The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-09-01, Page 4PAGE 4 —GODERICH SIGNALSTAR, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1,1982
DAVE
SYKES
77.
'r�
i• 'a1
The Canadian Coast Guard may well be
heralded as the diligent protectors of waters
that touch on the soil of this great land.
And I have never had reason to suspect
that those sedulous sailors of the seas were
anything short of heroic men performing
herculean feats on a daily basis. And all as
part ofsthe daily grind.
We come too expect that sort of attitude
froth government employees. They are
willing to lay their life on the line every day
they report to work.
And the - Coast Guard is no exception.
Plucking people from the often chilly,
turbulent and unpredictable waters of
Canada, is their mandate. In short, their
work is saving lives.
And their skills were tested to the limit as
they extracted this wretched writer from
the depths of despair on the waters of Lake
Huron last week. Fortunately for readers, I
have lived to tell of the experience and offer
the same forthwith.
•
Simply by way of a prelude to the story, I
would have to admit they my knowledge and
interest in sailing is...well, non eadstant. So
pardon my ignorance and obvious misuse of
sailing vernacular.
Last Thursday I received a call from the
captain of. the Coast Guard Cutter 126,
wondering if this ebullient editor would be
interested in joining the crew during some
simulated rescue operations. A Department
of National Defence helicopter had flown in
for the exercises and a crazed volunteer was
dropped on the ship, going at high speed,
and., then plucked from the vessel and
hoisted back onto the helicpoter. The same
procedure was rpeated several times.
Never one to shy away from participatory
journalism, I accepted the assignment as
my duty to the reading public.
At the harbour, it was decided,4and not by
me) that the two reporters on assignment
would get a better vantage point, if they
followed the 126 in a small, dinghy. I should
have been suspicous from the beginning,
considering the dinghy resembled my 18 -
month old son's Lnflatible swimming pool
with a motor on the back..
I may have felt more secure in a bathtub.
So the two reporters and our driversuited up
with lifejackets and loaded 139 pounds of
photographic and television equipment into
the dinghy. -
Our 'trip from the harbour to a point
beyond the breakwall was nothing short of
terrifying and our little boat was tossed
from wave to wave like a beachball.
My first reaction, as the boat slammed
into wave after wave with a sickening thud,
was to protect the semi -expensive camera
equipment. That reaction dissipated in a
hurry. I desparately clung to every
available hold on the boat and left the
equipment on its own.
Our small craft was unable to keep up
with the 126 and as the chopper moved in for
the exercises we were left with the prospect
of taking pictures from about a mile away.
At the same time the dinghy was rising and
falling and as I looked through the 200mm
lens it was lmposslble to locate either the
chopper or rescue boat.
The pictures were the least of my
problems. The motor on the dinghy was
operative but refused to go .into gear. We
were stranded in the middle of Lake Huron
in a Coast Guard vessel. Those great
protectors of the waterways had me fearing
for my life.
The dinghy soon began taking on water,
soaking the equipment and as we waited the
boat kept rising and falling with the wave
action causing my stomach to send urgent
messages to the brain. No response.
The crew of the 126 took time t6 complete
exercises before rescuing the stranded trio.
I had three religious experiences in the
meantime.
I think I'll have a talk with the publisher
about danger pay.
BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
Second class •
mail registration
number -0716
SINCE 1848
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The: people's choir
Whether or not, Prime Minister Trudeau was seriously
concerned about his public image as rocks and over -ripe
tomatoes were hurled at his two -car vacation train as it
moved across the countryremains to be seen. As a man
whose unconcern for the average citizen's opinion hen
been amply demonstrated, he will probably shrug " off
these demonstrations of anger without Iosing too much
sleep.
Whatever the incidents may mean in the course of
present day government policy they are far more
significant to Canadians at large than they are to Mr.
Trudeau:
There is an old saying that in a democracy people get
the government they deserve...and that truth is being
amply demonstrated in these times of social and political
unrest.
Truth of the matteris that Canadians at all levels have
been too lazy over the past 40 years to impose their
collective will on those to whom they have given the
responsibility of government. The affluence of the post-
war years; good jobs at ever increasing pay rates or the
alternative of readily -available unemployment insurance
have created a nation of complacent voters. We have
placed our future in the hands of the leaders with the most
charisme; Trudeau had it and Clark did not. We have
utterly failed at the much more important duty of un-
derstanding even a small part of government policy and
its implications for the future of ourselves and our
children.
Forgetting, for the moment, the complex and always
arguable alternatives of national and international
economics, how many of us have given any thought to the _ _
basic concept of government involving itself in the
business world?
Should our national government enter the marketplace
in any capacity beyond the provision of services which
would be unprofitable for the private sector? The vast
spread of our geography makes a few such ventures ob-
viously necessary, such as in transportation, communica-
tions and the provision of adequate health services.
Extra caution needed
As the summer days grow shorter and the nights turn
cooler, children are nervously directing their thoughts to
the resumption of school.
