HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1961-08-17, Page 2.a Since 1860, Serving the Community First
Published at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by McLEAN BROS., Publishers
Vt o ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor
•p Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association
4� n n i Ontario Weekly NewspaRers Association
f O Audit Bureau of Circulations
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SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, AUGUST 17, 1961
Driver Testing May Check Traffic Toll
There can be little objection on the
part of any thinking citizen to a pro-
posal being advanced by the Ontario
Government to provide for the testing
of Ontario drivers at regular intervals.
If the slaughter on Ontario highways
is to be reduced, it is imperative that
those drivers who are disabled or
otherwise handicapped, to a degree that
interferes with their ability to drive
safely, be identified. There seems no
better way to weed out such potential-
ly dangerous drivers than to provide'
for regular examinations.
Standards that have prevailed since
the days when licenses were first intro-
duced won't do in today's driving con-
ditions. There are more ears today, and
they move at a much faster speed. Driv-
ing on today's highways, at today's
speed,. requires a fast mental reaction,
a steady hand and, above all, a know-
ledge • of recognized driving procedure.
And, of course,' drivers themselves
change, Some improve their driving
techniques but, unfortunately, many
develop bad habits. Increasing age
means sometimes physical impairment
and slower reactions. .Rt -testing would
discover many of these defects and
save bad drivers from becoming the in-
nocent cause of an accident.
However, if the re-examination pro-
gram is to prove wholly effective, the
Department of Transport must adopt a
more realistic attitude towards making
testing facilities available.
It is most unreasonable that resi-
dents in Seaforth, far instance, who are
to be tested, should be required to go
to Clinton on stated occasions and dur-
ing business hours. If the applicant is
an employee, the result is the loss of a
half day's pay ; even if wages are not
at stake, the inconvenience and cost in-
volved should not be necessary. Is there
any reason why persons qualified to
examine drivers could not be appoint-
ed in each town? Such an arrange-
ment worked satisfactorily for many
years. Surely it could be brought up to
date to suit today's requirements.
But it is not enough to sit back and
regard a program of drivers' examina-
tion as being the answer to all our driv-
ing problems. Unfortunately, the reck-
less driver, the driver with the "I -don't -
care -attitude" will not be discovered by
examinations. Too frequently such
menaces are good drivers, familiar with
the rules of the road, but are possessed
of a mental outlook that makes them
even more dangerous than, for instance,
a physically handicapped driver. Con-
trol of such drivers can only be achiev-
ed by a more intensive police patrol
and by the strongest application of
demerits.
It is the presence on our highways of
such irresponsible drivers, and the urg-
ent need to cope with them, that adds
weight to recent requests by the OPP
for funds with which to enlist addi-
tional traffic officers.
Publish Results?
The Bowmanville "Canadian States-
man" feels that individual results of
high school examinations in all grades
should be published. Apparently the
principal of the Bowmanville secondary
school did not agree with this. He sug-
gested that the results were "the priv-
ate property of the individuals and the
parents concerned, but the general
public was not entitled to this informa-
tion."
The Statesman, however, gives its
point of view as follows: "We do not
agree that any principal or group of
teachers should have the power to de-
cide arbitrarily that the results will not
be published because he or they con-
sider them private property, or for
some other reason. Our laws are based
on custom and precedent which suggest
quite strongly that the public expects
and is entitled to have information of
this type. In most places, the school
officials are eager to have the results
published -because they are proud of the
achievements of the students under
their tutelage.
"Based on the number of 'phone calls
we have received at The Statesman the
past week from parents complaining
because complete exam results were not
published, we believe the vast majority
of citizens are not interested in keen-
ing results secret and private. They
want to know what is going on."
Nothing New
Philosophers have long argued that
there is nothing new under the sun. A
case in point is the new insignia which
Canadian National Railways has chos-
en as its trademark. The flowing script
of the "CN", already emblazoned on
some equipment, is acclaimed as a
modern touch. It is also as ancient as
an old hieroglyphic sign of Sinaitic ori-
gin to which it bears an easily discern-
ible resemblance, — Halifax Chronicle
V one chance in
90 of being polled
• during his
lifetime for his
opinion, the
station he listened
to, or the book
he read.
Readers of this newspaper express their opinions
every issue — either they buy it or they don't. It's as
simple as that.
