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a Ee --_-- - a ER . _--_-- A Ti ---------------------- ass EE ------------------------ PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, April 3, 1990 -- 7 FLIPPING THE SWITCH The threat of a strike by Ontario Hydro workers had me thinking last week. As it turned out, it was just a threat as the contract was settled early Friday morning. Just in case a strike did materialize over the weekend, forcing brown-outs and black-outs, | called Hydro's head office in Toronto to get some back- ground info. A person in the media relations department pa- tiently explained the Union demands and the Hydro offers to the 18,000 employees who work in the pow- er plants and offices around the province. During the course of the conversation, the per- son noted that strike or no strike when the contract is finally settled, Hydro really would have no other op- tion but to pass the increases on to you-know-who. That set my blood boiling and my pulse racing. You see, | have this "thing" about lights left burning when there's nobody in the room. | wonder if I'm alone with this huge pet peeve. | know there is at least one other person who shares my feelings. | read once that back in the 70's when the energy crunch hit Britain like a ton of bricks and everyone was being urged to conserve, Queen Eliza- beth used to flutter about Buckingham Palace flipping off the lights and even un-screwing bulbs she thought were un-necessary. Well, | have been doing the same thing at home for years. | just hate to see a light burning when there's n in the room. If one of the kids leaves the TV or stereo on, it nearly drives me bonkers. On more than one occasion | have threatened to add up all the minutes the TV and stereo are left on in a month (with nobody watching or listening) calculate Viewpoint their allowances. The over-head light unit in the kitchen has four bright bulbs. Once or twice, | un-screwed two of Jam, and felt pretty smug at the thought of the sav- ngs. Joan, preparing dinner one winter evening in the semi-darkness of the kitchen, swore that if | ever un- Susan the kitchen bulbs again, she'd show me the or. For a while, | toyed with the idea of replacing the four bulbs with 40-watters (or better yet 25 watters) but heeding her warning, | reluctantly put the thought out of my mind. But seeing those four bulbs burning brightly in the kitchen grates on me no end. Of course if | had to squint through the eerie twi- light to get the carrots chopped and potatos peeled Wilh osing the end of a finger, | might see her point. Once, | left the garage light on all night, and next morning, | felt faint at the thought of the wasted juice, not to mention the meter that ticked away all night. As much as | hate to see lights on at night when there's nobody in a room, what really sets me off is a light burning in the day-time. If I'm driving by and notice a porch light on at any house, | am always tempted to stop the car, march up to the door and give the guy a scolding for wasting power. I'm not sure why exactly | have such a thing lights and appliances sucking power when there's no- body around. Maybe it goes back to childhood. | re- member well my Dad telling the family at least twice a day, "when not in use, turn off the juice." my promise to dock the cost of wasted hydro from their allowances, we'll see who has the last laugh. And it's not just electricity. Leaky fas drive me nuts, too. When | brush my teeth, | let just a tiny trick- le from the tap, and often turn it off completely except to rinse the brush. Have you ever noticed how kids will stand in front of the sink brushing teeth, or fixing hair, with an absolute torrent of water gushing from the tap. They think I'm crazy when | barge into the bathroom and shut oF the water. They don't pay the water bill each month. | preach conservation. The kids say I'm just an old penny pincher. Sorry, guys, but it takes more than pennies to pay the hydro and water bills these days. And there's one more thing that gets my dander up. Street lights on at high noon. Why do they do that? | once phoned to enquire' why all the lights on the Don Valley Parkway blaze away in the orig! t sun- shine and was told workers are checking for burned- out bulbs. But enough on this. Old habits die hard. | sus- pect Queen E. is still keeping the Palace in the dark, and | still wander the house flipping the switches off. IN CLOSING In a lengthy report made public a week ago, the Ontario Fire_Marsha) made some 36 recommenda- tions about the Scugog Fire Department. A priori for Scugog is the n to have one chief over bo fire halls. Nothing wrong with that. The recommendation for a new hall in Green- bank, fully equipped, in 1995, will have major cost implications for this municipality, and must be dealt with in this light. the cost to my hydro bill and deduct the amount from | tried that cute little saying on my kids once and they laughed. Of course, if | ever do make good on The residents of Scugog are getting fine service from their department, made up totally 0 volunteers. "Remember When? 45 YEARS AGO } "Thursday, April 5, 1945 Lake Scugog is once more clear of ice. It was officially declared out this year on March 27. Mrs. Norman Kerry of Scugog has bought the Venture Restaurant business. Mr. Frank Lyle of St. John's, Newfoundland, is enjoying a three week furlough with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Norman Lyle. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 7, 1955 Keith Hooey of Port Perry was announced winner of an Eyres Reversible Blanket on Friday, April 1. This draw was sponsored by the Port Perry Branch of the Canadian Legion for their Building Fund. Mrs. S.N. Griffen on her return from a southern states holi- day, entertained the executive members of the Port Perry United Church Women's Association. Two Ontario Plowing champions finished first and second in two separate contests at the Annual Chilliwack Plowing Match in Chilliwack, B.C. on March 30. Hugh Baird of Blackwater, On- tario, 1954 winner of the Esso Tractor class at the International Plowing Match at Breslau, Ontario, last October, captured first prize in Chilliwack's Open Tractor Class and also won a trophy for the best plowing of the day. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 7, 1960 Both Port Perry Schools suffered from vandals last night. Ten classrooms in the public school were entered by breaking the glass in the door and turning the locks on the inside. In the high school a similar condition was found. Total damage was approximately $450.00. The new Municipal Building which has been constructed on the former Knitting Mill, Perry Street North, has almost reach- ed the completed condition. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, April 8, 1965 Mr. Grant McDermott was elected president of Port Perry Chamber of Commerce for 1965 at the regular meeting of the organization recently. . David Porter of Port Perry and Michelle Harper, guest speaker from the Upper Canada Skating Club performed a on ice at the Annual Ice Revue sponsored by the Port Perry Figure Skating Club. : (Turn to page 10) Letters io the editor. Separate school should pay own way To the Editor: The two letters to the editor by Sandy Van Bortel and Father Thomas Lynch regarding the Catholic School for Nestleton and the use of the 'Public Hall' has created a need to write to the editor with some concerns and comments. The Public Hall is funded by all taxpayers, and should not be monopolized by any one group, especially when the school funding is split between two school systems. To quote Sandy Van Bortel, * "The reason for the need of a Waiting at trafficlights To the Editor: Your graph on page 14B (27 March) shows one sits at traffic lights for six months of their lifetime. This survey was obvious- ly not done in Toronto! (or at Queen and Lilla, for that matter). I am certain Torontonians spend six months a week at traf- fic lights. Try it, you'll see what I mean. Can you imagine the bureaucratic screaming that would go on if we let our car engines idle in our driveways for six months, spewing out carbon monoxide? We'd be slapped with laws and fines faster than a tax increase (is this possible)? With all the governmental noise about our responsibility to clean up our environment you'd think they'd take a little and syn- chronize the lights. Sincerely, Katherine Lowden, R.R. 3, Port Perry separate school in the first place is due to the lack of religious in- struction in the public system." She also commented that 'Mr. Kemp is prejudice against the separate school system." There should be one school system and only one, supported by all taxpayers. The duplication of Administration and busing, cost the taxpayers millions each year and could be used to improve the quality of education if only one system existed. By having a Catholic School system, you are discriminating against other religious faiths. Basically it means either you are Catholic or non Catholic as far as the school systems are concerned. Thanks to Bill Davis and other near sighted politicians that have used the British North American Act as a crutch to justify two systems, you are the ones discriminating. My tax dollars are forwarded to the public system and our two children attend neither public nor separate schools. Our children attend Durham Christian Academy in Oshawa. We arrange for the transporta- tion, we pay tuition for them to at- tend the school of "Our Faith" for the Christian education, values and discipline not present in the public school system. This cost will exceed $4500 this year, the same applies to the parents that fund and send their children to Heritage Christian School in Lind- say, Scugog Christian School in Prince Albert, Rhema Christian (Turn to page 8) "Principal Davidson? My daughter, Mitzie, is sick and can't come to school today, This 1s my mother speaking." Lo re mm ST adie