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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1968-11-07, Page 1Work started this week on. an extension of the Clinton Fire Hall to accommodate ,.a. new and larger engine which has been ordered and is being readied for delivery, Improvements are also to be made in the driveway and In parking for police and fire vehicles, The modest, addition to the Town Hall is believed to be the first since the building was constructed • almost a century ago, Ann Fairservice of Blyth (she and Claire Taylor run the Country Studio) is spending. two - weeks at cape Croker, northeast of Wiarton on Georgian Bay, where the ,Ontario Department of ' Education, Youth and Recreation Branch, sent her to work with Indians on projects involving practical handcrafts, She has a similar assignment later this winter at Tobermory and will .write a report on her experienc0 as a guide to others who will follow. From the Ontario Safety League, we receive frequent notes about the efforts to get drivers to "buckle up" and use auto seat belts. Wonder what the league would have to say about the. Department of Traniport examiner who was giving a road test recently and declined to use his seat belt .despitp a reminder from the driver. • * * Because of the observance of Remembrance Day on Monday, the Town Council's November meeting will be held Tuesday at 8 p.m, in Town Hall. ** Clinton's constabulary was reinforced Halloween night by three auxiliaries who helped patrol the streets to keep vandalism and rowdyism to a minimum. The trio' who worked beside the town's, four-man, • full-time force includes Auxiliary Constables Doug Cantelon, Fred Shropshall and Russ Archer. * * Lloyd Westlake, the new police chief, officially donned his insignia and took over at midnight on Halloween. The occasion was without ceremony — the new chief may best remember it by the fact that he , had already been working 18 hours that day and wasn't finished yet. * * * The Clinton Post Office will not close or curtail its schedule on Remembrance Day. Hours will be the same as those on other weekdays. WEATHER 'Ira B. Miner, from Inkster, Michigan, centre, is shown presenting hii uncle's war medals to Stewart "Dick" Freeman, right, president of Clinton Branch 140 of the Royal Canadian Legion. On the left is John K, Cornish who made the acceptance speech on, behalf of the Legion. The medals are the Victoria Cross and French 'Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf, which were won by Corporal Harry G. B. Miner in World War 1. (Photo by A, L: Colquhoun) Wolf Cubs and Bo)/ Scouts at Halloween party. Story on page 12 A good sign for Clinton this week was the installation of a new sign at the new Beatty Farm Service Centre, Albert and Princess Streets. Grand opening of the modern showroom and sales office is set for November '15. Business outgrew its old . quarters on Ratteribury Street. • Water rates lump' Jan. 1 in Clinton Wind-fanned flames raced through this four-storey chicken barn northeast of Clinton early last Saturday morning, destroying the 12,000 two-Week-old broilers it housed and resulting in an estimated loss of $25,000 to its owner, Case Kuiper, RR 1. Mr, Kuiper was in the barn when the fire started, but was unable to determine the' touree. He said flames erupted from` the floor and he called the ,Clinton Fire Department, So fast did 'the blaze spread that firemen could do little more than hose down nearby propane storage tanks and stand by for the hour it took to level the barn. Mr. Kuiper said he used to work in Seaforth arid bought his own farm Wert years ego. Only 10 months ago, he finished insulating the barn and sheathing it in metal. Fie believes most of the loss will be covered by -insurance and he hopes to rebuild as soon as possible, (Staff phOtO) NEW FBA, — 121g YEAR, CLINTON,.. 'ONTARIO: THU:BSI:AY, NQV,W1U1c.i• 7, 196$: THE .HLMON. 87th YEAR 5.1N.Q.LE. COPI E S 12c The first column SoOta Claus In plans Merchants to trade •,pgrade for Christmas cash draw The Clinton Retail Merchants ComMittee will not hold a Christmas parade, this year. In its place, a cash draw is planned as a shopping season . atten onrgetter, A dozen committee members gathered in Town Hall a week ago and agreed unanimously with a no-parade proposal put forth after discussion of the problems of staging a parade this year. • In the last several days, many Clinton businessmen have, been asked to participate in the .prize draw. Results of the canvass will be reported' tonight when the committee meets again in Town Hall. All local merchants are invited to join in working out plans for the draw, Other holiday events and.the committee's work Award for dead hero in Bayfield , A Bayfield youth who died attempting to save a construction worker from drowning was honoured posthumously last week by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, a U.S. 