ONLY THE HURON EXPOSITOR provides audited
circulation in the SEAFORTH AREA.
With Russians rocketing
smugly around the earth, and
the Berlin crisis calling forth
belligerent announcements from
all concerned, the only escape
for the shy, sensitive person
these days is into fairyland. So
let's.
Once upon a time there was
a lady who had no use for pets.
She rolled her eyes in horror at
the thought of a dog in the
house. Her lip curled at the
very mention of eats. She look-
ed with equal disgust upon
budgie birds, hamsters, guinea
pigs and rabbits.
* * *
I admired this lady for her
forthright attitude. When her
kids begged for a pet, she'd
snap, "Over my dead body!"
She stated flatly that pets were
stupid, useless and dirty things.
Her children were disconsolate,
but resigned.
It wasn't that she was afraid
of animals. I've seen her reach
right out and touch a dog, on,
several. occasions. Some people
would have thought she was
pushing the beast away, but
she always claimed she was pat-
ting it. I've seen her, while
she sat chatting with cat -own-
ing friends, scratch a cat's stom-
ach with her foot. Occasional-
ly, if the friends left the rboin
to make tea, the cat would wind
up at the other end of the room
suddenly, but she'd never ad-
mit to kicking it.
* * *
About four years ago, some-
thing happened. This lady suf-
fered one, of those emotional
back -flips common to the sex.
Next thing he knew, she was
cornering her husband, and
urging that "every boy should
have a dog" and that "we're de-
priving the kids of a precious
experience."
He was rather half-hearted
about the whole thing, as he
was no dog -lover, and besides,
he was always leery of these
sudden enthusiasms, as they in-
variably cost him 'a'Tot of mon-
ey, grief or abuse. However,
that Christmas there was a coal -
black Spaniel pup under the
tree. He was named Playboy
by the ecstatic children.
* * *
•
He was the epitome of all the
evils that accompany small
pupils. He merely smirked at
efforts to train him, and left
his trademark with equal dis-
dain on linoleum, hardwood
floor and rug. He howled like
a lovesick tomcat every night
for weeks. He ate the toes off
the lady's new Italian shoes. He
had lice. He needed shots. He
jumped up on the lady and tore
pets. It was too much to bear
So last winter, the lady's daugh-
ter, taking advantage of a day
when her mother was out of
town, arrived home with a
scrawny little stray kitten. Her
dad didn't have the guts to kick
the thing out into the snow.
She'd counted on this. Her
mother didn't, either, when she
got home. She contented her-
self with raising general hell
and blasting the dad for not
getting rid of it.
* a *
The kitten was named Piper,
and he thrived. Once in a
while, it crossed the father's
mind that the creature might
be a girl, but, as usual, he
avoided the issue and hoped for
the best. Came the spring. One
night the father let the young
cat out for the usual, and he
vanished, though the dad stood
there, in his underwear, call-
ing, for half an hour. In the
morning, kitty turned up, red -
eyed and ruffled.
For the next couple of weeks
there was a lot of activity
around that house. In the day-
time, the little girl defended
her pet with a broom against.
the white, brindle, black and
purple cats who haunted the
yard and seemed to want to
fight with,.Piper. At night, the
family felt like a hunting par-
ty in the jungle, crouched about
the campfire, while the hyenas
howled all around.
* * *
In a few weeks, the whole
thing was obvious. The kids
went right on calling Piper
"he," but it was plain that the
boy kitten was- a female cat.
Guess who was elected to
strangle, or drown, the fruits of
her labor. Yes, the father steel-
ed himself against coming catri-
cide.
At this point, a new charac-
ter enters our story. The boy in
this family had a birthday com-
ing up. The lady, in another of
those mental somersaults, de-
cided they'd surprise him with
a pup. There was a mad scram-
ble, but the pup—a coal -black
Spaniel—was there on the birth-
day, and was promptly named
Playboy the Second.
* * *
With the advent of the pup,
poor old Piper was pushed into
he background, despite her
ondition. There was some fear
hat she'd have a miscarriage,
ut of sheer pique. But they
eckoned without the sense of
ramatic timing inherent in thc
regnant female. In the middle
f the night, while the family
as staying with friends at a
ottage, she began to have her
ains.
