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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-06-22, Page 30• GODERICH SIGNAL -STA tl;THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1978—.PAGE 9A Says austerity "strangling" some pro _ ams BY JEFF SEDDON Outdated equipment and supplies coupled with aging facilities may put a heavy burden on Huron County taxpayers in the near future unless the province of Ontario picks up a bigger chunk of education costs here. Board of education chairman John Elliott told trustees on three separate occasions at a recent board meeting that provincial cuts in education spending coupled with increased costs for staff, facilities and supplies is putting the board on a collision course with taxpayers' wallets. Elliott used three different examples at the board meeting to make his point claiming that provincial subsidy increases for education in the past four years have done nothing more than cover increased salary costs. He said provincial cuts have left the board with no alternative but to reduce spending in areas such as school equipment, supplies, teaching aids and building maintenance. Elliott said the withdrawal by the province has left local school boards "holding the bag". He said Huron County board budgets over the past four years have increased by 33 percent, 15 percent, nine percent and six percent which is roughly what salaries increased here. He said reduced funding by the province has resulted in Ontario keeping abreast of increased spending in only one area, salaries. Colborne township trustee Shirley Hazlitt told the board that more investigation may have to be clone in certain courses offered by the board. She said a recent examination of the school credit system resulted in a recommendation that no course changes be made and she couldn't agree with those findings. EXAMINE SYSTEM The examination of the credit system was handled by the board's school program com- mittee working with the intention of seeing if some courses taken by a very small number of students could be eliminated to save costs. The committee rnet with five teachers and` five principals and, according to a report, agreed, after an active discussion period that present policy was satisfactory and no changes should be made. Hazlitt argued that perhaps the teachers and principals were not the best people to consider the courses from a dollar and cent viewpoint. She said the board may not be able to get an accurate response from the teachers because dropping a course may mean a loss of a job to them. The Colborne trustee said the board should consider alternatives such as amalgamating classes on a county basis or establishing minimum numbers of students taking a course. She said by using a minimum number of students for a course the board would not be paying great sums of money for subjects studied by a dozen students. She added that by amalgamating classes expensive classroom material such as technical equipment could be installed in one school and students bussed to that classroom. "Quite frankly we can't afford to offer drafting to a class of five," she said. 4thie foot in the b Letters are apprec,ated by Bob Trotter Eldale Rd Elmore Ont N3B 2C7 Technology is moving so fast that maybe we should try making a few steps backward. The idea came to me the other day when I drove past the pioneer village. On a per- manent siding was a locomotive, the engine thattran on fire and water. The big. black monster sits there now, gathering rust. I can clearly remember when there was little in the way of travel' more magnificent than railroad trains. They roared through the 'night -belching -great quantites of -smoke and steam, threatening instant destruction to all who might im- pede their progress. I clearly remember one of the first fatalities I covered as a cub reporter. An elderly gentleman driving with his wife and two friends ran into a lumber truck which had stopped for a train. The monster was sitting panting 'op the tracks when I got there, burping steam, waiting impatiently to continue its journey. To many people. my father-in-law for one. they were the most sublime invention of the human mind. As a youngster. 1 can recall putting a big penny—remember them? — on the tracks and waiting in frightened anticipation as the terri- lc engine roared past with an earth -shaking thundrer, the seven -foot wheels pounding. Every bonettingled with delight. It was the plaintive, lonely cry of the whistles that linger. A year ago. the silence of a sumrtier night was shattered when one of the only steam locomotives left in action whis- tled its way through our town. I did not know the excursion train was coming through but I sure could have wept a nos- talgic flood when the whistle sounded. The whistles spoke a language of their own. a soul -stirring language that brought a young man's head up with anticipa- tion and an old mans head up with memories. Those whis- tles caressed the brains of hundreds of thousands of men in other years, other times. They could caress and curse. too. because they opened the .wanderlust in the heart of every romantic, male or female. 1 wonder how many heeded the call of the train whistle? How many followed the haunting wail from province to pro- vince, from state to state? The antiseptic sound of the diesel whistles seem not to echo in the night nor even in the hearts of men and women. Something truly romantic disappeared when the steam whistles gave way -to the -business -like diesel horn. Some men were so in love with steam locomotives that they met every train that came into my home town when 1 was a kid. My father-in-law was one of them. He had a railroading job for a few years early in the Depression but lost the job in a layoff during those troubled times. He got out of railroa- ding but railroading never got out of him. He loved to watch those trains come and go. I have seen tears of love for trains well up in his eyes yet he had trouble articulating love for his children. There was something about those great monsters of progress that will never be forgotten by those who can re- member them. They were part of this nation of ours, more so than most other nations. It was the promise of a railway from coast to coast which' was instrumental in fulfilling the Canadian dream. Railways, as Canadians"are wont to call them. helped to forge this nation and the great steam behemoths made up of cylinders. valves and rivets became the subject of many great songs and legends in North America. I would sure like to hear that whistle again just to re -live for a few mcjlments the days of youth when those trains in the night prompted dreams and fantasies. Certainly. the horn of a diesel is as flat as a platter com- pared to the whistle of a steam locomotive. Beef day plans The beef industry is constantly changing to increase efficiency. To keep up with the fast pace of change, Ontario beef producers are in- vited to attend Beef Day, July 12. They will have the opportunity to catch up on innovations in the industry and observe current research. The program, open to all members of the beef community, is sponsored jointly by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ontario Beef Performance Testing Association, the Ontario Agricultural College and the Ontario Cattlemen's Association. Tom Burgess, Department of Animal Science at the Ontario Agricultural College, expects 200 to 300 people from across. Ontario, to attend the event. e The morning program will be held at the Elora Beef Research Centre. Producer§ will see various ongoing projects including -one which monitors the behavior of cows on closed-circuit television. There will be tours of the Centre's roughland pastures. . The annual meeting of the Ontario Beef Per- formance Testing Association will be held during the lunch hour. It is the first time the meeting has been held in conjunction with_the Beef Day program. In the afternoon the program moves to the Arkell Bull Test Station, south of Guelph, where 55 ,bulls finishing test will be up for private treaty sale. Producers will have the opportunity to try the cow game during their tour of the bull test station. Using a computer, producers can determine the outcome of various breeding programs. For more information about the Beef Day program, contact Professor Burgess, Department of Animal Science, or Ralph Mccartney, OMAF ex- tension beef specialist at the Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph. WHITEWASHING AND DISINFECTING Barns and other types of buildings - Call Jim Moss: 529-7650 ALVIN'S TV YOUR HEADQUARTERS FOR • ROGERS MAJESTIC TV • EXPERT TV SERVICE • ANTENNA & TOWER INSTALLATION 162 MARY ST. GODERICH 524-9089 25th Anniversary 1O% OFF LARGEST STOCK IN THE COUNTY WORK BOOTS —Industrial —Farm —Factory Plain or safety toe PUNCTURE PROOF SOLES ROSS SHOE SHOP 142 The Square Goderlch, Ont. SEMANTICS Education director John Cochrane said he agreed with some of Hazlitt's comments pointing out that the board may face a battle of semantics. He said the board needed to review its system because there are no 'longer dollars available to offer some courses. He said schools may have to return to basics. School program committee chairman Dorothy Wallace said her committee may not be the proper one to review courses since its members were not "cognisant of the ramifications in teacher contracts". She said the members were not aware that the board had options open to it like the ones described by Mrs. Hazlitt. Board chairman John. Elliott said the representatives from the teachers that met with the school prograr is committee were very aware of how the contract reads adding that perhaps the best way to handle the problem is to have the board's administration look at it, Problems arising throughout the board meeting made it clear the board faces a real dilemma in future budgets. A lengthy letter from W. S. Craig, technical director at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton, pointed out to trustees that technical equipment in shops in the county high schools is outdated, in various states of disrepair and in some cases unusable because of a lack of funding by the board. STRANGLING PROGRAMS Craig said in the letter that recent austerity programs are "slowly strangling technical programs". He said no money has been ear- marked for replacement of outdated equipment and in fact not enough money has been set aside to run the technical courses properly without spending anything on replacements. Craig said the technical courses were popular with the students and that enrolments had been consistent and in some cases had increased. He said that of the 157 graduates in the past three years only one is unemployed proving that, the courses are worthwhile. Craig pointed out that the board budgeted $60,000 for CHHS operation this year and tex- tbook changes demanded by the ministry of education alone ate 'up $17,400 of that. He said that leaves $43,600 and last year the approved supply budget was $49,000 for CHHS, leaving the school $5,400 short of its target spending nothing on night school, field trips, machine rentals, athletics, commencement exercises and other