SECOND SECTION Page 9 Oakville- Trafalgar Journal Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association published Every Thursday Morning In Oakville, Ont., by Oakville-Trafalgar Publishers, Ltd. 7 DUNN STREET NORTH s. Casey Wood, Jr. Managing Editor Bill Cotton, Editorial PHONE "1298 Vincent H. Barrey Advertising Manager Assistant Thursday, June 21st., 1951 it Ain't Democratic . . . Nonsense! When Attorney-General Dana Porter started a committee to investigate the operations of his own department, there can hardly have been a person in the province that didn't chuckle. But silly things like that are catching--and we have the latest example with the committee that has been set up by a rate- payers' meeting in Trafalgar township to study the new zoning by-law. In the first place, of course, the committee has no standing, as it is not sanctioned or sponsored hy township council. It is not even sponsored or sanc- tioned by a-majority of the ratepayers--merely hy the majority of ratepayers who happened to be pre- sent at the meeting. But it's a committee, and its membership, thanks to one observant taxpayer pre- sent, is pretty representative. But its deliberations are going to be just as silly as the committee headed by Dana Porter. Because it's also going to be investigat- ing its own affairs of long standing. The township council appointed representatives on the Planning Board. It also concurred in the sett- ing up of the area to. fall under the jurisdiction of the hoard. At no time did residents either protest to coun- cil over the planning board itself, or the township's participation in it. This board worked for nearly three years surveying, discussing and pondering the prob- lems of the growth of this area--and had available to it the services of the provincial department of plan- ning. The board called in many residents and tax- payers to assist it, when special matters were under consideration: . . . and each year Township council solemnly re-appointed its members on the board. By this act, it gave encouragement to the conception that planning was wise, and necessary for the town- ship. Finally the board brought in its recommenda- tion. Immediately, the situation changed. Even in council it changed. The reeve, counting votes as he always does, decided the best possibility for re-elect- ion lay for him to be on the thumbs down side. The residents who, prior to the report being submitted for consideration, had no ideas of doing anything with their land in the immediate future . . . thought they had some sinister act being put over on them. The shouting and the tumult rose . . . with claims that democracy was not being served when the good of the majority, if not all, was the main objective of the planning board. This was, we feel, poor repayment on behalf of their fellow taxpayers. It should also be remembered that all meetings of the planning board were open meetings to which the public was invited anytime it wanted. The by-law cannot become law without a public hearing first conducted by the Department of Mun- icipal Affairs. It is the chief function of this depart- ment to play watch-dog for the interests of taxpayers as a whole. It is certain that if, after the hearing, the officials of the department felt there was any section, limitation or advantage in the by-law which was not good for the majority, that feature would be chang- ed. It is also possible that the entire plan would be refused the department's blessing, and a new one have to be drawn. Thus are the rights of the citizen under democracy protected. But to have a new committee, consisting of even the most intelligent people, now start to examine the work of years, with the view of making recommen- dations as to changes, seems ridiculous on the face of it. Experts are required at this point. Experts in plan- ning, in municipal financing, in municipal growth--. in other words, experts in the Department of Muni- cipal Affairs. These men can hear all the objections that "Green Belters" want to make . . . will be ex- perienced enough to sift the sound arguments from the ridiculous, and come to a conclusion which will be for the benefit of the majority. ; There seems to be a lot of confusion in some people's minds about democracy. Democracy does not guarantee to anyone the right to live or act'as he likes without regard to the good of mankind general- ly. It doesn't matter if the individual may have come, either as a result of his own endeavor or as a result of luck, into a special situation where he would like to do things his way, and his alone. If his actions are harmful to his fellow citizens, he can't do it. Dem- ocracy guarantees only that we shall be governed in our actions by the will of the majority imposed upon us hy the government that is elected by the majority. It would be as. reasonable to-say that a Liberal in Ontario isn't going to comply with the new laws pass- ed by the Conservative government because he didn't vote for it--as to say that one, or two, or three indi- viduals must have the right to dispose of their land anyway they see fit . . . if by having such right they might endanger the values of all other land owners around them. This paper is not an expert.on planning or mun- icipal growth. But it does recognize that the plan- ning hoard has presented a comprehensive plan, en- dorsed hy at least one expert as being sound, which is predicated on the idea of protecting this area from becoming a hodge-podge of industrial growth that would ruin it as a residential mecca. This paper does not want the residential features ruined. Controlled channelled industrial growth--yes! It suggests that the way to resolve the planning by-law is to have ex- perts now step in and reach a conclusion. | One thing the paper does know--political oppor- tunism does not sit easily on its stomach. Reeve Wickson's back-handed cracks at the planning board have been going on for quite sometime. He figures, we believe, that hell "vote-get" to better advantage if he's against the "Green Belt" suggestions of the board. We do not think he is thinking in terms of IT SEEMS 10 ME BY P. W. THOMPSON The burden of the message of Canada's prime minister to grad- uating students of a great Amer- ican university was singularly applicable, not only