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The Huron Expositor, 1987-12-16, Page 2ElfiZisitor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST • Income red i ng The Brussels Post Published in Seaforth, Ontario Emery Wednesday Morning 44, ;• The Expositor is brought to you each week by the efforts of: Pat Armes; Nell Corbett, Dianne McGrath and Bob McMillan. ED BYRSKUreenercd HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: , Canada '20.00 a ye'ar, in advance Senior Citizens • 97,00 a year In advance Outside Canada '60,00 a year, in advance Single Copies • .50 cents each Second class mail registration Number 0696 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1987. " Editorial and Business Offices - 10 Mein Street, Seaforth __Telephone (511) S27-0240 Mailing Address P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 111VO Consumer headache The great. Canadian drug .patent stalemate is over. Now the wait to see what the drug bill will mean to consumers has begun. Following 17 months of debate, the Senate recently gave approval to the controversial Bill C-22 which gives brand-name, companies- a 10 -year monopolyon new drugs they develop. This means other companies developing cheaper "copy car drugs will have to wait a decade before they can get their product on the shelves. The Bill is a great deal for brand-name drug companies.who, in exchange for the passing of the legislation, have promised to double spending on research and development. This will probably mean more jobs for Canadians. But what do consumers get from the Bill? It appears they will be paying . more for new drugs developed as the smaller, more competitive companies have been forced out of the market.. To help offset this, the provincial governments will be paid a total of $100 million over four years to help with the immediate, short-term increase'sin drug costs. But that only helps the consumers who are covered in some way by a drug plan through their place of employment. Quite simply, the percentage of the population which is not covered by any form of drug plan will pay more, much more, for the new drugs developed. As an example: if a large brand-name producer develops a .cure for the ..common cold and must selthis product at a high price to regain the costs of research and development of the drug, no other company can sell a similiar product, at any price, for 10 years. To is credit, the Senate has included a way out. The legislation provides for a board with the power to revoke a brand-name firm's patent protection if it feel the companyis charging excessively high prices. The ability to keati' ' wayward firms in line remains to be seen. . Is Bili,C-22 a good law? It's good forlarge companies but let's hope it. • doesn't cause any headaches for consumers. We may not be ale to afford the cure. - Lucknow Sentinel. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Air Canada should be privatized Tens oi thousands of passengers have seen their business and holiday plans thrown into chaos because of the strike by Air Canada, a Crown corporation, Those who defend Crown corporations argue some services are so essential they must be guaranteed through government ownership and control. They also argue because sortie services can't be provided at a profit, they must be provided by government The emptiness of beth these arguments • has been shown clearly by the Mr Canada strike and the two strikes this year of the post office's letter carriers and inside workers. Since the airline is owned by the federal government, many of the employees, who are the highest paid in the industry in Canada, no doubt believe the purse is bot- tomless. if Air Canada has been privatized several years ago and had to sink or swim without government subsidies or loan guarantees, these striking employees would have been less willing to walk out. The management and a large part of the work foree of Mr Canada want the airline privatized. However', Prime Minister Mulroney personally vetoed its privatiza- tion this fall. We believe it's time he reconsidered and , put Air Canada where it belongs - in the free enterprise seater. Sincerely, David Somerville , President Minister wants to clarify I feel it is important to Clarify the situa- tion regarding the recent announcement by my colleague Minister of Health Elinor Caplan of the first of a series of regional warren's health centres being established at Women's College Flospitel in TOronto.., From the types ofcomments I have been receiving, it has become apparent that many people are under the mistaken im- pression that these centres will actually be "abortion clinics". This is definitely not the case. centee, and those *hich will follow in other areas of the province, will provide a wide range of education, counselling and referral Services to women. These will M- ende family planning and birth control, in- fertility counselling, pre-menstrual 'syn- drome and Menopause education and sup- port, counselling on alternatives to abortion, and referral for women seeking therapeutic abertiont. Free standing abortion clinics remain il- legal under the federal criminal code, and neither myself nor the government of which I ern- a pert support the operating of these "free standing" clinics. Abortions will con time to be performed only in accredit( hospitels, following the approval therapeutic abortion ecennattees, as is the case now. The centres will provide only pre - and post -abortion counselling, as Well as providing a reterral service to those seeking abortions, advising them of which hospitals do perform