The Goderich Signal-Star, 1969-02-20, Page 6•
t°
C,OPERICH SIGNAL•S,TAR, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2Q, 1969
ETIERS TO THE EDITOR
INFORMATION PLEASE
Perhaps your newspaper can
obtain and pass on to the pubric
some factual information in
connection with the present
postal situation.
Mr. Kierans increased postage
rates and reduced the number of
mail delivery days, as we all
know. At the same time -
somewhere along the line the
mail is not only becoming much
slowgr, but one cannot even
depend on it any longer, as
many residents can tell by
personal experience. However,
this is just an observation on the
side,. whilst • the main point is
economy.
Mr. Kierans is talking of
saving moneS7 by reducing
services, at the same •time
assuring the postal employees'
union that, nobody will be fired.
Yoiir newspaper reported last
week that in Goderich a sub post
office will be • opened gat
Fincher's Store on the Square
and it wilt be dispensing services
six days a week.
,It would be m'o_st unrealistic
and unreasonable to presume
that any sub post office could
and would be operated without
remuneration. -So from now on,
in the name of economizing, our
town will have two post offices
(main, and sub) 'open on five
days a week pilus one on
Saturday, whereas the one post
office which previously supplied
all these services alone on six
days .a week will , have no
reduction in the number of the
employees, according _ to Mr.
Kierans' assurance which must
be based on facts or else the
union would not have fart' -tip
with it.
Furthermore,' I faintly
° remember ' a recent mention
about adding 'an extra carrier
route in -town which also
puzzled me in viewof the fact
that the roadside signs at our
town entrances have not shown
any increasein population in the
four years our family has been
living in Goderich.;
Saving is like justice . it is '
not enough that it ,. is done, it
must also be seen to be done. I
hope you will•be able to help us
appreciate the new postal
organization ,by letting unclearly
see the saving on the local level.
Elsa Hay -don
P- S: 4s she or isn't she (going -to
get her family allowance cheque
on time this month) — only her
Post Office knows!
Editor's Note: A copy of this
letter with a request for a, reply
has been sent to Mr. Kierans'
office.
UNJUSTIFIED' FEARS
I am writing this letter in the
interest of keeping- the citizens
of our town fully informed in a
matter which seems to be
•burning furiously at the
moment. I do not Antenil to
voice any opiniated •statements;
rather, it is my desire to allay
'some unjustified fears that seem
t9' hav• arisen th oug out the
\\*V\9 n. \ \\\ \ \ "
le is
h': ve reach a c
te-ci
A new method and a new site
--for waste must be found and
used according to Department of
Health standards. My position
on this matter has been stated.
and I will continue to take the
same stand until' the problem is
eliminated. •
Many citizens have expressed
a .greaLfear about the...Locat-rata
population migrating to the
town itself when the existing site
is' closed. These fears can
certainly be justified .if the
Maitland Road monstrosity is
not closed in the proper manner.
However, this closure will be
supervised by the Department of
Health in a manner which should
'million was spent on rat control
in 1967. 'From an article "Man
Against the Rat", 1 offer the
following information:
Massive , poisoning -(at the
time of closing our dump) will
kill the existing rodents. If this
step is undertaken as the sole
measure, it will not succeed.
"The„ moment the poisoning is
stopped dr reduced, the few
remaining rodents will • have
comparatively large amounts of
food and shelter. available. 'these
rats are ab to produce more
and ier rats. In six. months,
to a year, the total population
will usually be fully restored."
The only successful method
of eliminating this hazard is to
supplement massive poisoning
with sanitation methods to
eliminate shelters and food
supplies, permanently. (The
garbage must be buried, as
mentioned above.)
With regard to fears of mass
migration, rats are reluctant to
travel far from their nests.
During the "clean-up"
programme, there will be
increased fighting and
competition.amongst the rats for
the remaining food and available
shelter at the dump. Believe it or
not, Mr. Davis points out, "The
result is social turmoil and
psychological trauma on a
massive scale. This causes
virtually the entire rat
population to secrete 'ACTH and
then corticoid hormones, which
inhibit reproduction and
increase mortality." .
Obviously then, we have not
only a legal, * but. a grave moral
,responsibility to clean up this
mess completely and correctly.
It will be expensive, but it must
be done.