'group which said it learned of the incident through R. En McKinley, Huron M.P. A bronze medal and a $750 award went to Lawrence R. Maloney of Bayfield, father of L. Michael Maloney, 19,' who died trying to, save Vernon W. Oesch, 42, from drowning at a construction site in Bayfield July 18, 1967. The commission's citation says that both Maloney and Oesch .Were -working with a crew filling in the outer end of a pier which extended into Lake Huron. Oesch, who could not swim, fell into the unfinished section of the pier where the water was 10 to 12 feet deep. "Maloney ran along beams," the citation continues, "over the open section and jumped into the water fully clothed. He swam to Oesch and began pushing him toward the end of the open area where earthen fill sloped into the water, Oesch struggled with Maloney." "Another workman made his way onto a beam extending over the water. By then Oesch had disappeared and Maloney was beneath the surface. As Maloney returned to the surface, the workman extended a hand, Maloney reached forward toward the man's hand but then sank again and did not reappear. Others arrived and Oesch and Maloney were removed from the water, but could not be revive-a." David 13. Oliver, manager of the commission whose offices are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wrote last week to Mr. Mc Kinely, member , of parliament from Huron County, to express appreciation ' "for your thoughtfulness in calling out attention" to the neroism of young Maloney. in the year to come. Another item on the agenda, selection of a new chairman,p was prompted by the sudden resignation last week of Bob Campbell, In a clear reference to recent discord in the committee and lack of compliance with shopping hour .agreements, Mr. Campbell compared his resignation to „that 'of a government which has lost a vote of confidence. "Is there a Trudeau in the house?" be asked in jest last, week, adding more seriously: 'admit I've tried . . and it hasn't been easy." He said he intended to. announce his resignation at the evening's start, but delayed until the end so that he , could The price of water in Clinton, unchanged in 45 years or more, will almost double on Jan. 1, according to a new rate structure announced by the Public Utilities Commission today. To the average homeowner, one now paying $1.77 for water every two months, the new rate will mean a bill for $3.34 during the same two months next year -- a hike of $1.57, In fact, no one will see a bimonthly bill for less than $2 because the PUC is setting that as a minimum for any amount of water up to 200 cu. ft. But despite the price boosts, R. J. "Gus" Boussey, PUC manager, says that Clinton will Still have rates lower than those in almost every surrounding community. Clinton's minimum yearly charge to a homeowner will be $12, he said, while that in Wingham is $22,50; in Exeter, $33.75; in Seaforth, $30 and in GodeOch, as of Dec. 1, $48 or More. The impact of the new, rates Will be about the same On homeowners and commercial see the meeting's purpose accomplished before stepping down. He said he tried "to 'prom ote our town" and to "operate positively" and .offered to continue working with the committee. In Christmas-related affairs, the storeowners last Thursday night also agreed to offer their Christmas street decorations to the Public Utilities Commission and to ask the PUC to maintain them and see that they are lighted in the holiday , period. There is as yet no reply from the PUG. Among • Among reasons given for , scrapping the parade were: that last year's showed signs of being "thrown together" in spotS, that people haven't the time or willingness to do all .the work users, Mr. Boussey told The News-Record, with the exception of some high-volume users whose ,discounts are cut rather sharply- on the new rate schedule, The new rates, approved and adopted by the commission last month, are said to be needed to eliminate current operating deficits and provide capital for repairs and replacement of old water mains. Revenues from the present rates are insufficient to support (Continued on page 5) Clinton firemen had little, if any, sleep Hallowe'en .night. Police were also kept busy, but fared • better than some of their counterparts in communities Where much varidalisnl and rowdyism was reported. The 'fire siren sounded first at about 1:25 a,tn. 'Friday when an abandoned house was reported afire southeast of the Base Line several miles outside Clinton. The house, owned by Menno Martin and valued at only $100, was. destroyed. Arson is suspected, Just as firemen arrived on the There has been little public reaction so far to a coroner's jury recommendation that better ambulance service be provided for Clinton residents„ The recommendation came last week after an inquest into the September 21. death of a Blyth man in a two-car collision north of Clinton 'The inquest was into tile death of Clifford Dougherty, 25, R.R,, 2, Illyth, and "touching on" the deaths of two London youths who also died after the two cars collided on Highway 4, one quarter mile north of Clinton shortly before midnight. Douglas Melvin Rogers, 21, and John Peter Morley, '21, both involved and that, for the effort, only .an hour's activity resulted -- not. enough to aid businessmen. It was noted that The Town Coenell- voted this year to observe' Remembrance' day all day Monday, rather than to decree only a half-day observance as in recent years past. While some merchants are known to prefer the half-day plan, those present last week voted to recommend' that all Clinton stores shut for the day. The committee is expected next year to renew its effort for only half-day closing. At the annual Remembrance Day banquet of Clinton Branch 140 of the Royal Canadian Legion on Wednesday evening, October ,•30, the war medals of Corporal I-larry 0. B: Miner were officially .presented to the local branch by Ira B. Miner, a nephew