this service. It is my hope that provision of better counselling services in the Centres will help to minimize the numberof unwanted pregnancies by enhancing . awareness of birth control while at the same time ensur- ing that women have access to the services they need. Yours very truly, Jack Riddell, MPP -Huron, Minister of Agriculture and Food. Participant proud to be in parade Seaforth's 1987 Santa Claus Parade was e winner. As a participant our group was pro- ud to be part of this well organized and entertaining event. We applaud the efforts of the parade coMnrittee under the direction of Roes Ribey. Their acheivement will long be remembered by our community. Merry Christmas Seaforth and District Pre -School Learning Ceri tre Seaforth a beautiful town EDITOR'S NOTE - This note was recently place 1 have teen it amithern Criteria Cori passed on to John . HMI of Hart Ford gratulation's, these things don't happen by Mercinryi • Accident. Dear John: ' B.J. Evans I recently drove through your beautiful Ford Mercury Co. ,town , and I Mutt say it Ilea to be thea tritst 131:41. 11090 Driving is a seasonal thing I love this weather. I think it's great - unless of course, you're driving in it: Yep! Winter would truly be a wonderland if it weren't for the not -so -simple, but, oh -so - necessary business of driving. Personally I find there is nothing so ex- --hilarating•astaking.alatenight.walk after -S.— , •-,- , new snowfall, or sliding recklessly down a propriate choice. I hate digging myself out mulching noises that emanate from my car hill on a toboggan, only to collapse at the of a parking spot - that is, if I can find a as it pulls itself out of a hefty deposit of bottom and stare at the stars. I look forward parking space in the first place, or for that ' snow, but that's about all I get a kick from. to those weekends on the slopes, and in .bet- matter, my car once it's been covered in Sometimes the deposit is just a tad too thick ween I look forward to taking a deep breath snow. for even my little Honda to handle without " of crisp, cool, winter air at the completion of But most of all I hate actually driving in some assistance from willing passerbys, or each work day. • the winter-fillacimy_druthers_roy_winter more_frefueatly,-the-shovel rm-forced-to--L-1 ft in eager anticipation for the first driving would be limited to the days when keep in the hatch wet snowfall, so I can gather up a mittful to toss in someone's direction. I enjoy getting decked out in a ski suit to make angelsin the snow or to build a snowman. I even enjoy, to some extent, shovelling the white stuff. But there are just as many things about winter that I dislike, and tops among them are the cold and drivmg. I dislike the fact my days both begin and end in darkness and I dislike the fact my car, like a bottomless beverage container, never ceases to be a receptacle for ice and snow. SWEATSOCKS by Heather Mcilwraith there was nary a snowflake out of place - no Then there'S the inevitable rear sway that gusting winds causing whiteouts, no snow or most front -wheel cars develop whenever ice covered roads, no snail pace driving. I'd they're going downhill. As desirable as it . also eave the night drivingto someone else. might be to other females, this one here, has Oh, I realize the really tricky driving has no fondness. for the affliction, when it per - not even hit us yet, but the thought of its tains to her car. eventual arrival is already preying heavily Finally, it's about the nausea one feels for on my nerves. I'm such an opthnist. the duration of the cold season, no doubt I'm being sarcastic when I say I can hard- brought about by nervous tension about ly wait for the day I go one-on-one with winter driving. I love having a permanent Mother Nature in a blinding snowstorm. I knot in my stomach. love the look- of fear -white knuckles wrap- But, what's a person to do. It's either grin a burgundy steering wheel. I and bear - or fly south for the winter. And resent the fact car drivers are only of- _particularlylove havmg to -call fozsomeonealthough,at times like this -1 can't help but fered the options of snow tires, radials or to pry those fear -stiffened appendages off think the birds are right, I just can't pull chains, to help them get around, when it the wheel once the journey is ended. myself away from the frosty, old north for seem skates or skis might be the more ap- I must admit I get a kick out of the an entire season. Vana White is first choice If the people who come up with such things, ever decide to hold a "Take Your Favorite Canadian to Lunch Day," they can expect to count me out. 'bigot that I haven't lunched with a lot of Canadians in my time. In fact, some of my best friends, not to mention my entire family, are Canadians. It's just that the results of two recent surveys, one national, one international, seem to indicateto me that dining with someone from the Great White North would be about as much fun as eating soup with chopsticks. The international survey was conducted by something called the Economist In- telligence Unit (does this mean they economize on intelligence by using as little as possible in their work - whatever that is?), who have =weed that Canada is among the most boring countries on the planet, based on their criteria. I placed lit - tie stock in this survey when I saw it published, assuming it was Just a planted news item, dreamed up by someone In the Lett.' Department of TOurism. ' saw the second survey, and It seems in a nationwide survey, Cana- dians choose as the person with whom they would most