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Clinton News-Record, 1984-02-08, Page 4• etto*-4LINT9Nispwwp, viinimpAy,FnialaMiY8, 1984 .11100O2n100 044,011.11404 p4001421011 WO' 30041144110v of 0.42.11cm St C11000. Ontocloi $�M 110P T014 402441141; -111141111013011 e0044111;711042 L4roci141110,#10f02 Pfe 0". . Les+ 'Irmo" 400.912 eP4It riff $I,110 "00101440111 s0 04010 Ow In011 by Ow pop.c unOr 11niheirmol, noisier 01111. 1114 14enis.11444.0 InWrpOrelo4 In 1024 Oa 1000:4P 114w0,044014 fermi In 14111. and Thol01141101141100 Ink fikusinal In 1240. TI P1004 f1finft • iricerjuleatirly THE MTH STANDARD J.. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY MCPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HALLENBECK - Office Manager MEMBER MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. AA for Rater Card. No. 14 effective October 1, 14113. Is Agri NeWi: Government intrusion into competition. with private enterprise appears to be increasingly popular these days, despite the fact it is highly questionable as tax- payers have to compete against their own fax dollars. The Ontario ministry 'of agriculture arid food is the latest government wing to reach out into the sarket, place as it inaugurates a new tabloid -Ontario AgriNews. It will be distributed free of charge to 82,000 Ontario farmers, thereby corin- peting directly with numerous newspapers, magazines and periodicals which cur- rently serve the farm population. There is little evidence to indicate that farmers are in need of this new govern- ment service. Not only have the number of farm publications increased in recent years, the quality and depth of coverage has improved tremendously. Unlike Ontario AgriNews, the other publications don't merely tell farmers what the government wants them to hecfr. They balance the news coming out of the ministry public relations. departments with views from industry spokesmen and opposition critics. They give both sides Of the story and allow readers to in- telligently reach their own conclusions. There'll be none of that in Ontario AgriNews. It will stick strictly to the govern- ment line in all its self -glorification. In short, a publication by the government and for the govern,rnent. So, take heaTITClrs. Some publishers and their staff members will soon be joining you in your current economic woes while the ministry of agriculture and food undertakes projects to spend, dollars in every way but good. - from the Ex- eter Times Advocate. Behind The Scenes Career choices All parents spend a lot of time worrying that their children will find careers that will make them happy, wealthy and wise and with one teenager ready to enter high school next year, I'm no exception. Back when my generation was growing up we were constantly brainwashed by parents • and teachers that if only we'd get a good education the world and all its riches would be at our feet. We were all convinced that a university degree would let us live like the Rockefellers, and it seems a lot of us have been trying to do so ever since. We've got thedebts to prove' it. Anyway, we're more realistic in the '80s, knowing that a college degree doesn't even guarantee you a job, let alone a job that -will pay a king's ransom. So I've been scouting around for alternative careers for my kids so they can support me in my old age in a manner I haven't been ableto afford: to become accustomed to at this point in my life. I've planted the seeds with my daughter to become an orthodontist, for instance. 'This came naturally to mind after taking her to the • orthodontist dozens of times over the last couple of years and seeing the line-up of kids with enough silver in their mouths to make a silver spoon for an orthodontist's kid to be born with. I know how much I paid for the right to watch that line up and know that that was peanuts compared to some of the radical work he's doing to give these other kids million dollar smiles. I also know that Canada's ill-fated movie boom of a few years ago was financed by . orthodontists looking for a tax break. I'm not too sure a career of looking gift - horses in the mouth is appealing to my daughter, however as it is for me. So I've been looking at alternatives. I figure there should be a great market for psychiatrists in Years to come: It isn't just that we have to 'continue to live with the bomb, acid ram and Pierre Trudeau, it's that for a good many of us, the future will mean staring all day into a little blinking television set that seems 'bent on driving us to distraction by wiping out a whole day's work with the touch of a wrong button. The stress will get to us. It's not natural. After all, if God