of, the World War I hero, • Steward "Dick" Freeman, Legion president accepted the medals — the Victoria Cross and French Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf — on behalf of the local branch, and John K. Cornish, Brucefield, spoke in reply to the presentation. "These medals will be guarded and.well preserved while in the custody of Clinton Legion", said Mr. Cornish. He then gave a history of Corporal Miner's life, leading up to his winning the Victoria CrO§s on August 8, 19.18, during the • Battle of Arniens. Harry Garnet Bedford Miner scene of that blaze, they heard the Clinton siren again, realized there was little they could do there and headed back to town. They returned to find that someone had set fire to a vacant house owned by Earl Collins,' 223 Ontario St. Witnesses said later that a constable or fireman pulled burning items from the house before the 'fire got out of control. About two hours later, the siren again sounded, summoning the men to another empty bhilding burning, that one on - Continued on page 5 of London, were travelling south on the highway when the head-on crash °mined. They were returning to London from a wedding. Mrs. Robert MCDOnald, R.R. 4, Clinton, a nurse at the Clinton Public Hospital, who lfves near the Brash Stone, said she administered 'first aid 'to the Morley youth for about, 40 minutes before an ambulance arrived at the scene: The youth died in Clinton Public Hospital within an hour of being taken there, Since there is no ambulance in Clinton, one ambulance from Onderieh and two from Seaforth (COndlittOd on page 5) was born June 8, 1891 at Cedar Springs in Kent County, attended schools at Selton and Highgate, also in Kent County. Prior to his enlistment in November 1915, in the 142nd London Battalion, Mr. Miner lived in "Little England" in Clinton with his mother and worked at the farm of George H. Elliott in Goderich township. According to Mr. Cornish, Mrs. Miner was in Clinton when the 161st Huron Battalion was mobilized in 1916, then trained at Camp Borden and went overseas with tile 161st in October 1916. Mr. Cornish and other members of the 161st who were at the banquet remembered Cpl. Miner. In November 1916, Cpl. Miner went to France as a reinforcement for 'the 58th Battalion. , In 1917; Cpl..Miller was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf. Then on August 8, 1918 at the village of, Demuin, east of Amiens he was mortally wounded in the fierce battle and was awarded the Victoria Cross. Of the 22 Victoria Crosses awarded to Canadians in World War I, five were won on August 8, 1918. In a story in the August 1968 Legionary magazine, General A. 0. L. McNaughton's biographer, John Swettenham writes: "There can be no finer testimony to the valour of the A series of coincidences led up to the presenting to Clinton Branch 140 of the Royal Canadian Legion with Corporal Harry G. B, Miner's Victoria Cross. The official presentation was made at the Remembrance Day banquet Wednesday evening, October 30. On the Sunday preceding Civic Holiday, Mr. and Mrs. Ira B. Miner of. Inkster, Michigan, "The challenge to Canadians today is to do our job and do it well", said Reverend Clifford Waite, a United Church minister from Forest, at the Remembrance Day banquet of Clinton Legion last Wednesday evening. He titled his talk, "Greatness in Man", saying there were only four men in history who have been called "great", Then he asked "What about Churchill?"..."What was it about Canadian infantryman than the ten Victoria Crosses gained in the fighting around Amiens during August 1918," Mr. Cornish read the official Victoria Cross citation to Cpl. Miner as published in The London (England) Gazette of October 26, 1918, It is as follows: "For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in attack, when despite severe wounds he refused to withdraw. (Continued on page 8) drove to Clinton for the purpose of giving Mr. Miner's uncle Harry's war medals — Victoria Cross and French Croix de Guerre — to Clinton Legion. In Clinton on a Sunday, about the only place open was a taxi stand where Mr. Minex inquired for directions • to the Legion Hall. Clinton auctioneer, Edward W. Elliott, was at the (Continued on page 8) ?" Cpl. Harry Miner whom we are honouring tonight?" Cpl. Miner's Victoria Cross and French Croix de Guerre were being presented to Clinton Legion that evening for safekeeping. Reverend Waite challenged Canadians .to do a better job for Canada. He mentioned our great wealth in our forests, mines and fertile prairies, then said ' we must get away from our (Continued on page 8) 1968 1967 HI LOW HI LOW Oct. 29 38 29 38 35 30 42 30 62 35 31 49 27 52 45 Nov. 1 68 40 56 48 2. 52 33 57 48 3 45 30 49 '40 4 48 26 41 34 1." snow n5" rain .43" rain Many Halloween fires, but vandalism kept low Inquest finds ambulance need Truck owned by Wettlaufer's Feed Mill, Clinton, snapped a telephone pole and was damaged badly when it toppled over along the Cut Line, west of Holmesville, in mid-afternoon last Thursday. Constable William Kreps, Ontario Provincial Police, investigated the mishap, identified the driver as James W. Storey of Clinton and said that Mr. Storey complained of no injuries after the accident. Damage to the truck was estimated 'at $1,000. Most of the feed was recovered. (Staff Photo) Legion receives W.W.I. medals at Remembrance Day banquet . Coincidences aid retur Only four men "gre