Zurich Citizens News, 1970-04-23, Page 4PAGE FOUR
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1970
1
Ke
ping Us In Mind
(An Editorial From The New Hamburg Independent)
Waterloo County separate school trustees pulled off
something in the nature of a coup last week, when they
succeeded in having a .contractor agree to build a nine -
classroom school in Waterloo at a cost of $12.57 a square
foot. The board is confident that as a result of this it can
keep costs for constructing and equipping the build-
ing below the $330,000 grant which the department of
education allows for this type of building.
This, in effect, means that Catholic taxpayers in Wa-
terloo County will not have to stump up anything for the
school from local taxes, something which has never
happened before for public or separate school supporters
anywhere in the province.
Local Catholic trustees are justifiably proud of their
accomplishments, which one of their administrators ter-
med "a price breakthrough." Normally school costs run
as high as 20 percent above provincial grants. The aver-
age square foot cost for schools built locally in recent
years is about $19. The separate school board last week
successfully demonstrated that such prices can be
chopped by one-third.
How was this done?
The formula it seems had nothing mystic about it. It is
the same one used by businessmen, big and small, who
want to keep their heads above water.
It involved some honest, down-to-earth homework on
the part of trustees, who invited proposals and information
from out-of-town firms on new types of school building
methods. After that local firms had their say.
Armed with this information, and there was reams of
it, the board selected what seemed the most practical,
economical design and construction method. Then they
advertised for tenders making it quite clear they wanted
value for every cent. Contractors and sub -contractors
took note.
The board admits its bargain was not without the ele-
ment of luck that is often characteristic of successful
business deals. A slowdown in local building set the stage
for a very competitive market which certainly worked
to the board's benefit. But it was a break their efforts
richly deserved.
No doubt, school boards across Ontario will note the
success of the local separate school board. One hopes,
however, they will also make a serious effort to imitate
it.
While everyone will agree that education is one of life's
priorities, sincere, thinking people everywhere are begin-
ning to question the returns from the enormous sums now
being spent.
Some of these costs are unavoidable. Others can very
easily be done without and schools with all the latest
built-in frills are among them.
The average taxpayer lives a little bit below the stan-
dard he would like to maintain, has a home (if indeed he
owns one) a little more humble than he would like to have
and drives a car a year or two older than the model his
heart is set on. He does this because it's the only way
he can meet his bills. Too many school boards forget
what his life is like when they opt for the best in every-
thing and send him the bill, via his provincial and local
taxes.
The local Catholic board has proven itself mindful of
the trust its supporters placed in it. It might be interest-
ing to find out over the next few weeks if any of our great
silent majority (and locally we seem to have that) bother
to tell them so.
ZURICH
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Hugh broke his middle finger
Can you whistle a Bach pre-
lude and fugue without a mem-
ory slip? Can you hum a Bee-
thoven sonata without sliding
into falsetto or basso profun-
do
Darn right you can't. But I
New Restrictions
On 'Credit Cards
Comes Into Effect
New legislation on unsolicit-
ed credit cards and goods was
announced this week by Hon-
ourable Bert Lawrence, Minister
of Financial and Commercial
Affairs.
The new legislation, an am-
endment to the Consumer Prot-
ection Act, will mean that un-
solicited goods may be treated
as gifts, and that receipt of an
unsolicited credit card will
carry no obligation for the rec-
ipient unless the credit arrange-
ment is accepted in writing or
the card is used.
Unsolicited goods are defined
as "personal property furnished
to a person who did not request
it." It does not include person-
al property that the recipient
knows or ought to know is in-
tended for another -Jerson, and
a request shall not 3e implied
by inaction or the passing of
time alone.
No action may be brought
against those who receive un-
solicited goods for payment,
despite their use, misuse, loss
damage or theft. And, unless
the recipient agrees in writing
to accept the credit arrange-
ment provided by the unsolicit-
ed credit card, or uses the card,
he has no legal obligation in
respect of their use or dispolal.
The amendments are to come
to force when proclaimed by
the Lieutenant Governor.
Mr. Lawrence said the new
legislation is designed to elim-
inate a great source of worry
and nuisance to the people of
Ontario. "It is a practice which
preys particularly upon the un-
informed. The senders are often
firms promoting the sale of
books and encyclopedias with
the purpose of making the rec-
ipient pay if the article is not
returned, " he said.
