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Times-Advocate, 1982-11-24, Page 4Pope 4 Times -Advocate. November 24.192 • Imes • Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by 1.W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Adsertising Manager BILL BATTEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistat.t Editor HARR1 DEVRIES Composition Manager DICK IONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $20.00 Per year: U.S.A. $55.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A., CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' A welcome refuge Despite objections from neighboring property owners, and no doubt the assumption from some coun- ty residents that such a service is not required in staid, friendly Huron, the decision by the Huron County Family Crisis committee to establish a home for bat- tered wives and their children in Goderich is a welcome one. The Mennonite sponsored committee recognize that a problem does exist in Huron and the home to be located in Goderich will serve as a welcome har- bour for wives who have been subjected to the brutality of their spouses. In the past, victims of this type of abuse, which ob- viously causes as inuc i mental anxiety as the physical harm, have been placed in a hotel to basically fend for themselves during this traumatic experience. The • .•.1F L...., home will provide them with people who will be able to offer assistance in the many facets required by the victim and their families. That, of course, is as impor- tant as the refuge itself. No one knows the full extent of the problem. Many victims never complain, perhaps because they never. knew where to turn for help.Establishment of the home may prompt more to seek help from the frightening ordeals to which they are subjected. The only sour note comes from the neighboring property owners who feared that establishment of the home would devalue neighborhood property values. The home won't have that effect, but surely the protests will. It's difficult to imagine anyone wanting to live in a neighborhood where people have so little human kindness for those who have fallen upon misfortune. Report prompts major decisions If there's any validity to theadage that "`"ignorance is bliss" it no doubt will gain "'credence from members of Exeter coun- cil following receipt of the salary, benefit and organizational study presented to them by Personnel Management Associates Inc. Most members agreed there were pro- blems to address and after some agoniz- ing •discussions, they voted to spend almost $7,000 for the professional study. Ironically, many may now see the report as providing them with more problems than they had originally. The report contains recommendations for major changes, and while some may even be controversial, they will have to be considered, and with expediency, in view of the fact some employees probably have. legitimate concerns about their positions. As comprehensive as it may appear, the study by Personnel Management Associates hides the answer to the most basic and important question. That ques- tion, which is obviously the first which must be addressed by council; pertains to the steps to be taken in considering the report. The first matter that must be con- sidered is that of the salaries for staff members who had their wages frozen pending the report. They deserve some immediate consideration but it should not stampede council into adopting the full salary package suggested in the report. An interim adjustment -or one not even based in the report -would appear war- ranted until Such time as council have made other decisions that appear necessary to prevent the report from be- ing adopted on a piece-mell basis that could undermine its effectiveness. After all. it should be the basis for employee salaries and benefits for several years and must be realistic in terms of other decisions that no doubt will stem from the • report. Step two is obviously the decision to be made on the recommendation for the ap- pointment of a clerk administrator. Many of the other recommendations hinge on this decision. including the respon- sibilities. the grade classifications. and therefore the salaries in many positions within the town administrative structure. That decision appears basic to prac- tically all other recommendations in the report. Personnel Management Associates list Ras "a key recommenda- tion" although it could more appropriate- ly have been designated "the key recommendation". To reach any other decision first. other than the aforementioned settlement regarding the frozen salary situation. would be inappropriate. in his verbal report to council. Lion J. Sharzer indicated he chose his words carefully in the written report, and his use of the word "key" to describe the clerk administrator recommendation should be considered in the full definition of that word. That decision unlocks all other deci- sions that will be necessary. T� approach any other aspect of the report prior to that decision may not solve c g ; � �� BATT'N AROUND with the editor any of the problems council wanted to solve: and in fact could create more. * When council authorized the study, and in public defences of that expenditure, members explained they had neither the time nor the expertise to handle the job they gave to Personnel Management Associates. However, it does not naturally follow that council should accept,all aspects of • that report on the supposition that an ex- pert in the management field knows best how the town should operate from an ad- ministrative standpoint. Sharzer clearly notes that some of his recommendations involve reductions in • service and may impinge on the jurisdic- tion of associated boards and commis- sions. "These are of course political con- siderations and beyond the scope of this report." he explained. Council must recognize that the report will create a