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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-07-11, Page 5/ ` •� PAGE 4 —GOmERICHmxGmAa-xTvxR,WEDNESDAY, JULY 11,1964 ^ DAVE SYKES �pa = caw l� � =' �\ "t• ^` Laws, and perhaps bylaws, were designed by people mainly to protect people fromother people. Laws regulate, ennunciate, interpolate; officiate and generally add contusion to an otherwise straight forward issue. The problem with laws, and we will have to include municipal bylaws in this instance, is that they are prone to .interpretatipn. There is the letter of the law and the inten1 of the laic Both are law, of course, it's just that intent is subject to interpretation.Then there's also ignorance of the law, but that doesn't count for much these days. One cannot plead ingorance with any fruitful results. Municipal bylaws must be constantly updated and reviewed and many towns and cities find that bylaws, which may be hundreds of years of age, still apply. So it may be against the law to dance with an unmarried woman past dUsk or another = municipal bylaW may prohibit . ' the Of a certain number of fowl, livesto k and other assorted beasts. There is a small battle raging In Goderich over beastly deposits in parks and on beaches. A 1975 vintage bylaw prohibits dogs from being on town beach property and animals are only allowed in parks if they are on a suitable six-foot leash. The parks and waterfront committee of council feels that beach, in the case of St. Christopher's Beach, should include the area right to road. Thereto*, dogs are not allowed on the grassy areas of the park or on the boardwalk. Should anyonebefound in contravention of that bylaw, admission of guilt carries with it a $13 fine. Animals are permitted south of the water treatment plant, where this no grass and the beach resembles a breeding ground for rocks of all shapes and sizes..No harm done there. But people don't want to walk thekdogs the unknown beyond the water treatment plant. They want to walk them on the boardwalk and on the grassy areas the . park. . ' But town bylaws don't jist descriminateagainst dogs. Bicycles aren't allowed on the beach either, which is now interpreted to include the grass and boardwalk areas. Sometimes laws just don't have universal applications. But there can be no exceptions to the rule. The law applies to everyone. Two young edtrepreneurs'near Ontario discovered that laws apply to nine and 13 year-old§ as well. The two young brothers, who live in the.resort v iltage of of Gores Landing, were selling worms to fishermen from behind a cardboard sign that advertised thejr live wares. But, acting on a complaint, the Ontario revenue ministry shtit the boyts operation down because they weren't charging the - - � prescribed sales tax of seven per cent. ' - revenue min9dry has now launched an investigation into this worm operation, and lf the two youngsters won't to stay ln business any longer, they will have to collect sales tax and remit same to the,provincial governmtpt. Otherwise, they are in contravention of the law. , These kids probably have no conception of ministry'sthe laws of sales tax and yet they are under investigation by the revenue department. A spokesman said the department has no alternative but to pursue the complaint because it was raised by a competitor. A .••• ministry supervisor suspected the kids would be the youngest vendors on the bonbu 'But their age does not exempt them fromthe law. The boys simply upped the price ofthe earthly creatures to JO cents a dozenfrom 75 and the prqv ince will get its share. ° .Member: eNA Second class mail registration number 0716 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1983 ^ THE NEWSPORT�� N��N�� '��N��0N��" FOR �~~~�~��~°~��~� �~ ��~~~~~�� SINCE1848 Founded In 1848 and published every Wednesday et Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA, OCNA and ABC Audit Bureau of Circulations. Subscriptions payable In advance .20.95, [Senior Citizens '17.85 privilege card number required] in Canada. '55. to U.S.A., '55. to all other sDuntries, Single copies 50'. Display, National and Classified advertising rates "mailable on request. Please oak for Rate Card No. 14 effective October 1, 1883. Advertising is accepted on the condition thiit in the event of typographical error, the advertising specs occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertieement will be paid for at the applicable mete. In the event of • typograehical error advertising goods or services et a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star le not responsible for the loss or dernege of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purpoies. PUBLISHED ._D _ . . _--. :A-- ~ . . .. . . __--_ -~~ LIMITED DONROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher HUBICAUA|�� K - Advertising Manager P.O.DAVE SYKES - Editor 2E0 BOX HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK ' GIODERmcKOMIT. N7A 488 . F��Sv�SS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...plasma