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9 I c - O 11.21 , 9.3/., 291. _ Do these figures mean anything to you1 They should and they will be- cause on January 1, 1981, your Hydro .bill will be going up by 11.2% - ‘urban dwellers will rise 9.3%. Last April Premier William Davis stated that :rural rates were already 29% higher than urban rates. At that time the Premier made a firm committment to find ways to prevent furthur widening of the urban-rural gap and even attempt to reverse it. Ontario Hydro Chairman Hugh Macaulay announced these new inâ€" creases just last week. reiterated his April statement in the Legislative, Oct. 23 that he is still committed to reducing the gap between urban and rural rates. be ready this fall and then be impleâ€" mented as soon as possible. Do you think it will be implemented BEFORE JANUARY 1/81 - I doubt it. I hope rural residents don't just have a 5 minute "Hydro attack" and then say "Oh well, everything else is going up, why not Hydro! I would like to just mention a few things that this rate will affect - operation of public buildings â€" Schools, community rooms, libraries, street lighting, heating of some public build- ings, meals in restaurants, operation of all stores and places of business and the biggest harm of all will be the farmer who has heat, light, cooling equipment, milking equipment, etc. and lets not forget Jo Average who heated his home with hydro because he thought we were going to run out of oil. It's a lose - lose situation as it is. with Ontario Hydro â€" I do know that Quebec with its hydro-electric power (as opposed to Ontario's nuclear power) has hydro rates 50% lower than Ontario's Ontario's â€" food for thought - but what about action. How about every rural resident contacting Mr. Hugh Macaulay and Premier William Davis and maybe Jim Auld. If you think this action worth while fill in the slip below and sent it to any of the above. Knowing our mail service it might bring some extra Christmas mail to the parties Maybe they'll read them by concerned. the multicoloured, vastly overlit Christmas lights of downtown Toronto - wasting more but paying less! Chen/sing gap between uhban and mural hyd/Lo mete/s apprng and pee/525 the . Onta/z/Co Goue/anenx to take pea/ave . action in both heduo/Lng thin (1165011- . W and holding the cost 06 hyd/Lo : AA a-zuuwl amident 1 find the in- . Ila/ta down. . Signa/twte: Premier Davis He stated that Hydro's report on how to do this would I‘m not sure how things operate happinessmrhormn? Every year as October 31 approaches, citizens prepare for the onslaught of children masked and Costumed carrying their treat bags and UNICEF boxes. Each of us have various reactions to this strange night - Halloween. For parents with young children, it is a night of excitement and scary fun as the wee folk run from door to door, happy with the treats they receive, and surprised that their best friends can't guess who is behind that funny face. Perhaps they go off to a community sponsored party and play "Dunk for apples" and other games be- fore heading home to check their good- ies. This is what Halloween should be all about - but for some parents who accompany their children on their journey, the feeling of trepidation on walking familiar streets can turn to fear and anger when they are bom- barded with eggs and rotten fruit or when they see unaccompanied children accosted by older youths who take away their treats. For our older citizens the fear is very real when they hear hooligans charging through their gardens, throwâ€" ing who knows what at houses and store windows, soaping cars and often damaging paint work. For all of us, November 1 can be a day of disgust at the results of what should have been a happy Halloween - garbage strewn streets, news that the Fire Department had to answer 3 or more calls for mischief â€" fires, broken winâ€" dows and fences, etc. ad infinitum. Reading the national press in the last few days, I realize tha£ this is not just a local phenomena and many areas are attempting to stamp out the displays of wanten destruction. Last year Brockville had a massive bill for clean up after Halloween. In Alberta a mayor is attempting to have Halloween declared illegal due to the increasing problems. action? Isn‘t it time we took some NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS With increasing regularity, articles are arriving in the Lantern mailbox untyped on or very close to our layâ€" out date. We appreciate the effort which has gone into these articles, and we are anxious to print them. However, we cannot possibly type and lay out the Lantern in one evening. As a result, some articles are being published a month late or not at all. Articles submitted before our planâ€" ning meeting can be typed by our volunteers. Articles received after that date must be typed in 3% inch columns if they are to appear in the next issue. Type must be clear and dark to ensure proper reproâ€" duction. Dates for planning and lay- out appear on the Lantern Community Calendar every month. ‘ Your cooperation will simplify the work of our volunteers and ensure the timely publication of your article. DEADLINE All material and advertisements Should be submitted by the Friday preceding the fourth Tuesday of the month. Ab one wants to stop Halloween but ’ vandalism is a dangerous crime, “0 matter what form it takes. If a fire department is off fighting a set fire a call regarding a real fire might be reached too late - also fires can easily get out of control so that little prank fires could cost lives or property. Damage to property is costly and while most of it appears minimal, to the owner it is a significant nuisance and an unwanted expense. For our seniors to have to clean their sidewalks and windows, perhaps repair fences, etc. is often a real hardship. I don't have solutions but I have some suggestions. 1) 2) 3) 5) small children should be accom- panied by an adult parents should be aware of where their children are and what they are doing older kids should have a curfew so that Halloween activity could come to an end at a reasonable hour (most community parties finish at 8 â€" 8:30) Community organizations could police the streets (eg South Crosby Fire Department have done an excel- lent job in the Elgin area for the past few years) and call on other residents to assist them if needed. After the curfew 9/9z30 any children or teenagers should be directed home. Halloween should be a night of fun and enjoyment â€" not a night of destrucâ€" tion and terror. have some control. it. As parents we CAN Its time we used To all the witches, hobgoblins out there - Have a Happy and Safe Halloween. The North Leeds Lantern is distributed free of charge to all households in the townships of South Crosby, Bas- tard and South Burgess, Rear of Leeds and Lansdowne and the Village of New- boro- The Lantern is published after the 4th Tuesday of each month. It is pro- duced by a committee of volunteers and receives support from the above municipalities. Subscriptions are available to those outside the area at a cost of $4 per year{ Please address all correspondence to Box 136, Elgin, Ontario. KOG 1E0. Editor Marlene Gratton 272-2854 Assoc. Ed. Susan Duncan 359-5660 Treasurer Shirley Weaver 387-3570 Circulation Helen Sweet 387-3569 Ad Layout Lloyd Stone 272*2082 Typist Susan Dent 359-5639 Secretary Pat Little 359-5741 W Elgin Pat Little 359â€"5741 Harlem - Chantry Doris VonHone 924-2539 Lyndhurst Marion Olivo 928-2841 Portland Marlene Gratton 272-2854 Seeley's Bay Helen Sweet 387-3659 Morton Fred Whitney 387-3300 Photos Earl Mattice 272-2542 Directors Marion Olivo, Lloyd Stone, Doug Rowntree, Helen Sweet, Earl Mattice Joan Hutchison. Lax-out Regulars Joan Hutchison, Jeff Hutchison, Beth Kerr-Wilson, Sue Warren, Earl Mattice, Kathy Lean. r ‘m' NMWQWâ€"zw MW . “Revâ€"y.â€" .C’F‘V