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' WIT A {PL RASA VES NR DITORIAL PINION Politicians and Conflicts of Interest In the last four weeks two senior members of the Conservative Cabinet at Queen's Park have been accused of alleged conflicts of interest. Thefirstwhenitwasrevaled Dalton Bales is part 'owner ina piece of property on land being purchased by the provincial government in the area of the new Pickering airport. Mr. Bales offered his resignation following disclosure of this information. It was not accepted, and Mr. Bales has since said any profit from the land sale will go to a charity. Earlier this week, it was learned that Provincial Treasurer Darcy McKeough, second most powerful maninthe Conservative cabinethasasmallfinancial interest in a piece of land in Chatham ; land which in 1969 the Department of Municipal Affairs with Mr. McKeough as minister approved for a subdivision. Opposition members immediately jumped on the issue to demand the resignation of Mr. McKeough. Although there is no indication that the Chatham subdivision received any preferential treatment from Mr. McKeough or his department, theincident, like that concerning Dalton Bales places a credibility strain of some severity on the present provincial government. Are there other members of government, especially those of higher rank involved in private financial operations? If so, does the electorate not have a right to be informed of these? And why were the deals involving both Bales and McKeough not disclosed when they took place? And this raises another question. To what extent should representatives of a majority of the people, put into office by these people in all good faith, be asked to discontinue normal, above-board business operations? , Possibly the most disturbing aspect of the allegedinformation concerning Mr. McKeough is not so much that he has a very small financial interest in asubdivisionsite. What isdisturbing isthe element of secrecy, the "whatthepublicdoesn'tknowwon'thurt them" feeling that one cannot help but sense. The incident creates a rather disturbing shadow and the publicmust demand that any information that would cast light on this and any other shadows should be forthcoming. If the bond of faith between elected and the electorate is broken, the best interests of the majority cannot rightly be served. PORT PERRY STAR Company Limited Sa, (+cha A) A 2 (0m) = EA bd Serving Porl Perry, Reach, Scugog and ec) 1, & rary Cartwright Jownships P. HVIDSTEN, Publisher - Editor JOHN B. McCLELLAND, Associate Editor } WM. T. HARRISON, J. PETER HVIDSTEN, Plant Manager Advertising Manager Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Member of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Published every Wednesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Lid, Port Perry, Onfario Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash Second Class Mail Registration Number 0245 Subscription Rates: In Canada $6.00 per year. Elsewhere $7.50 per year. Single Copy 15¢ RCO A FR EHC ASS BILE EA SNA SHG 1a Ne 0) A Far Para Ate ¢ SE ? AS NR Ee FEN NR LE EN LEILA 3 A Tha ALLY Ts £0 HAS BAL ON NM NIP ESRC PAH A ri me NI REGULAR aay HOLIDAY TRAFFIC TOLL BILL MILEY UGAR ano ; 4 Srice THE THINGS MY READERS SAYS! With the best intentions in the world to do so, I never quite get around to answering all my mail. There always seems to be some domestic or other crisis that interferes. In almost every case, the letters I get are both friendly and interesting. The exceptions are business letters and bill collectors. Form letters and promotional letters I don't even read: just tear them once across and toss into the logical depository -- the garbage pail. Anyway, this column seems to get around quite a bit, and the letters pile up, and I keep making new resolutions to answer them and the pile keeps growing. If my wife would leave me for a month; and I worked eight hours a day, I could clean them all up and start a new life, relieved of guilt and shame. Just to give you an idea, here's a cross-sampling. Just got a card from The Bobsey Twins, Regina and Kath. Postmark: Venice. They're two former students. When they were in Grade 13, and I couldn't find a boy to cleanup the estate, they took it on, and did the best job I've ever had done. Unlike boys, who don't get into the corners, they crawled into the bushes and dragged out leaves with their bare hands. They garnered forty plastic garbage bags of leaves and twigs. I gave them their pay and an illegal beer and we've been buddies ever since. According to the card, they've covered seven countries in three weeks and are now heading for Spain. Poor old Madrid. Here's a letter from R.F. Stedman, County Wicklow, Eire. An excerpt: "Your column