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Clinton News-Record, 1985-4-17, Page 4Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1985 The Clinton News -Record is published each Wednesday at P.O. 8oa 39, Clinton, ®ntorio. Canada. NOMI 11.0. Tel.: 482-3443. Subscription Auto: Canada -519.75 Sr, Citizen . 55,14.75 per year U.S.A. Foreign - 555.00 per year it Is registered as second class mall by the post office under the permit number 0817. Tho Nows.Aecord Incorporated in 1924 the Huron Nows.8ocord, founded In 188.1, and The Clinton blows Era, founded in 1865. Total press runs 3.700. Incorporating THE BLYTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Edlitor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager' MARY ANN HOLLENRECK - mice Manger MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. A MEMBER Sorting out budgets alQi Budgeting problems are evident everywhere these days and the Huron County Library system is no exception. The library budget in 1984, set at $727,536, came in short of the actual $750,323. that was spent on library services. Of that, the budget saw an overexpenditure of $23,000 on book purchases. Some of this extra cost was counterbalanced by underspending on processing and magazines. As well, in November 1984, further book orders were cancelled in an effort to cut back on expenditures. This year county council approved a 7.9 per cent increase in the library budget which totals $796,519. However Chief Librarian Bill Partridge came under heavy public criticism before the budget was approved. Some county .councillors were unduly harsh and . unfair in their criticisms of Mr. Partridge. Reeve Harry Klungel of Hensall said the library overexpenditure was "unforgiveable." He suggested that Mr. Partridge should resign his posi- tion.because of the 1984 budget overexpenditures. Perhaps the county councillors failed to realize thatour library system is an excellent. service. It' provides entertainment and educational material for people of all ages and interests. The book selection available in our libraries is well rounded and up-to date. Selection and purchasing of books is not an easy task in light of the fact that book priceshave nearly tripled in the past year. As well, the library provides a wide_ range of services including children's programs, film series, lectures and special events. Huron County library services are used by thousands of people. Twenty-nine branch libraries operate throughout the county, in rural -and urban municipalities of all populations. Huron taxpayer&are surely getting their money's worth from the local library services. - ' Still county council is not happy with the financial ,situation at_ the library department. Is Mr. Partridge to blame? County councillors should know only too well what a . headache it is these days to keep anticipated budget figures low, and in line with, actual expenditures. In 1984 the total county budget was set ata whopping $16.2 - million and Huron taxpayers faced a 13.6 per cent tax hike. There's no question that we're all looking for lower budget increases .and tighter financing, but cutbacks and responsible reductions must come from all county departments, not by singling out one area. Bayfield Reeve Dave Johnston came close to a solution when he sug- gested that the county library board should be more responsible for the budget. If county council wants a reduced library budget their board represen- tatives should be prepared to work diligently and intelligently towards that goal, The library board and Mr. Partridge should be prepared to discuss the situation: The board should take more action and give more guidance before the budget is set. Talk of resignation after the fact is un- fair'criticism of a good librarian. In a time of increased demands, rising costs and limited finances, set- ting up a budget is a nightmarish job that requires close scrutiny, input on all sides and some financial wizardry. County council .and the chief librarian must work together to sort out budgeting problems, _for the sake of the taxpayer and the library. - by S. McPhee. BQhind The Scenes By Keith Roufston \laniP1llating Criticism of the value of the CRC was answered eruphattea Ily recently by just one , series, })avid Suzuki's A 1'larlt. h'or The 'faking Not that the ut'trn critics of the ('}i(', the right lhulk Ing: free enterprisers will likely agree. For then . Suzuki has probably .lust confirmed their need to kill the network i((•ause tic' series, questioned every thine. the -right- thinks right. Suzuki deserves a neral of bravery as well as the other awards he will no doubt win for this marvellous and beautiful series that will be seen around the world on various networks. Not. only slid Suzuki question the very premise of our western society hut. he took. on his -own colleagues in the scientific establishment. 