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Times-Advocate, 1988-08-17, Page 6Times -Advocate; August 17, 1988 time I stabhshed 18-1 AC1%0(ate 1slablished 111111 Amalgariiatt•d '1924 1 • imes dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519.235.1331 Ontario eNA «N. ROSS HAL(I1 -IISI Bt(k1T1 tditor Publisher A Adscrising Manager . HARR1 Dt%RI[S - - DO\ SWiH (ompos(hon Manager Business %tanager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65..00 Crop insurance a hot potato Farm production groups must be dili- gent to ensure that the issue of crop insw ranee reform isn't lost in the shuffle be- iween the .federal and provincial • governments: The drought which hit Ontario earlier this summer, and which continues to be.a major factor in crop production, -brought to the forefront long-standing flaws in the crop insurance system. Those -flaws must -be addressed by both Jack Riddell, minister of Agriculture and Food for Ontario, and Agriculture Cana- da minister John Wise. • Their responsesto date have been unac- ceptable. - As it now stands, Ontario farmers re- ceive coverage on 80 percent of their to- tal average yield, calculated over a five- year period. The cost of the premium is divided evenly between 'the farmer and the federal government, while -the prov: ince picks up the administrative costs. To his credit, Mr. Riddell has respond- ed to.requests and asked that the crop in- sulance legislation, which is in the feder al realm, be amended so that farmers receive coverage- for 90 percent of their losses. But while he seems to be respon- sive to increasing the province's share of the financial burden, he has effectively side-stepped specific numbers. According tei-aides to Mr. Riddell, Mr. Wise will agree to the 90 percent cover- age, but only if the province will pick.up a bigger percentage of the premiums. Rather than reduce the farmer's financial burden, Mr. Wise apparently intends to reduce the federal government's finan- cial offering. - • In a 1986 crop insurance review, an ap- pointed committee made several recom- mendations -- the key proposition being that cost sharing be- as follows; federal government 50 percent, farmers 35 per- cent and province 15 percent. On a tour of crops in this area at the height of the drought, Mr. Riddell claimed that his department had adopted 20 of the 26 recommendations, but ac- cdrding to Terry Daynard, manager of the Ontario Corn Producers Marketing Board, the minister's comment was mis- leacfing. Mr. Daynard maintains that many .of the resolutions adopted recom- mended that things be left the same. The important suggestions, such as the above mentioned recommendation, were left untouched. There is also some suggestion that Mr. Wise is about to launch yet another study of crop insurance. Mr. Daynard summed 'the situation up -adequately when he noted trying to get results between the two tiers of govern- ment was like pushing on a balloon, re- moving a bulge in one spot only to have it -reappear in another. We arc sure neither minister relishes the thought of being compared to a bal- loon, but their actions, or lack of actions on the crop insurance issue -is, to say the least, discouraging. Rather than. working themselves into -a safe position where neither office is spe- cifically to blame, both ministers should feel responsible for the efficiency of crop insurance and, work toward strengthen- ing the program. . in the mean time, farmers iilusrc'ontin- ue to work together as a unified group, applying_ constant pressure until their elected representatives respond to their wishes. By AIark ilissetl Letters to the Editor Dear Mr. Bisset: After reading your .article "BEATTY'S FOLLY" i concluded we arc both on the same wave length, and . you support the same a=0;0„thing. that 1 dos o 1 cnclo c r .. letter' I sent to t c ,- �on(oq c Press (July 27th).- • Your article was very good, and raised many good points. It was so good I am making a copy and send- ing on to Ken James, our Sarnia M.P. in Ottawa. i have just returned from Main- land China and two years ago was in Russia, our two main adversaries an a nuclear :tr. - - Neither is capable. of or intending to begin a war onj Canada. -Both countries are stru !filing sincerely . and seriously to upgrade living stan- dards and move to a morc democrat- ic society. i agree they have a long way to go, but i bclie•c that war on the Americas is -not on thcir agenda at all. So why all the mad rash for Can- ada to join in this crazy, wasteful nuclear submarine club? Also the recent tragic mistake by the United States Navy in the Persian Gulf proves how the possibilities of mal- function arc so prevalent. With - .these new .and sophisticated war toys nobody is safe. i am an ex - Royal Navy gunner --1946-46=and our record of misfires and accidents was often too close for comfort and that was tong before all this high- tech computer -dependent weaponry. i would like to sec less of these submarines and weapons of death and