" This legislation is not des-
igned to prohibit unsolicited
credit cards. However, it is
anticipated that the obvious
risks to any firm sending them
out indiscriminately and un-
solicited will soon put an end
to this practice, " said Mr. Law-
rence.
FOCUS:
One Moment of Time
Our camera records a child's
First Smile . . . makes an
official report on the bride's
radiance .. .
Commemorates a trio posed
for Dad's birthday surprise.
Moments like these can never be
recaptured unless they are per-
fectly preserved by HADDEN'S
STUDIO,
Your family's pietoa'i,al history
&bould be in qualified hands.
Contact
Hadden's Studio
GODERICH
118 St. David St. 524-8787
can. Almost. And it cost nye
only about $12,000.
Trouble is, and this is a
touchy point in April, none of
it is deductible. That's what it
has cost me, over the years, to
provide a musical education
for my family.
After all that, I can whistle
and hum, both of which I
could do before. There's some-
thing wrong here, but I can't
quite figure out what it is .. .
I wish I hacl the 12 G's
in bonds at eight per cent. But
my wife doesn't agree. We
could have taken a trip around
the world for that, but she still
doesn't agree.
As far as I'm concerned, I
could have taken that $12,-
000, thrown it off the end of
the dock, and been just as far
ahead. Once again, the only
one who agrees with me is I.
Both my kids have degrees
in piano. Both were talented:
Near, hut not quite at, the con-
cert pianist level. Both es-
chewed (I like that word) a
career in music, because they
wanted to be first. And they
wanted to be free.
Well, they're free. Hugh
broke his middle finger, and
can play I Went Down To St.
James Infirmary, with only a
few bum notes. I think Kim
could play The Happy Farmer,
with a couple of days' practice.
But perhaps it's all been
worth it. They've learned
something. Hugh has realized
that you can't practise the
piano when you're waiting
table at the Chateau Frontenac
or selling vacuum cleaners in
Calgary. And Kim has realized
that "her" piano won't quite
fit into a three-room pad in
Toronto, unless you want to
sleep on top of it.
What brings all this to mind,
and without bitterness, is the
fact that my wife, a former
piano teacher, has become
hooked once again, after a
lapse of a couple of years, on
the local music festival. She's
going every day and listening
intensely to her former stu-
dents. (Though she's a bit
miffed that some of them are
doing extremely well, despite
the fact that they don't take
lessons from her any more.)
But her reports have
cheered me. Things are just
the same as they always were.
I went through years of them,
and I know the scene intimate-
ly. The festival mothers are
still as friendly as an R,C. bish-
op and a Mormon lay preacher.
The adjudicator is still rot-
ten, giving the first -place cer-
tificate to the girl who played
worst. Except when it's your
daughter, or your pupil. Then
he (or she) shows an insight
into music that is superb.
The kids are still sailing into
their pieces at breakneck
speed, which they can't possi-
bly maintain, and breaking
down in the middle, while
their mothers and teachers
turn purple as the youngsters
fumble, and throw up their
hands, and burst into tears.
But perhaps the Old Lady is
right. Those moments at the
music festival, in other years,
were the closest to heaven and
hell that I've ever experienced,
with the possible exception of
shooting at a concentration of
German tanks, which were fir-
ing back at you with bigger
guns than you had.
I've stopped breathing for
as much as a dangerously long
two minutes while my son or
daughter weaved through a so-
natina. I have gone out after-
wards and smoked a complete
cigarette in two drags.
I have called the adjudicator
a slob, a cretin, moron, and,
sometimes, a brilliant judge of
music.
Maybe the Old Battleaxe is
right. Maybe it was worth
$12,000. Anyway, I can whis-
tle three bars of Tschaichov-
sky's something or other.
Business and Professional Directory
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J. E. Longstaff
OPTOMETRIST
SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE
527-1240
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat-
urday a.m., Thursday evening
CLINTON OFFICE
10 Issac Street 482-7010
Monday and Wednesday
Call either office for
appointment.
Norman Martin
OPTOMETRIST
Office Hours:
9- 12 .A,M, — 1:30-6 P.M.
Closed all day Wednesday
Phone 235-2433 Exeter
Robert F. Westlake
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