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a4 tribune january 20 1988 editors mail never satisfied re the mail mess story on page 1 of the jan 13 tribune it would seem such problems arent confined only to stouffvil- le mail delivery would seem to be in a mess all over but is it ive made a personal study of mail deliveries in many com munities the complaint is pret ty much the same too slow in my opinion the problem is the public they expect too much for the price of a 37 cent stamp every once in awhile you read about someone receiving a christmas card or some such trivial thing two years late the media makes a big deal of this forgetting the thousands even millions of cards and letters processed through the postal system every day the truth as i see it is the pub lic will never be satisfied not totally the few that are wronged are the ones who do all the complaining my advice to mr fisher is sit tight do the best you can and dont try to please every one thats an impossible task sincerely isabelle cox gormley rr 1 the tribune established 1888 james thomas bruce annan patricia pappas jennifer hutt editor publisher advertising manager distribution manager editorial dept denise mcdonald retail advertising susan berry manager charles canning real estateclassified advertising joan marshman real estate manager dorothy young classified manager debra weller distribution lea kitler doreen deacon business office manager chris bertram national sales representative metroland corporate sales 4931300 the siouffvlle tribune published every wednesday and saturday at 5j mam st stouffuile oni is one of the metroland printing publishing distributing group of suburban newspapers which includes the acton free press aox pickering news advertiser aurora banner brampton guardian burlington post eiobicoke advertiser guardian georgetown independent markham economist sun milton champion mississauga news newmarket era oakvillc beaver oshawa whirjy this week richmond hill thornhiu vaughan liberal scarborough mirror topc newsmagazine willow dale mirror metroland printing publishing distributing is a division of harlequin enterprises ltd single copies 50c subscriptions s21 00 per year in canada 55 00 elsewhere member of canadian com munity newspaper association ontario weekly newspaper association ontario press council and sub urban newspapers of america second class mail registration number 0896 6402100 e roaming around- telephone hangup by jim thomas- 6492292 editorials provincial grants the federal ministry of agricul ture is reviewing its distribution of funding with respect to 214 fairs across canada the final decision is expected by 1990 the announcement it seems comes as no surprise to those closest to local agricultural societies most feel the government will simply establish new priorities and shift funds from one area of fair interest to another we see nothing wrong with this as long as the total figure remains the same while the news release from the office of agriculture minister john wise gives no details concerning how funds will be divided we fear the total 24 million will be dras tically reduced fair boards some already strug gling to stay solvent can illafford cutbacks in financial assistance for many it could be the straw that breaks the camels back markham fair for example de clared a profit of just over 39000 in 1987 with government aid 21 683 earnings soared to 60812 a good unselfish decision spademan disposal has been sold the firm established 51 years ago has provided an excellent ser vice to business and residential propertyowners in whitchurch- stouffville since entering into a contract town council has experienced few if any problems on the contrary mr spademan has been extremely cooperative with regard to special pickups also supportive of the local recycling as a municipality we could ex pect nothing more were pleased ralph spademan has seen fit to keep his operation canadian milier paving is a reput able firm highly respected within the business community as a town we can anticipate the same level of service as the spademan company provided at considerable selfsacrifice mr spademan elected to remain cana dian at least one american firm had bid higher than miller he turned the offer down more importantly mr spademan showed concern for his staff mak ing sure their interests were pro tected he was not committed in this re gard he only wished to return a share of the loyalty they had shown to him year however unfavorable weekend weather conditions can change the financial picture from a handsome profit to a disappointing loss government funding is the crutch all fairs need we feel the source of government fair subsidies is wrongfully posi tioned it should be shifted entirely from federal jurisdiction to the pro vinces queens park for example is much closer to fair programs than ottawa the same can likely be said elsewhere across canada federal authority so far removed from the grass roots often has trou ble understanding peoples prob lems fall fairs can be similarly categorized priorities become con fused we say leave the funding the same but change the funder it may be a case of robbing peter to pay paul but paul has a much closer insight into how much is required and for what the telephone does it please you or provoke you both you reply me too this personal lovehate relationships been going on for years unfortunately the situations getting worse instead of better i place the telephone in much the same classification as some husbands place their wives they cant get along with em and they cant get along without em the situations so confusing that if ale xander graham bell should somehow walk into my office this minute i wouldnt know whether to grab him by the hand or by the throat in all honesty poor old alex shouldnt take the blame for the phone any more than henry ford for problems