holds for me a note of sanity in a mad world and ranks in my mind with Greg Clark." Double thanks, R.F. Greg Clark is about six tiers above me, but I appreciate the sentiment. Mr. Stedman went to high school with my older brother and sister. Just grabbed another one from the heap. Holy smokes, it's dated Feb., 1971. Thomas A. Smith, Rouleau, Sask. He noticed a referencein the column to Calumet Island, in the Ottawa River, where my mother was born. He was born there too and remembers Smiley in Shawville, Que., where my dad onceranastore. It's along, interesting letter from a real old-timer who went west in 1910, at the age of 17, went overseas in World War I. Mr. Smith, I hope you are well, though you must be 80, and I'll write a proper letter. Here's another, from White Plains, New York. Holy Ol Hughie! Dated June 24th, 1969. It's from A. Leslie Hill, Captain, Army Nurse Corps, U.S. Army Reserve (retired). Born in Fergus, Ontario, three score years ago, graduate of Kingston (Ont.) General Hospital, served in World War II and Korea, and read my column to a group of Negroes in the laundry room. How about that? Letter ends, "Thanks for your column, dull or not." Here's a self-addressed envelope from Mrs. Walter E. Dorsett, Smiley, Sask. But I can't find the letter. And another one from Gordon Fairgrieve, publisher of the Observer, Hartland, N.B. He has a subscriber called Bill Smiley, who lives in Massachusetts, and asks that I drop him a line. I will, Bill and Gordon. A note from G.R. McCrea, publisher of the Herald, Hanna, Alta. He agrees it's a mad, mad world, has been forty years in the newspaper "game", started at $5 a week, and recalls with nostalgia: "For $5 in those days you could take your best girl to the the local dance, buy a mickey of rot-gut rye, and still have money enough to buy the gal a lunch at midnight, and some left over for a package of roll-your-owns on Monday. Boy, was that ever livin'." Thanks, G.R., for a grand letter. . From a lady in Bowmanville. She thanks me for my salute to the housewife, and has some good advice: "I have learned, slowly, never criticize what someone's doing unless you have tried it yourself." And it turns out the lady lived next door for eight years to the lady who wrote me a beautiful letter from New Zealand. In a column this summer, I compared my wife to that bird, the flicker. Ron Cumming "> ' \ 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 31, 1922 Miss Miriam Harris,- daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.H Harris was awarded the Carter Scholarship and the Edward Blake Scholarship in Modern Languages. Miss Harris wrote on sixteen papers and secured 75 to 100 percent in twelve subjects. Mr. Morley Campbell has purchased Mr. Art Carne- gie's residence on: Bigelow Street." John McClintock, Jas. . Harrison, Wm. Graham and Dave Carnegie won second place in lawn bowling in the Newmarket tournament. W. H. Daniels will open a shoe' repair shop in the Leonard Block in September. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 28, 1947 » . | Mrs. Herbert Hope isyg visiting friends and relatives .in Scotland. Mr. Helm, manager of the Bank of Commerce has announce that banking hours starting Septmber 1st will be from 9.00 to 11.00 A.M. A charivari, large and noicy was staged in honour of John Maw and his new bride at Myrtle Station. Mrs.Nelson Baird, Miss "Annabell Baird and Mr. Edgar Leask have returned home after along holiday trip "through Western Canada. 15 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 29, 1957 A by-law was passed by Port Perry council for a vote on liquor and beer outlets, vote to be held November 20th. Mr. Ott Hamilton, secre- tary of the Rod and Gun Club made a presentation to council of a life presever to be hung on the end of the wharf house. Mr. Walter Moore of Pine Point, Scugog hauled in a 22 pound 'lunge. Prince Albert community held a farewell party in honour of Rev. and Mrs. Wylie who are leaving the area to take up residence in Toronto. The formal opening of the new community hall in Utica is scheduled for late October. 10 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 30, 1962 Miss Donna Johnson of R.R. 4, Uxbridge a teacher at Port Perry Public School, and a member of Uxbridge Junior Institute was the winner of the Dairy Princess Competition at the Canadian National Exhibition. Morley Davidson, son of Mr. and Mrs. George David- son, Blackwater was selected as one of the seven 4-H Agricultural Club members to represent the Province at the National 4-H Club week. 'Mr. and Mrs. Fred Cookson of Seagrave celebrated their silver anniversary. Mr. Robert Jeff's of Prince Albert has returned from Long Lac where he has been stationed as a Junior Forest Ranger. * J * » 3 » :