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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 1975, WHITBY FREE PRESS w h itby Voice of the County Town Serving Over 27,000 Readers Mike Burgess, Publisher-Managing Editor. editorial t )îse page BrookIinte speaks out against development As i see it, asking three businessmen.....an un- dertaker, a realtor, and a producer of concrete products (new homes lead to new patios, etc.), whether they are for or against development in a rural area, is like asking a drowning man if he'd like a lifejacket. You can guarantee a positive answer on both counts.....and it doesn't take a degree University degree to figure out why. Ask three residents, who opted to live in a rural hamiet atmosphere with ail its inconveniences rather than a large urban sprawl with ail its facilities, if they would lîke development, and they can be guaranteed to answer no. So where does that leave one? In recent local events it seems to leave one with a Town Council who are determined to swamp a population of 1,800 with an extra 25,000. (And the developer thinks he can still preserve the character of the existing community, even with those figures.) It also leaves one with a concerned councillor resigning his position as planning chairman, another concerned councillor doing an about face and a third councillor who seems more concerned with the developer and his investment, rather than the people he is supposed to account to. It also leaves a rural hamlet wondering if they have any say in the matter at ail and if anyone cares for their opinion. As i see it, the human race has a choice as to where and how it lives. He can choose to live in an expanding town/city with all its facilities, enter- tainments and ever-increasing development, or it can go for the quieter rural setting with its 'do-it- yourself' activities and amusements and quieter and slower pace of life. Both ways are good and it is up to the individual to decide which he wants Both are necessary and equally important in socie- ty. Quiet rural ways are not expected in the towns s why does expansion and ail that goes with it have to be 'mposed on the rural areas? Why is it that it is always the rural resident who loses his rights as the towns greedily gobble up the green pastures in their ever-increasing desire to expand? As the process is never reversed, what happens when we run out of that stuff we call grass and soil? We hear that it costs a great deal of money just to plan a development. $150,000 seems a great deai to waste if local residents, presuming they do have any rights, don't want development in the first place. Even if the developer can afford to throw it around, taxpayers can't. So before that money changes hands, why not allow the residents to voice their opinions.....still presuming of course that they do have that right.....through a simple questionnaire. Do they or don't they want devel- opment? If the majority say yes, then go on to the next step and plan what kind of development. If they say no.....then the Town could go down in history as possibly the first council ever to respect the wishes of the community. And the developer? Weli, as i see it, that's his tough luck. He gambled and this time ho lost. Botter luck next time..isn't that what specula- tion is ail about? You can 't win 'em aIl!! ION of the onlooker FAi ~f E! ET DiEG-REE$ -32 59 c = CEL5/U4 22E~6RFE~ c Now, what's that temperature on the Kelvin scale? I~letters Free Press Thanked... Dear Sir; The Durham Region Tuberculosis and Respir- atory Disease Association is nearing the completion of its 1974-75 program- ming and wishes to take this opportunity of pay- ing tribute to all news- papers and reporters who have given us such excel- lent coverage during this past year both by photo- graphs and printed reports. As it is a volunteer organization, it means a great deal to be able to keep the membership, is well as the general public continuously informed through the columns of the press. Also a special word of gratitude to our volun- teers who assist with our Christmas Seal Campaign and all other programs. Without them our organ- ization couId not possibly function effici- ently. As president of this organization, I wish to extend to each and every news media, and all volunteers, our humble thanks for your splendid service and support. Yours sincerely, Hazel V. Jewell president Durham Region TB-RD Association. ..l and thanked and thanked Dear Sir; Thank you for taking time to talk with me recently about PARTICI. PACTION's print cam- paign. Your reaction and opinions are most helpful in aiding us to better serve newspapers with meaningful material. Your cooperation is most appreciated. Best regards, Tom MacMillan Director of Communi- cations, Sports Participation Canada. write. lette rs box 206 whitby