phone VS191824-8331 Keep museum here At least one segment of the Huron County populace agrees that there is a need for the Huron County Pioneer Museum and that it should remain 4rn Goderich at its present site: That' was the result of a public Holmesville at the Goderich Townsip Hall last week. The public meeting was held to discuss the findings of a feasibility study now in progress and to guage public support for the project which appeared to be negligibie, at best. But the meeting attracted 65 interested citizens who offered their views on the musum, the role it plays in the tourist industry and its future. A motion at the conclusion of the publi theeting calledfor the existing North Street structure to be restored. Consultants suggest there are three options available to the county. Thefirst is to restore the existing structure; the second is to rebuild on the same site and sax'ne site and the thirct.. and less attractive option, is to rebuild outside of Goderich. But first the county has to detennine if there is, indeed, a need'[oc the museum. Attendance peaked at 25,000 in the 1970o and has slipped to around 12.000 over the past few years. The consultants advise that the attendance figures rose during the period when the museuin expanded and new attractions were added. There will be a second public meeting but the general consensus was that the museum should stay in Goderich. That sentiment is obviously echded by town officials who have made representation at the county level in defence of the musetm staying in town. The museum isa definite benefit to the town ofQ d i but the town of Goderich is also good for the mus By simple virtue of geography, the town'of {;odedoh' attracts a large number of touddueuobyoorloeoioythe' natural attributes of the lakeshore town. Those .tourists also visit local attractions such as the Pinneec88uauenm' and the Huron Historic Jail as well as local parks and beaches. Perhaps the county will have to look at revamping sorne of its exhibits and prograrns in the coming years to attract tourists. Thc museum has one of the finest collections of its kind anywhere in Ontario and is a treat for visitors to tour. But, it would only make sense to loabe the museum in Goderul at' its present location rather than colrt disaster inanother community. �� Doi't �_��_��.�^ �� N�.��-�� expect _ � _ �� _ _� __ _ '_ It's a weird world. lfyou don't agree, just consider a few of the lateshappenings both at home and abroad say the Exeter Times Advocate . [. Unane[hnttoprovide Canadians with u�iggecohunkof the oil -induotry, the federal government set up Petro - Canada, which used taxpayer dollars to pay a high price for, first, Petrofina, then Britis Petroleum. In this way, it argued, Canadians would be able to purchase petroleum products from their very own ell cornpany, thus saving us all money in the long run. Many Canadians didn't aree with the new policy. buL at least there was a certain amount 0! logic. So whtdmes the 8 d ling" P tro'Cunudounnounce�`Th The organization will beclosing down 400 service stations mcruuothe country. —~ Somehow. that doesn't compute. Shouldn't they be pening stations to rnake products available to more and more of its taxpayers -owners? The wonderful world of international finance 15 perhaps unfolding as it should. Over the years the international banks loaned too many billions of dollars to third world and South American countries. When some recipients of the funds couldn't even repay the debt charges on the money, the once prudent bankers loaned them more to cover interespayments. Now that may sound like an odd way to operate a bank, but is the latest move in the world of international finance that scems to come directly from Alice in Wonderland. The bunhory, it yeemny, have allowed several countries to lend a few billion dollars to a neighbour so interest can ~ be pald on the loans. High risk Mexico, which owes as much as anyone in the %'.t -Id. was one of ,h, lenders: D's like a bankrupt individual bailing out another by lending rnoney he or .she doesn't have. The principle of connecting compensation to results seems ogood one. If a rornpany's managers can double or triple profits. (hen those rcsponsihle dserve bonuses. /.atchinA onto a good concept. crown corporations have taken the oqeo|d business concept one step further. Recently aircraft companies awarded executives hefty bonuses but ust\uxtyoarthcxrcompun/eschu\ked up the largest losses in Cariadian corporate history. What if crown corporation made money. Would ex- ecutives take a pay cut? The top brass needn't worry. Such a rniracle is not about to happen. ^ High tide by Anne Narejko DEAR READERS � ` . SHIRLEY KEE' . There are.many Canadians who will tell you OVerand over that thing really ate better in the United States of Arnerica than in Canada at the present. time. They say the performance of the government there is head and shoulders above the performance of the, Canadian government. Government, like so many other things, is a