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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1949-09-29, Page 2Psge 2 THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1949 Times Established 1873 Amalgamated November 1924 Advocate Established 1881 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Au Independent Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Village of Exeter and District Authorized as Second Class Mail, Dost Office Department, Ottawa Member of the Canadian* Weekly Newspaper Association A Member of the Ontario-Quebec Division of the CWNA <J Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation C Paid-In-Advance Circulation As Of September 30, 1948 — 2,276 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada, in advance, $2.50 a year United Stales, in advance, $3,00 Single Copies 6 Cento Each PublishersJ. Melvin Southcott THURSDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1949 A Revelation “It was all wonderful beyond anything one can imagine if he actually has not seen it for himself,” Thos. Pryde, M.L.A., told us regarding the trip to Northern On­ tario that he and some fellow members of parliament made. Foi’ instance, there is a place where there once was a lake two miles wide and five miles long. That lake has been drained and is now an iron mine from which at least one large train load of iron, ore is shipped daily. The mine is now 500 feet deep. An onlooker is amazed, to say the very least, at the work that is go­ ing on. The equipment is tremendous and mechanical skill and business comprehen­ sion to get even a going forward in There is no waste can be prevented, geologists and the keen eyed well trained people are hard at work with the results that the by-products of the mine are made to pay for the work­ ing of the mine. Thirty million dollars have been invested, to say the least. Comfortable houses are provided for the workers. The streets are good and built according to definite plan. Schools and a fine hospital are there. Sewage disposal is provided for. And so on. Those village- and town-builders are giving old Ontario the lead in energy and systematic work. “This is not all. In another they have reversed the course of from running into James Bay to into Lake Superior. At the mouth controlled river is a huge paper mill—and by ‘huge’ I mean precisely that. It, like the iron mine, is a hive of industry. Immense sums have been invested therein and in the new town that already is commanding at­ tention. Churches and schools and a hospi­ tal are provided. These are but two of the places to be mentioned.” Yet within the writer’s short lifetime, this country was thought of and spoken of as a sort of worthless no man’s land! Cana­ da, it was confidently asserted, was weak in the back agriculturally and financially.. It never would be settled, was confidently asserted. Just now there is not much pro­ mise of agriculture’s making progress in that region but minerals are there and the whole district awaits guidance and curagement. Those words should not be committed to school boy’s care. Keen eyed, hard bitten, hardy men must keep watch and ward. The best of school teachers and the strongest preachers are required. Cau­ tion must be taken in the udass of settlers allowed on a land so important. Fish and game need the best of nurture. As Mr. Pryde told his story it became plainer than ever that the land is a revelation to anyone with the qye of the business man and the soul of a prophet. May a kind providence save this country with its beauty and its Strength and its wealth from the hand of the waster and the plunderer. * * * 3* The Call To The School School life is life itself, not a prepara­ tion for life, as some people seem to think. We do well to keep this in mind as we/face the perplexities of these conf usings fumes. Canada, and Ontario particularly, greatly needs men at their best. Just now the money situation staggers the best men of the land. All realize that for us to make mistakes In our national business life is to place burdens in the country’s life of which the nation may not be able to rid herself for centuries. For this reason and. for scores of other reasons equally vavid, we require citizens with minds that show how occasion may be taken by the band. When we come to think of it, this is what the well conducted school is expected to be do­ ing all the time. The child and youth are required to be punctual, to be truthful and honest and thorough, and to get on well with their associates. These are lessons to be learned by day and each day is to be marked by some progress in ability to face situations that are ever growing more