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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-09-26, Page 23Crossroads -Sept. 26, 1984 -Page 9 Mainstream Canada Another postal hike leaves a bad taste By Tony Carlson Sending letters leaves a bad taste in the mouth these days. That's not because they've changed the glue on en- velopes or stamps. It's simply because it's hard to stomach 'yet another postal rate increase. Yet that's what Canada Post President Michael Warren and his crew of deep thinkers are preparing to in- troduce. They're not saying how much of an increase, but they're planning one for next year, you can bet on that. In recent days, various post office spokesmen have been hemming and hawing about the increase. Some say the Canadian Federation .of Independent Business, which revealed the planned hike, is trying to make political hay out of the scheme. Another wouldn't confirm the in- crease when pressed by the media. They weren't so vague in a meeting with four officials of the CFIB including this writer. There will be a rate increase, they said atthe time, period. When? In the new year. It was, as youmight ex- pect, a shock. Less than three years ago the cost of a stamp for a first-class letter -leaped from 17 cents to 30 cents. A year after that, ,another "price adjustment" as the post office is fond of saying, and voila, the 32 -cent stamp. That's an 88 per cent jump, and now they want more? The point 'is, says CFIB President John Bulloch, any increase -is intolerable. ` Canada Post has a $300 million deficit and a goal to be financially self-sufficient by 1987. "Admirable," says Bul- loch, "but they cannot Grade 'A' Fresh Whole Chicken Fresh Whole Cut-up Chicken. 212 lb. kg. Frozen 5 - 14 lb. ave. Utility Turkeys 6.99 sZ.18 Swift's 10 lb. box Wieners kg. .88 1.94 FRESH Jet pomp? c,,,,.,,,,,..,,... Ihia .,,,..., , SALE Fresh Part Back Attached Chicken Legs f 2.40 lb, ® kg. Maple Leaf 500 gr. pkg. Bacon 2.Z8 Summer Sausage . Noah Martin's lb.3"29 kg. 7 25 piece Whole lb.2.99k6.59 Maple Leaf Sweet Pickled Cottage Roll . Maple Leaf 175 gr. pkg. Ham Steak . Brandt Black Forest Style ir -kr Hams . . . Swift's Whole . Bologna Swift's Chunk Bologna ... . . . „ 1.88 ,,.4.14 . ...... . . 1.69 3.68 ,g 8.:1 ,,,98 ,.,.2.16 ,,.1.28 ,, 2.82 Can. No. 1 Fresh Turnips 99 PRODUCE Can. No. 1 Crisp Tender °59 Celery. • . stalk Prod. of Ontario Fresh Leaf Lettuce . 2/.99 Can. No. 1 4 litre basket Blue Grapes . 2.99 We also have ducks, geese and cornish game hens available. Frozen Schneider's Part Back Attached Chicken Legs e .99 kg. Fresh Part Back Attached Chicken Breasts 6 .1.79 ,y 3.95 675 gr. Freiburger's White Mealtyme Brown & Cracked Wheat Bread Chapman's 14 Delicious Flavours Ice Cream 1.39 BAKERY Weston's pkg. 12 Hotdog or Hamburger Rolls ... . .... .99 .FROZEN Frozen Old South 12 oz. tin Orange Juice 5 lb. box Fillets Boston Bluefish . 1.19 lb. 1.45 • .......5.95 kg.3.19 DAIRY Bulk Cut Millbank,., 11b. lb. 2..58 kg. 5.69 Colby Cheese 5lb. lb. 2.48 kg. 5.47 Aylmer 19 oz. tin Peas, Creamed Corn, Green and Yellow Beans Vegetables .. ...59 Pronto 2 roll pkg. Paper Towels . . :88 Lancia 750 gr. pkg. ' Macaroni or Spaghetti ...... .88 Kraft 500 gr. pkg. Large White M.rshmallows .99 Stafford 19 oz. Pie Filling Cherry or Blueberry 1.59 Pumpkin .99 1 litre jug Crisco Oil Nova 750 ml. jug . � . a 1.49 Ketchup . Pantry Shelf 6 oz. tin Flaked Light Tuna.88 Mrs. Lehman's 750 litre jar Baby Dill, Bread & Butter Polish Dills, 'A Dills . Pickles ....... 1 .69 GARDEN CENTRE We have a large selection of shrubs. Colorado Blue Spruce while supplies last 2/100 ea. 005000. ira Open 6 Days a Week Mount Forest Open 6 Days a Week hu, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 121 Main Street 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. orth Wed. Thurs. Fri. till 9:00 p.m Thurs. Fri. till 9:00 p.m. FREE PARKING AT REAR OF STORES We reserve the right to limit quantities expect to climb out of their financial hole on the backs of the Canadian public." He adds that the deficit is just a symptom of the real disease within the Crown corporation: poor productiv- ity coupled with wages and benefits that are too high. To get at that, Bulloch wrote in a letter to Warren, the post office should boost the output per worker and roll back wage and benefit levels. That's especially relevant now, as Canada Post man- agement continues contract talks with its two biggest unions - letter carriers and inside workers - whose con- tracts expire at the end of this month. Bulloch