The Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-10-31, Page 4DAVE
SYKES
The prospect of going out Trick or
Treating for Halloween this year has pro-
voked a bit nostalgia in this aging agent.
Do you remember how much fun Hallo-
ween used
allo-
ween"used to be?
Well maybe it wasn't that much fun. I
mean, you had to walk for miles, pound on
doors, say "trick or treat" as if you meant it
and indulge the candy -giver with a song or
whatever else they demanded before relin-
quishing the goods.
To be honest, it was pure and simple greed
that propelled my skinny legs along the
streets of Cambridge in search of elusive
treats. We just wanted bags of dehips,
chocolate bars, and homemade gooey
things. We couldn't be bothered with apples
or donations • that remotely resembled
something that might be good for you.
No siree. Just slip some of that old tooth -
decaying material in the bag and I'll be on
my way. You can't fool a kid twice. We kept
a mental hit list on homes that tried to pawn
off apples and other fresh fruit on unsuspec-
ting trick or treaters. The following year
that house was avoided like the plague.
And word spreads fast on the street too.
The little urchins pass the word along on
where to get the best "goods" and what
places to avoid. It's a regular syndicate.
When I was still a participant, the old
gang made expeditious efforts to garner as
much stuff as possible. The quality control,
or sorting, came later. The objective was to
amass a rather large inventory.
Which meant that one had to be quick
one's feet and try and make the most calls
possible. The only snag was that one in three
people that answered our call was a semi -
demented individual with a deranged pen-
chant for making kids earn their keep.
There was nothing more frustrating than
having to sing a song or explain to someone
that you really wouldn't set his porch on fire
if treats were not forthcoming. Some people
get caught up in these thin::.
But that was so many years ago that even
the memory grows hazy.
Blit now, Halloween has renewed life in
our household. Last year son Bradley
discovered that people would give him can-
dy without the least bit of effort or provoca-
tion on his part.
Initially he was most timid about ap-
proaching people's front doors. But after
two or three stops and the realization that
people willingly gave him things, he would
just walk right in and make himself at
home.
He's already looking forward to the exer-
cise this year and has regaled his little sister
with stories about Halloween and bags of
candy.
Of course dad gets to go out on these ex-
cursions for now. And its almost more fun
the second time around.
THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT
SINCE 1848
Founded in 1849 and published every Wednesday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA.
Subscriptions payable in advance '20.95, [Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege card number required) in Canada, '55.
to U.S.A., '55. to ail other countries, Single copies 50¢. Oleplay, National and Classified advertising rates
available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. Advertising is accepted on the
condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising apace occupied by the erroneous item,
together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement.
will be paid for et the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical ardor advertising goods or services at a
wrong price, goods orri� services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at
any time. The Signal- r is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or othe
materials used for rep 'liming purposes.
PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED'
ROBERT G. SH RI ER - President and Publisher
DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager
DAVE SYKES - Editorties er c.�
eftN
P.O. BOX 220
INDUSTRIAL
AL
INDUSTRIAL PARK /!
®OOERICH, ONT. N7A 486 (J'+
Go
Member:
Second class
- mail registration
number 0716
FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...pleese phone [519)524-2614
The ransom will be high
Using students as pawns in labor negotiations is disdainful at the best of times says the
Exeter Times -Advocate, but the strike by community college teachers and other staff in
Ontario could have serious ramifications for those enrolled in those institutions of higher
learning. .
Elementary and secondary school students have in the past had portions of their school
year interruped by teacher strikes or board lockouts, but those in instances have not had
the severe repercussions that current strike could create.
Most of the community college students are young adults who have raised their tuition
and other expenses through summer employment or have received student loans. They
live away from home and have tenancy obligations that continue whether they are in
class or not.
Several are unemployed people who have staked all their belongings and future on at-
taining a college education in the hope of finding employment through their new skills
and training.
