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A Gree boty J arRE ea wr) 2S, Editorial Comments A good start... On the theory that it's not the chemistry that kills you, but the size of the pill, the New Arena Committee has divided up the $750,000 arena price tag into digestible chunks, providing an offer that Scugog Council simply couldn't refuse. Just how well and how hard the committee has worked over the past nine months is obvious when you consider not one, but five alternate funding schemes outlined in the report Submitted to council Monday. Needless to say, the entire sum is coming out of the same pocket, only through different holes. In the accepted payment scheme, for example, a five-year debenture will raise $200,000, starting in 1977, while 1975 and 1976 taxes will have to raise an additional $150,000. That's what you call a half-dozen of one and six of another. A 12-year debenture. way. Perhaps what makes the accepted scheme acceptable is the committment by the community at large to raise $200,000 - double the amount mentioned in alternate schemes. Again, it comes out of the same pocket. Not that we object to the construction of the much-needed arena. No red-blooded Canadian in his right mind would undermine the importance to Canadian culture of the arena, the hockey stick, and the 10-minute misconduct. And there are the thousands of pleasure skaters, figure skaters and what-have-you. No. In fact, we deplore a government that does so much talking about national health and keeping fit, yet supplies a pittance in the way of financial leadership to get any ambitious sports or recreational facility off the ground. $75,000 of the total estimated $750,000 cost of the arena will be the token participation of the government. Roads get 50 per cent subsidy, welfare 80 per cent. That's 10 per cent to the arena. Big Deal! The suggestion we'd like to make, braving the: wrath of that Great Cross-checker in the Sky, is that we remove a few of the eggs from the basket and put a little dough toward hiking trails, tennis courts, swimming pools, gymnasiums, sports fields, baseball diamonds, roadside bicyle trails, etc. etc. etc. How about building a $400,000 cheapie arena and building a pool with the rest? Or forgetting about adding a second ice surface in the future and save instead for a first indoor pool? Better yet, why dont we all make the commitment to do like a lot of those foreigners who win all those Gold medals at the Olympics? That is, when it comes to sports, health and (continued on page 6) But it looks better this (i 4 <a ANorHER 1000 INCOMVENIENCED / AFTER A MJLLION, WE GET A GOLDEN STAFF 7 THR \ Ald f \ A i A il lili HL] wi iy ei wl, | AER RET (oo i \EA it bit | [1 [i Il Ih i Hi il! fy | A J Remember When..? 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 12, 1925 By one goal, Port Perry High School Hockey club was defeated on home ice by the High School Hockey club from Cobourg. Mr. W. T. Rodman has opened a tailor shop in the McCaw Block, over the Bell Telephone office. Mr. George Howsam of Utica is .moving to Port Perry after his sale in mid- 'March. Music examinations held at the O.L.C., Whitby, saw - Lauretta- Clarke pass her Primary Theory with. first class honours, and Junior Harmony with honours. Messrs. James and William Mowat have left for Toronto where they will attend Business College. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 9, 1950 The United Church at Orono was burned to the ground this year. Members of the United Church 50-50 Club went to Newcastle by bus to be enter- - tained by the Newcastle Merry Marrieds Club. The Father and Son Banquet was held at the Delicateria Restaurant, Mr. Frank Godley spoke on behalf of the Scout leaders. Mrs. R. M. Holtby and Mrs. Moffatt entertained in honour of Mrs. Andrew Turner of Carroll, Manitoba. Other guests were Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Holtby and Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Holtby. --15 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 10, 1960 Port Perry High School won the Senior boys COSSA title, the team consisted of Mr. N. McQuarrie, coach; Neil' Palmer, Arthur Jefford, David Milne, Lloyd Wilson, Jim Read, manager; Mr. Ivan Parkinson, coach; Brian Taylor, Murray Blain, John Croxall, captain, Ron Willerton and David Morton. Port perry Fire Brigade entertained their wives, members of Council and their wives, and Hon. Dr. M. B. Dymond and Mrs. Dymond to a social evening. The Hon. Dr. M. B. Dymond, minister of Health for Ontario gave a brief informal talk. Mr. J. Orde was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce with Dr. John Price as vice-president. Mrs. Ernest Larmer was elected president of the Blackstock Womens Institute. The Ontario County Wheat Producers Committee held a meeting at the Agriculture Office in Uxbridge and elected as their chairman, Mr. Joe Tran, Claremont. 