diffi­ cult. These are but a few of the things looked for in a good school. When such re­ quirements are met, the student is fitted for iug small notion of what is this one mine alone, permitted that possibly The chemists and the mineralogist and other •t? locality a river running of this en- the new duties that come with increas- years* ije $ # ij: Steady All Again the call has come for men of breed and blood to steady themselves.the Some * strange bewitchment has overtaken many of them that has persuaded them that a few words from men in office can right the deep-seated wrongs of the race. Such an easy way never has done anything for the growth and stability of the empire. ^membekR lUDIT Bureau » W JRCULAT1C HUMPTY DUMPTY o£ A Shoe Store, has’ business to Mr. of London. Son will give a winter Whalen-—Zion News, Maurice Harvey has re- to Toronto to resume his at the Medical College. Robert Southcott Deeds, not words, gave the race the Magna Charta and habeous corpus, free parlia­ ments, the blessed liberty for every man upon whom the British sun shines, to go unmolested about his lawful business and legitimate pleasures. Our empire grew like Solomon’s temple—without sound of ham­ mer. Her builders were men of deeds and vitality. In such a time at this, this exper­ ience is to be repeated by men of faith. From quiet fields well cultivated, in stores well merchandised, from mines wrought without waste of time or effort, from seas that give their harvest to men of skill and daring, from schools and universities where the treasures of the mind are discovered and unfolded and directed, from homes where industry and vital godliness are taught and exemplified, will come the power and high energy that will again make our empire the friend and helper of every man who stands right. This new life- and power will not come by observation but through the steady efforts of men who see the treasures of their great lands and, who, day by day, work out what is given them by bounteous nature. The present fuss and foam will surely pass and hours of achievement will surely come. In this faith let us greatly resolve to do our duty. j£- jjc Jip A Great Opportunity Those called upon to do the business opportunity of that the retail of the whole- this is a fact. complaints of the ultimate is telling him by word and customers gravely suspect good deal of humbug being of the hour have a great service. We are well aware merchant is at the mercy saler and the jobber. While the retailer is called upon to keep his eyes wide open and to step lively. For one thing he has the duty of passing on to the next higher up the consumer who deed that his that there is a practiced in keeping up prices. And so on up the scale till the government is obliged to practically deal with the situation. The man on the street is aware that the prices of textiles are due for a decided drop. Yet lie believes that a system of adjustments are operative that keep the benefits of this reduction in price for those benefiting from this reduction. He is told all sorts of stories about the shelves of merchants being filled with goods purchased before the devalua­ tions of the money, a story that adds up to the blunt fact that the advantages for the major part, must go to the dealers of one class and another. That class of our citi­ zens known as the business world has a fine chance for nation-building. No one be­ lieves that the long suffering merchant should bear the whole of the brunt but the ultimate consumer does not like being made the scape goat for all the sorrows and griefs of the time. Some merchants have seen the point and are making a fine name for themselves for fair dealing. At this moment the British merchants fear that the United States will raise its tariff against British goods. Fears are in the way that the prices will be raised all along the line of trade. In this way a great opportunity will be missed to heal the business sore of the world. Greed, Grub & Co. are short­ sighted and very hard masters. A New Era? Russia is reported to have discovered what we know as the atomic bomb. Does this mean the dawn of a new era for the world? Have men come to see that war now invites the complete destruction of civilization, to say the least. Have they come to see the utter futility of war? Let it be remembered in this connection that we are but on the fringe of realizing what this release of atomic energy means. Is there not some way of our getting our­ selves out of the danger into which we have let ourselves? It is up to the schools and the universities to give the answer, for the schools and the universities have made the release of atomic energy