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Apni is ir rage -LETTERS- 30 years ago The budget approved by council calls for a 61 mill rate for houses and a rate for industrial and commercial properties This was a 13 mill rise over last year In dollars the owner of an average town house had to pay approx imately more taxes Ken McMillan vicepresident of the Ontario Hockey Association for two years was elected president succeeding Cook of Kingston He was the 29th dent since In the real estate section a house was listed for sale One and a half with large attached garage Solid prominently located at the comer of Charles and Rex way Drives This house was selling for 15 years ago As part of their nursing diploma course 16 student nurses from Sheridan College School of Nursing were working at the Georgetown hospital They spent weeks in Georgetown A few of the student nurses were Lois Taylor Cathy Lee Jane ONell Debbie Babock and Netta Bye As a series of joint Holy Week services Acton residents were told not to blame God or the devil for the problems of society Guest preacher Rev Morris N speaking on The Christ and the devil explained that since the movie The Exor cist there has been a renewed in terest in Mrs Bemlce Henderson of 17 Ores mother of seven became a winner in the Olympic lottery and she smiled all the way to the bank after only a 10 dollar investment for the ticket 10 years ago A long time Georgetown resi dent Alma Sykes was honored for her years of service to County and Region Mrs Sykes from our files was Director of Nursing Services at Centennial Manor home for the aged in Milton In the course of her tenure Alma Sykes had a vital part in planning of many expansion pro grams and the introduction of a new care service for the homes The Halton Regional Police force appointed Alex Terrell district commander in District l which covers Acton Georgetown and Milton Staff Terrell has taken over the position from Actin Superintendent Roy Taylor who is now in charge of District 2 5 years ago An exhibition of paintings by one of the finest wildlife artists in the world Robert was set to open in June at the Halton Hills Library and Cultural Centre Gallery The artist and his wife Bateman who reside in Lowville attended the ex opening at the Gallery on Junel Brodie saxophonist presented a workshop for the students at Georgetown District High School Mr Brodie Mr Saxophone recorded 28 albums which made him the most recorded concert saxophonist in the history the instrument June Baker scored 91 per cent the top mark on a new Halton Regional Police basic law and police procedures course She received her certificate of train ing with distinction from police chief James Harding Reader has different perspective on march Rural Canada fights post office closings Kells Korner Donna Kel staff People in rural Canada are not losing the centre of their com munity without a fight Small rural post offices around Canada have been closed down in the past few years and replaced with larger less personal services The rural post office described as the centre of the community and the forerunner to the community newspaper is having its doors shut permanently as natural op portunities allow Canada Post a crown corporation to fold a post office when a postmaster retires or dies In the postmaster retired last year after many years of service She was replaced by a couple who bought the general store and signed a contract with Canada Post for postal service The couple quickly found that meagre profits werent worth the time it took to process mall money orders and special delivery packages Rural Dignity says its no wonder people opt out of postal ser vices Members say the postmaster made more money than the new couple performing the same services Rural Dignity held a demonstra tion the first day of spring at Queens Park to inform the government that there Is much to battle for before the next set of rural post office doors are closed Local Rural Dignity represen tative Liz Armstrong from Erin said the group had the support of local MPs including Garth Turner who co iimunicates regularly with Ms Armstrong Mr Turner phoned Liz a short while ago to say the fight to stop Canada Post from closing local post offices during lunch hours had been won But Ms Armstrong normally a friendly person grows angry as she discusses the future of rural post offices She said Canada Post Is increasing urban expenses while rural peoplesuffer Members of Rural Dignity in Canada blockaded the en to a rural post office recent ly when Canada Post attempted to shut it down This natural op portunity was the occasion of a farmer who ran the post office fail of a barn roof to his death Eventually Canada Post closed down those facilities Rural Dignity argues that Canada Post is signing new con tracts that pay less for services than postmasters would receive A postmaster who was paid up wards of a year is replaced by workers under contract who make to for the same services Ms Armstrong referred to an ar ticle in Canadian Press that said Canada Post is getting lean but its bead is getting fatter The article said that head office budget for Ottawa is growing while the rural budget shrinks Who suffers asks Rural Dignity According to the citizenformed group its the people in urban areas with the smallest voices Dear Sir With reference to Donna Kdl s article of April I feel com to write to your paper giving a different perspective on the march to Queens Park by anti poverty supporters For two years the Social Assistance Review Committee studied the problem related to social assistance benefits They surprisingly discovered that the largest group of recipients were disabled per cent and a good portion were single mothers Benefits had fallen badly behind the cost of living and people caught in the welfare trap were not given the incentives they need to get out from under They heard cases where single mothers were better off financially if they stayed on mothers allowance rather than work for minimum wage still they could not afford the price it costs to rent an apartment clothe and feed their children and meet other necessary expenses The major obstacle for the millions of homeless has been locating accommodation and get ting an address before a cheque could be issued even then how does one afford first and last mon Canada may be one of the best countries in the world to live if you can find a job have adequate shelter and food but try telling that to someone who must go to food banks or shelters to get a roof over their head and some sustenance with which to survive I know societys attitude is often that people abuse the system Grant you there are some But there are also working people who do likewise Justice is an ideal un fortunately that will never be ob tained The gap between rich and poor becomes greater each year and the burden on middle Income earners enormous Our democracy cannot be touted as the ideal for this competitive rat race does not offer every one the opportunity to start on an equal footing