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The Citizen, 2008-03-27, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008. Looking Back Through the Years March 28, 1962 Fire destroyed one of the oldest farm homes in the county. The property, a half mile east of Auburn, was known for its maple syrup production and longevity in the community. Neighbours called the fire brigades when they noticed flames coming through the roof of the house while the family was outside boiling syrup. The 90-year- old brick covered house, burned to the ground, but some furniture was salvaged. A nearby shed was also saved by firefighters. The cause of the fire was unknown, but damages were estimated at over $12,000. Some insurance was carried, but most second-storey damage was not covered. Some of the worst damage, however, was the loss of a historical landmark in the village. The home was built in 1872 by Thomas Erratt, to be bought by the Raithbys in 1920. First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy met with Italian President Giovani Gronchi on a courtesy visit in Rome. A week later, Mrs. Kennedy would also arrive in New Delhi, India, where she paid a visit to a boys’ home in the heart of the city. Controversy was rising about future monarch Prince Charles’s placement for education at the Gordonstoun Academy, a boys’ school which Prince Philip attended as a boy. Royal elitists claimed that the 13-year-old heir to the throne should not attend a school where he might have to mix with sons of non- nobility, as he might at the well- connected Eton school. The main argument, however, was that the school had undeniable German roots, and a German influence on the future king of Britain was certainly not acceptable, considering the role of Germany in both World Wars. The founder of Gordonstoun, Dr. Kurt Hahn, was well known as a former secretary of Prince Max von Baden, the Kaiser’s last chancellor. What was less known was that Dr. Hahn had refused to compromise with Hitler, and fled to England, where he founded Gordonstoun in partnership with Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. William Temple among others. The final argument was that the school encouraged the making of ‘supermen’ destined to govern, through strict schedules and harsh punishment. This was discovered to be an exaggeration, and it was decided that Gordonstoun was indeed the right place for Prince Charles to attend, in hopes it would prepare him well for his future role as leader of Britain. March 21, 1973 The Blyth PeeWees were the proud recipients of the sportsmanship trophy at the Goderich Young Canada Week Tournament, coming in second overall in the standings. In all the games they played at the event, they did not receive a single penalty. Members of the team were: Greg Hallam, Ken Pollard, Dale Whitfield, Bob Hull, Grant Campbell, Curtis Campbell, Jeff Watson, Ken Stewart, Steve Howson, Dennis Knox, Terry Powell, Steven Sparling, Glen Johnston, Johnnie Good, Tom Duttman and Brian McClinchey. Coach was Bill Roger and manager was Brian Hallam. Charles MacNaughton, former MPP for Huron was rumoured to have been offered a spot on the Ontario Racing Commission. The Toronto Star, which broke the story, also said that the appointment would have been made earlier but Mr. MacNaughton was too busy helping in another election campaign. March 25, 1981 Hespeler won the Blyth A hockey tournament for the second year in a row, beating out the Blyth team in the final game of the championship. Wayne McDougall, captain of the Blyth IHL team, accepted the consolation trophy in good spirits. Top scorers for the Blyth team were Wayne McDougall, Brian Bromley and Kevin Carter. Morris Twp. discovered a $9,337 deficit in budgets while wrapping up finances for 1980. The deficit was believed to be largely due to over- expenditure on the roads budget. Other expenditures adding to costs were Martin’s bridge and other road construction, recreation grants and fire protection. Council was optimistic that this debt could be settled by 1981, and that decisions made in regards to finance would be made with closer attention paid to budget expenditure limits. Playing at the grand re-opening of the Mustang Drive-In Theatre of Goderich was a triple feature: The Legacy, The Fun House, and Paul Newman in Slap Shot. Also playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was Nine to Five, starring Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton. March 29, 1995 Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Mike Harris paid a visit to Wingham to deliver a speech on common sense and change. He stated that under his party’s leadership he was confident that the province would be able to compete with the rest of the world. Wind was the cause of a three- hour power blackout in Blyth and Belgrave. High winds and freezing rain caused bouncing wires to knock out several switches. THE EDITOR, Our tax dollars at work in Morris- Turnberry. They plow our roads after we have already left for work or called in because the roads are not plowed and