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Times-Advocate, 1980-02-27, Page 1PENTECOSTALS SPONSOR FAMILY — The. Exeter Pentecostal Tabernacle has brought a Vietnamese family to Exeter, Above, Rev, Keith Gonyou, left and Meine Eizenga chat with Thongbai, Bauavanh, Somsax and baby Soyasive Chan Simon. T-A photo Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Seventh Year EXETER, ONTARIO, FEBRUARY 27, 1980 Price Per Copy 35 Cents Imes in & North Lambton Since 1873 SKATING PORKERS -- Many Mother Goose characters will participate in the annual Ex- eter figure skating carnival Saturday. From the left dressed as pigs are Melanie -Gillian Simpson and Crystal Beierling. T-A photo BLOCK PARENTS READY — The Block Parent program in XI Gamma Nu Sorority hands out Block Parent signs to Exeter started this week, Above, Linda Deelstra of the sponsoring Gloria McFalls, Judy Kyle and Henny Parker. T-A photo F of A calls for immediate relief Interest rates plague farmers GUEST SKATERS SATURDAY — Two of the guest skaters at Saturday's Exeter figure skating carnival will be Mary Jo Fedy and Tim Mills, They recently won second piece in junior pairs and fourth in senior pairs at the Canadian championships in Kitchener. Mary Jo has a number of cousins skating with the Exeter dub. Top amateurs guest Skaters ready for show Plastics firm interested in establishing in Exeter Two perish in 'Craig house • blaze The employment situation. in Exeter and area continues tv improve as the winter months are left behind, John Gillespie of the Canada Employment Centre said there are more people employed in the area compared to a year ago but that it is more difficult for those out of work to. Secure employment. One of the area's major employers the modular hone plant of general Home Systems in Hensall has recalled approximately 6$ workers out of its usual compliment of 120 employers Gillespie said. Earlier in the year the recreational vehicle plant of General Home JUST THE FLU While flu bugs take their toll among area residents, Huron Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Brian Lynch, says there is nothing unusual about the situation this year. He said be wasn't sur- prised to learn on his arrival 'back from a three-week absence from his office that there has been considerable absenteeism in area schools. "It's that time of year," he noted, adding that the only difference in the incidence of flu this year may be that it is a little later than usual. Systems recalled 4P' proximately half of its work force of 209 workers, The area employment scene could receive a boost later in the year with the establishment of plastics firm in. Exeter. Exeter PUC manager Hugh Davis told the cam- mission Tuesday that the firm is presently negotiating for a temporary site with long range plans to build on the former Exeter Salvage property west of the railroad tracks on Wellington Street. At the meeting both Exeter manager Derry Boyle and PVC chairman (than Livingstone said this type of industry should be en- 'couraged to locate in town, Davis said the backers of the venture seemed anxious to begin production as soon as possible. Gillespie said his office has received significantly more orders for workers, in February compared to January. "It's starting to shape up to be a good year," he said, The centre's expansion into the area of unem- ployment insurance seems to be going • over quite well Gillespie said, with an in- creasing number of area citizens using the •service in Exeter to clear up any problems which they might have with -uneMplOyment insurance claims. He. said the evaluation. period for the service has been extended to the end of March. Wayne Mayer is con- tintnng,to contact,employers. about the tax credit program while Hen Hergineribas been hired to condUct a study of agripuitural wages. Data from the study will determine the amount to be paid to the Carribean labourers who will be working in the area, Gillespie stated, Bergman will be calling on area farmers in the next month, he said. Name head at hospital Roger L. Sheeler is the new administrator of South Huron Hospital, in Exeter, The announcement of Sheeler's appointment was made Monday by Bob Dinney, chairman of the management committee of the hospital board. Sheeler begins his new duties Monday, March 3, He succeeds Tom Hudson who has accepted a position with the Crippled Children's Treatment Centre in London. The new South Huron Hospital administrator is 39 Two Ailsa Craig area youngsters lost their lives in an early Tuesday morning fire in East Williams township. Five year-old Ryan. Reeb and two year-old Robbie Harding were pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Dr. Hauffe of Strathroy. Managing to escape from the two storey house on Lot 28, Concession 19 were Mrs. Wendy Reeb, mother of the one boy and Brian and. Debra Harding, parents of the other victim. A small baby Nicholas Reeb also survived. When the fire was first noticed by the adults who were in the upstairs at 2.15 a .m. Mr. Harding jumped to the ground and the two women tossed the baby to him before escaping themselves. Mr Harding suffered a broken leg in the jump but was able to run a quarter- mile to the farm of Robert Brown to turn in the alarm. The Ailsa Craig fire department responded and chief Carmen Picketing, said, "the house was right full of fire when we got there." While fighting the Reel, fire, Ailsa Craig firemen received a call to the Nat Crawford home in Nairn.' Chief Pickering called in the Merton department for assistance, but, Mr. Crawford was able to douse the fire with a garden hose by the time firemen