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The Huron Expositor, 1973-03-22, Page 2qince 1860,•S'erving the Community Fire Pub Rolled at SVAFORTil, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by McLEAN BROS,, Publishers Ltd. ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor Member Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation Newspapers Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) $8.00 a Year Outside Canada (in advance) $10.00 a Year SINGLE COPIES — 20 CENTS EACH Second Class Mail Registration Number 0696 . Telephone 527-0240 SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, March 22, 1973 Liberal victory in Huron 44?-1 WOW COME NO-ONE USES A LITTLE MogE" CHILD PSYCHOLOGY .e1ZOUIVLI " In the Years Agone The Liberal victory in Huron reflectecimany factOds.each of which con- tributed in its own way to the rout of the Con- .ervativesafter thirty years in power in the riding. There was the' concern on the part of many people including many life long Conservatives, that the spiralling, costs of the..... Davis bureaucracy were placing too great a strain on the economy of the province., There was in- creasing evidence that the Tory government was determined to do as its specialists recommended without regard to the opinions of the people in the riding. There was the continuing erosion of authority which for gen- 'erations had been heTd by local boards and coun- cils. There was thear- bitrary manner in which planning decisions were made .and the delays which resulted as the authority was removed further and further from the people. It's difficult to say to 'w'ha't extent each con- trib.ute.d. but certainly there was a cumulative effect. In my county, we've just come through a by-election. When the whole thing began to happen a couple of months ago, I wasn't too excited. As most of my regular readers know, provincial politics haven't pleased me too much in the past because I've found that people complain about things in general and then get out and vote for the same representatives ... or give even larger' majorities to the ruling party. I guess you could say I was truly disillusioned with voters for the most part. So the upcoming by-election didn't really turn' me on. So what, I thought. Somebody told me to take heart. I was reminded that be-elections are not like general elections. People do strange things in a by,-election, I was told. In our Riding, Progressive Conser- vatives had dominated for over 25 years . . way before my voting time at any rate. And when the dust had settled after frenzied nomination meetings, my hopes for a, PC upset in my Riding began to dwindle. The PC candidate was, in my humble estimation, a tough, hard-nosed politician who had been hand-picked and groomed by the former MP whose retire- ment had forced the by-election. Even, the timing seemed right. The Davis government had been swept to power by an overwhelming majority and apart from a few rumblings of discontent here and th ere, the Big Blue Machine seemed to be rolling along quite nicely. But just about two weeks into the campaign, there were the beginnings of signs to show that the PC in our Riding wasn't doing too well. An informed, intel- ligent politician he might have been ... but a personable, sort of one-of-us candidate he was not. He charged on the day of • the election it was a "dirty campaign" while most voters - PC or not - would have called it a stupid campaign. It's history now, but the PC's were soundly trounced In my Riding. The Liberal was carried to victor y and the cheers may not die down among die-hard Grits for days and days. If there is anyone' in this province who should be doing a little head scratch- ing this week, it must be Bill Davis, the Whatever the reason the decision which the voters rendered was posi- tive and certain. It in- dicated that the riding has confidence that its new member, Jack Riddell,. will speak out about those matters which today are causing such concern , in Huron, The message "However, politicians would be well advised to consider 'the fact 'that the more authority "they assume bY,inp about more situations„over which the public have cause to be dissatisfied. "While politicians may relish the power they hold, it is abundantly clear that that power may not last any longer than to the next election: "Those interested in longer careers should assess the mood of elec- tors across the country. The message.is coming through. rather clearly." (The Exeter Times Advocate) captain of the PC ship. The premier must be asking himself how to plug the holes in his wounded vessel, before it begins to list and sink. One of the first things he could do is to spend less time drafting Davis legislation and more time listening to the people. Folks that I knovi are getting a little weary of having their heads patted like good children only to have their noses held and another dose of Davis "prosperity" pushed down their throats. They don't like the ridiculous run-around they get from Davis who says one minute to relax an d stop worrying while all the time some docuMent or another is ready for signing which. if known to the people, would give plenty of cause for concern. Another thing Davis could do is to 'get real", as the kids say. As the former Minister of Education, Davis foisted all kinds of expense and trouble on the electorate In the name of "equal educational opportunities". I don't mind the expense and I don't mind the trouble . . but by heavens, when the equal educational opportunities -don't arrive I feel that I've been had. And Davis is still up to his old tricks, prom- ising the world. collecting the payments and delaying the delivery. It would be better to promise less, take less and do more . . . the recipe to be ob- tained from federal PC's who want to dump the Trudeau government to put - this-fantastic plan into effect. 