'l'ht• most valuable insight Suzuki gave us in the spr'it's was this questioning of science. Science is the new religion of ,western society since we Egan to downplay traditional religion. Since the great .Space drive began in the 1950's, scientists have been the new heroes of North America. No argument could be stronger than scientific• proof 1n fact, it was the lack of scientific proof that led to the disregard for religion in the first pla( e. • Yet Suzuki showed how science, far from being an absolute is manipulated accordingide b to the biases of the scientist. Scientific observatiot7t is affected by what you are looking at. As an example, Suzuki looked at studies of baboons in Africa Sorne scientists had looked at the baboons and found evidence of the ".survival of the fittest" view. They found competition and fighting between males to protect territory and obtain the most desirable females. Yet others looked at the same baboons and instead of seeing the few moments of conflict, saw hour':, of co opt; ation. instead SC0pQ By Shelley McPhee This is Volunteer Week. We planned whelm the pages, but was quietly evident in ahead for the event and reporters James the lines of type. In the same way, Friel and Anne Narejko have been prepar- volunteers rarely work for great personal ing two special feature reports to run to con- gain. These people quietly give of their time, junction with the event. Of their wisdom, of themselves. They aren't The feature stories are still in the works. looking for red carpet recognition and fan - Anne and Jamie found a major snag in their S story preparations - volunteers are never at home. It's true. Just try to call the head of the UCW unit -or the liisstorial society, the Scout leader or the baseball coach. They're never home. These people spend countless hours of their own time to improve our communities and provide us with quality services. Volunteers are an essential part of our society and the backbone of our continued success. A glimpse through the pages of last week's News -Record easily illustrates the importance of volunteers in our community. There were'political volunteers, working to boast their party in the upcoming election. A letter to the editor noted the work of the dedicated people at the Blyth Festival and the recently formed Theatre Circle. We read about the Cancer Society can - Clinton Sororit work vassers in Blyth and y with the Block Parents program. A story told about volunteer efforts of Clinton children in the upcoming Pitch -In campaign, another reported that a young Bayfield man had joined the local firefighting squad. One page was dedicated to the impressive volunteer efforts in Goderich Township for their 1-5-0 celebrations. The next page highlighted the work of a CHSS youth group, dedicated to the Christian enlightenment. The Junior Farmers nicely summed up the pledge of the volunteer in their slogan, "Self-help and community betterment." Volunteer efforts in sports, at the hospital, in the church, in the community and around the world were found in those 28 pages of the News -Record. The work of the volunteers didn't over - of competition that confirmed the "survival of the fittesttheory, they saw a society that ,•t. -operated for the good of all. Scientific proof" has been used to support some pretty horrible cases of inhumanity Ilii lee's master race theories sere hosed on improving the race thinigh weeding out the undesirables and promoting ',reeding? of the best examples of (lerutan iter)ntiooil to the best of womanhood. 'Phis SOIltc kind of 1hinktriu had been evident earlier in the United States when very modern" people used Darwin's theories to argue sag(ainst letting the poor, mentally retarded and blacks continue to reproduce themselves • So shocking was the evidence of atrocities in }titter's (,er'mlany that after World War I1 scientists switched from looking at genetics to looking at environment as'the important factor in the shaping 'of human beings unit recently the switrah back to genetics has been going on gain. We have, for instance, 0 sperm bank in the 11.S•. where the sperm of Nobel Prize winners in sc•ir'nce has been frozen awaiting use to provide a new generation of great scientists by breeding superior -minded females. Even more frightening is a group of geneticists in California that believes all humans should be neutered so they cannot reproduce but santplcs of their sperm or ° eggs _or some of their cells should be' put away. When the person has lived out his or her life, a committee would then sit in judgment to decide if that life had been worthwhile. if it was, they would then permit cloning of the cells, or fertilization of the eggs and the person would continue on. Suzuki, while not being alarmist, served a great purpose in showing us just how . science could be manipulated for well - !TWA ng, ell•meaning, hut inhumane purposes. fare. Their influence on our communities and our country is invaluable. John Wise, Minister of Agriculture recently said of volunteers. "It occurs to me that if more Canadians, if all Canadians, joined the club, we'd see such a surge in this country's development, that we would hardly recognize the place." Volunteers contribute 3.3 per cent of the country's Gross National Product and spend over 374 working hours in providing volunteer services. Volunteers - we wouldn't have a communi- ty without them. For next week's paper we hope to track down our busy volunteers for just a few moments for our feature articles. xxx One local volunteer group, the Clinton Scouts, sent out a note of thanks to everyone who supported their spaghetti supper on Friday. Good news is that the Scouts plan to make their pasta feast an annual