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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-09-16, Page 12• PAGE 9- ODE ICH SIGNAL -STAR, TH U S,DAY, SEP'EIVIBER 16, .1976 In the test few weeks, this newspaper- has come 'in for some cr'4 1isiin from ' citizens who feel it has been "covering up" for problems ,encountered at Goderich Memorial Arena while the roof was being removed. The. greatest amount of criticism was levelled. for the newspaper's failure to, report that -the-south-wall-and-a-portIon-of the -east. , wall was cracked and ,broken -during the work carried out by Ben Graham, contractor. Readers will recall'fhat a picture of the walk in question -appeared an the front page of the Signal -Star the week the incident happened, Since no figures, were available immediately of the cost if any - to the municipality,. nothing was reported concerning.the financial aspect of the accident.. •By the time the next week's. issue hit the street, it was apparent that the south wall and the east wall of the arena would have to come down anyway. It did not seem necessary then to report an accident which by this . time -was- of no consequence -et-all: At•no time did the Signal -Star, at- tempt to cover, up for, the Goderich Community ,,Ce'ntre and Recreation Board. Neither has the.RecBoard tried to keep the truth from the• residents of Goderich ; Its members have; been. open and honest in a difficu:l.t and frustrating.• round of red tape and, headaches.'- SJ K CooventioQs can be usefuI Since the budget, time earlier this year,_ Goderich Town Council has been expressing concern off' and on 'about the cost of conventions. attended, by.. elected persons and other municipal employees, and paid for bytax dollars. Most vocal in this regard was. Deputy reeve Bill Clifford who also made his feelings known i at the county level concerning convention costs there. Tobe sure,convention expenses are something about which many -_-ratepayers• get upset. To the average person wbo,thinks of taxes in terms of services rendered, .money for .hotel bills, meals, drink,. mileage; tips and registration can be classed as nothing —Short of -waste. Probably to a large percentage of the population, all - expense paid outings for any purpose are unknown = and it -is difficult then, to explain.why.the"y must share in the cost of such outings for their elected of-.. • ficial.. There are times.when the press' likes to jump on such expenditures, using them as examples, of government m ism-anage etit-No ''rang ago,, • the provincial Conservatives, were blasted .. for using public money to pay for what some .-thought a •luxurious series of. meetings at The -Mill in Benmiller. "There are plenty of times when con- 'venti.on ' costs - and other 'related • Sounds tnterestiag .74 As . the Goderich. ' Little Theatre prepares for another season, patrons in and around the town are•getting• ready • for some more fine entertainment by the local troupe continued -en- t usiaa' of.._ .r W.1 ;.a,..:._.,.. h _.� � fh�t ��g�+edf-�-s>�el�e: evidence "of' the flact the GLT is ap- preciated and respected for its am- bitious trio of productions' each year. meeting actitivies ' - are open to question and criticism. • While Deputy -reeve Clifford: is concerned about -convention costs, he is well aware that conventions are a vitally• important part Of the job for elected and appointed officials as well as other hired personnel. Most con- ventions - even the much maligned. Good ' Roads Convention - can be valuable learning sessions. Nothing is static. Things dd change. Those people who manage Municipal matters must keep up with' the changes, and con- ventions and municipal meetings are excellent opportunities to get in- formation. The deputy -reeve's main -worry is ,thatconventionbudgets not be abused that maximum mileage be gained from • such money by keeping a watchful eye on the numbers of persons 'attending", -- the, distances travelled, the types • of. meetings approved, the knowledge • gained, the sharing of information with others who did not attend; the long- term :results. •° " It is good to be Vigilant: about'such things. It makes sense to be cautious. 