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page 2 the tribune thursday february 23 1971 tn established 1s88 c h nolan publisher jim thomas editor w wna published every thursday by inland publishing co limited at 51 main st stouffville onl tel 64o2i01 single copies 15c subscriptions s500 per year in canada 900 elsewhere member of audit bureau of circulation canadian weekly newspapers association and ontario weekly newspapers association second class mail registration number 0896 editorial a guaranteed increase forget it unless budget estimates are drastically cut at the regional level and maintained close to 1970 figures locally whitchurchstouffville taxpayers are in for a whopping big increase in 1971 mayor ken laushway in making the prediction chooses the word con siderable rather than whopping but in gentler terms it means the same thing he has promised to fight these in creases all the way down the line we wish him luck there are two areas where estimates should be reduced one is with services the other is with salaries the taxpayer the guy whose paying the shot is becoming overburdened with both somewhere along the line these things must level off the year 1971 is as good a time as any to start it is our opinion that many services while perhaps beneficial to a few are services that we just cant afford it is our opinion that many salaries established at both the regional and local levels are away out of line while some in their own opinions at least may well be worth it we cannot help but wonder how many employees in private enterprize in stouffville are making ten fifteen twenty or thirty thousand dollars a year in government circles however the skys the limit but what irritates us even more none are ever satisfied they have come to believe that annual increases should be automatic and woe betide the scoundrel that dares to object well let it be known that we object and should the tax hike be considerable as mayor laushway predicts we will mean the people john q public so we say to regional and municipal employees tighten your belts and we repeat to council representatives sharpen your pencils the time has come to hold the line and our patience is wearing thin need cost figures first the recent decision to place the gor- mley area exchange in a freecall zone to toronto has prompted many stouffville residents to demand similar service here bell officials feel the move at the present time is premature who is right before we could lend our support to any petition one fact should be made clear how much extra will it cost the term freecall is deceiving theres nothing free about it rates would be increased for both party and business phones as much as 2 to 5 a month maybe more is it worth it we feel town council should arrange another meeting with bell to get the facts and figures straight when this information is available a petition could then be circulated in this way residents would know what they are signing and for how much editr mail dear mr thomas i imagine that by this date you are beginning to notice a steady stream of letters presented for your publication on the topic of bell telephone free call service for the stouffville area i feel very strongly that we in the 640 exchange are being discriminated against in this regard as do mr reed and mr jeffrey along with many others i am sure i would like to take some definite action such as that outlined in the last paragraph of mr jeffreys letter to you which was printed in last weeks tribune i would be perfectly willing to collect letters requesting that a free call ser vice be provided for our exchange and present them personally to officials of the telephone company letters should be addressed to bell canada legibly signed and carry the full address and telephone number of the telephone subscriber according to a bell canada public relations employee there are 3357 residential services and 668 business services presently provided in the 640 exchange a manager of one bell area told me that the decision to provide a new area with the free call service is based on the number of subscribers who demonstrate an interest in calling the toronto core and that the bell would probably take action in this regard long before the number of subscribers demanding such service reached 9095 percent of the total subscribers in the area on this basis i feel that a minimum of 3000 signed letters would warrant immediate action from the company it should be noted that if such a service is provided in the future there would be a substantial increase in the flat rate charge for regular telephone service and those not in favor of this rate increase should not request the additional calling area service a few items which might interest your readers dial the business office number 2943100 printed on your monthly bill and ask the operator where she is located i called the following numbers today from the 640 exchange without any long distance charge by calling the business office and asking to have my call transferred 2943100 9292459 929- 6014 and 9297173 bell canada seemingly have the facility available but prefer to apply the extra toll charge for it stephen j kettle 425 loretta cresc south stouffville dear sir on behalf of the claremont winter carnival committee i wish to express sincere appreciation for publicity provi ded our event while the weather forced us to cancel outside activities saturday the trappers ball in the evening was a huge success the recreation association would like to thank everyone who gave so generously of their time the enthusiasm generated by the carnival in the community was so high we are determined to organize another next year al ward principal dear sir your recent editorial feb 4 and a page 1 story under the heading mor tgagees press for action against century city firm covers an issue that should have been resolved long ago the ninety mortgageholders invited to a meeting feb 10 to consider action against the developers are putting the cart before the horse they are the ones who should be bringing pressure to bear on the township and queens park to give century city the green light to proceed with their plans the land owners who sold to century city were fortunate indeed to get an average price of 1500 per acre for land which possibly originally cost them 50 100 per acre and out of which for many years they have made their livelihood right today they would be lucky to get sorry the prime minister jzpeaqng- sugar and spice heres how well ive got the snowmobilers of canada on my back almost unanimously after a recent column which suggested mildly that the machines are instruments of satan at best the finest tool for noisestink pollution since the automobile took to the roads that makes up about onequarter of my readers this week i shall alienate another twoquarters of them by giving my unvarnished opinion of cats cats like snowmobiles have their uses theyre handy to have around a farm where they help keep the vermin under control they have in the past been just the thing for the proprietors of some chicken palaces when the price of chicken was high there were some in