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Clinton News-Record, 1979-05-10, Page 1Canadian Agriculture minister Eugene Whelan visited briefly in Clinton early Tuesday morning for a pancake breakfast with candidate Graeme Craig, but only a small crowd turned out as townspeople don't seem to get up that early, while area farmers wereQtaking advantage of the first nice day this spring to get the crops in. Here Mr. Whelan chats with the Garon girls of Clinton.(News- Record photo) Renaissance head says • parents have right to select • BY JEFF SEDDON- Reverend Ken Campbell told about 250 concerned citizens it was their "right and responsibility" as parents to select books for classroom use that reflect values and morals taught in their homes. In a sometimes frenzied speech made in Clinton Thursday night the Baptist preacher explained the Renaissance movement in Canada and outlined its goals. Campbell, the founder of Renaissannce International, told the parents the movement was the most "dynamic liberation movement in the country". Campbell was invited to Clinton by the Concerned Citizens' of Huron . County, a group actively lobbying to have three English"`1 terature novels taken out of county high schools. The novels.... The Diviners by Margaret Laurence, OfMice and Men by John Steinbeck and Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger....are considered blasphemous and immoral by the parents. The county board of 'education agreed to''delist The Diviners but did nothing about the other novels. Campbell urged the parents not,to lose sight of their goals nor to succumb to criticisms from book publishers opposing moves to have novels taken out of the classrooms. He said parents opposed to the use of some materials in classrooms seem to he open game for individuals and groups who feel any type of restriction placed on literature represents restriction of rights. He said it was a parents "right and responsibility" to select materials to be used in the education of their children. Campbell steered clear of comment on the three novels under fire in Huron County concentrating on book selection policies in the education system rather than the hooks selected. He said the novels upsetting parents in Huron were secondary to the problems parents were encountering as a result of efforts by parents to control classroom material. He said the attitude by many school administrators that children were the property of the state when they were in school was what Renaissance wanted to combat. "Children are part of the family not part of the state," he said. "That's what this liberation is afl both.'" He told parents that their efforts to have the novels taken out of classrooms have resulted in unwarranted attacks from book publishers and speical in- terest groups. He said the groups at- tempt,to make the parents out as fools. He said parents, or anyone else of- fended by literature such • as The Diviners are made out as "bigoted, narrow minded, red -necked boon - dockers". He added that Huron County has suffered more from these attacks than other areas because of its rural background. He pointed out that the same novels upsetting Huron County parents had surfaced in Hamilton Cth next to no publicity. He said a top school ad- ministrator in that city had commented that a novel was unfit for secondary school use because of its,, content and the remark was virtually dhnoticed. "Why zero in on Clinton, why not Turn to page 3 • Spring, oh glorious spring, where has thou been hiding? And what the H. am I doing here behind the keyboard when it's, sunny, hot, and the town is full of pretty sights, both vegetable and human. I still haven't got the garden in yet, nor the storm windows down, nor the fruit trees pruned, nor the grass cut, nor even the baseball equipment out yet. Oh cruel, cruel world. Well, now that spring is finally here,(you've heard that one before, haven't you) maybe Lois and I can get some of those chores done and sit back and enjoy summer, which here in Huron County has got to be fabulous. + + + Fitzgerald may be behind, but not so for some of the other gardeners in town, particularly one Sam Castle, who has been in once already, of- fering us some fresh lettuce, or "how about a radish." + + + Well garden or no garden, the ball season is now underway, and if all the young fellows will take a, peek at the sports page, they can find out when they start play. M for the old slow -pitchers, next Thursday night , is the first night to stiffen up the old muscles, at 8:30 at the Clinton park. - + + But before the ball season' gets really going, there's still a little hockey to clean up, including the •Stanley Cup finals between the Rngers and Les Canadiens, and the C ihton minor hockey' association b hquet next Thursday, May 17 at Central Huron Seconda °y School at 6 pm. Bill Long, coach of the London Knights, will be the guest speaker at this pot -luck affair, and all coaches are asked to advise parents of the wrap-up night. + + It seems that in recent years, Huron County is become not only famous for the banning of books, but ironically as the birthplace for some great playwrights, and theatre directors and producers. There's Harry Boyle from Wingham, Alice Munroe from Clinton, Keith Roulston 'from Blyth, and lately, Ted Johns of Clinton, whose theatrical production The School Scandal is being called one of the best productions in North America. According to the famous Canadian playwright James Reaney in a column in last Saturday's Toronto Globe and Mail. Says Reaney, "I suppose it's typical of Area Code 416, the Golden Metro hinge that did this to Huron County, it's typical that its drama reviewers almost completely ignored the Blyth Festival. + + + This smile seems appropriate with the upcoming election (only 12 days left) and the gasoline shortage in the United States: "We're living in difficult times. Filling stations are running out of gas, but the politicians aren't'' +++ And last, but not least, don't forget your mother this coming Sunday. At our house, little Andrea and Kris (and daddy too) think that their mommy is the best one in the world. Business Improvement area sought for town by Shelley McPhee Trying to discourage apathy in the community and improve Clinton's appearance to