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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1951-10-25, Page 2Page 2 THIS TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1951 ®fje Exeter ®imejs=^iibocate l'iines Established 1873 Amalgamated 1924 Advocate Established 1881 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario An Independent Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Town of Exeter and District Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa Member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Member of the Ontxxrio-Quebec Division of the CWNA Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Paid-in-Advance Circulation as of March 31, 1951 — 2,396 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada, in advance, $2.50 a year United States, in advance, $3.00 Single Copies 6? Each J. Melvin Southcott - Publishers - Robert Southcott THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1951 Surprise We got a surprise Saturday—but only a half-pleasant one. We set out to investi­ gate how our filthy political journals of Toronto were doing now that that the On­ tario election is getting into swing. You’ll remember the terrific battle that was waged during the last federal election between the two afternoon papers, the Telegram and the Star. They exploded violently fdr a month or more in favor of their particular party, Progressive Con­ servative and Liberal respectively, at the same time ignoring the parly’s campaign. It was the most shameful exhibition we have ever seen in newsprint and one which left us disgusted to think our “leading” public journals would reach such a low ebb in carrying out their responsibility as such. On Saturday, the Toronto Star devot­ ed over 1'00 inches—more than one-quarter of all the printed matter in this newspaper —-to the cause of Walter Thompson, the Xdberal leader. The crusade for Mr, Thompson, as represented in the Star, is best described as fanatical. Tn the same issue, there was not, to our knowledge, one single news item concerning the Progres­ sive Conservative campaign. Naturally, we expected a similar treat­ ment in the Telegram and this is where we got our half-pleasant surprise. Outside of the editorial page, the Telv used 22 inches for a C.C.F. rally. 13 inches for a Liberal meeting and only 17 inches for a Progres­ sive Conservative story. We were so shak­ en we almost put the old swivel chair out of commission. We have a feeling that perhaps that •well-balanced position won’t remain during the election but we’re awfully glad to see it happen, if only for the once. Maybe the editors of the Telegram are becoming sane men and performing their duty to the pub­ lic-—giving both sides of the story. If they are. we congratulate them heartily and ap­ preciate their courage in trying to be a little bit fair to their readers. We doubt if the other newspaper will ever come neai- that attitude but at least there are signs of one step in the right direction. * * * ■» Election Talk How are you standing the pace ? First, •we have an ecstatic whirlwind tour by Princess Elizabeth and her prince, now we're getting election fever. Never a dull moment! Election time is always an exciting one but an important one—and sometimes in the excitement the importance is lost. The process of electing a government by the choice of the people is the greatest prin­ ciple behind democracy. The privilege of voting brings •with it the responsibility of making the best choice. Election issues are clouded by flag-waving and tub-thumping —but they are still there and they’re still the most important part of making a poli­ tical decision. It’s hard to make an in­ dependent review of party campaigns but here, for what it’s worth, is our analysis. Premier Leslie Frost is asking for his first mandate from, the people. In doing so he is standing pat on what has been accom­ plished by his government and is making few promises. His campaign thus far stresses increased financial aid through grants to municipal­ ities for roads, hospitals, schools, policing, fire protection, relief, recreation, etc. It emphasizes hydro expansion—de­ velopment of hydro plants throughout the province, extension of hydro services to rural Ontario. Along social service lines, lie points to the federal-provincial agreement for old- age pensions without a means test for per­ sons over 70 which will start in Ontario on January 1, 1952: to pensions with a means test for persons 65 to 70; to pen­ sions to totally disabled persons from 18 to 65. Free school books to children of prim­ ary schools; abolishment of discrimination in employment on grounds of race, colour or creed; equal pay to women for equal work; allowing women to sit on juries if they desire; cancer research; the housing program—"these things the mild-mannered premier points to in appealing to the elec­ tors. He also stresses the financial position of the province. He says that with an un­ surpassed record of eight consecutive sur­ pluses, the Government in 1950 and 1951 f j,,,. t. ■ i j ,,, ,...... Saturday Evening Here, There And Elsewhere By Rev. James Anthony, M.A. who are cutting three-cent reduc- claiming the rev- was enabled to reduce taxes. He maintains that the fiscal policy of the