCAF Centralia, held afternoon tea Wednesday in the Officers Mess to welcome Mrs. Newson, the wife of Group Captain W.F.M. Newson, the new Commanding Officer. The Sandy Bawden trophy was won by an Exeter rink of Ken Hockey. Ulric Snell and Lex MacDonald in Ex- eter last Wednesday. The trophy has been in Seaforth for the past year. Exeter and Seaforth OES chapters held a joint picnic at Seaforth Lions Park last Wednesday evening. The fifth annual Kirkton Garden Party drew an atten- dance oft be four and five thousand people. 20 Years Ago Dr. J. Semple, Egmond- ville, Chairman of Huron Presbytery presided for the induction service of Rev. S. E. Lewis at James St. United Church, on Friday evening. Canadian Canners Ltd., faced with an exceptionally good crop of peas, was forc- ed to begin round-the-clock operation at the local plant Wednesday night. Sixty per- sonnel from RCAF Station Centralia came in until mid- night Monday night. On the day of the Queen's visit to Kitchener, Mrs. Harold Simpson of Andrew St. demonstrated over CK CO-TV program "TELESCOPE" her hobby of making crowns and tiaras. 15 Years Ago ' A fire believed caused by spontaneous combustion levelled the -large barn on the farm of Alton Isaac, RR 1 Clandeboye. Monday after- noon. He estimated his loss at $10,000, Besides the barn, a quantity of hay, some machinery and one cow were lost. A serious shortage of water in Grand Bend over the July 1-July 4 weekend has prompted renewed ef- forts on the part of council to find a solution to a water source in the near future. Exeter council set a new policy this week for employee holidays. Coun- cillor Derry Boyle presented the motion which called for three year stint before two weeks of holiday time were granted to town employees. Exeter Kinsmen Playground opened this week and registration had already hit 70 by Tuesday, Supervisors this year will again look after activities in all three Exeter parks under the guidance of Rec, Direc- t o r , Don Gravett, to • Set wedding costs A growing number of United Church ministers are charging set fees for their wedding services and itemizing church wedding expenses, according to a story in the May issue of the Unted Church Observer. " Its survey of United Churches across the country shows that a wedding can cost as low as $10 or as much as $120, depending on the individual church's policy. The use of a price system coincides with the increasing number of non-members tying the knot in United Churches, a phenomenan which has local and national church bodies debating title question of whether the United Church should leave the whole marraige business to the state. While some ministers are using the booming wedding trade as an opportunity to get new members, others have considered relinquishing their licence to marry, They claim that non- members choose a church "because of its wide centre aisle, its proximity to a large banquet hall, and even because the minister looks good in wedding phots, "with little regard to the religious aspect of the ceremony, says The Observer, • • ar and Spice Dispe sed by Smiley Page 4 Times-Advocate, July 4, 1979 Dirtatf*Zis... : Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 • Imes - dvocatef i anweshw44..W...wl SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O.W.N,A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Published Each Wednesday Morning Phone 235.1331 at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 +CNA Amalgamated 1924 BATT'N AROUND A bright note with the editor In a recent editorial, it was noted that the growth of Exeter is moving so quickly that people who leave town for a time have difficulty recognizing the place when they return. It was also suggested that the growth in the commercial area would be a boon to consumers as the selection and competition increased, but it was also hinted that it could create hardships for some merchants. Mayor Derry Boyle put that into even stronger terms this week when he explained that he was worried over the growth and could envision vacant stores in two or three years. There is no logical explanation for the growth, and while the newcomers probably see some of their customers coming from new sources, there can be Sweden, that land of eternal social experimentation has just passed a new federal law. The Swedes have never hesitated to thrust government into personal life, but their latest sets a record of some kind. It is now illegal, in Sweden, for a parent to strike his own child. Spanking is out. Not real child abuse, mind you, but regular run-of-the-kitchen spanking as well. In self-protection Canada should immediately place a quota of zero on Swedish immigrants to take effect about 10 years hence. We don't need any young people who have been raised in homes where the flat of the hand to One can often tell a lot about the underside of a city's nature from its un- derground subways. But there are other reflectors too. In New York it's graffiti. In