possible. Surely the schools and the universities can control the fires they have released. Where there’s a bane there surely is an antidote, schools and’ the universities find it. # * * Note and Comment Money is said to be getting That’s nothing new. It has been on for quite some time! Eel the tighter, a spree 50 YEARS AGO (The Exeter Advocate 1899) Ed Marshall, of Stanley, shot an eagle near Grand Bend last, week that measured seven feet from tip to tip of the wings. Very general and deep regret is expressed at the death of Dr. John Hyndman which sad event occurred at the family residence, Huron Street, on .Tuesday last, at the age of sixty-nine years. One night recently thieves entered the premises of Mr, Wil­ liam Dunsford, Lake Road, and stole seven fleeces of fine wool from a fence near the dwelling. HOFFMAN—STACEY — At the manse, Exeter, by the Rev. W. M. Martin, on September 27, Henry Hoffman, of Dashwood, to Miss Margaret Stacey, Stephen. 25 YEARS AGO » (The Exeter Times 1924) The Exeter-Lucan High School Field Day was held in Exeter on Monday and was totally .a suc­ cess. [This Is Our Saga Reprinted from the Ausable Valley Conservation Report, this is the story of the development of the area served by The Times-Advocate. This history is not only authoritive, but it also contains many interest­ ing features never before published for public consumption. The nar­ rative will be produced in a series. J Municipal Organization And The Growth Of Towns Crediton , Crediton in Stephen was al­ ready a village by 1860. It had a grist .mill from the beginning and before long a brick-yard was opened. The village did not grow to any extent, however, after another brick-yard, a saw­ mill and a flax mill had opened in the early seventies. Crediton was now the admisistra- tive ‘.centre for the township and a good-sized village. It was, how­ ever, to become larger and more important in the next period. Port Franks, Port Franks an artifically which did not needs of the region, and there­ fore remained very small for a long time. The “port” was ap­ parently named for a member of the Canada Company Board, who was a godson of Mr. Bosanquet. Tradition has it that the town was laid out by a freak of Wil­ liam Dunlop, and .its original site was apparently intended to be at the bend in the river where Grand Bend now stands. It , is shown there on Canada Company maps of the 1840’s. The com­ pany’s maps induced at least pne emigrant to make a two-day trek ’from Sarnia in search of the non- existant port. On .his arrival at Brewster’s near the locality marked on the map, he inquired for Port Franks, to be met with the reply “Port Franks?” Port Humbug, there’s no Port Franks here”. The luckiest Englishman’s insistence that it was on the map Was greeted with mocking laugh­ ter. According to his own ac­ count, .Brewster had at that time no neighbours for miles on .either side. However, wheh. the actual sur­ vey was made, lots were laid out on the present site. The first sales were made in 1851, to four would-be town dwellers, who re­ mained the only inhabitants for many years. Eight lots had been disposed of by 1’854, but some .of these reverted to the company. In the company’s records of 1876 twenty-four Its are shown as sold or leased. Since a harbour was of vital importance to the area, it may seem strange that Port Franks did not develop more rapidly. Though the sand bar at the mouth of the river limited it to vessels of less than six draught, this could have been improved by dredging, and there was from 15 to ,16 feet of water at the site of the Village. The difficulty was the inaccessibility of the site. The river shoaled 30 milch between the village and Grand Bend that it was impass­ able even for boats „and the marshes and sand hills cut off Port Franks from the country to the north and east. Wilson had then realized these difficulties in 1819 and had recommended that any settlement made near the portage where . he evidently thought that a canal could be cut to the river which had then a good depth for about fifteen miles above the Bend. There is ho evidence that Dunlop had seen Willson’s Report, but .he may have been infuehced by the same consideration in selecting the original site of 'Port Franks’. Time was to prove this the better eite, but it was many years be­ fore the channel was out .at the Bend and by then the lake traf­ fic was no longer so importaiit. A colony of French Canadians from Quebec settled in the neigh­ bourhood of Port Franks as early as 1846, but they appear tto have until been is an example of developed town, grow out of the feet been mostly squatters. The French were evidently not reck­ oned in the estimates of popula­ tion for in 1857 it is given as about thirty. There were then two taverns and a sawmill (prob­ ably steam) and no less than three Episcopal Methodists .mini­ sters. Mail reached the post of­ fice twice a week. Thirteen years later the activities of the .