destruction, which like the myth of the Maginot Line in France in 1940, will not add one iota of real defence to Canada or anywhere cise. All they will do is deplete Planet Earth of. valuable resources and create thousands of hours of wasteful work that could he better Spent in building up the infrastruc- ture of this icountry with the things we really need. - Nuclear submarines are a fantasy_ of the football generals, munitions maw lac turcr .and a defcncc-ministcr who -has never heard a.shot'fiied'in anger or liven through an air raid. Sincerely Philip II. Gamester • Press Owner. GAMESTER ADVERTISING SERVICE; LTD. a • Dear Sir: The expression of opinion is thc spi; e of life and undoubtedly the pr;;ursor• to many great. debates. While we as .Canadians enjoy the right to express our opinion openly and without fear, it is important to rcalizc that to be of value the opin ions must be informed. Unfortunately a great many sub- jects that arouse our interest these days arc influenced by the effects of rapidly changing technology. - In such cases if one is not abreast of the technology it is virtually im- possible to pass enlightened opin- ion on its application. This •is "particularly truewhen matters of military or defence inter- est arefaddressed, since frequently, information is not available for se- curity reasons. in such cases as- sumptions usually replace facts which then become embellished by time to further exacerbate the situa- tion; making informed opinion all but impossible. .Mark Bisset's opinion published• in the Times Advocate under the title 'Beatty Folly' on August 3 is a classic example of uninformed. opinion. Beatty -bashing aside - for 1 suppose all is fair in love, war and politics - his condemnation of the Government's decision to equip our navy with nuclear propelled subma- rines uses. simplistic arguments that betray his lack ofknowledge on the subject of his opinion. , The word nuclear invariably strikes an emotional chord with .those who don't" understand its meaning in terms -of anything other than a'destructive forcc. I fear Mark's opinion is more emotional- ly driven than informed, genuine though his feelings may be. Had it been written in anything other than the flippant form in which it ap- peared, it would have to have been takcn seriously. However, some comment is invited. Mark's manipulation of words to make his case docs much to weaken the value of his opinion. The subtle substitution of the word 'offensive' for attack in titling the submarine is an example. This. • little subterfuge changes the entire concept of the submarine to en- hance his argument. We are to pro- cure a quantity of 10 nuclear pro- pelled attack submarines, not 10 offensive submarines: • • A most convenient slip of the pen perhaps, although I will admit thatanyoneon the receiving end of what an attack submarine has to of- fer wduld find it offensive. You could play the word game a little further if you wish and call it a de- fensive submarine. That's truly what it is, of course, and perhaps it would be more in keeping with the perceived image of the passive Ca- nadian. Whatever you call it, the fact remains that if the need ever arises to defend our nation, the only thing that will matter is ordnance on target and attacking -the enemy is the way this is done, like it or not. The art of undersea warfare has Please turn to page 8 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited . News stem: 5070 D155ctisfi4I with. PM " M1 LA? WHAT'S This t TOTE ADDRESSED TO ' DEAR A86T?". Would make my day Before we get at the. subject at hand, there are many things that would make one's day. ;More rain and much loaner temperatures seem- to be what would make the day for most of Us in Western Ontario. What brought the subject up was a release across our .desk from Interfaith Communications in Toronto and an anicic about "pcw pains". Dr. I lanulton I lall.said his day would be made if churches would redesign their pews. According to hall there are no major changes likely to occur in the structure of the human body in the next few years. And if we want to control the epidemic of • back pain sweeping the country we must come to terms with the environment. Church pews have been built - with God in mind, but they were never planned for the hu- man spine. Backs need a little more support particularly in the lower arca just at the waist. And if the pcw doesn't have it, a small pillow .or a rolled up sweater can do the trick. Posture is important and good posture without support needs good muscle control in thc ando- . men, legs and back, along.with well ••toned . stomach- muscles. Changing positions helps too. It actually puts less load on the back to stand erect,- than to sit slumped forward without , hack support. Maybe that's why in church we occasionally see • people sluntliing .forward. We always thought tl.cy -were sleeping, but to give .nem the benefit of the doubt we'll say it was for their health. Kneeling can reduce lower • will