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Times-Advocate, 1979-11-14, Page 4 (2)Pogo 4 Times -Advocate, November 14, 1979 :. o - hmes Esiobinh,d 1873 Advocate Estobl.shed 1881 dvocate 1 Imes - 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 w Santa Shops Early/mit, i; d�slV:l®:lVaPaVt`.V:;V:::?f�ar�:`•�:`.V::�:`.f�:`.Vc`.ir i 1 • •) •