sense of unease among some employees and those associated boards and commissions. While council moved prdperly to note that everyone will have an opportunity to express views on the report before decisions are made. there appears to be some need for a council statement regarding the time frame that • may be involved and the manner in which discussion will be conducted. it's prudent to. assure people that the report is one man's opinion only and is intendedas a guide for discussion for improved efficiency. Some people have already jumped to unwarranted and unfounded conclusions and these should be headed off by coun- cil by some statement as . to what pro- cedures they plan in dealing with the report. It seems rather strange that the report has even suggested at least one employee has to justify his full time employment. Surely the onus falls on council to justify a full time position they have created and maintained. Other employees may also see themselves in the same delicate position. The report, of course, deals with posi- tions. Council have_to deal with people. The difference is abundantly Lear, and while the decision must be me primari- Iy on the basis of the positions, the people involved can not be placed under undue strain. Council's method of approaching the en- tire matter becomes extremely important.. . • Because the report could lead to a ma- jor re -organization, it emphasizes the need for council to first deal with the clerk administrator position. If a decision is made to create such a position, obviously the person chosen for that position should have considerable in- put into the other re -organization that would follow. That person would be charg- ed with administering the entire organiza- tion and be responsible for its efficiency and therefore should present the guidelines he/she expects would be the best for administering the organization and bringing about the efficiencies. There has obviously never been a more opportune time to consider the merits of an overall administrator, a position being created in more and more municipalities as the complexity of local government increases. Present council members not only have to look at the current need, but also the future. While they may tend to view the need from their position of being a verteran group. they should consider the merits of the position as it would pertain to a more novice group of council members. It should be viewed from the standpoint of the amount of time the "average" local citizen has available to act as a member of council and not those who have an abundance of time to deal more thoroughly with council work. It should not be viewed entirely from the standpoint of present personnel. There's nothing to say the job description has to detail responsibility for the entire organization at the outset. Some of those duties could fall into line at the time of staff resignations or retirements. In that regard. it should be noted that two of the current department heads are nearing the . end of their tenure. and that adds to the suggestion the timing may be opportune and could be implemented on a partial basis. Cost is not a particular factor in that the suggested wage for the position is actually below that of the current clerk treasurer's stipend. Sharzer notes it is not an easy job and in fact may be more difficult for council to allow the exercise of the skills needed by the person than it will for the employees. Nor is it an easy job making the decision in the first place. or in choos- ing the person if the decision is made to go ahead. But, the decision will never . be any easier than the present. "Hope that applies to all the extra bills you run up!" Not lunatic, I'm not saying my wife is a lunatic. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that, while not certifiable,sheis peculiar. Ofcourse, tnere's nothing unusual in that. Many another man could say the same. It's not that she babbles away to herself, or drools, or hears voices: And func- tionally, there's nothing wrong with her mind. She has a memory that would put an elephant to shame, especially when it comes to recalling some real or fancied sin of mine. It's more of a behavioral problem, and it's steadily getting worse, Throughout our blissful wedded years, she has, from time to time, sprung into some new line of endeavor on a whim or impulse, and not once has she looked before she leaped. ' The results have varied frbm tremendous to traumatic. She took on a job as a kindergarten teacher, with no ex- perience except handling our own two infants. She had about 30 kids, and spent most of her time tak- ing off their winter clothes and putting themon again, or herding them to the bathroom. Not much joy in that, but she was given a magnificent salary of $15 a week by a grateful community. Then came a great surge into the world of music. She started taking piano lessons. along with her children. and within a . few years had advanced to Grade 10, and Grade Five Piano. Theory, both of which were successfully completed. Real sense of fulfillment there. The house resounded to the music of classical records and three bodies practising. Never having played the organ, naturally she ac- cepted the job of organist of our church, taught herself, and became bet- ter than average, along with learning to teach a choir. Again, there was a feeling of triumph, of a job well done. This led to teaching music, and she built up a class of about 25. She became an excellent *to ..1.0eviiev Sugar and Spice •"' Dispensed By Smiley butpeculiar a brilliant seamstress, who makes most of her own clothes, and many ar- ticles for daughter and grandboys. She'll tackle making a set of drapes where other women con- template sewing oil some buttons. In between were excur- n,'�'3�n8Ak�xE teacher, loved it, and her', pupils won many prizes in competition. Then she decided to go back to university, threw