'At the same time; care must be taken to ensure thetr-Goderich is represented at • worthwhile conventions and meetings. The continued progress of thismunicipality mig jw= I depend on it. SJ K -• An idea.. put forth iasf week ' by new • GLT president Jenny Black for year round entertainment on a kind of. community .concert hall stage has. merit and should also prove exciting to many, Many people • here. Un- doubtedly;---any n doubtedly; any such venture would be carefully studied from a =financial aspect before it was initiated, but . on .the surface 'I t would appear that Goderich has the nucleus of an audience that would willingly support such a facility: What's more, Huron's citizens in general- have a greater appetite for. live theatre now that' Blyth and 'Grand •Bend have paved the. wa' in Goderich; one which at is acoustically excellent. Mrs. Black's suggestion, of course, centredaround McKay -,Hall, presently the home of GLT productions. This fa i l i to t .S..ace _ c�u.I'<-•�... hi0-g,. necessary for.—a— good community theatre, except perhaps for size: Shows requiring space for over 250. persons lustcouldn't be accommodated in the present McKay Hall and would have to go elsewhere anyway. Some citizens have 'allowed them - Selves to ..dream ..of the day when Goderich ..dream have ;a brand.; new facility for such entertainment - with a.• raked floor, comfortable seats for 400- 500, {-a fine sound _• system, good, theatrical lighting and •of course, ex- cellent acoustics. Bulb even the most optimistic of these people will.say that such a theatre , is almost an •im- passibility, especially now when rnunicipal budgets:and private funds are stretched tti the absolute .Iim%ts, y: and when the town's arena is roofless• and a subject for citizen concern. it . •-imay, well be that the 'G LT' president. has struck upon a sensible middle-of-the-road plan -which would serve the community's needs for the next few years. It will be interesting to see -wha:t negotiations with town. council will reveal about the possibility of selling, or -leasing McKay _ Hall to.. GLT and just how the GLT executive and members• will formulate their. plans. for the future. - SJK ' .� least • Not long ago, this newspaper noted with : •some regret ..that the Anne of Green Gables' production at the local high school' would have been much,• more enjoyable in a theatre_ setting. Similar comments have been 'made about the' annual symphony concerts. - sponsored through the.otarX _ Club and .� held in the town's only near -suitable auditorium at GDCI. It isn't -too dif- . • ficult• to build acase for a concert hall • e !onij,'waiI Bu Jeff Seddon • • BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER The question of day care centres -' and whether- Goderich should. have one or not - has come to the fore again following a request. from Tuckersmith Township Council to Goderich Town-- Council own- Council to pick up a part. of the tab for Goderich children who are spending some time at the day care centre at Vanastra. - The problem is this. Day care centres are established through provincial.: programming. They .are financed jointly by the people; who .utilize the facility, the municipality in which the day•. care• centre is located, and the provincial government. P. cpstA foie .o1r child in a day care centre in Ontario is somewhere bet ween $9 and $10 per , day. That's quite a bit of money - and some parents cannot pay that amount for child care DEAR READ and have anything left from their salaries. The problem is evenworse wli-en ;mere than: one child is involved.. . In some cases, ,the municipality agrees to subsidize the day care cen- tres in order that ,they may, charge -lessper chi -1d -per= day:- In ay:In other cases,- the parents and themunicipality'come to some financial .agreement regarding _ the costs for 'the daycare centre.. In still other cases, ,the provincial cial government subsidizes the Costs• of the day care centre, but only after the parents apply to the government for assistance through Form 7. It is understood • that in orderto receive provincial financial- assistance for a c191d in a day care centre,. a single` parent mus$ earn no more than $5,500 plu's $500 for each childThat is, if a man alone had two children, he could earn only $6,500 per annum and still receive assistance from' the gover ninent to keep his children in a day :care centre `while he.. worked: ' . _ In two parent families, the family 'income' must 'not exceed $6,000 plus 1500' per child. Pretty low! • It isn't- ;too• difficult