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(New York Times) “Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms, and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country." Our province is losing its best agricultural land at the rate of 40 acres an hour, says Ministry of Agriculture Middlesex County Rep- resentative Sandy Forsyth. He is particularly aware of what is go- ing on after 16 former years at his job at one of the fastest grow- ing Ontario urban districts, Waterloo County. .He has since spent eight years in the area around London where urban ex- pansion is more muted, but no less apparent. Destroy Our Farms That may have been over- dramatic even in the time of William Jennings Bryan. who said it, when farming played a much larger role in the economic life of the country than it does today. Nevertheâ€" less, now as then Bryan's hyberpole conveys a kernel 0f truth that Americans can ill afford to ignore. especially at a time of growing food scaTCitieS worldwide, of sharp- lyll‘iSing food prices even in “115 agriculturally rich coun- try‘ and 0f relentless urban encroachment on farm land and other environmentally Former Kim: Township Reeve Gordon Cook, when in office and at a recent meeting, sounded the same kind of warning after town- ship officials plotted on a map the frequency of land sales as speculation swept that York Reg- ion municipality. By then the waves of speculative buying gen- erated from the Metro urban centre to the south of us had swept up almost all the farms in Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan. A veteran grass roots Ontario agriculture expert sounded a note the other day which sure should be closely heeded» from one extrem- ity of our land to the other. And nowhere more than here in York Region is there more evidence of the destructive trend against which he sounds a warning. Here we are in the midst of what has long been one of Can- ada’s richest farm food producing areas. Yet how few and far apart are the real farms now, especially in this southern part of the reg- ional municipality. Agricultural' Representative For- syth told last month’s Waterloo Soil and Crop Improvement Assocâ€" iation meeting that planners are now beginning to realize the pres- ervation of good farm land must take precedence over everything else. He said only about 10,000,- 000 acres or about 10 percent of our province’s land can be consid- I’m departing for the usual news formula, ere, to speak an editorial. This is by a Toronto-born Can- adian. It is not a warning be- cause the time for warning is late. It is an appraisement of how the people who want to take over Canada have done it with a blood- less revolution. The ever-increasing hatred of, and pressure against, business, the idea that the state tells us where to work â€" and where to live, and eat â€" rushes forward. It gets closer every minute. Business is to be hated. Here in Canada the legally elected government bows to a gloating minority of Socialists who discover that, as the third most popular party, they can, and do, cause the majority party to dance to their tune. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYED Our universities are filled with teachers who have never worked for any organization except gov- ernment. They went from kinder- garten (state supported) to grade school, to high school, to univer- sity as staff. Always from birth to death, feeding out of the public trough and hurling insults at business which puts into the public trough. Countless Canadians of this hour have been persuaded by those people that Bell Telephone, as a sample, should be nationalized. That would mean that the hun- dreds of millions of dollars now paid by Bell in taxes would cease. It would not mean one extra job â€" not one! All dividends would cease. Hence income tax would drop. But it doesn’t matter to these haters of business Gordon Sinclair's Views About Our Canada Today EMA Tithe liberal An Independent Weekly: Established 1878 ‘19:: Subscription Rate $6.00 per year; to United States $9.00; 15¢ Single Copy Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Published by Richmond Hill Liberal Publishing Co. W. S. COOK, Publisher “Second class mail, registration number 0190" THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, Jan. 17, 1974 Save Our Farms Citizens of New York State, where pressures on farming are particularly acute. can find encouragement from re- ports of initial success for a two-year-old state program to protect farms from real es- tate speculation and suburb- an sprawl through creation of special agricultural districts. Already 119 districts have been formed, covering 10% of the state’s 10.1 million farm acres. essentially open spaces Farmers in the districts are protected against arbi- trary seizures through emi~ nent domain and from local ordinances that would inter- fere with necessary farm operations. They are taxed on the basis of the assessed valuation of their property for farm production rather than on its potential devel- We agree with Forsyth that concern about this serious loss of farm land to residential-industrial development and highways should be impressed upon the public and government. As this thoughtful agriculture expert says, the farm land waste is likely to hit us in the not too far distant future just like the energy crisis is hitting now. Forsyth said Waterloo County lost about 15,000 improved farm acres between 1966 and 1971, dropping from 225,000 to 210,000. There was a further 3,000 acres not in crops in 1971. Middlesex lost 67,000 improved acres in the same period, dropping from 550.