Clinton News-Record, 1963-10-03, Page 4Page ,NPWP,.RIPPP
190
Editorials .
Burial. Costs Are Iy Choice
.171ZGli cost of living has Al-
ways been a matter of concern to most,
but lately, the high cost of dying has
become a matter of "grave" concern and
has resulted in several articles in lead,
ing magazines chastising the under-
takers. for plying on the sympathy of
loved ones to charge exorbitant prices.
This may have been the reason for
a comprehensive study undertaken
(these puns come easily) by the funeral
directors of the Ontario Funeral Service
Association which held a meeting in
London last week.
The Association represents 45() of
of .the province's 600 licensed funeral
directors, and the survey showed that
of 25,919 funerals conducted in 1962,
More than 50 percent cost less than
$600 each,
It found the average cost on
funeral was $529 but 98 percent of the.
members reported they provide a basic
low-cost funeral ranging from $200 to
$400.
While these figures do not cover
cemetery costs, flowers, extra transpor-
tation or an honorarium to the .clergy-
man, the survey was within reason
when it pointed out that the "funeral
services in Ontario do not load the
public with extra embellishments at
high cost", especially in view of 'the, re-
port that the average profit on a funer-
al was only $74.
Taking into consideration the high
cost of maintenance and initial outlay
for the funeral parlours owned by most
firms, this profit is in no way out of
line.
Most .of the controversy over high
costs stems from, reports based on
United States figtlreS. or. those from
large metropolitan areas, and. as in most
instances, the questionable tactics. of a
minority group bring forth an unfair
generality against all those engaged in
that particular business.
While we may deplore some of the
.lavish funerals chosen by some, it is
actually • not the undertakers who are
to blame,. Basically they sell a service
and a commodity (coffin) and the
customer can choose what he wishes,
similar to customers. seeking any type
of service or. commodity.
Funerals are more lavish than
what they once were, but this has been
brought about by public demands and
to some extent by the promotion of the
funeral directors.
People can still choose between a
$6,000 car and one for $2,000, and judg-
ing from the survey of the funeral
directors, they can also choose between.
a $600 funeral and one for $300, We
would imagine that for those whO de-
sire, the funeral directors can still
supply an old pine box and they don't
even have to embalm the remains if
you want to be put away under the
Most austere conditions possible.
They also provide services for
those who choose to go more luxurious-
ly, but it is still the customer that
chooses and if people feel the costs are
getting out of hand, it is through their
own desires and not those of the funeral
directors.
1
The People Have Spoken
ALTHOUGH it would have to be
termed a contradictory description, the
residents of Ontario distinguished them-
selves as being "out-spokenly conserva-
tive" in last week's election.
Premier John Robarts was certain-
ly given a clear mandate, attesting to
his popularity and the trust in which
he and his government are held by the
electorate. As we have stated before,
this trust was deserved, as Ontario has
been prosperous under his tenure and
a change—simply on the grounds that
the PCs have been in power for 20
years—was not warranted.
Huron riding followed the example
of the province, giving Charlie Mac-
Naughton an over-whelming majority.
Indicative of his popularity was the fact
that he even received a majority in Hay
Township—the first time the Liberals
have been defeated in that area since
Confederation.
While some residents have marked
the quietness of the local campaign
down to apathy, we are more inclined
to believe it was more a feeling of satis-
faction by the electorate and there
were few grounds on which the Liberals
could attack the highways minister.
The majority would in no way re-
flect on the personality of abilities of
Harry Strang, who undoubtedly expect-
ed a good beating, but at the same time
he is to be commended for throwing his
hat into the ring to give the electors
an opportunity to use one of their most
precious democratic rights—the privil-
ege to choose by secret ballot the man
whom they wish to serve as their repre-
sentative.
Through a late nomination and a
busy schedule on his prosperous Us-
borne Township farm, Harry had little
time to campaign in his fight against
such a formidable foe, but he is to be
congratulated on his efforts.
Liberal leader John Wintermeyer
suffered a two-fold loss at the hands of
the Conservatives, as he not only
watched his party lose ground, but also
lost his own seat in Kitchener.
This was certainly a stunning blow
for the lawyer, but may have been an
omen to the party itself. His campaign
of smear and bitter attack on the gov-
ernment was considered unwarranted
by many and may have been one of the
reasons for the poor showing of the
party.
With his personal defeat, the Lib-
erals will now have to name a new
leader and perhaps this is best, as they
are certainly faced with a major re-
building" task and it will probably serve
their purpose better to start right at
the ground floor and work up.
