Clinton News-Record, 1971-11-25, Page 44 Clinton NeWs-Record, Thursday, November 25, 1971
Editorial comment.
The season to be wary
'Tis the season to be wary.
That's right — wary not merry.
Christmas just isn't what it used to be
yule logs, electric lights on the tree,
holly, mistletoe, ,carols, Santa Claus and
all that sort of seasonal stuff. Joy,
innocence, a comfortable meal.
Take Christmas tree lights for instance.
They're a No-No! on all artificial trees.
The fire department would rather you
didn't use them at all. As for the trees,
keep them out of the house if possible
they're a big enough hazard out there in
the woods.
The yule log used to be so comfy and
cheery, but today it only adds to the
pollution problem. As for the unguided
mistletoe, it could have serious
implications for the population explosion.
The flowing bowl is definitely out. If you
drink, don't drive. Better still, if you drive
— don't drive.
That leaves us with the Christmas
dinner. Wait! Drop that fork! Don't take a
chance, With all those additives,
cyclamates, calories and mercury the good
old Christmas dinner becomes a meal of
death. Besides somebody somewhere has
likely got a cranberry boycott on the go.
Well, you wouldn't be able to wash the
dishes because detergent is a dirty word.
Of course, you can always to to church.
On second thought, better check with
your psychiatrist. See what he can do
about your guilt complex when you know
you're not going to be around again until
Easter.
Man's aim in life
In this rushing nuclear age, when the
skies and seas are being polluted by the
works of mankind, many scientists are
beginning to ask whether technological
progress is not outpacing man's basic
aims. Most men hope to lead useful,
healthy, happy lives. They wish to fulfil
their own aspirations and when possible,
help others.
But in grasping for more wealth, North.
Americans in particular are endangering
their environment, and clearly their own
happiness. The United States, for
instance, with a mere six percent of the
world's population, used 40 percent of
the globe's wood pulp and 36 percent of
its fossil fuels.
So much oil is spilled taking petroleum
products to North America across the
Atlantic, that oceanographers are
appalled. One recent study suggested that
there is enough oil pollution in the
Atlantic alone to produce an irridescent
slick over the entire surface of the world's
oceans.
The frightening effects of pollution
have affected wild life, fisheries and
human beings in the most remote parts of
the earth. In our Cities, too many people
symbolize the growing pollution problem.
It is becomming abundantly clear that
even today, the world's resources are
being strained by less than four billion
people, yet the global population is
expected to double by early next century.
In the coming decades, men must learn
to master technology, and not to become
slaves to the kind of technological
advances that destroy the environment.
And the first, most urgent need is to
reduce population growth around the
world. For unless this vital task is tackled
realistically, all other efforts to control
pollution and urban overcrowding will
fa i I,—Contributed.
hat's new at Hurouvietv?
Pond in early winter
matter of principle
BY J. CARL HEMINGWAY
During the recent election campaign William Davis was given the
Image of a "mate who did things for people, He apparently is moving
very quickly to live up to that image. At least as far as the beef calf
producers are concerned, I wonder.
Our provincial government, according to the news media,
proposes to provide a partly forgiveable loan to those farmers who
will enlarge their beef ow-calf operations — the final one fifth of
the loan need not be re-paid. The niiximum loan is $15,000 Which is
supposed to purchase 50 cows. The forgiveable portion is $3,000.
Just why is the government doing that? We are being told that the
scarcity of beef calves is increasing the price UM much — up to an
extreme high, I believe, of 56 cents per pound for the best Western
light steer calves. With finished steers selling currently to a top of
$36 per cwt. it is quite apparent that feedlot operators are in real
trouble even though grain is very cheap.
On the other hand is it true that there is a scarcity of beef calves?
It could be that we have a surplus of feed-lot capacity due largely to
government grants over the past several years?
Canada is presently a het importer of beef, but this is normal.
Over the past many years Canada has wavered front net importer to
net exporter of beef. As a net importer, as we presently are, the
market top price for steers is about $3 per cwt. above Omaha market
which seems to be the National representative cattle market in
United States. If we produce enough calves to make us net exporters
Of beef our price would drop to $3 below Omaha or $30 per cwt.
