Times-Advocate, 1979-11-14, Page 4 (2)Pogo 4 Times -Advocate, November 14, 1979
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SERVING CANADA'S BEST PARMLANO
C.W.N.A.,O.W.N.A.CLASS 'A'and ABC
Published by J. W. Eedy Publicotiows Limited
LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER
Editor — Bill Batten
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Advertising Manager — Jim Beckett
Composition Manager — Harry DeVnes
Business Monger — Dick Jongkind
Phone 235.1331
yogismemmanettaalletaareemnivase
Amo19omoted 1924
Published Each Wednesday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Rogistrotion Number 0386
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Canada 511.00 Par Year; USA 530.00
Financing costly
It was noted recently that the Ex-
eter PUC had worked out a new
arrangement with a couple of local
banks whereby their interest rate on
current accounts was increased con-
siderably. resulting in a big dividend
for the PUC.
That will show up as a saving for
local PUC customers and a similar sav-
ing for local ratepayers was realized
over the past. month when council
prepaid county and education levies.
The county bodies involved allowed
sizeable discounts for the prepayment
in view of the fact they did not have to
borrow funds from the bank to meet
current expenses awaiting the local
levy. In short. they were giving the in-
terest payment to the municipality
rather than a bank.
With interest rates hovering at the
15 percent mark. the necessity to
borrow funds is a major budget factor
for public bodies and it now represents
a situation that must be given more
consideration by elected officials.
Last week. for instance, when a
debenture issue was outlined to Exeter
council. it was found that the total
repayment of a $242.000 works project
would come to $638.562.50.
Obviously. a practice of "dig now
and pay later" is extremely expensive
as financing takes on new proportions
and the entire facet of financing should
be studied in view of current factors.
While it has often been noted that
public bodies should seldom set
themselves up as financial institutions
through the establishment of reserve
funds for future projects. that thinking
should be reconsidered.
Need guidelines
It's rather evident that the practice
of public bodies calling tenders for the
supply of fuel oil requires some new
guidelines if it is to be fair to all the
dealers interested in the business.
At the present time. dealers bid on
the basis of what discount they will
provide over their current tank wagon
price. the latter being an ever-
increasing figure these days.
Not only do those discounts vary
from one bid to another. so do the tank
wagon prices. So. in effect. there is no
satisfactory basis on which to let the
contracts.
While one dealer may allow a dis-
count of 3¢ per gallon. that has to be
weighted against the fact his tank
wagon price may be half a cent higher
than the dealer allowing a 2.5¢ per
gallon discount- That means both
dealers are offering the same current
total price.
The operative word. of course. is
current. There's nothing to say that the
dealer having the lowest tank wagon
price won't jack up that price even
before he makes his first delivery. In
that case, his price may end being
higher than the dealer who didn't offer
as great a dicount.
If that alt sounds confusing, throw
in the fact that some are tendering on
gallons and others on litres and you
have the confusing situation which fac-
ed Exeter council last week.
While they ended up giving the con-
tract to the dealer who has the best
current price ( based on tank wagon
price and discount) it would probably
have been as fair to flip a coin to decide
the winner.
The time saved in using that
method to award the contract this year
could have been used to come up with
some more workable guidelines on
which to call next year's contract.
It's justified
The provincial government's move
to introduce legislation making the car
insurance compulsory was long over-
due. When the law comes into force
every person who drives a car will be
forced to prove that he and the vehicle
are covered by insurance which will
carry at least $100.000 in public liabili-
ty.
Up to the present it was not
obligatory to carry such insurance.
Those who did not were forced to pay
$150 into a fund out of which the govern-
ment would reimburse injured parties
when an uninsured driver was at fault.
The settlement to the accident victim
was usually inadequate and. of course.
the $150 fee was much below the
current insurance premium. Thus the
taxpayers were stuck with the
By
SYD FLETCHER
Recently there was an
article in the newspaper
about three young lads who
were killed when they ran
away from the police and
accidentally fell over the
Niagara Escarpment.
i can well understand how
easily this could happen as I
remember clearly playing
and hiking along the
escarpment at Albion Falls
near Hamilton as a young
lad. It was a tremendously
exciting place with huge
rocks to climb over, and the
ever-present possibility of
falling into a deep water
hole. We loved every minute
of it and would head there at
every chance we got.
