The Huron Expositor, 1989-07-05, Page 2Huron
positor
kip
SWEATSOCKS
by Heather Rebinet
Incorporating
The Brussels Post
Published in
Seaforth, Ontario
Every Wednesday Morning
The Expositor is brought to you
each week by the efforts of: Pat
Armes, Neil Corbett, Terri -Lynn
Dale, Dianne McGrath and Bob
McMillan.
ED BYRSKI, General Manager
HEATHER ROBINET, Editor
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc.
Ontario Community Newspaper Associntion
Ontario Press Council
Commonwealth Press Union
International Press Institute
Subscription Rates:
Canada '20.00 a year, in advance
Senior Citizens - '17.00 a year In advance
Outside Canada '60.00 a year, in advance
Single Copies - .50 cents each
Second class mail registration Number 0696
ilnesdRiyr July . ., 1989
Editorial and Business Offices - W Main Street, Seaforth
Telephone (519) 527-0140
Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 1WO
Who is profitting ?
It's difficult to feel good about Canada Post showing a profit when you're
watching the corporation's quality of service quickly deteriorating.
Canada Post has been in the news a lot in recent weeks following the an-
nouncement of its 1988 profit of $96 million,. and the prediction of $800 million
over the next five years. And judging from reaction to the announcements,
there remains a great deal of distrust of the crown corporation. Particularly in
rural Ontario.
It wasn't long ago that the people of Brucefield attended public meetings to
fight to preserve their postal service, and while Canada Post officials claimed
they planned no franchising of rural post offices such as Brucefield, they set
about privatizing over 5,000. It wasn't long ago that groups Like Rural Dignity
began to protest Canada Posts deteriorating rural service.
We can't yet condemn Canada Post for closing down the Seaforth Post Of-
fice building, but there is a study in the works to see if it is feasible for the
reformed post office to retain the Seaforth building. To most this is
unbelieveable, but this is what Seaforth may face. And it is hard to believe that
Seaforth customers wit benefit from the same quality of service they have to-
day without a staffed post office building.
Most companies and corporations try to grow and expand with the future, to
use their profits to provide better service. But Canada Post is more concerned
with cutting back, even cutting back the very institutions which provide ade-
quate service now. So where is Canada Post funnelling its profits.
A recent announcement says -the corporation will be paying the federal
government a dividend of $300 million. So much for profits. If Canada Post has
been mandated to operate on a break-even basis it should not have to channel
its resources to some other segment of the government.
Canada Post has spent millions of dollars on an advertising campaign to
crow about what a good job it can do. Why doesn't the corporation put this
money into the system, into maintaining and building on what it has, and give
us some real reason to -feel satisfied with Canada 'Post.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Heather
ties the
knot
MCIILWRAITH - ROB1NET
Heather Ruth Mcllwraith and Marc
Achille Robinet of Seaforth were united in
marriage on Saturday, July 1, 1989 at
Stanley Park Baptist Church in Kitchener,
by Reverend Bill Lewis, The bride is the
daughter of Don and Jean Mellwraith of Kit-
chener, and the groom is the son of Archie
and Mona Robinet of Stratford. Maid of
honor was Allison Mcllwralth, sister of the
bride, and bridesmaids were Carol Lyn
Mcllwraith, sister-in-law of the bride, Kim
Languer, friend of the bride, Stephanie
Robinet, sister of the groom and Janet Mac-
Donald, friend of the bride. Best man was
Kevin Bennett, friend of the groom and
ushers were Larry Dolmage, friend of the
groom, Paul McIlwraith, brother of the
bride, Jason Robinet, brother of the groom,
and Gary Nash, friend of the groom. The
reception was held at the Chicopee Ski
Lodge in Kitchener, following which the
Robinets spent their honeymoon in Cape
Cod, The couple will reside on John Street in
Seaforth.
r \ KNOW FU/L. WELL- HOV✓
you FEEL ,YOUNG. f N ,
^-- B CONTAA1TL( GE-' 7'1E
EEELNG. OF EtviPl'INIE:
'c00
Reply to '°frenchification1f letter
To the editor:
Replying to Paul Copeland in Expositor
of May 31st, 1989 and to Elizabeth
Fingland in Focus of June 13th, 1989,
Ruth Workman is a Canadian Citizen,
proud to be a unilingual English speaking
Canadian citizen, with credits in French,
Latin and German taken as a challenge.
