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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1961-02-02, Page 2Since 1860, Serving the Cornmunit�tj First bushed at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by McLEAN BROS., Publishers . ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor ‘ ,+ Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association, Ontario • Weekly Newspapers Association, Audit Bureau of Circulations O Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) $2.50 a Year Outside Canada (in advance) $3.50 a Year • SINGLE COPIES — 5 CENTS EACH Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, FEBRUARY 2, 1961 Lack Of Water There are few problems as serious as the problem that arises from a lack of water. That is the problem that is facing many area farmers this winter. No matter how good his stock, or how much feed he has in the barn, a farmer is faced with disaster unless he has sufficient water for his cattle and hogs and chickens. That is why so many farmers are trucking water long distances, and in some cases pay- ing as much as $15 a 1000 gallons for it. Ontario Agricultural College offici- als provide statistics to explain what has -led to the lessened water supply. It is all a matter of precipitation. More than twice as much precipita- tion, including snowfall, was record- ed in the last four months of 1959 is Serious Problem than in the corresponding period in 1960, From September to December last year, only 63/4 inches fell, com- pared with 13.71 inches the previous year. The " largest drop was last month when less than an inch of pre- cipitation was recorded, compared with 32 inches a year ago. The weather office people who should know better than the average person what the future holds, offers little hope for relief. The long-range forecast for mid-January to mid- February calls for normal precipita- tion, about three inches. In order to be of help, precipitation should be water fall—not snow—since snow lies on the frozen ground and very little ever melts into the soil. Even water fall will do little to ease the shortage as long as the ground re- mains frozen. Interest In Farm Once an outstanding attraction in rural areas, Farm Forums seem to have run their course. While as many as twelve or fifteen forums met each week in the area covered by The Expositor, now there are but one or two. The province -wide organization that co-ordinates the activities, of the forums is conducting a survey in an effort to determine whathas contri- buted to the dwindling interest. It is difficult to understand why in- terest in the forums should wane. The topics that the groups discussed were not only interesting, but pro- vided background information con- cerning day-to-day problems which faced those taking part. Not only, did the forums produce much in the way of helpful information and en- courage productive discussion, they also were the means whereby the .people in a given area were encour- aged to come together at regular in- tervals for a social get-together. Perhaps television has had " some- thingto do with the lessened interest in the forums. Most people seem to be content to let other people do their The Greeks H Odds are that, in a conversation, a resident of Ontario will use the word "hydro" when he means electricity. In fact, National Electrical Week, which extends from February 5th to 11th, could probablyy be called Na- tional Hydro Week in Ontario with- out raising a single eyebrow. To most Canadians outside Ontario —and English and American diction- aries support them—"hydro" is a Greek word meaning "having to do with water". But their Ontario cous- ins aren't speaking Greek when they refer to "turning on the hydro"— they mean electricity. The story of how a purely regional colloquialism such as hydro has sur- vived in an age of the mass media is linked closely to an institution al- so peculiar to the province — The Hydro -Electric Power Commission of Ontario. For Ontario Hydro, as it is popularly known, has been in the vanguard of Ontario's economic progress during the past half cen- tury. So much so, that part of its name long ago passed into common use as a synonym for electricity. How firmly the word is entrench- ed in the 'vocabulary of Ontario is illustrated by an editorial which ap- peared in a Toronto newspaper in reply tosuggestion that "hydro" be dropped from the name of the pro- vincial Power Commission: "Ontariowithout Hydro? It would be like Romeo without Juliet ... the 'Leafs without Mahovlich—unthink- able. "Who cares if visitors can't figure out what the word "hydro" means? l f they want to enjoy Ontario they'll just have to learn the language. Hy- dlr•O is ..:. an important reason for the province's progress and the well- being of the. people." edltortal writer's comments Forums Is Waning discussing for them, and when TV programs made available informa- tion about many of the subjects the forums used to discuss, there arose a tendency to abandon the forums. Someone has suggested another difficulty. As the forums increased in number, more and more emphasis was placed on the social gathering, the cards, the lunch. In the process, the discussion topic was shoved into the background and to a great extent the main purpose of the gathering was forgotten. As a result, people became tired of