My grandfather's house
was on top of the hill
overlooking the falls. The
difference - a manifestly unfair situa-
tion. Hon. Frank Drea, whose depart-
ment administers auto insurance, has
stated that some $6 million would be
required to carry the present system
through another year. and he also says
that the fund is "broke".
There is no reason in the world why
a person who can find money for a car
'none of which are cheap today) cannot
be expected to put up the money re-
quired for an insurance premium. The
law will provide for a $500 fine for a
false statement about insurance
coverage when licences are being
issued and another $500 for failure to
show proof of insurance when a
policeman asks for it-
Wingham Advance Times
Perspectives
drop-off there is referred to
as Lover's Leap. My
grandfather said that over a
hundred years ago there had
been a wedding scheduled in
his house. The bride and all
the party were waiting there.
A carriage came up from the
train station but there was no
bride -groom in it.
The bride ran down to the
foot of the hill and threw
herself over the cliff. It is
said that her big hoop skirts
acted like a parachute but
she pushed them in and was
killed.
Not long after, the
bridegroom came rushing
up. Apparently he had
missed his train and had
caught the second one, but
too late.
My grandfather, my father
and one of my uncles were
sitting down to a meal one
night in the same house and
heard a terrible crash. They
raced down the hill to find
that a truck had gone
s: -
..r
"How was 1 to -know he hadn't borrowed model in bears?"
BATT'N AROUND with the editor
Bells ... noise or music?
If you're one of those who adheres to
the practice of whistling past the
cemetery, your right to enjoy that self -
assuring practice at any time during
night or day is made possible only by
the fact that Exeter cemetery is
located in Hay Township.
To our knowledge. Hay Township has
not yet passed a bylaw to control noise
within its boundaries.
If the cemetary was located within
Exeter, you'd only be able to whistle if
you passed by it other than the hours
from 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
What's all that nonsense. you say?
Well, it's all part of the noise control
bylaw passed by Exeter council last
week and this writer is wondering if
members of council really stopped to
think about all the ramifications con-
tained in that legislation.
It appears to parallel the property
standards bylaw in infringing upon cer-
tain rights of the individual and there is
ample reason to question whether all
the rules are really necessary.
We appear to be getting so over -
legislated that it is absurd and one of
the saving factors is that it would take
an army of policemen to enforce even
half the rules and regulations which are
currently in force in this community.
Many of the rules contained in the
new noise bylaw don't make much
sense and unfortunately will require so
many exceptions that it will once again
put the law enforcers into the same
position as they are regarding the
property standards bylaw. which if
passed. will be immediately con-
travened by 95 percent of the home
owners in the municipality.
. . .
Let's take a look at a few of the rules
contained in the noise bylaw.
The one that comes to mind for this
time of year is that singing is
through the barrier and over
the cliff. At the bottom of the
gorge they found the occ-
pupants, a man, his wife, and
two children, amazingly
enough still alive. The man
and one child were pinned
under the overturned truck.
It is remarkable how
strong one can become in
times of stress. My grand-
father and the two boys
actually lifted the truck up
and away from the two in-
jured people, then carried
them up to the top of the
gorge. Subsequently all of
the family survived.
Looking at the three
stories above, it would seem
that the Niagara Escarp-
ment is a good place to stay
away from . Far from it.
There are some excellent
parka, picnic areas, and
excellent hiking trails along
it eg. The Bruce Trail. With
common sense and good
judgement there can be a
good time for all who travel
in that area.
prohibited within 50 metres of South
Huron Hospital at any time. Does that
mean that area groups who have an-
nually provided Christmas carol con-
certs will be prevented from doing so
this year. Or will they be allowed to
provide this welcome treat for patients
if they appear before council and ask
for special permission?
