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"A Family Tradition for 131 Years" - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 29, 1997 -7 Hr -------- I ETTERS Felling of trees raises questions To the Editor: I'd like to ask Scugog Council a few questions, in this public forum, and would appreciate the answers, also in this public forum, as I'm certain many peo- ple are wondering about the same thing. 0 Why were nine trees cut down in North Nestleton re- cently? I took pictures of all the trunks after they were cut down, and maybe three might have been a problem in a decade or two. The remaining six, in- cluding three trees only 30 to 40 years old, were in excellent con- dition. : 0 Did the adjacent property owner ask council to cut these trees? Or was council just look- ing for some place to spend some lot levy money? I hear dif- ferent versions of this story. 0 Joan Graham is once again offering trees for residents to purchase and plant along our roadsides; these trees will be- come township responsibility. We're paying for these trees now. Will we pay for you to cut them down later? I'd like to think somebody on council, and that means all members, would have the intes- tinal fortitude to answer these questions in the newspaper. But, I suspect you will hide be- hind the statement "I'm not go- ing to get into a public battle in the newspaper with this." As far as I'm concerned, if you don't respond, we'll all know you've no business being in pub- lic life because you won't an- swer a few simple questions in a very public form. This isn't an all-candidates meeting, where only those in attendance will re- member what you said. This is the newspaper of record in Scu- 80g. There's a lot more I'd like to say but, in the interest of space, will leave it at that for now. There are many Scugog taxpay- ers and voters who would appre- ciate your response. You can send it To the Editor and I'm sure he'll be glad to forward your answers, to all of his read- ers. Gord Malcolm, Blackstock Campaign for bank machine wins To the Editor: We would like to extend our thanks to the Port Perry Star for supporting and "spreading the word" about our mission to acquire abank machine at Man- chester Country Convenience & Esso Gas Bar. All efforts paid off, and the Toronto Dominion Bank is installing a machine to be live May 15. Your article was the icing on the cake in our political battle to convince the banks. It mustered up some terrific support and sent the message that we were serious and confident. We found there was tremendous support from the community in reaction to the article, and it conveyed our efforts in detail. Before publication of the arti- cle, Paul and I had a memorized spiel about efforts and barriers. After the article, we didn't have to do as much talking and com- municating because everyone understood. It is now a pleasure to com- municate our success, and I am confident that the machine will be well used, both by local pa- trons and our visitors. We are receiving a TD cash- back machine. If the transac- tion volume is high there is a possibility at the end of one year it may be replaced with a full service machine offering bill paying, deposits, etc, our next goal. Thank you again for your sup- port. Leisha and Paul Giddings, Manchester To the Editor: from abroad. whole country suffers. It's obvious that Chretien, like Mulroney be- fore him, will not take a strong stand against the separatists in Quebec. Had the Anglophone politicians and the press pundits taken strong measures against Separatists, we wouldn't be in the position of seeing the country torn asun- der. Canada's enemies come from within, not For the past 30 years we have been bombard- ed with endless demands from Quebec. The Chretien caves in to Quebec again Meanwhile in Quebec the language police have increased their fines from $50 to $250 for the use of English signs. Had the media taken a strong stand from the beginning, the Separatists could have been nipped in the bud; no Bloc party. The solution is a simple one: Let Quebec re- main French, and the rest of the country Eng- lish speaking. Only the Reform Party has fore- sight to this simple solution. The divorce is inevitable; let's face up to it and get on with solving our own more vital problems of health care, crime and other social ills that plague us. Dean J. Kelly, Port Perry Editor's Notepad by Jeff Mitchell Nadie. COMBING DURHAM FOR SUPPORT Here it is election time and the pieces locally are, more or less, falling into place. Except for the Conservatives, that is... that would be the less part, | reckon. The nasty fight between contender Sam Cureatz and the national wing of the PC party wound up in court, as you all know by now, and the result was -- nothing, really. Except that a meeting that was to be held this past Saturday to sort out the mess wasn't. The Durham Tories appear to be in disarray, and both candidates for the nomination -- Mr. Cureatz aznd Llewellyn Jones of Scugog Point -- worry about