arrived. Please turn to page 3 Stephen approves 1980 road budget rand Bend's reeve suggests local high school entices students Stephen township council has accepted the 1980 road expenditure budget as presented by road superintendent Eric Finkbeiner. The budget of $206,500 for maintenance and $384,000 for construction needs approval from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Com- munications for funding. Clerk Wilmer Wein ex- plains that proposed con- struction of the Devil's Elbow bridge will depend on, approval of the $384,000 con- struction budget. If this amount is not ap- proved other small construe- tien-Preiects .will be under- taken instead. Council has approved an agreement with the Ontario Development Corporation whereby their employees will do the, grass cutting and snow plowing along township owned roads in the' ODC area. The contract is for $3,- 000 per year. Reconstruction of a por- tion of the Mollard Line from Lots 1 to 6 on Conces- sion 22 - Ausable after the forced sewer main from the Grand Bend sewage system has been completed. Tenders are to be called for the supply of heating fuel, didel fuel and gasoline. for township needs for a two year period. Tenders will close March 17, A grant of $600 has been made to the Huron Federa- tion of Agriculture by way of the Stephen F of A. Clerk-treasurer Wilmer Wein was instructed to forward the outstanding 1979 tax accounts to the County of Huron for collection. The amount in arrears for last year is $104,103 and clerk Wein says this is "about $24,000 more than for 1978". Building inspector Arnold McCann reported issuing building permits in1979 for construction valued slightly more than $2 million. As the result of a gotta of revision,. the' assessment figures on the McBride municipal drain were ap- proved. With the approval of the Ministry of Natural Resources, council wilt be increasing the fees for township hunting licences. The new rates will be $5 for resident hunters and $25 for non-residents. The former fees were residents $2 and non-residents $3. Council supported a resolution from the village of Madoc regarding high in- terests and rejected a Brock township request for aban- donment of the metric system. Small increases were ap- proved for the seven water systems in the township. ROGER SHEELER years of age and has been involved in hospital ad- ministration for the past eight -yeas: , After graduating in hospital organization and management in 1971 he was assistant administrator at Sydenham Hospital in Wallaceburg and comes to Exeter directly from his position as administrator of Bloorview Children's Hospital in Willowdale, He has been very active in community affairs as past president of the Ontario Federation for the Physically Handicapped and past president of Kinsmen clubs in Wallaceburg and North York. Mr. Sheeler, his wife Barbara and children Mark 15, Lisa 11, Ryan 5'and Dean 3 will be moving to Exeter in the very near future, Block plan underway The Block Parent program in Exeter is now underway with 58 bathes participating. The signs were handed out Tuesday night to the 88 residents and their families who were accepted as participants after screening process. Mere volunteers are needed to allow coverage of the entire town. Mary Jane MacDougall who is serving as coordinator said more help is needed in the Pryde I3oulevard and Riverside areas along with businesses on Main Street. Anyone wishing to volunteer or needing more information should contact Mrs. MacDougall at 235-2528. shorter buS ride, he said. Wooden' explained that there are three categories of people living in. the Grand Bend, area. He said that One of the briefs presented to Huron's Members of Parliament Saturday called for an immediate reduction in interest rates. Jim McIntosh, a director of the Huron Federation of Agriculture sponsors of the meeting said the rapid in- crease in interest rates to 15 percent has added six cents to a quart of milk, 39 centS per pound of beef and 27 cents to a bushel of corn, The brief continued, The Federal Government has been using, the excuse that Canada must keep its in- terest rates comparable to those in the United States. However, the U.S. inflation rate is currently about 3 percent higher than what we have in Canada. The Bank of Canada in- terest rate should be a barometer of Canadian inflationary presSures and therefore should be set in- dependent of the U.S. rate. The exchange rate between the U.S. and Canadian dollar could be adjusted to com- pensate for any resultant pressure on the Canadian money supply. An established farm business can withstand these high interest rates for a longer period of time than a young farmer who has just recently started farming, The established farmer be.cause he will be operating on a greater percentage of owned equity will survive, even though he will not be getting his just return on investment. Many provinces in Canada operate their own farm lean program or offer an interest subsidy on specified existing loan programs to qualifying farmers. Ontario may be the only Province which does anyone living north of the river and Main Street in Grand Bend can legitimately send their children to school in Huron even though all of not offer any incentive to young farmers borrowing the large sums of money necessary to get established in agriculture. The Province of Quebec, on the other hand, offers financial assistance to agriculture by offering term loans at only 8 percent per annum. Therefore, the Province of Ontario should seriously consider the reintroduction of the Junior Farmer Loan Program or the establish- ment of a program