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The Citizen, 1991-05-29, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY. MAY 29. 1991. The rural perspective New Communications Minister Perrin Beatty last week showed that he may be in Ottawa now but he still hasn't strayed too far from his rural roots. Mr. Beatty announced on Friday that he was postponing the postal rate increase for community newspapers from June 1 this year to March 1, 1992. He realized that the increase, which would drive postage costs for some newspapers up by 1000 per cent (about 500 per cent in the case of The Citizen) could be the straw that broke the camel's back in these days of recession. While he said the change will in no way effect the long-term plan to boost postage for newspapers, he did acknowledge the complaint of publishers that they hadn’t been given enough warning about the increase so they could be prepared to deal with the increased costs. As it was, publishers were obligated to fulfill subscriptions to out-of-town subscribers when the postal cost would be more than the subscriber paid in total. Perhaps more important than just helping out small town publishers, however, was Mr. Beatty's common sense, down home attitude that has been too lacking in big government recently. He was prepared to listen to arguments and change policies, rather than just tell people they had to learn to live with the rules. Writing recently in Maclean's columnist Stewart MacLeod said, with tongue just slightly in cheek - "All this country needs, for a bit of binding, is a leader whose shoes have seen more meadow muffins than escalators." He argued that rural people, safely distanced from the latest fads in thinking, understand that things like Via Rail and rural post offices, even CBC, are important to people's sense of nationhood. "For true urbanites, a rural post office is simply a money-losing establishment where you pick up mail. For registered rustics, it's where you learn what's right and wrong with the country." Politicians, he argues, wouldn’t need to commission polls if they just hung around rural post offices more. Mr. Beatty may not hang around rural post offices much (there may soon not be any for him to hang around if he wanted to) but he does seem to recognize the role of community newspapers in helping keep their communities healthy. He also seems to recognize common sense when he hears it. The other bottom line Next week is Environment Week and a time for Canadians to think of the real "bottom line" of life. While a lot of attention in recent years has been focused on the bottom line in the business sense, of making things pay, we've conveniently ignored the ultimate bottom line: that we have only one planet and if we poison it, we’ve got no future. Many businesses have been guilty of looking only at their short­ term profit instead of the big picture of trying to keep the planet liveable. Company presidents have been willing to dump toxic wastes into lakes and streams because it would cost too much to do otherwise. But each of us as individuals has been just as guilty, if in a smaller way, of disregarding the future of the planet. Few of us worry if we have to throw out household cleaners or old paint and solvent cans. After all. we assure ourselves, it's only a little bit What harm can that do? What harm can it do to conveniently use styrofoam cups and trays? What harm can it do to throw our little bit of kitchen waste into the garbage when it could go to a backyard compost heap. After all, a compost heap is such a bother! Just as the businessman isn't willing to pay the price of caring for the environment, so most consumers aren't willing to pay the price either in dollar terms or convenience terms. Soft drink bottlers, for instance, argue against returnable botdes because they say consumer tests have proven people would rather have discardable plastic bottles than have the extra weight of glass bottles in their shopping bags. More important than recycling and reusing is reducing the amount of garbage and that can be done by reducing the amount of packaging on our foods and other purchases. But how many consumers are willing to overlook products in fancy packages for those in plainer packages? How many consumers would be willing to take back shopping bags to the store each week? We can sit back and blame everyone else for the problems of pollution and too much garbage but the problem really begins in our own lives. We may not be able to stop the industrial plant from polluting land, air or water, but we can make sure each of us leaves as little mess behind as possible. Just as we worry about the government deficit we're leaving to our children, we need to remember that ultimately, government deficits won’t mean much to our children if we don't leave them the clean air and water they need to live on. Ready to flight Looking Backward ONE YEAR AGO MAY 30,1990 Kevin Barry of Wingham was sentenced to one day in jail and given 12 months probation after admitting to twice taking money from Mr. Donald Willis of Brus­ sels, once after he fell asleep and again after he found Mr. Willis lying dead on the kitchen floor. An inquest was ordered into the death of Theodore Kumm, 63, of Brussels and Lome McTeer, 34, of Chepstow, who were involved in a boating accident near Kincardine. A post-mortem conducted revealed Mr. Kumm had died of a heart attack and Mr. McTeer of drown­ ing. THREE YEARS AGO MAY 25, 1988 Winona McDougall, an outstand­ ing music teacher in Blyth was named the "Citizen of the Year." Tammi Medd won the right to compete on a national basis when her project took top place at the Huron County Science Fair in Clin­ ton. Tammi's project, "The effects of insecticides on soil," won the sil­ ver medal in her division, Junior Life Sciences overall, two first- place certificates and a cheque for $250 at the Canada -wide Science Fair in Winnipeg. Local stock market wizards Kat­ rina Somers, Tara Parker, Donald Hastings, of Brussels and Scott Stobo have won $500 for their excellent showing in the Slock Market Game. The F. E. Madill team was both a national and regional winner. FIVE YEARS AGO MAY 28,1986 Due to a system that the Huron County Board of Education devised, principals in the Board's jurisdiction switched schools with­ in the area. Registration for swimming lessons at the new Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Swimming pool lopped expectations when more than 300 youngsters were registered. The Grand Opening of the Rad­ ford store in Brussels took place. The Belgrave Women's Institute held its 75th anniversary at the Bel­ grave W. I. Hall. Give a child a future. Buy UNICEF all-occasion Greeting cards today. unicef ® For a new full-colour brochure, contact: INICEF Canada 443 Mt. Pleasant Road, Toronto, Ont. M4S2L8 Telephone (416) 482-4444 OR call toll-free 1-800-268-3770 (Operator 741) The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen Is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are <© Copywright. Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Production Manager, Jill Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Second Class Mall Registration No. 6968