- 000 to 468,000, even though the actual number of acres in crops went up from 365,000 _to_399,000. Forsyth feels we can’t rely on imports from other countries and provinces to fill the food gap if we don’t produce enough food for ourâ€" selves. We are finding out, as in the case of energy, that we can’t depend on our neighbors or other countries. In all this there is certainly plenty of food for thought about the terrible pace at which food producing farm land is being wasted. Time is fast passing by and government must act quickly if agricultural areas like our York Region are to be saved and urban pressures are to be transferred elsewhere. ered good for agriculture and most of it is concentrated in southern areas like here where urban sprawl is exploding. The number of Waterloo com- mercial farms with annual sales of over 85,000 dropped from 1,520 to 1.448 and in Middlesex from 2,673 to 2,588 during the Same period. The loss figures certainly must be much worse here in York Region, the municipal remainder of old York County’s prosperous farm country. Bell’s rates are all controlled and are comparable to any govern- ment-owned phone companies. But this is not enough. We must take it all over. They’ll do this too. They’ll take over Eaton’s and Simpsons and Hudson Bay. They’ll take over Zellers. Re- member what I’m telling you. Woolworths and Kresgé, seeing it coming, will get out of Canada. Then you’ll fill out a form, line up and pay spot cash for what you buy as you now do at most liquor stores. Everything will be controlled, no credit, no citizens above any other citizen. Cuba and China are the test patterns. You can see now what’s coming to Canada. Business is to he hated, free enterprise is contemptuous. It is being taught at each and all and (every university in Ontario this ay. CONTEMPTUOUS Fill out the form, live where you’re told, do what you’re told, eat what you are told to eat. It is people-power. To be rich is auto- matically to be corrupt and con- temptible. As a great treat, you may one day when your number comes up, attend a movie, like in Cuba. You might even, but less often, dine out. The menu will be con- trolled portions of food, the waiter controlled, no tips. It is here now. The Government of Canada has, through fear, become a sham gov- ernment‘. Prime Minister â€" in actuality â€" David Lewis has made it 50!! I am disgusted with Pierre Elliott Trudeau. â€"Gordon Sinclair on CFRB Saving the farmer may not be the salvation of urban man. But maintaining pro- ductive and prosperous farm- ing, especially on the out- skirts of sprawling cities, is an essential part of the task this nation faces in attempt- ing to restore economic, eco- logical and social balance to this urbanized society. oped value, which could be as much as ten times higher. Obviously such a tax break, which often means the differ- ence between farmers hang- ing on or leaving the land, can result in a substantial tax loss for local communities encompassed by the new agricultural districts. But many rural areas are begin- ning to discover that devel- opment can add more to local government costs than to revenues. quite apart from the social and environmental loss entailed in disappear- ance of farmland. If you were lucky enough to get a poinsetstia plant for Christmas don't make fuhe mistake of vuhinkjng of it as a seasonal decoration. Ac- cording t-o Flowers Canada the poinsettia, given proper care, can be a joy to -the ow- ner indoors and outdoors the year round. Historically the poinsettia dates back ‘to the Aztec civi- lization of Mexico. The brilâ€" liant red color of the plant’s bracts symba'l-ized purity to the Aztecs, who were en- gaged in extensive cultiva- tion of the plant. It was not until the 19th Century, however, that it be- came known to counnries to the north. In 1825 Joel Ro- b‘ert 'Poins-ett, a reputable botanist, was appointed rthe first ambassador of the Uni- ted States to Mexico. Ambas- sador Poinsett collected and shippEd many of the plants to his home in South Caroli- na. and to the English-speak- ing world the plant has im- mortalize‘d his name. On his return to the US. Poinsett grew the plants in his own greenhouses. For years (they were grown only as a novelty plant and were not adopted for commercial promotion until the 20th century. “Meet Me In The Village" is the name of a current dis- play in the upper gallery of the museum wing of the his- toric Gibson House in Wil- lowdale. In the gallery behind the pre - Confederation country home, the North York His- torical Society has reproâ€" duced a hardware store, clock shop, barber shop, toy shop. china shop and a dressmak- er's and haberdasher shop â€" all in the form of various attractive store fronts. It was Albert Ecke of Los Angeles who began to spe- cialize in rpoinsettia culture. and over the years the Ecke family has been instrumental in developing new varieties home, we 1‘40an IUFK rus- torical Society has repro- duced a hardware store, clock shop. barber shop, toy shop. china shop and a dressmak- er’s and haberdasher shop â€"â€" all in the form of various attractive store fronts. Articles used in the exhi- bition are authentic 19th Cen- tury and are on loan from the Toronto Historical Board, Black Creek Pioneer Village, 'd‘\lllllllllilllll“ll“\lllllllllllllllll“llll“lllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllIllllllllll“llllllllllllll“llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll|illlllllllilllllllllllllllllill\lllllill\llllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllill\lilllllll“l“lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“ gallery until the end of March, and will