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Times-Advocate, 1988-11-16, Page 6Page 6 Times -Advocate, November 16, 1988 Times tstabtsshed 181 Advocate Istablished• 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM ISO Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 319-235-1331 ROSS. HAL (.8 1dilor HARRI DEI RIES ( urnpo+rtion )tanager CCNA 1N1 Blatt' Publisher d Ad+enr+ing Manager DO% WI ill flu+mc++ %Unapt SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $63.00 A bit drastic he announcement Friday that the Quebec government was going to curtail the activities of their minor hockey players under the age of 12 appears to be a bit drastic. Hockey for boys and girls under 12 will be confined to the elementary school system and they will be encouraged to play only once a week. We agree that too much emphasis and pressure is being put on the youngsters to win. This pressure not only comes from the coaches, but from parents.as well_ In- order to have a modified minor hockey system • work, the preliminary philosophy would have to begin at home and continued on with the coaches. The main objective should be for the boys and girls to have fun, but we know that isn't true. Having been around the hockey rinks for more than 20 years as sports editorat this newspaper we' know. the desire or maybe it's a mania to win is getting higher and higher. Father David Bauer, who died only a week ago had the ideal program in mind. He wanted to restyle minor teams and leagues with the Olympics as their num- ber one goal. Father Bauer often said that hockey was -only a very small part of the great scheme of life and he'always. wanted his players and students at St. Michaels Col- lege in Toronto to keep their priori ties in line. The system Father. Bauer often used at St. Mike's. would be scoffed at by coaches and players of today. At St. Michael's College, he altways carried six or seven extra players oni the team so he could give a student time off to get his schoolwork in shape: Key guys would regularly disappear at critical • junctures for this purpose. He also had the happy faculty of keep- ing his players in line and get a point across without getting outwardly tough. Once, goalie Gerry Cheevers. corn- - plained about forwards who didn't back - check causing troubles for the netmind- er. The next game Cheevers found himself up on left wing where he found out how the other half lived. That's the last com- plaint Bauer ever heard from Cheevers. Father Bauer had. a very feasible wish that Canada could keep the Olympics as a separate special thing so there would al- ways be an alternative for youngsters wanting to develop as hockey players and still study and do all:the other necessary things to become well developed and well-rounded adults. • This is the type of attitude that should be instilled in our budding hockey players at an early age. Sure it would be great to he an Ni-IL'er, but let's face it, how many are able to make the grade. It's up to parents and coaches at the lower levels of minor hockey to get the point across that the main object at least in the beginning is to have fun as part of growing up. Let's put some of Father Bauer's phi- losophy into practice. Ili RoN.S ftaugh Trouble with Free Trade This column usually docs not. concern itself with everyday, humdrum subjects like scx, relig- ion and politics. I prefer to dis- cuss more burning issues: coping with - kids who won't dd as they're told, self-defence against house plants who threaten to take over, getting a yogurt stain off my brand-new tartan tic. Those are thc challenges 1 facc every clay, and that's the kind of stuff 1 like to share with my readers. Once in a while 1 am urged to make a statement on "current af- fairs". An editor wrote to mc: "Let your readers know where you standpoiitically!" The media these days have us all excited about the federal election, even though it is fought among the same old parties that have bluffed, bamboozied and bored us in the past. The politicians' haven't changed: all . they want and care about is thcir own re- election.- Which e- election.Which leaves us with the. is- sues. Specifically: the issue on which we're told to vote on No- vember 21st - "Free Trade". - • Until just a few weeks ago i used to break out in uncontrolla- ble yawning whenever someone l mentioned those two words. i didn't .understand the implica— tions thcn, and 1 still dont. What has happeried-414-1 _ Suddenly Free Trade has become a hook on which to hang. your ideology. Our communities arc split into two hostile camps, thc pro and the anti Frec Traders. "What do you think of Frec Tradc?" Mike at the service sta- tion asked me as he filled the tank. i don't have a clue. "Do you think Frec Tradc is good for us?" the waitress asked me at P.J's. How should 1 know? I have trouble with my own eco- nomics, let alone the bilateral or international variety. Ask -me about a free lunch, -fret love, or free spirits, and I may give you my opinion. But Free Trade is a complete puzzle to me, although I suspect that you and 1 wouldn't get anything free out of it.- - So how am I going to vote? I think that the Liberal candidate in our riding is more intelligent' and honest than some politicians. Of course, 1 know nothing at all about thc other two candidates, and -i confess that i haven't checked their credentials. .1 It■■tttttttttt� PETER'S POINT • by Peter Hcsscl My other_rcasons for voting Liberal this time around: 1 feel that it is high time to check the Conservative trcnd toward pri- vatization, before they succeed to tum Canada into a carbon copy of the USA: And I'm not in fa- vour of spending billions of our hard-earned dollars on a hunch of nuclear submarines. i am all for protecting our. sovereignty. But 1'd like to start by defending our way of life, our culture, our institutions, our social security system. Not by cruising around under the polar ice cap. So.l'm going to vote Liberal. Let's give the other blokes a chance and see what kind of a mess they make in the next few years. if things get too hairy, we'll vote the ras- cals out again. That's democra- cy. That's emocra-cy..That's the way it is supposed to be. Free Trade has little or nothing to do with my- vote. I suspect that the Torics won't completely and irreversibly destroy Canada