This would be equally disasterous to the feed-lot operators and even
worse for the cow-calf operators.
The second question I would ask, Is there any need for this move
by the government? Over the past many years we"cow-calf operators
were considered just a bit stupid because we accepted profit
considerably below what feed-lot operators were Making. Last year
the balance switched somewhat and this year has been a good one
for the cow-calf operator. Next year? There has been a stow but
steady build up in the cow-calf operation and next year may be
about equal to last year and the following year may well swing back
in favour of the feeder. This is as it should be since it is almost
impossible to control the variables of feed and livestock production
on an exactly even lend.
The great danger is that this government intervention in the beef
industry will increase the production of 'calves to the point where we
become net exporters of beef and both cow-calf operators feed-lot
operators will be forced into bankruptcy after being lured into over
borrowing by government grants and the resulting depressed prices
from ()leer production.
It has been said that farmers should be wary of what governments
propose to do for them and be More concerned about what
government proposals do to them.
i3orn 30 years too soon - again
THE CLINTON NEW EAA
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Amalgamated
1924
THE HURON NEWS-RECORD
Established 1-881
Clinton News-Record
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of Circulation '(ABC)
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the heart of Huron County
Clinton, Ontario
Population 3,475
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Hawaii fever
The first chill breeze of
autumn has hardly kited a calico
maple leaf before one hears the
distant thrum of ukeleles, the
soft rustle of grass skirts and the
crisper rustle of bills of large
denomination being exchanged
to two (2) glorious weeks in
Hawaii.
Why, I keep wondering, does
it induce no more reaction in me
than a long, jaw-breaking yawn?
Why should a man so keen on
chasing the sun, whose antenna
is so responsive to the signal of
distant places, have such a
mental block to the
enchantment of that, to coin ;a
phrase, island paradise? Why am
I the last one in my block to
succumb to the lure of Waikiki?
I'll tell you why,
It's because, at a rough
estimate, nine out of every ten
tourists who go there return to
put the kiss of death,
unwittingly, on the place. The
bigger the booster for Hawaii the
more likely he is to discourage
you, permanently, from taking
off in that direction, ever.
Only last week I was
button-holed by an aquaintance
who had just confirmed his
reservations for his fourth visit.
He voiced a typical comment
that will serve, at least, to
Letter
xo the ,
Editor
to take them out for drinks,
dinner and the theatre. They just
expected you to take them out.
Hotel rooms were no
problem, on weekend leave. One
of us would check into the old
Xing Eddie in Toronto, and take
a single room. Price was $3,00,
with 10 per cent off for
servicemen. Then about five
more would sneak up and sik of
us would share a single room,
sleeping three on the bed,
crossways, the others on the
floor. Average cost, 45c each.
We didn't need much sleep
anyway.
Wages went up with each
increase in rank. As I recall it,
when I was commissioned, I got
about $6.50 a day. This was
wealth beyond the dreams of
avarice, in those days. The
Australian and U.K. officers
envied us bitterly. They were
paid about half that, to maintain
the standards of an officer and
gentleman.
I don't envy the servicemen
their increase. They have a job
that is especially thankless in
peacetime. But if I were quite a
few years younger, I'd be
running, not walking, to the
nearest recruiting station.
But my kid brother is another
Matter. I'm smarter than he is,
though he'd never admit it. I
could always beat him up. Ile's
got his emly child married eti te
a wealthy Englishman. He's
going to have a fat pension in
just a few years.
It's only fair to serve notice
On him that he may have
long-term, perhaps permanent,
guests, when he retires arid picks
out his villa he Spain,
Mrs. Anderson of Exeter led
the Christian Women's Club song
service on Sunday evening with
the devotions taken by Mrs. Hall
Twenty-four residents having
November birthdays were
honoured at a party on
Wednesday afternoon. The party
provided by the Crediton
Women's Institute had all the
trimmings with birthday cake,
candles, hats and a gift for each
celebrant presented . by the
president, Dolores Shapton.
