The Citizen, 1998-12-16, Page 4O c n
Member Ontario
Christmas wrapped
Photo by Bonnie Gropp
Looking Back Through the Years
From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen
Dec. 19, 1968
Winners of the Machan Hardware
Saturday draw were: $5 voucher,
Mrs. Richard Kufske; $3 voucher,
Ross Craig; and $1 voucher, John
Perrie.
The winners at the Brussels Santa
Claus Parade were, for floats: Brus-
sels Horticultural Society, Walton
Institute and Brussels Minor Hock-
ey; horse and rider, Jacquie Work-
man; group effort, Brussels Figure
Skating; best costume, Ann Lowe;
oldest, Robert Davidson; youngest,
Donna Elliott; clown, Jim McNeil;
and horse drawn vehicle, Ivan
Campbell.
In the Brussels' area dart league,
Hilt Ward was leading the pack
with 107 points. Ernie Back fol-
lowed with 94. Back was also the
leader in the Cranbrook dart league
with 47 points. He was followed by
Bob Alexander who had 35 points.
Dec. 19, 1973
Ruth Dougherty of Blyth won
$1,000 in the Lion's Monster Draw.
The second last ticket drawn
belonged to Bill Clancy of
Goderich who received $300 and
the third last to Charles Scanlon of
Londesboro who received $200.
Following a naming contest held
by the Maitland Valley Conserva-
tion Authority, the name Wawanosh
Valley Conservation Area was
selected for the East Wawanosh
park. The finalists were Kim
McDowell, who came up with the
winning name, Sharon Carter and
Dianne Scott.
In order to cope with wintertime
emergencies, the Huron County
Board of Education decided that in
all schools with buses, where stu-
dents may have to be billeted in the
building overnight, there must be a
refrigerator and stove.
At the Lyceum Theatre in Wing-
ham the original, uncut version of
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was
showing. Also playing was Roger
Moore in Live and Let Die.
Dec. 17, 1997
A group of BW Trailblazers con-
structed a new bridge at the Brus-
sels Conservation Park to replace its
more treacherous predecessor.
The Madill Senior Boys' volley-
THE EDITOR,
This time of the year is special.
It's a time for counting blessings.
For reaching out with love and
generosity to family, friends and
those less fortunate.
But in the excitement of the
holiday season let us not forget out
other friends... the animals. Will
you also reach out to them with
care and compassion? Will you
ball team received bronze medals at
OFSAA. The team consisted of
eight boys including locals Nathan
Garland, Adam Can and Andrew
Exel.
The Blyth Tyke Bulldogs played
in a tournament in Monkton and
came out as runners-up in the A
finals. They defeated Clinton and
Bayfield, but lost to Goderich in the
A championship game.
Joh.n and Bonnie Pennington of
Brussels were the winners of the
holiday season's best decorated
house in the village. Wayne and
Mary Jean Bell, as well as Jean
Bewley, received honourable men-
tions. The Brussels 5R's Thrift Shop
received the best decorated business
award, with honourable mention
going to Murray's Barber Shop.
help touch and improve their lives?
By purchasing our special
holiday cards you can help us fund
the many HSC programs here in
Canada aimed at easing their plight
and the suffering of countless
animals. From cats and dogs to
whales and bears to horses and
birds...
The cards portray cats and dogs
Continued on page 6
Letter to the editor
HCS sells cards
PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1998.
The North Huron
itizen
P O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152,
BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont.
NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0
Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114
FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil
E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com
Publisher, Keith Roulston
Editor, Bonnie Gropp
Advertising Manager,
The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Press Council
Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc.
Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $27.00/year ($25.24 +
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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 U Copyright.
Publications Mail Registration No. 6968
Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990
One last gasp at sovereignty
When Finance Minister Paul Martin turned down a proposal for the
merger of four of Canada's big banks into two huge banks it may have
been a last gasp attempt to assert some sort of national control over
businesses that seem obsessed with getting beyond the grasp of any sort
of government policy.
Martin did what the majority
of Canadians wanted when he
stopped the merger. Following
the announcement, however,
Matthew Barrett of the Bank of
Montreal and John Cleghorn of
the Royal Bank of Canada said: "History will judge if Mr. Martin has
made the right decision." They obviously felt he hadn't.
Their feelings are natural given the merger-mania gripping the
business world, all companies saying they must get bigger to compete.
Huge banks in the U.S. have been getting together. Recently Chrysler of
the United States merged with Daimler-Benz of Germany. Two of the
world's largest grain trading companies joined.
It's interesting that it was at the end of the last century that big
business in the U.S. went through a series of mergers and convenient
arrangements to divide up the market and drive out the competition,•
aiming at moving toward the natural outcome of all big business:
monopolies. A no-nonsense Republican President, Teddy Roosevelt
stepped in and asserted some control of the situation by bringing in anti-
trust legislation to set rules that would promote competition.
Canada has never had the same kind of tough legislation the U.S.
adopted under Roosevelt. For instance the plans to merge Quebec-based
Provigo with Loblaws and Sobeys Canada with the Oshawa Group
mean it will be almost impossible for independent grocers to find
suppliers of their groceries other than from their major competitors. Yet
it seems nothing can be done under Canada's competition laws.
Because of their federal charters, the big banks are among the few
businesses over which the Canadian government has any control and
Martin's roadblock in their merger plans will likely make them seek
ways to put the majority of their activities beyond the reach of
government. For now democracy has triumphed but big business doesn't
like being told what to do. —KR
Afraid of our own government?
When Blyth residents took advantage of a public meeting to discuss
municipal restructuring Monday night, many were still dubious about
the whole proposition. What is the common sense, one resident asked,
of a merger that most people think will cost more money than it saves?
Blyth politicians gave the same answer politicians across the county
have been giving: whether it made sense or not, they had to amalgamate
because they were afraid the provincial government would order an
amalgamation they didn't like.
Isn't there something wrong when citizens are afraid of their own
government? Isn't there something sadly lacking when a government
can't persuade people to take a course of action so has to bully and
threaten them into doing what they want?
Basically what the provincial government has been saying since it
took office is that the only people with any brains in the province sit in
the cabinet room at Queen's Park and everybody should just shut up and
leave the thinking to them. Something's wrong here. — KR
Make all politicians take oaths
The spectacle in Washington these days seems bizarre: one group of
politicians threatening to impeach their prestlent because they say he
lied. He, in turn, thinks he did what all politicians do all the time: fudged
the truth to the point he could deny what he did. •
The difference, the Republican representatives say, is that Clinton
fudged the truth under oath and thus, they say, he committed perjury, a
"high crime and misdemeanor" that warrants impeachment. Maybe so
but it sounds suspiciously like hypocrisy.
Would that we could put all politicians to the same test. How about
requiring all people running for office to take an oath like Clinton took
so they can all be impeached if they play fancy games with words to
keep from Iyiing. — KR
E ditorial