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

4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, Mar. 8, 1978 Editorial Comment ChatterBox NN : ; ' J 3 1] ". .. AND OF LOURSE, YOULL HAVE OUR GOVERNMENTS GOOD MAME A% SECURITY by J. Peter Hvidsten 7 RENOVATIONS Last week in this column, editor John McClelland briefly mentioned the changes taking place at the Port Perry Star offices. If you think he was exaggerating... don't. Every word he said was true. ] This building at 235 Queen Street has seen quite a few changes since Per Hvidsten purchased the busi- ness over 14 years ago. Since his coming to Port Perry it has almost been a full-time job for Nick Rensink and crew. There have been more walls torn down, moved, and erected than any of us care to remember. One of the first major renovations was the removal of our elevator. It wasn't one of those fancy types, just a 4' x 4' box made of angle iron and plywood, and was used for taking stock (bundles of paper, etc,) to storage areas above and below the main floor. A rope dangled beside the wire mesh door which controlled its slow ascent or descent as it creaked and groaned under the weight. . The removal of this ancient elevating devise was no easy task. Large portions of the ceiling and floor, huge timbers, floor joists, plaster and lathe were everywhere. And under the dust and litter lay the papers and people that are so essential to making the Port Perry work. x - : Another project was the renovating of the office and installation of a new front to the building. Had this project been undertaken in the summer months when the bright warm sun was shining through the gapping hole in the front of the building, it would have just been a normal renovation. But no, we did it in February when the cold wind and snow, blew. was not an uncommon sight in those chilly days . of the winter to see the staff carrying out the everyday duties of their jobs clad in coats and boots. We weren't trying to impress anybody stay alive. . Now we're at it again. This time probably the largest renovation to date, fo "a section of the building will be left untouch hen finished. It started last fall with the renovation of the back half of the building. This portion was occupied by Port Perry Printing; until a move to their new location in July. Then in came Nick and crew. Saws, hammers, and . crow-bar under arm. They hacked, ripped, hammer-- ed and sawed for weeks. Then one day we moved our: operation from upstairs to downstairs and were working out of new, modern. efficient auarters. Everyone was happy. The typesetters, advertis- ing and make-up crews.' For the first time they were: enjoying the luxuries of painted walls and carpeted floors. It was a dream come true. Then the wrecking crew started work on the front office. ' All hell broke-loose for 2 weeks as carpenters, 'electricians, plumbers, dry-wallers, stumbled over eachother in an effort to get the job done as quickly as we were just trying to possible. It was a nightmare, not only for the front office staff, but for our dazzled customers as well. Little did they know when they entered the front door where the counter would be. As a matter-of-fact, Nancy, our front office girl, had no idea where she would be sitting from day to day. From front to back to side we moved desks, cabinets and records as we dodged the hammers and falling plaster. - But now it's nearing the end. By the time you read this, we should have a handrail on our new staircase, a ceiling in the front office and lights to help us see what we are doing. There has been a lot of groping in the dark and dust _ for the past month, but upon completion, will have been well worth it. To our customers, we apologize for the inconveni- ence. We have appreciated your patience and understanding. To the staff.....thanks for putting up with the turmoil. And last, but not least, to Nick, Jan and Harry, thanks for a job well done. GREASE JOB - It's great to see a person with a sense of humour, even under the most acute circumstances. This week's "humour of the week award" should be given to John James, Sr., of the Bowmanville Canadian Statesman. John was awarded his Golden Quill at the OWNA (Ontario Weekly Newspaper Assoc.) convention held in Toronto last weekend. The award is given to publishers who have spent 50 years or more in the [weekly newspaper field. Travelling to Toronto for the presentation, just a few short weeks out of the hospital from having a cataract operation, John showed an eagerness to tell his colleagues (350 of them) about his operation. And tell he did. Thank God, it wasn't 'show and tell", for he did get into rather fine detail. One of the sponsors at the dinner was Imperial Oil, and speaking to one of his old buddies, John told the story of being admitted to the hospital and the male - orderly who came into the room and told him to strip. down. He did so and it was