Loading...
Times-Advocate, 1987-07-22, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, July 22, 1987 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgama ed 1924 CD' BLUE RIBBON AWARD Imes - 1 dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235.1331 cn €NA �. LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BILL BATTEN Editor "HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Numbers increase He who hesitates is lost! That's most appropriate for those who failed to act quickly to send off an appropriate card or gift to salute the birth of the world's five billionth baby. If you just got around to it today then there's a suggestion that all those born since July 11 when all those zeros got put up should at least receive a token gift or card. Before you resolve to make amends it should be noted that most experts claim there have been about 2.2 million more added to the population since that historical birth 10 days ago. Don't delay in getting out to get a card or gift, or you'll miss the six billion birth as well. Those figures may be incomprehen- sible, but if you call in some friends and open some beers for a barbecue, you'll get some idea as you watch the black bugs swarm in. Hardly a bold step The passenger railway executives have boldly announced a new scheme to give prospective customers some assurance of arriving on time. They have started a policy whereby those who arrive late will be given a 50 percent decrease on their next ticket. That all sounds very businsesslike Ind people may rush out and consider that all the railway scheduling woes have been quickly ended by such a guaranteed delivery. In reality, there is nothing guaranteed about it, and the only com- pensation for being delayed inordinate- ly is that a customer must head back for more punishment to collect. Many will not take a second chance if they have im- portant deadlines. If the railway bosses really want to prove that they have faith in their lines, they should give customers a 50 percent rebate on the initial journey that fails to meet the test. The alternative is a total- ly free ticket in a comparable amount if passengers have been victimized. Room for improvement It's a little frightening that the death of 1,102 people in Ontario is considered as an improvement in statistics on the highways. But that was the total in 1986 and marks a reduction of 7.5 percent over 1985 and is the lowest since 1954 when there were 1,045. Transportation and communications minister Ed Fulton said he was "en- couraged" by the decline and commend- ed motorists for taking a more responsi- ble attitude towards driving. A more appropriate comment in releasing his statistics is that people must continue to strive towards improv- ing the situation. Certainly, those who read only the figures and were not directly involved in the loss of close friends or acquaintances, will be encouraged by the decline in deaths, but it probably won't be much consolation for those who suffered losses. That's what motorists need to remember. Changing one's habits after a fatality is too late. Saving a couple of seconds by taking a chance can eliminate the seconds left available in a lifetime. Think about -it and don't cheer too loudly for the improvement in accident statistics in general, although your safe driving record should be lauded. It should, however, be remembered that only a 100 percent improvement is the ultimate goal. Highly recommend drip Two or three weeks ago my family and I went to Nashville. Tennessee, to see Grand 01' ()pry to be more exact. Other than that we didn't make any specific plans. What we didn't realize is that the Grand 01' Opry which us- ed to be in a much smaller building in the heart of Nashville, is only part of a much Nigger complex called OpryLand, USA. a theme park such as Canada's Wonderland. Its primary focus is music but not just country music. There are fourteen different musical productions scattered around the grounds ranging from country bluegrass to gospel to Broadway -style revues. Whatever type of music you en- joy you can find it in this park, if you have time, that is. Since there are 14 of these shows to be seen, and each one of them lasts upwards of twenty-five minutes, it's impossible to see them all in one day. The entrance pass ($16.95 U.S.) which you purchase on coming into the park can, be stamped to allow you to return for two more days, an option which a person is well advised to take. The pass in- cludes all of the rides for as many times as you want to go on them, certainly a pleasant alternative By the Way by Fletcher when you have ride -loving children, and almost all of the musical presentations. The two major exceptions are Grand 01' Opry itself and a Broadway -style show which both require separate tickets. Both of these two produc- tions are well worth the money. The grounds are spotless and the workers friendly, very friend- ly I might add. I'll give you an ex- ample. At one of these games where you throw a dime on a star I asked the attendant out of curiosity, how many prizes had. been won that day. I thought at first he was ignoring me but he actually went over to his little book, added up a long column of figures, then came back to tell me exactly how many prizes had gone out on his shift. A small thing 'perhaps, but a typical.at- titude of the young people on the grounds. Although there were large crowds at Opryland the grounds never seemed to have that op- pressive shut-in feeling that many midways have. There are , hundreds of trees spread around the place to break the heat of the sun and most of the buildings are air-conditioned. Driving time down to Nashville is about 10-11 hours. You can travel on freeways right to the en- trance of OpryLand. Motels are plentiful but I would recommend making reservations, especially on the weekends as the motels seemed to be chock-full. I can highly recommerrl the trip dawn -there. