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Thinking Out Loud Election too close to callin Simcoe East, Centre by Doug Reed With less than a week to go before the March 19 provincial election, races in both the ridings of Simcoe East and Simcoe Centre are too close to pick eventual winners. While some provincial leaders bicker about the presence or lack of election coverage by the media, closer to home the battle appears to centre around which party can place the most election campaign signs on trees, cars and yes in one case on an old red-colored school bus. To say the election has been low-keyed in most of both ridings is to hit the nail on the head. It might well be after recent back to back federal-elections during the past year or so that both campaigners and their supporters just can't muster up enough zip for another "last hurrah."' Whatever the reason most voters we have Place of strap talked to are weary of the whole exercise which will in the end cost millions of dollars to hold. In Simcoe East the battle will be won or lost not in Orillia or Midland but in a section of "no- man's land' between Orillia and Midland. Balance of power Tt would seem to us the real balance of power will come from Warminster, Fesserton, Matchedash,_ Tay, Victoria Harbour, _ Waubaushene and Port MeNicoll. And odds are throughout that section of the riding Grits have a bit of an edge...but it Harber to offer his formula a a ee ee Se et ee ee in schools warms SCBE meeting A motion to inform the Minister of Education that the Simcoe County Board of Education favours the retention of the strap in the public schools provoked nearly every trustee at Wednesday's meeting to speak for or against the strap. The mover of the motion, Tottenham trustee Frank Prothero, suggested that those people who think better means of maintaining discipline exist today "should look at the crime rate and the number of misdemeanours being committed. It isn't even a close argument. Our society is in a great decline."' Barrie trustee Dr. Allen Fisher, who spoke at least three times against the retention of the strap, said that he "never thought that beating my children would discipline them.' Fisher drew on his 40 years experience as a teacher to comment that he found it astonishing how many good teachers did not use the strap and how many weak teachers did. Blame should be laid not on the schools for not beating children but on any private enterprise that preys on children, he said. 'Until the churches regain the grip John that they (once) had on children,' progress is McCullough impossible, he said. Midland trustee John McCullough took offense at the remarks of Barrie trustee Paul Tremblay and Orillia trustee Janet Kiff that young people were not animals to be whipped, and that strapping was an act of violence. McCullough added that the strap had never been used in that extreme manner in Simcoe County because the board would certainly have heard of it. The motion in part declared that the ban- ning of the strap would severely weaken the remaining authority of the teacher, and that banning of the strap by the Ministry would be an infringement of the authority of the province's school boards. Prothero asked for a unanimous vote for the motion, but the motion did not come to a vote. It was instead referred to committee. J dSS Hwy 27 at the bridge in Wyebridge WEAVING Fine quality hand made Clothing and Accessories 526-4118 Tues.-Fri. 12-6, Sat.-10-6 Sun. 1-6 Page 6, Friday, March 13, 1981 A meet the candidates yesterday afternoon. night was held in Orillia Because of limited last night for those space in today's seeking to become newspaper we were Simcoe East's unable to reproduce representative at Harber's entire ad- Queen's Park after. dress. March 19. Harber and Bruce Jack Harber, the Owen (Lib. Simcoe Liberal candidate,, Centre) willbe hosting a presented this' meeting tomorrow night newspaper with a copy of his address late | Dr. Stuart Smith You can buy paperbacks for lf, of the original price at MIKE'S BOOK STORE, ORILLIA We sell paperbacks at 2 price and buy them back when returned in good condition. We buy most other books including comics and adult magazines in good condition and pay top dollar for up-to-date ones! 91 Mississaga St. E., Orillia JACK HARBER invites you to meet STUART SMITH in Midland when Dr. Stuart Smith, provincial me leader of the Liberal Party. will be attending. The jaint riding(s) meeting will be held at the Budd Watson Gallery. Midland Jaycees will be hosting that Sunday night event. During his address last night Harber was to touch on such subjects as unemployment in the riding, aging, the elderly, mandatory retirement, inadequate pensions, limited access to home support ser- vices and the govern- ment freeze on new homes for the aged. At the outset of his remarks he intended to say that the people of Simcoe East "want to hear specifically what an individual would do to correct some of the problems that our area is experiencing." With that Harber planned to zero in on local problems and offer his formula and that of his party to correcting them. 4 VOTE Fayne Bullen Ee 5800 a v @ K A Authorized by Official Agent for Fayne Bullen could all change March 19.if inclement weather keeps vast numbers away from the polls. Tories you see have a knack of getting the vote out in good weather or foul so don't count them out, nor for that matter don't count out the NDP either. In Simcoe Centre the race is going to be equally close with Bruce Owen (Lib.) hot on incumbent MPP George Taylor's heels. Owen has been run- ning a slick newspaper campaign in particular and may very well grab some of the disen- chanted votes from both the Tories and NDPs in the riding. But again it is too close to call. In the meantime you'll have a chance to meet Dr. Stuart Smith, head of the provincial Liberals when he comes Auto Parts Pro' te @ HOULIWOOD ACCESSORES HOLLYWOOD COMMUTER CUP jessonalS to Midland tomorrow night. if you are of that persuasion. Both Jack Harber (Lib.-Simcoe East) and Bruce Owen (Lib. Simcoe Centre) are hoping for a good tur- nout at the joint meeting to be staged at the Budd Watson Gallery when Smith comes to town at 6:30 p.m. Although Premier William Davis reached into the riding last week in visits to both Barrie and Orillia, Smith will be the first party leader from the province who will actually be making an appearance. in Midland to woo voters. Mike Cassidy, NDP leader, was to have been here vesterday but his visit was shelved. 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