supporting each week what in practise had become just an- other party. - There is little point in attempting to guess the nature of the difficulties facing the forums. That will be re- vealed when the investigation, now in hand, is completed. Out of it, per- haps, will come information that may make possible a revised program of a kind that will revitalize the forum activities. Itis to be hoped so, for the forums—properly carried on —make a major contribution to the communities in which they exist. ad a Word For It are a reflection of the vital role On- tario; Hydro and the associated mun- icipal electrical systems play in the life of the province. Together they supply 1,880,000 cus- tomers. Sounds of construction nev- er stop on Hydro's province -wide systems as a continual program of expansion is necessary to supply the constantly -increasing electrical needs of the homes, farms, industries, and commercial enterprises of the pro- vince. Where do the billions of 'kilowatt- hours produced by Hydro each year go? Industry, of course, consumes the largest part. But the residential customers in Ontario use electricity at a rate equalled by few other places in the world. They have increased their consumption by almost 60 per cent in a single decade. Striking as this increase is, it has been surpassed by Ontario farmers who have doubled their average consumption in the same period and now use more elec- tric energy than their urban neigh- bors. Must Be Realistic The strain being placed on hospital buildings ; upon the staffs of present hospitals; and upon the boards in charge of administering these hospi- tals, is evident throughout the prov- ince. We must put the need for hospital accommodation in a realistic light. Schools we build aceording to speci- fications of the Department of Edu- cation. If we are going to accept these hospital plans, and health plans, then we must be prepared to build the hospitals in which the people can be treated in the way they are entitled, under the terms of the plans,—Clin- ton News -Record; ggithimommin mimmmoullionnai mmmmuuuugiu mmirmu m in am mumemummmimmmmum mmm muu ii 574 SUGAR an SPICE ,. thoi yllymi By Bill Smiley If there is one thing above all others that I loathe, despise, de- test and abhor, it is a household budget. I know this is wrong. I know it is a weakness. I know my bank manager will wince when he reads this. But I can't help'it. I would rather end in a prison for paipers than have anything to do with a budget. There is a reason for my strong feelings toward, these harmless household hoaxes. Periodically, my wife insists that we draw up a budget. It happens about twice a year, and around our house it always produces strained relations, mounting tension, and a roaring fight, in that order. During the year, I have a rough idea of where we stand financial- ly. And I keep it deliberately as rough as possible. It doesn't take the mind of a magnate to figure out that five from four doesn't produce a plus sign. All right, so I'm an escapist. I bury my head in the sand. And if there isn't any sand around, a beaker will do, * * * I know the mortgage wasn't paid last year, the taxes are overdue; we've had five bills in a row from the dentist, and I've missed the discount on the hydro bill, which has been in my hip pocket for three weeks. But these things don't really bother me too much. It's when my wife gets on one of her financial -genius kicks that life becomes pretty ghastly around our place. She invariably does it when she's in one of those owly moods in which she won't even take "yes" for an answer. 'She had oneof those attacks this week. They often come in mid- winter, when my resistance is low anyway. She sits down firmly and produces lots of paper and a pen- cil. Then she compiles fantastic lists of stuff, everything from tires to toilet paper, from oil to oranges, puts a price on everything, and adds it all up. This takes about ..two hours, dur- ing which we discover the follow- ing: that I don't know how much life insurance I have; that I don't know how much the taxes are; that I can't remember whether or not I've paid the interest on the mortgage, and such -like. Perhaps that's why I dread.these sessions so much. With a, few strokes of the pencil, I am trans- figured. Instead of the firm, kind- ly mentor of the family, the only one with both feet on the ground, the rock on which the cruel waves of life are shattered, the bringer- home of bacon, the captain of our little ship, I am revealed as a, sort of village idiot, an inept burden on the slim shoulders of my spouse, a clay -footed idol, a jug- gler with shaky hands, and an utter economic flop, • * * • Don't ask me how all this comes about in the mere drafting of a budget. It's uncanny. My wife sits there, scowl deepening as the evi- dence mounts. I squirm lower in my chair, while trying to look keen, interested and dedicated to balancing the thing. Every time she thinks of a new item for the "expenditures" column, she lights up like a pinball machine. When she comes to the refreshment and tobacco departments, her eyes glitter like those of 'a snake about to harpoon a hypnotized rabbit. After this week's ordeal, she an- nounced triumphantly that we were going in the red at the rate of $50 a month. That seemed to make her feel better. It made me feel a lot better