With a little foresight, this
riverside area could be turned
into. one of •the most exciting
winter recreation areas in the
district. The necessary expense
of bulldozing and hauling of fill -
could then become the initiation
of a ski run and tobogganning"
facilities where local enthusiasts.
could • use winter- sports
equipment in a safe,-= =clean
location away from busy streets
of town.
I hope, Mr. Editor; that these
comments will allay, the existing
fears of many" anxious citizens,
and, as,well, indicate . the
potential. f this situation with
regard to making the river area a
credit to .the community.
Pall! Carroll;
OBSERVATIONS'OF
DETONATOR DAN
Upon reading this week's
issue of -the local gazette, in
regards to the rubbish disposal
business, it prompted me to
contact my immediate friend
and most learned • advisor,
"Detonator Dan". Seems Dan
lives just east of that thriving
metropolis of Benmiller.
I found Dan down at the
barn, fondling his pride and joy,
a new fuse cutter and a few cases
cif 60 per cent. We got into the
citizens.
The existing precipice must
be graded or terraced to'''an
acceptable Level, compacted, and
covered with two to three feet
of compacted fill. Existing water
outfalls must be extended by
means of pipes to a point
beyond the new base. This will
"reduce the risk, of .future
poilutior , by, seepage, to a
minimal level.
The question arises-, What
happens to the existing rat
population? Some will say that,
with the existing rat baits, the
rodent_populatton is negligible at
the 'moment. This- is not true! I
visited the 'site this afternoon
and stoed at the edge of the
precipice while five mature
Norway rats scurried around my
feet. I would not1 azard a,guess
as to the total number in the
whole area, but, 'am certain the
number wouldbe staggering.
David E. Davis‘,. head of the
Department of Zoolo , Wirth
x aro iia a e nlvers'i'yas
done ,.:extEnsiiTe .,„ work
investigating rat .populations and,
control techniques throughout
the United States, where $40
a
t
c
of ha t
, o ' ger �a 1�` AV\
back to the lake through the
sewage system.
Theo second_ proposal, and this
seems the best --- since it was
once mentioned • that the
Maitland may change its course,
•we have decided to speed things
up. I)an says he needs about. 100
tons of dynamite, donated by
the Domtar people of course, 50
tons of that cheap U.S. fertilizer
we hear so much about and 200
gallons of fuel oil. Our friend
Dan will strike a line from the
Forresters Bridge at Holmesviiie
on the Maitland to a place on
the ,Bayfieid.River. Ile will then
proceed to place the .explosives
along the line, at the required
depth. Os a day, with a
south-east wind, ban will
detonate thea charge. With the
channel now blown open, and
the wind blowing the spoil back
to dam the river, we shall divert
the water.
Once the river bed dries, the
town rubbish can betused to fill
in the area. In a few years, we
will have a land bridge formed to
Colborne Township. . The
Department of Highways won't
have to build a new bridge to
replace the'one which — and I
quote Dan, "will be removed
from its location by ice, on. or
before the 29th of March".
I1any readers will think these
plans are some pipe dream and
are not logical.
Well readers and citizens of-
Goderich, they are about as
logical as the statement made by
a councillor• of using the'.
Industrial Park for a dump and
about as logical as saying NO to
the dump site east of Goderich..
K. J. Hazlitt
and Deto- nator- a.n-
NOT INVESTIGATED
I.'read with interest -and
amusement the minutes of the
Huron County $0, Council's
Property Committee meeting of
January 14, 1969. It appears to'
me that the committee has not
investigated a number of aspects
of regional government, a
concept upon which several of
r:°ommendations for
establis ing the Huron County
School A Board offices in
Goderich are based. '
A stat,• ment to the provincial
legislature on January 2 of this
year made by _Nfinister---of
Municipal • Affairs ' Darcy
McKeough, leads me to, believe
that the committee is basing its
recomrler•idations on, several
incorrect assumptions.
In the second section of the
motion, it is stated: "With the
possible thought of regional
-government, no doubt the
county' school board will
become more closely related to
the overall county picture than
it has in the past."
According to Mr. McKeough's
statement, some counties will
disappear. This; I think, will be
the case of Huron County, since.
Mr. , McKeough told the
legislature- that regions—will be
y y„
Seems the fine people of
__Goderich have elected a .few
supposedly learned men who are
not with it. f ,
The first proposal is this. We
:will get the mime to donate a few
cases of dynamite and we "will
blow the old dump into the -
Mt hy` IGIt.
w 4
Presuming the water will
continue to rise, the rubbish will
be carried down the river to the
lake, pumped back into the
town's water system and thus
based. upon populations of
i 6•,\00 oto 2Q0 006 Thi woul.