The writer assumes that members of
council had no intentions of prohibiting
carol singing at the hospital when they
passed the bylaw. but the fact remains
if that provision is not enforced then
how can they expect other provisions to
be enforced!
Local residents who may enjoy the
hobby of flying combustion engine
model airplanes should be advised that
the only place where such activities
will be permitted is at the community
park and only east of the rec centre.
The fact is, there are many other
safe areas in the community where
hobbyistscanenjoy this pursuit and yet
they are now prohibited from doing so.
The congregation at Trivitt
Memorial Church may be well advised
to look into the new bylaw and seek
special permission from council
because the rules indicate that the ring-
ing of bells on Sunday or statutory
holidays is forbidden.
Certainly, those people who drive
through town with blaring horns to
signify their nuptials are in contraven-
tion of the law as are any sporting
teams which are accompanied by the
sirens of the fire truck on their victory
parade.
All selling or advertising by shouting
or outcry or amplified sound is
prohibited at any time except by per-
mission from the Chief of Police.
. . .
The preamble to the bylaw suggests
that it is required because "people
Sugar and Spice
Dispensed by Smiley
Retirement big question
To be or not to be? Retired, that is.
This is the question that many codgers
of my age or near it grapple with in
those lonely dark hours in the night
when you've had too much coffee and
can't get into the ravelled sleeve of
care. as Shakespeare. put it. Or get to
bloody sleep. as some of his less
Flowery countrymen would put it.
It's a question that has also stirred a
great deal of agitation among
socialogists. medical reporters, and old
guys who are healthy as trout and are
about to be kicked out at the age of
sixty-five with a speech. a copper
watch. and a pension that will have
them eating dog food by the time they
are sixty-eight. It used to be a gold
watch. Not no more. not 'with gold
hovering around the $400 -an -ounce
mark.
In fact. just the other day. I dug out
my father's gold watch. which was
given me on his death by my mother,
because I was her favorite. I have
never worn it. because I don't wear
vests, and it's a big. heavy brute that
must be slipped into a vest pocket. You
can't wear it on your wrist. or put it in
your hip pocket. It's as big as an alarm
clock.
I took a long look at it. and if it hadn't
been Sunday, might have hustled down
to my friendly gold buyer. But Roots,
or Conscience, or Common Sense, took
over. and I sadly put it away again,
with such other memorabilia as my
war medals. my hip waders; and a
fading picture of my first real
girlfriend, in a box in the basement.
Roots told me it was a precious gym -
WOW
L1V_tainstream Canada
"Biting the Bullet"
have a right to and should be ensured
an environment free from unusual, un-
necessary or excessive sound or vibra-
tion which may degrade. the quality and
tranquility of their life or cause
nuisance".
As is the case with the property stan-
dards bylaw. the terms used to support
the rules and regulations are too vague
to be adequately defined • and again
what is unusual. unnecessary or ex-
cessive to one person is certainly not
placed in that category by another.
The ringing of church bells may well
be considered to degrade the tranquili-
ty of those who enjoy sleeping in Sun-
day morning. while others find that in
fact the very sounds that come from
the bells provide them with some
tranquility as they hum along with the
tunes of the hymns that are being
played.
And, while you can't ring bells on
Sunday, you can operate construction
equipment or your lawn mower, which
many people would find more offen-
sive. You can even start that at 9:00
a.m.!
With such rules. there is the apparent
assumption that everyone goes to bed
or wants peace and quiet at the same
time of day or night.
So while the shift worker is bothered
(?? 1 as his neighbour goes about whistl-
ing or singing without any fear of the
law. the same worker is prevented
from getting even by returning the
favour when his neighbour is trying to
steep. The law. you see. thinks
everyone should be quiet between 11:1Y
p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Sun-
days) .
Rules ... made to be broken!
bol that should be passed on to my
eldest son, of which I have only one.
Conscience told me it was a rotten
thing to do. And Common Sense told me
that there was probably about one-
eighth of an ounce of gold in it.
I am, however. holding in reserve a
broken tooth with a gold inlay. When I
came back from overseas and was dis-
charged, I was given a form to present
to my own dentist. listing the dental
work to be done, at goverment expense.