had meant us to spend all day looking at a television screen He would have given us an AC/DC converter in our sides so we could plug in our cern- . puters anywhere. Another good alternative career is selling eye glasses to all those people who will be staring into computer screens eight hours a day. But my favorite, non -fail, money -making career is to set up a used car lot in Los Angeles. Even just a cursory glimpse at the television tells you that there must be an in-, exhaustible market for used cars out there. • They -crash, blow up, spindle, --crumple or mutilate more cars in an hour on television police shows than in a year in all of Canada. It must mean a bonanza for anyone selling used cars in Hollywood. • The one frightening thing about that idea is that this is not just far-fetched imagina- tion on the part of Hollywood script writers that people in Los Angeles actually drive that way. But from an economic standpoint, that's even better news.. If people crash that many cars in real life, just think of the market for replacements: But if the idea of living with the maniacs is frightening, there's still a great opportunity. At the rate Hollywood is going through used cars, I figure there's got to be a shortage. soon. We can export our old clunkers from Ontario for them to blow up. Okay kids, I've given you the ideas:Get to it. Make me rich. • Ralph Barrie encourages local Federation lobbying by Stephanie Levesque With the possibility of a federal election looming on the horizon, retiring OFA presi- dent Ralph Barrie urged local federation members to apply pressure to their MP. The Lanark County beef farmer has 'Seen covering the province in the past week spreading the same message to the 25,000 plus Ontario Federation of . Agriculture. members. Mr. Barrie spoke to Huron aggresive eiiuugii 111 1.s iuuoying strategy. The suggestion that farmers withhold their products for a day is not favored by the retiring president. "We don't have the clout to withhold our products. Not in reality. We only make up four per cent of the population," said Mr. Barrie. Resides encouraging lobbying, Mr. Barrie apologized to the federation members for federation members on Feb. 2 in Clinton. "jumping ship" between OFA elections. Mr. ' The current political situation - the's,,,Barrie was recently appointed to a three- man beef commission established by Minister of Agriculture and Food Dennis Timbrell. "I'll feel good if we do something to make beef farming better," Mr. Barrie said of the commission. He assured federation members. that the commission is not going into its task with any pre -conceived ideas of how to improve beef farming in the province. Mr. Barrie said the commission will be travelling around the province getting feed- back from beef producers and visiting other provinces to see how they market beef. AfeWaxtm'IL:,.&4-,ctIU,„g 141.6#1.1 *WAX' Itit • KMA W.F.PAF" 7,r407 •••••0,14 Be mine PP" PA104MSOL,P,‘WP from Elizabeth WillmoPKettlewell Sugar and Spice The rugged remain This is the tirne of year when we get rid of all the undesirables in the community. By undesirables, I mean people with more money than I. They leave our northern com- munity_for Florida, Mexicoethe West Indies. In one fell swoop we get rid of all the sof- • ties, the cowards, the sybarites. In short, the rich whit trash. It's as much a part of our heritage as -the. Saturday night bath, or spring cleaning. And I think it's a good thing. When the last barber or bricklayer has bragged about being off to the„ Bahamas when the last druggist or doctor has inform- ed me pompously that "We'll probably take' in Acapulco this year," I feel a sense of relief. The rats have left the Freezing ship, and pioneer types, the rugged individualist and the poor people left in the temperate (hah! ) zone. The rest of us, the best of us, can get down to the real glory of winter living, without stumbling over a lot of sissies who are better off down there getting sand in their navels. As one of the old true-blue breed, fighting it out with the elements, I am inclined to scorn them. As a humanitarian, I can only pity them. Think of what they're missing. federal Conservatives leading in the opinion polls and an election in the offing - make an ideal time for federation members to active- ly lobbrsaid Mr. Barrie. The provincial organization has, through research, prepared briefs, which Mr. Barrie said are available for use by the local federations. Three particular issues he, emphasized were capital gains, changes in the Income Tax Act and major improvements to the Farm Credit Corporation. Mr. Barrie defended the provincial organization against criticism