event. xxx Another favorite annual event is coming 4.1 up shortly - the fifth annual Klompen Feest. We're preparing a special souvenir booklet for the occasion. If you have any Dutch stories or photos that you could share with us, please call the editorial department at 482-9502: This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Holland from German rule. We'd like to mark this historic occa- sion with a special story and would be in- terested in hearing about memories of life in Holland at that time, from both the Dutch people and the Canadian soldiers that serv- ed there. Please call within the next week. 6,500 summer jobs offered More than 6,500 career -related jobs for students will be offered under the Summer Experience '85 program, Gordon Dean, Pro- vincial Secretary for Social Development and Phil Gillies, Minister for Youth, an- nounced recently. "The Summer Experience program has provided almost 120,000jobs for our students since the program started," said Mr. Dean. "The jobs with government ministries and community agencies provide young people with valuable work experience and the opportunity to develop career - related skills." "Participants also have the chance to per- ' form worthwhile community services, and this year, to contribute their energy and en- thusiasm to many projects especially designed for International Youth Year," said Mr. Gillies. Sugar and Sp'l'ce The older, the better ONE of the nicer things about ..growing older is that we grow steadily more pure. It's ,astonishing how we shed sin and don morality with each passing year. One night about 50 years ago, for exam- ple, I was climbing over a stone wall with my shirt stuffed with grapes, when -a sten- torian voice bellowed, "Hi! You!" My heart -leaped into my mouth', t leaped to . the ground; the grapes popped out of my shirt, and I took off like a missile, pursued by outraged roars and heavy boots. Later, in the sanctuary of my bed, did I regret my wickedness, revile myself for shattering one of the commandments and swear that I'd never do it again? Not exact- ly. What I did was regret losing the grapes, revile myself for being scared half -to .death, and swear a return visit to the vineyard as soon as the heat was off. That's what I mean. Today, I'd never con- sider such a thing. Oh, I might give my golf ball a very small kick if it was in a par- ticularly bad lie in the rough and nobody was looking. I might say I'd paid the hydro bill in time to get the discount when I knew perfectly well that it was in my pocket, un- paid. But I'd never dream of doing anything dishonest, like stealing grapes from a millionaire with a huge estate and a huge The Experience program is funded by the Board of Industrial Leadership and Development (BILD) and operated by the Secretariat for Social Development's Youth Secretariat. Opportunities exist for students between the ages, of 15 and 24 who are eligible to work in Canada. Positions through Experience '85 are additional to regular summer employ- ment for young people available with most Ontario ministries and associated com- munity agencies. Guidebooks and application forms can be, obtained at university and college placements centres, secondary school guidance offices, Canada Employment Cen- tres, or by calling the Ontario Youth Hotline at 1-800-263-7777. By Bill Smiley showed up at 1:30. You should have heard her mother. You'd have thought the' youngster was utterly depraved. Dater, as mama served tea and vehement- ly wondered what was going to become of these undisciplined, irresponsible teeangers, I couldn't help casting my mind back. Twenty-five years earlier, my hostess had been a regular 'young rip, whose specialties were drinking gin out of the bot- tle in backseats of cars, and going for mixed midnight swims au naturel. Recently, I .spent a weekend- with an old college friend. He had distinguished.himself at university, 'not - through academic or athletic prowess, but for an incredible memory that could.. recall the words and tunes of all the bawdy songs ever sung. Saturday night.I tried to get a few verses of Riley's Daughter, or Cats on the Rooftops out of him, but he was strangely reticent. In the old days you had to hold him down and stuff a sock in his mouth to make him stop singing. Sunday morning, he acted kind of mysterious. Wanted me to go for a walk with him. I decided he was taking me, to the bootlegger's, so naturally demurred, but he insisted. Ten minutes later my mouth was still hanging open as I sat in the back row of the Sunday School and watched my friend, gardener doubling as night watchman. Other•people are the same. The older they I arms waving, face beaming, leading about get, the better they get. Not long ago, I 80 small types through the strains of Jesus visited an old acquaintance, a woman in her Loves Me. early 40s. She had a teenage daughter who Last spring I bumped into an old Air was out to a dance that night. The kid was to Force sidekick in the coffee shop of a city be home by one. As the hour neared, the hotel. Hadn't seen him since Brussels, 1945. mother kept breaking off her monologue His name was Dick, but we called him The about her church activities, her eyes flitting Count in those days, because he was toward the clock. By 1:15, I had to restrain