then that he learned he was about to have a enema. ) With a glint in his eye, he leaned towards the Imperial Oil rep and urged that they spend some .money this year finding a better lubricant for this procedure. - It is obvious that John James, Sr., is well on his way to recovery and it will not be long until sis weathered face and sense of humour will once again be present in the offices of the Statesman. Hurry up and get well, John.....there are a lot of people waiting to see you and your camera on the street once again. = . ARRAN RRR SE SN NN -- Sidewalk Snow In last week's edition of the Port Perry Star, there was a letter on page 5 on behalf of more than 50 senior citizens deploring the ice and snow conditions on the sidewalks which make it difficult and dangerous for pedestrians to move about. This week there is another letter on page 5, thi® one from a citizen in Port Perry who outlines basically the same concerns of the seniors the week before: namely, that the Township of Scugog either through by-law or by some other means must take action to keep at least some of the more heavily travelled pedestrian walk-ways clear of ice and snow during the winter months. 3 : The issue has been brought to the attention of the Township council who agreed at their regular meeting February 27 to review sidewalk snow removal by-laws of other municipalities. That is a step in the right direction. But the enactment of a by-law compelling tax-payers to remove the snow from the sidewalks in front of their properties would have some obvious pitfalls. : / One would be how to enforce it, and whether such enforcement could be appljed equitably to all property owners. A resident forced to keep his portion of th sidewalk clear of snow in a heavy pedestrian traff area would have solid grounds -for objection if the same was not applied to residents living on a lightly travelled sidestreet. . " Another problem that could arise with such a by-law directly concerns senior citizens, the very people that most need to have sidewalks clear of snow. Many seniors are physically unable to keep their own private sidewalks and"driveways clear of snow, and asking them to keep public property clear as well would be an additional hardship. Hiring somebody to shovel snow is fine, if somebody can be found to do the work, and if the home owner if financially able to pay for the work. : There might be another route to take to make walking on public sidewalks a little easier in winter. The Township itself could remove the snow from selected heavy traffic sidewalks, especially those in or near the commercial sections and close to school zones, and pay for the costs through taxes. The amount of revenue required for some sand and salt and a few part-time (student) snow shovellers after a heavy storm would probably not amount to much of tax increase.. Whatever the alternatives, it seems clear that the Township must take some action. There have been at least three people injured this winter from falls on icy sidewalks, and school children and seniors alike have had to walk on the streets which increases the danger to their personal safety. But while calling for action on this matter, citizens at the same time should be aware that there are no freebies. Keeping the sidewalks (or some of them, anyway) passable in winter is going to cost money, and if the taxpayers want clear sidewalks they are going to have to pay, in one form or another. r) More Spy Stories A series of events have taken place on Parliament Hill recently, which if they were not so potentially dangerous would be downright hilarious. In the middle is Tom Cossitt, Conservative M.P. for the riding of Leeds; a man known to harbour few sympathies for the left, or the centre for that matter. Threatened with prosecution under the Official Secrets Act unless he returned the document dated® March 24, 1976, Cossitt had until 3:00 p.m. Monday to comply with the order from Solicitor General Jean- Jacques Blais. The member from Leeds kept the country in suspense all weekend and to the surprise of the everybody, got up in the House of Commons Monday and claimed he did not have in'his possession the document being demanded by the government. While the affair is far from over, Cossitt seems to be making some political mileage, especially by the fact that he has forced the government to threaten legal action in its effort to get the document back and then find out who leaked it to the M.P. in the first - place. But a couple of nagging questions remain. If the government is so concerned about this document, just what the devil does it confain? Are Cossitt's charges of widespread Soviet activity in Canada true, and if hay are, what if anything, should we be doing about Ss If national security is indeed at stake, why has the affair taken on the air of a silly, third rate spy - comedy? The Russians must be chuckling in their vodka. : #