The variety program
introcuced by Jean Neil included
'My tired old eyes almost
popped out end ran down my
cheeks the other day, like a
couple of peeled grapes, when I
read about the increases in pay
to our armed forces.
"My God," I groaned to my
wife, "will you listen to this? A
buck private is going to get $480
a month." She wasn't impressed.
But She perked up her ears
and turned down the corners of
her mouth with my next
remark', "And a colonel Wilt be
drawing $1,960 a month." My
brother, her brother-in-law, is a
colonel.
Out carne the pencil and she
started some rapid calculation.
In about half an hour, while I sat
there shaking my head with a
mixture of shocked disbelief and
incipient nausea, she blurted,
"bo you realize that young pup
is going to be making $22,520 a
year?"
I nodded morosely, I had
done it in my head, give or'take
a few hundred dollars, in eight
seconds.
"Why --- why, that's
irimossible," and her voice went
up an octave. I just took the
paper over and pointed to the
cold, black print.
It was like swallowing a
horse-pill without benefit of
water, for both of tes. While I
had been slogging along serving
humanity as'a weekly newspaper
editor, sometimes hitting a high
of $6,200 a year, and later at a
teacher, he had been gallivanting
atound to all OAS of glamorous
and exciting places.
Aide-de-camp to an Air
Vice-Marshal in Europe,
Boat-hunting in Germany.
tap dancing by Mona Hodgins; a
vocal quartet by Lois Hodgins,
Roxy Weber, Doreen Browning,
and Margaret Buxton; a skit by
Donna Bushfield and Doreen
Browning; musical numbers and
a sing-song with Lois Hodgins,
piano, and Mr. Sawyer, violin.
Lunch was served by the
ladies with volunteers from the
Beta Sigma Phi Sorority assisting
with residents to and from the
program. Mrs. J. Finkbeiner, a
former resident of the Crediton
area, thanked the ladies on
Commander of a fighter
squadron in France. Liaison
officer in Paris. Desk job in
Ottawa, Back to Europe. Back
to Canada to head a fighter
squadron at Val d'or, guarding
tte against the Eskimoee, then a
soft touch at Colorado Springs
in the States, watching the panic
button, and skiing weekends.
There was only one bright
spot in my mind as I reviewed
this circuit. He's now stuck in
Syracuse. Who wants to live in
Syracuse?
But my wife wasn't finished.
"Why didn't you stay in the air
force?" I gave her some lofty
reply about being my own man,
and not wanting to wallow
around in peace-time on the
taxpayer's money. I didn't
mention that the air force
wouldn't have had ine if World
War III had broken out 20
Minutes after World War II
ended.
Then, in the gloomy silence
that followed, I started thinking
back. When I jolted up, we got
$1.30,.a day, or $40 a month. I
sent home $20 a month to my
mother. We got paid every two
Weeks, so I had a handsome $10
to blow, never forget the
time I lost my $10 bill about 20
minutes after pay parade. It, was
at Manning Pool in Torohto,
with about 10,000 airmen tier
hand. The next couple of weeks
were stint pickings. But I made
it, by borrowing. That's when I
started borrowing, and I've never
caught up since,
But it wasn't so bad, really.
Beer was 10 cents a draft arid a
dollar went a long WO'. I didn't
smoke. aids didh't expect you
I ever ate in my life right there
at Waikiki. And there are all
sorts of supermarkets within
walking distance of wherever
you stay...."
Quote: "It's all so
convenient. Naturally, there's no
language problem at all..."
Quote: "It doesn't matter
where you come from in
Canada. You'll find all sorts of
visitors from your home
town..."
Quote: "We had everything
you could wish for in our
apartment, including a
dish-washer and gargabe
disposal, We didn't even have to
go to the beach. The heated pool
was right outside...."
And as they beam and bubble
you wonder whatever happened
to that lust for travel that was
bound up in seeking foreign
cultures and shaking off all
contact from everyday life and
pursuing the strange and exotic
magic of distant lands,
The pinnacle, indeed, of the
wacky Waikiki way of life,
tourist-style, appears to be the
creation of the late Henry Kaiser
in his Hawaiian Village Hotel
which, according to a brochure
sent to me recently, seems out
to complete the absolute
sterility of a visit to that
particular part of the south
Pacific.