reputedly, and enviedly, living in sin"with a her forcibly from calling the police. The kid . beautiful, rich Belgian countess. He was a Candidates� meetings concern Federation • big, handsome, devil-may-care chap then. ' Anyway, we chatted. He was pretty fat, pretty bald, pretty dull. "Remember when we used to call you The Count?", I asked, in an effort to establish some common ground. He muttered 'something like,. "Count me out", and launched rapidly into a spiel on the work he was doing with juvenile delin- quents, through a church group. He finally ran out of breath, there was an . awkward pause, then: "Guess you haven't met the wife," he said, turning toe large red:faced woman sitting 'on the stdol beside hint, eating a vast sundae. It was not the Countess. And so it goes. You can :see, them everywhere: people who were once steeped in sin and now pass the collection plate; w'hn were once steeped in gin and whose inflaiii- ed noses now light the way for the valiant ar Mies of the temperance movement. Reformed lechers lead the attack on por- ri'ography and prostitution. Reformed poachers want the game laws tightened. An- cient golfers will take off as few as, five' strokes from their actual score. Sex fiends become saintly. , It's as plain as the wart on your nose that people improve with age, morally', if riot physically. But I'd still like to know why. Is it because they have learned to respect. the law and other people's property'.' is it because they know the day, of judgment is bearing down and they're trying to cover their flaming youth with a nice coat of camouflage grey? Or is it that they simply, dop't have the stamina to be sinful any more? Perhaps some of you old sinners could, enlighten me. Dear Editor: The Huron County Federation of Agriculture wishes to express its regrets to Huron County's farmers that it was unable to arrange an All -Candidates meeting in Huron County for the Huron -Middlesex riding. We hope people will be able to attend the All -Candidates meeting we have' co- sponsored _i,nucan with' the Middlesex Federation of Agriculture. Doug Garniss, President 01 the Huron Federation said "Mr. Culbert, -campaign manager for Bryan Smith, indicated over the Easter weekend that his candidate would only attend one All -Candidates meeting. While agreeing to co-sponsor the Lucan meeting, we hoped an Ail -Candidates meeting in the northern half of the riding could be accommodated." We are further concerned to hear another All -Candidates meeting has been moved • from Clinton to Centralia, further from the northern part of the riding. Agriculture is Huron County's largest industry and 'All- Candidates meetings across the ruling are an excellent method for the candidates to state their policies to a large audience. Doug Garniss: President Huron County Federation of Agricultnt Museum repairs -' the taxpayers'burdets g . 1)ear Editor: On the question of the new building for the Huron Museum, I feel that the Bayfield tax- payers should he given the true story. Two years ago, the same issue came up before council, and it was turned down flat. So why did it come up again after the matter had already been debated and votes: down'? I, also, cannot Relieve that Iluron County has the right to dictate to the surrounding townships, towns and villages what they should be paying. ,. Many. people 1 have spoken with are against the idea; especially, those on fixed incomes. Surely all taxpayers should have been given the chance of a discussion on the cost of the building, and more importantly the cu:,t of maintaining the building yearly . Better yet, do as Clinton slid for their 'hospital, or even as the people of Dutton are doing to get a fire hall. Ask the charitable hearts of the community rather than exer- cise the totalitarian arm of take. Sincerely. yours, Ed. Strachan, 13a‘ field Opposition 10 separate school funding Editor: Dear d tor: Former Premier Bill Davis, in his state- ment to the Legislature in June 1984, Pro- mised to fully fund the Roman Catholic School System at a cost of millions of dollars to Ontario's taxpayers. This decision was made without any consultation of the citizens of Ontario who, regardless of faith or background, will be expected to support one religious group to the exclusion of all others. It is possible that such a move will frag- ment the Province's Public School System, should other r regi louS and private schoolso is request their fair share of the tax dollar too! According to Bill Phillips, Chairman of East York's Board of Education, theman Catholic Separate School System will rob the Public Schools of some 138,000 new students and ' put 8,400 Public School teachers out of work. "Davis said he hoped Catholic Schools would stop turning away non -catholic kids" but some Catholic officials already are hin- ting they have no intention of taking non- catholics. Similarly, he hoped that Catholic School Boards will stopturning away employees - from teachers to secretaries or janitors - because they aren't Roman Catholic. It is my feeling that NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCED TO SUPPORT ANOTHER'S RELIGION and I am opposed to our govern- ment using public funds to fully finance the Roman Catholic Separate School System. Yours truly, ' Asa beeves. Hensall, (hit. fi i