government has ! made it possible for them to launch the i St. Lawrence Seaway project in co-opera­ tion with the Federal government. Liberal leader Walter Thompson, who resigned his position as member of parlia­ ment to take over Ontario Grits, promises i among other things a hospital insurance plan for the people of Ontario. Hr pro- ! poses to finance it by levying an annual I insurance premium on the public, subsid- ; ized by increased stumpage dues from lum- i her and pulp companies • down crown timber. I He also promises a I tion on the gasoline tax, ■ enue is not necessary. i Hr is criticizing the government be- 1 cause, he claims, not all revenue from gaso- ! line taxes and vehicle licences is going ■ back into roads and, he says, municipal- I ities should be receiving greatex; grants j from the province. j The balding leadei’ also stresses a j scheme where he would change the present I system of collecting the gasoline tax on I fuel burned on farms. Instead of having i the farmer pay the tax, then receive a re­ fund at the end of six months’, as is pres­ ently done. Mr. Thompson promises to issue a card which would allow the farm­ ers to buy their gasoline tax-free. Criticizing the government for paying for. expansive investigating commissions, he said the Progressive Conservatives just left the recommendations made in these reports “on the shelf”. The hospital insurance scheme prom­ ises to be one of the biggest debating points in the, election. Premiei’ Frbst op­ poses the Thompson plan because he says there is not enough hospital accommoda­ tion to promise everyone in the province free hospital care. He also declares the scheme would cost close to $100,000,000 j and would mean the province would have *to levy a sales tax. , This, in brief, is the clectioxx propa­ ganda now being placed before the Ontario | people. ■ whaFoti^ ! Sealed Frontier (Winnipeg Free Press) Soviet Russia today is a vast prison under the grim surveillance of the political police. The MVD, known earlier as the ' Cheka, the OGPU and the NKVD, is a I super-ministry watching over all other niin- i istrivi and stamping out by death, torture and terrox* every hint of dissent from the ! Communist dictatorship. ' The MVD is above the law. By repeat- i cd decrees (eg. that of July 10, 1931. pub- I lished in Pravda of July 11, 1931), the I police have been given authority to sexxl- | ence citizens to many years of forced labor without any trial whatever. The Soviet Union is also the only country in the 'world that has prescribed ' the death penalty, even in peace-time, for i any attempt to escape or to remain beyond I its borders (see Izvestia, December 22, 1929, etc.), or has added to this a sentence of at least five years in Siberian horror for the innocent family of the would-be fugi­ tive (Izvestia, June 9. 1931). A detailed account tells how the en­ tire, Soviet frontier is manned with armed MVD troopers and ferocious wolf-hounds. Let me quote: “The Soviet frontiers are j guarded by several 'waves’ of troops. The first sentinels are quarted 700-1.000 metres from the frontier line. From here they man their frontier outposts, which are protected by barbed wire . . . Some distance in the rear lurk the dogs on guard duty . . . “In the real’ of the dog outpost line, there is another line manned by troopers, also with the assistance of dogs . , . The ‘death zone’ ends one kilometre from the frontier and the second zone, starts there ... a belt of plowed and raked soil. The soil is raked and turned every few days lest it settle (and fail to betray the foot­ prints of an escaping citizen.” The would-be fugitive from the Soviet- Utopia •will normally be shot by the out­ posts’ tommyguns or have his throat torn out by the wolf hounds. If he is captured alive, he is tortured before execution in order to extract information. When countless Soviet citizens are willing to risk these horrors of the Iron Curtain in order to get away from the U.S.S.R.* one can surmise the black depths of the Communist tyranny that they are trying to escape. As the------— "TIMES” Go By 0 B 50 YEARS AGO Mr. Tlios. Smale, the veteran well-digger, of Elimville who has never failed to locate water in all his attempts at well-digging, has just completed a gusher on Mr. Sam Rowe’s farm, concession 3 Usborne. The show windows of Mr. E. J. Spacknxan’s dry-goods store are attracting considerable at­ tention. In each is a small stuffed bear together with a nicely ar­ ranged line of furs. The scene is rather striking bringing back scenes of the good old pioneer days when it was quite common thing to see a bear. Ear-rings are one of the com­ ing fashions and ere many months will be quite in vogue. Miss Myra Pickard, formerly of Exeter, has been chosen as soprano soloist of St. Andrew’s Church choir, London. Miss Polly Bowden left 'Mon­ day to visit her brother in Ridgetown. 