"Before his death, Mr. Kaiser,
an enthusiastic dynamo, had
realized his dream of a hotel so
complete that a guest need never
leave the grounds!" (The
exclamation mark is mine.)
There are, it seems, even
Kaiser-model hula dancers who
perform for the benefit of the
homeenovie fans so that they
need not travel to the enclosure
where the Kodak people offer
regualar, scheduled seesions of
native performers.
Luaus are also held on the
grounds for the convenience of
the guests so that every activity
may be contained, like a country
fair, in a sort of Disneyland.
Somehow it all intimidates
me.
I just can't see Sweet Leilani
with the red hibiscus in her hair
beside the coral-reefed lagoon.
All I can see is Rotarians in
costumes brighter than any
native's with the ghost of Henry
K. beaming paternally over them
and, though the first autumn
wind is chill, it'll have to get a
lot colder before I care to join
them.
The following letter was sent
to the Clinton Branch of the
Huron County Library. The
information requested was not
available to the librarian Mrs.
Stewart Farquhar so she passed
the letter on to the News-Record
hoping that some of our readers
may have the information
needed. If you know anything
about the matter in question,
perhaps you could phone or
write to Mrs. Farquhar.
The Librarian, Clinton Public
Library, Clinton, Ontario
Dear Sir:
I am preparing an exhibition
of early Canadian paintings to be
shown in the National Gallery of
Canada and in some of the other
major Canadian galleries. One of
the problems with an exhibition
of this kind is to secure accurate
data for the catalogue.
One of the paintings to be
included in the exhibition which
is now in a private collection in
Hamilton, is a portrait of a
woman said to date from about
1850. The story that comes with
it is that it is a portrait of the
artist's wife, that his name was
Benner, and that he painted and
farmed somewhere near Clinton.
Naturally I would like to have
a little more detail and some
verification of this before
publishing it in a National
Gallery catalogue which ,is used
as an authoritative reference
work.
10 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Nov. 26, 1961
At the regular meeting of the
Advisory Vocational Committee
of Clinton District Collegiate
Institute held last Thursday
night, approval was given to
revised sketch plans submitted
by architects Page and Steel.
Miss Lynne Wallace, research
assistant with the Department of
Commerce and Development,
Housing branch, Toronto, has
been in town this week
conducting a survey, requested
by town council, with regard to
the need and demand of rental
houses in Clinton.
Mrs, Fred Reid had the lucky
ticket in the Jackpot this week,
and wins the Five dollar cash
prize offered. Her purchase was
made at Herb's Food Market.
15 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Nov. 29, 1956
Clinton will soon have her
first Queen's Scout in many
years, Scout Elvin Parker, son of
Mr. and Mrs, Wilfred Parker, Mill
Street, has passed his Pathfinder
Badge and this will be presented
to him at a Scout meeting next
Wednesday. This is the last
badge Elvin needed to qualify
for a Queen's Scout and he will
become one next spring when
Governor-General Vincent
Massey officiates at a mass
presentation of Queen's Scout
Badges.
25 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Dec. 5, 1946
Earl "Feather" Fulford,
trainer of Clinton Colts Hockey
team, was honoured by officials
and members of the team on the
occasion of his recent marriage,
at the home of the coach "Red"
Rath, Monday evening.
The Holinesville cheese
factory has changed hands. It
was taken over on December 1,
by the Caration Company.
A Guernsey calf was born on
the farm of It. W. Gibbings, on
November 30, weighed 137
pounds at birth and was three
feet high.
Ken G. Waters, Toronto,
former Mayor of Clinton, has
been re-elected vice-president of
the Minor Hockey Association.
40 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Nov. 26, 1931
The annual horseshoe club
duck supper was held in the
fireman's hall last week, G. L.
Hanley, G. Murdock, G. N.