to those whom he addressed, but to peo- ple all over the world. Mr. St. Laurent told his youthful hear- ers that they would "never know normal American lives without haying to worry about the pro- blems of the entire world." He spoke with wisdom. The old is- olationist dream, cherished so passionately by a certain section of American opinion, has perish- ed. As citizens of the greatest military and economic power on earth, Americans cannot hope to escape the immense responsibil- ities that inevitably accompany the possession of great power. But it is not only our friends the Americans who must say goodbye to the old easy-going days of yesteryear. The same thing applies to just about everyone else. Life today has become a very difficult and complicated business. -1t always had its problems and difficul- ties, of course, but these have grown and multiplied within the past generation. Back before the first world war, and espec- jally before the turn of the century, life moved at a leisur- ely pace. Wars were small and their repercussions limited. Methods of transport and com- munication were slower, and the different countries of the world were not bound so closely to- gether. There was a sense of stability and security then that is lacking in the world today. People did not live in fear of economic collapse or attack by atomic bombs. The old easy-going days came to an end with the first great war, which was followed by wide- spread social and economic dislo- cations and later by another con- flict more destructive and terrible than the first one. Meanwhile the development of the airplane and radio had combined to bring the various countries into much clos- er contact than ever before. And the invention of the atom bomb brought a new threat to the sec- urity of mankind. Today the world seethes with confusion, and the atmosphere is heavy with anxiety. There is a serious threat of another world war, with the great pow- ers arming feverishly. There is danger of an economic debacle. Meanwhile a war is already in progress, millions of people are starving and millions of others are uprooted from their homes and leading a hungry, anxious, hand-to-mouth existence. Ruth- less dictators hold sway over the lives of large numbers of people in great sections of the earth. From such lesser evils as insufficient housing, ex- orbitant living costs and sky- rocketing taxes, hardly a coun- try on earth is free. Innumerable problems. mankind, problems which lenge man's courage and gence. The tremendous increase in scientific knowledge has fail. ed to bring about the Utopia that many had fondly predicted and hoped for. As the Canadian pre- mier pointed out, a return to "normal" that we looked forward beset chal- intelli- BY BESSIE CAIRNS _ TRAFALGAR TALES NOT SO SMART! It's funny how you can fool yourself. I like young people and flattered myself that I could talk their language. I was therefore pleased yesterday when John Cushney and Harold Davies, both of Appleby, arrived at my back door. Wet and bedraggled, they were on the second lap of a week's bicycle trip. That morning thoy had wakened cold and damp to be greeted by a misty view of the Caledon hills. It being too wet to- light a fire they had break- fast on bread and cheese, packed soggy blankets and equipment and headed off in the rain. By the time tehy reached Rockwood, the open had lost its lure. I hurriedly lit a fire, and put the kettle on while the boys chang- to dry clothes; then when they had been warmed with hot tea and home-made bread and jam we started talking, and what talk! -- Cricket verus baseball, poisonous snakes, pet' skunks, al- bino tigers. jet bombs, General McArthur and Lil Abner, Aztec civilization, the- lost continent of tlantis, youthful dope-fiends, Canada's resources and our fay- ourite authors. While all this was going on Joan, the house- keeper, was making lemon pie and butter tarts. By this time I really thought I could set myself up as an authority on teen-agers. Soon after four my six-year old son arrived home from school. Without a word he quietly slipp- ed up to his room and came down with a bunch of comic books which he plunked on the kitchen table. From that moment con- versation died completely. The boys, thoroughly at home, laugh- ed and exchanged books and never even noticed when I passed Alice-like from the room, half expecting to be called back. In fact 1 was the one to do the call- ing some time later, and a. wel- come one at that, "Diner is ready." My only regret as we gathered around the table was that I had only two children, rather than four and that they didn't include a teen-ager that I might learn a little more about them. Must give the boys credit for cleaning up the dishes as quickly and cheerfully as they cleaned up on the food or should the credit go to home and school training? Trust John and Harold arrived home without mishap and man- aged to locate Brantford and Hagersville according to plans. I left for the store just as they fin- ished packing and found on my return that they had headed for Acton instead of Guelph. How- ever, most adventures are made exciting due to the difficulties encountered rather than the smooth going, otherwise there would be nothing to tell the old folks at home . . . and no out- matching their pals. fo in the strenuous days of the lafe war is out of the question for this generation. Difficulty Is the portion of the modern citizen, and will contin- ue to be so.for many years to come. One can only hope that members of the younger gener- ation may prove equal to the heavy responsibilities that face them, and will play their part in constructing a better world. the township's future, but ion. in terms of the next elect- With Bronte incorporated, .and so out of the The man who can bring home i always of society, and still is. But, if he takes it literally, he finds it is becoming more than a little dis- couraging. In fact, bacon being what it is nowadays, he is begin- ning to wonder whether it's worth the effort. British Selectivity My wife became more than a little wrathy about it the other morning as she peeled a few strips into the skillet. "There," she declared bitterly, "is proof positive that the English are a. discerning race. We got oursely- es into a tlzzy when the United Kingdom