too. From the way she's been acting, I figured they were about ready to send me off to a place for retarded children. • * *- Then she went into the next part of the ritual, which never varies. Where were we going to cut down? I always suggest paring the food bill. "Those kids would be a lot better off if they ate more por- ridge and cheap, healthy stuff like that," I always say, This merely leads to an outburst in which she claims that I have just accused her of being an extravagant and tllnffiIliIIIIIIMg wasteful cook. This puts me on the defensive. And that's exactly where she wants me. Now the pencil stabs the paper relentlessly, and comes the inevitable question, "Do you realize how much you spend 'on cigarettes?" AM it turns out, as it always does, that if I stopped smoking, and gave up my pre- dinner bottle of ale, the budget - would balance, the sun would shine every day, and my family would love, respect and obey me. So I promise to do it. _ Next day, the Old Lady feels so good about having balanced the budget and reformed me, that she buys a new dress. So I reckon that if she can afford a new dress, things aren't so tough, and I slip downtown and pick up a large deck of weeds and a small box of 'beer. And we're off for another happy, budget -less six months. (Prepared by the Research Staff of Encyclopedia Canadiana) How is Etobicoke Pronounced? Etobicoke, the name of 'a sub- urban township that is the third largest member municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, is usually pronounced as if it had no "k"— e-toe-bi-coe, with the accent on the second syllable. The township, with an area of 45 square miles, lies west of Toronto proper and includes the communities of Is- lington, Lambton and Thistletown. Its western boundary (also the western boundary of Metropolitan Toronto) is Etobicoke Creek, which falls into Lake Ontario about 10 miles west of downtown Toronto. The name Etobicoke, first applied to the creek, is said to be derived from an Indian word meaning "the 'place where aldets grow." * * * Is ,the Grape a Native Canadian Fruit? Yes, it is, although the native species have not contributed to the cultivated varieties. The com- mercial cultivation of • grapes is practically limited to the Okana- gan Valley of British Columbia and the Niagara Peninsula of On- tario. In most other regions the vines have to be protected over winter and the .season is too short for assured production. Much of the Canadian production goes into native wines. These varieties are mainly of American origin, char- acterized by a different flavor, lower sugar content and thicker skin than the European varieties. In recent years a few European varieties have been adapted and many of the newer commercial sorts have a considerable element of European parentage. * * Who Wrote Parliamentary Proce- dure and Practice in Canada? Sir John George Bourinot, who from 1880 until his death in 1920 was chief clerk of the House of Commons. He was well known for his Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in. Canada, a work that was first published in 1884 and had several reprints. Bourinot was born at Sydney in Cape Breton in 1837 1,nd was of French Huguenot descent. In 1860 he founded the Halifax Herald, which he edited for several years, Later he be- came chief official reporter of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly and from 1868 to 1873 served as shorthand writer to the Canadian Senate. In the latter year he was appointed assistant clerk of the House of Commons,. I1 addition to his book on parliamentary proce- dure, he wrote a book on Cape Breton and a biography of Lord Elgin. From its foundation in 1882 until his death, Bourinot served as honorary secretary of the Roy- al Society of Canada. Es MET TEEN I TH/NK MY BRAKES NEO RE-LIN/Nal MAI -II PAY REV. ROBERT H. HARPER ARCHBISHOP AND POPE For the first time in recorded history the Archbishop of Canter- bury and the Pope of Rome had a friendly hour together in the Vatican palace. Their meeting has been hailed as a significant event in church history. Though reports of the conversa- tion between the Archbishop and the Pope did not reveal any dis- cussion of distinctive church mat- ters, it is thought that the meet- ing of the two church leaders should lead to a warmer feeling and a closer relation between churches. All the churches of the world in- cluding the millions in the Cath- olic Church and the millions in the Anglican Church and the multi- plied millions in all the Protestant churches could surround the earth with a mighty united witness for Christ. Distinctive forms and ceremon- ies might be continued, but the spirit of Jesus and the saving pow- er of the gospel could be largely increased among the sons of men. Just a Thought: Down through time, men in high places; the good and the bad, have shown that one individual can alter the course of history. This is powerful argument for the truth that all the "little people" of the world, working ' together for a common cause, can promote world peace and understanding. Where is Canada's Only Lead Smelter? At Trail, B.C. Canada derives the greater part of its lead from the lead zinc deposits of the Sulli- van mine. The mill adjacent to the mine at. Kimberley, B.C., treats the ore and! then ships lead and zinc concentrates to the Trail smelter