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Times-Advocate, 1979-12-12, Page 4Mainstream Canada Statscan or Statscan't? Perspectives fundamentals of gun care, map use, or marching in the gymnasium. Marching now, that was where my platoon excelled. Hogan's Heroes or Gomer Pyle had nothing on us. If you've ever seen a group of twenty boys with forty left feet, we were the ones. It seemed that we could break a non- commissioned officer into a quivering bulk in less than two weeks of trying to put us through a simple right wheel. Occasionally it was deliberate. Once we mar- ched right out of the gym- nasium, into the lobby, and right out the main door and were enjoying ourselves sunning on the lawn before the poor non-corn knew what hit him. Since he was only a student like ourselves, there was little he could do about it. Then there was the big parade day, when , all the brass from the regular army came down to inspect us. Before we could appear before them we had to be . outfitted with uniforms. Of course there were only the two regular army sizes - too small or too large, so you can imagine how impressive a figure we cut. Somehow we always managed to last the day out, trying to ignore the heat, the itchiness from musty winter uniforms, and the stretcher boys who were eagerly waiting for somebody to faint. Somehow we even managed to follow the orders and stay reasonably in line without dropping the rifle held tightly in our' sweaty little hands. Somehow 'I can't get too excited over the absence of army cadets in the high schools of today. Page 4 Times-Advocate, December 12, 1979 arar 7 • Times Established 1073 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 imes dvocate with the editor 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 C N A As usual, the festive season is being marked across the nation, and in this particular area, by tragedies that appear unnecessary. While hindsight is a great gift, it is not infallible. However, there are am- ple indications that many of these tragedies could be avoided with a little common sense and use of the technology designed to alleviate the heart-break. Firemen sorting through the rubble of homes for fire victims are often heard to lament the fact that an inex- One of the interesting, and even at times humourous, aspects of human foibles is to believe in that which coin- cides with what a person wants to believe and to disbelieve those things which are contrary to personally held opinions or positions. Nowhere does this idiosyncrasy pop up more regularly than for people in- volved in reporting, and that point was brought home quite vividly at the Ex- eter council session last week. This newspaper was held up as "proof" of what had been said in rela- tion to a couple of items from previous meetings. There were those who used the newspaper reports as evidence as to the validity of what had been said in those previous discussions, while those who were disputing the claims quickly pointed out that you can't believe everything that's in the newspaper. Another debate resulted in some Some time ago we wrote an editorial urging that the government be more careful in accepting certification from students entering the country with diplomas from Universities overseas, es- pecially when the students entered medicine or teaching professions. At that time many of the certificates held, meant little. A recent article from New Delhi, India backs up this claim. In an effort to crackdown on cheating in college ex- aminations in northern India, police and students have clashed and three people were killed and 52 injured. A six-hour battle between police and students took place after examinations started and 2,- 000 students gathered outside a college, claiming copying was their birthright. . UMW-MM. by SYD FLETCHER Cadets in the high school seem to be a thing of the past now. There, are a few schools with voluntary cadet corps in them yet but they are fairly small in numbers. With the decline in military emphasis by the government, funds to train students in the art of warfare seem to be lacking. Too, the students of today have so many activities on the go that they are not in- terested in marching around the field is an itchy uniform Back when I went to high School it was compulsory. Once a week, every student (in theory that is) was ex- petted to go to a session during our lunch hour on the pensive smoke or fire detector would have made that task unnecessary. It may not have saved some of the proper- ty in question, but it may well have given the victims the few extra seconds they needed to escape the holocaust. Policemen sorting through wreck- ed cars or covering bodies in ditches are often heard to lament the fact that a seat belt would have made that task unnecessary. It may not have prevented injuries, but it may have kept them well below the fatal conse- quences. Why do people invite tragedy? aspersions being cast against us that the public had not been fully informed of the reasoning council used to reach a decision on the police office, although a check of our reports indicated that the points claimed to have been missed had in fact been reported. It should be pointed out that while it is our job to report those reasons when 'espoused by council members, it is not our job to provide reasons which have in fact not been presented. Our biased opinion is that the park- ing question and the reason for turning down the town hall were reported as presented. However, there is every indication that there