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2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, October 25, 1978 Section Two Editorial Comment Time for Action We've talked to many people both of the inside and outside postal circles in locals the past few days, discussing their momen reactions to the postal strike and injunci attempting to learn what they have threats to offer by way of a solution. We can c have yet to encounter anyone who govern feels the government should have hesitat given in to their demands as outlined would in full page advertisements placed ation, k by the government and which have presen not been refuted by the CUPW lead- bloods] ers. If the holiday schedule publish- as a n ed in that advertisement were be lett accepted and spread to other fields think such as this newspaper, the Editor gradua with 50 years service would be on realize holidays mostof each year. Not bad, goverr but entirely unrealistic. It's no won- spread -der the government backed away about from accepting it. impati But, that's beside the point, the fines i strike is on and everyone is suffering tyrs b from it. Business is interrupted in police receiving and sending essential billy c] ,mail. Orders for materials have to jail an 'be placed by phone at considerable that'sn expense, cheques for work or anywa products can't be sent out, a Frar -dreadful hardship for marginal ging _businesses. People on Unemploy- inl -ment Insurance have to drive to it can i Oshawa to receive their allowances a lasti .and so on ad infinitum. for mai The strikers themselves are involve lsuffering not just financially but disob *morally and spiitually as well. unions 'There's fear and apprehension existerý among those who,while members of o -the CUPW, do not agree with their Ntrie leaders. Some have gone back to ly tprc work rather than break the law and thesita now face a real threat, discipline, thennin ossible expulsion and intimidation would y the unaion to which they belong. t On the other hand, if they had been belliger willing to break the law and stay on many, the picket line, they could face costly coming fines they couldn't afford, Many, of picket these workers realize that financial- wisdon ly they have been doing very weîî defying op ared to the rest of society and anda p( wol.have been satisfied wt has tos with as aond reasonable settlement, but were wne beettm overruled by a militant maority en with little to lose as comparedwith sWhile those who have many years of ponderi service. One has to feel considerable the coi Ssymnpathy for these people, tom parliar between two choices, neither of people them very happy ones, comin It's easy enough to be critical of the go( the government and post office preced management for proceeding at a group relatively slow pace, compared with conseqt the swif t, decisive action that many work fc people would like to see. There are workn 23,000 Canaian citizens involved, union from al parts of Canada. In the and ti( large urban centres where the stronge -greatest numiber of stnikers are longerl located, they are strong and is dela determined to fight. A few have confron drifted back to work and probably just c will be severely deait with later for holding obeying the law of the land, instead ranson Is Conng law of the union. The union in those centres, at the nt appear willing to defy tions, legislation or any other s the government or courts come up with. And the nment at the moment is ing to take any action that bring about a direct confront- knowing full well that with the nt mood, there would be hed and considerable violence esult. Rather, they appear to ing the strikers cool off and things over, hoping that ally more and more will their actions in defying the ament of the country, if they to other unions, would bring complete chaos. Meanwhile, ent citizens would like to see mposed, leaders made mar- y throwing them into jail, breaking up picket lines with Lubs, dragging off strikers to d the rest. But, in our opinion not going to happen for a while y. nkly, we think this strike is to drag on for some time, because there's no other way be settled without violence and ng bitterness that will go on any years and could possibly e mammoth support and civil edience by other powerful who might feel that their nce is also being threatened. the government, fortunately, eeding slowly and deliberate- ach an end to this impasse. At ment, the union appears to be g, but it will be difficult for to retain their buoyant, ýrent, determined spirit for weeks. Soon, with no pay , in and- the weather on the Sne getting colder, the mn of their leadership in' g the back to work legislation ossibly incurring huge fines, set more and more members ring if a major mistake hasn't made. e those union ing the situai untry includin ment will be realize tha g, if it isn' t alre ood of every ence over the( of citizens, nor uences. Appe or Chamberla now. It only leaders to gi e conclusion er than the g that decision yed, the grea ntation when an't have2 g up the rest of n. Leave Election Signs This editorial is for those mindless people who might be tempted to end, fold, mutilate or otherwise deface election signs that are now being posted throughout the coun- tryside. There was at least one act of van- dalism against the signs last week in Bowmanville. Let's hope there are no more. We suspect that this kind of damage is done by irresponsible people who are simply out to destroy things and not by anyone with a mind large enough to consider sup- porting or opposing candidates in the upcoming municipal elections. We suspect that the vandalism reported last week is just a senseless act of