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(Aaa ae 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed. March 10, 1982 ditorial comments DingDong Let The Bells Ring Just what were the Torles up to last week when they refused to return to the House of Commons, and the divisional bells rang and rang and rang. Well, on the surface they were protesting the fact the Liberals declined to split a complicated energy bill into several pieces of legislation, a request the Tories felt was necessary because the bill is very long, complicated and deserved to be dealt with by Parliament not as a whole but in parts. nd BY er: nf ML rd hee Tg tt ed i Lee Ss es = hh Leaving aside the merits of whether the energy bill fo should or should not have been split, the Tories last fa) week by refusing to answer the divisional bells were oS .in effect expressing the same frustration and anger {i that thousands and thousands of average Canadians ne are feeling during this long, cold and very discon- tented winter. The Tories last week in effect went on a wildcat strike, and there have been no parallels to their Sa chatterbox by John B. McClelland DOG AND DEER A recent article in the Angler and Hunter has brought home the problem of the wandering dog. Mine, I hesitate to admit, is on occasion one of those. The article entitled Pets Do Kill Deer opened up my eyes to the damage a running dog can do to wild or domestic animals and will in the future make me much more aware and concerned for what he is doing when running loose. The Ministry of Natural Resources states that even the gentlest canine is capable of killing both wild and domestic animals if it is regularly allowed to run free -- and may be joined by other free running dogs. Dogs, when they run free, are known to roam and wreak havoc on wildlife and they will kill with little or no fear of man. When they band together and hunt as a group these domestic dogs become fierce and bold, destroying racoons, muskrats, squirrels, rabbits, waterfowl and deer. In one 1977 report, domestic dogs are credited with killing 24 deer near the city of Cambridge. In Halton County dogs are reported to have chased deer through a bush on the Niagara Escarpment, trapping them on a cliff that juts out on this ridge. To escape the dogs, the deer jumped to their death nearly 150 feet below.. Eleven deer, mainly pregnant does were found one year at the foot of this cliff. Dogs, the report states, are a problem everywhere in the southern part of the province, and MNR officials relate that every domestic dog is a potential killer of deer. The solution to this problem lies with the pet owner! All of this pre-amble leads to the problem I have had in trying to keep my dog on the property. Last year, when we moved to Scugog Island, Sam our part Lab-Shepard seldom ventured pas the gateway and spent most of his time on the 1% acre parcel. This was plenty of running room for him as we had previously lived on a small lot in Prince Albert and he had nowhere to run. But as time progressed the lure of more exciting things on the other side of the fence took over, and more and more often Sam: began to roam. Not liking to leave him tied up on a 15 foot piece of chain all day we decided to build a dog-run around two sides of our small barn. This would give him an area about 10 feet wide by 35 feet in which to run. Since a farm fence already protected the field, all we had to do was close in the two ends. This we did with little problem or cost. But, Sam is a smart dog (in some ways) and he has found his way out of the run on many occasions. Since the dog-run was buiilt, we have added height to the fences so he can no longer jump over, we have had to block the bottom so he cannot crawl under and now he has, learned to crawl through the fence. But last weekend I finally got him (I hope). So he cannot crawl through the fence, I have woven 1 x 2's through the wire fence. Since that time he has been unable to escape. But I am sure, with his ingenuity, this on-going battle of the minds will not stop here. But I just can't think how he will now get out, although I am sure he will find a way. A CLASSIC WORTH REPEATING Does this situation sound familiar? Once upon a time, there was -a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbours and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will helpme plant it?" "Not I," said the cow. "Not I," said the duck. 'Not 1," said the pig. "Not I,' said the goose. "Then I will plant the wheat myself," said the little red hen. And she did. The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen. "Not IL," said the duck. "Out of classification," said the pig. "I'd lose my senority," said the cow. "I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose. "Then I a reap the wheat myself," said the little red hen. And she did. : At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?"' asked the little red hen. "That would be overtime for me," said the cow. "I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck. "I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig. "If 1 am the only helper, that's discriminatory," said the goose. "Then I will bake the bread myself," said the little red hen. And she did. She baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbours to see. They all wanted some, of course. In fact, each demanded a share. But the little red hen said, 'No, I can eat the five loaves of bread myself." "Excess profits," cried the cow. 'Capitalist leech," screamed the duck. "'I demand equal rights," yelled the goose. And the pig just grunted. And then they painted "unfair" picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities. ; When the government agent came he said to the little red hen, 'You must not be so greedy." "But I earned the bread myself," said the little red hen. "Exactly," said the agent. "That is the wonderful free enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide their products with the idle." And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful. I am grateful" But her neighbours wondered why she never again baked any more bread. actions in the history of the Canadian parliament. In response, the Liberals were quick to jump on the anti-Clark bandwagon, charging the whole affair was trumped up as a way of deflecting attention away from Tory leader Joe Clark's very real problems within the ranks of his own party. There may be more than just a shred of truth to this as Mr. Clark Is struggling to keep his leadership from disintegrating before his very eyes. However, there is no question that Conservative members of Parliament are a very frustrated and angry bunch these days, claiming with lot of justification that the role of parliament is being eroded; that the fabric of the country is coming un-done; that our federal system is falling apart at the seams. And what's more, the Torles feel that the Liberals, safely in power with a majority are completely insensitive. There are not just a few average Canadians who feel the same way. The incessant ringing of those bells last week reflected a mood in this country; one which Is verging on desperation. Staging a wildcat strike against the business of the Parliament of Canada is a very serious affair. We suspect, however, that this may be the state, not the end of new and more vigorous kinds of protest as frustration levels mount in all corners of the land. It has been a bitter winter. Spring may be just around the corner, but for a lot of Canadians, there is not much to feel happy about. The Tories. may have left themselves open for some criticism last week through their actions, but maybe they feel that the time for playing "strictly by the rules" has passed. Durham Council Numbers Game Durham Regional council has been relatively free recently of bitter parochial bickering which at one time was standard fare among the reps of the eight municipalities which make up the Region. Now, it seems there is an issue surfacing which could herald a resurgence of the in-fighting. . The provincial government has agreed that both Whitby and Ajax can have one additional rep on the council, providing the present council agrees. However, councillors from Oshawa have made it clear they feel their city should have an extra rep on the council as well. Based on their current population levels and the number of reps presently on the Durham council, both Ajax'and Whitby have a case for an extra rep to be added at this time. And most reasonable observers would have to agree. These two commun- ities have grown considerably since the Region was formed eight years ago. But now the mayor of Oshawa, Allan Pilkey, says he will strongly oppose any extra reps unless his municipality gets an extra one, too. That appears to be a neat way of scuttling any agreement among councillors to get Whitby and Ajax their extra reps. It is not likely councillors from Newcastle, Pick- ering or the northern Townships are going to vote In favour of an 'extra rep from Oshawa, whereas they might be In favour of extra reps for Ajax and Whitby. : (Turnto page 5) : ER --