However, Mr. Wintermeyer can
certainly not be expected to shoulder
all, the blame for their lack of a con-
crete campaign, although as the leader,
he was directly responsible for the
"image" which the party wished to im-
plant in the minds of the public.
It is doubtful if any member of
the party could have created enough of
an "image" to oust the PCs although
perhaps another -Could possibly have
gained ground rather than the devasta-
ting losses suffered.
What will happen or who will come
to the forefront in the party remains
to be seen, but perhaps the Liberals
would be well-advised to heed some of
their own advice and make a "change".
Meanwhile, Premier Robarts and
his government have a top-heavy work-
ing majority and it is to be hoped that
they recognize this as a trust in their
honesty and ability and will use it to
further the economy of this great On-
tario.
Clinton News-Record
THE CLINTON NEW ERA
Est. 1865
tt
0
e
d• e.
Amalgamated THE CLINTON 1924
Published every Thursday at the Est.
Heart of Huron County
Clinton, Ontario Population 3,369 •
A. L. COLQUHOUN, Publisher
o nub • " a WILLIAM BATTEN, Editor
Signed contributions in this publication, are the
opinions of the writers only, rand do not necessarily
express the views of the newspaper.
Authorixed as second class mail, Post Office Department. Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Payable In advance Canada and Great Britain: $4.00 a year;
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NEWS-RECORD
1881
CCNR
PAYING BILLS
Itoyal Bank helps you manage yOur ehequing,
bOrroWing and other personal finances in a business--
like way at loWett cost. Our TWO-ACcotimr PLAN
keeps you from raiding savings' arniarked for *tied,-
tion or Other purposes; it also siMPlifies bill-paying
by providing a special Personal Chequing Account.
(Only 10i a Cheque!) And a iteyal miticirtArt toal4 Clinton Branch 0. L. Engelatacl, Manager can often save you hilt money in interest. Be Money- —
wise bank at your nearby Royal Dank Branch. Goderich Branch ...... 1.1. G. Spring', Manager
ROYAL BAN K
A Few Pointers . . .
TO FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME:
DON'T
—Smoke on or in bed
—leave matches within easy reach of children
—use gasoline as a cleaner
—allow waste to accumulate in the attic or cellar
—stand waste paper containers near to a furnace,
fireplace, heater
—overload electrical outlets by plugging in too many
cords
—overfuse any circuits—use the correct fuse
—add or change wiring without a qualified electric-
ian's help'
—hang clothes too close to source of heat
—look in closets or attics with an open flame—use a
flash light
—use 'water on a grease or cooking oil -fire
—use a vacuum cleaner to suck dirt out of your
gas tank;
and DO
—replace worn cords, outlets, plugs and switches
—allow adequate ventilation and proper clearances
for heaters
—dispose of oily, waxy cloths in separate containers
—use ashtrays that do their job properly
—check accumulation on lint collectors in automatic
clothes dryers
—leave ashtrays in the open at all times
—use only approved safety cans to store gasoline
—have adequate clearance for bulbs and light shades
—use necessary precaution when using hair spray
and insect repellant near stove elements or open
flames
—have a fire drill in your house
—notify fire department in case of fire or suspected
fire regardless of size.
But .Prevention Still Best
Sometimes, after you've got
your husband and children off
to work and school, picked-up
the house and clone the shop-
ping, perhaps taken some of
the children to the dentist or
music lesson, put dinner in the
oven and the baby finally in
bed and find you are loading
the washing machine at 8:45
p.m.—sometimes, do you wond-
er why you needed a college
education, or even high school
to get through 365 days of
this? You feel trapped, don't
you.
About 100 years'ago, or even
more, there was another home-,
maker who was also devoted,
also trapped, and I was inter-
ested to read some of her let-
ters and discovered how she
found a way out.
She was Jane Welsh Carlyle,
wife of Thomas Carlyle. Jane
was the only daughter of a
Scottish physician, who adored
and spoiled his child. Great ex-
pectations were cherished re-
garding her brilliant future, as
she was very pretty, witty and
completely charming. Then one
day her father died suddenly.
Poor Mrs. Welsh, the doc-
tor's widow, did her best to
continue the pattern set by her
County Council
Views Shelters,
Hears EMO Report
GODERICH—County council
members arriving for the Sep-
tember session found arranged
at the rear of the chamber, a
half-dozen different types of
surface and underground shel-
ters recommended in event of
enemy attack and radioactive
fallout. They were not subject
of discussion.