�.� t '!t ;.10 e'
b 6 ly pad .V• urger re:
Mr. McKeough also indicated
that school unit boundaries will
Change , again as regional
municipal government. evolves
because • the province wants
school and municipal boundaries
to be the same wherever
'possible. This would make the
currrerit 'consolidation of 'school
boards ' on a county basis a
transitional program because
regional government will entail
many departures- from the
historic county boundaries.
I think it is fairly :Obvious
priermertomme
on,
w
that the area included in 1.4•uron
County will become part of a
much larger region, and wil, no
longer be a Bounty, per se. How
then. can you talk about , a
"county" school board being
closely related to the overall
"county" picture, when there
will be no such thing as Huron
"County when regional
government is established.?
In the third section, it is
stated: " With the county school
board being centralized as part
of . the county administrative
set-up, this should favour Huron
Colrnty as a possible centre for
any further regional
government." A •possible centre,
but not probable. As stated
above, regional government will
be established in districts with a -
minimum population of 150,000
to 200,000.. Huron County does
not have anywhere near that
number of people. Huron
County will become part of a
larger regional area.
In the case of a joint planning
area (of which Huron County
will be a part when regional
planning takes place), a certain
municipality\ is made a
"designated municipality. The
designated municipality 'must be
able to provide services and
assistance for planning.
In, his speech, Mr. McKeough
said that minimum °populations
for local municipalities will be
8,000 to 10,000 in the new
regions. Therefore, no centre in
Iluron County would have
enough people to remain a
municipality within the new
region. Thus, I don't think any
Huron county town would be
made a designated municipality.
Str-atford,- I think, -would be the
best choic&cin this area. I don't
think there is any basis for your
suggestion that Huron County
would be favoured "as a possible
centre forany further regional
governnlent", even if Goderich
did have both the county
administrative offices and school
board offices. Therefore, this
suggestion' is more • or less
meaningless, in my opinion.
I also noted -somewhat of a
contradiction between 'section
(4) of the motion* and the
second paragraph in the
preamble to the motion dealing
with the county school board. ,
The second paragraph states:
`` .:.iii _m-aking_ any
recommendations on • renting
(the second- 1 floor of the
Administrative .Building) to the
school board or anyone',else,
such an arrangement would have
to be on a year to yearbasis so
that space would be available to
the county when required": "
r Yet section (4) of the
recommendations, states:
"Facilities are available on
county property for future
expansion and the present
building has been designed for
such expansion should it be
required in the future."
On a the one hand the
committee seems to be saying
that if the school board does
establish its offices in the
County Administrative Building,
and the county needs the space'
din e f wore, the board :would
Igimtr•mit ionew atrixemenwsrMeeestrat uu311uwaromt auk,z� e2sztRatSmQrtrertea zersa4661axr{Lwse rermat targ,men
•
-.WINTER ITEMS
CASUAL JACKETS'
CAR COATS
Reduced To Clear
3
SPORT SHIRTS'
4, Special Group
Ea..
WORE TYPE -- Zipper or Button Fronts
'SWEATERS �.�
Reg. $7.05
95
Sizes 36 . 38 - 40 • Ea.
SWEATERS y $0 95
PULLOVERS AND CARDIGANS
TO CLEAR 7 •
a
On the other- hand, -the
committee says that if necessary
there is room for expansion. So,
if the board did locate fts'offices
in the .Administrative Building,
and. tie' county needed
additional space, the building
would have to be expanded, at
the expense of the taxpayers.
Wouldn't it be simpler to
locate the offices in some centre
where a building is available (and
perhaps even subsidized)? Then,
if the county needed extra
space, it could move into tile
second floor . of the
Administrative Building, and no
one would have to relocate, and
the taxpayers wouldn't . be
burdened with .heavier taxes
since , expansion wouldn't be
necessary?
R. G. Beavers
173 Oxford Street
London, Ontario
February 4
Editor's note: Mr. Beavers, a
resident of Exeter, - is majoring in
journalism - nt the University of
Weslern,..Ontario. He Served as
editor of - The °Clinton
News -Record last summer.