of the Consolidated Min- ing and Smelting Co. Since the lead smelter at Trail is the only one in Canada, it also serves as a customs smelter- for other mines in British Columbia and even in eastern Canada. A drunk climbed to the top deck of a double -deck bus, only to come stumbling down a moment later, protesting: t`I'm not going to ride up there. There's nobody driving." A McDUFF OTTAWA REPORT THE DOUBTFUL DRAFT OTTAWA—Saskatchewan's Tom- my Douglas is one of the canniest politicians in Canada today. He has had an eminently suc- cessful Political career, in the House of Commons, and in the leg- islature of his province. He is respected, and admired. And many $eople here in Ottawa believe he may be about to make his first major political error. Mr. Douglas has clearly indicat- ed he will not reject a draft -Doug- las movement at the founding con- vention of the New Party, schedul- ed for July 31–August 4 in Ottawa's "Cow Palace", the Coliseum. He is obviously reluctant to leave the security of Saskatchewan politics, but just as obviously can't resist the temptations of Federal politics. There will, of course, be a draft - Douglas movement. The three men most responsible for bringing about the merger of the CCF Party and the Canadian,. Labor Congress, Stanley Knowles, David Lewis, and Claude Jodoin, have been plump- ing for Douglas for months, with, good season. He is a "name poli- tician" familiar to Canadians from coast-to-coast. His speaking style has in it something resembling that of John Diefenbaker; ,back in his university days he was a gold med- alist in debating, dramatics and oratory. If the average Canadian were asked to name a CCF figure, there is little.doubt that if he knew any name he would come up with that of Tommy Douglas, since the lit- tle band of CCF'ers left in the House of Commons has not yet produced a substitute for M. J. Coldwell. All well and good, but none of this qualifies Mr. Douglas for the leadership of a political party that claims national standing. Since 1944 he has been out of, the swim, out of Ottawa, out of Federal poli- tics. He is not familiar with the issues; he is not familiar with Canadians, apart from those in his own neck of the woods. A lot has happened in Ottawa since 1944, when Premier Doug- las resigned to become a candi- date in the Saskatchewan Provin- cial election. of -that year. He would be a "new boy" in a strange new world. You only have to look at what happened to Liberal Leader Pear- son in 1958 to find out what hap- pens when the head of a national political party enters the' fray with- out a thorough grounding in dom- estic political issues; and, make no mistake, even though Mr. Pear- son had been a member of the Federal Cabinet for -ten years, he was still a relative greenhorn in Canadian politics. There is something else that will work against Mr. Douglas. In con- versation with several Party mem- bers, he has confided that his health is not all it should be. In the ,rough and tumble business of a Federal campaign, the weak fall by the wayside. And a man who ' is not in perfect health is not an asset to his country in an im- portant political office. A third factor: Mr. Douglas is branded as a -man from the wheat - farming West in the vital prov- inces of Ontario -and Quebec, where wheat farmers are looked upon as grasping vultures, who got down on their knees to beg for Federal subsidies just before they climb into thein new cars for a holiday in Florida. All the agra- rian- reform parties that have sprung up in the .West, have bat- tered themselves to death trying to storm the ramparts of Parliament Hill, Mr. Douglas knows all this. So do the New Party promoters who are pushing him into running. In doing so, they are exposing the biggest weakness of the New Par- ty. It just doesn't have leadership material. CCF Leader Hazen Argue is go- ing to make a fight out of the New Party leadership. He is young, and he's ambitious. But he must know he has no national stature, and here again he is a man identi- fied as a wheat farmer, a Western radical. Moreover, Hazen Argue would never appeal to the intellectual leftists on which the New Party will lean for much of its support, He is rash and makes hasty assessments. It would not be far from the truth to say that New Party pro- moters look upon Tommy Douglas as a desparation choice, despite his many admirable characteris- tics, and also as a short-term leader. If they can get him to head the Party during the initial campaittn, and win some of those valuable Prairie seats, they will have ,a good base from which to work in the future. The next step would "be to install David Lewis, or some other Eastern labor figure, in the hope of moving into indus- trial Ontario in a big way, * * * Capital Hill Capsule Prime Minister Diefenbaker has taken to carrying a plainclothes RCMP officer along with him on trips out of the country. The RCMP got worried after watching TV clips of the PM pushing through crowds at the United Na- tions last Fall. They suggested it might be wise to have one man along, just in case. IN THE YEARS AGONE Interesting items gleaned from The Huron Expositor of 25, 50 and 75 years ago. From The Huron Expositor January 24, 1936 King George V, "The Sailor King," died at Sandringham House Monday evening. Succeeding him to the throne will be His Majesty