HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1956-12-24, Page 10Pag« 10 The Timo-Advocate, December 24, 1W4
Phons 305, Exeter
j.
It's Christmas and
what better reason
to wish you the joys
Of this happy season.
Highland
WMumMmMrawmwMMmt
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL
~ ••'.•4 1..'
*
May your holiday be one
of genuine good cheer!•/
Seldon Fuels
Coal —■> Coke — Wood — Cement
90-W
Jolly
good
shes
a
J
May these Holidays t>«
your merriest ever.-
Ten Years Of Ausable Conservation
—-Continued from Page 9 I
when the government changed its ,
policy ana announced that it was j
about to set up a Parks Cornmis-1
sion and assured the Authority >
that the Pinery would receive
early consideration.
With this announcement the
Authority breathed a sigh of re
lief. Its aim would be realized
j without cost or worry to its
personnel. However, progress has j
been slow. The land has been 1
purchased, but remains un-; developed and there are mur-j
murs that possibly the Authority
should try to finance and develop !
the area itself. At any rate the j
Authority no longer has to fear I private development. |
Reforestation >
While the terrain in the water
shed is level and the soil general
ly of high fertility, there are a
few large tracts in the area that
are unproductive and as a result
neglected. Most of these lands
are serving an unimproved pas
ture and gradually have become
overgrown with thorns, wild
apple, scrub willow and poplar.
Each year the Authority buys
some of this land and turns it
over to the Department of Lands
and Forests for purposes of
reforestation.
At date of writing the Authority j
purchased land in two of these
tracks and has options to pur
chase almost 600 acres in a third.
These areas are (1) The Hay
Swamp with 1,231 acres in
Authority possession, (2) The
Shipka tract where it owns 300
acres and (3) a tract in West Wil
liams and Bosanquet where therp
is almost 600 acres under option.
This land has cost approximately
520.00 per acre.
, Other than purchasing property
for reforestation, little progress
has been made in foreSt improvement. The Authority has pur-1
chased a tree planter which, is 1
supplied free of cost to any resi- j dent in the watershed who wishes !
to plant an acreage of four acres
or more. It also pays a cent per
tree to anyone who plants trees
by hand. Few have availed them
selves of this service and in the
watershed many so-called wooded j
areas are unfenced, full of wolf
trees and poor specimens. It
seems hard to convince our land
owners that by cutting down a
poor tree and letting it rot on the
ground they are being less
wasteful than they are by letting
it stand and crowd out younger
I trees that will develop into some
thing of value if given room.
Each spring the Authority organizes an Arbor Day to be
held in a different municipality
of the watershed. All the elemen
tary schools in that municipality
are invited and the upper grades
compete in planting trees. The
Zone Forestfer is present and not
only gives instruction in methods
of planting, but takes the pupils
on a short tour and points out
some of the principles Of Woodlot
management. Such Arbor days
have been held in the townships
of Hay, West Williams, McGilli
vray, Stephen and Adelaide,. It is
to be hoped that the, rising gen
eration will become more fores
try minded than their parents.
Farm Ponds
The Ausabl* Adtiority has
Sponsored mure farm ponds than ‘
any other Authority in the Prov- iuce. Up to the present it has1
engineered and partially paid the I
cost of constructing over 500 of 1
them. Some are solely for recrea
tion, some for fire protection,
some as a household waler sup
ply, but most of them are for
watering livestock. They vary in
size, but generally they measure
about. .100’ X 30‘ x 8’ deep. Their
construction depends on their lo
cation, but run-off ponds are
A
J VJdLlVH, UUt XUU-VAJL puuua
most numerous followed by by-! pass ponds and then those fed by
grgctings
Our sincere thanks fa all our good friends
for their continued patronage. May you all enjoy a
very merry holiday season and 0 very happy New Year.
Transports Limited
PHONE 25 EXETER
Wilson Bros.
FINA SERVICE
YOUR LOCAL NASH DEALER
Extends To Each And Everyone
A VERY
Merry Christmas
(Garage Wilt Be Closed Christmas Day)
Wilson Bros,
FINA SERVICE
Phone MF Hurth End
springs. If these ponds werO ail
in one place there would be a
lake covering 35 acres.
