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The Citizen, 1991-08-07, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7,1991. Editorials Take time and do it right There's excitement following U.S. President George Bush's visit to the Soviet Union last week that a new era of private enterprise is on the way in the bastion of communist central control. Many are impatient and accuse the Soviet government of not moving fast enough with reforms. Critics may be right, but hopefully the government will move wisely, not just quickly. If the current government wanted to bail out very quickly, the fastest way would be to turn all the factories and farms over to the elite that already rules the country. There might be a limited amount of competition but for the most part, the same inefficient people who now run things would still rule, only they would also own the country's economic levers, not just pull them. There would be little chance for the economic dynamism that comes from many producers competing for the market. An idea that's attractive for its simplicity as well is the temptation to bring in large western firms to simply take over the existing plants. This would likely have the fastest immediate effect on the Soviet economy but it would turn the country into a branch-plant economy. A system that had taken a century to build up in the west, with thousands of small companies being gradually weeded down to a few giants, would be imposed instantly on the Soviet economy. In the long run, the best thing for the economy would be to have as many producers as possible competing. The huge collective farms should be split up among the people who already work there, giving each a piece of land he or she can call home and tend with loving care. Food shortages would soon cease as farmers increased production. Factories could be turned over to the people who work there, the people who have most to gain from whether the factory succeeds or fails. If all the different shoe factories, for instance, were competing to see who could win markets by producing the best and cheapest shoes, there would be no shortages. Leaders in Moscow have a rare opportunity to produce an economic democracy that would far outrank what we in the West brag about. Our system is far from perfect despite our high standard of living. Here workers and bosses are set against each other instead of working together. Unions, conditioned by a past history where money-grubbing industrialists abused workers to make extra profit, take an adversary role that often sets them against the interests of their own company (ultimately, against their own interests). Russia, in fact all of eastern Europe, has a chance to build a new model, one based on free enterprise but one in which everybody feels they have a stake; a place where workers feel they are a part of the system, not that the system is set up to keep them in their place. Here's hoping the government finds a way to take proper advantage of this unique opportunity. We 'll miss these things Huron County held a meeting last week to gather more information about the future of agriculture for the Huron County Study looking at the future government of county but after listening to the bleak picture painted by most of the people in attendance, one wonders if there is any real future for agriculture. One farmer pointed out that even at the height of the Great Depression, a farmer could buy a pair of workboots with a bushel of wheat. With today's depressed grain prices, he would now have to sell a tonne of grain to buy a pair of workboots, and not even a top line model either. While some farmers felt the key was to educate consumers to let them know what a good deal they had, others said it was no use: the consumer was interested only in his own welfare. It brought to mind the song by Joni Mitchell called Big Yellow Taxi which says: "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". Canadians are so tied up in inward thinking these days that there are many things they may not appreciate until they lose them. They may not appreciate the abundant, inexpensive food they get from our farmers until we have to import food. We may drive our local businesses to bankruptcy before we realize that shopping across the border or in big cities isn't all it's cracked up to be. We may destroy our country before we realize that the difficulties of having two languages in one country aren't so great after all. We may end up being part of the U.S. because our regional jealousy and our greed for even more material goods at less cost, meant we could see that we already lived in a country that was about as close to heaven as people get before they die. ONE YEAR AGO AUGUST 8,1990 Canadian National Railway applied for a second time to close the Listowel to Wingham line, which runs through Brussels and Ethel. An era ended as Anderson's Hardware in Belgrave closed. The store had operated has a hardware store for more than a century. The enthusiasm in Blyth Area Scouting surpassed expectations as several boys and adults rallied to form a new Venturer Company. Nickel Belt MP John Rodriquez spoke to the crowd at the Huron NDP nomination meeting in Clin­ ton. Zurich-area farmer Paul Klopp won the nomination. Four bus drivers for Grey Central School were honoured by the Huron County Board of Education. Murray Hoover and Doug Evans were honoured for 25 years of ser­ vice, Stewart Steiss, 16 years of service. Bob Cunningham retired as transportation manager for HCBE. THREE YEARS AGO AUGUST 3,1988 Prime Minister Brian Mulroney visited for three hours in Goderich. Hints of a coming election were in the air as Mulroney officially opened the town's newly-completed $17 million deep-water docking facility, then toured the Huron County Museum with his family. Brussels Legion Pipe Band Drum Major Tom McFarlane had the honour of leading a combined Brussels-Clinton Pipe Band, while the crowd waited for Mulroney's arrival. A warrant was issued for the arrest of one of the two men charged in connection with the fire which gutted the Brussels Legion, July 6. Judge Robert Riley ordered a bench warrant for the arrest of Robert Martin Killick, 22, after he failed to appear in Wingham Dis­ trict Court on July 27, to face charges of break, enter and theft and arson. The township of West Wawanosh began recycling. An accumulated surplus of $93,964 from 1987 helped Hullett township hold the line on its own spending for its 1988 budget, while still putting away money for future needs in road building, recreational and environmental service. Despite the stand-pat budget, however, ratepayers paid more for county and educational purposes. The total requisition for county purposes increased 8.8 percent, while the increase for public and separate school education purposes was up 32.3 percent. Gerald Knight of RR3, Brussels hosted a 4H exchange guest, Car­ men Legault of Vai Marie, Sask. Earlier in July, Gerald had visited at Carmen's home. Bodmin Ltd. of RR5, Brussels made a clean sweep of several major awards at Market Day at the Ontario Pork Congress in Stratford, by winning the Premier Exhibitor Award, as well as the trophies for both the Champion pair of Market Gilts and Group of Three Market Barrows. The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 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.) for local; $19.16 + $1.66 for each month after March 31/92 + G.S.T. for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $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. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Assistant Editor, Bonnie Gropp Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Second Class Mall Registration No. 6968