HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1972-05-25, Page 4News-Record, Thursday, May 25., 1972
Editorial comment
Base growth could bring boom
Despite what one might think if he
listenedto the doom and gloom crew,
things are going exceptionally well out
at the old Air Base where Radoma
Investments are converting the Base
for civilian use.
As reported in a story in this paper,
the houses are now being painted, the
grass is cut and even a gas station is
now open at the Base.
Instead of seeing something sad
when one goes by the Base as in the
past year or more, one now gets a
feeling of excitement at the hectic
activity. The Base even looks better
beCause the fences have been pulled
down and the ugly steam pipes have
been dismantled,
And, as it was pointed out, nearly all
the houses have been sold and not one
factory has yet taken up residence
'although five Or six have said they are
planning to move in. What happens,
then, when the factories do move in
and bring additional employment of
200 or so people as they have
promised?
it could mean a new boom period for
Clinton, and let's hope it does.
hope though, that if a boom does come,
it doesn't shoot real estate prices out
of reach so that the ordinary person
gets hurt. Real estate is already
moving at a surprisingly high rate,
considering everyone expected
Clinton to hit the doldrums after the
base closed. A higher demand for
housing could mean high prices and a
building boom.
The boom we can use; the high
prices we don't need.
Overdue and vital
Dr. Alex Addison of Clinton nearly
brought the roof down at last
week's board of education meeting
in CI inton by asking how the members
planned to hide the funds for the
upcoming dinner party for retired
staff members'in this year's budget.
Dr, Addison, of course, was only
joking as were several other board
members during the discussion which
took place about the proposed dinner
party for an estimated 100 persons.
He was, like most trustees, entirely
satisfied with the scheme to honor
those teachers and non-teachers who
over the past four years had left the
board's employ for retirement and
would notbe eligible againforfuiltime
employment by the board.
But Dr. Addison's point was well
taken. It was evident that the
physician from Clinton was wondering
how the ratepayers of the county would
reacttothe idea of spending money to
entertain retiring staff members,
especially at a time when education
costs are higher than they have ever
been before.
It shouldn't be difficult to predict the
attitude of the bulk of county taxpayers
especially when they have been assured
that the honor of dinner and a scroll will
only go to those board employees who
have served the county education
system faithfully until age or other
circumstances forced retirement.
It is doubtful if any appreciative
residents of Huron would worry about
an item in the budget of the Huron
County Board of Education for such a
necessary and warm gesture to valued
staff.
In fact, the board is to be highly
commended by the people of Huron for
their efforts to build strong
community ties between county school
staff and the folks who pay the bi I Is. It
is long overdue. It is vital.
Let Goderich pay
There's obviously some merit in
the suggestion of the Huron County
property committee that the jail at
Goderich be turned into a museum of
penology. This is particularly true
when the province has indicated it wi
support the project by providing an
outstanding collection of equipment
from days gone by and wi I I also give it
the designation as Ontario's official
jail muse um.
The Goderich jail is steeped in
history, and despite the fact it has only
recently been closed, already
presents the appearance of being from
a previous era.
Certainly, there may be some,
question as to what type of person
would receive enjoyment from touring
a drab, old prison, but the success of
"horror" displays such as those at
Niagara Falls indicates that such
attractions do not want from lack of
customers.
However, we do not support the
suggestion by the committee that the
museum should be undertaken as a
county project. It would primarily
serve to attract people to Goderich
only,,, and the ratepayers of
that community should be expected to
pay for the benefits they would derive.
The ratepayers of the county
al ready contribute significantly to the
present museum in the county town
and should not be expected to provide
yet another tourist attraction.
If the project has merit, county
council should have little trouble
enticing Goderich officials to take it
over, particularly if the building is
offered at a nominal sum. Exeter
Times - Advocate
No more hayseed
A candle to light
Well, you can stop holding your
breath. The biggest thing since
the building of the pyramids, in
the opinion of some people is
accomplished, Our daughter is
married. And off our hands after
21 gruelling years. It says here.