1 don't know whether or not the re- sults from the two recent by-elections in the province are any indication of a move afoot to dump the Tories in Toronto . . . or at least give them a good scare. It could be and naturally, I'd be happier to see a much tighter provincial House. But if Bill Davis is smart, he'll start mending fences . . . and keep them mended. He'll take a cue from our PEA' who learned it is more blessed to be humble and In office than arrogant and defeated. If Davis gets as smart as Trudeau in that respect, he might make a premier of some ability. This week, some random and ram- bling thoughts on a variety of topics. 'A friend and colleague died yester- day, and I'll miss him. He was a free soul, beholden to none, with a mind and a tongue that paid obeisance to no man and no theory. He was ill fora long time, but fought like a demon, and never gave an inch to encroaching death. Since I joined this teaching staff twelve years ago, six men teachers, all in their forties and early fifties, have died. FiVe of them were World War I I veterans. That's a pretty high attrition rate. There are only six W. W. II veterans left on the staff, including one lady and one vet of the ,German army, and we're sort of eyeing each other for signs of sudden deterioration. Guess, we should make a pool, winner (last alive) take all. Don't worry, I haven't a morbid bone in my body. I've already had about thirty years more than a lot of my old mates, so life doesn't owe me 'a thing. Spring is more a time of birth than of death. And did we have evidence this week. Saturday morning, I often grab the chance to sleep in for an extra hour. Last Fyiday night the temperature went soaring up to about fifty. About four a.m., the word got around among the black squirrels in my attic that spring' had arrived, and they went stark, staring, rav- ing mad. All winter, they'd been pretty quiet, with only the occasional Saturday night party complete with drunken fights, screaming females, bawling kids and . acorns rattling around like bowling balls on concrete.- But this week, they pulled all the stops. I started out of a deep sleep, shouting .something about the Yanks invading Canada. My wife was cowering, head under the covers. The males were bellowing like bull moose. The females Were chatting like - well, females. The babies were shouting, in unison, "Hey, Ma. Can we go out'?' We don't need a coat. We've• never seen spring before. What's it like?" And all of them running and jumping and skittering and slithering and scuttling right overhead until it sounded like mid- night at the LuMberjacks ball. This went on until daylight and so did my wife's demands that I do some- thing about it. What would you do? I wasn't .going to go up into the attic and take,.them on single-handed. I was afraid to. They sounded like Genghis Khan and his boys warming up for the raping and razing of a city. There was nothing to do but batten down the hatches and hope that some over- zealous little Thlack rodent did not chew through the ceiling and drop on my wife's head. That would have. as they say, torn It,. At dawn the wild ululations subsided a little and I peeked out the window. There they were. goofing about in the back yard, stupidly digging in the snow for acorns, looking particularly ratty with their coats half shed. The oldtimers soon realized with dis- gust that it was riot spring at all. and returned, up the big cedar, flying leap to the vines. scrabble up to the hole and back to the attic for a long. snooze. But the little, ones were baffled, be- wildered and belligerent. They ran around in circles . They sank to their ears in wet snow, They chittered indignantly. They couldn't find anything to eat. HO I -not heard them talking so often, • I'd not have been able to understand. But I had. And I did. I distinctly heard one baby buck squirrel snarling, "What the hell goes on here? We've been sold a bill of goods. This is Spring? Where are the luscious bulbs, the green stuff, the tender shoots? We've been' had, brothers. Let's demonstrate." And demonstrate they did. loudly ,and shrilly, for the next twelve hours, back in the attic, berating their elders. Can't blame them. It must have been a traumatic experience, out of the warm womb of the attic into the bleak reality ' of a March day. Some of them (I hope) will be scarred for life, psychologically. But I can't kick. They've been fairly quiet since, aside from a lot of mumbling and muttering among the young ones, con- vinced, like all kids, that their parents betrayed ,them about life. Dang it. I've ruin out of space. I wanted' to mention the two baseball pit- chers who have swapped not only wives but families, present some startling spring poetry, and discuss the abysmal stupidity of the Department of Education, but there's no room. Why do I let squirrels loom so largo in my life? MARCH 25, 1898. John Bristow of Egmondville left for Rossland, B.C. where he has secured a good position. At the recent council meeting an arrangement was made with Alex Cardno for the running of the town clock. He is to keep it running, etc. and is to receive $33.25 for the balance of the year. The social given by the men of the Methodist Church was a decided success. Captain Norman McLeod left here ,for British Columbia .where he' intends pushing his forturte. Major John A. Wilson returned from Toronto, where he has been putting in a term at the Military College. Messrs. James Hinchley and Robert McMillan of Hullett, shipped a number of steers to the Old Country. Rev. Mr, fickle has accepted the invitation of the Presbyterian congre- gation here to be the assistant of Dr. McDonald