to see a then, that• •.few: working couples Valid qualify for provincialassistance when it came to keeping a child in a day care centre. The only, e is to-. other. recoursthen, make application to the municipality for:assistancee Obviously in Tuckersmith Township,- arrangements have been made by Goderich parents • to have their children at the Vanastra day care ' centre. Obviously too, Ttikersruith Township has "lee` ickiri u" a p' • g• P p'aFi"a tiie tab for keeping these children at the centre and the towreship has in turn suggested to the Town of Goderich that this -municipality should•help with. the expenses, since . the children come from Goderich Town council on the other .,hand, has agreed in a regular -session -that' since- the arrangements Were made with Tuckersmith Township, And- sincethe members of Goderich , council have no knowledge of - the _ financial need of the parents,, it is unfair to ask the ratepayers of 0. Goderich' to subsidize babysitting fees for two or three families. • ' "Council also feels that since these childrendo not seem to __.be at the centre daily, it really doesn't constitnte the same kind of a need it would if the children were there five days , webek Amy., wee Indeedl. it sn't clear that the' parents are at work while the children are at the day care centre.•. It is' possible the parents are simply away and the day care centre is being usedstrictly as a, place to leave the children while mom and dadhave time but:. - More • than • likely, the parents are at work; Maybe shifts don't work out .... or the regular babysitter i•s. not on _ - the job.. There are all sorts of' possibilities. Still,; the .town •councillors feel that if the town paid the bill (even though it's small - something like $TO or $12 a month) it would, be setting a dangerous precedent and opening: a neW and• expensive can of worms it can ill afford at this pointin time, + Does the town, of Goderich need -a day care centre? Well, two years ago itlid not seem necessary here. A , survey was done then which- 's'ho'wed vthat"Cert'' eery feW families in' Goderich would utilize a day care centre here . if it was established:_ -Since -_ ' day care centre can be ex- d• (continued on page l9 " $ abut cfj SIGNAL -,STAR .p , . n .0 . ' The County Town Now,paper., of HurOn —0 - Pounded In 1848 and published every T'h'ursday at Goderich, Ontario Member of the t•WNA and OWNA. Advertising rates on request. Subscriptions payable In advance 111.00 in Canada, 815.50 in all .countries other than Canada, single copies 25 cents, Display adr vertising rates'available.on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 0 effective Oct, 1, 1915, Second Nass mail Registration Number 0701, Advertising is acceptedon the condition thtt, in the event bf typographical error, the advertising'space occupied by the erroneous item, rogethet with reasonable allowance ror signature. will not be charged for but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for it the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error adve'Ftising goods -or services at a wrong price, goods. orservice tray -not be poll. •Advertising is merely anoffer to sell, and maybe withdrawn at any tune. The Signal -Star: Is not responsible for the loss ordamage of upsolieited manuscripts or photos: • . Published by Signai.Star Publishing Ltd. ROBERT O. SH R I ER president Inc. -publisher SHIRLEY J.'KEL' LER— editor EDWARO•J. BYRSKI — advertising manager Staidness and Editorial Office • TELEPHONE , 5 t-1331. area code 519 • flNsiliftg Addrelti: . P.O.' BOX 210. Goderich and ass* Flail v gistralion itumbv—:0116 looking ' back Dear Editor, . , In the Huron Signal':of June, 1877, I noticed an item related to the hotel' on Hamilton street: "On Saturday last Mr:- S. Sloan: ,presented Mrs. J.C. Martin, "of the Colborne Hotel, with a handsome baby carriage, solid gold breastpin and pretty baby's dress for the young son Who rejoices the hearts of Mr. Martin and his lady. The parents fully appreciate- the present,.and- s doubtless the recipient is also deligh`ed - at this •mark of. regard on the part of . his •- .godfather.