The Huron Expositor, 1979-05-24, Page 2ye •
Since 1860, Serving the Coinr0IntitY 'First
Published at SEAFORTIly ONTARIO every Ttnirvlo morning
•lv MOAN PROs. Pul3LisliElt$ LTD.
AND EW r:Mc1,BAN. PubliSber
USAN WHITE, Editor
LICE G113B, News Editor
Member Canathan Community Newspaper ASSOciatPo
Ontario Weekly Newspaper As.$0.041011
and Audit Bureau of Circulation
5Ubscription Rates:
Canada Oa advanee) $13,00 a Year
,Putside Canada (in advanc94.0, 4Year
S1N9LE COPIES,--- 30 CENTS FACH
Secon40414s Mail Registration NOrnbee
Telephone 527-0240
sy.
SEAFORTK, ONTAR10.,, MAY 24, 1919
The peoplel have spoken
'The ornately gilded ballroom of Otta0a's Chateua Laurier Hotel was
the scene of the federal Liberal's victory party that didn't happen on
Tuesday night.
That half empty room "there isn't a prominent Liberal in sight".
. CBC reporter said about 10 p.m., was a fitting symbol for the end to
more than 16 years of Liberal government in Canada. It's the end for
now of a party that's ruled Canada for the majority of the 79 years of •
this ,century. •
The Liberals have come to regard themselves as the government of
Canada. Perhaps, like the Chateau Laurier ballroom, they've become
too rich, for most Canadians' tastes, .
And most Canadians would agree that a lot of the credit for Joe Clark
and the Conservative's victory must go to Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
42•4://,-,•';;;;:.
••••••• .
J.. • ,•%••?;'
He is regarded as a sy'rnbol of the arrogance and "out of touch with
the grass roots" stylethat the public See as characterizing a party
which it thinks has been in power ' for too 'long.
•
The Conservative victory is a very hesitant vote of confidence in Joe
Clark. But mostly it's an anti-TrudeaU and anti -Liberal vote.
Mr. Clark has a long list of cabinet material to chose from. 'Yes his
• supporters are inexperienced, but then even the Liberals with ample
• opportunity recently for on the job training weren't able to keep some U ar ctfld spice.
capable people in cabinet. We mean before the elePtion•
Locally Conservative members Bill .Jarvis and Bob McKinley won
big majorities and it will be interesting to see how well they work as
government, rather than opposition MP'.s.
Canadians asked for a change and they've got it. We look forward to
, • fresh faces -and new policies from Joe Clark's Ottawa.
Early Blossoms
"0",1144
Government day for adu s?
•
.Question: Where can youfindan MP, two MPP's, three reeves and
a Mayor, a county clerk, a town clerk and two federal election hopefuls
'Under one roof?
Answer: At Seaforth Public School's government day, a most.
successful experiment. in increasing student's, awareness of the .
political process which went off without a hitch on Friday.
SPS principal Paul Carroll and teachers and students at the school
• deserve a great deal of credit for organizing government day. Work
began back in February, long before the recent federal election was
called.Despite advice to the contrary, Mr. Carroll didn't cancel the day
, when it turned out to be just three days away from the federal vote,
reasoning quite sensibly that that could ,only increase student interest.
; • • StUdants huddled with the politicians in carefully chosen workshops
all morning. In the afternoon, they p ey'd. 113.rned to work,
" drawing up charts on the licies ani workings f alrthree levels of
government.
It's a safe bet that the senior students of SPS, each of whom was •
required to have three thoughtful questions prepared for each
seminar, now know more than most Seaforth adults about how local,
provincial and federal politics work.
Now, if we could just get SPS to organize a government day that
would be required attendance for all the adults in Seaforth and area,
.Failing that, the next time ,You he e a political question, ask your
daughter or son the answer -
Answer the questionnaire
National unity. The very phrase has a hollow ring to it. And soon to
be former prime minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau didn't meet with
much success, when he tried to make it the major election issue.
But What would Canada be like withou Quebec? Do you care whether
Quebec stays within Confederation or not? Should Canada have only
one official language? Or should more effort be made to make services
in French available to all citizens who want them? '
,ry ,
Whether you use the well worn phrase national unity or n9t, these
questons are going to be posed, indirectly perhaps, to every Canadian
within the nekt few years. t.
Terry Johnston's history students at SDHS have made up a
questionnaire to test local peoplesattitudes to Quebec. They've
already given it to family and friends. This week those same students
are visiting in Quebec and hope to pose the same questions to some
French speaking Canadians there.
Expositor photographer Paul Ellisfa student in Mr. Johnston's class
has prepared a veraion of the questionnaire which appears In this
week's EXpositor. We ask all readers tO take a moment and answer its
questions and send or bring what they come up with, anonymously of
1 course, to the Expositor. •
Results Will be tabulated and will appear, alongside reSUI1S ;from
Quebecwe hope, in a future issue: ,*
The questions aren't difficult, but they are thou htrovokin Do
P 9,
yourself; and Canada, a favour and take a• few minutes to fill out the
students' questionnaire. Our deadline,is May 31 and we're looking
forward to seeing what Seaforth and area thinks about Quebec and
Canada's future,
is reborn ef intoitliefted itiehttiottpit et
• • •
. .
: Meorthkiiii keepted ett that hi, the aiteht of yposr i •spige •
• by the *mew* it•rn, 'fihiethir with reeicinibli tor sighatiire, not be .thertied the bUt
the 'beow* .1 Kishelvertisemiiiit will be pile!: for at the riipihitibte reit.
, • Vitaii every ethiriiiitb be node Iriture they ate handled with dart, hie ishert be 4000.64 tor
.
