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Published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Record Ltd. 22 Fairway Rd., Kitâ€" chener, Ontario. Address correspondence to Waterloo Square, Waterloo. Ont. Telephone 744â€"6364. Page 4 â€" Waterloo Chronicle, Wedriesday, March 12, 1975 Kenneth McLaughlin has come up with a suggestion that deserves some serious consideraâ€" tion by members of Waterloo city council and; for that matter, most municipal bodies in the area. & Mr. McLaughlin suggested that municipal bodies investigate the financial conditions of residents when they are planning local imâ€" provement projects. While some persons might not agree with every decision made by council, members of the municipal body are acting in good faith with the interests of residents a prime consideration. Mr. McLaughlin‘s suggestion is a sound one and, while no one may have thought of it in the past, should be put on a list of requirements for city departments when they are planning any changes to local properties such as local improvement projects. We feel the idea has merit and we also feel Mr. McLaughlin should receive credit for bringing the suggestion to the council members. A person who buys property and builds a home on it does not need the added aggravation of increased costs regardless of the form these costs take. As Mr. McLaughlin pointed out a man has a right to live his life in dignity. We could not agree more. His point is more valid when one considers the case of a person who has retired and is now living on a fixed income. The last thing in the "world this persons wants in is an increase in taxes and if the city follows Mr. McLaughlin‘s suggestion then possibly this may be averted. Yesterday revisifted Part of the Canadian dream is home ownerâ€" ship and retirement in familiar surroundings. If council follows this suggestion, and we hope they do, then Waterloo residents will be one step closer to seeing that dream realized. Our original settler in the area of the city of Waterloo was an industrious man by the name of Abraham Erb. Coming from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Erb had purchased 448 acres of land which consisted of much low, marshy ground filled with cedar trees. Although he was encouraged to look for better land, Erb began developing his purchase and almost immediately erected a sawmill. He cut lumber and logs both for buildings and roads. Council 1 â€"~â€" should study downt sw proposal _ Education As the land nearby became more settled Erb decided it was time to build a flour mill. A trip to Preston or over to Perth county was required for anyone in the district to get In Canada: one year $8; in United States and Foreign countries: one year $10 waterioo chronicle Viewpoint SUBSCRIPTION RATES Editor: Mike Roy The newlyâ€"elected trustee‘s most basic deâ€" cision is what kind of trustee he will be. Tradiâ€" tional theory suggests that there are two quite easily recognized types; delegate and repreâ€" sentive. ‘The delegate trustees are those who are mouthâ€"pieces for particular pressure groups. They exercise little independent judgement and will vote on few issues without first checkâ€" ing back with their groups. The representives believe that they have been elected to use their judgement, background knowledge, common sense and or conscience on behalf of their electors. In my opinion, neither trusteeâ€"type is superior because of course no trustee is simply one or the other. Both elements are present in each of us. The decision we make, either consciously or unconâ€" sciously, is which trusteeâ€"type we will emâ€" phasize. . And, like other organizations, the school board has doers and observers, talkers and listeners, public and private persons, there are justifiâ€" ers and attackers, confronters and conciliators and the inevitable, oldâ€"boy versus newâ€"boy schisms. Now I‘ve chosen my causes and my role. Now what? Now I decide what committees interest me. All trustees serve on a variety of committees. My responsibilities are conditions of work for quality education, elementary, CWQE, seconâ€" dary, transportation and purposes and public education. Some committees meet almost continuously while many meet in private. Can you imagine the furor that would be caused if, for example, land purchase decisions were made in public. Real estate has rocketed overnight on mere rumour. his grain milled. Erb constructed his mill next to a dam he built on what is now Laurel Creek in Waterloo Park. The mill used power from a huge water wheel located behind the dam. Inside the mill Erb built a comfortable room in the basement with a large fireplace, a bed, lounge and table. The fireplace was built of field stone and rough handâ€"made brick. It was about five feet square. He realized that travellers would have nowhere to stay after bringing grain from distant farms. Most men then used oxen to pull their wagons and Erb _ QHDEAP... sppey (cantr _ The committees review provincial legislaâ€" tion, review and upâ€"date school board policy and regulations and discuss problem areas. The chairman of transportation committee knows that it was not my first love, it was an interest. However, I‘m finding it fascinating. It is not only concerned with transporting stuâ€" dents from point A to B, it makes decisions about buses. For instance, the purchase or leasâ€" ing thereof, the type of bus, the stops, the routes and the distances. All of these point to hours of research, debate and discussion. Just getting to a meeting, adequately researched, is a partâ€"time job. From the committee level the policyâ€"affectâ€" ing recommendations go to a committee of the whole meeting. This is a reasonably informal discussion and decisionâ€"making meeting which involves all 20 members of the board. Discusâ€" sion and debate and motions are recorded and these minutes are referred to the regular board meeting. * The regular board meeting is the final deâ€" cisionâ€"receiving meeting. Many of the motions are simply the acceptance of previously heatedâ€" lyâ€"debated decisions. Any legislative body should be both responâ€" sive to the public and careful in its decisionâ€" making. It is very difficult for the board to know whether it is balancing both of these duties. Having illustrated the process of deâ€" cisionâ€"making, I, for one, believe that we tend to err on the side of the tooâ€"cautious and thereâ€" fore lengthy policy changing. However that may be, the board thrives on public interest and involvement. It is for that reason I encourage you to attend meetings at Corporation Square at the corner of Duke and Ontario Street on Thursdays at 8 p.m. arranged accommodation for both man and beast while the grain was milled. In short order the basement of the Erb Mill became a business and social centre and it didn‘t take long for others to realize the potenâ€" tial in the new Erb settlement. In 1829 Erb sold his first parcel of land to Jacob C. Snider. That 240 acre sale was what actually started Waterloo on the road to permanent settlement. The sale included both the saw and flour mill built by Mr. Erb. n / Mr. Moyer is the author of This Unique Heri age and Waterioo County Diary. J by Lynne Woolstencroft, Trustée * Waterioo County Board of Education By Bill Moyer