destructiveness which unfor- tunately is all too common these days. It's the sort of thing about which little can be done. Further- more, there is nothi said here which although we wish th Certainly we beli the candidates in t year would condone deliberately sabotag So let's leave ever enough alone during1 let's have a fair cam issues, speeches knocking on doors a things that a democ for. And while we're campaign signs, we we hope these signs promptly once the b Occasionally therei who forget to rem signs and leave th that someone else ha Fire Destroys Russell Best & Sons'Barn Near Solina on Friday VOing Time About this time of year, reporters n members are for community newspapers are tion, the rest of sniffing around the town hall, trying ng members of to drum up a hot story about the suffering. Most coming municipal elections. t the time is It's about as rewarding as looking eady here, when for diamonds in the Arctid. All they one must take come up with are pompous cliches, demands of any evasions, and half-truths. matter what the Almost invariably, the Mayor, asement didn't unless he's been caught with his ain and it won't hand in the till, or been discovered in leads militant flagrante delicto in a motel room reater demands with somebody else's wife, is .going that they are to run again. overnment. The "Yes, I believe I owe it to the by government people of our fine town to carry out ater will be the the many progressive programs it comes. You inaugurated during my years in 23,000 citizens office." f the country for Translation: I like having my name in the paper every week, and if those jackasses of councillors would stop arguing with me, we might be Alone able to screw enough mone out of the government to start buildmg that new community centre, which ng that could be will be called after me. could stop it Reeve Dimlylit: "What we need in ere was. our fair town is leadership at the top, eve that none of something we haven't been getting. he running this Yes, I will probably be.a candidate any atterpt to again for municipal office, but I do an a ermpain not yet know in what capacity." e acampaign. Translation: If that turkey, the yone's sign well Mayor, has a heart attack, I'il go the election and after his job. He gets the chain of apaign based on office, the cocktail parties, the , candidates nd all the other racy is famous on the topic of might add that are taken down alloting is over. are candidates ove all of their em as eyesores s to remove. CEditorial Coi Community with It was a terribly sad sight, driving pretty si along Taunton Road Friday after- We ret noon following the fire trucks to a when th( fire and seeing.a large barn ablaze strong,g that we recognized as belonging to thing tor Russell Best and his family. Flames Fireme were shooting skyward and it was base unt obvious the barn was doomed along last emb with its contents that had to be and the considerable at this time of year. at the ha We recognized it because we had We ha been there before at a previous barn severali fire several years ago and before heads in« that when several purebred cattle the realp had been killed by lightning. This were ast was going to be tough for the family from nea to take. A major tragedy, seeing ail fair dista that work and effort go up in smoke. Best farr Bowmanville firemen were on the went to w job, doing what they could to keep working1 the fire from spreading to other give thee buildings, while efforts were being recoverv made by others to round up calves, lose- not remove equipment to safer locations that had and make everything else as safe as pitched i possible while in between they That's1 watched the flames eating their way living ina through the lange structure filled of the1 with hay and straw. It wasn't a communi headlines. I want them. Deputy-Reeve Dumly: "There seems to be a strong ground-swell, among the voters, for new blood at the top, a vibrant leadership that would make Pokeville the thriving community it could be. But I have not decided yet. Let the people speak." Translation: If the Mayor makes a terrible boo-boo, and the Reeve succumbs to cirrhosis of the liver, which he's working hard at, Ilil go for the top, if I can find two guys to nominate and second me. Councillor Doaks: "Yes. Well, as the voters of Ward Four well know, I have been their ardent representa- tive whenever their best interests were at heart, and I know they are behind me 100 per cent." Translation: I voted against every improvement in town, unless it was in Ward Four, and I squeaked in the last time by four votes. Councillor Blank: "Well, I just don't know whether l'Il run again. The position takes a terrible toll of your time and energy. I'd like to spend more time with my family. But you do feel a sense of responsibility to keep Pokeville progressing." Translation: Jeez. I onlv ,missed three committee meetings last month. Holy, Moses, if I'm turfed out, Il' miss that $800 a year, and I'il have to stay home with Gladys and 'g e ti e a. a] p m ai those rotten kids every night. Please, Lord, don't let Joe Glutz run against me. He'd wipe me out. Councillor Klutz: "I honestly haven't decided yet. I have served the good people of Ward Two for twenty-eight years, unstintingly, regardless of race, creed or color, and I believe, with all due modesty, that I have served them well. Look at the new sewage line on lth St. Remember the maples I had cut down to accommodate a fine new service on 8th St. And don't forget the modernization I brought to Ward Two: a barber shop, two pizza parlors, and a chicken palace. I stand on my record." Translation: Some of those dang communists are still sore at me for cutting