25 YEARS AGO The Exeter Plowing Match was held on Friday on the farm of William Welsh. The Women’s Institute featur­ ed a story-telling . contest in Senior’s Hall on Tuesday. Mrs. B. W. F. Beavers, Mrs. J. H. Jones and Miss H. Howey acted as judges and the prizes were awarded as follows: Room, 1, Gail Browning, Doris McLean; room 2, Doris Harvey, Donald Goodspeed; room 3, Vivian El­ liott, Jessie Jennings; rooms 4, Edith Cann, Hazel Lockwood; room 5, Adeline Stone, Helen Lockwood. Dalton, young son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Heywood, of Us­ borne, received a nasty scalp wound and arm injuries which required several stitches when he was caught in a gasoline en­ gine, Friday of last week. 15 YEARS AGO A car for western relief will be loaded at Exeter on Monday and Tuesday next. All of the surrounding community are co­ operating in this efort. The seventy-fifth anniversary of Caven Presbyterian Church will be fittingly marked next Sunday. Clerk Jos. Seniox* and Mr. W. C. Pearce have been in London each Thursday and Friday of the last three weeks taking a short lecture course at Western Univer­ sity on municipal government, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kerr, of Crediton, entertained their staff to a duck dinner Tuesday even­ ing. Mr. P. Passmore of Thames Road was among the successful c o m p et i t o r s at the Brussels ploughing match. IO YEARS AGO At a social evening of the Exe­ ter Boy Scouts and. Cubs held Monday evening seven cubs were received by Scout Master A. Andrus into the Boy Scouts. They were: Peter Ellis, Don Southcott, Don Davies, Ted Han­ nigan, Bill Floyd, Maurice O’Dwyer and Kenneth Cudmore. Mr, and Mrs. Chas, Schroeder of Stephen were honored by a gathering of about fifty friends and neighbours on the eve of their departure to make their new home in Exeter. Mr, O. A. Martin -who for the past three years has been sta­ tion master at the Exeter Depot has accepted a similar position at Harriston. Mrs. Martin will ac­ company him to Harriston the first of next month. The Exeter Women’s Institute report that 43 2 lbs. of jam have been made this year for distribu­ tion by the Red Cross. ... Neighboring News ... Lowest Debt According to the Ontario gov­ ernment’s annual report of muni­ cipal statistics, St. Marys was the lowest per capita debt of any separated town. The figure for the Stone Town is $44.36 per capita. Of the 36 cities and separated towns of Ontario, Ft. William is the highest with a per capita debt of $252.98. The separated I town of Ingersoll rates second | with $185.60 per capita and] Gananoque is next to Ingersoll with $125.9o per person. | Of the cities, London has the lowest per capita debt with $30.-1 03. I There are seven separated towns — Brookville, Gananoque, j Prescott, St. Marys, Smith's; Falls, Trenton and Ingersoll. (St. Marys Journal-Argus) Young People Win Prizes At Big Match Neil and John McGavin, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon McGavin of McKillop, won plowing prizes totalling in value around $300 at the International Plowing Match at Woodstock last week. Ruth Keys and her brother Mer­ ton, daughter and son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Keys of Tucker­ smith, were also prize winners. John McGavin won a silver tea | service and cash award for the Timken special; the Cockshutt special cash prize; second prize in Massey Harris special for boys under 18, and in tlxe Inter Coun­ ty competition, he and Ross Jef­ fery of Exeter placed eighth. Neil McGavin placed sixth in the International special and also won a couple of cash awards. Ruth Keys placed second in the Cockshutt special; second in the Timken special and third for under 18. Merton Keys won a cash award. The Safety Club of Seaforth District High School put on a demonstration on Friday after­ noon at the plowing match un­ der the leadership of Mr. Rudd of the staff. (Seaforth News) .Just Passing John Powell Jr. brought into The Huron Expositor office on Tuesday four goose eggs which had been laid recently in his straw stack. Mr. Powell states that the last time this happened so late in the season, rural traf­ fic had to go through the fields because of so much snow. (Huron Expositor) Police Village The Bright’s Grove Commun­ ity Association held a meeting at the school last Tuesday night in order to incorporate the Lake Huron beach area as a police ( village. A petition will be circulated for signing, to owners and ten­ ants in the area, as soon as final draft has been approved. (Forest Free Press) 'zHow Beautifully She Behaves” This is a remark accredited to that mastex* of correct procedure, Duke of Wellington as he observ- the conduct of the young queexx of England, Victoria. The same remark comes spontaneously to the lips of all who have had the pleasure of observing the con­ duct of Princess Elizabeth on her Canadian tour. Rarely has any visitor to oui* Canadiaix shores excited the enthusiasm that Princess Elizabeth has call­ ed forth, and her conduct has set some good people to think­ ing. That grace of manner and that charm of attitude that is part of her very nature is not of a sud­ den impulse but is the outcome of a genuinely good heart, a well trained mind and of deportment that she started to breathe be­ fore she was out of her cradle. The Princess is of the real blood royal. That is evident ixx hex’ every gesture and glance. From the very start of her life she was taught to do the right thing in the right way and nev­ er to conduct herself in any­ thing but a manner that evokes the spontaneous judgement “how beautifully she behaves”. She possesses that wonderful quality of charm, a