up her ,piano classes and -hit the books. She wasdo- ing well, had an entirely new interest in life, but was forced to quit because of illness; mostly fatigue from working- like a medieval scholar at it. Another shot at it produc- ed the same results. An experience to remember, but not to relish. Another wild adventure was teaching Grade 13 in a private school. Quite a jump, from kindergarten ,to Grade 13, with nothing in between. She loved it. performed well, and established a close rela- tionship with her students. These are just a few of the high spots. For a while she was a gourmet cook, and we have the cook books and omelette pans to prove it. This was one of my favorite periods, as my waistline swelled steadily and contentedly. Then it was into the sew- ing. An $800 machine. pat- terns, pins, material all over the place, while the cooking and the poetry discussions and the music took a back seat. Today she's an excellent, almost J -sions into painting and. papering, installing -elec- tic fixtures, joining women's groups with great enthusiasm, taking up golf with a singlemindedness that wouldn't admit she 'could not hit the ball like a pro, and various other jaunts off the track of housewife and mother. And I've suffered, man; I've suffered, because she doesn't believe in keeping all this knowledge to herself. I know about kindergarten kids and I've had music pupils draped all over the house, and I know what an arpeggio is. and I had to go to church every Sunday and pray that the organist wouldn't hit any clunkers, and I have become a fair cook, and I know what a dart and a tuck are in sewing, and I know what Ben Hogan said about the backswing, and I know which women are gossips and which are leaders. I've supported, and I've suffered. But I don't know whether I can weather the latest wild enthusiasm: skilled tradesman. My old lady has become in- fatuated with hardware, and thinks she can do anything a plumber. elec- trician. carpenter or painter can do. her sewing period, I wras regaled with patterns from Vogue and Chatelaine. Now she scans the flyers sent out by the hardware chains, and files into a rage when she has paid $9 for a monkey wrench and sees an ad with the same wrencn for $5.98. Her idea of a happy Saturday morning for us is to , visit four hardware stores. I hate hardware stores. Every tool, every item, merely increases my feelings of inadequacy as a handyman. Last Christmas, know- ing my wife's delight in new gadgets, I bought her an electric body restorer, with all sorts of little brushes and things to massage yourself, rasp off calluses and so on, in the bathtub.. She's used it once. Know what she wants for Christmas this year? A power drill, preferably with a saw and sander along with it. It's .bewildering, but never dull, living with such a woman. Take last Saturday. I am sitting in my chair, trying to read the weekend papers. She is up in the bedroom, hoisting beds and bureaus around so she can paint a bit more ceil- • ing. town she comes and launches into some Tom Lehr songs on the piano. Drops that and begins "ripping out" some sew- ing or knitting that wasn't right. Off to the kitchen to whack up a magnificent casserole. Down to the basement to measure broken storm windows. Out comes a glasscutter she'd bought, and she's go- ing to put in glass and put- ty herself. And so on, I could list six other activities. Lively, but exhausting. For me. No excuse to refuse Till yesterday my flying experience had usually been confined to big jets. The few trips that I'd had, had usually had the security of two pilots up front and a professional navigator up there who could tell the fly -boys ex- actly where they were go- ing. In addition there was usually a nicely paved airstrip with a clearly dot- ted line down the centre. This time was a little bit different. My friend and i had spent the afternoon back in the bush cutting wood. About three o'clock we had a pretty good supply piled up and he said, "Why don't we take a little spin _ in the plane?" Now he had broached this subject before but that had always been from the security of my living room when I had agreed to go. knowing that he would probablly forget or it would be dark or something' when i was at his place. There was no reason- able excuse for me to refuse. We pulled into the "Just on the other side of the house." i looked but I couldn't see it. 13y hand we pushed the grain wagon out of the way. Perspectives laneway of his friend's farm where the plane was parked. There was the plane in all her glory. "We'll have to clear the way a little first," he remarked. There was a grain wagon sitting direct- ly in front of the plane. I didn't want to appear too questioning ih nature but finally curiosity got the better of me. "Where's the runway?" i asked. By Syd Fletcher "Do you see any window spray cleaner around?" he asked. "There's a little bit of ice on the windscreen." There was a can sitting on the ground beside the plane. Obviously a regular problem. "That's the biggest pro- blem with planes this time of the year," he remark- ed. "Do you remember when that plane down in Washington crashed? Too much ice on the wings?" About that time I got my comb out of my picket and started scraping ice from the engine covering. If there was any extra weight on that plane it was going to be live Fletcher. It took three or four tries before the cold engihe finally started but in a minute o so away it went. We taxied out onto the laneway. He looked carefully both ways, as any good driver does, and then turned onto the gravel road. I'm sure that any motorist turning down that road would have had more than a litte start. Then there we were, right at the runway. in all its glory, a grass strip about seventy feet wide right between two plowed fields. At one end was a deep ditch. At the other the road. I somehow hoped that the plane had lots of power. •