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

Editorial Comment Pierre Is Still in Charge It must have been interesting last Wednesday in Ottawa with the news hounds champing at the bit, each trying to be the first to corral the story on Prime Minister Trudeau's retirement. Rumors had been spreading around the corridors for days that the announcement was going to come at the Liberal caucus meeting, so they were waiting outside outside in droves and Pierre must have made them look a bit foolish when he emerged and nothing had happened. happened. But, it was to be expected because Pierre doesn't operate that way, he likes to pick his own time and place for dramatic pronouncements. pronouncements. Following the big non event, many commentators and columnists columnists were attempting to analyse the current situation, some speculating that the Great One will now remain in office and contest the next election, while others are certain that the fateful resignation can only be days or weeks away if the party is to have enough time for a leadership convention and an election this Fall. The guessing game goes on day and night at Ottawa, Ottawa, but apparently nobody knows for sure just what is going to happen. happen. Or, if anybody aside from Mr. Trudeau knows, he or she is not talking. Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised surprised if he decided that he is the man who can lead his party back from the low rating in the polls and once again show his campaigning skills by taking the party through another election to victory again over the Progressive Conservatives. There, at the moment, is no great demand for his resignation and replacement replacement from his own party members, members, although in the background there certainly is a little rumbling, but nothing serious. And the only major alternative to have appeared so far on the horizon is John Turner, who may or may not be interested in the job, if and when it comes. He's certainly keeping a low profile. profile. Any other current members of the government that we've heard of certainly don't have the status locally locally or internationally that Pierre has. And they have been too close to Pierre to suddenly become front runners with country wide prestige. So, for what it is worth, our opinion opinion is that when the next federal election rolls around this Fall or in the Spring of '85, we may well see Pierre Elliot Trudeau leading his troops into battle. He's healthy and in good fighting trim with a great deal of experience under his belt. We don't happen to be one of his greatest admirers, but acknowledge acknowledge his political skills and his ability as a resourceful campaigner. campaigner. It may well be that by next week or next month, these words of wisdom wisdom will come back to haunt us and we won't complain a bit if he does step down and leave the field wide open for a newcomer, be it John Turner or somebody else. Either way, the Liberal party has a big job ahead of it and we're pot certain they will survive as the governing party this time around. Time will tell. Byline... By Peter Parrott What ever happened to Heritage Day? You may have recalled recalled there was a move afoot to create a holiday holiday in mid-winter to ease the monotony between between the season of Christmas and Easter. It would be a special holiday in which Canadians Canadians stranded in the doldrums between Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny could recover recover their sanity and draw strength to make it through the second half of winter. It would be kind of an intermission when the teams of snow-shovellers, snow-shovellers, snow-drift hoppers, hoppers, and windshield scrapers could go to their dressing rooms and rest up for the next round. Well, Heritage Day never materialized. I think it was last Monday, February 20, which should have been Heritage Day. Or was it February 21 ? The .. date came and went with no fanfare and without the usual lobbying lobbying for a new holiday. Obviously, the Heritage Day activists have given up the fight and retired for the month to warmer climes. It has always seemed odd to me that during summer and fall when the weather is so perfect, perfect, we have all kinds of public holidays. Yet, when winter comes, we act as if the weather is only good enough to stay indoors and work. Only the educational system fully understands understands the merits of the mid-winter holiday. It provides a whole week in March when teachers teachers and students can take a break. And I submit submit that if the well- trained minds of our educators have concluded concluded that mid-winter breaks are good for you, then who are we to argue? I also recall that there's an American mid-winter holiday to mark Washington's birthday or some such patriotic occasion. It seems as though only Canadians are masochistic enough to plunge through three whole months of winter without a pause. It's time we tried to enjoy winter rather than merely endure it. And the creation of a Heritage Day holiday in mid to late February would be an ideal way to start. Editor's Letter February 23, 1984 Accountant's Comments I was encouraged to see such a large crowd turn out on Monday night for the meeting held on behalf of the ratepayers. ratepayers. Citizens as a group have remained silent too long in expressing their views on what our politicians do. To date, politicians have had a free hand in the managing of the economy with little or no interference or direction. At the meeting it appeared that the people in attendance were pointing a blaming finger at our mayor and his staff. It was obvious neither lie nor council have any control over the situation and are simply following political tradition of spending money, our money. And why not? We have always given them as much as they needed and if that