The new emergency measur-
es co-ordinator, W. Stuart For-
bes, addressed council only
briefly, and twill have a detailed
report for the November ses-
sion, EMO chairman Milton
Oesch, of Zurich, said.
• "The co-ordinator is moving
along nicely," he reported, and
doing a good job in the circum-
stances. This is still more or
less a controversial subject, but
Huron people are gradually
recognizing that this is some-
thing we cannot throw away."
"I am very happy with the
attitude of the executive com-
mittee of council," Mr. Forbes
said, "and the people to whom
I have spoken in the past two
monthS, We found the organi-
zation under Mr. MacDonald
was very good, but the imple-
mentation rather poor for vari-
ous reasons. We haVe progress-
ed to the point where we have
appointed most of the heads of
committees,
"Our budget is Very small,
and makes the work that much
more difficult, and it will take
that much longer to do, How-
ever, we will do the best we
can. The county pays 10% and
the two governments 90,
"Shelters are a controversial
subject — strictly a .personal
need, if you feel you should
have it — if net, nobody can
make you put it in. However,
this EMO has been kicked
about a lot, and we need your
participation, and if yott can
help us in any way we will be
glad,"
husband, and suffered some
misgivings about the great
number of eager suitors who
sought Jane for a wife, Carlyle
was no fool. He did not fail to
realize the high worth of the
attractive young lady, and some
of his long and persuasive let-
ters make interesting reading.
Finally, he won her and she
became his wife.
If you will read the following
letter written by Jane Carlyle
to a woman who had sent her
some samples of home-cooked
poetry, and recall it when you
have feelings of frustration and
of being trapped, it may well
help you.
Her reference to Benvenuto
Cellini has to do with a statue
of Perseus which that sculptor
had once been casting in the
days of the high Renaissance.
This was a large statue of the
hero Perseus, and Cellini mis-
calculated the amount of metal
that was needed, and in this
emergency he threw in all avail-
able jewels and precious trink-
ets in his studio, as the mold
quickly cooled, fearing that the
success of his statue might be
in danger.
Here is her letter:
To Miss Mary Smith,
Carlisle
5 Cheyne Row,
Chelsea. .
January 11th, 1857.
Dear Miss Smith,
This time you come' to me as
an old acquaintance whom I am
glad to shake hands with again.
The mere fact of your being
still in the same position after
so long an interval, and with
such passionate inward protest
as that first letter indicated, is
a more authentic testimony of
your worth, than if you had
sent me a certificate of charac-
ter signed by all the clergy and
householders of Carlisle.
So many talents are wasted,
so many enthusiasms turned to
smoke, so many lives blighted
for want of a little patience
and endurance, for want of
understanding and laying to
'heart that which you have so
well expressed in these verses
—the meaning of the Present
—for want of recognizing that
it is not the greatness or little-
ness of "duty nearest at hand",
but the spirit in which one does
it, that makes one's doing noble
or mean!
I can't think how people who
have any natural ambition and
any sense of power in them,
escape going mad in a world
like this, without the recogni-
tion of that! I know I was very
near mad when I found it out
for myself (as one has to find
out for oneself everything that
is to be of any real practical
use to one). Shall I tell you
how it came into my head?
Perhaps it may be of comfort
to you in Similar moments of
fatigue and disgust,
I had gone with my husband
to live on a little estate of
peat beg, that had descended
to me, all the way clown from
John Welsh, the Covenanter,
who married a daughter of
John. Knox. That didn't, I'm
ashamed to say, make me feel
Craigenputtock a whit less of a
peat bog, and a most dreary,
Untoward place to live at. In
fact, it Was 16 miles distant on
every side from all the conven-
iences of life—ShopS, and even
post officel
(Continued Ott Page Nine) •
In the fireman's calendar
perhaps the most outstanding
floe is October 9,. the time of
the Great Chicago Fire. of 3.873..
Each year the .week which con-
tains October 9 is heralded As
Fire Prevention Week,
Held both in Canada and the
United States, the week is
marked by :activities, celebra-
tions and .demonstrations at
national and local levels.
Effective use of this cam-
paign serves to emphasize the
year, round need for greater
attention to fire safety and the
responsibility of every individu-
al in the prevention of fire.
It is also the occasion to
reach and remind people of the
common in the home and On
the job fire hazards which they
personally can control and el-
iminate.
Bearing this in mind the
RCAF Clinton Fire Depart-,
ment embarks once again on its
Fire Prevention purge.