the way it's going to look to the electorate. The old saw goes that there's no such thing as bad publicity, and that's probably true in this case. We the voters have been beaten nearly unconscious by the state of affairs -- The economy? Still sucks. Jobs? What Jobs? Quebec? Get outta here! -- that we can barely tell one talking head from another. But -- Jean Charest; there's a different head. Literally. Yep. The Tories definitely have an edge in the hair department. Preston Manning's new do is now old hat. Jean Chretien has a nondescript brown comb-over. Alexa McDonough has nice hair, but not as nice as Jean Charest's. So they could capitalize or: that. Make Brian Mulroney a faint memory (although it might work to focus on his evil properties as a necessary consequence of greatness, the way we now think it's a mark of some distinction that Sir John A. was tanked three quarters of the time while he did his nation building. Hm... some other time, maybe). They could put the local squabble behind them. Yes. Focus on the hair thing: "Jean Charest: He's got a real head on his shoulders". "Jean Charest: Hair Today, For Your Tomorrow". "Jean Charest: Only his hairdresser knows for sure..." This sort of campaign approach would be a marked departure for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, but who's to say it wouldn't work? Who's to say that Kim Campbell might not be alive today if she'd talked a little less about --- um, whatever the hell it was she was talking about... | never could understand a word she said -- and a whole lot more about her hair, and the hair she could promise all Canadians as leader of the country? Just watch the votes pour in on election day. Sam Cureatz or Llewellyn Jones, neither of whom have outstanding hair, really, could simply ride the wave (hmmph...) into office, and find a new home in Ottawa. | Make it permanent (hyuk!). Ran dom Jottings 'll by J. Peter Hvidsten HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES 125 YEAR HISTORY This weekend, Port Perry High School students, past and present will assemble at the Rosa Street institution to take part in the 125th anniversary reunion of the school. As our readers will see in an article elsewhere in this paper, written by Star historical columnist Paul Arculus, the school has gone through many changes over the years, but perhaps one of the saddest moments was when the original Union School (a combined high and public school) burned to the ground in 1926. But that didn't deter Port Perry's early educators and before long a new school was erected just feet away from the charred foundation of the original school. Now some 80 years later, students who have been INFIGHTING WILL BE COSTLY Durham PCs must be feeling a little sheepish these days, what with the Prime Minister calling an election for June 2 on Sunday, and the party has yet to decide who will lead them into battle. Last week's decision by a judge, which rules the riding reached that remarkable milestone with their farm party must start the nomination procedure over due to errors made in selecting Sam Cureatz as its candidate, and subsequent appeals by his opponent Llewellyn Jones, has all but ruled out the local party has much of a shot at winning this riding. For the good of all, one would have thought the two men could get together and work things out so as not to undermine the credibility of the party. I's going to be very difficult for either candidate to face the riding constituency with a straight face when they start knocking on doors. With the party almost split almost down the middle in loyalty to their can- educated in its hallowed halls will meet for the weekend didate, it will be tough convincing the voters they can to relive a few minutes of their youth by swapping sto- ries, reminiscing and looking at old photos. We extend a warm welcome home to former students and teachers and hope all attending have an exciting and rewarding weekend. handle the affairs of the country. In effect, due to their infighting, the local PCs have effectively taken themselves out of the race and paved the road for a Liberal victory in Durham. THREE DECADES OF THE DEERE In this day of age, when businesses come and go almost as quickly as the seasons, it's nice to see a local company celebrating three decades of service to the community. And Arnold and Gail Kerry, of Utica Farm Equipment, implement dealership this past week. Operating a business for 30 years is no easy task. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and just a pinch of luck to survive in the business world today. We extend our congratulations to Arnold, Gail and their entire staff for reaching this important milestone and wish them continued health and success in the years ahead... of which we're sure there will be many. A REMINDER - Don't forget the Giant Charity Yard Sale taking place this Saturday at Port Perry Plaza. Proceeds from the event will be used to benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters of North Durham.