is little value in extending the argument, because it will be believ- ed by those who find it satisfies their need and will be disputed by those who find it runs contrary to their positions. The only surprise would be that if it was any other way! Many had arrived carrying a text books. The recent upsurge in cheating on essays and examinations in the United States and Canada should be treated firmly before a similar,disgrace occurs. The results of failure to teach moral standards is becoming more apparent. The danger of bringing in, regardless of how high the motives are, great numbers of immigrants whose backgrounds and standards are very different means even greater problems in teaching the next generation the laws and standards upon which the nation was built. That is of course, if we want to teach them any respect for laws and standards, which begins to seem in doubt. Ridgetown Dominion 'Tis the season to be jolly ... but you'd never know it looking at some of the faces you see in the crowds these days. There are sour looks, haggered looks, harried looks, worried looks and a hun- dred and one other facial expressions which indicate people are having trou- ble being jolly. Many will argue they have just cause for not being able to enter into the joy of the season fully, but I wonder if they have really examined those causes and weighed them carefully against the many reasons for which they should be happy. Some suggest this is going to be a "lean" Christmas in view of the economic problems many individuals and families face, certainly there are those within our midst who will suffer adversities due to unemployment or sickness. But the majOr4ty,unfortunately, who are pronouncing doom and gloom are too often looking at what they don't have, rather than what they do. It's that pessimistic or envious attitude that results in the long faces and in most cases, it need not be. The writer will be the first to admit that it is difficult to see the bright side fo things when your personal life seems to have crumbled, but there are few situations in which there are not enough straws around to grasp to es- cape the devastation if you can set your glance on the positive. * * * Those positives are not the material things in life, but the people around you your family, friends and neighbours. The great thing about them is that most of them come without any price tag. They're among the few things in life that are free. Perhaps that explains why people It looks as though the Smileys are go- ing to have a family Christmas this year, for the first time in quite a few. As I write, son Hugh is to arrive tomorrow from Paraguay. There's no way we're going to get rid of him inside a month. Daughter Kim and the grandboys are going to get out of Moosonee for Christ- mas if they have to hire a dog-sled. We are a very close-knit family, and it should be a grand occasion. Close- knit. As in pulled together by needles. Hugh, in his inimitable way, has wandered from Paraguay by easy stages, spending a few days here, a few weeks there, He seems to have friends, more commonly known as "marks", all over North and South America, who will put him up for a few days, and feed him, for the sheer pleasure of his com- panionship. He started out from Paraguay in September. In October we had a letter from Florida, saying he was staying with friends and taking a course in massage or something from an ancient Japanese gentleman. A month later he phones from Toronto, collect, and an- nounces his second coming. Actually, it's about his fourth. ' His mother was ready to welcome him with open arms and a half-open wallet. But the more he dallied and dillied, the hotter she grew. By the time he phoned, collect, she had a full head of steam on, and the conversation went something like this: "I suppose your have no money, as usual." "Right, Morn." "I don't suppose you have a winter overcoat?" "No, Mom." "Well, I'm sick and tired of you kids tend to be reluctant to use them to their fullest. In these affluent times, we tend to suspect anything that is free. I've sat in on a number of meetings where people openly admitted that the response to their event or gift will be better received if it has a price tag on it, regardless of how small that price may be. They contend that something 'given in total is deemed worthless by the recipient and is then treated in that manner. • A Sunday school teacher reports that when his class members were given lesson books at no charge, they were careless with them. However, when the kids were asked to divy up a nickel for the books, they, placed more value on them and looked after them with more pride and consideration. How sad that is, when the value of something has to be based, orl a monetary designation. * * * 'Unfortunately, that attitude extends into some relationships on the human level as well. Too many people have lost the ability to give of themselves or to accept someone else with no strings attached. There are those who fail to take the time to visit the sick or shutins because they can't think of a gift to take along with them. They don't bother to phone or drop in on friends, or neighbours because they think they may be busy. They turn down invitations 'because they can't afford some new fashions or they fail to extend invitations because that involves a lot of time and effort in preparation. So they miss out on the opportunity to share in the real enjoyment of the season and life itself. If you're among those worring about a "lean" Christmas, there is