The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-04-14, Page 5CODER ICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1977—j
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Funny thing but the Toronto Blue
Jays, a new entry in the American
League, are winning ball games and you
can't even buy beer in the stadium. That
is of course unless the guy beside you
consents to sell a couple of pints he
smuggled into the park.
The great debate over whether or not
beer should be sold at Blue Jays baseball
games was expected to die on the
Legislature floor, but the concern ex-
pressed over the beer sale would in-
dicate that the success of the team
hinges on fan beer consumption. It
certainly wouldn't hurt the Expos if beer
was made available to the players as
well.
• The beer controversy spread into the
government circles and Toronto Metro
council in voting 21-11 in favor of asking
the Ontario Cabinet to permit the sale of
beer in the stadiums, devoted more time
to that item than the 70 ether civic, items
listed on the evening's agenda. At least
we know where the priorities lie.
Liberal Leader Stuart Smith brought
the matter up in the Ontario Legislature
calling for the sale of beer in paper cups.
Smith's private members bill will not
come up and it was expected to die on the
floor. At the metro council meeting,
chairman Paul Godfrey, said that if beer
was not sold legally in the stadium then
supporters might snuggle it in. Might?
After the Blue Jays opener last
Thursday stadium crews had more
bottles and cans to dispose of than
popcorn boxes or hot dog wrappers. In a
CBC news report embers of the
cleanup crew indicaed there were
enough bottles and cons to supply the
44,000 plus that attended the game,
As a result of the permit request for
exhibition stadium the controversy
spread to Maple Leaf Gardens where
special occasion liquor permits were
obtained on behalf of fans occupying the
10 private boxes. Consumer and Com-
mercial Relations Minister, Sidney
Randleman, who is also responsible for
the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario said
that Maple Leaf Gardens could no longer
apply for special occasion permits on
behalf of the fans who rent the boxes for
between $25,000 and $50,000 per year.
Maple Leaf Gardens President Harold
Ballard, after chewing on several
hockey sticks in anger, called Ran-
dleman a "goddamned fool-" He wbs not
too concerned about losing money on the
private boxes since other companies and
individuals are on a waiting list.
Ballard contended that the move
would just make fools out of the
government and singled out Randleman
as a nervy politician whewas talking oujt,.
of both sides of his mouth, trying tq,
pacify the drys. Ballard said he didn't
think the government would be so stupid
and that even people who didn't drink
would be upset.
But Randleman made a concession
and said that the first game of an in-
ternational series could be considered a
special occasion and a company renting
a box could get a special permit for a
reception.
The legal opinion did not take into
account the press box at the gardens
where beer is served but that situation is
likely to be reviewed as well.
It was all so much easier under' the
Canada Temperance Act,
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uron County Board of Education
d a public meeting April 25 to
Ate an accusation that students
ig subjected to literary filth in
courses.
accusation was levelled at the
at its last regular monthly
byoj.Ioyd Barth of Blyth who
to bring his findings before the
embers. One of his main con -
as that he, like any other un -
ng parent, was unaware of the
tial background paper for a five-
dy of Thunder Bay grain han-
dicated that 75 per cent of grain
contract respiratory problems
unsure to grain dust.
Gage Research Institute is
ng a five-y,ear study in Thunder
d claim that coughing, wheezing
rtness 'of breath usually occurs
he fiht 10 years of employment
frequency of such symptoms
ently increases.
rvin Broder, director of Gage
h, said the five year study will
HERE
content of the material . until his
daughter pointed it out.
He asked the board who was
responsible fdr the book selection in the
school curriculum adding that he un-
derstood it would be extremely difficult
for board members to be aware of book
content since there were so many to deal
with in the county sygtem.
Barth singled out three novels in use in
English courses; Of Mice and Men by
John Steinbeck, The Diviners by
Margaret Lawrence and Catcher in the
40,1
INFORMATION, BACKGROUND AND OPINION
IN HURON
Rye by J..D, Salinger. Re then read a
passage from the Diviners; "When
apples are ripe they should be plucked,
when girls are 16 they should be ...."
It is hardly difficult to complete the
phrase' and Barth a former teacher,
explained that when he faught the
teaching material was void of such filth.
He explained that he followed up his filth
with letters to various education ,ad-
ministrators including Ontario
Education Minister, Thomas Wells.
