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Clinton News-Record, 1973-07-12, Page 4A ,small news release from the Ontario Ministry of the environment crossed our desk the other day, and like many gover- mnent blurbs, it was nearly in the waste basket when the words "derelict vehicles" caught our eye. According to the release, anyone who has more than two derelict vehicles on his property as of July 7, last Saturday will be subject to Ontario's new derelict motor vehicle regulation. " Although the release has received lit- tle publicity, in fact, it is the first time we've heard anything about it, it could prove to• be the,atarldf something good. It may start a long nifeded wrecked auto clean up. The essence of the new regulation *W--- that either you clean up your abandoned autos, trucks, tractors, etc. or you become a licensed, regulated wrecker. The legislation has its roots back last summer when seven teams of students researched the abandoned vehicle problem across Ontario. The students, pinpointing abandoned cars around such diVerse centres as Pembroke. London, Kingston and the like, found that Ontario has nearly 500,000 aban- doned cars alone littering backyards, fields, woods and a myriad of other places. The figure nearly floors one to think that there is that Much junk obliteratin9 our landscape. And with each car con- taining nearly a ton and a half of costly steel, the need to recycle them becomes more apparent. It seems that the auto which has done so much for us, is turning into a plague that haunts us through our entire lives. It forces us into near bankruptcy for its purchase, it gobbles up much needed energy to live, it kills many of us, and cripples others for a lifetime. Eyen after its death, the auto plagues us, .its bones rusting in fields and backyards) near our homes. The enforcement of the new aban- doned vehicle regulation will be applied '----___ctradually, environment minister James Atird---said, but let's hope that enfor- cement iikinlae...t04.slow-, The minister said that the goal of the new program this summer is to find the most economical way of cleaning up the wrecks. Our solution is as close as a pop bot- tle away. When a person buys a new car, he would pay a deposit on it on top of the regular price and taxes etc., and when the car tired out it could be turned in and the deposit refunded, no matter where, when or who turned it in. Just like a pop bottle. 4—.CLINTON HMS-RECORD, THURSDAY, JULY I!, 11073 II 9.000 Ides Using the schools In a recent weekly column in which he tells of activity in the Legislature, Huron M.P.P. Jack Riddell reports that the provincial legislature's Select Commit- tee on the Utilization of Educational Facilities wants to break down the barriers it has found growing between schools, with their centralized boards, and highly paid administrators, and the communities they are supposed to serve. The Committee would have the respon- sibility for the use of school facilities taken away from the boards and given to local community action councils. School buildings could be used for dances and wedding receptions where liquor is being served, the committee adds, criticizing the "stuffy" attitudes which isolate schools from their com- munities. We have some doubts about the Com- mittee's proposal that the responsibility for decisions-tin use of school facilities be tar' COMMUnitY councils. Surely the elected school boards should be in closer touch with the wants and needs of their communities than would be appointed community action coun- cils. There already is enough bureaucracy between the schools and the people and such a council as that proposed would provide another layer. But the principle of wider community access to the schools is good. The Com- mittee might also provide us with infor- mation on the long suggested possibility of year round, or at least extended, classroom operation in our schools, which now contain students for only about 190 days a year. As long as such use doesn't interfere with classestaccess to expensive school buildings should be the right of the tax- paying, non-student majority. And if the average taxpayer's choice of recreation is a dance, subjedt of course to restric- tions applying to other , facilities but in- cluding accepted privileges - why should they not be able to use the large and comfortable school auditoriums? Increasing administrative costs, com- bined with the increasing remoteness of school boards as they continue to ex— clude the public from even their routine deliberation, too often using public fioard meetings only ,:as' a "rubber stamp", •are putting taxpayers and On- tario's burgeoning bureaucracy on a collision course. Opening school facilities to all sorts of public uses, combined with an end to the isolation of education from the main- stream of community life, in essence what the Committee recommends, would help head Off the conflict. —Seaforth Expositor • -` I enjoy hearing from all of you Count me out THE 'CLINTON NEW ERA Amalgamated THE HURON NEWS-RECORD Established 1865 1924 Established 1881 , Clinton News-Record A member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association, Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association and the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) second