The Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-02-06, Page 6There is very little choice for the voters
when they go to- the polls on February 18.
The Conservatives say they were never
given a chance to govern effectively; but
in their. six Months 'of government they
left behind a trail of broken campaign
promises which cast into serious doubt
their credibility and a brief, crucial
histroy of. mismanagement.
Their policies on •interest rates, energy.
pricing, Petro-Canada, federal-provincial
relations, the Quebec refrendum crisis-
and government cuitbacks, are deeply
harmful to the country's national interest.
The Conservatives claim they' had just
found their footing .and were set to start
governing effectively. The budget which
brought them down however, would have
meant further stagnation of our economy,
ran increase in unemployment and, hard-
ship for the people on fixed pensions, the
needy and the low-itkome earners.
The Liberals are running a peek-a-boo
campaign. They are asking us to believe
the Liberal team will govern when they
have previously campaigned on the
strength of their leader's qualities, The
party only lets Pierre Trudeau out for a
specified time each day and he reads
Letter to the editor
Candidate answers rumours
Febritary 3, 1980.
To the Editor.
I underitand there 'are some interesting
rumours floating around and I feel the best
way to deal with them is directly.
I immigrated to Canada 9 years ago.
While I came to Canada during the period
of the War in Vietnam I was never drafted
and was not a draft dodger. .
I am a Canadian by choice not by birth. I
have been a Canadian- Citizen for 4' years. I
have always tried to be an active and
concerned member of my community.
I have not received any government grants
to build my passively solar heated home or to
buy my, wind generator. Like many young
farmers I have worked off the firm to bring
in money to help with expenses: I. have
received assistance under, the;farm capital
Ingraatnetrsiapl;.ogram for Eama:fencing. and barn
Those are the answers to the rumours I've
heard about. If your readers are hearing
more exciting ones I'd be pleased to know of
them. •Rumours can certainly ,be' an econ-
omical way for others to conduct a Campaign
(they spread theniselves), but I would rather
concentrate on the issues which I belieVe are
crucial to the future of Canada, my 'conntry
and 'my home.
Yours sincerely,
-- -
Tony McQuail.
Page 6-4..nelmow Sentinel, Wednesday, February 6, 1980 New appreciation or lt fe
"The Sepoy Town"
Witte litiroit-Bruce Baird
Business and Editorial Office Telephone 528-2$22
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Established 1873
Published-Wednesday—
14410.'ChOke..for:.00tors.
The above picture appears on' si posteaird sent to the Sentinel by
Mrs. Ray Huether of R. 3', Wilton. According to the note with 'the
picture, the group'of men were packing apples at Kenny Cameron's
orchard arid the date is 1919. Some familitir faces can be found
among those hi the picture..Prom the left at the back are Clarence
McDonald, George Swan,:flarry Hackett, Rob Lyons, Bill Cartei,
Peter Watson, Kenny Cameron, Earl Gibson, Wat Webster and Mel
New appreciation of life and the world
is 'often expressed by' those who have'
been given a short time to live, Rarely has
it ever been better expressed than by
Toronto surgeon Dr. John.A. MacDonald,
who died of cancer 'recently • after
spending his . last years helping others •
face .death.
• Following is an excerpt from his bOok,
"To Live With Cancer" recently publish-
ed by McLelland and Stewart
"When ,became aware of my
mortality, my attitudes and feelings
changed. There was real, meaning to the
words "Thig is;the first day of the rest of
your life," ,
"My appreciation of life increased.
There was a , heightened awareness.: of
each sunny day, of the beauty of flowers,
of the •song of bird;
"flow often, do. we reflect on the joy of
breathing easily without pain, of swallow-
hig without effort and discomfort,i, of
walking without pain, of a eoMplete and
peaceful night's sleep?
"flow often do we eat merely to satisfy
hunger without appreciating th65-subletie
of taste and Smell of a well-cooked- meal?