Montreal its beauty, albeit a new experience for both Francophone and Anglophone. In Toronto it's sometimes a meanness of spirit we wish we could hide. An illustration.It happened on a subway car. He looked like a poor specimen of humanity at best. Perhaps he had too much to drink. He sat reading his paper. Opposite him sat a couple in conversation. She, an elder- ly life-worn person, and he, an attrac- tive young man with expressive eyes. They were speaking French. It took a moment and then the abuse began. "Cut that bull...you two. None of that damn French here in On- tario! We won't have it! Go back to Quebec! What's Quebec anyway? Who cares if you go? Shut up, hear me?" They heard and they were hurt, Another passenger, himself from La By SYD FLETCHER Some people think of fishing as a once-a-year expedition, during which you try to relax for a few hours and wonder vaguely why the fish aren't biting, then curse yourself for staying out in the sun so long. Others regard fishing with a lover's eye which can overlook all the hardships and problems as a necessary evil if one is to land that ever-elusive "big-one." My uncle is one of these latter individuals. I've known him to drive eight hundred miles on a week end in order to visit a good fishing hole for a few hours. Other times he will leave at two o-dock in the morning, drive five or six hems to Algonquin Park, then paddle four or five hours more to get little doubt that many will have to de- pend on drawing some from existing businesses. The ramifications of the Mayor's concern should prompt some discus- sion at the council and planning board level, Is a freeze warranted on some of the commercial land still available in the community? Planning gives a community an op- portunity to control its future and if Exeter is heading for some problems as the Mayor suggests, then it should be avoided if the means is there to do SO. It is apparent in talking to local business people that Mr. Boyle is not alone in his fears, so they too should be pressing for some answers. the seat of the pants is against the law. Personally, we don't believe in mistreating children any more than the Swedes do, but show us a kid who never needed a spanking in his life and we'll show you a freak who should be in a sideshow exhibit. Nor do we believe in over-frequency of corporal punish- ment. The child who is spanked too often, when other forms of discipline would produce results becomes inured to these mild helpings by golly we have yet to see the youngster who could not learn something from a paddling ad- ministered by a loving but firm parent. Wingham Advance-Times Belle Province, but 20 years ago, tried to reassure them with a smile and gesture. The couple represented a culture, a people, and a language that he valued too. He wanted them to feel welcome in Toronto his adopted city. His concern was for the future of the country. "Keep it up, and Quebec will act on the message:We don't want you in Canada. We want you to leave. While we, the silent majority, remain silent, the vigorous, ignorant minority will hold sway and the vote of in- difference will be cast in favor of a divided Canada." Simple Christian faith should unite us in brotherhood with others in com- munity. It is a message for Christians in Canada today. We are part of the one Body in faith. We are also part of the one fabric of Canada. It is not just a political issue it is essentially a religious issue. Before the referendum let all Canadians do what they can to show one another that all are welcome in the family of God and Canada. United Church of Canada. his scalp. My uncle is not noted for his patience or his even temper yet he was remarkably cool under the circumstances. Fortunately his two friends got back shortly and they drove him over the rough road to the little town, every bump sheer agony. The second stroke of good fortune was in finding a doctor in this out of the way place someone who could tend the wound properly. From the pictures on the little office wall it was ap- parent that he had been in the army and in the Great War as well. Surely he would be used to treating all kinds of injuries. He was, but not in the gentlest of ways. "Oh, I can fix that," he grunted, and with one quick yank he pulled the lure from the scalp. As you might guess, my uncle did not respond with gentle, kinds words. His closing comment was, "that much I could have done myself, and a lot s000ner." Ah well, all in the name of sport and good clean fun, It is rather confusing to many people to hear of hospital bed cuts and restraint programs on one hand and to see additions going up on existing facilities on the other, However, amid that confusion there is a bright note, in that it signals an in- dication that people know what they want and need and are prepared to move ahead on their own to fulfill those goals. It is an attitude that we've been attempting to foster for some time, because we have never been convinced