Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1963-11-07, Page 4UGAR and SPICE (By W. 13. T. SMIXXY) eezeteve ,••••• 0',Pvg," Hunter, Hunter, hold your fire! Do' not explode that cartridge, That's your neighbour, Mr. Dwyer, It's not a plump hen partridge. All right. You don't like that verse? How , about this one? Along the line of smoky hills The crimson hunters stand, A hundred thousand Bob's and Bill's, Their muskets in their hand. They're in the swamps a n d valleys, too, As thick as geese in skillet; They have, but one ambition, to See something move and kill it. ' Yes, gentle, all - suffering reader, I'm afraid that one of the silliest of Canada's silly seasons is upon us. The above doggerel represents two of the attitudes about hunting season which prevail. They might be labelled the Apprehensive and the Disapproving. There are others. For ex- ample: Why can't we hunters shoot from cars And blast away on Sundays? Each silly regulation mars Our simple, joyous fun days. This might be called the viewpoint of that small group of malformed individuals who give the rest of us the creeps. They enjoy killing for its own sake. They will shoot 20 ducks when the bag limit is eight. They will shoot an owl or a turtle or a cat, if nothing else is moving. I find myself uneasy in their company. They could be term- ed The Killers. They are not hunters. Quite opposed to these queer ones is another segment of our, population. I came across a typical group of this species last Saturday when I dropped in at the pub for an ale. There they were, he-men all, in their red caps, red jackets and red faces, on about their eighth round of beers. After another couple of rounds, they'd be ready to fan out into the woods, and it would be every man for himself. This type, and it is legion, seldom kills anything more dangerous than a crock or an old buddy. just for the sake of euphony, let's call them The Swillers. Their' credo might go thus: Hunting is the sport for us; We're a manly, merry crew, So why the ruckus and the fuss When we bag a cow or two? Beset on one side by The Apprehensive and The Disap- proving, on the other by The Killers and The Swillers, the real hunter has my sympathy. All he wants is to be allowed to follow his favorite sport in peace and with a modicum of .safety, and it's getting tougher all the time, If he were net the simple, inarticulate type, he might say: Give me a crisp November day With a little skiff of snow, And a deer run, and a good gun, And you know where you can go. I don't like slaughter. But I don't think every man who shoots an animal is a depraved monster, lusting for blood, Many a Saturday afternoon I myself have lined up my sights and fired with cool precision at a fence post or a No Tres- passing sign, And I'll never forget the day I bagged my biggest trophy—, the black bear. I was out hunt- ing partridge. The birds had me pretty rattled, jumping up behind me with a great whir and winging off, laughing 'over their shoulders. Suddenly, • out of the corner of my eye, I saw this huge, black menacing shape crouched on a tree limb. Quick as a flash, I whirled, threw up my gun and fired, Dawn he tumb- led at one shot. -I felt both silly and a little sick when my 400-pound black bear turned out to be a 12 - ounce black squirrel. But I ate him, in a stew. A crackdown of tree cutting bylaw offenders in Huron County has been promised by the Agriculture and Reforest- ation Committee of Huron County. The committee came out with the declaration dur- ing its last meeting, which was held on October 21. Several reports of infractions of the 1961 tree cutting bylaw were brought to the meeting, and members expressed con- cern over the matter. The con- cere was more than usual at this time, since there has evi- dently been much thoughtless clearing of land in ground wa- ter level areas—and the pres- ent drought has by that much been worsened. Tree commissioners were in- structed to acquaint themselves with any timber cutting or land clearing operations in their areas. Members were informed that legal machinery is at this time being made ready to carry out prosecutions on evidence re- turned by the commissioners. In general trees with a smaller circumference than 53 inches may not be cut down. How things have changed since Samuel 'ohnsori wrote, a couple of hundred years ago, 'Henting was the labor of the savages of North America, but the amusement of the gentle- men of England." Or have they? LETTERS CA to the Editor November 6, 1963. The Editor, Clinton News-Record. Dear Sir, With reference to recent re- ports in your newspaper about smoke complaints directed against the Sherlock-Manning Piano Factory, I would like it known that I was in , Western Canada on a business trip dur- ing the period that this pub- licity was going on. Having just recently returned I wish to say that our Company has been working on this mat- ter for some time now and we are ready to discuss the facts with Town Council whenever a meeting can be arranged, Yours very truly, D. M. Pegg, President, Sherlock-lVfanning Piano Co. Ltd. Exceptions to this rule are bl- ack ash, which may be cut down if there is a 31-inch cir- cumference; American tamar- ack, if there is a 38-inch cir- cumference; large-toothed as- pen, if there is a 31-inch cir- cumference; and red and white cedar, if there is a 22-inch circumference. Exceptions are those trees which are, to be cut for use or