Despite the letters, the response was
The use of language was a shock to
Barth who claimed that children today
use language that children of other
generations would "never thought of
using. Unfortunately children seem to
know more of the things they are got
supposed to and such language in a book
would probably draw no more than
second to impassive glance. Not that the
systern'should condone it under.the guise
that the students are eXposed to it among
their peers.4
Jim Coulter superintendent of
education in the county said that
department heads in each school discuss
the availability of material from the
ministry of education.with the other staff
members. There is no real book fisting to
choose frprn and teachers are respon•
sible for the material.
Board member Eugene Frayne said
the entire board should review the
allegation but his recommendation to
PROVINCIAL IPOINTS
begin at the end of the month to deter-
mine the extent of the grain dust
problem and the intent is to document
the existence of a problem among grain
handlers. Once that has been established
studies will be conducted by following
workers over a number of years,
The study will involve about 900 grain
workers and the institute has been given
the support of the Canadian Lakehead
Grain Elevators workers union. The
problem faced by grain handlers has
apparently resulted from pesticides and
chemical fertilizers used by farmers.
Grain handlers disease has been known
for a long time but the increasing use of
pesticides and chemicals is quite recent.
The dust conditions are supposedly
getting worse for handlers but mainly
because it is a different kied of dust
resulting from chemical sprays. Frank
Mazur, chairman of the Grain_ Elevator
Workers union said that 104years ago
grain elevators smelled like grain and
today they smell like drug stores.
Mazur expressed concern for the grain
handlers across the province because
the chemicals can easily kill a handler if
they can kill bugs. He explained that the
irandlers are in a fight with the bugs and
the bugs will win because the chemicals
will eventually kill the handlers and the
bugs will remain.
Mazur slid that action by the federal
government was dismal in relation to the
dust control since grain handlers are
under federal jurisdiction. The
Department of Labor has now promised
to provide inspectors to oversee grain
elevators and several companies have
been installing polrution control systems
'worth millions of dollars,
The federal government hasn't offered
any assistance for the study yet and the
Institute said the funds for the project
were generated internally to start, the
study. Statistics from Labor Canada
indicate that there are 31.00 people
employed in grain handling industries
across Canada and a large percentage of
those are employed in Ontario.
Thunder Bay is one of the largest grain
ports in the world, handling nearly 80
bushels a year and the cm-
turn , it gto a board subcommittee met
resistance from other members. He said
the board and parents are being filled in
on what is being taught to the children
ahd,turned ?Ight around and called for a
closed meeting to discuss the matter.
Frayne then withdrew that suggestion
and opted for a public meeting to be held
April 25. Board chairman Herb
Turkheim also extended an invitation to
English department heads and schooi
principals to be in attendance.
ployrgent figure there has reached 2,000.
A conference held' on grain dust and
health in Ottaw a last year sponsored by
Labor Canada reported that there was
no evidence to show that grain dusf
affects the lifespan of grain workers but
at worst could dis'able a person after a
period of exposure and the effects could
be permanerit. The government
recommended a threshhold limit to
grain dust exposure be implemenled and
that the industry take steps to „provide
\,-entilation and control the dust.
rd tee
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Re
e no justice?
00 Quebec Provincial policemen
d on strike after failing to come
s with the justice department,
firearms were stolen from polke
near Montreal.
uebec Provinciel Police have
an illegal strike since early last
day to back their demands for
ate implementation of two-man
ls around the clock. Spokesmen
olice union say the one man car
are unsafe in the province and
e was sparked by the shooting
f•23 year-old Constable Robert
rs on
01,
extile
loCat
nploY
buq
uitabit
don England journalist with the
Times has openly criticized the
Ay and justification for the book
a column which appeared in the
ilaleY, author of the powerful
at traced his ancestry through
1'1' era in the Unites:I States and,
bia Africa, arrived in England
e series will begin its television
He hopes that a confrontation
urnalist Mark Ottaway
during his stay in London.
ay recently spent a week in
and claims that Lebba Fofana,
seas
opeOe
wed
selg
CANADA IN SEVEN
Brabant, who was ambushed while in-
vestigating a robbery. He was alone on
patrol.