whereby the effective interest rate to qualifying farmers is reduced to a manageable level. Young farmers getting established in agriculture in Ontario will soon find it very hard to compete, first with agriculture in other Provinces, and secondly with agricultural products from other countries. The standard rate for borrowed money by farmers in the European Common Market is only 3 percent. Many established farmers in Ontario have outstanding loans at 5 percent. Yet, we are asking our young people to get into agriculture and pay 12-15 percent interest rates. A $100,000.00 loan amor- tized over a twenty year term costs the borrower $34,430.00 with interest at 3 percent; $60,485.00 with interest at 5 percent; and $381,455.00 with interest at 15 percent. For the survival of Agriculture, the Govern- ment of Canada should do everything within its power to reduce the tank of Canada interest rate. For Ontario Agriculture to be truly competitive in the Grand Bend is now in Lambton county, He said that the area north of Main Street Was designated as the South Huron school district future, the Province of Ontario should operate a loan program with a preferted interest rate or offer an interest rate subsidy to existing loan programs." IT; — The costumes have arrived and everything is set for the 29th annual carnival of the Exeter figure skating club to be held Saturday at the South Huron Rec Centre. All 153 members of the local club and five guest skaters will provide ex- cellent entertainment in two shows scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. The theme'for the carnival this year is Mother Goose when it was formed. Lamb- ton county pays the per pupil cost for those students to go to South Huron. A second category in- Huron-Bruce MPP Murray Gaunt asked McIntosh what he meant by a "manageable level" and was told "we should be competitive with Please turn to page 3 and spectators can expect to see a variety of story book characters. A graduate of the Exeter figure skating club Laurie Prout will be one of the guest skaters and her novice dance pairs partner Bill Scriver of London. Laurie and sill placed sixth in the recent Canadian championships . The second skating couple will be Mary Jo Fedy and Tim Mills from the Preston eludes those living in Lambton county who own land in Huron county-with a sufficiently high assessment to allow their children to attend Huron schools. Wooden said that many people living in the southern part of Grand Bend own property in the Exeter area. Wooden said that the third category includes those who live in Lambton county but prefer to send their children to South Huron. Until as late as 1977 the Lambton county board would pay for those who wanted to go Exeter. "Lambton was being generous," Wooden said. But when funds were cut off three years ago, Lambton wanted everyone in their area to go to North Lambton. Some continued to go to South Huron. Wooden says that because it was a con- fusing situation, Huron county board of education did not bother to charge the students with the non- resident fee. However, Wooden said they decided that starting this September these people should pay $200 per student per year. A letter was cir- culated advising them of the cost. About 30 students in Lambton and Middlesex attending South Huron were sent this letter, he added. Wooden said that the same thing is happening in the north of Huron county with students who live in Bruce. "It's a common problem across the province," he said. skating club. They were second in the junior pairs competition at Kitchener and fourth in the senior division. The fifth visitor is Anissa Gurchin, a pre novice champion. Pat Down is convener of the carnival with Karen Davison and Agnes Aunger as co-conveners. Marie Tiernan is president of the figure skating club. South Huron District High School principal Joe Wooden has dismissed` comments made by Grand Bend Reeve Robert Sharen as "utterly and totally ridiculous". Sharen said at Tuesday night's council meeting that Wooden had been enticing students who live in Lamb- ton county to go to his high school. Sharen said that he had heard complaints that some residents of Grand Bend who live in Lambton county received - notices they, would be charged' $200 per year if their children con- tinue to attend high school in Huron County in September. Sharon said that students preferred to go to Exeter to high school because North Lambton Secondary School in Forest does not have football teams, He said that students "dummy up" courses so that they can go to South Huron. "They say they want to take drama," Sharen said, No drama courses are offered in Forest, he added. Sharen said he would like -to invite Norval Cheeseman and AI Ewasko of Lambton County board of education to the next council meeting to convince them to set up football teams at North Larnbton. Sharen said because of the • teacher strike in Lambton, many people want to send their children to South Huron. He said that Huron county board of education imposed the $200 fee as a result of the teacher strike. In a later interview, Wooden denied that the teacher strike had anyhting to do with the $200 fee, He said that.the non-resident fee had been on, the books for years, and that they decided to enforce it before the teacher strike. He said that no students have been taken in because of the strike. Wooden said that South Huron had never made any attempt to entice students to come there. "It's simply a fact of life, Exeter has always been a local town for the Grand Bend area," he said. Another reason students from Grand Bend prefer Exeter to Forest is the