She managed to keep most
f them up all night. The lady
nally closed her eyes about
x, with no news yet from the
aternity ward, which was the
at of the car. At seven a.m.,
e was awakened by a shriek
om her daughter. "Piper's
aving her babies! The first
ne's white! It looks just like
dinosaur! Within seconds, ev-
ry kid in the vicinity was on
e spot. They stood around in
circle, watching the whole
erformance, and cheering each
ew arrival to the echo. The
ystery of birth is no longer a
ystery to them.
c
t
0
r
d
p
0
w
her stockings or scratched her
legs. She hated him.
Time passed. The pup, very fi
slowly, acquired some sense, a si
handsome presence, and a per- m
sonality to match his name. He se
learned to swim, to run from sh
big dogs, and to snarl at little fr
ones. He accompanied the kids h
to school. He went shopping o
with the lady. He called on her a
husband at his place of busi• e
ness. th
a
p
n
m
m
* :it *
Just about the time he was
old enough to start going with
girls, he was killed by a truck.
The kids were inconsolable.
The mother suddenly discover•
ed that she adored the pup,
wept bitterly, and her eyes fill-
ed with tears every time his
name came up for months.
That was to be the end of
* * *
There is no moral to this
story. But I couldn't help
thinking, when I was home last
weekend, ;that it was rather odd
for my wife, who hated pets for
v:eag N Th. *Ja,
"Pay no attention --.that's hist the method they use to beat'
you down on our f d%in.r
By REV. ROBERT H. HARPER
ONE SPOT ABOVE ALL
A poet who wrote that God,
who gave all men all earth to
love ordained that for every
man one spot should be loved
above all.. And so a man of our
Country turned from the glam-
our of Paris and climbed to bis
garret and wrote, "Home, Sweet
Home."
Another, who had represented
our Country in foreign capitals
and had seen many places of
renown wrote that what he
wanted was to find a ship west-
ward bound, to plow the rolling
sea, to a blessed land beyond
the ocean bars. For when it
comes to living, there is no
place like home.
There is an old story of an
Irish immigrant who landed in
the United States and h i s
ecstasy in being in the land of
the free, flung his hands wide
and one of his hands struck in
the face of a passerby. The re-
cipient of the blow strenuous-
ly objected to the treatment,
whereupon the Irishman asked
if this was not the land of the
free. The injured party replied
that this is a land of freedom
all right, but that the newcom-
er's freedom ended where his
nose began.
So we may well believe that
any man's freedom in this
Country, whether an Irishman
or not, ends where another
man's nose begins. To insure
this, don't put your nose in the
other fellow's business.
Just a Thought:
If we are to really appreci-
ate the "golden years" of life
we must prepare the way by
building a storehouse of good
works and good will during the
productive ages.
When Was. Labrador's Boundary
Finally Determined?
Not until 1927, when the ju-
dicial committee of the Privy
Council, to which the matter
had been referred in 1920, de-
fined the boundary between
Quebec and Newfoundland as it
is now shown on maps publish-
ed by the Canadian govern-
ment. The origins of the dis-
pute as to the boundary line
go back as far as the Treaty
of Paris in 1763 and lie in the
ambiguous phraseology that
was used in documents describ-
ing .the responsibilities of the
governor or Newfoundland fol-
lowing the signing of the
treaty.
years, to be dancing attendance
on two children, a self-satisfied
cat, three kittens and a brand
new pup. By the way, does any-
body want a Idvely kitten? Your
choice of white, purple or brin-
dle. Sex, male, I think. It ap-
pears that the kitten -drowning
deal for dad is postponed in-
definitely.
A MACDUFF OTTAWA REPORT
UP -SERVICE ONLY
OTTAWA — Although East
and West press on with their
deadly game of "chicken", the
collision course set for Berlin,
Canadian authorities continue
to be as complacement as ev-
er about taking measures that
could spell the difference be-
tween life and death for mil•
lions of Canadians.
For 15 years now the world
has possessed the means of its
own destruction, a means so
terrible, so beyond human
comprehension, that the mind
rebels at thinking about it.
Perhaps this very revulsion,
this refusal to face up to hard
and bitter facts has been re-
sponsible for the current pub-
lic attitude toward efforts to
provide for the defence of the
civil population, almost com-
plete indifference.