“port” had increased. The inhabitants included a shipbuilder, a captain, a mate, a shipowner and four fishermen. The lay population liad more than doubled, but the clerical had declined 100 percent. One hotel and the sawmill were still open. Grand Bend Though Port Franks was final­ ly laid out elsewhere, a ,post vil­ lage did grow up at the south­ west corner of Stephen Town­ ship after 1851. The post office was called Brewster and served the liamley of Summerville (at ; and whatever settlement there was near the.portage at Grand Bend. Brewster’s Mill had been burned in the early sixties, but there was a single factory at “Summersville” in 1871, and there was a grist mill in the neighbourhood, probably belong­ ing to John Dalziel, a lumber merchant with sawmills at Thed­ ford and Port Franks. There may also have been a steam sawmill near Grand Bend. Dalziel is said to have built a ‘Steam and water’ flouring mill at “Gand Bend” in 1868. By 1875 this had grown into a large establishment in­ cluding grist and oatmeal mill, saw, planning and shingle mills. These mills were situated in the bend of the river close to the southwest end of the bridge in the village, Grand Bend. There was another,sawmill in the vil­ lage, two hotels, ax least one store and a* post office. There was pier and Company, had shore opposite may have been a small beginning ot the tourists traffic at Grand Bend even in the seventies. How­ ever, the really phenomenal growth of the resort had to wait for the development of the motor car, since Brand Bend was, until then, only accessible by coach or steamer, , Of the three villages and one town which were brought into Grand Trunk Line, Thedford, which grew more slowly, has maintained .its size better than the other three. Lucan Lucan was laid out in antici­ pation of the railway in 1854, and the first lot Was sold in 1855, A steam grist mill was built the same year and , the building of stores and hotels was encouraged to attract settlers. The post office was opened be­ fore .1856. After the railway was actually built the town boomed rapidly. New industries opened up in the sixties and seventies, which produced for a wider mar­ ket than the surrounding district. By , 1871, Lucan was the “principal market on the old stage line” and equalled Exeter in population. The building of the London, .Huron and Bruce seemed to the inhabitants to threaten their prosperity and they voted $7,000 as a bonus to the company to induce .it to put the line through Lucan. Actually, h o w e v er , t h e I i n e was run through Lucan Junction about: or near Brewster's Mill) at that time no harbour or at Grand a pier at Bend, but Blake Lumber Dealers, “Port Blake’’ on Brewsters. There ...... ..................... Mr, ,R. E, Pooley had a suc­ cessful auction sale of his effects, realizing $230'0'. The fifty acre farm was sold to Mr. Earl Johns­ ton of Mr. turned studies 15 YEARS AGO (The Times-Advocate 1934) The Sunday School of Caven Presbyterian Church held a very enjoyable entertainment on Fri­ day evening when money for twenty kindergarten chairs was donated for the primary class. The Old Boys’ & Girls’ Re­ union in 1935 is now an assured event to which everyone will look forward and for which everyone is requested to work heartily. Mr. M. B. Sauvage, proprietor of the People’s disposed of his William Partlo E. Tieman & grand display of ladies coats and ready-made dresses on Saturday, October 6. (Dashwood news.) The first two 'programs of the Canadian Chautauqua were held in the town hall last Friday. This is the first time that Chau­ tauqua has been held in this village, programs are to be congratulat­ ed, on their enterprise in bring ing these artists to Crediton.