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited "PRUNK,NoTH1NG - "I'VE GOT A POCKETFUL OF NEW ORE-VOLLAR (01H5 NIDAL 'LORD SUIFSEP!" Seek mutual interests The writer was among those on staff who called on area township reeves for some answering com- ments regarding those made recently by the five county mayors, and in particular Bruce Shaw. Although those of us in this business often find that people don't mince any words in venting their frustrations or feelings, it was interesting in these cases that the township henchmen had some well -aimed arguments and they really relished hitting on a few points that put Bruce tor tried to) in his place in the cur- rent urban/rural difficulties. Before proceeding farther, it should be noted that most reeves were in good spirits and were not vindictive, and I have this suspi- cion that they enjoyed a few belly -laughs when they met up with Exeter's top dog to carry on the debates. That's not to suggest that none attempts to score some points as the municipalities deal with such a diverse list of topics as recrea- tion, fire pacts, planning issues, landfill sites, libraries, etc., etc. What should be remembered, or perhaps just even found out, by ratepayers in the various municipalities, is that all elected officials have some very heavy plates these dates. Most are pay- ing attention to that, and even those not, have some stark reminders from the debates com- ing at them from all sides. A call for secession may be a little too drastic, but it did make a few heads sit up and take notice. Equally important is that it brought comments from the area reeves why that may not be very good and hopefully will help them all embark on further points to ponder as to why all municipalities need each other to succeed to their potential. * * * * * It probably comes a bit surpris- ing for town citizens to be reminded that the three neighboring townships provide them with water, sewage disosal, a garbage dump and jobs. They Batt'n - Around ...with The Editor probably don't have as much con- trol over those four mainstays as they would like to enable them to play the games with some aces up their sleeves, but they do em- phasis that planning.a moat.could present some serious ramifications. Even as a figure of speech, without putting the backhoe to the test, could also be a detriment to the community in the area of business as outlined by the township representatives. If you've got time on your hands, you may be able to extend the list beyond that outlined. Town citizens could probably come up with an equally im- pressive list, although they should not be allowed to include such things as the hospital, high school and to an extent the rec centre, swimming pool and curl- ing rink which were contributed towards by their rural cousins in a direct manner. The reality is that communities are no longer as self -viable as they were in the developing days of decades ago. For various reasons, some have survived and expanded, while others have almost totally disappeared with the exception of memories. The contributing factors can be geography, natural resources and several others, but perhaps the greatest influence is that of leadership with some accompa- nying element of luck. * * * * * Leadership, when given in a positive and enthusiastic ways can help overcome some short- falls. By the same token, when those in leadership positions are seen as being negative or lacking in enthusiasm, they can do more harm than good. Those around them soon tire of banging their heads against the proverbial walls and withdraw. It should be noted that inter- municipal affairs operate in a similar manner, but it may be on the dangerous side to classify them as urban and rural, especially only in matters where they have differences. Perhaps the area officials should be looking at topics that they can discuss for mutual in- terests on a periodic basis so they scan get together with a common goal and not one that is bound to separate them. The diversions may not only prove profitable in themselves, but they could make it a little easier to get together when they know they face some differences. Hate the lineups One thing I truly hate is stan- ding in line. I consider it a waste of time, and I avoid lineups whenever I can. I'd rather go without most of the things you have to queue up for these days than spending precious minutes of my life waiting for the folks in front of me to move on. But I have not yet learned how to get along without money. Stan- ding in a lineup at my bank used to be one of my regular frustra- tions. Until my bank introduced Automated Banking Machines. Ng more payday blues fpr me. I'd avoid the bank altogether, drive up to a money machine in the suburbs and do my banking by pushing buttons. What a ter- rific idea! That went well for about six months or so. Then one day, when I was down to about ten bucks in my wallet, I went to the shopping centre to order me a fresh supp- ly of brand-new tens and twenties that seem to come straight from the press. But to my surprise a sign said: "Sorry, out of service". Not to worry, though. There were other machines, and I picked the nearest one, a mere ten-minute drive away. A small inconvenience. About three weeks later I hap- pened to be low again. As usual, I whipped out my little plastic friend to conjure up some dough. But my hokus pokus didn't work. Another sign said: "Due to a computer breakdown all machines are temporarily out of order. Please go to any branch of the.... bank". At 5 p.m. on a Wednesday? Not a chance. For- tunately I was able to limp all the way to a gas station, where they accept another piece of plastic I happen to carry with me for just such an emergency. Close call. But the real trouble started on the Friday before the July 1 weekend. On my way home I was going to deposit a government Cheque I had just received and take out a hundred dollars in cash that would last me until Monday. PETER'S POINT • I filled out the deposit slip, en- dorsed my cheque, and placed both in the special envelope. As usual, the friendly banking machine - this time in perfect working order - was happy to see me. "Bello, Peter Hesse!, welcome to Automatic Banking! What would you like to do, make 'a deposit, check your balance, or none of the above?" "Cut out the nonsense," I said. 1 was in a had mood and in a hurry to get home. I often chat with the computer a bit, just to find out what's on the menu. But it was too hot for chit chat now. I pushed the button for "deposit", punched in the amount, and placed the envelope with my hard-earned money into the appropriate slot. "Thanks", said the polite com- puter. "Do you want to do any more banking?" "You het," I said. "Give me hack a hundred dollars in cash." "Nix,"'said the machine. "What do you mean?" I shouted, "I just gave you my ear- nings for two weeks of labour. Give me back my money!" "I can't do that" said the computer. "Listen, you dumb piece of electronic junk. This is me, Peter Ilessel. Don't your remember? I just gave you a whole pile of money, and now I'd like some of it in cash. What's the matter with you?" "Please, consult your bank" "You are my bank! Give me my money!" I was getting hysterical, and the people behind me were whispering and ex- changing looks. Was I an. embezzler or just a deadbeat? My bank, I mean my real bank, was closed. Here I was without my cheque, with about ten dollars in my pocket, facing a long weekend without cash. I had no idea what could have gone wrong. flat in hand I bor- Please turn to page 12