class mail registration number — 0817 'SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (in advance) 'Canada, $8.00 per year; U.S.A., $9.50 JAMES E. FITZGERALD—Editor J. H9WARD AITKEN — Generrl M'nager Published every Thursday at the heart of Huron County' Clinton, Ontario Population 3,475 THE HOME OF RADAR IN CANADA Did you know that yours truly was once a shy little boy? Do you know how a lady can sell all-Canadian crossword puzzles to newspapers? Do you know anyone who worked at the Milton brick works in 1914, before going going off to war? Do you feel like writing a book? Do you feel like reviewing a book someone else has written? These are some of the things that came up as I opened my mail in the last few weeks. If a columnist does not have any readers, he very quickly ceases to be a columnist. That's why I'm so grateful to readers who drop a line and have a chat, tell me their troubles, or merely wish me good health. Just before my birthday in June, I had a long letter from my Grade I teacher reminding me that we share the same natal day, June 2nd. She was the kind of pretty, young, sweet and kind teacher who can make that first vital year in public school a joy rather than the horror that it can be. Going through some old clip- pings, she came across one which she sent along to me. The heading on the news story was FO Wm. Smiley Victim Brutal Hun Treatment. The rest was an extremely garbled account that makes me wince with embarrassment even today. Apparently after being beaten half to death after an escape attempt, I was so weak I couldn't move for twenty days. This is pure exaggeration. It was only five days. And when the Russians overran our camp, I walked 156 miles across Ger- many and stumbled onto an advanced air base. Poppycock! It was, only 90- some miles, I rode a good. palt of the way in wagons, Russian staff cars, German wood- burning trucks, and a two-horse Carriage. And I didn't stumble onto anything. I arrived at the advance air base in a jeep. But that's a long story. Anyway, my teacher, whom I still think of as Laura Walker, says of the clippings: "I admit I shed some. tears over it, for all I could see was a shy little boy in gray trousers and a navy blue blazer coming to my desk and announcing his name and bir- thday, to which I replied, "Why, Billie, we are twins,"‘ There were so many of you in the same class who were in the War and my heart went out to you all for you were still my 'little' boys and had no business with aeroplanes." Layne . Bateman of Stavely, Alt., who reads me in the Brooks Bulletin, wants advice on how to sell a syndicated Canadian crossword puzzle. She sent me samples and they're excellent. Anybody any ideas? Her letter ends, "How soon do you become a grampa? Congratulations!". Every letter has a nice personal touch like that. Bill Shaker of Shifnal, Salops, England, reads me in the Canadian Champion, Milton. He likes my "cheery notes" and writes a very cheery one himself, at the age of 84. He worked at the Milton Brick Co. in 1914, joined the army, went to France in the R.E.S. Guards Div. and was at Ypres, the Somme, Arras and Cam- brai, names that ring a bell with old-timers. Lucky guy. But he wishes me best of luck and good health. Montreal publisher wants me to write a book, He doesn't even seem to realize, or care, that I haven't got the clothesline fixed and my wife is raising hell, day after day, Write a book indeed! Mary Johnson of Winnepeg wonders if I'm the same Bill Smiley who wrote a series of articles on education for the Salt Lake City Tribune, Sorry, Mary. 'Twas another Bill. But Mrs. Johnson has written a book called "Programmed \ Illiteracy in our Schools" and wonders if I'd like to review it. Sure would. Send it along, Mary. On House of Commons stationery comes a letter from old friend, Ross Whicher, M.P., urging me to make that trip to England, and telling me that you can stay at the Strand Palace in London for less than $30.00 a day. He ends, "Have a good time, old man." I will, Ross. • Last time I was at the Strand Palace, they nearly threw me out because I was sharing my room with the bearded lady from the circus. The maid had entered our room before my old buddy Sigh Thandi, a Sikh from India, had got his hair up and his turban on. His hair hung to his tailbone and he had a beautiful, curly beard. The maid gave one scream and ran. Singh 'was killed in Burma. Then there are the poets who write. G. H. Drabble of Speers, Sask., sent me a dandy about the beverage room and the poverty and misery it leads to. His poem is both funny and true but it's a bit long to print, and it can't be condensed. Mr. Drabble gets me in North Bat- tleford News. Same goes for a long, lively poem by Vic Smith of Rock- wood, who insists: When you are driving out this way. Stop in and pass the time of day. You'll find me in my "bed of Weeds". My wife and I are just "hayseeds". Thanks, Vic, I will if I do. And thanks, all you other chaps and chickens. Your letters make me realize I am not writing in a void, a heartwar- ming feeling, , 10 YEARS AGO July 11, 1963 Town council was informed that Clinton may need a second public school in Frank An- drew's subdivision at John and North Streets. Public school board chairman Ken Wood