quality that, is part­ ly inborn but which coiixes to its best by her desire to serve the people who love her. With a wise and understand­ ing heart. Canadians have ac­ cepted hex1 because of what she is and because of the training and education that have been her lot without measure. Th ose British Elections Are the voters of Britain to turn Mr. Attlee out of office and to put Mr. Churchill in his place? At the distance of one seeing from the time of writing it is difficult to say how things will go. It is asking a good deal of the average voter to require him to vote against the govern­ ment that has been feeding him clothing him and sheltering him and that has it in mind to do more for him in those countless other particulars. “Why turn out a government” these voters say, that takes away from us the necessity for thinking and working hard and long? Why not have a govern­ ment that will arrange things so that we can work when we feel like doing it, or when we are weary of sleeping and holidaying and amusing ourselves?” That has been the appeal of the Attlee administration. Of course there has beexi the threat of wax’ with Egypt ovex* the Sudan situation. The people are reminded that the Sudan supplies a great deal of the cotton that keeps the cot­ ton mills running. The devotees of Mr. Attlee renly that “the Sudan is a long distance away. “Why worry about what we don’t see? Anyway the securing of cotton is the government’s job. All it has to do is to secure some magician and all the cotton needed will be pulled out of some spectator’s hat and the mills be kept rollixig while all Britain goes aliolidaying. Fur­ ther, Mr. Attlee is out on the hustings shaking hands and what wonders follow handshaking! Mr. Churchill points to the steady disintegration of the Empire un- dei’ the Attlee administration. He reminds his hearers that not since the roar of Dutch, guns w’as last heard in London was British prestige as low as it is at this hour. He promises that he and his party will do theix' sturdy utmost to restore and to add to that prestige. He tells his hearers that the Attlee government promised a full dinner pail but it has given thenx scrimping rations in its place. By the time this paper reaches its readers the British elections will be over and we’ll see what we’ll see. The voters will have done their thinking and their voting. We may rest assured that when the British voters think, they will, ixx the main think right. From Britain and her elec­ tions we shall do well to turn to Ontario and hex* problems. Our senses have been whirling over the visit of the Princess and the Duke. It will be dif­ ficult to get steadied down, but steady down we must or find ourselves hopelessly in the xxxire of muddled politics. That Cheer Listeners to the broadcast of the visit of the Princess and the Duke were gratified to note the effort of the people in Hamilton to keep the exercises to a dis­ tinctly religious tone. The child­ ren were gathered under the most commodious and comfort­ able circumstances. Indeed the children were the chief enter­ tainers. Officialdom was present but it was not obtrusive. Their enter­ tainment consisted of three songs one, The National Anthem, the second “O Canada” and the third, the metrical version of the twenty-third Psalnx. The render­ ing of those fine songs left noth­ ing to be desired. The Royal visitors showed soundness of heart and the best of good sense in doing all that in thenx lay to have the children see them. The present genera­ tion is hurrying off the scene while the children are coming on. The Princess one day is to be their queen. The sight of the royal lady is one that those children never will forget. What impressed the listeners apart .from the fine singing, was the genuine cheer with which the children greeted the announce­ ment that Monday was to be a school holiday. The children did not yell. They cheered. There is no doubt but that cheer means the coming of new expression in oui* Canadian lite. Six’ Walter Scott ixx one of lxis poems desc­ ribes a battle “that at once there rose so wild a yell”. Visitors to Britain tell of the British cheer. The cheer is heard where Bri­ tain’s sons perform some out­ standing deed or where some out­ standing achievement .demands aclaim.. Would it not be‘well for public school teachers to teach the children how to cheer? Cheering is akin to singing and is axx expression of the mind and heart that is made all the better with training. Price War “Is there going to be a price war?” we asked a mechanic. “A price war?” he exclaimed. What else do you expect? Man, the prices have beexi scalping folks so long many or us can barely scrimp along. Five dollars for a little school boy’s shoes. All the rest of his outfit is in the same class. IIo-w is a maxx to get along when he has three youngsters to feed and clothe and give a place in the sun, generally. I don’t blame the local men but there is something seriously off centre. —Please Turn to Page 3 A small Boy. with a penny clutched tightly in his hand, en­ tered a toy shop. After a few minutes the proprietor, driven to distraction after showing him most of his stock said: “Look here, my boy, what do you want to buy fox’ a penny, the world with a fence around it?° Boy—-“Let’s see it”