matter of perception. As the kids say, it depends where your head is at. In May when I was travelling in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, I was surprised 'to find considerable hardship among ,the seeming wealth and well-being of those areas. Three of the families we visited along the way were pastor's -families. Who is closer to the real needs of the people than the pastor? And according to these pastors - two l.u1hecuox and one Baptist •- the people of their areas are suffering. And suffering badlly. Al} of the churches served by these pastors maintain food cupboards for the poor. And aliof these churches are finding it irnpossible to keep stocks of food at an adequate level to meet the needs of those who come to them for assistance. In all coscu, the food cupboardsnuuut operate on a first come -first served basis. And those who administer them check -as carefully as they can to make certain they hand nut only so much to anyone fainily in need The supplies in the fooftupboardurednnutod by the Christians who httend that particular. church - but their charity doesn't end there. It cannot. According to the pastors to whom l xpoke, the numbers of people in their own congreations who are unemployed andliving on a shoestring, growing by leaps and bounds. These congregations are • establishing special funds to help these people, exclusive of the food cupboards which are used mainly by non- ( ;elle rally speaking, these churches are located in prosperous areas of the U.S. To see the activity at the moviethemtd the bars and the fast food places and the grocery stores though, one would not think that there was any shartage of anything in these locations. But it only goes to prove that behind the glitter and hype, there can be problems. It's a thought which many an envious Canadian should &insider before jumping to the conclusion that all things are hunky-dory in the U.S.A. These pastors suggested to us that the employment or unemployment) statistics in the U.S. aren't as rosy as one would think, taking everything into account. For instance, it appears that the numbers of unemployed in the U.S. counted for statistical purposes include only those who are presently receiving assistance. They do not reflect the numbers of people whose benefits have yun out and who are still without ,work and without means. One pastor even suggested the unemployment figures in the U.S. are manipulated by the Reagan administration to put the best construction on everything. There's no doubt where this man's political sympathies rest, is there. But that was in May. What about now? Just this morning, I picked up an article by •Edwin B.Naylor who is executive director of Lutheran Social Ministry in Arizona. He cvrote the following: •' People are hurting - families, children, older adults. single parents, individuals. In spite of reports that the recession is over, urftiployment is down and hunger is the choice of the lazy, people in increasing numbers are turning to churches for help." "Hurting people exist in congregations and communities. From 1980 to 1982, five million people in the United States were added to the ranks of the pdor - those living at or below the poverty' guideline," Naylor went on. "The root May be unemploYment. limited work skills, or lack of knowledge about public , assistance that could rcrmedy the problem," he.. added. - Any want to look at it, people are liurting in the U.S.A. as well as in -Canada. In the U.S.A., of coure, considerable reduction in the social services offered through government has been experienced. Unlike in Canada where the elderly, the sick, the underprivileged and the handicapped are still among the top priorities ' of government spending, in the U.S.A. it is these people who have been losing out on benefits. One of the pastors with whom we visited has a handicapped child who requires extensive medical attention forproblems which will be with the boy all his life. Nearly all the aid which was at one time available to the family through the government, has been cut off. So the inedical bills mount - and the familis finding it impossible to make ends meet., They are frightened. 'Will they be among the new statistics? "Few peoplewant to be poor, unemployed or street people caught in a trap of dependence," says Edwin Naylor. "And what about people who cannot work - disabled persons, children, single mothers with small children, older adults? They have a right to public assistance, but how much? Is it a liveable amount?" Whether you agree or disagree with that sentiment is not the issue here. What is at issue is the fact that a government which appears to be strong, vibrant and pulling ahead can inflict all kinds of miseries on those least able to fend for themselves - the very heart 0! a nation. And while l understand that the way to strength in the national ecOnorily is through a healthy business and industrial climate, there must be a middle of the road strategy that protects the legitimate needs of ordinary people