be open to the public during the hours when the house itself is open: Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 5 pm and Sunday noon to 5 pm. Admission is 50c for adults and 25c for children. The house is located at 5172 Yonge Street. behind Willowdale Post Office. The telephone number is 225-0146. In the United States, where the climate is, on the average, only somewhat warmer than our own, over 1/5 of all single-family hous- ing is now factory made in the form of so called “mo- bile homes" though actually immobile. Canadians can hope by producing hundreds of thousands of manufactur- ed homes for location on single properties and on auu Au u; parks, and housing supplie will become more accessible to all. This will remove the "we" and “they” stigma which is implicit in the Langton and Cook letter even though it may create attendant but lesser social problems. JOHN LOUNSBURY, 188 St. Anthony’s Court, Richmond Hill. uayn‘y uuuuuuuuu .. lung "Au Luplnlb -â€"__V_ summer. e graduated with the best lap time and lap consistency from a class of twelve. One of the most important things he learned there was how to take a corner. There are ten on the two and a half mile circuit at Mosport. Contrary to the situations depicted in the movies, there is very little competitive animosity between drivers on the track. They all want to win, of course, but, “if anything you feel close (Continued on Page 18) mu\mmmummmumumuummmmm4 x.»- Nv-Avv- -.- By MARGARET LADE When Hamilton Board of Education set up a special com- mittee to investigate the idea of expanding the school lunch program, trustees were Shocked to learn that more than 1,000 elementary school children in the city are already staying at school instead of going home to lunch. In a story published last month in a Hamilton news- paper, the committee is reported as being “very surprised at the magnitude of the present prob- lem". adding that this creates a tremendous burden on school staff who have to look after them, that the teachers say it is not their duty to babysit at lunchtimes. lunches. When the York County Board of Education was formed in 1969 there was some difference of opinion regarding policy on school lunches before an official policy was implemented, says Acting Director of Education Ron Hall, but recently there have been no complaints from schools or parents. A goodly number of York’s 28.051 elementary school chil- dren live in urban areas, how- ever, and the majority of these are within walking distance of their schools. TEACHER TAKES TURN At McConaghy School in Rich- mond Hill Principal John IIincks reports that just one bus is needed to bring children to Davidson, allowing for cases of “undue hardship” and each case is different. If both parents are working they are expected to make their own arrangements for their children's welfare dur- ing the lunch period, he said, but the school’s prime consider- ation is the welfare of the child. The lunch room is open from 12:40 to 1:15 pm, and the that arrangements have been made for a neighbor to provide lunch, or for a high school stu- dent to be in the home when the elementary school child goes home for lunch. If there are children who go home to empty houses or apartments it has not been brought to the attention of the principals interviewed. Jefferson School, where Kins- of the teachers. All of the special education students, who come from all parts of the board’s area 3, stay for lunch, and there are a few who could walk home to lunch. but there is no one at home to supervise them, so Wells makes some exceptions in these cases. allowing the children to take their lunch to school. d-\ll'llllllllmllllilllfl\iillllll“llIlllllllllll“11mmlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“llllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“llllllilllllllllll“llllll“ll“lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“\llllllllill“llll“ll“\ill“Mllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllillllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“llllllll“llllllmlllllllllilllllllll“\lllll“ll“111mml“llWill“all“l“Willi”l1lll\\l\M\lll\“l\ll\\\lll|\il|\l\m'3‘ Citizen groups and home and school associations have come out both for and against an expanded program for lunches in elementary schools, some feeling it is a social necessity now that more mothers are go- ing to work, and the number of single parent rfamilies is in- creasing. THREAT T0 FAMILY Others regard an expanded school lunch program as a threat to family life if the parents are not responsible for making their own arrangements for children's lunches. Given proper care and nutrients, a poin- can be planted in the garden in the spring- settia plant will continue to thrive indoors and time for year-round enjoyment. County Board May Change School Lunch Policy Gibson House Colorful Poinsettia A lasting Delight The yellow flowers of the poinsettia are very small and inconspicuous surroun- ded by large, colorful bracts which many people mistake for petals. The most common bract color is red. hence, the p-oi-nsettia has become a tra- ditional Christmas Plant. and promoting poinse'ttias throughout North Amehicz‘i. Scienstist have to their general satisfaction dispro- ven a belief that any part of the p‘oinsettia plant, if eaten, is poisonous. The various parts, when consumed by rats. had no in effect, and there is no case on record in continental ‘North America that any person has ever reacted negatively from eat- ing any part of the 'plant. Flowers Canada points out that the plants are grown in greenhouses under strict quality control conditions, and current research has