Serve Large Area
This Fire Department serves
270 acres, 170 of which are Sta-
tion proper and the remainder
married quarters,
The Station comprises of 80
wartime and permanent build-
ings; these include barrack
blocks, mess halls, schools,
lounges, canteens, recreation
centre, ice arena and curling
rink.
Married quarters contain 220
homes, two chapels, one public
school and a grocery store.
The Fire Department, headed
by an RCAF Flight Sergeant
Fire Chief, has a compliment
of 16 full time civilians hired
by the Department of National.
Defence as a result of competi-
tions conducted by the Civil
Service Commission.
These men are employed in
three shifts on a 24 hour on
and 48 hours off schedule for a
total of 56 hours per week.
Each shift is headed by a Lieu-
tenant who also receives his
grading through a Civil Service
Competition.
Fire Chief of the brigade is
F/S W. B. Stumpf, Adastral
Park, and the remaining are
all civilian employees. Fire
Fighter Lieutenants are: R, J.
Chalmers, Blyth; R. J. Burke,
Clinton, and Bill Chambers,
Clinton.
Crew members are: S. Dick,
Clinton; W. J. Putman, Sea-
forth; G. Currie, Clinton; C. E.
Johnson, Clinton; H. Tideswell,
Goderich; R. Van Riesen, Clin-
ton; D. Travers, Aylmer; J. J.
Atkinson, Holmesville; R. L.
Dolmage, Seaforth; J. Porter,
Clinton; P. C. Renner, Bay-
field; L. Kirk, Aylmer; C. W.
Bertrand, Clinton.
The crews are supplimented
by a fire picquet composed of
ten service trainee personnel,
who are awaiting course in
their respective trades. They
are employed in the fire de-
partment for an average period
o fthree weeks and are replac-
ed in staggered manner, so that
there is always a percentage of
trained fire picquet for duty.
Training Daily
Fire Department training is
a daily routine the year round
and this consists of lectures,
films, demonstrations and prac-
Bought a new car this week.
Never had one before. And
about 10 years from tonight,
it's probable that I'll never
have had one since.
Both the dealer I bought it
from and I were disappointed,
I think. I ex,pected him to give
me a chance to "dicker", some-
thing you're always supposed
to do when you buy a car.
And he expected me to try
to beat him down on his price,
something you're always sup-
posed to expect when you sell
a cai. .
Nothing happened. He of-
fered me more than I had ex-
pected for my old car, and I
was so flabbergasted, I just
said, "O.K.", leaving him flab-
ergasted. The entire transac-
tion took 19 minutes. It could
have been in nine minutes.
The remaining 10 was spent
in standing around waiting for
the other fellow to do some
dickering.
My wife let me down rather
badly. She was there, and I
expected her to do most of
the talking — you know, rais-
ing hell about the colour, pr-
ice, upholstery, mileage. I
thought she'd go over the car
with a magnifying glass, as
she used to do when we'd buy
one of those $495 specials. I
fully anticipated that She'd
find a bubble in the paint, or
a smudge on the floormat, and
raise eain. She didn't say a
word. She didn't even want a
different colour,
Maybe we're both getting
Even I, who have never
cared any more about a ear
than I have about a la Wn
mower, Used to have a bit of
the Old ,horse-trading Spirit,
tical training..
The Pr4ctical work consists
of fire.; involving combustible
materials and flammable liquid
Am, In this training, each
man in the department handles
and uses all available equip-
ment and becomes familiar
with the characteristics of each
piece of equipment.
Training periods are set up
weekly for all trainees and
shortly after their arrival ,at
the Station they are given lec-
tures and , demonstrations on
the fire hazards that are likely
to be encountered and how to
go about rectifying those .exist-
ing.
Fire Protection
All places of assembly are
checked nightly at close up
time by a member of the fire
crew and all ash tray contents
and other waste material is
placed in special containers and
set outside their respective
buildings.
Other buildings are also
checked periodically each night
and due to the close supervision
and fire conscious personnel,
the fire loss and fire calls have
been kept to a bare minimum,
All first. aid . fire equipment
is checked in each building
every month and a record kept
of each piece of eqUipment. The
equipment on the fire truck is
closely checked each morning
and any article not meeting the
required standard is repaired
and. put back into service.
Married Quarters are includ-
ed in inspections so that a high
standard of safety can be main-
tained and adequate steps tak-
en to reduce the ever present
risk of fire.