I hope there's some ancient
saying like: "Stormy wedding
day, sunny marriage."
Not that there was anything
stormy about the wedding itself, It
was positively seraphic, and
some people were smiling with
sheer delight for the first time in
years,
But the weather Was something
else. The day before was sunny
and still. The day after was the
same. The wedding day was the
worst rotten day of a long, rotten
spring, Driving rain and bone-
chilling wind.
I know. I was there. Out in it,
doing all the last-minute chores:
ice mibeS, crearn for the coffee,
SMokes, mix, dry-cleaners, etc. I
have neither a hat hor a raincoat
and I couldn't find my wife's
Umbrella, so I was soaked to the
Skin from the navel both ways,
However, 1 Mustn't Gomplain,
even though I have my first had
cold for three years, It was KIM'S
'AY, as everyone kept telling Me
for about a Month, and what
Matte if her dear old Dad has
double pneumonia,
Soilithow, as it so Often
happens. everything fell into
place. Hei'dld lady talked her way
the way
out of the hospital, then went three
solid days and nights without one
wink of sleep. She was so nervous
and exhausted she was positive
she'd have to take to her bed
before the ceremony. But from
that subterranean depth which
most of us don't possess, she not
only made it, but came through
with flying colours.
The rug-cleaning man had been
here and everything was spotless,
This was had, because everybody
would have muddy feet. But it was
good, because everybody wiped
their feet or took off their boots.
A gang of boys had arrived the
day before to rake up the lawn,
This was good. But it was bad
because everybody was too wet to
notice,
First arrival was Shelby, an
itinerant young actor, one of the
men Kim had shared her
apartment with all year, No, he
was not thetridgroem. This was
had, because Kim was still talking
and laughing with him, in jeans
and T-shirt, with One hour to go
before the ceremony. But this was
good, because Shelby is a great
mixer, and later on, when we ran
out of mix, he went out and got
some.
Next guests were two drenched
urchins who had hitch-hiked
through the torrent some 66
miles. Soaked right through, I
didn't know what to do with them.
Son Hugh, all the way from
Montreal for the day, provided a
solution that no middle-aged
square would have thought of. He
took them downstairs, had them
take off their jeans and threw
them, (the jeans, not the kids), in
the dryer.
Then both front and back
doorbells started to ring like a
five-alarm fire, and yours truly,
the only one dressed, sprinted
back and forth, accepting gift-
wrapped parcels from little boys
and delivery men, hanging up
dripping coats, and trying to
introduce perfect strangers to
each other. Chaos.
But chaos often works better
than logistics, This was to be a
Babel ceremony. The bride and
groom, with their typical acumen,
had not even decided on the Order
Of the ceremony, and were—well,
not squabbling, but arguing—until
the moment of truth.
Kim hissed at me, "Dad, you
say our prayer after Marlene,
That's all you have to
remember," And that's about all
did remember.
There is an old cliche: "The
bride was beautiful in a ..." Well,
Prn here to tell you that the bride
was beautiful, in a long, svelte,
borrowed dress that looked as
though she had stepped out of a
BOtticeeli painting, long auburn
hair, huge brown eyes and Infinite
youth. The groom looked pretty
good, too, but his father can Write
his own column about that,
Most weddings are like
Speaking of merchandising, as
we were last week, I feel the time
has come to say a few words about
the trend in the mail order
catalogues and particularly the
summer number of Simpsons-
Sears which, clapping our pudgy
hands with glee, we found in the
mail box yesterday.
I am something of an authority
on catalogues, having been on
Simpsons and E.tons lists for
nigh on 30 years and my mother
could remember them clear back
to her days on a farm outside
Morden, Manitoba (very near to
Dead Horse Creek).