I believe in democracy and fair play. I
believe that we should have one unifying
language and that it should be the
English language, recognized as the
language of trade and commerce
worldwide. Whatever other languages one
wishes should be left to his or her choice
and not legislated by any government.
French has been available in Canada for
many years, and I have read that it was
a Scotsman in Wolfe's army speaking
French to one of Montcalm's guards who
made it possible for Wolfe to reach the
Plains of Abraham.
Several articles appearing in the Lon -
Wrong attitude
At Council Meeting of June 13/89 I was
a part of a delegation to council concern-
ing purchase of a tractor and backhoe for
the township.
I was very disappointed about the at-
titude of some members of council in
regard to the way tax money is used.
When I am told that piece of equipment
did not cost much because it was 60 per
cent funded by government grant does
the council believe that 1 do not know
where the money came from to give us
this grant?
In the last three years- we have had a
new township garage and work shop,
which I agree was badly needed, and has
been in the mill for several years. We
have bought a new Mack truck for
something over $100,000 which we
definitely do not need unless it can be us-
ed to better advantage than picking bran-
ches on the side of the road in the spring
or plowing roads with an angle blade at
high speed and putting more gravel in
the fields than on the road. Last year we
purchased anew grader and when I ask-
ed what the grader cost I was told that it
did not cost much, that government grant
paid most of it. I had to ask three times
before I was told that it cost 149 thousand
dollars, to which I replied where do you
think the grant came from in the first
place - from little ,people who have to
work their asses off to make ends meet.
-In regards to the purchase of .a
backhoe, I firmly beieve that :this was a
cut and dried decision made by three
members of council at the whim of a
road superintendent who ,1s ,trying to
make a name fbr himself ,through ,a coun-
cil that goes .along with whatever he asks
for. We are apparently going to have a
don Free Press of February 8, 1969 entitl-
ed "Crisis in Conferation" — the first by
Anthony Westell (Toronto Star Syndicate)
and the second by John K. Elliott, Free
Press Associate Editor, should, have
alerted all Canadians to changes which
Trudeau was proposing. With those ar-
ticles was a cartoon by Ting depicting
Trudeau at the microphone during a
Federal Provincial Conference on Office]
Languages Act and words "testing..."
The Federal Government under Trudeau
and Muh-oney have been testing the
English speaking people of Canada ever
since.
France's High Committee for the Ex-
pansion of the French Language has been
aggressively promoting the use of French
in Canada since 1958, but not one leader
of our political parties has been honest
enough to tell Canadians. Trudeau, as an
accomplice, has worked steadily to effect
Turn to page 14
about spending
backhoe but we will pay for it in the end.
Now 1 was always of the belief that the
reeve of a municipality was delegated to
lead the council in management of
township business. At this particular
meeting the deputy reeve was apparently
running the show while the reeve did not
have the courtesy to sit and face the
delegation. The only comment which I
heard from the reeve was to the extent
that our road superintendent was the best
grader operator that this township has
ever had. I will personally go on record
as saying that in the 25 years that I have
paid taxes in the township I have not
seen the roads so poorly maintained as
they have been in the last three years.
I might also point out that previously
our employees cut the grass on the roads
which was let out on contract to a person
whose family was involved in council
previously. Does this tell you anything?
I might also point out that our deputy
reeve was so -positive about what he was
saying that there was no he was go-
ing to discuss the issue, and as far as the
tractor being traded in, Mr. Dejong said
since he was a mechanic for 18 years he
knew it was uneconomical to repair.
Now not taking away from .his
mechanical qualifications, I might point
out that I.have been in the trade for 38
years and have held a Class A Licence
since May of 1956, so do you think I do
;not -know what things cost?
PS. -From the :statement Mr. Cantelon
,made re: Grader Operator 1 ,believe he
awes a public apology to Mrs. Ina
McGrath and other ,former township
employees who are no longer here to ;de-
fend themselves.
Wiltnerdcelly
ti
Kin
This week in the editorial department at
the Huron Expositor I'm number one, the
head honcho, the big cheese - the editor.
But I will admit the fact that I'm the only
person left in the department to take on
this status does diminish the glory
somewhat.
Heather is off work for two issues.
Something about tying a knot. Sounds like
a pretty thin excuse for a vacation to me.
But while she's on vacation the duty of fill-
ing these pages with editorial material
falls on me.
Now you've probably got a picture of me
sitting in my boss' desk with my feet pro-
pped on her computer keyboard sipping
coffee from a mug marked "Editor" and
yelling into an imaginery intercom: "Fast
breaking news, stop the presses, stop the
presses!!"