visitors and residents alike is the prime objective of a new group in town. About 16 area men and women, from all facets of the community, have spearheaded a committee which hopes to get involved with the provincially assisted Business Improvement Area (BIA) program. The BIA, which is designated by the local municipal council, is allowed to undertake streetscape beautification and pr- ~totional projects to enhance the at The projects are financed through a special levy which is applied to all businesses within the im- provement area. The programs are the responsibility , of - a board of management. "It's for the community, not just the business people," committee member David Anstett stressed. "We're not taking this on our own to alienate anyone, or to get around council. We're just trying to generate some enthusiasm," he added "We didn't get together to criticize the town, but to make it a better place to shop and live." ' He pointed out that although Clinton suffers from apathy, and needs a major 1 clean-up project for businesses and residences, there are a number of positive points that Clinton has that could be improved on. The majority of the committee felt that Clinton is a nice town with a lot of good people in it and it has an ideal geographical location. "It's a very complex problem and will take a lot of work. This will be an uphill battle. You won't see all the results in six months or a year. It may take five years, " David admitted. Attracting industries and main- taining the ones that are already here. attracting shoppers and new residents to the community, finding something for the young people to do, improving the look of the town to tourists passing through, are all ideas that the group has discussed. "What incentive now does an out- sider have to come to Clinton?" David questioned. Likewise, what is there to keep young people in the area and what is there for tourists to see, other than four shabby entrances to town. • "We have to give the town some sort our people injured in Brucefield crash The intersection at Brucefield and Highway 4 was the scene of another accident that resulted in over $4,000 in damages and injuries to four people. Peter Krull, 68, of Burlington received major injuries and a passenger in the car he was driving, David Krull, 36, received minor in- juries in the Sunday evening accident. The driver of the first car, Marjorie Hardy, 43 of London and two passengers, Michael Hardy, 10 and Daniel Hardy, 6, received minor in- juries. The injured were taken to Clinton Pubirc Hospital by private car and ambulance. The Goderich OPP reported that damage to the Hardy vehicle was set at $2,000 and $2,500 to the Krull. A dog running loose resulted in a single car crash in Clinton on April 29. The Clinton police reported that Jim Switzer, 24, of Clinton was southbound on Victoria Street when he swerved to avoid a dog on the road and went onto the west curb and struck a hydro pole. Damage to the vehicle he was driving was set at $500. of identity,"David stressed. He added that the problem is not unique to Clinton, but other com- munities in the area are also going through a period of stagnation and downfall. Exeter, Goderich, Seaforth, Wingham and Kincardine are all in the midst of, or have completed, some sort of revitalization'pro.ject for their town. The project and the committees involved will not be strictly confined to participation from the businessmen. David pointed out that representation is needed from the farming com- munity, the industrial community, the citizens, the clubs, local organizations and anyone else who could give some opinion or help. "All the people I've talked to agree that something should be done, but they're just loo)Cing for some guidance," David said. "One of the biggest things we've got to counteract is apathy," he added. "I haven't been ,active in the business association. I'm at fault too." Whether m- not the town could benefit from a BIA program and what things could° be done if it is established will be the topic of the meeting on Thursday, May 10 in the Clinton arena. The meeting will start at 7:30 pm. During the public meeting Sally Hannon, a representative from the Ministry " of Housing Community Renewal Branch and Jack Richardson, a St. Thomas businessman and active participant in the city's BIA program will discuss the project and Clinton's situation. All 100 commercial businesses in Clinton have been .invited to come to the meeting, and the invitation goes out to other residents in Clinton and the surrounding area. Energy topic of all candidates meeting 'by Alice Glib Energy and energy conservation were among the a issues raised at Huron county's first all -candidates meeting held at Hullett Central School Thur- sday night. The session, organized by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, drew about 200 people. In response'to a question by Lucl °rt area farmer Tony McQuail on a moratorium on nuclear power, two of the three candidates said they would support a study on the safety of nuclear power plants. Progressive Conservative Bob McKinley, who sat on the natural resources committee in the House of Commons, said nothing of a serious nature has happened at nuclear plants in Canada since they were established in the country. But although he had been assured the plants are safe by experts, Mr. McKinley said, "I would like to see an independent authority with expertise to let the public know whether these are safe plants and if the people who live around them are safe." Moira Couper, the NDP candidat4,, from Bayfield, said her party is committed to a moratorium on the development of further nuclear plants until the views of the public are known and fully considered by government bodies. She said the party also believes in more research into renewable energy sources. The Liberal candidate, Graeme Craig, of Walton, didn't commit himself to a moratorium but agreed more studies should be made on the safety ,of the plants. He said experts "tell us CANDU reactors are safer than what happened in Pennsylvania." The candidates' meeting opened with seven minute speeches by each of the candidates, followed by questions directed to candidates from the floor. Bob McKinley told the audience his party believes agriculture is one of