King Edward VIII. Mr. E. L. Box was re-elected chairman of the Seaforth Public Utility Commission at. the inau- gural meeting on Monday even- ing. In a spirited badminton match between London and Seaforth, in Seaforth on Friday, the home play- ers succeeded in defeating the visitors by a score of 14 to 1. The Seaforth Collegiate com- mencement will be held on rid•ay evening, Feb. 21, with part of the program being an operetta, direct- ed by Professor Anderton. Seaforth Agricultural Society, ,just completing a splendid year, has again elected Mr. Humphrey Snell for his fifth term as presi- dent. Miss H. Britton, of Constance, went to Stratford with her music teacher, Mrs. M. R. Rennie, and played over the air with her on Friday of last week. Mrs. W, Ament was elected president of the Ladies' Aid So- ciety of First Presbyterian Church at their annual meeting on Thurs- day. Mrs. J. A. Kerr, secretary -treas- urer of the Seaforth Agricultural Society, was presented with a sur- prise, a cheque in the sum of $8.50, and dated October, 1926, for payment a few weeks ago. The depression was not as widespread as has been generally thought, as the owner carried the cheque for 10 years and had forgotten to cash it. * * * From The Huron Expositor January 27, 1911 A number from St. Columban attended the ball in Dublin and all reported a jolly evening. Mr. Frank McQuaid, of near St. Columban, had a bad attack of la - grippe, but is recovering nicely. Miss Violet Stevens, of Blake, student of S.C.I., won the prize of a five dollar gold coin, given by Dr. W. H. Robertson, of Walton, for the best essay written by any student of the Seaforth Collegiate Institute. Assessor William Ballantyne has already started on his rounds of the town. Mrs. John Abell had the misfor- tune to fall on the street the other day and break her arm at the wrist. Considerable material has been shipped here by the Hydro -Electric Commission for the pole lines be- tween Seaforth and Stratford. Mr. Scott Hays, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Hays who has been in the employ of the Bank of Com- merce, has been transferred from Humboldt to Watson, Sask., and made accountant. Postmaster Dickson•,• Seaforth, has had, a very handsome pair of elk horns placed above the deliv- ery window of the Post Office. The annual meeting of t h e A.O,U.W. was held on January 10, when Miss E. Neelin was initiated. The Maple Leaf orchestra of the Methodist Church was entertained to an oyster supper on Wednesday everting at the home of Mrs. S. B. Williams. Two rinks of curlers came over from Hensall on Tuesday afternoon and had a friendly game with the Seaforth players, Hensall winning by two shots. A couple of weeks ago Mr. John Powell inserted a small ad in this paper offering a cow for sale. A week later a man came 15 miles to buy the cow, but it had been sold. It pays to advertise. * * * From The Huron Expositor January 22, 1886 Mrs. Alex Wilson, Miss Lums- den and Mr. Robert Jamieson took their °departure for the Old Coun- try on Thursday morning. The old and reliable firm of G. & H, Jackson, of Egmondville, has been dissolved after an exist- ence of over 30 years. The house of Mr. William Curtis, of Harpurhey, was completely de- stroyed by fire Wednesday morn- ing last, and very little, if any- thing, was saved. There is lots of snos now and the snowplow does . good service in keeping the walkk passable. Mr. Daniel Manley was re-elect- ed deputy -reeve of McKillop. Mr. Roger Pepper, of the third concession of Tuckersmith, , has been laid up for two weeks with a severe attack of diphtheria, but is now recovering. Mr. Robert Porter, who has been conducting a jewellery store in Goderich for some time, has de- termined to leave that town and will unite his forces with Mr. C. L. Past, of Seaforth. At a recent concert in Hamilton at which Miss Maggie Campbell, of this town, among many other prominent vocalists, sang, Miss Campbell was the only one who was honored with an encore. A number of Sunday School teachers from this area attended the convention in Clinton on Wed- nesday. ' At the Hullett council meeting on Monday, all the officers of last year were reappointed. Mr. Sadler, of Staffa, is very busily engaged sawing logs, hav- ing enough to keep his mill run- ning night and day. Mr. A. McLellan, of the fourth concession, Hibbert, has just com- pleted a splendid new bank barn, 60x46 feet, with an 8 -foot wall underneath the whole. He has stabling for 36 animals. TO THE ' EDITOR: Box 98, Sioux Lookout, Ont, Editor, The Huron Expositor: I have a subscription to The Huron Expositor. Today I receiv- ed your January 19th copy, and noticed an article saying that one of the local lads had left to North- ern Ontario to attend a course for forest ranger. We assume that this is the Ranger School at Dor- set. We who are living north of Sioux Lookout consider anything south- east of North Bay as the banana belt. Being as Dorset is in North- ern Ontario, according to your paper, we were wondering what the country is called north and northwest of North Bay. Sincerely, E. UHLER DAIL R. HAND LORNE FROST NORM ARMSTRONG FATHER, REMEMBER WHEN I TURNED LEFT INSTEAD OF RIGHT AND SMASHED THE FENDER ON YOUR CAR? weld., TODAY THE EXACT SITUATION OCCURRED. BUT EXPERIENCE 1S A WONDERFUL THING ---I RECOGNIZED MY MISTAKE IMMEDIATELY —