sale as Christmas trees, dis- eased or infected trees, and, in general, all trees which have been damaged to the extent that it contains a negligible amount of mercantable timber. However, permission may be obtained from the tree com- missioners to clear off areas so that fields may be squared off or farms improved. Tree commissioners for Hu- ron are Hugh Hill of Goderich, whose territory is Colborne, Goderich, Ashfield, West Wa- wanosh and Hullett; Borden Scott, of RR 3, Blyth, whose territory is Morris, Grey, How- ick, Turnberry and East_ Wa- wanosh, and George Beer, Hensel'', whose territory is Stephen, Usbonie, Hay, Stan- ley, Tuckersmith and McKillop. Reforestation Committee Plans Halt On Tree Cutters Violating Regulations Clinton News-Record Amalgamated THE CLINTON NEWS-RECORD 1924 Published every Thursday at the Est. 1881 Heart of Huron County Clinton, Ontario — Population 3,369 A. L. COLQUHOUN, Publisher WILLIAM BATTEN, Editor Signed contributions in this publication, are the opinions of the writers only, and do not necessarily express the views of the newspaper. class mall, Post Office Department. Ottawa. and for payment of postage in cub RATES: Payable In advance — Canada and Great Britain: $4.00 a year; United States and Foreign: OM: Slagle Copies Ten Cents Authorized as second SUBSCRIPTION Due To Limited Accommodation, The OFFICIAL OPENING of the Vocational Addition to Central Huron Secondary School on Friday, Nov. 8 WILL BE BY INVITATION ONLY There Will Be Two Nights Set Aside For OPEN HOUSE so area residents may see the vast changes that have been made at the sehool. These events, at which time tours will be conducted; Will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 12 and 13 at 8:00 pan. neseliessisieinizerniel.inemeseilie O a THE CLINTON NEW ERA Est. 1865 I. * O I. A t • CCN R WAS THIS SITE AT SEAFORTH CHOSEN OVER GRAND BEND FOR TIDE 1966 INTERNATIONAL PLOWING mArtai Page 4—,-Clinton News-Record,--Thurs., Nov. .e.ekefif, eek.eee ....... ............. CHOOSING of a Seaforth area farm as the site for the 1966 International Plowing Match will undoubtedly be wel- comed by residents and businessmen in that community, as well as those in the surrounding area, but it has drawn sharp criticism, from. Chamber of Commerce officials in the Grand Bend area. The site of the match has been a contentious issue for the past several months; in fact, ever since it was pointed out that other locations besides the old airport near Grand Bend were being con- sidered. Having worked in Grand Bend during the time the Chamber of Commerce started planning for the promotion of the match, we can honestly point out they did spend considerable time and money in ,attempting to get the match into their area, and as we recall it, they were virtually promised the match would be held there. There can be no argument against the fact they instituted the initial action long before any other group even con- sidered inviting the International to be staged 'in the area. The decision against holding it there may have been based on the fact the land was not suitable, but this is difficult to understand due to the fact the Huron Plowmen'S Association staged their an- nual match there three years ago and there was no suggestion it was unsuitable. In other facets the Grand Bend location would appear to be ideal due to the tar- mac runways that would be excellent for the site of the tented city, plus all the fine accommodation available in that bustling tourist centre. Certainly, there is no other com- munity in the area which can come close to offering similar accommodation facil- ities. So, What happened that Seaforth was chosen over Grand Bend? There has been a suggestion that certain individuals placed , 'pressure" on the OPA to have Seaforth chosen, and Ory Wassma.nnj• president of the Grand Bend C of C has charged that Gord McGavin, Walton, may have, provided one of the turning points in Grand Bend's campaign. Wassman, as quoted in The Exeter Times-Advocate, said McGavin, a former member of the OPA executive and a , former World champion plowman, had supported Grand Bend enthusiastically Until he accepted the Huron Liberal nom- ination. However, dUring the campaign, McGavin indicated to Seaforth interests that he would promote their site. "Up until that time, Gordon McGavin thought there was no other place for the match," said Wassman. "As a Matter of fact, he Was so enthusiastic about it that he felt it should be proposed as a Per- trianent site, something which has been tonsiderei by the Ontario association in recent years. The chamber president said it was McGavin Who engineered changes in the executive of.the Huron „Plowmen's As- sociation wit Huron an eye to having the Grand Bend area for 1966. Fergus Turn- bull, on the Bluewater Highway, was elected third vice-president for that rea- son, he said. That these charges are not merely "sour grapes" can be backed up by an article which we printed as editor of the Grand Bend Holiday, on July 1, 1961, after covering a meeting attended by the executive of the Huron Plowmen's As- sociation, Gord McGavin, Hon. C. S. Mac- Naughton, and Huron warden of that time, Ivan Forsyth. It is as follows: Gord McGavin, Walton, a past president of the Ontario Plowmen's Association, told members of the Grand Bend and Area Chamberi of Commerce and other interested parties that he didn't think "you would have any trouble at all" in