My mother thought of them as a
form of escape literature. As a
child she would project herself
into the impeccable,
materialistic world pictured
therein and make her plans for the
day when she would enter that
domain. It wasn't escape, you see,
in the sense that it was
unattainable because, of course,
everything had a price tag on it, A
girl could scheme through the
long winter months, seeing her
future in terms of merchandise.
But what I started out to say
about the trend in catalogues is
that they've now completely-
bridged the gap between city
living and country living.
It used to be, you see, that the
models in the catalogue were
made of common clay. They were
simple, ordinary-looking folk who
could have lost themselves in any
crowd. They wore their simple,
utilitarian garments neatly but
without any distinction.
Women who appeared in the
corset ads had fine, full midriffs
that really needed a corset. Even
funerals. This wasn't. There
were prayers, short. Mine,
perhaps subconsciously, was a
General Thanksgiving from the
Book of Common Prayer.
Chopin's mazurkas rippled
quietly in the background.
Brother Hugh sang a haunting
song in French and English.
Then came the most dramatic
and poignant part of the
ceremony, Tapers were lighted,
withotit one ember dropping on the
rug. A single candle was lit from
then), The bride and groom faced
each other, eye to eye, and made
their personal oaths (not
repeating something after a
minister), They had kept secret
from each other what they were
going to say.
Shelby kissed the rings, put
them on the appropriate fingers.
The couple kissed. Four beautiful
nieces- each brought one while
rose to the bride; And it was over,
I think it was simple, spiritual
and joyous, If I ever got married
again, God forbid, I'M going to
have a Hahn 'I ceremony.
I think my daughter said
goodbye. I remember a kiss on the
chock, a deft hand extracting from
My pocket the promised cheque,
and my son-in-law going down lo
thebaSement to pick no the 110010
Sleeping-bag I'd bought. in ease
nobody else did,
Nov, how about some
grandchildren.
the underwear section for young
ladies, which every growing boy
turned to right after he'd scanned
the newest things in bikes, would
have corrupted only the most
impressionable lad since the
young ladies were uniformly
wooden-faced and sisterly.
Once in a while you might see a
male model in jockey shorts
holding a football (the man holding
the football, that is), but there was
seldom any attempt at animation
that might distract from the
corn modity.
All of this was deliberate
because the customer was
considered to he pretty much of a
hayseed, apt to be suspicious of
any fancy-pants city stuff and at
all times so grimly practical that
fully half the stuff offered him
seemed to have been made of
denim,
10 YEARS AGO
MAY 24, 1962
While the people of Clinton went
about their ordinary tasks the last
few days, down at the CNR Station
a sm all building was taking shape
which is completely different than
any other in town.
It is what is believed to be
Clinton's first "fallout shelter".
They're not calling it that, though.
It is a "living" shelter, family
size, according to the
specifications, and it is to be used
as a "communications fall-out
shelter."
Sarnia Lionettes Drum and
Bugle Corps band will be in
Clinton June 9 to attend the
Clinton branch Royal Canadian
Legion Band Tattoo,
Clinton Concert Community
Band will play a Sunday evening
concert on the Lib6ry Park at
8:30p.m. preceded by the annual
inspection, Band Majorettes and
colour party will parade from the
Legion Hall prior to the concert.
15 YEARS AGO
MAY 23, 1957
The season of graduations is at
hand.
Last Thursday, from Stratford
General Hospital school of
nursing, three local girls
graduated, They were Miss Ruth
Clark, daughter of Mr, and Mrs.
W.G. Clark of Varna; Miss
Marilyn Shaddick, daughter of
Police Constable and Mrs, A,E,
Shaddick, Clinton and Miss Jayne
Mary Snell, daughter of Mr, and
Mrs. Ephraitn Snell, R,R, 1,
Clinton. Miss Snell was chosen as
valedictorian of her class.
From O,A,C. local graduates
from the diploma course include
Lloyd Holland, son of Mrs, N,
Holland, Clinton and Miss
Catherine Powell, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Powell,
from MacDonald Hall, Guelph.