For the most part, the atti-
tude that has developed is
completely fatalistic — if war
comes, it comes and death will
inevitably follow. This was the
attitude first made clearly evi-
dent by the citizens of Coven-
try, whose gallantry in the face
of German bombings during the
last war is beyond question. It
is the attitude that seems to
have infected many people in
the West, and perhaps in the
East as well.
Confronted by massive public
apathy; together with the mas-
sive expenditure that would be
required to do the job proper-
ly, Canadian Goyernments for
years have done little more
than pay lip -service to civil de-
fence. •. •
T h e Conservative Govern-
ment has done a great deal to
sort out this almost hopeless
muddle since it came to office,
four ' years ago, Although re-
sponsibility at the Federal lev-
el is still badly divided, the de-
cision to turn over the main
operating task to the army pro-
vided a major civil defence or-
ganization and injected a new
sense of purpose and determ•
ination into Government ef-
forts.
It set up an Emergency Mea-
sures Office in .the Privy Coun-
cil under the control of the
Prime Minister and provided a
staff to begin working out the
infinite number of problems
presented by the requirements
of civil defence.
But if the situation is im-
proved, there is still lacking
any sense of urgency on the
Government's part, or, for that
'matter, any convincing proof
that it really believes civil de-
fence is something worth tak-
ing seriously.
About two years ago the civ-
il defence organization finally
carie 'to a decision over an is-
sue the planners have debated
for years: whether to prepare
for the mass evacuation of tar-
get areas or have the civil pop-
ulation sit tight in some kind
of shelters.
Because of the immense prob-
lems of evacuating a huge
metropolitan area quickly and
later providing food and shel-
ter for the hundreds of thou-
sands of people who have fled
to the countryside, there were
always those who opposed this
course. With the advent of the
intercontinental ballistic mis-
sile, providing the North Am-
erican continent with 20 min-
utes warning of an impending
attack at the most, plans being
prepared for the evacuation of
municipal areas were quietly
filed away.
• But the planners were not
idle. Out of the Emergency
Measures Office of the Privy
Council came "Blueprint for
survival number one," plans of
a Government -approved base-
ment fallout shelter for the do-
it-yourself enthusiast. This was
followed in the fullness of time
by further booklets and pamph-
lets on what to do in the event
of an attack, what to store in
the fallout shelter in the way
of emergency supplies, etc.
Mock exercises were held by
Civil Defence Officers across the
country. The Cabinet, or that
part of it that could spare the
time, repaired to a special em•
ergency shelter to preside over
the mock disaster.
But still the public refused to
take civil, defence seriously,
perhaps because it was stiII not
getting the kind of leadership
and direction it had a right to
expect from its own Govern-
ment.
Certainly the Government has
not begun to practice what it
preaches. No member of the
Cabinet has built a shelter for
his own family, nor have some
of the senior officials of the
Civil Defence organization. No
decision has yet been taken by
the Government about building
shelters for those living in
housing which it rents' to the
families of servicemen and oth-
ers.
Over the past decade and a
half the West has relied on its
powers of massive retaliation to
serve as a deterrent to war.
Measures to protect the civil
population tended to be regard-
ed as partof passive defence
programs.
As East and West move clos-
er to the brink than ever be-
fore, however, the idea is slow-
ly sinking in that Civil Defence
is ` an essential part of the
West's deterrent power.
There is little doubt that the
adoption of an intensive civil
defence program would result
in the savings of millions upon
millions of lives in the event
of an . attack. Engaged as they
are in an adult version of the
juvenile game of "chicken", it
is the task of the Western pow-
ers to convince Russia of its
absolute determination not to '
yield Berlin, •even at .the risk
of all-out war, in the hope that
it will change its course before
the West is forced to do so.
But we can only convince the
Russians we' mean business if
we have the means of providing
for the civil defence of our pop-
ulation either through shelters,
evacuation --or both. They are
far less likely to be convinced
that the United States, for ex-
ample, is prepared to plunge in- '
to a nuclear war that would
mean the death of over half its
population for the sake of 2,-
000,000 people in Berlin, no
matter how bellicose President
Kennedy becomes.
IN THE YEARS AGONE
Interesting items gleaned from
The Expositor of 25, 50 and
75 years ago.