1
By Bill Smiley
A harsh 'furl
Even though we are into the last quarter
of the twentieth century. with the
tremendouse technological advances that
have been made, this can still be a mighty
harsh land to live in.
At the time of writing, my heart aches for
those poor devils in southern Manitoba, and
in northers Ontario, whohave been victims of
floods. It must be devastating to see your
fine farm covered with muddy water, your
I -house or barn collapsing under the force of a
vast, callous element over which you have no
control.
We can blame ourselves for bad
judgement faulty management orjust plain
laziness. But when Nature chooses,,with her
random. indifferent power, to throw a big
one at us. whether it be fire, flood, drougja,
hail or grasshoppers, there is not .much to do
but weep, curse, or pray.
Modern man can walk on the moon:drift
through the sky in luxury at 750 -miles an
hour„ keep himself vvarrn and clean by
flicking switches and pressing buttons. He
•
can communicate with „ his fellows over
thousands of miles. ;
But when it comes to afr,iornado or an
earthquake. there is little he can do but
cower until it's over, and then try to pick up
the pieces. ' -
We are not much bothered in this country
bY those two "acts of God." But we have,
i ••
plenty of our own variety:. blizzards, floods,
forest fires, periods of either drought or rain
that make the 'farmer despair.
Perhaps the greatest glory of man is that
he refuses to succumbco the desolation that
follows ,these curse of nature that remind
him Constantly that he is a petty creature,
indeed,. of little more importance in the
scheme of things than an ant or a cockroach,
and not nearly as capahle of survival. ovcr
the long haul '
If I were a farmer in the Red River Valley
today, I'd probably feel like going outliehind
what was left of rny barn and quietly
shooting myself. •
But they won't do it, and that is why man
will survive the worst things that Nature ran
_
do to hintlie will pick up the pieces and
rc-build, with a 'stubborn and dauntless
spirit that makes him refuse •to give in.
I've just finished reading The Pioneer
Years; by Barry Broadfoot, about the
settling of the West. A lot of people failed in
their confrontation with the eternal
hardships of the prairies, the bitter cold, tbe
vast emptiness. the terrible daily toil, the
plagues of insects, hail, drought,
" Bitt even more of them fought back With
little but their human refusal to cave in
under almost unbearable conditions. And
their ancestors ate still there And they, too,
will go on fighting the savagery of this •
country of ours, and triumph in the end.
Today s farmer in the West has
equipment his ancestor could not even
dream about. He can farm -four sections in
the time it took his grandfather t7 extract a
meagre crop from quarter -section, with
horses, and brutal, dawn -to -dark human
labour. •
With the advent of the telephOne, and the
automobile, the appalling loneffness of life
on the prairies, of which Sinclair Ross writes
so movingly,has disappeared. Today's
farmer may even have a smaPaircraft to flip
him into the larger towns -e or across the
border to the fleshpots of the States.
But there still isn't a darn thing he can do'.
about the weather. If there is drought, his
crops burn and his tele don't fatten. If there ,
' is hail, he can have a year's work wiped out
in a few hot:Airs, and be off to the batik to '
borrow for next year.
He may have modern, technical advice
from government He may bepart of one of
the great breadbaskets of the world,
providing food for millions. But if it rains all
summer, the bank still wants the interest on
his loan, even though his crop is a disaster.
Sure, I grouse just like you, and you, when
bread goes up a nickel a lo&f, beef prices
soar, milk costs more than beer, or nearly as
much, and I can't afford a head of lettuce
without cutting down on cigarettes.
But when I thinIc`of the gamble a farmer
takes, the amount of work he must do, and
what he gets for his Product at the rail -head,
I can only shake my head and mutter "Why
do they do it?" I wouldn't." ••
Well, my friend, it's going to- get a lot
• . •
worse. With the millions of acres of junk
land in this country on which to build
houses, our blinkered politicians continue to
allow industry and developers to buy up rich
farmland, and turn it into factories that
pollute with essences, highways that pollute
with gas fumes, and high-rises, that pollute
Take a trip abroad. Check the prices of
farm pioducts. Ours are still among the
cheapest in the world,
When you have to pay 55.00 for a pound of
meat, 40 cents each for tomatoes,. and 52.00
for a toafof bread, dont dry, Just remember
that , u read it here first
The farmer in this- country has been.
getting royally screwed for decades, and he
knows it. Prime Minister Trudeau chooses to
call the farmers' anger '!whining,"
My hat is off to them. Pick tip the pieces,
boys and rebuild. We need you. Very much.
How do you feel about Quebec?
(COntintled kiln Page 1) • 7) A B C 10) A B C-
'
(12) 'The province of Quebec belongs to all 8)ABCD 11)AB
Canadians, not just to those who speak
French.' How do you feel about this
r St t
a ement
' COMMENTS:
a) agree ,11,
'9)ABCD 12). A' II •.0
• 13) A 13" .
b) agree strOingly • '•
c) disagree.
d) disagree strongly
1, \
(13) Do you desire to !cirri •• o Spal'.'
French?
a) yes
b) no
e) SOmedaY, yes, but not right away,
. • ENGLISH -FRENCH RELATIONS
•
SURVEY
AnsWerAhect (Please circle yOur answer) .
1) A B—C 4)ABCD
2) ABCD 6) A B C
• 6)A 13 cb
•
•
•
•
•
•
3.•
PICNIC TABLE
Build your own table from this
easy -to -assemble kit. Just
fops:1w he plans and instruc-
tions included. Sturdy
outdoor wood.
•
6'f tkit knocked down, ready to
assemble. 'Table assembled
S58.95
VINYL EAVESTROUGH
Install thjsAmAue
"Snap -Seal" nyl
Raingoods system andt
forget about it. It's great EACH
light weight, easy and, safe. Never
needs'painting . glueing.