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Main.Streei, Orono, Ontario, LOB 1M0 Phone 416-983-5301 . Second Class Mial Registration Number 6368 • Published every Wednesday at the office of Publication SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada $3,00 U.S.A.$5.50 ALCOHOLISM VERSUS CIVIL RIGHTS Within the past few months it seems that legislators have pome to the point that possibly a mistake was made whenever four years ago they lowered the drinking age from 21 years to 18. At that time there was little objection from anyone least alone from all the provincial political parties. Now some are questioning the move and even suggesting that the age for drinking be rolled back to nineteen, twenty or : even twenty Tone. Traffic accidents possibly resulting from too great a consumption of alcohol has spurred the rhovement of late to increase the drinking age. Certainly the general public should be assured of safe travel on our highways and should not have to consider the possibility of becoming involved with an impaired driver. It is a right we must be assured we have at all times. It should come as ho great surprise that, drinking has increased in the teenage level, 18 to 21 years. But we cannot divert from the fact that this is only part of an over-all picture and there is increased drinking in all age levels even up to 75 years of age. When North America is on a binge who do we expect the teenagers to'be anything other than their piers. We doubt any change in the drinking age will have any great results in decreasing a problem in this particular age group. If we are truly concerned about our young people as well as ourselves we will create a climate in which drinking alcohol to excess is not seen as a function of good citizenship and eliminate the hypocrisy that prescribes alcohol for one segment of society while the majority continue to consume at an ever increasing rate. There are real ways in which legislators can do something effective if only they have the courage and the desire to work together at the provincial level. Higher prices and taxation could well be part of a program to leave the spirits on the shelf but it would only be part of a total program of stiffer enforcement of the laws along with a program of identification of the problems and the laws. People must become aware through publications that the law is to be enforced and they must also see that it is being enforced and this must be renewed over and over again. The alcohol user must be well aware that it is the right of the general public to a safe journey on our highways, free of social costs and human suffering. NEVER KNEW WE HAD IT SÇ EASY During the recent strike by inside postal workers, we like everyone else found the mail box almost empty, except for some local mail deliveries. As a result we found our reading material reduced to hil and there was no time spent in going over stacks of mail every other day. Most of the mail has often been termed as junk mail, but this is not exactly true. 'When the mail strike came to an end the box at the post office again camé into-service and we began to receive the. usual host of news releases, magazines, reports of all kinds as well as a daily log of everything said in the Ontario legislature and the federal House of Commons. It would be almost impossible to read all those pieces of literature that pass over the desk in a day, or a week. But to say it is all junk mail is not to look at it at all. The mail received at the office will rangé from a small newspaper concerning alcohol addiction,' drugs, the state of the economy, reports from Hydro and, most government ministries and departments plus a host of others too numerous to mention.-» Some of the mail does keep one in touch with those new developments in this country and even abroad. We find how to care for house plants, how to garden, as well as follow reports from governments concerning every phase of government business. It took the mail strike to make us aware that muen information and knowledge is dispersed through the hand-outs through the mail service. Lyall reports Thé time of the year has arrived when elected officials should pause and outline to their electorate, actions taken in the name of their stewardship stewardship during the previous twelvemonth--and to make cautious prognostigations for the coming year. To begin with, I would like to paraphrase a Canadian politician who recently said "I did not enter public life or politics to build false hopes or to offer false promises or to compromise my principles merely to survive and stay as an elected representative-as much as I like what I am doing." That gent outlined my feelings feelings as to my position as a municipal Councillor very succinctly. Therefore what I have to say in this message may be unpopular or even unpolitical -but it is the way I see local municipal happenings past, present and future. Speaking of 1975 municipal matters---bad news. Speaking of 1976 municipal mat,ters-it appears like more bad news. Concerning the Durham Regional Government. In 1974, the Regional ship of state, in the transitional year started off with great promise. promise. Its elected representatives representatives were full of enthusiasm to make the new system work. However, in its first year of operation, the Region went, too far to fast. Under inept leadership, the Region of Durham failed to build the frame work, for a viable political entity that could be , supported by public opinion. The Régional Government soon grew into a monolithic tax dollar devouring structure with over 1500 employees that blew the support of the tax payer soon after the arrival of thé fist tax bill. ."The first and greatest failure of the Regional Government Government of Durham was to impose an increase of taxes on the people without showing an apparent equal increase of municipal services. F'REÈ DELIVERY Orono and Area, Newcastle, Bowmanville, y Oshawa Now to another failure castle in particular was, and segment of the Durham