— Crediton News. The sponsors of these It two and a half .miles west of Lucan, and since there has never been any development there it seems probable that the decline in population .which occured in Lucan a few years later was due more to general conditions than to loss of the road traffic. The village, continued to be an im­portant market "town in spite of thethe gradual shrinkage of number of its inhabitants. Ailsa Craig The site of Ailsa Craig settled before 1840 and liams post office was moved .to the neighbourhood before 1856. However, the village was not iaid out until after 185S. A store and .a hotel were built in the next two years. Steam grist and other small industries followed. The “Middlesex cultural Society” began to its exhibitions .there about 1870. The area was already “one of the finest grazing districts in Ontario” and monthly cattle fairs were held in the .village in the early 1870’s. Besides cattle, considerable quantities of flour and grain, lumber and staves were being exported. .The village, however, soon felt the competi­ tion of Parkhill, and never was more than centre for country. ParkhlU Parkhill until about 1860. A post office (called “Swainsby” and then “Westwood”) was opened after the railway was built and a store and a hotel was built soon after. A village was laid out, but until 1864 there Were only five or Six houses. In that year the Inhabit­ ants subscribed $1,078 bonus to induce Messrs. Harris & Harrison to build a grist mill on the site of the present town hall. A sec­ ond mill, a tannery, and a church iRoman Catholic) .soon followed and a few years later the village (now called Parkhill after a Scottish town) was a thriving place of about .900 inhabitants. Several other large brick-yards were in operation by 1875. The town had been incorporated in 1872 and was now .the largest place in the district. There seem­ ed every prospect of Parkhill be­ coming a town. It principal Marys mid village in have progresod so fast”. Large quantities of grain, squared tim­ ber, lumber, staves and tanbark were being exported in 1870 and a few years later bricks, furni­ ture, woolen goods and other manufactured products were also being shipped out. This prosper­ ity was unstable, but in ,1875 Parkhill appeared to have a bril­ liant future. Thedford Thedford’s prosperity depend­ ed largely upon lumbering and wobd working until well into the present century. It was the busi­ ness and shipping centre for the surrounding sawmills, as well as for plants actually in the village. The movement from Widder to “Widder Station” was gradual at first, so the new village grew more slowly than other railway villages. Since Its incorporation in the seventies, Thedford has remained at much the same size, the decline of lumbering having been offset by the development of intensive farming and ,of the tourists trade In the country to the west and north. (To bo continued next week) • was “Wil- mills soon Agri­ hold a thriving market and .the Surrounding was not even settled large and important whs considered “the station *• between St. Sarnia*’ and“no other Middlesex seemed to 1O YEARS AGO (The Times-Advocate 1939) A number from Exeter held a golf tournament at the Oakwood Golf Course at Grand Bend on Wednesday afternoon last, was the first tournament of its kind and after the golfing the players had dinner at the Bossen- bery Hotel. Mrs. William F. Abbott re­ turned tp her home last week after a two and a half month visit with her daughter, Mrs. A. Delve and family at Taber, Alta. The seventieth anniversary of Crediton United Church will be marked by a fowl supper on Wednesday evening. A meeting was called on Fri­ day night for the purpose of organizing a Red Cross Society in Exeter. A Woodlot Can Be Beautiful The farm woodlot has proved over and over again to be a good investment, and wherever pos­ sible every farmer should have his own reafforestation or con­ servation plan. Most farmers have an area of rough or strong land that would produce more revenue as a wood­ lot, if properly cared for, than as rough pasture. It is on record that one farmer who followed good woodlot practice, and who kept records of everything re­ moved found that the land in bush was producing sufficient revenue to pay the rent of the farm. In the management of a wood­ lot, it is important. to observe one or two things. Cattle should not be allowed to graze in the bush, because they destroy all the young growth which protects the roots of the trees from dry­ ing ant. When cutting wood for fuel, it is advisable to remove all dead trees, and in order to find them when .snow has fallen in winter, It is a good plan to mark their location during the sum­ mer. It is also good practice .to remove undesirable species of trees, such as ironwood, which do hot produce trunks satisfact­ ory for .making into lumber. The same applies to crooked and misshapen trees which occupy space that could be utilized for growing straight trees of good lumber varitles. Mrs. Carney rushed iiito her living room, “Oh, Walter,” she cried, as she panted for breath, “T .... my finger anywhere.” “It’s ail Y *** LUI LHtidLil) I dropped my diamond ring ,off • and I can’t find it -*«> ““ fight, Olive,” said waiter; “I came across it in my trousers pocket So I says io my wife, ‘here I am slaving over a hot radiator all day’*”