10 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 11, 1965 Mr. J. G. Porter, Manager of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Port Perry, together with Lance Beath of Farm Credit Cor- portarion attended the Bankers' Regional Con- Bill Smiley ference held in Peterborough on March 2nd and 3rd. They listened to a speech given by a Port Perry farmer, Mr. Leslie Smith. Dianne Hall, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Hall, Port Perry received the highest award in Girl Guides on Saturday night when she was presented with her Gold Cord. This year the Ontario Rid- ing (South) Young Progres- sive Conservative Associat- ion elected its first Madame President, Mrs. Yvonne Christie, during the annual election of officers. Mrs. Christie succeeds Mr. Douglas Hogg who success: fully guided the Association through a non-election year. Over two hundred guests were present to offer con- gratulations to a very-happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Vernon, on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniver- sary. Stamp out postal strikes I have personally had it, with the postal workers. half-paralyzed leviathan on the auction Canadian Postal Service, so called. I am sick to death of postal strikes and threats of strikes: And I almost throw up every time Honorable Bryce Mackasey, minister in charge of the post office, comes on television to state bluntly that postal employees last year stole only a million dollars or what- ever, which is just a drop in the bucket, and that we have the third best postal service in - the world. His first statement practically condones theft by public employees. His second must he something he halucinated while recover- ing from an overdose of stamp glue. Admitted, that for years, postal employees were sorely underpaid, and most of them were in the job only for the security it offered. But the security is still there, and they are now far from sorely underpaid. Some of them, in view of what they do, and the relatively simple qualificiations required, may be overpaid, in comparison with some" other jobs. Admitted, many postal jobs are unexcit- ing, even boring and monotonous. This is no excuse for the flouting of the public's needs, or for the thumb-to-the-nose attitude to: wards the government, employer of the Nobody forced those people to work in the post office. Plenty of other jobs are just as monotonous. If they wanted excitement why didn't they go into high steel work or massage parlors? Isn't is about time for a showdown? Either Canada gets a first rate postal service, as we used to have, or we scrap the whole thing and turn it over to private enterprise. In my far from humble opinion, the latter course should have been taken years ago. For the past several decades, the perfor- mance of the post office in this country has been a dismal one. Each year, efficiency decreases; each year the costs increase. Each new broom appointed as minister has carefully swept the dirt under the rug, instedd of out the door. I think it's too late for a purge in the post office, which has become so constipated that nothing short of dynamite would move those turgid bowels. No new minister has the guts to go in and ream out the dottle of the public pipeline. It would be his head on a platter if he tried. 'Nope. It's too late for half measures. It's time to put the whole, shambling, sick block, and sell it to the highest bidder: buildings, bricks, equipment and jobs. - And let's not get any phony nationalism mixed up in it. If one of the new rich oil countries wants to buy the mess and put it in running order, why not? Canadians can't do . it, apparently. You think this is too drastic? It seems the only alternative we have to limping along with a postal system that the word "rotten" inadequately describes. You think something as big and important . as the postal non-system should be control- led by the government? Hogwash! Anyone with ears to hear or eyes to read knows that government is notably inefficient as an employer. Let's look at one example. We have two transcontinental railways. CPR, privately owned, has shown a thumping profit year after year. The CNR, government owned, highly subsidized, is always in the red. You think I'm a little hot today? You're right. Postal strikes have cost me consider- able, in terms of anxiety and cash. And I'm only a little frog. Imagine what the lousy service is doing to slow down the thwart large companies, which hire hundreds of thousands. As 1 write, postal employees in Toronto are not working, while mail piles up in thousands of tons. Why are they not working? Because they won't cross the picket lines of another, comparatively small union that is on strike. And get this. The Post Office gave its non-working employees leave of absence without pay. They were not fired. And those employees have the unbelievable gall to talk of suing the post office because they are not drawing their pay when they are not working, even though they are not on strike. Can you figure that out? It makes my head reel. This week, I sent a letter 'special delivery'. It cost me 48 cents in postage. To make me expend such a sum, the letter had to be mighty important. It's sitting in a post office, unsorted, in which the employees are NOT on strike. I've had enough. Who'll join me? And in closing may I add that I don't put the blame on the postal union, not all of it. These people are human and will reach for all they - can get. The real root of my rage and the fifth-rate Canadian postal non-service is the gutless politicians in Ottawa. The argyle Syndicate Ld. ge: