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A Ny ! { I ol ) ; ad vi ol Fda CTA Ey OO RATRENTR Vo Sat as ¥ Editorial Comment Christmas Seals This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Christmas Seals in Canada. On 'letters, cards and packages, they have become a familiar part of the Holiday season. The money raised through the Christmas Seal campaigns is used to help fight lung and respiratory diseases, which affect more than four niillion Canadians. : Lung disease is the third leading cause of disability in Canada today, and the single greatest cause of absenteeism through illness. Last year 2600 Canadians suffered from active TB. The cost to Ontario for the 150,000 hospital admissions for lung disease this year will be $114 million. Half a million Canadians have asthma. As one can see the cost in dollars and in human suffering is considerable. This year the Durham Region Lung Association has set a campaign target of $75,000 which is $5,000 "more than last year's target. The entire amount is to be raised by a through-the-mail Christmas Seal Campaign. Last year 22,000 people in Durham Region responded by sending contributions to the Campaign. This year, on two dates, October 28 and November 18, the Association mailed out Christmas Seals to 75,000 households throughout the Region, in an effort to meet the campaign target. All money raised by the Durham Association is used by both the local organization and the provincial association to fight against lung diseases. Of the $70,301 raised last year, more than $50,000 was used right here in Durham Region for such things as courses for asthmatic children, smoking withdrawal clinics, health and patient education services, patient transportation to clinics, and financial assistance for the purchase of drugs, and home oxygen for respir- - atory patients. . The design of this year's Christmas Seals is representative of Canada's northern peoples. A lot of people in Durham Region and across the country will be coynting on the funds raised. Support the 1978 Christmas Seal Campaign. A long way from Floral He finally did it. After going without a goal for several games, otd number nine from Floral, Sask., knocked in a goal in Birmingham, Alabama, that was the 1000th of a career that has spanned more than three decades. - Approaching his 50th birthday, his hair gray, his pace on the ice slow, and in constant pain with arthritis in the left hand, Gordie Howe's goal last week was an historic moment in the world of sport. While the golden marker will go into the record books, Mr. Elbows achieves a remarkable feat every time he puts on the equipment for a professional hockey game. In a sport that has seen good players burned out before they are 30 years of age, this man continues to play and amaze. He is an inspiration not only to those who follow hockey, but to all people who admire dedication in the human spirit. It has been a long, long road from that tiny prairie town of Floral to an ice hockey arena in an Alabama city. It will be a long, long time before people forget. Put them in jail It is becoming common-place around Christmas time; like the gifts, the mistletoe and the turkey, Christmas in Canada just wouldn't seem like Christmas without a disruption in the mail service. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is threat- ening to broaden an illegal strike by workers at one of the mail-sorting plants in Toronto. The workers walked out last week over the suspension of nine workers, and letter carriers and truck drivers of the post office are refusing to cross picket lines set up by the illegal strikers. To say that labour relations between the post office 'and its workers is dismal would be the understatement of the year (or any other year for that matter). The actions of certain factions within the CUPW make a sham of the collective bargaining process and bring public. ridicule against the whole postal service. How much longer can the public be expected to tolerate the disruptions? At a time when there are close to-a million Canadians looking for work, it is absolutely ludicrous that some members of the postal union can force the whole system to shut" down. The time is fast approaching for some kind of drastic overhaul, starting with the turfing out of those who walk off their jobs illegally. It goes without saying that there are a lot of people around looking for jobs who would be more than happy to accept a position with the post office. . "One of the leaders of the Toronto local which is creating the present problems is quoted as saying others who are breaking the law. ChatterBox _™A NNN NAN. NY NN WI i WN \\ MOH W) N NW NN x3 WL, 7 Z Z 7 7 N 3 oq (if = ana NWN Ww 5 x Le THE LONELIEST REPAIRMAN 1 TOWN "I'm prepared to go to jail over this one." Well, maybe she should get her wish, along with all the This kind of situation has become intolerable. The public's sympathy for the entire postal service has been stretched to