Clinton Branch No. 190 of the
Canadian Legion will be host to
the first table tennis tournament
of the Ontario Command of the
Legion on Saturday afternoon in
their spacious memorial hall.
Ten teams have entered:
['a l rho nks Branch, Toronto (two
learns); Hanover (two teams)
Hamilton, Grimsby, Woodbridge,
Grand Valley and Clinton (two
teams.)
25 YEARS AO()
MAY 22, 1941
Norman W. Miller,
Years after they apparently
disappeared from stores, for
example, you could see men's
long underwear, of the kind with
34 buttons up the front and a great
square marquee behind, in page
after page, n,Odelled by thickset,
square-jawed men who looked as
if they'd know what to do with a
team of horses.
It seems to have been
coincident with the advent of
television, which did more than
anything else to remove the
barriers between city and country
cousins, that the mail order
catalogues began to change.
All of those plain, nice, stolid
models have returned now to
Morden or wherever it was they
originated.
In their place we find the svelte,
the elegant, the sophisticated and
Huron County Clerk, was elected
district commander of district
"C" Canadian Legion at a district
meeting held in Kitchener Sunday.
Catherine Fingland was the
winner of the senior oratorical
contest at Clinton Collegiate
yesterday afternoon. Her subject
was "Lawrence of Arabia".
Excavating is now complete for
the new wing of Clinton Public
Hospital. The job was finished by
the big clam excavator in about
three days.
40 YEARS AGO
MAY 26, 1932
Joe Gandier won second place
in senior high jumping at WOSSA
at London on Saturday. Joe tried
out his new glider on Victoria Day
at Norman Holland's field for its
trial trip, in which he succeeded
in making an altitude of about 300
feet.
The choir of the Clinton
Presbyterian Church visited the
Huron County Home on Friday
evening, presenting a nice
program, which was much
enjoyed by the residents. Perhaps
the most popular numbers were
the bagpipe selections by . the
Mulch brothers, Rev, Dr. Dougan
occupied the chair during the
program.
Seaforth's tax rate is forty-two
mills and Clintoh's is forty-eight
and one half. Oh well, it is worth
the difference to live in Clinton.
55 YEARS AGO
MAY 24, 1917
Selective conscription has been
announced for Canada. Details of
the plan will be worked out by the
THe CLINTON 4NE,w ERA
Established 1865
glamorous creatures who could
just as easily pose for Vogue as
for Simpsons-Sears or Eatons.
They are all projecting like
mad, radiant with the lust of life,
up to here with sex appeal.
Even the girls in the corset ads
are Clearly girls who really need
no support and the men are
matinee idols who wouldn't know
what to do with a horse if it bit.
them,
It is no longer just the good life
that they mirror and insinuate
may be yours, but the rich and
abundant life of conventional
advertising in which everything is
40 times more beautiful and more
fun than reality.
I swear it makes you wonder
what little girls in lonely
farmhouses are dreaming about
these days,
Militia Council, single men,
without dependents, will be called
on first.
Thomas McMillan, Liberal
Candidate of South Huron and
William McDonald, MPP of North
Bruce, will address a meeting of
South Huron Liberals in Hensall
Town Hall.
The Royal Bank here has the
distinction of having a lady teller
now, Miss Walkinshaw, being
promoted last week; Harold Hill
commenced duties as Junior and
Mr. Flynn has been promoted to
the ledger.
75 YEARS AGO
MAY 26, 1897
The Queen's Jubilee
Committee are much pleased to
notice the patriotic spirit being
exhibited by the Sons of England
and the fact that they are going to
hold special services to
commemorate the occasion. (on
June 22nd)
On Monday, Forest defeated
Clinton at cricket, The score was
close. The ground and weather
was very unfavourable, The
result, however, will simply
encourage Clinton Cricketeers to
do better future work,
Thos. Sturdy returned last
week from a visit to his property
in Parry Sound District, and
brought back fine samples of mica
taken from his land,
The first game of bowls this
season was played on the bowling
green Wednesday afternoon.