said that the 540 pupils were nearing the saturation point of the present school. Area crops are in bad need of rain. Although no rain has fallen for 26 days, crops are still in pretty good shape, but may not last much longer. About 100 people saw a plaque unveiled last Sunday in memory of area pioneer, Jack Van Egmond. Percy W. Youngblut of RR 1 Auburn has financially adopted an eight.year-old Chinese girl Woo Fung Wong. R.C.A.F. Clinton's entry in the ,Huron County Soccer League is currently in first place with only one defeat in six starts. Ray Hunt has 15 of the 38 R.C.A.F. teamss goals scored so far. 25 YEARS AGO July 15, 1948 For the first time in a decade, Clinton was the scene on Mon- day of the 258th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. More than 1,000 Orangemen from 30 lodges in Huron and surroun- ding counties marched in the parade. B.J. Gibbings of Clinton was honored Friday night on the oc- casion of his retirement as choir leader of Ontario Street United Church, a post he held for a record 53 years. Quadruplet calves were born last Friday to a Shorthorn cow owned by Gordon Turner, Riverview Farms, R.R. 2 Bayfield. Although one of the four bull calves died two days duty every time the staff picnic came around and attended them for years as a kind of moral obligation. Then, with the hardening of the arteries and the hardening of the heart that came with the advancing years, I began to find Ways of Not Going. The instant the notice comes around my cheer- ful face is contorted by the ligaments of low animal cun- ning. It isn't that I haven't a fine, splendid feeling of loyalty to the old firm. Why, bless my soul, I loves the old firm like I loves my rock and rye. Would gladly lay dolvn, my life •for it. But not in the 'potato race • orpn the flaming' ant'hill knov'in as Picnic Ground No. 2. When I go into the office I'm proud to be associated with the beautiful young girls who work for us, all those mini skirts and shoulder length straight hair. I like to crowd into the elevators with them and simper at them in the coffee hour. But something dies inside me when I see them out there on Picnic later, the remaining three are doing splendidly. Although the sire and cow are roan in colour, all four calves are pure white in colour. Wilfred Glazier of R.R. 4 Clinton was elected president of the CCF Huron Riding Association. Donald Edgar Symons married Florence Teresa Aiken in Ontario Street United Church on Wednesday June 30. 40 YEARS AGO July 13, 1933 Dr. Shaw, M.O.H. advises citizens to boil all milk during July and August. A few cases of undulent fever have shown themselves hereabouts and in the Hensall neighbourhood and as it is supposed to be caused by a gerin in milk or milk products, the boiling of milk will do away with that source of danger. Butter is selling for 18 cents a pound, while eggs are priced between eight and 14 cents a dozen. Mr. W.G. Mcllveen last week sold out his bakery business to Mr. and Mrs. J. Bowes of Blyth. Mr. and Mrs. Bowes took possession on Monday and citizens will bid them welcome to town and wish them success and a happy sojourn in Clinton, 55 YEARS AGO July 11, 1918 District electrical inspector G.F. Heideman of Stratford reported to Clinton Council Monday night that the electric installation in the town hall was in very bad shape and asked that the building be rewired. Council passed a new bylaw regarding the cemetery. A full lot will now cost $16 and to other than ratepayers, $20, Adult graves, six feet, will cost Ground No. 2 in their hideous bikinis, nuzzling their callow boy friends. I have a bottomless pit of respect for the executives and, walking down the corridors, I like to peek in and see them behind their desks, keen- looking men in well-tailored suits making tremendous decisions. But my respect turns to loathing when I see them out there on the hot baseball diamond or knotting their tiny muscles in a tug-of-war contest, mad with a terrible heartiness that's worn like a badge. Something bestial stirs inside me whenj see the parentheses of ,.the circulation, manager's legi and I. wonder if he is a genius aafter all. I am pouring all this out, I suppose, because of a guilt com- plex. As it is with every firm we, too, have those born organizers whose lifelong crusade is to make us all one big happy family, an accomplishment they firmly believe can be produced by placing us in close proximity $4 to dig and 50 cents for each additional foot. The Kiltie band from Clinton made a splendid appearance at the Dominion Day celebration in 'Goderich. Rattenbury Street is being graded up and repaired this week. Chairman Miller of the street committee is a hustler. The Canadian Fertilizer Association is, advising that fall wheat growers can save their crop by applying fertilizer. "Fertilizers are carriers of available plant food. This soluble food is to the young wheat crop what new milk is to the calf,' 75 YEARS AGO July 8, 1898 On Wednesday evening of last week Mr. W. Edwards of the 5th Concession of Goderich Township had the framework of his new barn raised when everything passed off . nicely. About midnight a severe storm arose and completely wrecked the framework, laying every stick flat on the ground. At the Council meeting Mon- day night, Clinton