The Exeter pond, is probably
the largest, the most costly and
the one receiving the most pub
licity. A dam had been built in
1908 across the- river near High
way No. 4 to produce a; pond
about two acres in extent. This
pond was to, serve as an emer
gency water supply in case of
fire. It also served the youth of
the community aS a place for
swimming and fishing. A small
nark had been created beside
the pond. However, with the
passing of the years the pond
had gradually become filled with
silt and instead Of being a thing
of beauty, had become a smellv,
Weed-grown muck-hole, not fit
for swimming and no hsset to the
adjoining park.
and the Authority was poor. The
Government representatives met
with the Authority at the meet
ings,. but between times the two
bodies saw little of each other.
In 1953, the Authority secured the
part-time services of a Fieldman
for the summer months in the j
person of Fred Jackson. He j
divided his time between the
Saugeen Authority and the.'
Ausable and did an excellent ’
work in laying foundations on . , - • , •which to build. He was consid- 'A happy memory glowing
ered. of sufficient worth to be ’ And through the year
appointed to the central staff in ■................... ■
Toronto, and Hal Hooke, a recent
graduate of the Faculty ot Fores
try took his place. IJe resides j
on the Watershed and gives the
Ausable Authority his full time
and this summer had an assistant;
for two months. I
Summary !
nAnd£
existence? If you answer the
following questions you will
arrive at a reasonably accurate
estimate of its value.
(1) If the river channel at Port
Franks had not been straightened
how many of its buildings would
have been undermined by the
subsequent floods?
(2) What would have happened
to Port Franks in the March
flood of 1953 if the channel mouth
had not been there to permit a
break through?
(3) Would people still be tres
passing over private property at
Port Franks to get to the river
bank?
(4) Where would the 59 cottage
owners who have leased sites in
the Authority subdivision have
found a place to locate?
(5) Where would the thousands
of picnickers who have used the
park facilities at Port Franks
and Rock Glen have found a
place to spend a leisurely after
noon?
(6) What steps would have been
taken to make better use of the
land presently under the process
of being reforested?
(7) Would the pond at Exeter
still be ,a‘ smhlly cesspool of
rotting, vegetable matter?
(8) Would the park adjoining puONF 41the Exeter Pond be the attractive ’ nwrMC
place that1 is enjoyed .by thou
sands annually? ;
(9) Would the 438 children who ,have taken ‘ '
ming and the 391 who have
successfully passed their tests,
have even
water had it not been
cleaning of the pond?
(10) Would the other _____
who have swam in Daynard’s
pond, Blatchford’s pond, or any
of the other hundreds of farm
ponds in the Authority have any
other available place to swim?
(11) ’What would be the level of
the water table if all the live
stock drinking from the 500 ponds
had to get water from wells?
(12) What would have been the
effect on the watershed during
the 1955 drought if the owners of
farm ponds had had to find water
elsewhere?
(13) Who would own the Pinery i
today if it had not been for the
vigilance of the Authority; would
the beach still be available to the
public; would its forest cover
have remained to keep the sand
from drifting; would it still be
available as a park site?
Add to your answers the effect
of the ponds and forest lands on
the wild life and the effect of
education on the way of com
munity thinking and you Can
arrive at an estimate of its
worthAnd" what of the future? Can
you envisage a community with
a pond on every farm; rivets and
creeks that run clear even in the
midst of a flood; farms on which
you. find no acre that is not fully
productive, forests in which only
straight-trunked trees of com
mercially valuable species exist
and in which no cow is allowed
to graze; streams with dams
across them near‘their sourcOs
creating control of floods in
periods of wet and adequate flow )
in times of drought; towns with
adequate supplies of clear water i
drawn from these dammed/Up
streams; beaches well supervised)
and clean, with all necessary
facilities; wooded areas with pic
nic tables available for faipily,
•grouoS; .cottage sites for lease in j
number of retiring members 1
numbers to satisfy the demahd? !
Can you picture a community )
—------------------ ----------- so proud that it is ashamed to be j1 useful and it is highly desirable second-rate? That is the condition
■ ter”4"' "f th~f the Authority wants to 1
reasonably permanent. This fact create. L_1 )
‘has been gradually impressed on members will be equal to the de-j
AUSABLE "BIBLE"—This voluminous report, released in
1949, has formed the basis of the Authority’s work in
the watershed, Besides providing thorough and accurate
.description of the entire watershed, the 500-page report
made a series of important recommendations to conserve
the land, many of which have since, been adopted. Dis
playing the report is H. G, Hooke, the first full-time
j officer of the Authority.