that it isn't r By What is there in the soft and senuous south to equal thatcrunch of toes breaking off, that crack of bursitis in the shoulder when you throw that first curling stone, that snap of thigh bones on the ski hill? Let's take a look at, a couple of these liot- weatier hounds. Look at this bird in Flo Ida. Gets out of bed and there's that • sam old crumby, monontonous sun blazing down, 'ust like all the other days. Same old routin . The inevitable patio; the inevitable trip to the beach with the inevitable obscenely fat softies lying all around. Or the inevitable sweating it out on the golf course • with a lot of other middle-aged liars. And here's our pal in Mexico, just getting up at 10:30. He hasn't paid last year's in- come tax yet, but he's borrowed $1,500 from Atie tp malce__.the. trip. He has a hangover from those six -ounce 40 -cent Mk- ican drinks, and a twisted back from trying. to tango. • His wife, in the other twin bed, looks like an inmate of Belson, because she's Wad Mex- ican complaint, commonly known as dire rear, ever since they crossed the border. She Whines, he snarles. They totter out into • the muggy heat. And another horrible day in Acapulco has begun. It's not like that around here. Down to a aleidoscope jolly breakfast: vitamin pills, cuppa tea and half slice of toast. There's the thrill of varie- ty as you prepare for the day. When dawn comes, will the sun be shining, the snow fall- ing, or a blizzard howling? Out into the wild Wide yonder. Grab -the shovel and make the snow fly, chuckling heartily all the while as you think of those poor slobs in the south, with nothing to do every day but the same old things. The clean, fresh, northern air hits your lungs like a dum-dum bullet. Bark seal -like greeting to neighbor, whose head is just visi- ble over his snowbank. Off to the garage. Excitement of wonder- ing whether the car will start. The sheer, demonic joy of belting out the driveway backwards and trying to smash throug the bank • the snowplow has thrown up. Sometimes you make it:- . _ The skidding, slithering adventure of the drive to work. Wheels spinning, visibility 12 feet, every man forhimself. And another day of glorious winter living has begun. Don't try to tell me about the seduction of the languous southland. Just give me the crisp, virile challenge of living where men are men. And you can tell them from women. When they get them thawed out, "Love makes you feel warm inside," that's how Lori Hiles describes our most sought after emotion. She was one of more than 20 Grade 3 and 4 Students at Holmesville Public School that I • interviewed this week. The topic was, what love means to me. Each student was eager togive their impressions, through words and pictures, but unfortunately, due to space limitations, .we won't be able to print all the responses. Thanks to teacher Mrs. Chisholm and all the students for helping with our Valentine Day issue. Hope your Feb. 14 is a "lovely" day. Received your T-4 slip yet? Well before you start complaining about making "poverty wages," check the figures in the 1983 poverty line, from the National Council of Welfare. The figures are based on urban and rural' areas. Urban area are those where the population exceeds 500,000. Single person - urban, $9,449; rural, $6,987. Couple - urban, $12,466; rural $9,132; family of 3 - $16,675; rural, $12,228; family of 4, urban, $19,216; rural, $14,,135; family of 5 - urban, $22,393; rural, $16,436; family of 6 - urban, $24,918; rural, $17,945; family of 7 - urban, $26,918; rural, $19,772. The council estimates you cannot afford such basic neccessities of life such as proper By Shelley McPhee food and housing, if you earn below these amounts in 1983. + + + The • Clinton Horticultural Society has filled the office of second vice president. Mike.Faleonerhas taken on the job. " • • • + + Did anyone see some familiar faces on CTV's Big Top Talent on Saturday? Some local dancers performed on the morning television show, students of Shannon Preszcator of oderich Township. The performers included Scott and Laurie Jewitt, Stacy Reid and Debbie Draper. +++ Television service in Hensel] and Blyth may expand if a CRTC proposal is ap- proved. Twelve area municipalities, including Blyth, may get cable television by the end of the year. They are the subject of ap- plications for service that will be heard before the CRTC on Feb. 14 in Hull, Quebec. Cable television is reaching small towns in Ontario after the Canadian Satellite Com- munications Inc. of Toronto was given 'approval in July to carry four ' American channels on its service. Prior to that there were restrictions on satellite programming and signals weren't available. We'll have more on the outcome of the hearings in upcoming issues of the News - Record. -t- + Clinton high school students are gearing up for their annual winter carnival celebrations next week. Don't be surprised if you see some unusually dressed students. heading ter school,,or BctIllf strange extra- curricular activities taking place at 'the school. Also on Feb. 24, music students at CHSS will be hosting their first Music Festival.. Clinton music Director Rob Parr noted that the event will feature participants from CHSS, as well as high schools in Goderich, Listowel, Mitchell and Winghare. The day will include an afternoon workshop and an evening concert. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the concert will feature the Clinton and Goderich band, and a 200 voice massed choir. Be sure to attend. +++ Clinton's Katimavik group is extending an invitation to their home on Feb. 12. The open house will give the public an opportunity to meet with the group and those interested in billeting the participants are encouraged to attend. Part of Katimavik's experience is a two- week billeting program in local homes. To take place in March,..the hvg-Jreopp_ortenity_ is designed to give young people an .op- portunity to learn a new skill and meet new people. You are invited to meet Katimavike at their High Street home from 2 to 4 p.m. Have a heart, support the area canvass Pat Whalen Chairman of the Heart Fund Campaign for the Huron Chapter of the On- tario Heart Foundation announced that 45 Captains and over 700 Canvassers are ready tdtake to the streets and roads across Huron County starting February 12th. This year the county has been divided into 5 areas, each with an area chairman to eq. -ordinate the campaign activities. Door-to-door canvassing is. the major source of funds for the local -campaign, and "previous campaigns have shown that volunteers can complete their calls in a maximum of two hours" Whalen said. "'The 1984'"Canadian Heart Fund" con- ducted by the Huron Chapter will succeed with the full co-operation of the people of HURON COUNTY " Chairman Whalen declared "for your own heart, for the hearts of your families and for the welfare of our communities, • I urge you to put 9ut the welcome mat for the volunteer canvasser and help us in achieving our Chapter goal of $38,000_00". Last year's campaign raised $30,000.00, Mr. Whalen hopes that "with a more complete county coverage this year we will be able to reach our new goal." "The progress that medical science will make in its fight against heart disease and stroke Will be speeded by the support that you, and scores of thousands like you in communities all over Canada give to this an- nual campaign," he said. The National objective is szz,u00,0o0.00 with Ontario being responsible for raising $9,050,000.00..These funds are urgently need- ed for research to fight heart and stroke, our Nation's major health enemies. Anyone not at home when the canvasser calls may send their donation to - HURON CHAPTER ONTARIO HEART FOUNDA- TION, c/o Lloyd Rowel Treasurer, 25 Church Street, SEAFORTH, Ontario. NOK Iwo. Read it before you sign it Before you sign any contract, make sure you have read and understood the entire document, says Grace Whittington, home and family management specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food's rural organizations and services branch. If any changes have been made to the original, makesure they are included and signed by both yourself and the person controlling the contract. Be sure that all blank spaces are either filled in or crossed out so that nothing can be added later. If possible, check in per- son that what you bre receiving in return is to your satisfaction. More front the gardener Dear Editor: Judging by the number of phone MSS which I have received this urea/ your Mi- nim is widely read, It must be the 11104 popular one in the whole paper. didn't write my letter printed in the Feb. , 1 edition with the idea of bolstering suPPert. I wrote it because I was angry with the whole ticketing set-up. This week, I have calmed down and changed my tune -.a little. I would like to thank Murray Taylor for phoning me and explaining his solution to my problem. He tells me that he is having 16 "courtesy cards" printed, (by Clinton Com- mercial Printers I hope) for visitors to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food of- fice. These cards will remain in the building and anyone who thinks a meeting will last two hours, or over may place one of these cards on the inside of the windshield. A vehi- cle displaying a card will not be tickete4. The cards must be returned