decided to construct a 4-foot plank walk under a livid sun, feeding us limp sandwiches of tomatoes, ants and sand and leading us in the singing of "Alouette." You cannot areue with these fellows. You cannot explain to them rationally that your little children will howl all day like banshees, that your wife becomes violently ill on the boat, that you are morose in any group numbering more than four, that you have been on dozens of picnics and sworn solemnly each time that you'd never be trapped again. They look at you strangely, their-, bluffs., . extroverted.. geniality dying before ,your eyes, and you see' the loOk ofi, naked contempt. You are not one of the boys. You are not on the old team. Logic is all on your side, as cold and bright as a diamond, but the guilt is inescapable. About all you can do is accept the fact that the guilt isn't half, so hard to live with as the pic- nic, but this takes years of ex- perience and a will of iron. from Albert to Orange Street on the north side of Rattenbury Street. On a motion of Reeve Ken- nedy, seconded by Councillor Doherty, it was decided to pur- chase a suit of clothes for Chief Wheatley at a cost not to ex- ceed $25. The Grand Trunk Railway System is advertising Home Seekers excursions from Clin- ton to Manitoba, Minnesota .and Dakota for $28 return. Opinions n order 'that News—Record readers might express their opinions on any topic of public interest, Letters To The Editor are always welcome for publication. But the writers of such letters, as well as all readers, are reminded that the opinions expressed in letters published are not necessarily the opinions held by The News—Record. we get letters Dear Editor: May I thank you for your acknowledgement which ap- peared in the Clinton News- Record of June 7, 1973 to our' letter to you of May 30, 1973. Your assistance and co- operation are very much ap- preciated. Yours very truly, Donald A. Burwash Coca-Cola Ltd. Mary Ann Shanahan 171 Essex Goderich, Ontario July 3, 1973 Dear Editor: Recent articles in the London Free Press (Friday, June 8) and in area newspapers reporting plans to expand nuclear power facilities near Douglas Point, and sub- sequent reports of Darcy McKeough's energy proposals, raise again the question of whether we are wise to rely on nuclear power as an answer to our energy demands. They correspondingly raise the question of whether it's wise to expand facilities at Douglas Point. While advocates of nuclear power claim that the benefits to society outweigh the risks and that nuclear power is the an- swer to what has been termed our energy crisis, a growing number of concerned persons counterclaim that the benefits do not justify the difficulties in atomic energy, , that it is not a responsible answer, and that there are alternatives. Whether to turn increasingly to nuclear power, and more locally whether we can tolerate more nuclear facilities in this area, are at this point not so much technological problems as they are social questions. If you would like to join with other area citizens to work on the questions of eiTergriend) nuelesi nri'dre spe6ficallk' on Douglas Point, please contact Mary Ann Shanahan, 171 Essex, Goderich, 524-6908. Mary Ann Shanahan Goderich SAFE SOLVENT Consumers' Association of Canada reminds consumers that water is not only,the most useful solvent for removing non-greasy stains on textile ar- ticles but it is also the only one that is neither flammable nor poisonous. Mothers who O purchaseFLLY fruit flavoured or animal shaped vitamin supplements for children are buying expensive nutrition, says Consumers' Association of Canada. These tablets cost two to three cents more per tablet than ordinary shaped, plain flavoured sup- plements that contain the same nutrients. POISONINGS UNDER FIVE Consumers' Association of Canada reports that in 1971, according to figures supplied by Poison Control Centres across Canada, there were 31;000 in- cidents of poisonings involving children under five years of age. WATER-REPELLENT NOT WATERPROOF Consumers' Association of Canada reminds shoppers that water-repellent does not mean waterproof. A water-repellent finish makes a fabric resistant to water but it won't keep you dry in a downpour. The finish may possibly wear off but can be reapplied. CAC national headquarters is located at 100 Gloucester Street, Ottawa. Notice came around earlier this week concerning the an- nual staff picnic---Fun! Prizes! Eats! Misery!---and while the dreaded date is still some days off I already have the look of the weasel about me. There must be a wonderful market for a book entitled "How To Get Out of Going: A Glossary of 100,000 Excuses for Avoiding Staff Picnics." And I am just the mean old man to write it. I hate staff picnics. There! I've said it! I'm not loyal to the old gang. I'do not have the old spirit. I do not represent the Editorial Department in the annual softballgame.' INtiat's'p" more, I do not head up the— refreshment committee or start the sack race for ladies, 50 years or over. I firmly believe that ladies, 50 years or over, are fools to go to staff picnics and that staff picnics, them- selves, like the rack and the Chinese water-torture device, should be outlawed forever. I speak as a man who once thought he heard the call to