that "big brother" knows best. That new attitude was displayed by Exeter council recently when they en- dorsed a resolution asking the Ontario government to make more uncon- ditional grants available, rather than conditional grants. The difference between those two types of grants is basically what the names imply. Conditional grants are received forTrojects that the provin- cial government feel are necessary at the local level. Unconditional grants are given with no strings attached and the decisions on how that money will be spent is left to those who know best... the local officials charged with the responsibility of planning the present and futures of their communities. While there are areas that have to be left to provincial control, there have been far too many projects undertaken only because funds were made available. The attitude has been that if we don't spend some of that money, it will just go to someone else, so we may as well get our fair share. * * * It is only now that we are starting to Each man and woman has a way of marking off the years. With some it's birthdays. With farmers it's getting the crops in. With fishermen it's hauling out the old tub for the winter, after the last catch. With golfers it's getting in one final round before the snow flies. And so on, With teachers, it's struggling to the end of June without going around the bend, I've just made it for the nineteenth time, and, at time of writing, still have most of my marbles, though I can't say the same for some of my colleagues. They get queerer and queerer every year. But it is only with the silliest and most sentimental that the end of the school year brings tears, a feeling of loss, a pang of sorrow. Most of us walk out at the end of June and never really care whether we ever re-enter the old sausage factory. At approximately the same time many mothers are giving a great sigh of resignation, looking fearfully at the summer ahead, when they'll have to cope with their kids twenty-four hours a day, most teachers are giving a mighty sigh of relief because they don't have to cope with those same kids at all for two entire months. It's not that teachers dislike kids. Perhaps a few do, but they usually wind up in the looney-bin, or slashing their wrists in the bathtub. On the contrary, most teachers have a basic liking of young people and show them, often, more tolerance and un- derstanding then the kids' own parents do. They'll bend over backwards to listen to problems, suggest solutions and try to motivate the youngsters. But there comes a point, a sort of sticking point, where even the most benevolent of teachers runs across a kid who would drive his own mother screaming up the wall, And often does. One of my younger colleagues is still nursing a cracked rib incurred after breaking up a fight in the cafeteria and reap some of the questionable rewards of that attitude. We're closing down some of the expensive school facilities that were built because our neighbours had them and we felt justified in wan- ting them too. Communities are finding that the great windfall that enabled them to build new recreational facilities is now placing them in a financial burden to meet the operating costs of those facilities, The list could be extended at great length and obviously should include some of the frustration and delays that have taken place in getting through the mass of red tape that has surrounded the gifts. While "big brother" wanted us to have them, he had to assure himself that people knew that he was at the controls. 'For seven years, the board of South Huron Hospital waged a battle to dip into the provincial coffers. When it became evident they were not going to be successful, they were forced to look at their needs and their_resources. Cer- tainly, a most healthy situation! It resulted in the new addition being scaled down to match the resources available, and judging from the com- ments at the official opening, no one regretted the fact that the larger ver- sion (that had been planned if provin- cial funds were available) had not come to fruition. There was a sense of pride that what had been accomplished had been done from local resources and gifts, with the chasing one of the, boys involved half a mile to the local park, all in the line of duty. He does not love and cherish that kid. Almost every year, when a teacher is in daily contact with approximately 180 teenagers, with their sexual repressions, their hang-ups, their broken homes, their depressions, there are three or four kids he or she can barely tolerate. These few bad apples are what make teaching a very arduous profession. They are a daily source of irritation with their bad language, bad habits and bad manners. But every job has its unpleasant aspects, and if you can't cope with a few rotten kids, you should get a job where you have a rotten boss or rotten customers, or rotten pay. We read recently of high schools in the big cities, where teaching