As the strike entered the fourth day
thieves broke into Berthierville station,
35 miles north of Montreal and after
rifling through policemen's lockers
made off with five revolvers and two
walkie talkies. At a division
headquarters in St. Laurent thieves took
three shotguns and more walk ie talkies.
Quebec Justice Minister Marc -Andre
Bedard said the negotiations with the
police union will not begin until the men
return to work. More than 3,000 mem-
bers of the QPP have gathered at
headquarters in Drummondville and
isseed an invitation to the justice
minister to visit the temporary
headquarters. Bedard refused and said
he has no intention of going to Drum-
mondville.
The union has since sent Bedard a
petition aigned by 91 administration
officers who claim that two-man car
patrols can be arranged with the present
staff. A union spokesman said that 200
policemen who normally work in the
offices could also be assigned to car
patrol.
The union appears fixed in its stand for
two man patrols and the Brabant in-
cident triggered the illegal strike. They
insist that one man patrols are unsafe.
Police are holding three suspects in
connection with the Brabant shooting.
The provincial government made an
offer to meet the demands half way but
the idea was rejected by the union. The
government suggested the im-
' plementation of two-man patrols on
night duty only. The strike has closed
over 107 provincial detachments and all
emergency calls are being directed to
nine regional headquarters staffed by
WORLDVVEEK
the village oral historian, who was a
main source for Haleyis research and
who also verified the story of young
Kunta Kinte, is a man of notorious
unreliability who knew that Haley was
interested in and subsequently related a
different version of the story. Ottaway
also base,d the charges on the authority
of Bakery' Sidibe, a Gambian national
archivist, who claimed that Forana was
wild as a youth and did not train as a
griot (oral historian).
The television version of Roots at-
tracted the largest viewing audience
ever in the United States and Canada
and will be shown in Britain this week..
The impact of the television version was
so powerful that many people have been
naming their children after central
characters in the book.
Haley said that he had no reason to
doubt the authenticity of his research
and since eVerything fit so well together
had no reason to abandon the in-
formation because one person after
several years had cast some doubt on a
man (Fofana) who originally was
Ottaway added that Kunta Kinte
disappeared' from the village later than
the 1767 date used6in Roots and it was
unlikely any of the inhabitants of Juffure
were captured during the year. Ottaway
did concede, however, that the basic
symbolie truth of Roots, remained un-
tarnished since it was generally ac-
cepted that thousands of Africans were
shipped into slavery.
American historians were not sorquick
to discredit the research done for the
book claiming that as historical fiction
the book retained the essence of truth.
Bernard Bailyn, a Harvard professor,
said the importance of the book does not
rest on historical fact but is more an ac
senior officers.
Raymond Richard, president of the
union, finally met with Bedard in Quebec
City on the weekend, at the request of
Richar,d, but no progress resulted from
the late night meeting. Neither man
would agree to give ground on the basic
issues and -the union decided to continue
'the strike.
Bedard had since conceded to allow
two-man patrols on evening and night
shifts and,during days in high risk cases.
The police association still maintains
'that the two-man patrols can be initiated
24 hours a day without any extra cost to
•
ount of the author's preception of
slavery and rather than relying on
details exists on a state of mind.
Haley himself conceded that the book
was historically exact in detail and in the
book explained that every line has been
preserved through oral history in his
African and American families. He
combined the oral history with some
documentation and then took what he
believed would be a -realistic and
plausible approach to Jhe dialogue and
circumstances. •
Another Harvard professor, Robert
Fogel claimed Roots was the hest
the province and by using existing
Bedard said he was aware of the risks
involved in police work and admitted
that working conditions could be im-
proved. But he added that many people
face the problem of poor working con-
ditions but don't take illegal strike action
to support their demands.
Some municipal police forces in
Quebec are answering emergency calls
in the QPP jurisdiction and the
municipal associations have also thrown
their support behind the strikers.
historical novel written on slai7ery ad-
ding that it would be wrong to demean
the book by pointing out the errors and
that •it would also be wrong to
acknowledge the book as a history on
It is refreshing to note that many
historians questioned refused to demean
the book on the basis of historical fact
hut rather view it as one man's per-
ception and sengible portrayal of
slavery. After all no one can deny that •
the slave trade existed and perhaps
Roots was kind in its portrayal.