for the summer six months. The egg season has now fairly com- menced and Mr. Wilson's teams come home daily laden with hen fruit, and an egg wagon can be seen at almost every farmer's gate in the country. A week ago, J. P, McLaren pur- chased the grocery stock and business of ,J. S. Crozier in town, and since then has sold out to a gentleman from Stratford, who now has posses- sion. About one o'clock Wednesday Morn- ing the fire Whistle disturbed the peacefulness of the night. It proved to he a false alarm. G. G. Wilson, who has purchased the post office grocery will have something to, say of interest to the public next week. Alex Davidson has leased the Com- mercial Hotel here, to two gentlemen from New Hamburg. They get posses- sion On May 1st. Geo. M'inroe, of Brucefield, dressed 30.hogs for Wrn. Scott last week. M. Y. McLean of Seaforth, attended the Farmer's Institute meeting ' at Leadbury last week, Henry Stimore of Leadbury has sold a young mare to a Stratford man, re- ceiving nearly $100.00 for the anthill!. J. J., Irvine of Leadbury and his hands completed rutting a hundred cords of wood. which they hauled home in logs from the Canada Company's woods. This is the second hundred they have cut this season. The present weather is delightful anci the farmors have corn nenced plowing. John Buchanan, son of W'n. Buchanan of ilens011. who holds a responsible posi- tion in the Agricultural College, was. here visiting his parents. MARCH 23, 1923. Mr. Wells of Londesboro, is doing quite a business. The farmers are bringing in their grain so fast that they have to run their mill almost day and night. Frank McGrath of St. Columban was seriously wounded when a fork pierced the hone near the eye, rendering him unconscious. Miss Janet Clark of Walton, is in Brussels taking a course in the millinery shop with Mrs. Ross. John McDonald. Walton, has a large stock of logs. The m'll is starting to run this week. The hospitable home of Mr. and Mrs. .John L . Kerr, north -of Seaforth, was the scene of a very pleasant event under the auspices of the W.M.S. of First Church. T. N. Forsyth of Kippen, of the 3rd concession of Tuckersmith, sold his hand- some team of draft geldings, rising four year olds, to a gentleman from Van- couver, to which city they were shipped. Lloyd Horton of Hensall had the mis- fortune lately while carrying a bag of peas, to' slip on the ice, and quite se- 'verely injured his ankle. Nathan P. Warr iner of Hensall has sold his dwelling on Queen Street to Mr. Blatchford of this village. The second euchre given this season under, the auspices of the Seaforth Fire Brigade was a great success. The prize winners were 1st, Montgomery Davis; 2nd. Dan Shanahan; Consolation, T:Scott. Messrs. James O'Connell and Fergus Somers- have joined the staff of the Bank of,COmmerce here. Miss Wilma Seip of town entered tile Memorial Hospital to train for a nurse. T. E. Hays, .received a. carload of 32 head of exceptionally fine grass cattle and they are out on his farm in McKillop. They were purchased by P. O'Sullivan, and J. M. Govenlock, Miss Olive Taman of town was called to Cochrane owing to the serious illness of her mother. Robert Smith, of town, has purchased a variety store in Chesley and intends moving there. • Mrs. J. A, Case lit the range in her kitchen at her home, Maple Hall, Sea- forth, not knowing that the water pipes had become frozen during the night. The water jacket at the front of the stove exploded and struck Mrs. Case, knocking her to the floor. MARCH 26, 1948 Dr. J, F. Burrows, following his re- tirement from the active practise of medicine in Seaforth, will leave shortly for Winnipeg where he will reside with his daughter, Mrs. Perly Banbury. Dr. Burrows, commenced his practise here in 1894 and during nearly 55 years in Seaforth, has been actively identified with many organizations in town. Henry Weiland, well known Egmond- ville resident, despite his 90 years, climbed on.the roof of the porch of his • home and cleaned off accumulated ice and snow. Clifford Brown, C,P.R, Section man, suffered a head wound that required sev- eral stitches to close when he was struck by a piece of bolt. He was assisting in cutting the bolt when the piece broke off and flew into the air. Warm spring weather and driving rain combined to create. floods throughout the Seaforth district. which inundated large areas, and resulted in many thousands of dollars loss as culverts were washed out and roads damaged. Joseph O'Reilly, formerly of the seventh concession of McKillop, was guest of honor when neighbors gathered to bid him farewell. During the evening Frank O'Rourke read an address and Lorne Flanagan presented hil,with a signet ring and a cigarette case. Members of the Seaforth District High School, at a special meeting Satur- day afternoon, considered 50 applications for the position of Principal of the school. The position became vacant upon the resignation of E. Lorne Fox, who goes to Petrolia. J. A. Carroll, Ontario Supervisor of agricultural societies was special speaker at the annual Lions Farmer dinner. The male quartette of First P,resby- terlan Church, consisting of Walker Hart, F. E. Willis, M. R, Rennie and D. L. Reid sang titto numbers..very acceptably in Egmondville United Church at the special service. Mrs. Rennie accom- panied them Dr. Stewart Plant of Gravenhurst, has been appointed to the staff of Queen Alexander Sanitarium at London. Dr. Plant is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Plant, now of Guelph. Announcement a week ago by a group of public spirited Hensall residents of the opening of a campaign to raiser20,000 for the purpose of erecting a community centre in that village. From My Window By Shirley J. Keller • .••••+-•••••-•••••••••••• ••••••••••••••