a prac- (he's 32) coming home without a penny and expecting to be taken in and coddled." And more of the same. Hugh hung up. My wife, in an agony of guilt, prompt- ly phoned everyone who might know were he'd called from. No luck. Then she called her daughter, who retorted, "Do you want to hear another of your children hang up on you?" And prompt- ly did, I was quietly watching the Grey Cup game, and wondering why I should be interested in a lot of burly young Americans, smashing each other around. About 24 hours later, Hugh put through another call, this time, not collect. He was sticking somebody else for the phone call. He knows his mother. She apologized all'to hell. He said, typically, "Mom, you could have bought me a winter coat with all the money you spend on long-distance calls." It made her mad again, but she couldn't help laughing. That's what I mean. We're a close- knit family. With needles. All I do is hold the wool and try to stay out of needle-range, and not always with success. I remember when I used to tell the kids stories about what happened to me in the war. They liked them better than the usual bed-time stories and fairy tales. Most of them were fairy tales, come to think of it, I can see what will happen this Christmas. Hugh will be regaling us with stories of swimming a barracuda- infested river, struggling in the coils of an anaconda, being shot at with poison ed blow-pipes. My wife will be wide- eyed. Kim will be regaling us with stories of the tough Indian kids she's teaching, tical suggestion. Get on the phone and make an appointment for a visit with one of your neighbouring senior citizens or just pop over. Ask that person to relate his/her ex- periences of the Christmas as they knew it when they were younger.You'll probably hear memories of "leading out to the bush to cut down a Christmas tree and sitting down to make decorations to foster its glow. You'll learn that the tree was never dwarfed by the quality or quantity of gifts which were placed under it and that an orange or a small hand-made toy was one of the featured items. As the story is related, you'll probably be amazed to see that your raconteur has a growing smile as he/she recalls those memories of an event that at best would be meagre in in •comparison to those which most now feel necessary to truly have a merry time. But the thing that may amaze you even more, is that while the gifts have long been forgotten, there is a deep and warm remembrance of those with whom those Christmases were en- joyed. And that's what the season is all about! * * * Now that you've read this far, I'll let you in on a little secret. The purpose of this column was two fold. One was to challenge you to enjoy the season to its fullest, but equally important, to give the writer a personal pep talk. And damn it, I plan to enjoy this Christmas . To do otherwise is letting down some very special people in your life. who arrive spaced out, drunk or preg- nant, and the horrors of the unreliable taxi service into town. My wife will be absorbed, terrified, fascinated. Thegrandboys will be eating peanut- butter and honey sandwiches all over our brand-newly-recoverd chesterfield suite. Their grandmother will be just plain furious. And I'll be sitting in a corner, relegated to getting some more wood for the fireplace, taking squealing, furious Balind off to bed, and wonder- ing when I can get in a word about the dreadful kids I have in Grade 9 this year, my battles with the administra- tion, and the shrinking of my potential pension through inflation. In the face of all that exoticism, I'll probably be driven to the grave. If this happens, the turkey ,won't be prepared, 'cause I always do it. There'll be rivalry in the horror stories. Both of our children will plead extreme poverty, demur the value of the presents they got, and nip out to visit friends on Christmas Eve, while the Old Battleaxe and I make the gravy and whip the turnips. And beat the grandboys, if we can catch them. Ah, but it'll be grand to have the family together again. There's nothing that can touch getting up on Christmas morning, hung, and looking after the grandboys for five hours while the "young people" sleep till noon. On the other hand, there just might be. I am investigating a return ticket to Hawaii, single, for the holiday season If I left quietly, without ,fuss, and nobody knew where I was, I could come back on January 2, knowing full well that my wife would have kicked the whole mob out. By W. Roger Worth "If all -the pollsters and sta- tisticians were laid end to end it would be a good thing." That message from a mem- ber of the Canadian Federa- tion of Independent Business neatly sums up the public and small business perception of Statistics Canada, the federal bureaucracy that keeps statis- tics on anything and every- thing in Canadian life. Naturally, it costs tens of millions of dollars to support Statscan's craving to expand the massive Ottawa mill that spits out numbers like auto workers on a production line churn out cars. Which might be okay, if Statscan's computations were accurate. As it stands, Stats- can has become Statscan't. Roger Worth is Director, Public Affairs, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Consider some examples of the horrendous errors that have resulted because Statscan accepts whatever figures its computers turn out, without anyone wondering whether they make any common sense. * Recently, Statscan "found" $800 million which had been missing from Cana- da's important trade figures for 18 months. An oil com- pany had failed to report its exports. Even repeated warn- ings, over a year, that its fig- ures were incorrect didn't stir 55 Years Ago Fred Cornish has moved into the residence at the rear of the store on the Lake Road, Exeter North. Mr. E.O. 