helped development of new strains that are healthier, hardier and longer lasting. Pre-sent hybrid puinsettia strains are guaranteed to maintain their health and look beautiful over an extenâ€" ded time period. A potted poinse’t-tia purchased as a gift 0r decoration for the ho- lidays. will stay alive for months given regular water- ing and application of quali- ty plant nutrients when nee- Gibson House and private Each store front, designed by historical board crafts- men, has recaptured the way the shop would have been over a century ago. The result is a healthy, hardy. long lasting plant individuals “Meet Me In The Village" will continue in the upper gallery until the end of March. and will be open to the public during the hours when the house itself is open: Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 5 pm and Sunday noon to 5 pm. Admission is 50c for adults and 25c for children. Mr. Hall pointed out that there are many schools in the area where all pupils are bused, and all take their lunches. In such schools, teachers usually take their turn at supervising the lunch period. The board’s busing policy pro- vides for busing of kindergarten children who would have to walk more than three-quarters of a mile to school, and the distance is extended to one mile for children in grades 1 to 6. UP TO PRINCIPAL Whether a child who does not arrive by bus may be allowed to take his lunch to school or not is a matter for the s’chool prin- cipal to decide, and so far the principals seem to be coping quite well, says Hall. The board does not look with favor on parents who want to foist off their responsibilities and turn teachers into baby- sitters for their own conveni- ence. Hall told “The Liberal”. “We want to leave the decision in the hands of the principal, to leave flexibility in the policy, not set down a lot of rules. We will be reasonable as long as the parents are reasonable.” In some rural schools parent volunteers have helped to ease the burden of teachers by sup- ervising lunch rooms. that can be planted outside in the garden in the spring, providing a beautiful en- hancement to the house and garden all year round. Your editorial “Beware Modular Homes” of January 3 provided some much need- ed counterbalance to the art- icle on the same subject en- titled “Factors In Low Cost Of Mobile Homes” as sub- mitted by J. M. Langton and Mrs. Ruth Cook and printed in the same issue of “The Liberal". Your edi- torial aspiration that “Our citizens should look to the regional planners for some leadership on the mobile- modular homes questions and other solutions to the housing crisis” seemed libâ€" eral and positive to me and contrasted sharply with the “I'm all right Jack" tenor of the Langton and Cook letter. SPRINKLE MOBILE HOMES THROUGHOUT COMMUNITY Dear Mr. Editorâ€" Most citizens know that the major inflationary ele- ments in single-family housâ€" ing costs have been land costs and on-site building costs. The supply of land is relatively fixed, of course. and hence, sharply rising de- mands for it have acceler- ated its costs dramatically. Perhaps the only solution to this is limited public owner- ship of residential building properties or the now fam- iliar “land-bank” idea. As for the cost of building houses, it is clear that fac- tory assembled units are less expensive by a wide margin than conventionally built housing. Flowem Canada, .in repre- school from points beyond the limit set by board policy. These children and a few others take their lunch to school. Hincks reports. The school is an educational insti- tution, not a social agency, he said, but exceptions are made for some, usually where there is an emergency situation in the family. The teachers take their turn at supervising the lunch room, and do not consider this an imposition. The lunch "hour" in elementary schools is from 12 to 1:30 pm, and the children have usually finished eating by 12:30, They then go out to play, or if the weather is bad ar- rangements are made for indoor activities. MAKE GOOD USE OF TIME At Oak Ridges School, where most of the children arrive by bus, Principal Ed Burlew and his staff make use of the time for extra-curricular activities which, in urban schools, would normally take place after 3:30 Principal Nathan Davidson of MacKillop School in Richmond Hill has one bus load of chil- dren who take their lunches to school. He also has a few who live within walking distance. Board policy is flexible, says Davidson, allowing for cases of “undue hardship” and each case is different. If both parents are working they are expected to make their own arrangements for their children's welfare dur- ing the lunch period, he said, but the school’s prime consider- ation is the welfare of the child. The Langton and Cook letter makes derogatory and beguilingly misleading ref- erences to the ways in which the Housing Minister Robert Welch is possibly being sub- jected to the pressure of a lobby. While I have not sup- ported the present govem- ment at Queen’s Park and while I hold no brief for the Canadian Mobile Homes and Travel Trailers Associations, I certainly hope that if they are lobbying for manufac- tured housing of high qual- ity, which will enable all in- come levels to share decent housing, they will be very successful. It is inequitable and unjust to present an argument for public consid- eration which suggests that we who may be living in conventionally built homes or apartments in Richmond Hill must be wary of inter- lopers who may come to Richmond Hill in manufac- tured homes. parks owned by our govern- ments to bring lower cost housing within the reach of all income levels. I