He was a typical WASP- He looked at
the list of work. which was quite exten-
sive, after a term on short rations in
prison camp, and laughed. "Ho. ho,
Bill. You don't want all that gold
cluttering up your mouth. This was
signed by a French-Canadian. They're
great for gold in the teeth." If that den-
tist is alive today. i would be quite hap-
py to strangle him.
I went along with him, while noting
his prejudice. and instead of having a
mouthful gold. I got one little inlay."If
he'd followed directions, and counting
the teeth that have been pulled, or
fallen out. or broken my mouth would
have been worth about $4,000 today, in-
stead of maybe $6.00:
Well, this hasn't much to do with
retiring, which we started on away
back there, but it does show what infla-
tion can do to a man.
What about retiring? i look around at
colleagues who have chosen early
retirement, or who have been forced to
retire because of that magic, arbitrary
number, 85.
Some are happy as hummingbirds
and swear they would not even put their
By W. Roger north
The full length coat oI na-
tural Russian silver fox is priced
at S17,000. There's a luxurious
calf leather day -Into -night bag
from Italy that sells for a cool
S275.
Here's a mohair/wool/
acrylic sweater from Italy at
$230. Or how about a hip -
length feather jacket at $550
per copy.
These pricey items are not
included in a sales promotion
for a firm dealing exclusively
with the very, very rich. All the
goods are fixtures in a widely
distributed catalogue advertis-
ing Simpsons' goodies for the
Christmas season.
That's what's happening
in the real world of merchan-
dising.
Roger Worth is Director,
Public Affairs,
Canadian Federation of
Independent Business.
In the sometimes unreal
world of government, econo-
mics, and civil service manda-
rins, there's a different view-
point.
"Canadians can expect a
tough winter," says federal
Finance Minister John Crosbie.
"lt's time to bite the bullet."
Crosbie backs Bank of Ca-
nada Governor Gerald Bouey
when he claims that without
record high interest rates Ca-
nadians face "an economic
and social breakdown." Harsh
words indeed.
Bouey contends that high
interest rates will keep a lid
on the rate of inflation (now
slighdy less than 1007o per year).
Still, one wonders if even
record high interest rates will
noses back into the old shoe factory
(high school). Others are miserable,
plagued by illness and a feeling of being
useless. The latter drive their wives out
of their respective nuts. hanging
around the house. getting in the way,
edging into senility.
Thus I waver. I thought some years
ago that I would soldier on until sixty.
Surely forty years of work is enough.
Then I am swayed by my father-in-law,
who recently retired at eighty-six, and
my wife. who can barely stand me at
home for a weekend.,
If we lived in a decent climate, I'd
probably be retired and happy. There's
nothing I would like better that to
saunter down to the square. play a
game of chess with some other old
turkey. drink a little vino. and watch
the girls go by, with cackling remarks.
Try that in the local square, and
the'd be carting -you off to the last
resting place. frozen solid in a sitting
position.
Why don't we all give up, we old
gaffers? You know why? Because we
are not old gaffers at all. In my zhest
beats the heart of a fifteen year-old
maiden (who has been smoking since
she was two.)
In the old days, we'd be retired, hap-
pily playing chess or shooting pool,
because our sons would be looking after
us, and our wives would feed us well,
and know their place; and our
daughters-in-law would be producing
hordes of grandchildren to light us on
our way.
have an important impact on
the shopping habits of Cana-
dian families. Short -lean lend-
ing by Canadian financial in-
stitutions is up 20% or more
this year. That means consum-
ers are borrowing more and
more money to purchase new
products, perhaps in an effort
to beat the next price increase.
What both Bouey and Cros-
bie fail to make clear in their
doom -and -gloom pronounce-
ments is the importance of con-
sumers buying Canadian made
products, ensuring that a higher
proportion of the dollars in-
volved remain in Canada.
While Canada's trading
partners might be upset with
a real effort to convince con-
sumers to "Shop Canadian,"
positive results from such an
emotional appeal could alle-
viate Canada's balance of pay-
ments problem, as well as pro-
vide badly needed jobs.