down those 25 maple trees. Some of them others is mad because they get pop cans and pizza plates all over their front lawns. If anybody runs against me, I'm dead. Otherwise, I'l be back on the band-wagon. But we must avoid being cynical, mustn't we? Those municipal politi- cians are more to be pitied than scorned. If they fail to be elected, it's a serious blow to the ego. If they succeed, they are stuck with two years of mind-numbing meetings, and the constant obloquy of the public they serve. Unlike their brethen in provincial and federal politics, they cannot put nm en t 1Letter P.O. Box 76, Bowmanville Oct. 14th, 1978 The Canadian Statesman Bi, leartDearEditor: Re: Letter from Dean J. Kelly I feel that 1 must respond to ght. the rather irresponsible letter urned later in the evening of the above-noted correspon- dent concerning nuclear e blaze was still going power stations. radually reducing every- The author quotes statistics rubble. for the areas of the New n didn't return to their England and Connecticut nuclear reactors. Are we to il late Saturday when the assume that the same cancer ers had been extinguished mortality rate applies to Bay uipment clean up started Ridges? I have friends who 1. have lived there for many years, and they appear to be ppened to drop in and veryshealthy.eAssuming that, were still shaking their as they usually do, profession- amazement . . . and that's als learn by doing, I assume )oint of this editorial. They that the Ontario Hydro en- gineers have learned from the )nished because neighbors Pickering plant, and thus, we rby farms and some from a can expect the Darlington nce had congregated at the plant to be even safer. n with their equipment and As a "bastard who does not ork to lean un the debris, want to freeze in the dark", rtand having lived for several like beavers for hours to vears. as a child, without ntire Best family a hand to electricity, meaning coal oil what was recoverable and lamps, wood stoves, etc., I time in completing work apreiate the benefits of electric lights, radio, T.V. oil to be done. Everybody burners , for ignition and n and got the job done. pump) etc. (My mother and the gratifying part about father were married to one lace like Solina, the 'hub another, for 16 years, when I was born by the way). Universe'. It's a proud All of life is a risk. When we ty with a big heart. get into a car, or a plane, we a certain distance between them- selves and their masters, such as a secretary. They are apt to be pilloried in the local paper, belli- gerently confronted in a coffee shop, or phoned at two in the morning to settle a drunken argument. Such is the lot of the municipal politician. Nor can we blame them too much for being shifty when asked whether or not they are going to stand for election. They have learned that shifty footwork, that sparring for advantage, that gouging and butting in the clinches, from their provincial and federal counterparts. And they have, of course that great master of the ringing phrase, the double talk, the double thnk, the swift change of course. Pierre Elliott Himself: the man who was going to wrestle inflation to the ground; who abhorred price and wage controls, then clasped them to his bosom; who steered through the end of capital punishment, and now might, just might, hold a referen- dum on it, provided enough eople vote for him in the next election which might, just might, be held next spring. Or next summer. Or next fall. No, we can't blame our local politicians for issuing evasive or cowardly statements to the press. They've been too well trained from the top. ,s tothe]1 run the risk of becoming a "statistic." But, that does not prevent us from doing so! If we all took such a negative attitude we would not get out of bed and then die of obesity, hardening of the arteries, or whatever. The increase in population, and means of using electricity are perhaps debatable sub- jects, but I believe that most of us do not want to go back to the days of groping our way to the outhouse, somewhere in the uninhabited bush. There- fore we have inside plumbing, which means that electric motors have to pump the water; the facilities lighted by electric bulbs, to be used mainly during the T.V. commercials. There is also something that should concern us all, namely the so-called "economy". With more women and young people coming into the labour market all the time, there have to be jobs. Unless we go backward and supply them ail with a pick, shovel, treadle sewing machine, etc., there has tobe electricity toproduce and operate the machines, unlesstour governments really want to cure the unemploy- ment situation. I may be unfair to Dean J. Kelly, by implication, but I. suspect that many of his fellow-travellers, who do not want "progress" - still want Editorj food, clothing, a car, etc. There appears to be some- thing lacking in their thinking. I have absolutely no connec- tion with the Ontario Hydro, or, any other electrical firm. As a mater of interet, are Cancer statistics for the Pickering area available?i.e. compared to areas remote from nuclear power plants. Sincerely, Richard J.Q. Johnston Dates for Council Meetings Unchanged Members of Durham's Regional council foresee no changes in the dates for council meetings during the term of the next regional council. At a meeting in Whitby last week, councillors agreed to hold the inaugural meeting of council on Wednesday, December 6, approximately three weeks after the November municipal elec- tions. Future council meetings will take place Wednesday,, December 20, 1978; January 10, 1979 and every second Wednesday thereafter except as otherwise decided by council.