Messrs. Wynn and Lane being the
skips. The first named
gentleman's side won.
Letters
to tbe,
Edito'
The Editor,
Your issue of May 18 carried an
ad in which appeared the following
expressions: ",.,Jesus, who was
also God." and "God is a personal
God who cares for the
individual—in fact, He cared
enough to die for me," This poses
a problem.
Many theologians recognize the
problem of calling Jesus "God",
for as Theologian 11,W.
Montefiore wrote in the book
SOUNDINGS—ESSAYS
CONCERNING CHRISTIAN
UNDERSTANDING: "Jesus knew
himself to be the Son of his
heavenly Father; he described
himself as Lord and Son of Man.
Negatively, he did not describe
himself as God," And THE
CHRISTIAN CENTURY May 19,
1971, observed regarding the
Roman Catholic theologian Karl
Rattner that he "is willing to
define Jesus as • "Lord and
Savior" but stops short of calling
him "God"."
In a lecture in 1968, Theology
Professor G. H. Boobyer focused
on the problem, and asked: "Can
you bold together, as many New
Testament scholars seem still to
do, the two positions that on the
one hand critical study of the
Gospels discloses a Jesus with no
consciousness of being God and
making no claims to be God and on
the other hand the belief that
Nicene Christology, declaring
him "True God of true God" is a
right credalization of the New
Testament evidence? I would at
least suggest that this problem is
becoming sufficiently acute today
to be in itself a reason for that re-
appraisal of the Church's belief in
Christ right up to the present day
which .,.A. Grillmeier speaks of
as urgent."
In other words, they are
admitting that belief in the trinity
is on a shaky foundation. (Psalm
83:16-18 King James version)
C.F. Barney,
The Editor,
Ever wondered what kids in a
city do all day, anyway? Ever
wished you could show a city
friend just how much work goes
into getting that milk from the cow
to the carton?
Probably you have, But then,
did you ever consider how much
territory 100 acres is to someone
that has to share 1 acre with
several hundred other people? Or
how much a dog can mean to
someone who doesn't have 75
other animals around all the time.
Wondering... questioning . . .
discovering . . and most
important, understanding. That's
the idea behind the Urban-Rural
Exchange, a program that from
its 'birth pains' in 1971, has led to
`learning through doing' for the
urban-rural visitors and for the
program co-ordinators.
About 2000 of urban Ontario's
youth, aged 12 to 15 will apply
through their schools to spend a
week in July or August on a farm
near their homes, Where desired,
return visits to the urban
community will be arranged by
the area co-ordinator for any
rural hosts in that 12 to 15 year-
old range who are interested in
sharing the 'learning aspects' of
the program.
The whole idea• is to help
improve understanding between
Ontario's rural and urban
populations, to increase the
knowledge of and personal
experience with each other.
To achieve this, all
participants will be expected to be
actively involved in the regular
life of the host family and the
visitor will be treated as
'member' of the family, The
purpose of the program is not to
create a task force or a holiday,
but to expose the visitor to the
normal activities of his or her
new environment to learn.
Both exchangees and host
families ( urban and rural) will be
insured for accident and liability.
'Communication' and
'environment' have become the
catch words of the sixties and
seventies, The Urban-Rural
Exchange Program offers a
chance to find out what they mean
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KEITH W, ROULSTON — Editor
J. HOWARD AITKEN — adhere! Manager
DC M,
Amalgamated
1924
THE HURON NEWS-RECORD
Estahlished 1881
l C inton News-Record
A member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association,
Ontario Weekly Newspaper AsSociation and the Audit Bureau
of Circulation (ABC)
Published every Thursday et
the heart of Huron County'
Clinton, Ontario
Population 3,475
Tile liOME
OP RADAR
IN CANADA