getting the 1966 .International Plowing match in this area. Speaking at a special meeting arranged by the C of C, Friday, he pointed out that the area was one of the best farming regions in Ontario and the machinery companies would • certainly favour the locality. Although the Chamber of Commerce had planned to invite the major attraction into the area before 1966, McGavin pointed out that it was the earliest possible date available, McGavin, who is chairman of the demonstra- tion committee for 1961, stated that the Plowmen attempted to move the affair across the province in succeeding years to take in all sections of the country. The ardent plowman suggested that the most important thing for interested parties to do is to get to the annual (OPA) meeting in February and also to attend the 1961 Inter- national at Belleville. He suggested they even prepare a float, and accompanied by a band, parade through the "tented city" proclaiming the area as the site for 1966, McGavin suggested the Chamber of Com- merce draw up a resolution and ask the sup- port of •the Huron County council and the Huron Plowmen's Association in getting support for the venture. Ivan Forsyth, warden of Huron, and Bill Perry, president of the County Association, who were at the meeting, indicated they would do everything they could to get the, support of their respective groups, The Chamber of Commerce agreed to ex- tend an invitation to 'the plowmen fromHuron to hold their meeting in Grand Bend arid the members also agreed to secure a sight for their 1961 match in an effort to get more interest in plowing in the Grand Bend area. President Ory Wassrna,nn suggoted the Grand Bend airport would be an ideal site for the International match. "It's the best site ih the province", agreed Charles 11)1aeNaughton, lvIPP, Huron. The local member pointed Out that • the area was already fenced in and Would provide excellent parking facilities, it had an adequate water supply and the tarmac runways Would be ideal for the machine companies to stem off their heavy equipment. The area also has perrnanOnt buildings Which could be used to good advantage. Mr, MacNaughten suggested that Elston Cardiff, MP, Htiron, Would probably be able to assist the group to a large extent Cardiff, alt erithuSiastie plOWniati feere BrUssels, has been secretary of the Huron PlOwneen'S Associa- tion for OVer 35 years. MeGaViti pointed out that the Machine companies, who aperid large amounts of money each Year in displaying their eqielPmerit, Would certainly favor the area there's no better farming area in the Provinde"i he said, "and because it IS general farming, the machine companies wouldn't show one machine that couldn't be used in the area." "With most of the companies situated in Landon and Hamilton", he stated, "they would be very happy to come here". He also agreed that the airport site would be "natural". "The last time it was held in this area was in 1946 at Port Albert airport", he explained, "and it was an ideal set-up". He was president of the Ontario body when it was held at the site near Goderich. While we are naturally happy that the International is coming to Huron, the selection of the Seaforth site appears to be highly unjust, despite the fact it will be of more benefit to the Clinton area than would the Grand Bend airport. Knowing the calibre of the residents and merchants in this area, we can say they would feel extremely guilty of reap- ing benefits if they thought for one mom- ent that the energetic people down Grand Bend way had been unjustly dealt with in this regard. There are many facets of this entire business that would indicate that they may very well have been treated in this manner and we will believe it until sub- stantial proof has been presented other- wise. County Council, the Huron Plowmen's Association and the Ontario Plowmen's Association should feel obligated to pub- licly announce their reasons for choosing the Seaforth site over Grand Bend and to make sure their decision was made fairly in regard to the past proceedings of the Grand Bend group. If their conscience is entirely clear in the matter, then they should definitely give serious consideration to making com- pensation to the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce for the $600 or so they have spent in getting the International to Huron in 1966, because the cash certainly has been "wasted" as far as they are concerned. One other point we think should be mentioned is the fact that we trust there will be no further generalized accusations as were made by one Huron County weekly newspaper this week, which car- ried the headline: "Seaford' steals Inter- national from Grand Bend". While the residents and officials of that community are probably quite elated that their site Was chosen, as far as we know there was no concentrated effort on their part to "steal" the location and the community should not be charged with that act. If our assumption is incorrect and there were more than a few individuals involved, then we have nothing to say but—for shame. The decision was apparently made by the OPA executive entirely and Unless they have strong reasonS for choosing the Seaforth bite, We sincerely urge they reconsider their action. • At present, the whole situation has bit of an unsavory odour which IS con- tray to the liortnal fresh air in Huron.- Let'S have your reasons' gentlemen. ODOUR IN IN AIR NEEDS TO BE CLEARED