Loading...
The Citizen, 1991-08-21, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1991. No man is an island Recent events have proven once again that the actions of one individual or group of people can have far reached effects on others. In this case, it means a loss of jobs in Blyth, far from the scene of the activity. When Bordens bought out the Lancia pasta plant in Toronto last year, it began a chain of events that ended up costing jobs in Blyth. With the purchase, Bordens, which already owned Catelli the other largest manufacturer of pasta in Canada, hardly needed the Toronto plant. It asked for concession from the workers at the plant in order to keep it open. The workers, apparently believing the company wouldn't close the plant despite its threats, refused to co-operate. Lancia called their bluff and will now produce its pasta in Montreal and Lethbridge. The Toronto workers will be out of work. But so, unfortunately, will be some people in Blyth who had nothing to do with the Borden buyout or the union resistance. Howson and Howson in Blyth was a major supplier to the Lancia plant for 20 years. Faced with the short-term loss of business the company has had to lay off four workers and proposes worksharing for the others until new markets for the mill's flour can be found. Moreover, another major Blyth employer, Campbell Transport, had 80 per cent of its business in trucking flour from Blyth to Lancia and other plants. Workers there are also worried about their future. Blyth has been very fortunate over the years in that all its major employers are locally owned. The village hasn't been subject to the whims of decision-makers in far-off boardrooms because all the decision-makers had an investment in their own community. But the world is changing. The rules of business are changing. The international structure of business, the relaxation on the rules of Sculpted by the wind competition that allows one company to buy up its opposition and reduce competition, Free Trade, all these things mean that what has been taken for granted in the past can't be taken for granted now. Unionized workers who once were confident in rejecting concession demands should know the rules have changed: the power is now in the hands of the companies that may be looking for an excuse to close a plant and move to some place with cheaper labour anyway. Unfortunately, these workers cannot only hurt themselves but people who depend on their plant for work. Nice guys finish last? Monday's coup that replaced Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is a victory for hard-liners everywhere, and a defeat for those who like to believe that understanding and fellowship can build a better world. Not only were the hard-line Communists rewarded who resented Mr. Gorbechev's reforms at home and his new order with the West, but hard-liners in the West who kept saying the Soviets couldn't be trusted can now also feel smug, and in a weird way, safe. The hardliners on both sides just weren't comfortable with the feeling of peace the general public greeted with relief. The military, the security community in both East and West, some right-wing politicians and some political commentators, have made their lives on the tensions of the Cold War. Their careers have been built on distrust. For them, current events have been a vindication. Unfortunately , people seldom lose who bet on the ability of people to distrust and hate rather than love and understand. In our own country, we have had opportunities to build a model nation to the world. Even with our troubled national unity, we have had times when it seemed understanding could conquer all. The 1980 referendum, for instance, confirmed that Quebecers wanted a place in Canada. We seemed to have a stronger country than at any time in the past. But within Quebec those who would built distrust kept going. In Ontario and the rest of the country those who couldn't see any hand of understanding reached out without seeing as a "victory" for French over English, kept agitating. They're at it still. A recent mail at this office brought hate literature from some extremist in Barrie. Even at this time when there seems little hope we can keep Canada together, the hatemongers on both sides of the border keep working hard to make sure there is no chance goodwill might break out. Neither story has had an ending written yet. There is still hope the strength and goodness of the Soviet people will carry them through as it did the people of East Germany and Czechoslovakia, refusing to let the forces of oppression win out. We can still win in Canada, fighting back the hatemongers in our own part of the country and hoping Quebecers can see through those in their own province who would let them think they are unwanted by the rest of the country. Hopefully the best of mankind will win out over the worst. Canadians can laugh at themselves... and they better Dear Editor, I've been reading your stuff lately and I can't help but come to the conclusion you need something in the paper that’s a little more like what ordinary folks around here can understand- I mean last week you were even quoting Shakespeare. So I figured it's about time we had something in the paper from the more lowly view of a guy who sometimes gets his feet dirty with manure. I figured I might as well be the one to do it. A fella gets a lot of chance to think when he's riding back and forth combining barley all day (and with the price of barley, you want to think about that as little as possi­ ble). I used to listen to the radio but it broke and nobody knows how to fix these things anymore because they figure by the time the radio breaks down you'll have had to trade in the combine anyway. So you spend your time instead thinking about things that make you laugh: like what Canadians do to themselves. You've got to laugh at us because if you cried, you couldn't see to drive the combine. As if this country hasn't got enough problems, we like to give ourselves more. For instance, we put a government in that says we've got to compete internationally and opens up the border with Free Trade, then we put a guy in the Bank of Canada who drives up the dollar and puts up interest rales so it costs us so much money to do business here that people move across the border. Maybe that’s what they mean by competing internation­ ally- we send all our business outside the borders. We elect a Free Trade, free enterprise government in Ottawa, then elect a protectionist, socialist government in Ontario just to complicate things. It means the two most powerful governments in the land are headed in exactly the opposite directions. We in Ontario can just sit back and enjoy the fun of watching them bump heads: we can sit back because we've got lots of time because more and more of us are unemployed because the two governments are messing it up so much. You can tell I'm not to high on government these days. That's because I'm been struggling to fill in my GST form lately. You know the GST: the Gall-damed Tory Stupid lax, or as my neighbour Angus calls it Gall-damed Trudeau Spending tax. Angus claims we wouldn't have the tax if it hadn't been for Trudeau spending too much over the years. You can try to point out to him that his beloved Tories have been in power for seven years now and the national debt has only got worse but after spending 20 years blaming Trudeau for everything, Angus just can't break the habit. Back when Mike Wilson talked about the tax in the first place, he wanted to put it on food too but all us fanners squealed and for once he listened. I figure we made a mistake. We should have asked him to put twice as big a tax...maybe three times...on food as on anything else. I mean look at what's going on now. Peo­ ple are going across the border to buy their milk and eggs to keep the one group of farmers who are making money from making money and the Canadian govern­ ment doesn't do a thing about it Why should they, it's no skin off their nose. But the government's got a big tax on cigarettes and booze and they're tearing whole cars apart to find any smokes somebody might be smuggling in without pay­ ing the tax. Tax milk and we might finally have the government working for us instead of against us. Actually, I think we might as well save ourselves all the mess and bother of holding an election next time at all. All we really need is Carla Hills, the trade negotiat­ ing lady for the U.S. government. She's telling us what to do anyway. First she says we shouldn't protect things like the CBC because culture should be like any other industry, then she tells the Ontario New Demogogues that they'd better think twice about government car insurance. I mean, maybe we elected the NDP because we wanted government car insurance— although I can only find one of my neighbours who admits to voting for the NDP even though they won our poll. Still, that's one more vote that Carla Hills has got so far. Your Correspondent from the 12th line. Letter to the editor policy Letters to the editor must be signed and the name must also be clearly printed and the telephone number and address included. While letters may be printed under a pseudonym, we must be able to verify the identity of the writer. In addition, although the identity of the writer may be withheld in print, it may be revealed to parties directly involved on personal appearance at The Citizen's offices. 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, Llstowel, 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 1990 BLUE RIBBON AWARD Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Second Class Mall Registration No. 6968