so that they might be used by people attending another meeting. This will help to solve the OMAF problem but won't do anything for employees in places of business, who also need parking spaces. I realize Mr. Taylor is doing the job for which he was hired although he may be a bit over zealous. The old proverb - a new broom -sweeps clean Might well -be"appUed here. While painting a fingiCtitliiii:Taylet, we are all overlooking his employer - the Clin- ton Town Council. They inherited this park- ingproblem from previous councils, which did not have the foresight to buy up any cen- tral property for a parking lot. The present lots behind the town hall and the Ball and Mutch are so full of snow and clutter there isn't room fora dozen ears, • Now that they have gone this far, it will be interesting to find out how they will resolve the situation. Your bloomin mad gardener Dorothy Williams Humane trapping • Dear Editor, Over 1,000,000 fur -bearing animals will be trapped this winter in Ontario, the vast rnaT jority in leg -hold traps. They will suffer unbearable pain, terror, and stress for hours or days. Some will "wring off", leav- ing their paws behind in the trap; most will die of shock or exposure. Many untargeted animals and birds will be taken needlessly. The leg -hold trap is a barbaric antiquated device which Charles Darwin described as a diabolical instrument of torture, com- parable to the torture rack. Ed Philip, M.P.P. (N.D,P. Etobicoke) submitted Bill 154 to amend the Game and Fish Act in the Ontario Legislature on December 13, 1983. The Bill bans use of the leg -hold trap on land with the exception of fox, wolf and coyote, in which cases a padd- ed leg -hold trap or some other type of humane trap must be used. The Bill establishes a number of other important trapping edricelAS: '''''' Eleven animal welfare groups have stated that the leg -hold trap should be banned. The Ontario Trappers Association which has im- plemented progressive trapping im- provements recently, has stated it would support various humane trapping regula- tions including a restriction•on the use ofthe leg -hold trap on land to only. fox, wolf and coyote. Persons who wish to support Ed Philip's Bill 154, may , obtain copies of a Petition from LEG -HOLD!, Suite 805, 65 Queen Street West, TorOnto, Ontario M5H 2M5. Yours truly, J. Robert Gardiner, Toronto. No to Agri News Dear Editor, The following is an open letter to The Honourable Dennis Timbrell, Minister of Agriculture and Food. Dear Dennis, I am writing to you in protest over your re- cent .Brother" tactic- designed to con- trol the flow of information to the publie.t refer to the introduction of your new tabloid entitled "Agri News". While this publication has been styled in newspaper fashion, it is in fact not a newspaper and it lacks the essen- tial feature of all newspapers, namely that of unbiased reporting. I must object most strenuously, both‘ philosophical and ethical grounds to your in- tervention into the newspaper industry. Yoer government, indeed any government, in a democracy, has no business in this ac- tivity. The projected $160,000 yearly cost of this publication which is to be mailed to some 85,000 farmers across this province is a bla- tant misuse of taxpayers' money, a duplica- tion of existing farm news service, and un- fair competition for the private farm press. Your government -financed paper may spell the end of smaller;private country publica- tions. . The _ deception of Agri News as a newspaper has gone so far as to have ap- propriated the name of a long-time established Eastern Ontario monthly farm publication. You should also know there is a weekly television show by the same name serving the Kitchener area. You are no doubt aware that your action has sparked serious concerns among farm writers and farmers throughout the pro- vince. Your so-called newspaper was con- demned earlier this week at a meeting of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers Association. To quote one writer: "Government newspapers and democracy do not go hand in hand." The Annual Meeting of the Perth County Pork Producers Association en- dorsed a resolution last week expressing concern oyer your paper and asking that it be discontinued, - Yonr publication represents the ultimate form of "junk mail". Unlike privatee, newspapers which rely on their subscribers for survival, Agri News will appear monthly on farmers' doorsteps whether they want it or not, at their expense. The precedent set by your action is far- reaching and undesirable. I urge you in the strongest manner to withdraw this publica- tion. Yours truly, Jack Riddell, M.P.P., Huron -Middlesex