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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-12-05, Page 4II page of editorial opinion e . instant bbance®Ztnte%c Published at Winghane, Ontario, P.O. Box 390 - NOG 2W0 by Wenger Bros. Lilted o- Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Henry Hess, Editor Audrey Currie, Advertising Manager Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations Member—Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc. Subscriptions $21.00 per year $23.00 beyond 40 -mile zone Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Six months $12.50 Return postage guaranteed Truth versus tragedy Not all cases in which children are molested or abducted are sex oriented — but the great majority are. This fact was recognized by about 50 Wingham parents who recently attended a seminar organized by Mrs. Holly Keil. John Schedler, who operates a video rental business has co-operated by offering a film on the same subject free of charge. The argument over sex education in our schools has been going on for a long time, perpetuating an outworn Victorian code which often prevents ' rents from speaking openly and hon- estly to their children about their sex- uality — its purposes and its risks. It is obvious that our children should be better prepared to face a young adult society in which marital standards and the quality of family life have been so blatantly disregarded — and in which children have become the universal victims. The Wingham seminar dealt not only with the sexual aspects of child- rearing, but with the dangers to which children can be exposed on the streets of even the smallest communities. It is to be hoped that the Wingham seminar will be repeated in all our communities. Mrs. Keil and Mr. Schedler are to be commended for their courage and foresight. Gifts from the heart Canadians have set a fine example for the rest of the world by becoming the largest per capita donors to the food fund for starving Ethiopians. The des- perate plight of millions of people in far -away Africa has brought forth a spontaneous outpouring of aid from our people, who are so blessed with ample . supplies of the best foodstuffs in the world. It is interesting to note that the most generous of all contributors were the Inuit people of the far north, the Canadians who, it would seem, have the least to give. Even tiny Inuit com- munities raised thousands of dollars for their fellow humans in Africa, not merely in hard, though scarce cash, but by donating the products of their own hands. They gave soapstone carvings, hard -made parkas or what- ever would bring a price in the markets of the world. The basic reason for their tremen- dous generosity is better experience. They are a people who h.ave•themselves known starvation and learned long ago that one man's good fortune must be shared with the entire community in times of great need. That is an ex- perience which we, who live in more hospitable climes have never fully learned. These native people of the Arctic region deserve our deepest respect. Secrecy is impossible The judge who will try the juvenile charged with the murder of two Orangeville children has decided to open his court to the public. Although The Young Offenders Act would allow him to try the case in a closed court, he has rightly decided that an open court would better serve the cause of justice. In any case a closed court would In no way preserve the privacy of the Iu- venile or his relatives. In a town the size of Orangeville it is impossible to keep the name of the young person secret. It was probably known In every household the same day as the arrest was made. The judge's decision was based on his concept of our system of justice, which demands that court proceedings must be open to public observation — a basic concept which has become very important in British -oriented jurisdic- tions. The Star Chamber trials of a few centuries ago, in which persons charged could simply disappear and the public never knew for what reason, became so repugnant that they were banned by an increasingly democratic society. Much more recent counter- parts of the Star Chamber have been enacted in Nazi, Germany; and, of course, in Argentina and Chile. That utter tragedy has engulfed the Orangeville family of the accused. youngsters goes without denial. But an even greater tragedy has been imposed upon the family of the murdered chil- dren. In our system of justice the public has every right to full knowledge of the circumstances. The right to know More and more, municipal and provincial leaders are taking a critical look at the penchant for secrecy djsplayed by too' many municipal coun- cils, says The Glengarry News. Acting within the letter of the On- tario law,if not the spirit, councils can — almost a third of them do hold meetings with the public barred. Com- mittee meetings are held behind closed doors. Council as a whole can also meet in committee, holding all debate in se- cret, emerging briefly into the public eye only to rubberstamp decisions that have already been taken privately. The problem is mot prevalent in small towns and rural townships. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), representing 630 member municipalities, has Issued a report after some detailed study, call- ing for substantial legislative changes to force secretive councils Into the pub- lic eye. The report, which urges the provincial government to require that municipalities hold all council and committee meetings in public, Is being sent to member municipalities for their comments. The only exceptions to open meetings that AMO can tolerate are for some personnel matters, for Litigation and for some discussions on future de- velopments and municipal boundaries. The recornrnended exceptions may be logical, but they still leave abundant room for abuse. Possible litigation and future developments can cover a great deal of ground. At any rate, the AMO's recom- mendations, if implemented, would represent a substantial improvement. Citizens would have a greater opportu- nity to understand both sides of an issue; one could judge his or her repre- sentativesin action and could better decide when public action might be re- quired to promote or oppose an issue before council. Democracy can't work without an informed electorate. Hope for the future At the weekend the man who re- ceived an artificial heart in a Louisville hospital was still doing well and It was expected he would be out of bed within a few days. We say "it was expected" because the operation, only the second of Its kind in the world is still frought with many risks, particularly since the patient is also a diabetic. The Humana Hospital, where the operation was performed Is operated privately, on a profit-making basis. The firm which owns the Institution will provide the funds for 99 more such op- erations so that surgeons will be able to perfect the technique and thus offer hope to thousands of future heart pa- tients. Medical science has many sur- prises In store for humanity over the next few decades. Items from Old Files DECEMBER 1937 Turnberry Township again returned their council by acclamation. Roland Grain enters another term as reeve and councillors are Roy Porter, Richard Wilton, Harold Moffatt and James Breckenridge. M. R. Roberts, recently of the Yonge and Queen Street branch of the Dominion Bank in Toronto, has been appointed accountant at the Wingham branch. Canada retained the world championship for oats with the victory of Alex Stewart of Ailsa Craig at the Inter- national Grain and Hay Show at Chicago. His oats weighed 47.8 pounds to the bushel. Mr. and Mrs. Cleve Yoe have moved into the House , recently vacated by John Sparks, in the village of Bluevale. DECEMBER 1949 The Wingham branch of the Canadian Legion decided at its meeting to purchase an electric refrigerator for the nurses' residence at the Wingham hospital. Members also welcomeda new member, William Broome. Municipal elections were held in Howick and Turn - berry, both' townships electing new reeves., G. N. Underwood is the new reeve of Turnberry and Mr. Farrish is the Howick reeve. The annual meeting of St. Paul's Women's Association was held, with Mrs. M. Swanson elected president. Vice presidents are Mrs. E. R. Armitage and Mrs. George Beattie. Secretary is Mrs. C. Hinde and treasurer is Mrs. E. Nash. Mrs. A. Bryans sold her property on the corner of Victoria and Edward Streets in Wingham, to Mrs. Bertha Lott who will take possession after the first of the year. The books of the Gorrie Public Library were moved to their new home in the community township hall. Lester Falconer received an acclamation as reeve at the nomination meeting held • in Culross Township. DECEMBER 1960 A. D. Smith of Bluevale emerged victorious from Saturday's voting as reeve of the township of Turnberry for the coming year. He defeated incumbent reeve Jack Willits. George Brooks was elected president of Ahe. Wingham Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Vice president is Cy Robinson, secretaries are John Pat- tison and Ken Simmons and treasurer is Bill Hogg. Calvin Burke, owner of Burke Electric; purchased the building next to his store on Josephine Street, in which the Simpsons -Sears order office is located, from Mrs. I. Fryfogle. It is understood" that the Toronto firm will continue to lease the lower floor of the building and Mr. Burke will renovate the apartment on the second floor. Wingham has two new councillors after Monday's election, G. W. "Bud" .Cruickshank and Lovell McGuire. Other councillors returned for another term are Gordon Buchanan, J. W. Callan, Donald Nesmith and W. F. Burgman. Three Whitechurch -area. student teachers are teaching in the area this week, Miss Karen Groskorth at Wroxeter, Miss Elaine Conn near Formosa .and Miss Claire Chamney near Belmore. The girls are at- tending Teachers' College at Stratford. DECEMBER 1970 Mr. and Mrs. Ira Campbell of Belgrave celebrated their 73rd . wedding anniversary quietly at their home. Both are in their 93rd year and enjoy fairly good health. Dennis R. Callan of Toronto was one of 817 new members recently register- ed by the Council of the As- sociation of Professional En- gineers of Ontario. They are now accorded the right to use the initials "P. Eng." after their names in any engineer- ing work they undertake. Dennis is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Callan of Wing - ham. The Huron County Board of Health has announced with regret the resignation of Dr. G. P. A. Evans as • medical officer of health. He has accepted the post of medical officer of health for the Waterloo County District Health Unit; The Speedwash which has been oPerating in a building erected by R. E. McKinney a number of years ago on Josephine Street North has changed hands. It has been purchased by Ken Leary and his son Paul of Palmerston. A 'large gathering of nurses from the area