The carefree days of what seemed like endless sununer
holidays in July, are nearly over and next week thousands
of children will be heading back to school, focusing their
attention on new teachers, clothing and even a shiny
lunchpail.
With the resumption of the school year, it is fitting to
advise drivers that they will have to be much more alert
as children go to and from schools. Whiledrivers are
urged to exercise an extra measure of caution during the
school year, parents .must also instruct ' school-age
children on the safe way to cross streets and ride bicycles.
And, of course, children must heed the cautions and signs
of school crossing guards at all intersections. °
Drivers will now be confronted with hordes of children
crossing roadways and enthusiastically riding bikes to
school. A watchful eye will go a long way towards a safe
school year.
Drivers must also be aware of the presence of school
crossing guards at busy 'intersections and respect the
importance of their jobs. School busses will also be out in
full force in the next week and motorists will have to be
extra patient as childrenboard and leave the buses under
the safety of the red flashing lights.
Children, Are often too enthusiastic and trusting of their
world, thus limiting their in mediate concern for safety.
So much more is expected of adults.
Apolitical ploy?
One of the federal government's more obvious political
gimmicks was the recent announcement that the naval
reserve headquarters would be moved from Halifax to
Quebec City. That's a bit like moving the Arctic air patrol
headquarters to Goderich.
Halifax, with one of the best and largest salt -water
harbours on the North American continent, and facing
directly on the waters that would inevitably be the scene
of any future naval conflict, is the obvious place for a
naval headquarters. Does the St. Lawrence River, with its
shoals and shallows, seem to be a likely locale for naval
training exercises? •
W -hat -is significantly more evident is the fact that
Quebec City is the home constituency of the federal
defence trith.la-ter, Gilles Lamontagne. More than 30llJOS
in the naval reserve headquarters will be lost to Halifax
and hung on the plum tree in Quebec City.
Of course it has long been apparent that military
preparedness is of no real concern, particularly naval
readiness: -Our once -proud navy has --shrunk to , -a pitiful—
two -dozen outdated destroyers, most of which have
bursting -point boiler systems.
One interesting observation is that after the federal
,government set up its ambitious $300 million job -creation
program grants -in -assistance went to 33 ridings across
the country -and 32 of them were represented. by Liberal
members in Ottawa,
Do any of our governments have the right or even the
obligation to become financially involved (with our
money) in the rescue of business corporations, even those
which are employers of large numbers of Canadians?
If the government feels obligated to spend millions on
the perpetuation of Massey -Ferguson and Chrysler, does
it not have an equal responsibility to save the jobs of
employees at CMC in Cambridge or even The Iroquois
Post, as well as the ogler thousands of smaller firms
whose workers are now out of jobs?
Should Ontario voters silently accept the expenditure of
millions ($630 million) for the government purchase of a
minority share in an oil company, financed, at least in
part, ,out of worker's pension funds? Should we placidly
accept the fact that a publicly -owned crown corporation
such as Ontario Hydro, is paying the interest on , not
millions, but billions of dollars of debts?
,Perhaps, you are shrugging in resignation, labouring
under the belief that there is nothing we can do about
these obvious departures from the sound concepts of
democratic government. Not so. Ours is supposed to be
"governmentpep people and for the
of .the people, by the
.-people=:
In our indolence we have handed the reins of power to
many who are contemptuous of the voters who elected
them -and even more fatefully to an ever-growing class of
sentpr civil servants who are not directly answerable to
the electors and who have erected a power base which
even cabinet ministers hesitate to challenge.
Not only Mr. Trudeau, but all politicians in high places
would do well to heed the message of those rocks and
tomatoes. Hard- times make voters considerably more
aware of the track records of those they have placed in
public office. (Wingham Advance Times)
Sparkling waters
By DaveSykes
DEAR READERS
SHIRLEY KELLER
The farming community is very quiet about
the impending end of Saturday mail delivery. I
haven't heard a single complaint from a rural
resident. Could it be there will be no outcry?
Seems to me lately that no matter what hap-
pens - or where - the public furor is deafening.
Frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it all. An&
that's really no way to be. If there's to be any
improvement in the Canadian attitude, it will
have to be through some hard-nosed bargaining
by some tough -fisted citizens who will,say what
must be said.
There are people who believe that the way
back to peace and progress in this country, is via
resisting government.
Proponents of this system say that Canadians
are much too complacent, taking for granted
that government knows what's best for the
people and following blindly along behind
government leadership.
Challenge government every step of the way,.
, they say. It's the only -solution.
Maybe so, if it is a responsible challenge. But
in too many cases, it appears people are failing
to examine the issues with enough information -
or from anyone's viewpoint but their own.
That gets tedious. And it's usually stressful
and unproductive.
Take the end of Saturday mail delivery to rural
areas, for instance.
According to the postal authorities, that one
move will save $4,000,000 per annum. I know. It's
peanuts when you compare it to the total federal
budget - or the total cost of operating the post
office for one year.
But it's $4,000,000 - or 160 salaries at what is
supposed to be the post office average, $25,000.