Hydrants are checked weekly
in warm weather and daily dur-
ing the winter months, care be-
ing taken to leave them free of
obstruction and ready for use.
Those buildings protected by
sprinkler or fire detection sys-
tems are inspected regularly
and the equipment tested for
used to kick the tires. I used
to look under the hood, though
I hadn't a clue as to what
should be there. I used to slam
the doors a couple of times,
and look in the trunk.
This time, I just leaned on
the counter, across from the
dealer, both of us embarrassed,
waiting for some action. In
common decency, I drove the
thing for three miles, when he
insisted . . . I didn't feel a
thing. No ecstasy. All I wanted
to do was get home for din-
ner.
We clinched the deal, with
him thinking that a lot of fun
had gone out of selling cars,
and me thinking that it was
going to be a pretty awkward
session with the bank manager.
Do you know something?
Those banks have got old and
lazy in the past ten years too.
I'll never forget t h e first
time I applied for a loan. I
felt exactly as I used to in the
air force, when. I'd gone over
the fence for an unauthorized
weekend leave. Up in front of
the CO Monday morning. Not
a leg to stand on, and about
to get it in the neck.
The bank manager used to
scowl as you sidled in the door.
`Siddown," he'd snarl, scrib-
bling furiously on documents,
obviously designed to send you
up the river for six years.
You blurted your carefully
planned story: that you absol-
utely ha &la have $200 to put
a new roof on the house, be-
cause your smallest child had
almost drowned during the
latest rainstorm,
"Got any security?" shaking
his head gravely, Of course
you didn't have. People who
serviceability.
Prevention, as opposed to
protection is an individuals re-
sponsibility, Personal know-
ledge of fire hazards is the key
to an effective control over
fire,.
Close co-operation between
the Married Quarters Council
and the Fire Department has
enhanced the continual Fire
Prevention program which in-
cludes lectures and demonstra-
tions to organized groups on
every day hazards found in the
home.
These include correct fuses
for electrical equipment, the
proper storage of flammable
liquids used for mechanical
equipment, and daily checks
and disposal of any material
not required,
Co-operation with heads of
other groups has enabled an in-
crease in scope of fire preven-
tion. These groups include the
School Board, Boy Scouts,
Cubs, Brownies and Girl
Guides.
Seasonal Programs
Due to the high fire hazard
prevalent during the festive
season, fire safety is strongly
emphasized in a "winter pro-
gram". This program compris-
es of explaining the need for
proper handling of Christmas
trees, decorations, lighting sets
and wrapping.
As soon as winter draws to a
close a "spring clean up" cam-
paign is used to effect a
thorough cleaning out of rub-
bish and waste in homes.
Other seasonal opportunities
to stress particular fire hazards
include First of July — fire-
works, Halowe'en — costumes,
bonfires and' candles.
The above mentioned pro-
grams have distinctive themes
but for . an overall picture,
"Fire Prevention Week" serves
the purpose of letting the in-
dividual know what to watch
for from clay to day.
need small loans never have
security. You told him your
grandmother had mentioned
that she planned to leave you
$300 if you never married, or
stopped drinking, or some such.
The interview ended with
you on your knees, thanking
the bank manager, and prom-
ising to cherish him forever,
because he had loaned you
$200 out of what seemed his
own pockets. and some w i
caprice of generosity in his
nature.
Nowadays you walk into the
manager's office, and he treats
you just as though you were
a human being. "What can
we do for you?" And "Oh, I
think we can manage that."
And "Just sign here. If there's
anything else you need —
new stove or refrigerator —
you know where to come."
Anyway, we got delivery of
the car Sunday, Everybody ran
out and circled it, The kids
were over - whelmed.. "limp.
Kincla small. No radio? These
six - Cylinder jobs don't have
much pickup, do they? Oh,
Well, at least we have the first
'64 in town.." Piper and Play-
boy were no more impressed.
She tried her claWs on our
hew Whitewall tires. And you
can imagine what Playboy did
to them,
In the old days men loved
their horses because they were
alive and couldn't talk back
to them, Today a man buys
the equivalent; his kids mock
his miserliness; his wife drives
it; and there's a note at the
bank that sneers; "Three years
at $96 a month," I should live
so long.
Embark On Camp lc n
Helped by his attractive visitors, "Sparicy"
comes into prominence in the area in the next
week during Fire Prevention Week. Seen here,
with LAW Gagne, left, and LAW 'Rogers, he will
be reminding everyone that now is the time to
check defences against fire, (RCAF Photo)
Adine Writes
- - of many things