has become something like running the gauntlet of physical and verbal violence. This occurs not only in "inner-city" schools, with their masses of poor, kids from broken homes ,and immigrant kids disjointed by a different culture and language, but also from suburban middle-class schools whose students are over- privileged, also come from broken homes, have too much money, and are extremely materialistic, like their parents. They look on teachers as something like an orange, to be sucked dry and thrown away, like the peel. Not for me, I couldn't hack that. I'd quit. I'm no dedicated martyr. I don't want a punch-up with three druggies forty years younger. I don't want my tires slashed or my female staff assaulted. I am basically a peaceable coward, Our school is not like that, and guess that's why I've hung in here so long, When I started, I had offers to teach journalism at a community college, to dopublic relations work, to teach at a university. But I began to exception of a grant from Huron coun- ty council. It was a day in which the South Huron community could be proud of its accomplishments without having to bend its collective knee to say thanks to "big brother" for returning some of its own money to it, A * Hopefully, the example will be given the status it deserves, both at the local level and from "big brother". It should indicate quite clearly to him that local people know what they want and need as well as the fact that if he leaves them some of their own money they will probably end up spen- ding it more wisely than he. Perhaps the petition being circulated across Ontario regarding conditional and unconditional grants will also in- dicate quite clearly what local municipalities are saying. For too long we've been bribed with their own money and wasted some of that commodity merely because it was there to be spent by someone and they wanted their share, It can obviously be used more prudently when local people forced into a situation where they have to come up with their own resources to match their needs and wants. But, "big brother" has to leave them some of those resources, or return them equitably with no strings at- tached. grow too fond of the teenagers and backed away from these offers. I'm not sorry. I'm no Mr. Chips. I'm not a great teacher. But I do enjoy teenagers, with their curiousity, their sensitivity, their sense of humour, their developing selves, even their flashes of anger, and always their honesty. End of term comes, and even the lit- tle turkeys in Grade 9 who bedevilled you with their giggling or their yapping or their giddiness all year become lovable because you know they're gone for two months. And you get a nice tie from one shy little girl, and a nice card thrust through your letter-slot by another who has walked eight blocks to do it, and a muttered, "Have a good- summersir" from the worst spalpeen in the class, and it all makes some kind of sense. And at commencement night, you suddenly discover that those lumpy girls in Levis and work boots, in jeans and sneakers, are really beautiful young women with bosoms and golden arms and flashing eyes. That those lazy, surly, unkempt louts you tried to poundsome English into for ten months are elegant, witty young men, with a shirt and tie on, who have twice the ease and poise and knowledge you had yourself at that age, And then there's the ego thing. A guy lurches up to you in a bar and insists, eight times, that, "Youra bess teacher I ever had." Igo down town in July to get a paper or buy some milk, get home three hours later. Old lady sore as a boil, "Where in the world have you been?" Respond, "Ah, all the kids are home from university, and they want to tell me all about themselves, their problems, their love life," It's a tough life, but it has its points. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $1 1,00 Per Year; USA $22.00 Town is growing Spare the child Need to be united Perspectives to a remote spot and the thrill of catching a big lake trout. Naturally he has many fish stories. He tells of the time he latched onto a big sturgeon in the Nottawasaga River, fought it to the bank after a half-hour struggle, hit it over the head with a big branch since he didn't have his net right there, then saw it flop back into the river for another fifteen minutes before he finally landed it, The beast was. forty-eight pounds, and overlapped both sides of a washtub, head out one side and tail the other. Another time he was about twenty miles back in the bush with two friends. They were out fishing in a small boat and he had stayed behind to cook supper. As the frying pan spluttered over the fire he decided to cast his lure into the nearby stream. As he cast the hook into the water it snagged on a tree. He pulled at it but it refused to come, then he pulled a little harder. It released suddenly and like a bullet came right at him, He ducked, just enough to bury all three hooks into 40- A struggle to the end