like to have a "quiet dinner and discussion," Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Now come on! If you took this same survey in the United States, the anwer would be over- whelmingly either Vane White or Pat Sa- jeck, depending on the gender of the FROM THIS ANGLE by Patrick Raftis respondents. Corning in close seconds would be people like Hulk Hogan, Jim McMahon, Jane Fonda and Cybil Shep- • pard. Americans would probably rather dine out with a relatively -intriguing com- panion like Charles Mason, than sit around watching their leader Ronald Reagan fall asleep in his salad. But up here, we ask for nothing more than a chance to break bread with Brian "Old Irish Eyes," Mulroney? I don't think people answered this survey very honestly. Second choice on thelist, with 11 per cent (Mulroney was the choice of 12 per cent), was former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. This is the only ;eod choice on the list. As a Prime Miruster, Trudeau may not have been to everyone's liking, but you have to admit that over beer and burgers, the guy would be a scream. Scoring from one to three per cent were: Mita Mulroney (why not just let her and Brian eat together and forget the whole thing?), NDP leader Ed Broadbent, Liberal leader John Turner (Who voted for Win)? His Mother?), Ontario Premier David Peterson, Governor General Jean Sauve and author Pierre Berton. Of the also rens, Berton might be an in- teresting choice. But, let's face it. He's no Yana White. What might be entertaining, would be a dinner with all these people present at once. However, be Warned - the most con- genial outcome you could possibly hope for would be an all-out food fight. Somehow, I just can't picture a dinner between Mulroney and "Joe Canuck" as being a pleasant affair. "So, Bri,' me and the boysdown at the plant were just wonderin' about this free trade thing? You gettin' paid to sell us out to the Yanks, or what?" "Oh, by the way, 'Bri,' why don't you try the seafood platter? I hear the mussels are particularly 'tangy' this season." "Like some wine with that 'Bri'? Better get a bottle of domestic while we still can, eh? Guess you won't miss `Sudbury Chante' when the tarrifs come off the im- ported stuff in a few years. Dom Perignon's more your style anyway (wink, *ink, nudge, nudge), right?" I don't know. I suppose dinner with Brian Mulroney would be all right, as long as he was picking up the tab personally. However, if it was me, and my turn to pay, give me Vana every time. Pitch fork wielding woman DECEMBER 16, 187 Mr. Elisha McVettie, of Hullett, near Lorideabero, sold a horse tir A. M. Polley of Goderich, that stood 181/2 hands high and weighed 1875 pounds,,receiving $250 for the aninial. During the quarter ending with the 31st of October, there was a total of 74 inforthations laid in the County of Huron, for, alleged Violations of the Stott Mt. Out of this number there were 47 dorivictioris, 7 dienissale; several are yet uridecided, and a few Were abandoned befOre beingbroughtto trial. The arriount of the fines irnpesed for the quarter was $2,650. Mr Wm. Smith, of McKillop, near Lead - bury, had a number of fine fends killed on different occasions during the past autumn. Upon Mrs. Smith entering the cow stable a few evenings ago she spied a large mink, and it rightly occurred to her that the erterny voferyherspPeoeulditlr;y cYuart defy/ as ss illtilarietsPo6f*eerg:ressa! and upen seen* this the Matuader showed fight in the most Vicious !termer, but Mrs. Smith who is a brave lady, seized a pit- clifOrk and in a few Minikes his Minkthip lay dead at her feet. Mr. J. D. Ronald, of BreSsels, has com- pleted a contract with the corporation of WiettOn to furnish that town With a AkstOhi battles mink IN THE YEARS AGONE from the Archives of water works for fire protection purposes at a cost of $7,500. This will be a good job for the Brussels works. DECEMBER 13, 1912 Clinton town council have decided to sub- mit a by-law at the municipal election to raise $33,000 to purchase the Clinton electric light plant, erect a transformer station, and accept power from the Hydro -Electric Com - Mission at thirty-nine dollars per horsepower. Hon Mr. Beck's secretary, Mr. Pope, and Engineer Casitor were in Clinton on Tuesday, and consulted with represen- tatives from Goderich, Clinton, Hensall and Exeter, and quoted prices from $37 to $48 per horsepower, based on the district taking 1500 horsepower. Mr. Fred G. Mitchell, a foriner Seaforth boy, who is now a prominent business man Of London,has been appointed managing of Royal Motor Car Company of that city, a company recently formed for the manufacturing of automobiles in London, ..,issitememessuntes which has a capitalization of $500,000. Mr. David Cantleton, Huron's apple king, has just completed shipping his apple pur- chases for this season. For export to the old country Mr, Cantleton shipped 7,115 bar. rels; to Manitoba and the West 7,676 barrels; to Montreal 671; to Toronto 1,500; and to New Ontario 1,000 barrels. Mr. W. T. Henry has sold his one hundred acre farm in Buffett, north of Clinton, to Mr. William Morrison, of the sixth concession of Hullett. The price is 0,600. The farm is a good one, with good buildhigs, and is well, situated. Mr. Henry intends retiring, and will likely reside in Clinton. DECEMBER 11, 1937 Seaforth will haVe a dash surplus of 51,350.52 at the end of the year, treasurer D. K Wilson eStbnates.,Ilis statement showing receipts and expenditures as of December Meeting' en Wednesday eTVarenilin to page 15A 15th *tie presented tO cciancll at its statutory