the limit. ] 'by J. Peter Hvidsten Last weekend I ventured forth to cut a Christmas tree, and it brought back some fond memories of one of the first trees I ever cut. It was a crisp, clear night and everywhere you looked smoke rose high into the black night from hundreds of cosy homes. The snow sparkled under the full moon and trees looked like black silhouettes against the whiteness of the landscape. Arriving at a farmers field, where you could have your pick of any tree for $1.50, I jumped out of the car, grabbed the saw and began plodding through the snow looking for '"'the tree of perfection'. After about an hour of trudging around almost every tree in the field, I finally found it. It was a monster of a tree, standing * about 15' high and spreading its branches like tenacles. But I wanted a big tree...and this was it. The boughs were heavily ladden with snow from a recent storm, causing them to sag under the weight. Brushing the snow off the lower limbs, I then slid myself under the branches and began sawing through an enormous trunk. You have no idea how hard it is to saw, lying on your stomach like a reptile, until you have tried. After what seemed like hours, the labour paid off, when, with a hearty shove, the tree toppled over. During the process of falling to the ground the tree dropped the remainder of the snow from the higher branches onto my freezing, wet hulk lying face down in the snow. Exhausted I dragged myself to my feet, uttering a few choice phrases, which cannot be printed in this colmn. Catching my breath, I delimbed the bottom of the tree, tied a rope around the trunk and began to drag it towards the car. Only then did I realize just how far I had walked looking for this monster. Arriving back at the car some time later, I loaded it into the trunk, at least what would fit, and headed for home. Once there, the grunting and groaning started all over as I tried to encourage it to come into the apartment. It's hard to fit a five foot wide tree through "a three foot door! Inside, the tree was put on a stand, tied and secured with a rope in three spots and left to dry out. And when it did, "what a beaut'. The tree touched thé ceiling which was 12 feet, and spread its bougs eight feet. ' ; Decorated with balls, lights and tinsel, it was the nicest tree I had ever seen. And it only cost $1.50 and ten years of my life. Last weekend's trip for a Christmas tree was r slightly different. Loading three young lads, Linda and myself into the truck we headed out on a quick Sunday afternoon "trip to the tree farm. The last words of a visiting relative were '""you'll be back before five won't you?" You bet we would. It was three-thirty then and we -were only about five miles from the site, so we should be back within an hour at the most. But plans don't always work the way they should, and such was the case. . Crawling along the snow covered roads, being careful not to hit the hundreds of snowmobilers whose cars lined the sides of the roads, we drove right past the first tree farm, so travelled on north to another. When we arrived, it took little time to realize that there were no trees in the field suitable, so we turned around and headed back to the original site. Once ther, a sign at the entrance revealed that the cost of the trees)at this site were $7.00 each, you had to . Especially not a spruce that I would "have cut'myself. In the first place I don't like spruce, and secondly, for $7.00 I figured they should cut the tree, load it in the truck and put it on a stand bac at my house. : But I'learn quickly. My idea of a "$1.50 cut{your- own tree" was quickly shattered. Turning the van around once again, we headed to yet another site. This time we got the right place. There were two fields full of the most nicely shaped pine trees you could hope to buy for $7.00... Parking-the- truck, the lads jumped out, and I picked up the dull axe and we all headed for the fields about half a mile away. As we got closer it became quite apparent that we would not get a tree at this site. They were beautiful + trees, but the tallest was not over my head. Disappointed, we turned around and began walk- ing back to the van. The sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon by this time, and it looked like we would not get a tree. But I was not about to quit. I had one last chance to fulfill this. mission, and I was not about to fail. Arriving in town at 4:45 we quickly headed for a service station to pick out a tree from out of a bunch of pre-cut trees. We bought two trees....for a mere $18.00. As I sit here writing this tale, I still do not know what those trees will look like. They had been tied so tightly in transit that the branches were all reaching skyward, and it took little effort to wrap my arms around the whole tree. They reminded me of a tree that had been pulled through a knot-hole. You know....artificial trees are starting to look. better, and better, and better. . ES a 7 | wv Liv y