wouldn't take our Can- adlan bacon a while back. But who can blame them for prefer- ring the Danish variety? They knew darn well the' Danes would not do a thing like this to them! Even when yowre on short ra- tions, you can't be expected to welcome tenderized blubber!" I struck what I hoped was a placating attitude. "Surely it can't be that bad," I remonstrat- But It Is! She 'pointed a dramatic finger at the pan. "What would you say that is?" she demanded. I peered into the pan, poked with a fork at half a dozen lengths of greyish white fat, through the middle of which were pencilled slightly rosy lines that might have been lean meat or might have been dye out of the wrap- per. I had to admit it didn't look too appetizing. "Just wait until you taste it," she reforted, turning on the gas with a despondent flick of the wrist. What's In a Name? Curiously, I picked up the wrapper. It had BACON stamped right on it, all right. In fact, the packer had even been brash enough to include his name. Here is one guy, I told myself, that we'll avoid like poison ivy in fu- ture. I seconded that motion a few minutes later as I tried to per suade my new dentures to cope with the stuff. It was no go. PUFFS FROM THE COTTON GIN "Couldn't you have crisped it a bit more?" T asked Isobel. "How can you crisp defected rubber?" she shot back acidly. I got thinking about it later that morning when--if yowll par- don the expression--a few after breakfast burps began fo seep through. I'll just dash out and buy a packet of REAL bacon, I decided. Can't Be Done ¢ didn't, though. It wasn't that I didn't try. But a thorough search of the counters conyinced me that there just ISN'T any real bacon any more. The packers are mighty artful about the whole thing, though. If there is any suggestion of lean meat in the strip at all, they fold all the slices so it will show through the cellophane, wrapping the bundle so that they gang up the entire 4 percent of it for best possible display purposes. Af least, that's the way they would probably explain it. Personally, T'd call it baiting the sucker. Don't get the idea that I don't go for some good, honest fat. Fat naturally goes to make bacon, and I relish it when properly cur- ed. I like macaroni and cheese, too. But with a quarter ounce of cheese to a pound of macaroni, the macaroni is pretty grim eat- ting. Desperate Measure ..I haven't figured out any ans- wer for the problem. I'm ser- iously thinking, though, of start- ing to raise my own hogs. I could use the old cider mill foun- dation behind our apartment, and The old press room could easily be converted into a smokehouse. Only trouble is, it might set fire to the Tumberyard next door. Guess we'll just have to close our eyes and lick our chops over succulent memories of the bygone days when a meat packer still had a conscience and bacon was a crisp delicacy that melted in your mouth. Memories, unfor- tunately, aren't very practical fodder. Hungrily Yours, BILL COTTON Hustle It Up! a most unwieldy one. The Parks Board has decided, at last, to put two baseball diamonds in shape in Trafalgar Park. This is being done so that the 18 kid teamp can have somewhere to play their schedules. There is a great deal of talk about the program of baseball among the young fry, and certainly it is one of the soundest programs there is for keeping boys interested and thus out of trouble. But the delay in getting after these diamonds has made the program Such delays by our public bodies are too num- erous and usually have no basis for argument in township elections, the Southern Trafalgarites, who are most vitally affected by the by-law, will be far out voted at the next elections by the northern vot- ers. And the Northern group, who've always hated the south, are vocally against the by-laws "Green Belt" provisions. Most interesting situation really for the reeve--if it didn't contain so much possible des- tructive dynamite for everyone. their defense. The lack of action as soon as the board's season opened, despite the pressure from the baseball association, making all this delay before the Lo agreed to set-up the diamonds, seems inexcus- But now the decision has been made, every effort should be concentrated on getting done what should have been done some time ago.- Those diamonds are vital to a program that the entire town likes to takes bows for. It's a hard thing to bow, when you don't have a stage on which to stand while bowing. Let's see all the speed possible on the diamonds. Did you ever think of adding up all the energy that is expended by men and women throughout all of Ont- ario each year in doing good works? It would seem reasonable to suggest to Bob Saunders that if this en- ergy could be harnessed to produce electric power, as well as all the good it produces, he could forget the St. Lawrence Waterway. However, as that would mean fewer pictures of him in the papers, we don't suppose he'd go for the idea. To date, we've had eleven phone calls complaining to us that our associate editor shouldn't be allowed to write col- umns about the callers. Seems there are an awful bunch of people who enjoy all the ills mankind can have . . . and sud- denly figure they have been the butt of a column. No kidding, hypochondriacs, none of you were the subject of the column. Cotton is an awfully ill man most of the time himself , % . when there's any work to be done, Anyone want a nice family of four to look after their summer cottage for them for two weeks, come July? Must have every convenience, with all food thrown in. Now there's an opportunity for someone--just call 1298 and we'll put you in touch with the family, or about 80 from which to pick beside ours. Talking of the St. Lawrence waterway--as a pal of ours likes to start all his top ns funny to think that Canada might develop it herse Why funny? Well, then we'd have it ourselves and we'd be able to cash in . . . like we will on our oil fields, which the T.S.A. took a dim view of from the Gd Can't fmagine why, of course, Be VCH ES ; The U.S. department of Agricil the information: that there ar in the U.S. today as contra on 20 years ago. Seems mankin ously. taking over the duties performed by part of the horse population. From what we've seen of people generally, we'd agree in part, as you might say.