•
CREDIT GIVEN
Sir:
I would like to take this
opportunity to thank" you for
the editorial "Student
Achievement" and the snore
than adequate coverage of the.
annual "At Horne" in your
paper last week.
However, I feel that it is most
important to point out that the'
night could not have been -a`
success if were not for the hard
work of.more than 7,0 students.
I ,feel it is not necessary to name
the students since them
'themselves had the satisfaction
of seeing the many sections of
the decorations take shape and
finally come' • together. to
transform the gym of
into an imaginary Paris.
• I would also, like to thank -
those• wood/working classes for
the many hours they devoted to
. the construction of the Eiffel
Tower and the bridge.
• A "thank you" is in'order to
the staff, caterers and custodians
who gave. us an endless amount
of support.
The Student's Council would
like. to thank the merchants,
churches, - organizations and
.'individuals who hlped in any
way.
Betsy Jerry,
Social Convenor.
TOO MUCH SALT
seen the truck spreading salt
over six inches of wet snow, and
an hour later, the now plow
comes along and plows it all .over
to the side. What sense is there
in that? And where does' it go?
Down the sewer and out into the
lake, of course. Our lake water
around Goderich should• be
bordering onthe ocean for
saltiness. I'rn sure .the earth
along the streets nitrst be
permeated with salt by now. It's
no wonder the trees and grass
die. Even when it rains in'
summer we get, a salt bath from
the splashing puddles. A ear
,,ear old shows rust, if it belongs
to.someone living in Goderich. If
you take a wit .along the street,
you will come in with your
boots caked with salt.
In my opinion, the amount of
salt spread on ourstreets is
absolutely ridiculous, and would
never 'be found a in any other
town (unless, perhaps, it . was
located over a salt mine!) There
should be far more common
-sense 'and judgement used as to
when it is needed.
Barbara McKee
LOCK BOXES -
The Trudeau, government is
unfair in doubling the rates for.
post office boxholders because
`that is a money saving service. I
speak for urban residents living
'inn towns who have to walk or
rive to the post office daily to
iroick tip their mail. Hanover,
with -a-population of 5,000, has
1,350 boxholders paying $2.00,
$3.00 or $5.0Q a year for lock
boxes while another 400 get
their mail at the wicket which
requires the service of a clerk.
I also question whether. city
• I am writing to express
concern over the amount of salt,
that is dumped en our streets
every 'winter. I live on South
Street, which is one of the main
"spokes of the wheel", and
which, I suppose, requires more
attention than some of the lesser
travelled streets;., but if the
amount of salt spread on our P.
street is any indication of the
others, it is something to be
worrierLabou t i realize -that -the ---
use of salt is a good method of
reducing accidents due to
slippery roads, WHEN THEY
.i -
rhay. •
*but mat
•
GODERICH FROSTED FOODS
'65 HAMILTON STREET
BURNS VAC', PAC
BACON
Ib. 754
HIV etreprir f i3 614116i166fiftCAtli isget nte*$DSL eterMareeeYA 6tergrer IOL 9'Qt :d1t,4Gffu"6X`w
STKETTES
FARMER STYLE
SAUSAGE -
BULK PACK
Frozen Peas
lb. 5
2,b89l
4 ia•i
Pickett & Campbell LnitJ
CLINTON
GODERICH
ROYALLE -2 PLY
Paper. Towels
FIVE ROSES ALL PURPOSE — 7
FLOUR
CLARK'S FANCY — 48 oz.
Tomato Juice
RED ROSE — 10c off pkg. bag
FFEE
4 Rolls
.____For
Lb. Bag
NATURE'S BEST CHOICE — 14 az.'
WAX BEANS
79'
29'
69'
For 254
•
GODERICH'S OWN . .
WELCOME
SERVICE
would like to call on you with
"housewarming gifts" and in.
formation about your new loca-
tion. The Hostess will be glad to
'arrange your subscription to the
S IGNAL•STAR.
Cal! her at 524-9525
Fi
boxes should be raised when
they too eliminate free home
and office delivery. -But there is
that 'alternative' fret delivery
'service which the townspeople
do not have. The box number is
also a big -time saver in sorting
the mail.
Mr. Kierans: Don't kill your
profitable goose. - •
John Gilbert
.STUDIO
Specializing in . . .
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• Children
Single or Grout. Portraits+
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524-8787-
111 bt. David fll oderkh
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be sure to visit
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