In this region of the country, Southwestern
Ontario, nearly one-quarter of -the $4,000,000 will
be saved. Something like $375,000 - or 15 salaries
at $25,000 each.
Again, ,just a drop in the bucket when com-
pared to the hundreds of people in this part of the
province who are unemployed. But it's $375,000
less to run a government service, not more. It's
at least heading in the right direction.
There is opposition to it of course. But it's not
coming from the folks who will be receiving mail
five days a week instead of six.
It's coming from the daily newspapers of the
country who wonder how they will get their
Saturday editions delivered to their subscribers.
Last week, I had a chat with Tom Dalby who is
manager of, public affairs for the southwestern
district of Canada Post.
Tom explained that the volume of mail nor-
mally carried by rural.'carriers on Saturdays is
getting less and less. That's understandable too.
With more and more businesses on five-day
weeks - some even on four-day schedules - the
need for Saturday delivery would be
diminishing.
Tom's aware of the fact the delivery of daily
papers on Saturday in some parts of Canada will
suffer, but then is Canada Post in business to
deliver Saturday papers? Or to make money?
Apparently the daily newspapers believe that
$4;000,000 is a reasonable price for Canada Post
customers to pay to deliver Saturday papers to
rural dwellers.
In fact, representatives of the association
serving the nation's daily newspapers have been
camped in Ottawa recently to try to pursuade
Canada Post to reconsider its decision to
discontinue Saturday delivery in the rural areas.
Permanently.
What the dailies aren't talking much about is
the fact that for many of their association
members, Canada Post staff and delivery
systems have been utilized by special
arrangement directly with the rural mail
carriers. The post office realizes zero income
from those dailies.
. The London Free Press which circulates
widely in this part of, the province, is one
newspaper which has in the past used the post
office's own staff to bypass the regulated post
office fees.
It wasn't illegal; it was done with the full
knowledge and consent of the post office, I un-
derstand, up untila short while ago. As new mail
contracts were arranged however, the post office
advised that sub -contracting deliveries would be
disallowed.
The Brussels postmaster told me even yet in
his area, of the 50 or so daily newspapers
delivered there, less than 10 are actually
generating revenue for the post office.
When I talked to the London Free Press cir-
culation department concerning their delivery
problems in rural areas, I learned they are at-
tempting to make alternate arrangements that
will ensure the economic viability of their
operation as well as provide adequate con-
venience for their rural readers.
I guess I don't blame the dailies for trying to
preserve the present postal service intact. It's a
dog-eat-dop world - and the dailies like every
other business, are finding it slimmer pickings
these days.
And I suspect it's just the tip of a giant post
office iceberg. There will be more and more
changes coming now that the mail is handled
through a Crown Corporation.
The thing is: each Canadian wants the post
office to be more efficient and economical
without resorting to any moves that would cause
confusion or extra costs to his routine.
That's practically impossible I fear. But how is
any one of us in a position to judgefairly which
things should be changed - and which should not?
Surely those decisions are best left with those
who should know. Is there more to do but hope
they care enough about Canada and her people to
lead us safely out of this maze?
Ern 1cy:is thanked for hiring students
Dear Editor,
As summer ;.'fobs come to.
an end and thoughts of school
enter students' minds, the
Canada Employment Center
for Students will soon close
its doors for another year:
Last chance to get help in
finding that part-time
student for the fall and
winter!
Thanks to those business
people and farmers who
have providedmuch needed
job opportunities for the
students of Goderich,
Clinton, Seaforth and their
respective areas. Thanks
also to the homeowners and
others who have hired
students casually to do odd
ETTERS
jobs like babysitting, grass
cutting, painting and the
like. Through your support,
many students in northern
Huron County have had a
rewarding and profitable
summer...gaining much
•valued work experience and
money .to further their in-
creasingly expensive
educations along with
spending money for the
summer months and maybe
a little more maturity and
responsbility too.
Although the student
summer program was
perhaps not as successful as
last year in relation to
numbers of jobs found for
students, in view of the
prevailing economic con-
ditions, it is hard to make
any just measurement. What
can be said, however, is that
the economy has been much
worse this year than last and.
although student jobs have
decreased, haven't they for
everyone?
But things will brighten
up. They always do. So what
of next year? The Ontario.
Youth Employment
Program offers $1.25 an hour
subsidy to all eligible em-
ployers in hiring youth for
newly created jobs. Call toll-
free 1-800-268-7592 for ap-
plications and information.
Chances are the program
will run next year and you
could be eligible. The
Federal government's
Summer Canada Program
provides funding for non-
profit organizations to hire
students in community
improvement projects. For
more, information, call the
Student Employment -Center
in Goderich at 524-2744. We
will be more than glad to
-_help you. - -- • .—
So• you ',need a student to
help out -part -tune, full-time
or whatever. Call the Student
.Center where we have a
large pool of eager,
energetic and hardworking
young people who will do
anything and everything for
you...the service is free!
They come cheap and
they're not always inex-
perienced...many students
Tura to p11ge 5 a