Readers home is SOUnd Homeowners Dear Sir We are concerned that your April 12 article regarding the reduction of taxes on three homes on Gardiner Drive leaves readers with the impression that other homes there are substandard and Is not true When someone asks who built our home we tell them we did We explain that even though Park Lane Estates was officially in charge we were here at least three tunes a day watching and check We prevented many of the pro blems the Kermacks have by keep ing in daily contact with Park Lane communicating with the trades ourselves calling in mspec tors and finally contracting out some of the work ourselves It was hard work and it was expensive We have little respect for Bob Duckworth or Park Lane Estates However we love our home We have no holes in walls or windows no cracking never mind collapsing walls and in three spr ings not a drop of water in our basement or elsewhere Our house is very sound and we do not plan to move now or in the foreseeable future We do agree with Mr Kermack that Park Lane or any other un principled company should not be allowed to buitd here again and that municipal officials must in crease their endeavors to protect those who cannot protect themselves Yours truly Gail Rutherford Dave Rutherford Gardiner Drive Water is liquid gold Dear Sir The looked good this morning My dog and paced out past open fields brown in the sun Blackbirds commented on the loveliness of the April day is a beautiful place to be It lives up to its name in the rolling coun tryslde rural farmland and good country neighbors It was one of those days of well being gladness and joy of living I guess until I looked down at the roadside dit ches full of winters garbage pop cans and refuse of ail sorts There lay the advertisements of hamburg and coffee shops declaring their existence in town Occasionally contents of ash trays and garbage bags tossed from passing cars add ed its ugliness to the scene If I am classed as a sentimentalist so be it 1 am glad there are still some who pan and do weep over the wreckage of our landscape and our natural resources Living in the country as we do we have run out of water many many times during dry seasons We have turned on our taps to have only a roar from the pump and nothing else Ah yes I We have wat ched our flower beds our vegetables and grass wither before our eyes not because our water was restricted as in town but because THERE WASNT ANY Last summer hear tell is a sample of what is to come in the years ahead was a little dif any years I remember before There was a trace of fear as week after week our dry well produced not a drop of its precious former treasure Perhaps those in town have never been without water Could It be that our mayor and others over us have given no thought to what it would be like for not just our faml but ALL of Georgetown to turn on their taps and have not a drop to drink Dreadful unheard of you say Wait a minute now Perhaps in a drought the water may force its way out in a dribble and fill our raised glasses but it Is unfit to drink Impossible you say Not for about 10 years or so I hear for the water wont be poisoned by the proposed Acton dump until that time down here Oh good that means then all the creeks trees songbirds wildlife and their young the wild- flowers and crops not to mention me and my family will be okay til then Small comfort to residents Small comfort to Acton folks who will live within the en virons of the dump They will be poisoned first I wonder where their water will come from Years ago I recall reading a sad story of a little town in the States A young woman in a doctors office struck up a conversation with another Both of them had brought their little sons aged six and seven to the doctors office and were diagnosed as having leukemia Discovering they were neighbors their suspicions were aroused and both they their doctor and a lawyer of the town researched con and discovered at least children with leukemia within a four to five block radius The out come was this A dump had been covered over by fill years ago and a playground of all things had been constructed over it The rot and seepage of the was full of carcinogens as well as the sand in the sandbox These little ones were the recipients of ill planned refuse While we travel in England there is a mountain pass called the You open a gate across the road enter your car close the gate again and come across a sign which simply reads You have been warned nothing more and nothing less The sign says it all as you perch on the top of the pass and look ahead at the win ding road and one in four gradients and sliding rocks that tumble acrosstheroad Need say more Politicians people of write your letters support Garth Turner and POWER Fight this dump or we will all experience the turning on of our taps not to find sparkling life giving thirst quen ching water but maybe un thinkable bilge or no water at all Those who dont speak up cannot complain later Wake up before its too late Sleep and pay no attention at your own peril Water Is liquid gold ask my family and I we know Oh how we know Sincerely Shirley Professional Artist happy with construction Dear Sir Regarding last week s article Taxes reduced on three homes after fault construction clarification is needed from con tented homeowners lest anyone believe these difficulties exist with all the other homes on Gardiner Drive We are thrilled with our home on Gardiner Drive so much so that we plan to reside here for a very long time Our home is well plann well finished and most lm is soundly constructed Mr and two other homeowners have had their share of difficulties and we are pleased as neighbors that these problems have or will be rectif led f Perhaps they can now enjoy liv here on Gardiner Drive as we do and relax and take in the beau ty and tranquility that surrounds us in this subdivision Yours truly Jim and Betty Fisher 10 Gardiner Drive Thanks for the party Dear Sir Our Golden Wedding Anniver sary at the Elks Rail Nerval on April 8 was a very happy and a very memorable day We ap preciate immensely the renewed fellowship of so many longtime friends neighbors and family members Your kind thoughts cards gifts and most of all your visit with us made the day thrill Special thanks to our son Greg and his wife Angela for an unbelievable achievement in ar ranging an exciting afternoon and the dinner and dance which follow ed in the evening at the Hall Thanks to all of you Joe and Marie Harris Celebrating 100 years Dear Sir The Manitoba Developmental Centre previously known as the Manitoba School will be celebrating years of service to the community July All former residents and staff are in vited back to Portage la Prairie for the celebration Events will in dude a banquet and dance fashion snow street dance guided tours picnic tea and many reunions Please send your name and cur rent address to Brian and we will be happy to mall you further information Address Box Portage la Prairie Man Yours truly Linda Cochair Centenary Comm Buchanan Centenary Comnv