activities. "I left the budget meeting frustrated, discouraged and dejected," said Craig in the letter. He added that ,the school 'replacement and capital budget is apf%oximately $6,000 which is enough to buy one metric lathe for the machine shop. DIRECT WORD NEEDED Craig said direct communication is needed if any attempt is to be made to solve the problem. He said he wrote letters to the board office, has offered information relative to replacements grants, has tried to initiate replacement programs and even established a committee to study the problem and nothing has been done about it. He said there was a great deal of optimisim in the technical department at CHHS when a principal's memo in September said the board was giving replacement of equipment top priority in its budget. When the budget was passed the priority turned out to be $500. Craig said some of the equipment in the shops is 23 years old and some in automotive is designed for cars built 10 years ago. He said the automotive apprentices going out from the school courses have no training on (modern electronic ignitions and are out of pace with technological advancements. He added that much of the equipment in tit other shops at the school is out of date and slply worn out in some cases. John Cochrane told the trustees that much of the equipment installed in the school shops was installed under provincial and federal give away plans in the early '60's and is coming apart now. He said the plans have been disbanded by the governments and local boards are left with the expense updating equipment. Board chairman John. Elliott said the budget committee made every effort to funnel as much money as possible into technical programs and had managed to set aside three dollars per student for equipment replacement. "That was one sixth the amount recom- mended by the property committee that was needed to keep up," said Seaforth trustee John Henderson. Goderich trustee Dorothy Wallace said the board may be "whistling for funds that aren't there". She said she felt the governmentdhad let school hoards down in that area. Cochrane said that a meeting of the technical and commercial directors from the five county high schools had been scheduled for August to attempt to come up with proposals to rectify the equipment problem. Soil testing can be very profitable For some farmers, soil testing in midsummer could be profitable. There are dollar savings in knowing the most ef- ficient use of fertilizers from early test results. The Ontario Soil Testing Labor*atory, operated for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food at the University of Guelph, is encouraging farmers to consider- taking soil samples in summer. Professor T.E. Bates, raboratory, director, says many farmers who plan to test soil in the fall are rushed with . the harvest and neglect this im- portant chore. This has been particularly true in the past two years because of late harvests. If farn'iers could test between June and August, then the problem would be solved. "This is the time to sample soil in hay fields, pastures and fields designated for winter wheat. With legumes in hay and pasture, it's important to apply potash in late August, if needed. For planting winter wheat in September and October, soil samples should be- in before August 1 ." Earlier soil testing for spring -seeded ,crops would enable the armer to check on weed control and other problems at the same time. In some cases, students are available in the summer for soil sampling. Look at your farm operation and consider soil testing in summer. Instructions and soil sample boxes can be obtained from your local county office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. There is no charge to Ontario far- mers for this service. FARM CLASSIFIED SECTION A. For sale JOHN DEERE ,,ten foot windrow swather. Phone 529-7194.-24,25 25 ACRES of standing hay. Phone 529-7517 around noon. -25 B. Custom work BULLDOZING, Allis- Chalmers No. 650, with six way hydraulic blade. Bill Robinson, RR 2, Auburn, 529-7857. —16tf CLAY — Silo Unloaders Feeders Cleaners, Stabling Leg Elevators Liquid Manure Equipment Hog Equipment BUTLER — Silo Unloaders Feeders Conveyors FARMATIC — Mills Augers, etc. ACORN — Cleaners Heated Waterers WESTEEL-ROSCO Granaries B & L - Hog Panelling LOWRY FARM SYSTEMS RR 1, Kincardine, Ont. Phone 395-5286 WATER WELL' DRILLING "76 YEARS EXPERIENCE' • FARM • SUBURBAN • INDUSTRIAL • MUNICIPAL • • FREE ESTIMATES • GUARANTEED WELLS • FAST MODERN EQUIPMENT • 4 ROTARY & PERCUSSION DRILLS "OUR EXPERIENCE ASSURES LOWER COST WATER WELLS" DAVIDSON WELL DRILLING LIMITED 4 Rotary and Percussion Drills PHONE 357-1960 WINGHAM Collect Calls Accepted "ONTARIO'S FINEST WATER WELLS SINCE 1900" yes, it'strue! A LIFETIME WARRANTY Daymond 1 OW Flexdrain is the only drainage pipe with a Lifetime Warranty. When you install a Daymond Sub -surface drainage system you are making, an investment that will increase profits in the firstyear and pay dividends for years to come. You will have increased crop yield, improved crop quality and a lifetime warranty that will remain in effect as long as you own the' farm. Consult your authorized Daymond Con- tractor today. He will analyse your require- ments and plan a drainage system you can profit by. DAY MONO LIMITED 240 GRAND' AVENUE EAST, CHATHAM, ONTARIO N7L 4K1 PHONE (519) 354-5512 Available only through Daymond Installation Contractors. LAKE HURON DRAINAGE G.W. CLARKE DRAINAGE CONTRACTORS LTD. c/o JOHN MAIZE & SON 1161 NO, 1 8 WILDON AVE., DUNGANNON, ONTARIO ARVA, ONTARIO (519) 529-7510 (519) 438-4392