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he i la a 6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, October 17, 1989 The Lov Perey Shar 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - PHONE 985-7383 FAX 985-3708 The Port Perry Star is authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, for cash payment of postage. Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: InCanada $20.00 per year Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50¢ EDITORIAL Publisher - J. Peter Hvidsten Editor - John B. McClelland News/Features - Julia Ashton News Reporter - Rob Streich PRODUCTION Annabell Harrison Trudy Empringham Darlene Hlozan BUSINESS OFFICE Office Manager - Gayle Stapley Accounting - Judy Ashby Billing Department - Louise Hope ADVERTISING Advertising Sales Representative: Anna Gouldburn Advertising Co-ordinator - Valerie Ellis = (CQ CNA Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd. Port Perry, Ontario Retail Sales - Kathy Dudley, Linda Ruhl, Tracy O'Neil Editorial Comment RIGHT TO FARM Farming is a tough business these days. For a lot of farmers, the bottom line at the end of year is simply that there's more going out in operarting costs than coming in via receipts for the goods produced. But farmers by and large are a stubborn lot, and through some are forced (or decide) to throw in the towel, most keep plugging away, struggling to balance the books, and often borrowing against whatever equity they may have or the future worth of their land. Farmers have to be as self sufficient as possible, do- ing whatever they can to cut costs. It's not unusual for farmers to spend an 18-hour work day in the fields, grab an quick nap, and then work half the night fixing the motor on a balky tractor. Days off are rare, and during planting or harvesting, weekends off are non-existent. All of us owe an enormous amount to the men and women in this country who work the soil. Candians enjoy some of the finest home grown food in the world, thanks to the efforts of farmers. And though you may not believe it at the super-market check-out counter, food remains a bargain in this country. It is for these and other reasons why we have a cer- tain degree of sympathy for one Scugog Township farmer who has run into a snarl of red tape. David Morris (see ar- ticle that starts on page one) has been told by the Ministry of Natural Resources to stop hauling sand/gravel material from his own land for use on farmland he owns about a mile away. The reason? He is contravening the Pits and Quar- ries Act, and MNR has received a complaint about the trucks he uses to haul this material. There is no question that he's in technical violation of the regulations which state clearly that anybody extracting sand/gravel for construction, industrial or manufacturing purposes must have a pit licence. Getting such a licence is no easy job. In fact, it is costly and time consuming with changes to zoning and of- ficial plans. We would not hesitate to suggest there isn't a farm anywhere that doesn't have an area where the farmer can extract material for his own use elsewhere on the farm property. This is what Mr. Morris is doing, and claims he has been doing for the last 15 years or so. He is not a commercial gravel pit operator. He is not trying to sell this material. We agree completely that li- cences and permits must be required for commercial op- erators. . But for a farmer using the material on his own land to improve his business of farming, perhaps the regulations need to be re-examined. As Mr. Morris pointed out in an interview with this paper, there are no rules to prevent him hauling manure, potatoes, bales of straw or heavy machinery over public roads. But sand or gravel, yes. What has happened to the much publicized right to farm legislation that is supposed to give farmers the right to carry on reasonable and normal farming practises without getting snarled and tangled in this kind of red tape? Farming by its very nature is noisy, messy, dirty, smel- ly, and yes, there are times when normal farming proce- dures involve the roar of trucks, tractors and other heavy machinery that may be a nuisance to people living nearby. (Turn to page 11) RERKERNEN A EX OSENCA Life's Like That by J ulia Ashton Driving 101 Get off the sidewalks! Stay clear of the highways! If you must drive, fasten your seatbelts! My younger brother, Robert, just turned six- teen and he can't wait to get his grimy little hands on the steering wheel of the family ve- hicle. As for my parents, I'm not quite sure what emotions they're feeling. They may be thrilled at the prospect of not getting up at 5 a.m. to drive Robert to his morning hockey practices. Or they may be scared silly that he will fol- low in the tire treads -of older brother Richard, who thought the world was one big demolition derby. Whatever the case, my parents have had it pretty easy. They've had eight years to recu- perate after trying to teaching me the rules of the road. But | have to admit it wasn't all that easy learning how to drive when my parents were the teachers. My mother (a.k.a. The Lead Foot Momma) tends to drive just a wee bit fast, and on the other end of the scale, my fa- ther has a hard time keeping up with a turtle. (Both have been served tickets by members of the police force -- my mom for speeding and my dad for loitering.) Fearing for my own safety, | decided to sign up for driver's education. Oh, sure it was degrading driving around Oshawa in a car that had two signs on it (one that said "Student Driver" and another that said "Caution--dual brakes") but eight years later | still have a perfect driving record. I'm not sure if Robert can afford the driver's education lessons, so | have compiled a list of good driving habits that he should follow. Rule number one When being tail-gated, it's always a good rule to slam on the brakes. If the idiot behind you hits the car you're driving, he'll get a ticket for following too close. If the car you are driv- ing belongs to mom and dad, pretend you have whiplash. That way, mom and dad total- ly forget about the dent in the bumper. Rule number two When parking in a lot, make sure the car is hurdling the painted white line. Or better yet, park diagonally across two parking spots. | know that when | go shopping, I'm really hap- y to see a car straddling two parking spots. specially when it's raining and there isn't an- other parking spot to be found. Rule number three If, while trying to park your car, you acci- dently hit another car, quickly look around to make sure no one saw and then find another parking spot. This rule also holds true if, when parked, you open up your door too quickly and hit the car next to you. Rule number four When negotiating a turn at an intersection don't signal. If you must signal, wait until the last possible moment. This adds to the ele- ment of surprise that everyone always seems to be looking for in their life. Rule number five While driving at night, always flick your high beams at on-coming cars whether or not you think they have their bright lights on or not. If the driver of the on-coming car makes no move to dim his lights or show that they were on low to begin with, blast him with the high beams one last time right before the two cars pass. Rule number six Ignore all traffic signs on a long weekend. Pretend that new signs stating "Please drive like a maniac -- it's a long weekend" have been posted. Double your speed limit and cut seconds off your arrival time by not coming to a complete halt at stop signs. P.S. Happy Birthday Robert. And no, you can't borrow my car.