turned out for a dinner in honor of Mrs. William Connell who is retiring. She was presented with a wrist watch: Lung Association booklet offers breathing suggestions Practise' pursed -lip breath- ing! Learn how to cough! Exercise your chest mus- cles! These are just a few. of the. many suggestions in "Help Yourself to Better Breath- ing",; a booklet available from your Lung Association, especially for persons with emphysema . and chronic bronchitis. "Over half a million Canadians suffer from emphysema and chronic bronchitis," says Marybelle Ford of the Huron -Perth Lung Association. "For many of these people breathing is a real chore." The Lung Assocation's 24 - page booklet is chock-full of excellent "how-to" hints as well as stories about how people have learned to cope with breathlessness. There are specific directions on how to clear breathing passages. Exercises for Posturaldrainage and building stamina are easy to follow and well illustrated. ammaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.aaaaaaaaaa chlte4 '744e/ ammamaaaaa 0aa0a0amamaaaaaaa0 Lions say thanks for supporting peanut drive Dear Editor, I would like to express thanks on behalf of the Wingham I;ions Club for support given to the annual peanut drive. Thanks to The Wingham Advance -Times and CKNX Broadcasting for promotion, N. D. Cameron and Sons and staff for sup- plying the products for sale and Wingham Drive -In Cleaners for a base to work from. Thanks to the Lions, their families and friends for participating in this club effort; everyone was ready to work by 6:30. And lastly and most im- portant, thanks to the people of the Town of Wingham for the continued support of the Wingham Lions Club peanut drive. Your help is greatly appreciated, making this one of the club's more successful projects. Thank you all very much. Colin Campbell Activities Chairman Wingham Lions Club Another section of this bright, helpful booklet identifies potential trouble- makers such as air pollu- tionm, extreme weather con- ditions, infections and smok- ing: It also outlines how to avoid these troublemakers. "Help Your Medicines Help You" describes the various medicines and the importance of working closely with a physician. A section on eating to feel better offers good nutritional advice, something that often is ignored in the everyday battle against lung disease. The booklet wraps up witn a section called "Keep Living Your Life" which emphasizes that chronic bronchitis and emphysema sufferers can lead full, en- joyable lives despite their illness. If you would like a copy of this booklet, contact your local Lung Association. Remember "Lungs Are For Life", THE BiG FLOOD OF '48—The Maitland River made an end run around the easterly end of the Howson Mill dam in Wingham back in the spring of 1948 as the town suf- fered one of the worst floods it has ever known. In the process 1t took out the roadway as well as the railway tracks, which can be seen leading down the far bank. Identification program Dear Editor, During the 1983-84 ski season which ran from Dec. 11 to March 31, 121 ski thefts and 47 ski equipment and other thefts, valued at ap- proximately $52,681, took place at the Blue Mountain area. The ratio for ski thefts was one per 2.512 skiers. The majority of ski equipment is not identifiable by the owner, so the OPP will again be conducting their operation ski iden- tification program, com- mencing' Dec. 8 and running through to the end of January. Officers will be on hand Saturdays and Sundays as well as the period from Dec. 26 to 30 inclusive. The program includes the engraving of your . driver's.......? licence or motor vehicle plate number on skis, bind- ings, poles, etc., a wallet - sized identification card, anti -theft stickers and a brochure. There is no charge for this service. G. O. Gaeler, PC - Comm. Services Coordinator No. 6: District The old pumphouse, at left, is still standing, though no longer in use. The structure at the right, with several people standing on top of it, is the old settling tank which used to remove sediment from the town's water. (Photo courtesy of J. Baird) New Books in the Library ANOTHER DAY by Eugenia Price Each morning we share one enormous experience — the' prospect of another day. Eugenia Price shares with us those passages from the Bible that are most meaningful to her. These ,.selections are accompanied by her own interpretation, explaining the significance of these particular verses in her life and how the scrip- tures continue to apply to the lives we lead today. MARY LEAKEY — DIS- CLOSING THE PAST: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY Mary Leakey, one of the great anthropologists, ar- cheologists and women of our time, could be called the first lady of science in the Twentieth Century. She and her husband Louis formed a brilliant partnership and, along with their son Richard, are renowned worldwide for their dramatic discoveries of fossils in Africa. These findings radically changed the way scientists and the public view pre -history. This is an inside look at an astonishing family, an ad- venture story and the struggles of a woman scientist. PRESS COUNCIL The Advance -Times is a member of the Ontario Press Council which will consider written com- plaints about the publica- tion of news, opinions and advertising. If a com- plaint can't be resolved with the newspaper, it should be sent to the On- tario Press Council, 151 Slater St , Suite 708, Ot- tawa, Ont. K 1 P 5H3.