who are hurting for a variety of reasons, few of which are'of their own making. Do you, share the impression that never before has there been such a terrific and deiightful ance of things to dan!! see as there is now? The summer is filled to the brim with goodies of all kinds. anxious to appeal to every taxte, reaching for us to be part of so many different activities. visions and achievements for body and mind. Right now { am very much looking forward to experiencing the Bicentennial Showcase next Tuesday, July 17 at the Goderich Arena. The Honorable Susan Fish. Minister of Citizenship and Culture, stated that ''the Bicentennial Showcase will celebrate more than 200 years of growth and development made possible by the people who have come to Ontario from all over the worid. The million -dollar extravaganza is the Province's gift to its people and it is likely to be the most ambitious program ever seen to The ticket is toc6veronly local ennues, Mainly advertising; any possible profit prill be shared by the groups (l.uhetonm Band, Goderich Little Theatre. etc` who are helpin8Goderich Recreation Director Jame Netzke with the local organization of the R i Admittedly it is a disadvantage that such an accomplished stage show and musical entertainment Must take place at an arena, but it is the only sultahly iarge au(lItorIum In town and it is understood that the advanced technical capabilities of the stage and sound crews will possibly smooth out some of the acoustical kinks. There are over 800 municipalities in Ontario and only 26 of these communities are visited by the Showcase. Goderich being one of the 26 makes it quite a distinction for 'our area. By the sound of it, the simultaneous ' multi -media presentation promises a great deal of timely excitement tempered with ei odosofnosCa|Aio./d}he\d together by excellent showmanship. The general abundance ,f things todoand see and having only so much money and time for doing and seeing was also very much on my mind when l listened to the decreasing museum attendance figures last Thursday in Bo}moesvd}p. The public meeting had been called by the consultants who are preparing a study for the Huron County Council, concerning the future of the County's Pioneer Museum in Goderich. Not only are there now three nmuoeunno, where in the past there was one the Historic Jail and the Marine Museum being the additions, as QOdecich Mayor Palmer pointed oo±), but there are increasing numbers of •8nyd causes and interestrg events pushing for our attention every da'j' [ found the recent public meeting in Ffolmesville interesting for several reasons, some of them not pertaining directly to the agenda /temx, but obviously of importance in the background of the evntual decision- making by the county council erismn'moah(nAhythecountycouncil While the members of the puhlic hae no difficulty in keeping their minds on the muxeum, politics cloud the situation considerably and very unfortunately and cannot be ignored. There is plenty of time to talk about the institution itseB, particularly as another 'and betterodvortixod, public meeting will be called by the consultants for August, probabty in the sarbe location. Being o! rc central, the Bubnem\Uo location is certainly suitable and acceptable for such ,a meeting. Bowever, the county agriculture and property cornmi{twe chairman, Bayfield Reeve David Johnston, added a somewhat startling and burdensome dimension when he stated during the tuncil meetilier in the day that the Hv"ucx,iu, site was ^chmen, in order to "take the matter out of direct influence of Godorich"Later he also used the expression ^'iu rti | public meeting. not to be influenced by Goderich." As a resident of Goderich, [ was bound to wonder whatexectlyiawrongv'itbQoderich influence among all other influences. In finanrial terms alone, the Town of Goderich 1984 contribution of$4l8.400tothe county is rather a healthy and constructive influence. And by its nuture a public meetinghas nother to do with being impartial, as it is to hear personal opinions. views and preferences. The county council is expected to be impartial and to represent all the county's municipalities ingood faith. ' |quite prepared to chalk up bad marks against the county in this case, but after the speeches Goderich Mayor Palmer made at the Meeting, one had to conclude that politically there is probably always' sortie fault on both sides in the historically simmering oh -again off -again feeling of "difficulties" between Goderich and the "others". One can be rightly proud of one's town, but is a general public meeting in a neighbouring community on a county nlatter, the forum for making friends by singing orie's own praises of being "made of the right stuff"? Other people are equally proud of their communities; their sensibilities and sensitivities deserve to be respected in the overall picture of our county community. all this will not help. It �upto �e'ordinary people. to demand. dhaqall politicians stop the divisive nonsense. ELSA / I—IAYDON ^