'Penhale' has disposed of his 50 acre farm in Stephen Township to Mr. Ben Makins of the same township, James Foote left Monday morning for Detroit where he has accepted a position as Motor mechanic with the city 'fire department. 30 Years Ago Reeve A.J. Sweitzer en- tertained the members of the council, the town officials at a turkey banquet at Monetta Menards' following the final meeting of council Thursday evening. . The local staff of the .Bell Telephone Co. held a Christmas party last Thursday evening starting with a turkey banquet at Monetta Menard's and concluding with dancing. The students of journalism at the University of Western Ontario staged their annual Christmas banquet Thur- sday evening, it was at- tended by over 125. Don Southcott ip president of the Journalism Press Club. 20 Years Ago Mrs. Gerald Godbolt was elected president of the Women's Federation of Dear Editor: Once upon a time a person borrowed from his nexUioor neighbour a rather large pot. Some time passed and the neighbour asked for his pot back. The borrower , prior to returning the pot put a smaller pot inside the larger borrowed pot and returned it. Upon receiving his pot, the owner exclaimed that he had only lent him the larger and not the smaller. But the borrower explained that the larger pot had had a BABY, The owner accepted and the borrower went his way. Some time later, the borrower asked for the loan of the pot again and it was granted. After much time the lender asked for the return of his pot, but the borrower said he couldn't as it had DIED. But that's absurd exclaimed the lender with rage. The matter was taken to court and the judge ex- plained' that if the lender could accept that the pot could have a BABY, then he must accept the fact that it could DIE. an interest among the folks at the statistical palace in Ottawa. Finally, Statscan "revised'.' its trade figures to include the $800 million. The government agency didn't accept responsi- bility for the tremendous goof. *An Ottawa official has admitted that a $10 million Statscan labor market survey is "nothing but garbage." After eight long years, the agency is finally considering scrapping the useless project. What's important to note is that Canadian businesses were forced to waste their time filling out 80,000 forms for the survey, some of them 20-30 pages long. Contending with Statscan• paperwork has be- come a major problem for business, particularly small and medium-sized firms. * Statscan's biggest goof, relating to population census figures, occurred several years ago. It's statistics showed that of Canada's Indian and Eski- mo population, 95 had Chi- nese as their mother tongue, 80 Croatian, 150 Czech and Slovak, 135 Gaelic, 410 Ger- man, 95 Polish and 40 Greek. Statscan also produces the monthly unemployment and consumer price index figures that play such an important role in Canadian politics. There is little wonder, con- sidering the horrendous mis- takes, that the government will appoint management consultants to investigate the agency. Turning Statscan't around won't be easy. James Street United Church. Mrs, Labana Hodgins was elected president of Trivitt Memorial . Women's, A4kiliarY. * • The CGIT of James Street United Church went carol- singing at the hospital, two nursing homes and at many homes where there were shut-ins. 15 Years Ago Robert I. McDowell, Exeter was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader this week, He now heads the Armament Training Section of Central Officers School replacing SiL.R.R. Waters. C.V. Laughton, Q.C., of Bell and Laughton, Exeter has been named one of Lambton County's representatives to the Forest District High School Board and Assistant Crown Attorney for Huron County. The Huron-Perth district of the Ontario Bean Growers Marketing Board elected their directors at the annual meeting in Zurich last week. Those elected were: Robert Allan, Brucefield; Fergus Turnbull, RR 1 Dashwood; present chairman of the Ontario Board, Charles Rau, RR 2, Zurich; Winston Shapton, RR 1, Exeter; Alice McBeath, Kippen ; and Harvey Taylor, RR 3, Clinton. If you think this is a pretty funny story, it gets funnier. Now we are upon the time when the PEOPLE OF VANASTRA, because they are not an incorporated village cannot own property, but can own a debenture to pay for that property. It gets funnier. Not only do they not own it' and pay for it, but they have no control over it and pay for it, They suffer all manner of manipulations from the controllers and pay for it and are liable to pay for it and pay for it and pay for it. They do not have reasonable access to it as it was bought by them for their purposes and they still pay for it, It is being used not only by the people from the county but, only the people of Vanastra pay for it. If Vanastra can own a debenture, it can own the property, If Vanastra can't own property, it shouldn't own the debenture. C. Mazmanian Vanastra O Don't let them down 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 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 For Year; USA $30.00 A16144441461414r, '72%.: acs • Take precautions . Was ever thus Teaching respect BATIN AROUND ugar and Sp Dispensed by Smile A family Christmas writawn rrierTIOIV MeJ