Have ypu any suggestions as to
anyone in Clinton who might
know anything about this man
to wham I might write?
Sometimes a letter written to a
local weekly which editors
usually are willing to publish in
their correspondence column,
will turn up something. Is there
a local paper in Clinton that
might publish a query of this
kind?
Any assistance you can give
me would be warmly
appreciated. Local librarians can
be the salvation of people like'
myself who want information
about people in the smaller
places of old Ontario,
Yours sincerely,
J. Russell Harper
The Editor,
One can sympathize with Mr.
Bruce Shaw of the Department
of English in Exeter who is
concerned that his subject is no
longer to be compulsory in the
high schools.
At the Board of Education
meeting of Nov. 15 reported in
your paper, it was evident that
Mr. Norman Hodgson of the
Department of Education could
benefit from further study of
the language, or is his lack of
employment of the subjunctive a
further example of the creeping
American take-over in Canada,
G.L. Morgan Smith.
Davies' and L. Cree were the
committee in charge of the
arrangements.
Mrs. A. Foster, Goderich, was
in town on Saturday last.
Misses Louise and Marjory
Beaton and Miss Edna Turner, of
Toronto, were weekend guests at
the home of the formers mother,
Mrs. A. D. Beaton.
Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Paisley,
Toronto, and Mr. and Mrs. D. C.
Paisley, Montreal, have been
here the past week, having been
called home due to the illness
and death of their mother.
55 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Nov. 23, 1916
The Council of the
Corporation of the County of
Huron will meet in the council
chamber, in the town of
Goderich, on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at
3 o'clock.
Christmas time will soon be
here and it is high time to get
your Santa Claus thinking cap
on. Not for yourself, but for
others.
Level crossings at railways
continue to take their tolls. Why
is not a short cut taken to put a
stop to this wastage of human
life by demanding that subways
or high bridges be compulsory.
In France women are being
substituted for men to handle
baggage at the railway depots.
An excuse might be made if a
women turned baggage smasher
but the probabilities are that the
fair sex would handle the job
alright.
75 YEARS AGO
Wednesday, Nov. 25,1806
Patrons complain that the
electric light service does not
give good satisfaction, that many
burn out and that these
accidents should not occur. The
Management claim that the
service is being perfected as
rapidly as possible, while patrons
hope it will soon become
perfect.
Mr. E, leirisley, who is still
quite active, celebrated his 81st
birthday last Sunday. He
remembers quite well the
building of the first railway in
England, from Darlington to
Stockton, 11 years ago.
The town of Wiarton is at
present suffering from an
outburst of diptheria. Thirteen
cases are reported. The public
school has been closed 'and
prompt measures taken to stamp
out the disease.
behalf of the residents.
Jim Lawrie arranged the
program for Family Night. The
Countrymen Four, a musical
group from Blyth including
Wayne McClinchey, Steve Walsh,
Bill Burkholder and Jim Beaton,
entertained with several
numbers. Vocal solos were by
Jim Lawrie accompanied by Mrs.
Grace Brown, and also slides of
Scotland shown by Mr. and Mrs.
Lawrie. Mrs. Mary Taylor
thanked those taking part in the
program.
introduce what I think of as the
Hawaiian Syndrome.
"It's absolutely wonderful,"
he said. "Why, last year they had
three-quarters of a million
tourists. No matter where you
look there's a new hotel going
up. There's everything for the
visitor. I didn't even have to miss
my Rotary meeting..."
Once more Hawaii called. But
not for me.
The non-visitor to Hawaii,
whose status is rapidly coming
to be considered as
corresponding to something you
might find crawling under a
rock, is exposed to a type of
recommendation that seems
cunningly contrived to send him
anywhere but.
As if the picture of
three-quarters of a million fellow
visitors on the one-mile strand of
Waikiki and the Rotarians
grazing among the giant
Kalakaua skyscrapers that,
replaced the little grass shacks
isn't had enough, they persist in
bleeding dry every romantic
image.
Quote: "Oh, it's much better
than Mexico or the Carribean.
There's no food problem at all.
You can eat just as you do at
home. I had the best hamburger