A prolonged strike would force many college students to terminate their plans for the
future and it is therefore most disconcerting to hear that the staff have dug in their heels
and are prepared to wait months for a settlement if that is what it takes to win their bat-
tle.
Many will find it difficult to support the teachers as they seek to improve their current
salaries which are in the $40,000 range or to be sympathetic to their concern over the
number of classroom hours.
Sooner or later they'll win the battle and the ransom will be paid in increased educa-
tional costs for future students. If it's much later, the ransom will include the devastation
of the hopes and dreams of many current students.
It is difficult to imagine that the current pay and working conditions are so poor that
any group could be pushed to such extreme and dangerous action.
Let's take care out there
Halloween is a special time of year for children.
It is the one time of year when they can dress up and demand treats. But to keep Hallo-
ween a safe and happy night, follow some basic safety rules.
Be sure the child's vision is not impaired by a mask or costume. Children should wear
bright coloured costumes and are advised not to criss-cross the roadway when trick or
treating. Cover one side of the street and then cross to the other side.
Motorists should be on the alert tonight for little ghosts and goblins and take extra care
driving.
The Goderich Police Department will have everyone on duty, including some auxiliary
constables to ensure that this Halloween will be a safe one in town.
Parents could be well advised to check their child's bag of goodies before any candy is
c ons -used.
t
Busy port
y Dave Sykes
POSTSCRIPT
JOANNE BUCHANAN
I am writing this column just prior to leav-
ing on a two-week vacation.
I am in desperate need of a vacation. I
know this to be true because lately my had
days' at the office have been coming closer
and closer together.
As I have been driving to work each morn-
ing, the words of a certain song have been
running through my head. They go
something like this: "You work 16 hours and
what do you get? Another day older and
deeper in debt!" Do yL a know the feeling?
Sometimes, as soon as you get up in the
morning, you know that it's a mistake.
Especially if you wake up face down on the
pavement.
On the way to work, your horn goes off ac-
cidentally and remains stuck as you follow a
group of Hell's Angels down the highway.
You finally arrive at work and are greeted
by a co-worker who tells you that your panty
hose are wrinkled even though you aren't
wearing any. Then you see a "60 Minutes"
news team waiting for you in your office.
After they have gone, your only son calls to
tell you he wishes Anita Bryant would mind
her own business.
When you arrive home after a long hard
day, you turn on the t.v. news and discover
that they're displaying emergency routes
out of town.
It's about this time when you think of call-
ing your psychiatrist but you know, because
of the way the rest of your day has gone, that
he will probably put you on hold.
Of course the above scenario is an exag-
geration of a 'bad day' but you get the pic-
ture. Everybody has these kinds of days
from time to time. We've all experienced
them.
Sometimes at the Signal -Star, I find my
`bad days' extend into 'bad weeks'. Mon-
days and Tuesdays are extremely busy
around here. The members of the editorial
department have to have each week's paper
all pasted up and ready to go on the press by
Tuesday night around 9 p.m. Usually I end
up working late Monday night, feeling like
it's 'The Night of the Living Dead( line
then I work straight through the supper hour
on Tuesday night until the paper is finished.
On Wednesday mornings I wake up and
feel as if I've been hit by a truck. I usually
arrive at the office late ( unless I have an
early morning assignment) and hope for a
relaxing day, doing odd jobs and getting
ready to face the next week.
Unfortunately, the paper hits the streets
on Wednesday and that's when the 'You
spelled my name wrong' phone calls begin
coming in. Why doesn't anyone ever call
when names are spelled right?
The trouble with working on a newspaper
is that one's mistakes are right there in
black and white each week for the world to
see and criticize.
Actually there are an awful lot of nice peo-
ple in this town who take the time to write or
call if they are pleased with a story I've
written. However, it is usually the com-
plaint calls or letters that stick in mind the
longest.