called on the post office president CO deal forecfully with these issues, saying that to do otherwise would be irresponsible. And he's right. Even a cur- sory look at the performance of our post office reveals a lot of room for improvement. Our posties have higher pay scales but produce less than their ,American counter- parts. Yet the U.S. post- master general, whose op- eration produced a $616 - million profit last -year, has told his employees their wage demands will not be, met. Canada Post's problem de- mands effective leadership, including labor management not avoiding the trouble by passing it on to the con- sumer, whether it's a large corporation, a small busi- ness or the private citizen. More than 60 per cent of CFIB: members surveyed tell us postal service is poor. If that is the case, why should we pay more for it? Got the message, Mr. Warren? Backya rd Gardener By Patrick Denton As you begin staking out prospective indoor sites for houseplants you are bringing indoors, plan also to give these sites a good cleaning first so that any pests lurking in the corners will be elim- inated. And for the same reason, avoid placing vases of cut garden flowers near these lo- cations. Lovely as they are, these arrangements in- evitably harbor at least an aphid or two which would very much like to take up residence in your houseplants, there to multi- ply at a truly unbelieveable rate. In spots away from win- dows, or at windows with low light exposures, plan to place your more shade -tolerant plants. Most foliage plants fit into this 'category - ivies, philodendrons, pothos, jade plant, umbrella plant, fatsia, grape ivy and baby's tears among them. Though these attractive decorator plants will tolerate low light for" the winter, they'll stay perky 'looking longer if you can give them a reasonable amount of light, as at a fully exposed large north window. Even .moving them in rotation during the winter to a bright Sot with indirect light for intervals of -a-week or two will help keep them in top shape. Among the foliage plants, ones with variegated leaves will require the most light to retain their distinctive color- ing. So to keep the bright coloring on the leaves of your prayer plants and wandering Jews vines, try to give them a fairly bright location. And though philodendrons are shade -tolerant, the split- - kind in poor light will also tend to lose their dis- tinctive leaf shaping. Spider plants too,grow best in bright but indirect sunlight. If you have any cyclamen house.plants.indoors, leave them as long as possible to set buds, and bring them indoors to open their flowers. They won't stand. frost though, so if cold weather threatens bring the pots in to a bright cool location To help keep cyclamen houseplants cool, moist and humid, I set their pots. in larger containers and fill, the space between with damp- ened peat moss. I've found these not difficult to start from seed. This year I seed- ed miniature florist cyclamen (persicum) and have several pretty little bushy plants now. After it flowers, your cyclamen will begin to die down. This is natural. At this time slowly withdraw water, and keep the pot in a cool spot. Repot the tuber in ,spring, planting it shallowly, . and set the pot outside in a `cool, shaded spot where it will be kept moist. When you bring in your other houseplants during the course of September`, you'll be bringing in along with them your amaryllis plants. They've been kept watered and fertilized during the summer, and the new flower embryo should have formed within the bulb. • Now it's time to rest the bulb, in its`pot, for about two months before you start it up again for another round of bloom. 'You can either cut off the leaves when you bring the pot indoors, or you can lel. the leaves die down naturally. I usually let them wither. I.have. several potted amaryllis, so I set them in cardboard boxes in a dark cupboard, removing the foliage once it has dried. After that, I'll give the pots a mere smjdgeon of water now and then, just enough to -keep the roots from drying out. Given a summer outdoors, with lots of fresh air, water and fertilizer, your amaryllis plants will bloom beautifully for you once again after its rest period. A few people I kngw have held back from trying their hand at some of these glarriorous houseplants because they fear their care is too complicated and de- manding. But once you understand their require- ments, these plants more than repay your ministra- tions in the beauty -they add to the decor of your home.