"Row often do we complain• of Our
work when we should 'be thankful for the
great blessing of being' able to work?
"One soon realizes how precious life is,
when it appears certain that it will be
curtailed.'1-
,!-Acten•Freet'reSS
remuneration,. 30 or 40 years ago. Valet
so now.
It's this newspaper's policy to publish
salarY details from all municipalities in
our coverage area every year 'about this
time when wage- increases are negotiat-
ed. We believe on doing public business
in public and salaries of all governmnet
enipleyees are certainly puhlie business._
And every year at this time reporters
get flack from irate clerks, and sometime
other municipal employees, who know or
fear that printing their Salaries• will lead
to harassment from ratepayers.
If there is harassment it's because the
public doesn't realize how much niunicip-
al -clerks' workloads have increased. The' e-
quantity of forms they must complete and
send on to other levels of government
alOne, could use up at leat a day a week.
' Any small business person knows that.
Whether we like it or not, our town-
ship; village and town governments are
no longer folksy affairs operating on trust
and word of mouth. . .they are. big
business. They administer services and
government for others big businesses
which didn't exist'. 30 years ago. : .big
farms and expanded- local stores and
industries.
Take payroll, as one sinall example of
the work currently done in our municipal
offices. Years ago the clerk might have'to
hand out $35 or $50 'a WEek'Pari Friday
night to the occasional road than who did
seasonal work. •
The modern township clerk has to keep
detailed payroll records for, the several
full time permanent empleyees that every
local government haS.
Some clerks in the Seaforth area still
operate one person offices, doing all
clerical as well as administrative work
themselves. They feel they should be
paid for that and we agree.
Being a municipal clerk treasurer is no
longer sort of a hobby ---an interesting
part-time job for someone who wants to
serve her or his ,fellow citizens and is
making a financial sacrifice to, do so.
Our Weal clerk-treasurers are well
paid. They are also doing a very
complicated, time, consuming, nerve
wracking job that requires tact, patience
and knowledge of business and finance.
If you doubt that, follow your munici-
Turn 'to page 7*
carefully scripted, speeches and, avoids
answering the questions of the press. It is
hard to believe Trudeau can govern 'as a
menaber of .a team when his leadership
has always leaned towards the autocratic.
While the New bernocratOare the only
real alternative in this election, they have •
never formed a government and there is
little realistic chance they will this time. It
is, easy to make promises when you know
you won't be given the chance to keep
them and there 'is still the threat of the
Party's alliance with organized labour
and how firmly the party would be
controlled by unions if they were elected
to power.
It is a. sad comment on our national*
affairs when the only choices are a party
whose leader is fighting his own image of
being inept and incapable, more than his
political opponents; a party-whose leader-
has told Canadians he is not the man to
lead the country in the 60s Wand a third
party which is untried as a government
and has no real chance of forming the•
government following this election.
The harsh reality of democracy how-
ever, 'is that: the choice must be made
from available alternatives; 'not --from
what we wish might 'be.
Every year • at this time we imagine
there are a series of "Humiripphhs"
around the breakfast table or the dinner
table or in the living room after supper..
The "hummitipphhs" come from
weeklynewspaper readers-Who haVe just
learned the' new salary that their town or
township's clerk-treasurer has negotial-
Qld notions die hard and the idea of the
rural clerk treasurer as a retired farther
who puts in a few - hours a week on
township business is a treasured old one.
--yes a municipal clerk's job Was part
time, done with dedication and very little
Greer. Froin the left In the heat row are Lorne Webb, Lorne Woods,
Sam Gibson, Bill Andrew, Bill Helm and Ernest Gaunt. Anyone who
has,old pictures they would like to have published on our editorial
page please bring or send them to the, Sentinel office. They can be
reproducettwithout damaging the picture and we will return them.
Such pictures make our editorial page more interesting and invite
participation of our readers.
A .haiii.job...'000.:*.ell