From The Huron Expositor
August '14, 1936
Ten additional miles of ex-
perimental roads are being con-
structed in Huron County this
year, because a stretch built
last year is giving good satis-
faction.
Mr. John J. Jacob, manager
of the Huron County Home,
this week shipped to Stratford
16 hogs off the Home farm.
Misses Helen Muriel Ballan-
tyne, Cecelia Geraldine Mac-
Donald and Margaret Ruth
Kalbfleisch were graduates of
Scott Memorial Hospital at the
graduation exercises held on
the beautiful lawns of the hos-
pital.
Seaforth officially changes its
manner of parking on Main St.
on Monday, when the town
council passed Bylaw 377, of
1936, to permit angle parking
at the sides of the street.
A large number of interested
players took part in the hore-
shoe tournament held at the
horeshoe grounds on Wednes-
day evening, when prizes went
to William Young and Robert
Pinkney.
Mr. Horace Rutledge, of Wal-
ton, has accepted the position
as relieving agent at Innerkip.
Mrs. Taylor, of near Walton,
suffered a painful injury on
Monday, when both hands were
caught in an electric wringer.
Miss Mary Buchanan, Reg.N.,
formerly instructress of nurses
at Memorial Hospital, St. Thom-
as, has been appointed superin-
tendent of Niagara Falls Hos-
pital.
* • *
From The Huron Expositor
August 18, 1911
Mr. Thomas Sherritt• has im-
proved the appearance of his
fine farm dwelling to the east
of Hensall by, having the brick-
work repainted a nice red, with
trimmings, the work being
done by John Steacy.
Mr. Milne Rennie, who has
been in the employ of Small -
man & ,Ingram, of London, for
some time, has returned -to Hen -
tall - Ind intends reentering
business with his brother, Er
astus Rannie.
The turnip crop in the area
is almost a complete failure
owing to the continued dry
weather.
Misses C. Pinkney and L.
Hammett are attending the
millinery openings in Toronto
this week.
Col. Alex Wilson is in Toron-
to this week attending the rifle
matches, and goes from there
to Ottawa.
Dr. F. J. Burrows has pur-
chased the Barteliffe property
on the corner of Goderich and
West William Streets, adjoin-
ing his own property.
Mr. V. N. Diehl, of Stanley
Township, has a mare 'which on
Thursday gave birth to quite a
curiosity, in the shape of a
three-legged colt.
Mr. Sam Houston, 6th conces-
sion of Tuckersmith, pulled an
extra large mangold, which was
of the yellow intermediate va-
riety, and measured 20 filches
one way and 36 inches the
other.
* *
From The Huron Expositor
August 20, 1886
At a meeting of the town
council, held on Wednesday ev-
ening of last week, Dr. Scott
was appointed Medical Health
Officer for the town.
After an absence of over a
year in the Old Country, Mr.
James Nichol returned home
on Wednesday.
Mr. Fulton has sold his cot-
tage on North Main Street to
Mrs. McTavish, of the cream-
ery, for $650, and is now er-
ecting another house on the
adjoining lot.
Mr, Hugh Chesney, of Tuck-
ersmith, has been selected as a
judge of livestock at the To-
ronto Industrial Exhibition.
At a meeting of the Public
School board, held on Saturday
evening last, seven applications
were received for the position
of teacher for the new room,
to be opened after the holidays,
and we understand that Miss
Grace Elder is the fortunate
applicant.
Mr. John Sproat informs us
that for several days this sea-
son a flock of white cranes
were hovering around the riv-
er in the vicinity of his brick-
yard. One of his sons shot one,
and it measured four feet from
the point of the bill to the tip
of the tail, and weighed 11%,
pounds. They are a very rare
bird. `
Mr. William Cash, McKillop,
is having an immense ditch"dug
from his farm to neer Win-
throp, where it enters into the
creek there.
Any man who looks up his
family tree is apt to get out on
a limb.
THE HANDY FAWLY
YOU NEED A
NEW WASE BASKET
IN YOUR ROOM
JUNIOR -NIS
OLD ONE'S
aA MESS
BY LLOYD BONIMMIOVE
JUNNtORAS PLAN
PORNAUTICAL
WASTE
'1 A5KET
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