think they are asleep. This back strain particularly when some of thc weight is takcn through the arms on the pew ahead or when you sit hack against the seat. •. From the ''editor's disk by Ross Haugh Dr. Ilall concluded his article by saying, "The amount of atten- tion you can give the scrvicClmay depend on the amount of atten- tion you have already given the way you sit. Praising God with a pain-free back can certainly Make My Day." When this article was received dropped over 10 see good friend Don McCaffrey at Exeter Furniture. Don's specialty is manufacturing pews for churches and his market stretches through- out Canada and .the United States. his ultimate goal is to make pews pain-free., First steps arc upholstered scats and now a few churches are ordering backs also with upholstering. McCaffrey says' he expects this trend 'to int:rcasc and 'be more .popidaf• in more ways than one. In addition to being more com= fortahlc, the upholstery will be- come more econimcal with the in- creasing rise in the costs of oak which has been traditional for church benches: Tlic goal for McCaffrey is to produce a church pcw which is so comfortable that the -worship- pers are so still ti:at the minister would certainly allow the mini- ster or priest to extend the length of sermon without anybody real- izing it. If you 'are able to accomplish this dream, Don, we will he glad to say "Amen". * * * * By the time this issue hits the street we will be •on holidays en- tertaining friends Alick and Shir- ley Obst from Australia. When they arrive in this arca they will already have seen a lot of Canada from British Columbia through to Toronto and N i agara Falls on a 17 day bus trip. - On the local agenda will be day trips to Sarnia, Goderich, the \lcnnonitc settlements- in and - around Elmira and St. Jacobs and a visit to the Huron ('ountry Playhouse at Grand Bend to sec Windfall. it's natural to assume that the Ohst's are friends we met when we visited Australia in the spring of 1985. That's not quite the case. After visiting with Lynn and Jeff \Voodhart in Manildra in Ncw South Wales we went on a bus. tour of Ncw Zealand and that's where we met Alick and Shirley. They arc residents of Gulhurn, also in Ncw -South Wales, about 100 miles from Manildra. The two couples down under did not --- know each other until a few weeks ago when Alick called the Woodhart's to tell them of their intended visit to Ontario. .. All we will add now is that Shirley likes ice cream so we should he making a lot of stops at the Derby Dip and Shaw's and other local ice cream facilities. We all deserve just desserts No dinner is complete without dessert. Not for me, anyway. A dinner without dessert is like Christmas without presents. I need dessert. Not for its nutritional value. that's for sure. For its comfort value. Our kids have been programmed to feel the same way. They classify dessert into three categories: yummy. O.K. and blah. Their' yummy group includes ice cream, pudding. and anything with whipped cream. Duncan also thinks all berries are yummy. The others can take them or leave them. On the other end of their scale is the blah group with bananas, apples. pears. and oranges. The kids usually ask: "Is that all we're having for dessert?" And .'then instead of saying: "Count yourselves lucky to get any dessert", we apologize: "These have to be eaten. they're getting too soft". But I want to talk about my desserts. the ones that make my mouth water. the ones that make eating the main course worthwhile. even if the main course isn't my favourite dish. I want to tack about desserts so rich and satisfying that - they should be banned. Desserts so y ---- i PETER'S POINT • • by Peter Hessel tempting and tantalizing that they are downright indecent: Desserts. which guys like me should stay away from. shouldn't even dream about. Desserts invented for skinny people who never gain an ounce no matter how much they eat, people who if they were farm animals would be considered poor feed Converters. When I eat a dessert like that. my taste buds get excited and send enthusiastic messages over the wires. The left half of my brain responds by saying: "This is good, keep going!". while the right part signals: - "This is pleasurable and therefore bad. Stop it right now!" It is your guess which side usually wins: And 1 don't want to mention the comments made by my stomach. Without a doubt one of my favourite desserts is cheesecake. Even as I am writing this, I'm beginning to drool. and I am wondering when we're going to have cheesecake again. 1 guess I'll have to drop a hint. Cheesecake has got to be one of the devil's - own inventions. . It is totally delicious and downright deadly because,, it oozes with the three C's: eateries, carbohydrates and cholesterol, not to speak of sugar. 1 am not exactly addicted to cheesecake, but I can certainly sympathize with people who are. High on my list of priorities are chocolate mousse, crepe . souzette, apple pie. lemon Please turn lo page 5