is, a success. Regional Government~~the The Town of Newcastle is incompatability of the differ- starting to function well as is ent sections composing the . definitely showing promise of whole Region. evolving into ■ an efficient There are four separate municipal entity, geographic sections of this I have one proviso in Region of Durham the As it is, townspeople are going to bear heavier taxes owing to "the process of inflation. Under rapid expansion expansion such as Courtice indicates indicates we would have to pay for the hard services-thé water and sewer, services on top of There is the northern section section composed of Thorah, Brock, Uxpridge, Scugog, Port Perry and all. Then there is Oshawa and Whitby-a sort of one body with two heads, with each head wanting nothing to do with the other. There is a west end made up of Ajax and Pcikering and finally our area, Newcastle on me east end of the Region. It is a grand mix-up of 1 suburban people, city people apd farm-rural people, and it is my opinion that this sort of a population mix can not be melted into one overall muni above statement. The elector- the soft town services such as ate of the Town will have to new libraries, new fire stat- màke some changes in the ions, new schools, new arenas municipal council in the etc*, etc., etc., coming December 1976 Town' Some péople in rebuttal will elections. say-"Not so, we will be The Town-similarly to the getting Government loans for Region-has a management the hard services" To this I problem that must be overcome overcome by'the replacement of some of its elected representatives. representatives. Apart from the need of new blood on the Council, here, in my opinion, is why the Town of Newcastle is a going concern. under the previous Baldwin system, the Village of New- cipality because there is too castle, the Police Village of great a difference between the desired life style of city,, suburban and farm-rural peo- ple. The fact is that Oshawa people demand one type of municipal services and life styles - and are willing to pay for what they want through their taxes. People living in. Clarke Township arid the other town, suburban ahd farm-rural people do not want city-like amenities with the necessary increase in taxes.. It comes down to the reasoning that if the non-city people want city aitienities- they would move to the city. It is further my opinion that this parochialism-this divergence divergence between the people living in different geographical geographical areas of the Region, is an insurmountable problem. Now on to 1975. This was the year that the Region of Durham was racked racked over the subjects of water and sewer charges and a second item, planning. " . These 1975 problems added to the grave errors of 1974 of the Regional Government trying to go too far too fast has placed the top tier of the Durham . Regional Govern- ment in imminent danger of collapsing. When and if the collapse takes place, the heavy tax burden plus parochialism plus inept leadership will be the causes of the demise of the top tier of the Durham Regional Government. Despite my gloomy words on the subject, it is my opinion that the first tier of Regional Government--the area muni- cipalities-the Town of New- Orono and the Townships of Clarke and Darlington did not have an individual tax base large enough to provide the necessary municipal services wanted by the taxpayers of those areas. The Town of Bowmanville was also ih a bind. However, when these communities communities were joined together to form the Town of Newcas- tle-despite what certain péople péople of the area think of that name-the Town began to show great.promise. ■Now, with regards to the " coming year . of 1976 and Newcastle. One major problem that has to be solved by the community leaders is the question of Town expansion. The question is "How much of how little." On one hand, do we of the Town of Newcastle want the Town to expand to a community community of 55,000 or 60,000 by building new water plants, new sewer plants and the necessary" pipes in Courtice, Bowmanville and Newcastle to develop ra.w land in the Urea presently owned by land Speculators? On the dther hand, do we want the Town to expand slowly through normal infilling infilling along with planning geared geared to present municipal services? services? I maintain--and loudly, that the Town Should pursue the ■second Course. , If the Town Fathers decree wide and sudden expansion, the taxes for the 'present taxpayers will skyrocket to pay the 1 shot • for needed municipal services connected with the expansion. reply, "Government loans have to be paid back," No way, who needs to live in a Town of 55,000 or 60,000 people and have to pay a greatly increased tax burden for so doing? Planning was an ever constant Town problem during during 1975. This problem came to a head recently when it was revealed that the planning budget was in deep trouble Continued page 5 MIXED * EMOTIONS ARE WHAT YOU HAVE, WHEN THE KIDS ASK YOU FOR TEN BUCKS TO BUY A FATHER'S - DAY GIFT. WATSON'S Marine and Cycle Orono Phone 983-5343 (AN IDEAL SUMMER (RESORT IS ONE WHERE FISH BITE AND) MOSQUITOES DON'T.) I Orono Towing GENERAL REPAIRS I Phone 983-5249 • Orono i e • • i • • • • I 14* 1 happenings!... F SUNDAY JAMBOREE IN ORONO The Department of Recreation has another Sunday Country and Western Jamboree coming up this Sunday in the Orono Town Hall. Fay Adams and his group along with a numSer of guest artists will provide an afternoon of pleasing music. The program starts at 2.00 n.m. HOLDING INAUGURAL MEETING The Northumberland and Newcastle Board of Education will hold its Inaugural meeting on Thursday evening, January 8th in the Board room at 834 D'Atrcy Street, Cobourg, commencing at 7:30 p.m. Beautiful Plants Dried Arrangements Flowers for pi I JAN'S Flower & Gift Shop Main St., Orono phone 983-9500 Hamiltons Insurance Service Your Friendly Agency All Personal and Commercial, Insurance Sadie Hamilton Sue Sawyer Jim Hare For dependable service 983-5115