The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

"A Family Tradition for 131 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, June 17, 1997 -7 LETTER S "Phone rate increases defy logic To the Editor: Last week I read that phone rates in the countries of the Eu- ropean Union are set to halve in the next three years due to dere- gulation and the privatization of telephone companies that were formerly state-owned. Such are the effects of free en- terprise and competition, or so I thought. In Canada, on the other hand, increased competition for our. telephone business has resulted in a projected increase in our phone bills. Is there at work some hitherto unheard-of law of Canadian economics that dic- tates that increased competi- tion means higher prices? Birds could have died To the Editor: Down the road from my house the miracle of life once again has renewed itself, with the birth of five baby birds in a nest inside a mailbox. My friend and I like to walk down daily after school to sneak a peek at them. We are careful to be quiet and not touch any- thing, so that the parent birds are not frightened away. Yesterday, June 10, in scorching 32 degree weath- er, the lid was down on the mailbox. I opened the lid and the poor birds were try- ing to escape and were out of their nest. I went home very upset and told my mom. Later we went to check on the birds and obvi- ously someone as upset as we were by this disregard for life had wedged the lid open. ife in all its forms is portant. I wish everyone could see the beauty in it. Alexandra Haagaard, Age 9, Scugog Island When applied to labor, the ac- cepted laws of economics pre- scribe a roll-back in wages, or even layoffs, in the face of in- creased competition. In the case of our phone bills, why are we not seeing a similar roll-back when competition arrives on the scene? Since phone rates are govern- ment regulated, perhaps our Member of Parliament, with his background in economics, could explain this phenomenon. He might even be able to assuage the hostile feelings of some of the workers who have lost wag- es or jobs due to competition. They might even pay their in- creased phone bills with a smile on their faces when they learn that it's all for a good cause. Then again, perhaps there is a perfectly simple explanation for the rate increase. Perhaps it is just big government's way of | rewarding its friends in big business by allowing them to feed from the public nosebag. I confess to a certain amount of cynicism in connection with this matter, but I am open to any plausible explanation that anyone might offer. Are there any takers? Bernie Gotham, R.R. 1, Bowmanville The geese aren't cooked To the Editor: I listened with some interest about the menacing problem Mississauga has with Canada Geese and the mess they leave behind in their parks. An effort to relocate 2,000 geese to different parts of Onta- rio was turned down by at least four townships, so it appeared they were bound for the slaugh- ter house until New Brunswick steppedin. I don't care one way or an- other, as I am a hunter but nev- er bothered with migratory birds. But I find 'it ironic, and can't help but wonder where all the "do-gooders" are now. I ima- gine the "conservationist" groups are quietly planning their next fundraising dinner. Father Goose I'd think wouldn't pass on this opportunity of free publicity, and act as a liaison to help relocate the birds. And as for bird lovers, they might be happy to know that Lake Scugog could easily ac- commodate these 2,000 geese with its large marsh areas and tributaries. So what if half of them might relocate or even end up back in Mississauga? Better yet, Scugog could, with one phone call save these geese from slaughter and adopt them to our area. As for the real "Father Goose," Jack Miner is probably rolling over in his grave about this. M. Krajcik, Port Perry Got a strong opinion? Write to the editor Fax us at 985-3708 Editor's Notepad by Jeff Mitchell NOT GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION A SENSITIVE ISSUE: It's not great fun, 'fessing up and admitting you've made an error of judgement, but sometimes, it has to be done. There was a concern raised late in the week by a caller who complained that a story in the Weekend Star, reporting on allegations of theft against a teenaged employee at the general store in Seagrave, could have been better presented. The substance of the argument was that there are several young women who do or have worked at the store, all of whom could be associated with the alleged crime (the Young Offenders Act provisions don't allow the reporting of hames of accused people under the age of 17; and The Star rarely reports names anyway, unless we are able to follow cases through the courts). Reporting on police items generates, by far, the highest number of complaints from among the readership. The stakes are high for everyone involved -- including innocent folks who may be implicated through association or proximity -- and it is not a task we take lightly. There is a responsibility to report, and to do so fairly. Considering everything, the caller has a point. The editor -- that's me -- could have handled the story in a more sensitive manner. | WHAT ARE THEY SMOKING? ...The backbenchers are running amok at Queen's Park again. The last week they gave approval in principle to proposed legislation that could see young people suspended from school, or disallowed from getting their drivers' licences when they reach 16, for possession of tobacco. Not smoking tobacco, mind you; just possessing it. The inspiration came from Tory MPP Terence Young, who says he's seen kids puffing outside high schools near his Oakville home: "You see them smoking outside the school and you don't know what they could be smoking," he's quoted as saving. Hoo-boy! It makes you wonder what this character's smoking. We have a tough law that says kids under 19 can't buy tobacco. When merchants sell cigartettes to underage kids, they're prohibited from selling smokes for several months, and humiliated in the press. Beyond that, it's a matter of choice, and kids are smarter than Mr. Young thinks. This law's an ass. Hope they give it the boot. PHOTO FINISH: Friday marked the deadline for our third annual photo contest. Thanks for your contributions, and watch for the winners soon! CCl re Rl © Ct i GALS er Ora. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten COOKING THE GOOSE - A USEFUL SOLUTION | Canada Geese have once again Pl become a topic of controversy in __1 southern Ontario this summer. This time it's not through the adventures of Bill Lishman and his Operation Migration, but the controversy over metro Mississauga's decision to cull about 1,000 of the birds from it's parks. Plans were announced to round up the birds while they were molting, ship them off to a plant for processing and then provide the fresh meat to food banks for distribution. at the same time help those in need. But. as 80 often happens, the watchdogs of Talk about a great way to recycle a problem and 'what's right and wrong' jumped to the rescue of the defenseless Canada Geese and saved them from this dreadful end. Reports suggest the Toronto birds will now be captured and given one-way transportation to New Brunswick, where the wayward geese have been guaranteed a home. Magnificent as our Canada Geese are, their increasing numbers are becoming a tremendous problem in southern Ontario. A problem that will have to be dealt with by many municipalities in the near future. These 'one-time' migratory birds are finding life rather enjoyable around urban centres where food is plentiful, but the excrement they leave in parks, on golf courses and along lakeside beaches and ponds is becoming a health concern. Even here in Scugog, the geese are increasingly making parts of Palmer Park, Birdseye Centre and the Kinsmen Beach unusable for people. Catching the geese and sending them off to other communities is not the solution. It's been tried before and has failed miserably, as many of them only return next season. On the other hand, culling the large flocks, processing the meat and distributing it to food banks or some other worthwhile cause, is a step in the right direction. One thing is for sure, the problem won't go away on its own... it will only get worse NO ONE WHINING HERE: It was nice to see a local success story, Ocala Orchards Farm Winery, get some well deserved publicity in the national media. As most Port Perry area residents know, Ocala Orchards is operated by Irwin and Alissa Smith, and was featured last week in the Toronto Star. Since opening their winery a couple of years ago the hard working couple have grown their fledgling enterprise into a full scale winery. Along the way they've won recognition by capturing international awards with their fruit wines and in doing so have brought considerable publicity to the area. We offer our congratulations to Irwin and Alissa and wish them continued success.