if they have another four years in office. And 1 suspect that the Liberals—would—work-out- a -Free Trade agreement that resembles the Tory deal in everything but the colour of the stationery. Ex- cept that this pressure group will get a little more attention thacthat lobby, and this Iohhy will get a little more consideration than that pressure group. i'll vote Liberal this.timc, but Dot enthusiastically. Perhaps the once so arrogant Liberal party has been humbled enough. ,it .was good for the Grits to be out in the cold for a while. if they come in again, they might be more careful and a little more re- spectful. i'Il be glad when all the cicc- tion hype is over. When we can settle down to business as usual. To a little graft here and a little patronage there, and a scandal or two, and a couple of resignations over conflict of interest. Docs it really matter which party com- mits these sins, the Grits or the Torics? No matter what happens, they'll send their hill to you and me: for thcir investigating com- mittees and their judicial inquir- ies, for their financial blunders and losses, fq thcir incompe- tence, their nc 11t, and thcir in- efficiency. Let's get this election over with. There arc far mire impor- tant things ahead: the Grey Cup, thc Santa Claus Parade, and the Christmas Concert at McNab Public School. L . { 5-sc'" Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited Time to help Are you in the Christmas Spirit yet? One of thc best ways of getting the Christmas. Spirit is thinking of ways to help the less fortunate during the holiday season. The Huron County Christmas Burcau and Exeter Unitcd Church will makc it easy for you. Pauline Lingard, the county co- ordinator for this, very worth- while program dopped in the oth- er day to tell us some details. Drop-off locations for gifts for needy families arc being set up in the five towns in the county of Huron and Rev. Rick Hawley and Bev Robinson will he in charge of the Exctcr United Church location Gifts of toys and clothing for children up to the age of 16 years will be accepted on five days ear- ly in the month of December. These articles along with finan- cial donations Will -be accept between the hours of 10 a.m. and - 4 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday December 8, 9 and 10 • and Monday and -Tuesday, coni cr.12 and 13: - it is not necessary to'wrap the gifts as they will be. put out for viewing and. selection by the mothers of the children. Dc- hutions. . - Last year about 680 youngsters from 350 families in the county received assistance to help make their Christmas aline happicr..- Assistirg in the program at the Exctcr United Church will he Alma Godbolt and Audrey Mac- Gregor who have been stalwarts in the United Church Wpmen's organization for many year%. * * *.* it's with sadness that we hear of the passing of the last Exeter resident who was a vctcrari.of the First World War. Victor Hogarth died at the age of.90 and up'ntil a year ago was always in atten- dance at the annual Remembrance Day services: • • Al Friday's banquet at' the Le= gion, Reg- McDonald said the- amount heamount of First World War vets was dwindling fast. There are only three still living. They arc Earl Guenther of Dashwood. Reg Knight at Central Park Lodge in London and J.K. Cornish in Clinton. Fr(m the ; editdr's disk iby Ross',Haugh Similar Christmas Bureau cof. lection depots will be -set up in Godcrich, Wingham, Clinton and Scalorth on the same days and times. - The Huron County Christmas Bureau has bccnin_operatior-for 25 years: Mrs. Lin says this co-ordinat . , rvice ensures that no . ily is missed and there isn't—any duplication of cover= .1 Tax deductible receipts will he available for any financial contri- Lays make it every four years Observing the hoopla for the past few months as both the Democrats and the Republicans cho;sc..thcir presidential candi- dates, and then their president, 1 think we on the north side of the 49th parallel can.lcam from our American neighbours. And we don't have to trade away our che- rished culture or our economic lifeblood in return. The idea of a fixed, four-year term for a country's hcad of state is not patented. I can sec many advantages in adopting a similar system. We would then know whether our prime ministers had ulterior motives or were genuine- ly delighted to shake our hands, kiss our babies and give us pris- ons in remote parts of this fair land of ours. In America, everyone knows what is going on. Presidents are elected every four years. Two terms arc the limit, and heads of state then fade away into the his- tory books. No walk in. the snow; no stroll across Meech Lake. No more than two times at bat, and they're out. Up here, we may give a prime minister, two months, or two decades, depending on our mood, the state'of the economy, and how many ingidcr "kiss and tell" books arc published at just the right - or wrong - moment. Reynold's Rap by Yvonne Reynolds Pouring billions into child care, literacy programs, and oil fields off the coast of Newfoundland at certain times near the end of a government mandate may makc us forget rotten tuna, blatant pat- ronage appointments and con- flicts of interest . We may even be so besotted as to forget that money from our pockets must pay for all this largesse. We arc aware we arc bcing wooed and courted. We know the big question is coming. We just.don't know when. If,we knew in advance that a. new cohabitation contract was awaiting our signature on a regu= lar basis, there would he less nccd for such lavish prenuptial gifts. Thc'ones pmmiscd during our far -too -long electioneering period arc expensive enough. Sincc the Canadian election was announced on October 1, thc three main suitors have hccn promising us packages of good- ies whose total cost is in the bil- lions. And guess who will pick up the tab, regardless of who wins? Only in the political realm docs the successful candidate stick thc object of his affections with thc hill for his extravagant promises. Knowing this would happen every four years as regularly as renovations at 24 Sussex Drive, we would at least be braced for- thc inevitable. However, depending on the outcome of next week's cicction, and if some dire predictions come true, the whole question of length of term may become hypotheti- cal.