related to the motor car its the way folks abuse the product thats irritating not the pro duct itself i know im not alone when it comes to criticizing pa bells invention at one time or another weve all berated the system with threats like if that phone rings once more ill scream or id like to ring its neck some people actually do become violent throwing the receiver half way cross the room or slamming it down with deskjarring force i wonder how many repair calls are due to temper tantrums im sure the percentage is high the practice causing the greatest stir in our household are calls at meal times not one or two but sometimes three and four during a onehour period when this occurs we all kind of sit there looking at one another hoping someone will rise to the occasion without being told mary- lynn our youngest usually responds it goes almost without saying its for her is it any wonder some families install phones for teenagers only its crossed my mind in recent years the answering machines become increasingly popu lar at first i found it intimidating talk ing to a tape seemed cold and imperson al ive since overcome this hangup no pun intended agreeing its better speaking to something even myself than nothing the cellular phone of course is the in thing today to me they make good business sense although i often wonder if thats their sole purpose i suspect for some firms it gives them a sense of high er profile in the business community again it may only be an ego trip for the company prez im not sure what lies ahead in the telephone industry its a certainty the backroom boys wont rest on their laurels despite tremendous improve ments theyre only scratching the sur face i predict the television phone is just around the corner maybe its already here but hasnt yet arrived in whitch- urchstouffville through this innova tive device one will be able to see to whom heshe is talking it will have its advantages of course virtually destroying the anonymosity of crank and obscene callers but visualize the scene where someone jumps quickly out of bed or springs unthinkingly from the shower what a shock personally id appreciate putting a face to a name by the year 2000 therell be one in every home standard equip ment like the tv and stereo every office too maybe every car when it comes to using the phone un fairly im the worlds worst offender i see dozens of subscribers nodding their collective heads in agreement calls at mealtimes i do it all the time late at night im continually hauling people from under the covers sundays no days of rest yes jean berates me for my brash- ness how would you like to be wakened out of a deep sleep she asks impatiently just remember everyone doesnt work sundays she states emphati cally couldnt your call have waited she enquires ashamedly shes right of course but strange as it may seem in 36 years of telephone mis use ive never had one person hang up in my ear all could have and some should have it might have taught me a lesson trouble is in the weird and wonderful world of journalism one loses all track of time it can be three oclock in the afternoon or three oclock in the morn ing who careswhen theres work to be done you do it even if it means disturb ing someone elses sleep so the telephone serves my purpose more convenient than knocking on doors and much safer admittedly with the advent of the television phone ill need to be more careful looks at the other end could kill however with this major innovation not anticipated for another twelve years i dont need to worry mac middleton and his steamer close companions over the years clarcmonts mac middleton and his waterloo steam engine have been familiar sights at area shows and fairs this picture was taken several years ago at history in action days on the former site of the picker ing museum in brougham mr middleton 86 is presently a patient in uxbridgc cottage hospital after suffering a fall in his home over three months ago jim thomas editors mail volunteers dear editor we need your readers help the stouffville branch of the canadian cancer society requires volunteers for the april campaign as campaign chairman ive heard a variety of reasons why peo ple choose not to assist as a volun teer the most obvious is a lack of personal time to participate or the job entails more than i can handle in most cases people are reluc tant because of misconceived ideas about the commitment to clarify any misunderstand ings id like to explain the commit ment thats involved as a cancer society volunteer you will be asked to call on 15 to 20 homes in your own area asking for donations since april is recognized as cancer month across canada donors are generally expecting you usually two to four hours during the entire month is all thats re quired the most effective times are during the evenings or on a saturday and thats it the benefits derived from your efforts will by far outlast the two to four hours of your time on the personal side its an excel lent opportunity to meet your neigh bors enjoy some exercise and have a change in atmosphere from daily routines but more importantly the funds raised will be used to educate the public assist patients and their families stricken by cancer and provide researchers the opportun ity to find cures for the many types of cancer since the formation of the stouff- ville branch in 1956 we have relied on the generosity of our community to support our dream that cancer can be beaten to continue the support we need your help to make our dream become a reality if you feel our commitment as a volunteer fits your schedule and you live cither inside stouffville or in the rural area we sure would appreciate your assistance were winning the battle against cancer because you really do make a difference sincerely william j giles campaign chairman stouffville branch canadian cancer society phone 6402015 f