the children have already been bused to school or the bus has been cancelled. They stop plowing early afternoon so we have to drive unplowed roads to get home or can’t get home. If they plowed from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (if required) the roads would be open for the peak travel times. The cost to maintain our winter roads would not be any greater and no more hours are required to do it properly at the appropriate times. Also something we all need to consider is emergency services. What if you need an ambulance, the police or the fire department and they cannot get to you because the roads are not plowed? Is your insurance going to cover you if you have a house or barn fire? I am not referring to extreme weather conditions when many or all roads are closed throughout the area, I am referring to the ongoing day-to- day winter road conditions in our township. Our tax dollars are to provide the services we require in our municipality. To add fuel to the fire I called the municipal office on March 12 to complain that the plow operator had taken my mailbox off as well as some others on the route. The response was quick, when I looked out my window there were two municipal employees stopped looking at my mailbox, one looking the situation over from many angles and the other taking pictures. They proceeded into my yard and informed me that the plow did not take my box down that the snow off the wing did it and the township was not responsible for that. The part that upset me about this is it takes two of the employees to investigate and come up with such a ridiculous answer to my complaint. It only took my 13-year-old son two minutes to put the box back up and the problem was solved. Again, Our tax dollars at work in Morris-Turnberry. Thank you, Ken Warwick. What are they thinking? It’s always hard to understand the minds of people who break the law but the thinking of the person or persons behind a string of break-ins of churches across the region — that touched Blyth this weekend — is truly incomprehensible. At least with most crimes there are human emotions involved that most of us can identify with: greed, anger, frustration, jealousy, lust. But what is so mysterious about the break-ins in the dozens of churches (and the odd community hall and fire station) is that there is little to gain in most cases. There’s not much of economic value in most of these targets. Is it worth the risk of getting caught and thrown in jail to steal some meat destined to be made into meat-pies for a church fundraising project? If this kind of crime happened once, one would think somebody saw an empty building and thought it was an easy target. Having broken into the building and found little of value to take, however, one would expect any self-respecting burglar to have come to his senses and figured this was a waste of time. But these break-ins have been repeated, week after week across Huron, Perth, Grey and Bruce Counties. We’re often tempted to say lawbreakers have sick minds. This person (or these persons — though it’s mind-boggling to think there could be more than one person this stupid) really must have a screw loose. — KR Some nerve Nobody ever accused the “Harris boys” of not having nerve, but the lectures federal finance minister Jim Flaherty has been giving the Ontario government on how to run its business really takes the cake. Flaherty was the Ontario treasurer in the final days of the disastrous Ontario government shaped by Mike Harris. It was a government that espoused the same policy Flaherty is saying the province should be following now: cut taxes, and cut services so you can cut taxes. By the time that government was finally turfed from office, schools were underfunded, hospitals were starving for money and the province was in a massive deficit. What’s more, through downloading of services to the municipalities, the government just shifted the tax burden to property taxes. While the provincial treasurer could brag about cutting taxes, ordinary homeowners were stuck with sharply increasing taxes on their homes — taxes that are still going up years after the government has left office, despite some effort by the current government to fix some of the problems created by Harris, Flaherty and cohorts. Are there things the government of Dalton McGuinty's Liberals could be doing better? No doubt. But blaming corporate taxes for the current malaise in the industrial sector that has seen thousands of jobs lost is simplistic. A 40 per cent rise in the value of the Canadian dollar while higher energy prices drive up costs is a much bigger factor. The current Ontario government has tried to rebuild the province’s infrastructure damaged by the Harris cuts. Its philosophy is that well- educated, innovative graduates are the long-term solution to helping industry. They may be proved wrong, but Flaherty is the last person to suggest how they should do better.— KR Letter to the editor Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. 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