„ Sam Sloan had a grain business on the south side of Hamilton street at the Vic- ;DEAR toria street corner,• in a. big brick building long gone. The Martirks, as I recall, did not live in the hotel, but 'in a big house. on Trafalgar street. The. Signal did riot give the, name.of.the:child, nor can I, ,-radios Dea-Editor: • „ The .thoroughly and well written article' in your last week's__ppper impressed upon the the problems of the local fire department more. , ef- fectively ' than. any presen-.. tatfon in the past. The reference to volunteer firemen being "sometimes the butt of jokes or criticism" startled me greatly. Only a most thoughtless and .unreasonable personcould- look for •a joke in such a vitally. essential service which • we aremistakenly taking for granted when, we •shouldbe infornied • and aware of the efforts, obvious dedication and personal EDITO - W.E, Elliott. thank' you Dear Editor,'. on behalf of the Goderich Figure. Skating Club, we wish to thank each and everyone for their co-operation during' our "Raise the Roof. held at the Suncoast Mall. A Most sincere thank you to Mr; 7 John! Maillet, the can-_ vassers and,'supervi.sops. We: raised a total of $1,336. -" Ellen Jeffrey Pres.. GFSC. 80 YEARS AGO A resident of St. Andrew's ward discovering that one of the not overly -sweet-smelling was an -inhabitant of his cellar, called in a well -known - hardware merchant who with one bullet rid thepoor man of the beast. ,McCorrnick, F'. Elliott's runner in the Western Fair on Monday in the running race and did the same trick on the following day, On Thursday the Auburn brewery wagon team while on , The Square got frightenedat something and after a hard fight with. their owner who was driving got away and upsetting thewagon and load' got loose from the vehicle and galiopped dovin ' Kingston Street at the end of which th'ey . were, 'stopped. On passing Mu'itney:s they caused one of .his horses xo . stampede, but the •runaway • Was soon stopped, It took _quite a few dollars to put the. , 8' sacrifice -:.of-: the individuals • involved, -- - As•; to criticism, I am sure the firemen realize that (nothing worthwhile . can. be done without someone being -.negative about it. On , one ' point the article singles out the Parks truck as being, by comparison, radio-. •equipped., It is my custom (indeed; I regard it also as my duty) to , explain or to defend in fairness any matter Concerning the. Parks work. Every other•chairman isalso free to promote, upgrade and support his department's efforts; - thus leading to better overall results for all of us. . • \ • Therefore, • I; find it necessary to point out that when. the Parks truck is not used for that -particular work, KING brewery wagon. back together but Murney suffered no loss. 40 YEARS AGO .Evert, man, worna,n and child in ;this -county and' in every' ,adjoining county` should plan to be In Goderich next Tuesday or Wednesday to attend the Goderich Industrial Exhibition. There wi11 be.the.-usual horse races,-- only more bf them, a midway thatWillbring back the joys of youth to the middie-aged, and make the 'children want it is in use as -simply -another Public Works vehicle "tied into the radio system the town- roads crew -has", so that the 'Foreman = or anyone else on the business - can he in communication -with the crew at all times to work ef� ficiently and promptly; Particularly in cases of greater emergency such as , storms and other difficult situations: . For communications between the Chairman and the Parks crew such a.system is a convenience, not .,a necessity. If it could helpthe volunteer firemen, n without' hesitation I would personally . suggest that the radio in the ' Parks truck be placed in .a _ fire truck. However, itis°part of an 'entirely' different (continueel,on page -l9. to stay .young forever, The management has been spending energy and money in an effort to make the 1936 exhibition the best yet. They therefore invite yoir at- tendance, being totally sure that yew, will be delighted with the•progratn. • FIVE YEARS AGO Pat Patterson was. upset, Friday evening to find that the black -berried elder tree wh gh has • stood in Octogenarian Park for an estimated` 100 years had been uprooted when a, car sped through the little park at the ,. junction of •Arthur- St. Patrick- Streets. Mr. Pat • terson had erected a heavy post in front of the .tree to prevent such a mishap, but ^' the. post . was shattered as well. The employees at Dominion Road, Machinery Company' ' have i:atifie;d a new two-year contract which • blas• been termed "'quite satisfactory".