wasn't enough we gave them borrowing powers to put us into debt. We have been doing this for years without ever questioning how the money was being used, and in the process, approving their actions by either voting or not voting. Our citizens must realize that the managing of a coun- try is a very serious business. We cannot expect to hand over the responsibility to a handful of people who have virtually no financial experience and expect them to do the job properly, especially without any direction. It is important people become more involved and interested in government (not politics). Concern will lead to higher expectations and if followed followed through will result in more responsible management. management. John Winters Winters, Sutherland & Moase Chartered Accountants Stye (Eanabtan gdateatnan 623-3303 (Jcna Durham County's Great Family Journal Established 130 years ago In 1854. Also Incorporating The Bowmanvllle News The Newcastle Independent The Orono Nows Second class mall registration number 1561 Produced every Wednesday by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED 62-66 King St. W„ Bowmanvllle, Ontario L1C 3K9 ,1 1 » 0 L X JOHN M. JAMES Editor -- Publisher GEO. P. MORRIS Business Mgr. BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition ol advertisements produced by tho employees ol The Canadian Statesman, The Newcastle Independent and The James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and must not be reproduced without written permission ol the publishers. $15,00 it year -- 6 months $8.00 strictly In advance foreign -- $45.00 a year Although ovory precaution will bo Inkon to avoid error, Tho Canadian Statesman accepts advertising in Its columns on tho understanding that it will not bo liable lor any error in tho advertisement published hereunder unless a proof ol Midi advertisement Is regueslod In willing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business ofllcti duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or collections plainly noted in writing thereon, and in that case If any error so noted is not corrected by Ilm Canadian Statesman Us liability shall not exceed such a portion of the entire cost ol such ridvertlslmeal as the space occupied by the noted error beam to the whole space occupied by such advertisement Winter Shadows SUGAR and SPICE Enough Is Enough \. k •. %• AT if : j Listen, Lord, enough is enough. We've all heard of the Year of the Great Plague, or The Year of the Locusts, or some such, with a certain awe, but from a safe distance. But who's going to be interested in The Year of the Smileys. Oh, I know we've had a few minor altercations in the past, when I've fairly humbly suggested that You stop dumping rain or snow on us for 40 days and 40 nights. But I didn't think You'd start a personal vendetta. I thought You were Above that sort of thing. Live and learn. It started in August. My son, Hugh, a gregarious type who likes almost everybody, admitted to his apartment, late at night, two young men and a girl, who'd come to "visit." He knew one of them slightly, and asked them in for cuppa. He doesn't drink. They had a bottle. After a while they said they were going to rip off his guitar. He said Oh no you're not, and suggested they leave. One of the men hit him over the head with the guitar. While he was unconscious, or close enough, one of the others hit him on both knees with a hammer. The young lady of the group heated water and poured boiling water over his face, chest and back. They took his stereo and anything else that would sell quickly on the streets, and left. Somehow, some hours later, he managed to lurch and stagger to an emergency ward of a hospital, in shock and great pain. He's back in pretty good shape six months later, with sore knees and burn scars. Why? Who knows? They were probably probably looking for something they could sell quickly, to buy drugs. Or they were animals, already high and looking for a little "fun" as well as profit. That's what life in the big cities of Canada is becoming. A month later, Lord, I fell down a stairs and broke my shoulder. I'm not saying You had anything to do with it, I don't dare. But one of your cherubims or seraphims might have been trying to curry a little favor. I've never fallen off anything but the wagon before in my life. Five months later (a couple of weeks, the doctors said), I can't open a jar of marmalade without severe pain, and I can lift five pounds only with great care. Two months later, my wife, in her prime, strong and healthy, fell dead in front of me. My daughter went home to Ottawa with the kids and found her apartment ransacked, stereo and other valuables gone, after her Christmas with me. At least, she said wryly, they hadn't taken a hatchet to the piano. And it's pretty hard to heist a piano out of a basement apartment. Another Canadian city. Great place to live. We might as well all move to Detroit. However, there's no personal resentment, Lord. I know you have to test the faith once in a while, or "once and a while," as my English students prefer. Look at what happened to Job. At least You haven't given me boils. Speaking of boils, what's happened to my ability to sleep the clock around? It's very nice, being retired and not having to slam that alarm clock off at 7:15 and get up in the dark. But I can't sleep. Not in a bed. Only in a chair. I go to bed at a reasonable hour, 11 to 12, and nothing happens. I just lie there, my mind whirling with all the things I haven't done or should do. I turn on the light and read. Try again. Nothing. Read some more. About daylight I get into a coma for four or five hours. Maybe I'd settle for a boil or two. f However, I can't complain. It's a fairly good life, being a retired widower, once you've established a pattern. Pie and ice cream and cheese for breakfast, at noon. Soup and scrambled eggs for lunch, about four p.m. Frozen chicken pie and banana for dinner, about eight. And the days have a certain soothing rhythm. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I go for physiotheraphy to Brutal Brian. It used to be called, in the old days, the Inquisition. I don't scream when he takes my shoulder out of the socket, but I sure grunt. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the bad days. I have to set the alarm. After an hour's sleep, on Tuesday I must put out the garbage. On Thursday, after an hour's sleep, I must welcome the lady who comes to clean up the mess I've made, and try to give her some coherent idea of what to do. And every day, still, come warm and loving letters from old friends and column readers, to give me a little weep. All in all, not a bad life. But, Lord, if you can find something else to do, stop dumping on the Smileys. Letters to the Editor 140 Ontario St. Bowmanvllle, Feb. 24/84 Dear John; I have just looked in the dictionary for the meaning of greedy and I find it means "excessively eager for acquisition acquisition or gain" (unquote). (unquote). This brings me to several subjects in reference to our politicians in relation to what I am reading. I notice where the regional council arc now saying that they should have a pension after two terms of office and now 1 read that they now think that they should have a severance award if they arc defeated in an election. So much for the old saying "we are not in it for the money," Most people have to work for at least 30 years for a pension, they do not get one third of their salary tax free either, and the ordinary person never gets paid for driving to work. I notice where our mayor (let me correct that to your mayor) lias made a statement or has been quoted as saying that lie supports a pension for council. The mayor is quoted as follows. "Intellectual "Intellectual and bright people have been discouraged from running running for council because they take a financial bath by giving up oilier jobs!" (unquote). (unquote). Now, let us look at this for a moment. Is the mayor lolling us that lie is neither of the above or what is lie telling us as 1 notice that it has not deterred him from running for office and I don't think he is losing too much. His salary as mayor is in the area of$20,000, plus lie gets in the area of.$15,000 for Regional, plus expenses for bothnnd one third of his salary is tax free. Based on the above fads no doubt the taxpayers will agree that financially financially (thanks to the taxpayer) taxpayer) the mayor does al right. I almost forgot, $1,500 for P.U.C. I attended the meeting that the mayor himself called in reference to. the new assessment and it appeared appeared that lie had gone to no end to bring in the top guns from Queen's Park in order to justify his position on tho reassessment. It started out, in my opinion, as if we were going to be in for political speeches and that is not what tho people came for. So, I took the mike and advised the mayor that lie said the meeting was called to ask questions and with that a line-up appeared appeared at Hie mike. No person person who took the mike to speak, voiced an opinion in favor of what the council (some of them) were doing. I did notice that the crowd was about 800 and I also noticed police in evidence at the meeting. As this meeting meeting was called by the mayor ami as l understand was'not sanctioned by council, I wonder who asked for the police and also, who is going to pay for same. At a meeting that I attended a week ago in Courtiee (attendance (attendance in excess of 1000) there were no police in sight and why should there be when taxpayers arc there to find out information. information. No doubt the mayor will advise us as lo who requested requested the police attendance, attendance, Now John, I notice in your write-up this week that llie council have finalized the budget with only a 2.08% increase, increase, but this could have been less in my opinion if they wanted it by the way that I am reading the papers (probably confidential). As an example, the council increased increased their mileage to 31'/:! cents per mile (now it doesn't say per mile on my sheet so I hope it doesn't mean a kilometer), I am also not clear on the salary in crease that the staff will receive receive or for that matter the council themselves as I have not found it unless they have that hidden under the huge amount that is listed under office administration administration or unclassified unclassified administration (the mayor has still not told me what that is but then again how can you expect an answer answer when I still have not received the answer to the questions that 1 appeared at council for). As you arc aware John, in my last letter to you, I made mention of a question that I asked of the clerk with no reply and to prove to you that the people at city hall read your paper, 1 received a call from the administrator administrator (or a person saying it was him and he wanted to give mo tho answer as lie said he had just received a memo in reference to the matter. The question was asked three weeks prior and I am quite sure that he had heard about it prior to this. As I did notask him the question, I saw no reason why he should answer. Weil, John, 1 guess I will close and hope that the mayor will advise us as to where the money is in the budget lor salary increases (council and also advise us if every member of council charges mileage for coming to work; I use the word loosely), Yours truly, Ken Hooper P.S. We arc always looking for money saving ideas and in that regard l am glad to see that Morgan has offered his consulting services free of charge. At least lie knows that if a roof leaks, you fix it, not get consultants in, and he does know I lint there is a house next to city hall, Ken