1f, as Bouey claims, Cana-
dians are facing "an economic
and social breakdown." per-
haps it is time Canadians were
really pressed to "bite the bul-
let.'
The difference between a
winter vacation in Quebec's
Laurentians and a couple of
weeks in Florida is important
to the country. In the same
way, so is buying a Canadian
made sled, rather than the im-
ported model.
So, this Christmas. before
laying down 517,000 for a full
length fur coat keep one thing
in mind. Buying a Canadian
product might eventually help
drive down interest rates, pro-
viding savings on the money
borrowed to make the pur-
chase. It's worth considering.
444- Ort memory lone
55 Years Ago
William Mitchell has
disposed of the Metropolitan
Hotel to Mr. T. Cameron.
Mr. Mitchell has been
proprietor of the
Metropolitan for the past ten
years.
The L.O.L. of Exeter has
elected the following officers
for the coming year, W.H.-H.
Dignan; P.M. -G Davis;
D.M.-W. Cunningham; Rec.
Sec -G. McDonald; Financial
Sec. -H. Bowers; Treas.-J.
Brintnell; Chaplain, -Rev. J.
Foote; Lect.-E.M. Dignan;
J. Brant Committee -J.
Luker, W. Lutman, H.Powe
and C. Walker.
Mr. E.O. Penhale has
disposed of his fifty -acre
farm in Stephen Township to
Mr. Ben Makins, of the same
township.
30 Years Ago
Tenders are being called
for the erection of an
eighteen classroom school at
the Centralia airport where a
huge housing project is now
well underway.
According to the latest
assessment Exeter
population is now 2,401.
Contributions to the
Exeter District Hospital
Fund have now reached the
half -way mark.
The Exeter girls softball
club, champions of the
southern group of Western
Ontario Amateur Athletic
Association, were honoured
at a civic banquet at the
Central Hotel Friday
evening.
20 Years Ago
Norma Geiger, Zurich was
elected editor of the SHDHS
paper staff, Wednesday.
Friends and neighbours
joined Mr. and Mrs. William
Westlake last Wednesday
evening to celebrate their
20th wedding anniversary.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Nor-
thcott of Vancouver are
visiting relatives in Exeter
and community.
A "minister" convicted
Wednesday of obtaining
money under false pretenses
was given suspended sen-
tence and ordered to repay
two loans of $300 to Exeter
and St. Catharines residents.
15 Years Ago
Rev. Clinton A. Brittain
was re-elected to his second
term as president of the
Grand Bend and Area
Chamber of Commerce at
the annual meeting Monday.
Thomas Ellerington Jr.,
was awarded the British
American Oil Co. proficiency
scholarship of $50 at the
annual banquet of Western
Ontario Agricukural School
at Ridgetown.
Six lucky area shoppers
ended up with $25 each in
merchandise certificates
when their tickets were
drawn in the Exeter
Businessmen's Association
"Share Christmas" draw
this weekend.
Construction on the
Parkhill Dam will be
delayed again as the Ausable
River Conservation
Authority learned this week
they would have to call
tenders on the major project
again.
These days, we are still looking after our sons, and our
wives are avaricious and spoiled, and our daughters-in-law
are already separated front our sons and not keen on having
more than one and a half children.
Oh, I keep my staff on its toes. One day I announce firmly
that I'm going to retire next June. Their faces light up and
they say, "Oh chief, how can we get along without you?"
Another day I say, "Well, haven't decided yet. What with
inflation and all, y'know..." And their faces drop into feet,
and they say, "that's great, chief. How could we get along
without you?" And I smile. To myself.
I've finally figured out the solution. Retired men. unless
they have some insane hobby, like making rose trellises,
drive their wives crazy.
If my wife will sign a written agreement, duly witnessed,
that she will go out and get a job (she once was a waitress,
shouldn't be any trouble) the moment I retire, I'll do it.
I don't want her hanging around the house, spoiling my
retirement. `d tolvwfwa
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