the most vital components of society and must be given a more important and central role in society. The PC candidate said his party is convinced greater export sales op- portunities exist for agricultural products and would put agricultural salespersons in Canada's embassies to promote the sale of Canadian agricultural goods around the world. Mr. McKinley said his party would also attempt to bring producers and consumers closer together and to promote better understanding between the two groups. Moira Couper said agriculture is important since it is the social fabric'of the local community, and without it, i Weather 1979 1978 NI LO NI 10 MAY 1 8 1 2 14 1 3 13 4 4 6 0 5 10 -3 6 16 3 7 24 6 Rain 10.3 mm 6 -6 6.5 4.5 13 6 11.5 2 8 4 10 1 14 1 Rain 56.0mm Farmers catching up ! Summer rolled in to the area sud- denly on Monday, and area farmers have swiftly taken advantage of the .warm, sunny, dry weather to catch up on their spring chores, which are three weeks behind because of a cold wet spring. Under clear skies, the thermometer hit the 29 degree C (84 F) mark on Tuesday, tying a long-time record and the mercury was expected to break the 30 C mark (86 F) on Wednesday, allowing the crop producers to quickly catch up on their field work, par- ticularly sowing spring'grains. The work went speedily, according to agricultural officials, because most farmers were ready when the weather finally broke. Don Pullen, Huron county ag rep, said that the open fall last year allowed most farmers to get their fields plowed, so there was no catching up to do this spring. "And with the late spring, most had a chance to get their equipment in top shape, ready for the weather to break," Mr. Pullen said. "I expect a lot of the spring grains will be cracked in this week, and a lot of the corn worked and ready for sowing early next week," he said. With a plentiful soil moisture reserve, farmers say ithe crop will catch quickly, and in three weeks may have even caught up to a crop sown in April. ; .;1 'e: However , uecause of the late spring, area farmers think some of the sp°ing grain fields will now be put in corn or soybeans, because of the present healthy future contract prices of those two crops. the community breaks up. She said.h.er party favors the creation of land banks in which the government purchases farmland and then leases or sells it to farmers at a reasonable rate. She also advocated using Canada's resources to create more secondary industry, at the same time providing employment for more Canadians. She said the NDP party plans to establish a Fair Prices Commission to investigate items which are priced questionably high and to "investigate the costs between the farm gate and the consumer." Graeme Craig told the audience while Canada's inflation rate has been attacked, last week it was .only nine per cent in Canada compared to a 13 per cent inflation rate in the U.S. He said while campaigning he hadn't had as many questions about Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as he had received about the competency of the leader of the Progressive Con- servatives to be prime minister of the country. He said the Agricultural Export Council, announced by the prime minister in April, will be working with marketing boards and provincial governments in the future to negotiate better access to foreign markets for Canadian agricultural products. Mr. Craig told the audience he would eventually like to see lower interest rates for both the beginning farmer and for small businessmen. In response to a question from the audience which criticized Prime Minister Trudeau for promising he would cut back on the civil service in 1968 and then having 110,000 more civil servants today Craig jokingly replied, "that's job creation!". The Liberal candidate said while government spending has increased in the past decade, individual salaries have also gone up to the same degree. Another audience member asked each candidate to give their views on the gun control laws now in existence. Bob McKinley said the PC's were opposed to the current law, since they felt it was too restrictive for gun collectors, hunters and farmers protecting livestock. He said he had raised the issue of a person taking a • gun in for repair and then needing an acquisitions certificate in order to reclaim it. Mr. McKinley said the solicitor general introduced an amendment to the act following his question. Mr. McKinley said the gun control law "still has to be straightened out so it will rfot affect the average person." Mr. Craig said, "if you're going to shoot someone, then it won't make a difference that you have to go out and purchase a certificate first." He told the audience he is hopeful legislation can be brought in making gun control less of a burden on hunters. Moira Couper said she felt there should be more training available on how to use guns properly and carefully. She said personally she felt the government needed to work to improve conditions in society so people wouldn't be shooting in anger. Candidates were asked for their views on the abortion question by audience member Dirk van der Werf. Both Graeme Craig and Bob McKinley said they did not agree with abortion ,on demand. Mrs. Couper said she believed abortion was a matter' between a woman and her doctor. In response to requests for can- didates' opinions on capital punish- ment from Bluevale area farmer Bev Brown, Graeme Craig replied he un- derstood capital punishment was en- forced only in the murder of a prison guard or police officer. Saying, "I wouldn't want to be the person to pull the plug on someone," the candidate called for harsher sentences rather than the de-,th penalty. Bob McKinley said it wasn't true about capital punishment being en- forced in the case of guards and told the audience that both times the vote on capital punishment came up in the house, he had voted for the retention of the death penalty and would do so again. Mrs. Couper said the NDP party Turn to page 3 • This is the view of the audience from the stage at Mullett are: Moh'a Couper, N Central School lb4t Thur day night at the Federation of Craig, Liberal, and Fe Agriculture's meet'ng the candidates' night. Left td right (News -Record photo) P; Bob McKinley, C: Gr : eme eration president erle G nty.