prison camp presumably to keep down the rats their numbers were diminishing with in creasing speed until the german camp commandant issued the dictum prisoners wili cease and desist killing and eating of longtailed rabbits he had a sense of humour which is more than you can say for a cat then they are useful when kittens for putting on calendars and finally ill admit they provide company of sorts for lonely people who pamper them stuff them with tidbits and turn them from sleek felines into bloated contemptuous parasites who take over the best chair in the house shed hair over everything claw the rug and upholstery at will and want out at five in the morning if i should grow old and lonely i would prefer a snake as a pet like cats they just sleep and eat they also eat mice but they dont come fawning and whining and rubbing fiercely against your legs when youre getting their food out they dont want out in the middle of the night and they dont get pregnant every six weeks its a wellknown fact that cats have no 500 per acre so they would be well ad vised to stop crying on each others shoulder and take strong action against those responsible for holding up a scheme which would bring prosperity to ux- bridge township i would add that i am in no way con nected with century city or with ux- bridge township fat cats get that way by bill smiley love for anybody not even for other cats a beautiful female will marry any fleabitten oneeyed torneared philanderer who comes along and torn cats are just plain sex fiends in some ways cats are like children when theyre kittens theyre sweet and loveable and cuddly and always making a mess when they grow up they mooch unashamedly stay out half the night sleep half the day and are always making a mess my wife isnt fond of cats and i loathe them but we always seem to be stuck with one daughter kim picks up a stray kitten and brings it home with the deepest misgivings we adopt the scrawny little wretch theyre always female which we dont find out until too late then kim breezes off somewhere and were guardians and grandparents theres no parleying about birth control kim insists that her protegee must fulfil her function as a female after the drama of the delivery and the period of nursing we have a hysterectomy per- formed and in about four months the slim sleek pretty young thing is a great fat cat knocking off tins and tins of cat food and producing nothing except ex treme irritation try to get her to put her out when you think its time and she darts upstairs and under a bed have you ever tried crawling under a bed to catch a cat who doesnt want to go out into the snow its a good way to give yourself a stroke from sheer rage leave her outside and she darts bet ween your legs when youre bringing in armsful of groceries and hightails it to safety under another bed or down cellar the door of which your stupid wife or husband has left open the solution of course is to have her put away but somehow ive never been able to accept euthanasia after all you dont kill your kids or even your parents just because they drive you wild many will not agree with me but i got off to a bad start this week all set to go to work monday morning cat in back kitchen with an odd look on her face threw her out went into the downstairs powder room and there was the evidence not one but two distinct evidences of massive diarrhea its the only good thing i can say for them at least they know enough to go to an outsider the bathroom fflrvmln ffiuunt judge for a night by jim thomas everyone sees themselves as a qualified judge i do and so do you and why not anyone with an eye that can see a tongue that can taste or an ear that can hear is justified in thinking that he or she can make the proper pick be the entry bathing beauty a pumpkin pie or an angus bull but few of us ever get the chance show organizers invariably go looking for some blueblooded professional to take on this enjoyable chore its not fair so it was when kent milroy of claremont called me and requested my assistance in selecting a snow princess friday at the communitys winter carnival i agreed in fact so quickly did i agree it left him momentarily speechless he even called back twice in the interval to verify the agreement leading one to believe that men arent all that anxious to get involved in such af fairs before starting out a tape measure in one pocket and a notepad in the other i received a few words of encouragement and instruction from the home front whatever you do dont just pick the one with the prettiest face the broadest smile or the biggest youknowwhats my wife warned youknowwhats by any other name are a humanistic terminology still treated in the strictest confidence around our place remember she continued your selection will mean a lot to the winner and also her parents do a good job in order to obtain a full report on my performance she suggested i take daughter susan along a kind of sideline informer i didnt complain i didnt dare much of claremonts teen and subteen activities take place in the community hall it was there i was introduced to the committee chairman a chap with the likely name of john smith and judges rev eldon linstead and joe mc- cullough with a pastor present and the starting age at nine i poked the tape measure deeper into my pocket there were five finalists each with five mothers all certain im sure that their daughter should win but only one could four could not would they accept our decision as final as fair or would it mean four less patrons for joe four empty pews for the pastor and four cancelled subscriptions for me brother were we on the spot introductions were made individually each contestant passing rather shyly through a gauntlet of prying eyes the younger ones i classed as cute but the oldest a vibrant thirteen was well ad vanced into the attractive stage now dont get carried away with you know i whats a little voice kept saying a subtle reminder of the words of wisdom from back at home easier said than done came a subconcious reply first was lynda she was more mature than the rest and would fill the 4 princess roll well one point for lynda second was gale she enjoyed all kinds of outdoor sports one point for gale third was shelley she thanked the community for organizing the carnival and the committee for arranging the competition one point for shelley fourth was nancy she mentioned her parents her brother her sister and her cat named blackie one point for nancy 4 1 fifth was lennie she too mentioned her family her sunday school and her hobby of raising rabbits one point for lennie there i was five girls five points a stalemate what a fix but i wasnt alone deeply furrowed brows indicated my two compatriots were in about the same boat finally after giving the matter due thought and consideration i made my choice awaited the official pronoun- cement then left fully anticipating an ambush outside but it never came not even a single phone cali of complaint so now im a success a fullfledged j judge my services will undoubtedly be in demand whenever queens are crowned who knows with a little luck ill get to use that tapeline yet