believe that there are few, if any. technical or legal aspects of such a solution to our hous- ing problems which cannot be resolved if we really de- sire social equity for all. sen-ting the Canadian floral industry is actively engaged in research wi-th many spe- cialized organizations such as the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation. Remove land speculation; change bylaws to permit the siting of low cost high grade ' manufactured homes. and sprinkle the same throughout our community and in closely associated parks, and housing supplies will become more accessible to all. This will remove the "we" and “they” stigma which is implicit in the Langton and Cook letter even though it may create attendant but lesser social problems. JOHN LOUNSBURY, 188 St. Anthony’s Court, Richmond Hill. school's vice-principal and a teacher share the responsibility of supervision. To compensate, these two are not required to take their turn at “yard duty". The school has had “surpris- ingly few" requests for lunch privileges. Davidson reports. SPECIAL ED CLASSES Walter Scott School, also in Richmond Hill, is in an area of fairly high density and has no children arriving by bus. There are, however, 18 students in either full-time or' part-time special education programs. They come from all around the area and are transported by taxi. Aside from this small group, says Principal William Kinsley. there are few requests for lunch privileges, and these are usually cases of dire emergency. As at McKillop, the two teachers who supervise the lunchroom are relieved of yard duty. There is no pressure, said Kinsley. The teachers prefer indoor supervision to outdoor supervision of the school- grounds. PARENTS NOT HOME There are many families in the area where parents are not at home at noon, Kinsley said, but when contact is made with the parents, it is usually found that arrangements have been made for a neighbor to provide lunch. or for a high school stu- dent to be in the home when the elementary school child goes home for lunch. If there are children who go home to empty houses or apartments it has not been brought to the attention of the principals interviewed. lnihe Spotlight Making a career out of racing car driving is quite a difficult proposition. To begin with, the constant upkeep of a good car demands a great deal of time. That in itself, however, is not so bad, as most racers have an almost fan- atical love for their machine, and enjoy the hours of work it demands. What actually presents the biggest problem is money. Racing is a very expensive pastime. In order to cover the cost of maintaining a car, paying for equipment, as well as track and club fees, a driver must obtain a sponsor. Rupert Bragg-Smith, a twenty-four year old resident of Richmond Hill who plans on making racing his career, realizes that “most drivers have to start at the bottom.” He drove his first race at Mosport last summer, and can still remember the feeling just before the start. “The engines are running, but you really can’t hear because you’ve got all this gear on . . . it’s the only time you can really hear yourself think. Then when the flag drops you forget everything, even what lap you’re on . . . but you know when it’s finished.” YZJ‘IS Rupert drives a $6,800 Formula Ford, which is a scaled down Grand Prix car, powered by a Ford engine. Although the car can travel at over 140 miles per hour on the straights, the amount of danger involved, according to Rupert, is far less than imagined by the general public. “In a way it’s safer than being on the road â€" you know that your fellow driver has had to pass certain safety regulations to get on the tragk.” . A grade “A” mechanic who first became interested in sports cars through fixing up his brother’s Austin Heeley', Rupert attended Gary Magwit’s racing car school in Scarboro last summer. He graduated with the best lap time and lap consistency from a class of twelve. One of the most important things he learned there was how to take a corner. There are ten on the two and a half mile circuit at Mospor_t._ RUPERT BRAGG-SMITH WITH HIS RACER Fledgling Racing Car Driver Lives In Richmond Hill Z/(Z’. \\\\‘\\\ By DIANA COOK ley served as principal for three years before moving to Walter Scott in September, follows the same procedures as Oak Ridges. Since almost all of its students arrive by bus, the lunch break is the time set for special pro- jects and programs. The schools with the prob- lems, says Kinsley. are those that have half the student body staying for lunch and the other half going home. In such cases it is very difficult to plan extra curricular activities that can involve the whole student body. HALF AND HALF Thornhlll School falls into this category, with from750 to 80 percent of the pupils staying for lunch. Six buses come and go each school dayâ€"two of them bringing in 27 children for spe- cial education classes, the others transporting children who live beyond the limits set by board policy. Last year, says Principal Ed Wells, for about four months. parents helped supervise the lunches, but the parents did not like the arrangement and now teachers take turns staying in the classrooms set aside as lunch rooms. Parents, however, still come into the school to listen to children read and help in other ways under supervision of the teachers. All of the special education students, who come from all parts of the board’s area 3, stay for lunch. and there are a few who could walk home to lunch, but there is no one at home to supervise them, so Wells makes some exceptions in these cases. allowing the children to take their lunch to school.