I've discovered that there is no pleasing
some people and 1 think it is best summed
up in the following article taken from the
Clinton News -Record:
"If you think you have troubles, pity the
poor reporter. If she attends a meeting, she
is being nosey; if she doesn't attend, she
isn't interested. If she writes an in-depth
story, it's too long; if she contlenses one, it's
incomplete. If she takes sides on an issue,
she isre udiced; if she doesn't, she is a
coward. If she asks for advice, she's in-
competent; if she doesn;.t, she is a know-it-
all. If she expresses an opinion, she wants to
run the show; if she doesn't, she lacks guts.
If she misspells your name, you never forget
it; if she doesn't, you didn't read the story."
Anyway, I guess every job has it's pro-
blems and when you're overdue for a holi-
day, the problems always seem magnified.
I plan to come back from my vacation
feeling relaxed and ready to face the
challenges of a new week. This plan will last
about five minutes until the phone rings six
times in a row for me and I see the mounds
of mail and messages which have ac-
cumulated on my desk while I was away.
Then I'll be back to my old weary self again
and I'll be thinking, 'Why did I ever go away
on a vacation? I'll never get caught up on
my work now. It just wasn't worth it...'
It does not happen to me very often, but I
am thoroughly puzzled at the moment, try-
ing to figure out what the Public Utilities
Commission is doing, why it would want to
do some of the things and how it gets away
with certain procedures.
From time to time there is an impression
that the PUC is tying itself into little knots
the rights and wrongs of which one finds
very difficult to untangle. Yet it is a body of
elected persons and one could logically
presume that each member is most anxious
to conduct public business with such clarity
that the electorate (Customers) can easily
see what is going on.
The most cumbersome and unrealistic
habit of the commission is not allowing
public access td) the minutes of their
meetings until the minutes are adopted at a
Subsequent meeting, meaning that public
knowledge of PUC affairs is at least a month
behind the actual happenings. On the other
hand, all actions taken at the meeting
become effective immediately (or as
specified in the covering motion) and do not
wait a month to be implemented.
Thus we learned in October ("PUC grants
disability status to employee", October 24,
1984) about Mayor Palmer's concerns and
objections which were publicly expressed at
the September 13th PUC meeting.
Even then it became obvious only because
Mayor Palmer, obviously feeling strongly
about the matter, refused to let it drop and
wrote a letter to the PUC, repeating her
views. She was perfectly right to do so.
Although the majority vote determines the
decision, in a democracy a minority opinion
has the right to be heard and does not have
to permit itself to be swept under the carpet
of some obscure excuse for secrecy.
The Public Utilities Commission is elected
separately from the municipal council and
has its own mandate. The PUC does not
receive its revenue out of the local tax rate,
but sells its services to the public. The
mayor is always a full voting member of the
PUC.
I am with Mayor Palmer when she ques-
tions how it is in "public interest" when ar-
rangements are made for an employee's
retirement (years before the usual retire-
ment age and without medical documenta-
tion and monitoring), with public money
continuing to suppbrt the pension, i.neluding
lifetime protection for the wife and family.
I am even more emphatically questioning
the PUC practice of making decisions
behind closed doors. Are they legal? In mat-
ters concerning individuals there is
justification for holding some part of the
specific discussions in camera, but why is
there such reluctance to let sunshine fall
upon decisions dishing out public money,
particularly as there are alternatives?
Here is a quotation from the PUC minutes
of August 16th this year, the meeting where
the retirement in question was "decided",
reading:
"The Commission rose from the "Com-
mittee of the Whole" and the regular,
meeting resumed. It was agreed that the
minutes of the regular meeting concur with
the "Committee of the Whole" minutes."
Can anyone tell me what it means? Buar
in mind that one cannot get the closed com-
mittee minutes at any time. The convulsed
method of adopting secret minutes in order
to make secret decisions valid, does not
bear examination in decent light. Yet the
PUC has followed the practice for years. It
is a pity that the mayor does not seem to
have questioned it.
If a public body has good reason to believe
that it makes intelligent and well reasoned
decisions in "public interest" - why on earth
is there need for secrecy? For many years it
has puzzled me. Does anyone know the
answer?
1
ELSA HAYDON