Well it hasn't quite been like that.
When Heather is here my only real
worry is getting my stories and pictures
done to deadline, and handing them over to
the editor. When the editor is away I still
have these worries, compounded by wor-
ries like "it's Monday afternoon and I still
don't have a decent picture for the front
page," or "the ad department is calling for
a 20 page paper and I haven't seen enough
news to fill the first two pages."
It's at times like these when I really
g for a day
MY TWO BITS
by Neil Corbett
begin to long for something to happen: a
98 -year-old local man wins 649, a semi
hauling hogs loses its load on Main Street,
that sort of thing.
One -of the reasons I got into newspaper
reporting is because you're generally do-
ing something • different everyday. One day
you might be standing ankle deep in a barn
interviewing a farmer about the condition
of this year's crop, the next you could be up
at the crack of dawn shivering with a band
of local deer hunters, and the next you
might spend in the office printing pictures
and writing stories.
But the editor's job clips your wings
somewhat.
You wouldn't believe the pile of stuff
-press releases, recipes, television
listings,- that comes across an editor's
desk. And I'm not yet that astute at spot-
ting which material should be printed as it
comes, which should be expanded upon or
turned into a local feature, and which
should come to rest in file 13.
For example, today I received a
delicious looking picture and recipe for
Country Barbecued pork fibs and another
on pasta salads, a release entitled "To
Lower Your Weight Raise Your
Metabolism," a travel feature on Prince
Edward Island, and something in French.
(To name a small portion). All would be of
interest to someone, but which to run?
Another link less in the chain that binds
the editor is all the actual editing of cor-
respondence and reports that also come
across the desk. It takes time to read
through things, checking for slander and
grammar and spelling and just lousy
writing.
So when people on 'the street kid me
about how slack I've got it right now,
forgive me if I look like I'm about to
spring.
&&&
To Jonathon Wheatley I'd like to say
-thanks for filling in for me on Saturday.
Jonathon took pictures of the Canada
Day festivities in' Seaford] which can be
found in this week's issue of The Ex-
positor, so I could be present at Heather
and Marc's wedding in Kitchener.
Seaforth firemen champion hose reelers
JULY 5,1889
ANOTHER PIONEER GONE - Mr.
Samuel Crich died at his residence in Clin-
ton on Saturday Iast after.a long and painful
illness, having reached the age of 65 years.
Mr. Crich had been a resident of
Tupkersmith Township for over ,90 years.
With his father and brothers be.settled in the
west end, in what is now known .as the
British settlement. He was then ,quite a
young man and the district ;in 'hieh he
located was a wilderness. By the Practice of
the most persevering industry he not only
succeeded in making a comfortable home
but laid up a share of this worid's,goods. lie
was an honorable, good living roan arid was
held in the highest esteem by all ,w,ho;knew
him.
Mr. James Wilson, of Brussels, cut three
acres of hay last •week. This ls,the,earliest
haying of the season.
DOMINION DAY - As is •uattalp hall
true Canadians, the people of orae,
IN THE YEARS AGONE
from the Expositor Archives
although they had no public demonstration
on Dominion Day, observed the occasion as
a general holiday.
The Stratford Herald says that Seafor-
thites dropped over $250 in betting at the
lacrosse match in that city on Dominion
Day. Those who are foplish enough to bet
their, money, deserve to lose it.
The members of tlie,Seaforth •fire brigade
left
romp W.ed esday for Mount CIen]ens,
tMictl gala, ere they were to,conI �e
eti #,behedthere yesterflay. in a
s D. l a,W an siiilhas grepes.in.a:good
tete, .. f ,p a ,,ation which haveybeeni kept
over,fro ii, ast year.
The,Jieavy•arair4sto}7 •,of,t,l'lis;w,eb
lodged the grain crops considerably. T>e
crops of all kinds are looking remarka bl'
well and if they ripen properly there will lx
an abundant harvest. The present weather
however, is not favourable.
J11LYf 10, 1914
Councillor Con Eckert of McKillop met
with a very serious and painful accident on
Wednesday of last week. Mr. Eckert, who
ownsand resides on the Cowan farm adjoin-
ing *Alford', was engaged with his son in
plaein tiles ' pin. We stooping don
ralti
on a 4old , i ; ,he tiles, a large stone
lyilii
on, , e' ;. a ell in on hum, sever
rua
ebi►1;g r and injuring him internally,
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