I fupon, awaits the decision of the • of Conservation pictures, a ques-
committee and the Authority as j tionnaire to accompany the pic-
a whole. j tures, and the teachers have been
Flood Control | < ;—- -• It is somewhat ironical to note organization,
committee and the Authority as j tionnaire to accompany the pic-
assembled and instructed on the
i* 11 is somewnat ironical to note aims and accom-
that ten years after the instiga-. phshments of the Authority,
tion of the lawsuit claiming) (3) A speaker has been sup
damages by flooding, and the phed free of cost to any group
formation of an Authority to deal! requesting it, to talk dn the work
I with the ’problem,. the Parkhill I °f /he Authority.
Creek still overflows the drowned A
lands, and that nothing has been done to alleviate the condition, or ; °* slides,
reimburse anyone for damages i screen purchased to help publi-
,caused by this flooding. The cize the work being done-and to
original report recommended) keep a record for future refcr-
three major dams to control ence. , . , ,flooding and to give a more ade- (5) Two tours of the Watershed
quate flow of water during sum-)have been made to acquaint the
mer. Each of these would involve members with first-hand kndwl-
large sums of money and until edge of some of the accomplish-
the Authority can get more as- ments and problems still to be
sistance, those large dams appear . solved. . ,
to be beyond the financial ability I <Q) Two banquets have been
of so small an Authority. i held to which Authority members,
One smaller dam is at present! their wives and prominent offi-
under consideration and while it I cials were invited, so they could
may not be a major project, it become better acquainted and
is within the limits of the budget build, up that “espn de corps”
and also as has been expressed that is so necessary before a
by many, it is going to hold flood g™up becomes an efficient unit,
1 water near its source rather than .(7) The press has been in
further downstream, after it has formed whenever anything of
ravaged a large part of the note has been done and a co
watershed. Moreover, by building operative and sympathetic atti-
many such dams, the Authority, tude has been developed so that
will have achieved controL of the ' the district receives an accurate
water which it seems impossible ancl unbiased report,
to finance by means of a single 1 An 1C nnnh
large project.
The dam is to be located one
mile east of Exeter. It is de
signed to hold 185 acre-feet of
water and will have a height of
30 feet. Engineering has been
• done, land expropriated, financ-
I ing arranged, tenders called for
j and one accepted. However, the
; contractor withdrew his tender
} before all parties 'had uncondi-
j tionally accepted its conditions,
i Thus it appears that the Author
ity will again have to call for
tenders. Exeter is very anxious
to see this work undertaken as it
plans to use some of the im
pounded water as an emergency
supply for the town. Being the
chief benefitting community it is
prepared to pay 90 per cent of
the Authority’s'share of the cost.
i Wild Lite and Historic Sites
j Committees have been formed
; to consider each of the above
1 phases of conservation, but up to
j date nothing worthy of comment
has been done.
FinanceI The problem of finding money
' for worthy causes is always diffi
cult and even though the invest- ! ment gives returns far in excess
i 6f llife money spent, unless’these
j returns are in actual cash it is
■ hard to make people find the'
1 money.| The assessment value of the
! Ausable watershed is lower than ;rr-r | it would be if it contained urban
; municipalities. /As a result even ;" .........----
(4) A camera has been pur
chased and used to build up a set
and a projector and
cize the work being done’and to
(7) The press has been in-
i (8) An exhibit is placed at each
| of the local Fall Fairs with the
‘ Fieldman in attendance to
i attention to the existence
aims of the Authority.
(9) The Authority had
television broadcast. Mr. Jeweli had as guests on his Farm
Broadcast, Mr. Morrison, Mr.
ITooke and. Mr? Dixon who dis
cussed conservation on the i
Ausable Watershed for one-half
an hour,
Personnel
To accomplish any useful work
a group has 10 be composed of
men who get along well together.
The Ausable Authority has been
fortunate in this regard and its
meetings have been remarkably
free from bickering, with the re
sult that a great-deal of business
is dealt with at each meeting. It
is also fortunate in having men
of high intelligence, training and'
experience among the group. It
is the only Authority that has a
member who is also a member of
the Legislative Assembly. Among
the members are two college
graduates, one an engineer and
one an agriculturalist. With an
M.L.A. on our. Parks Board, an
engineer on our Farm Ponds
board, ah ox-bahker on our
Finance Committee, and two
township clerks to give guidance,
the Authority functions smoothly.
Experience makes a man more
call
and
one
Roy
5
t
May Christmas leave
Within your heart,
May all the cheer
That Christmas brought
keep growing. ,
CLARA WELLINGTON
The Choose Book Shop
Phone 576-W Exeter
May you enjoy a
bountiful and
Merry Christmas!
GLENN ROBINSON
FOOD MARKET
Phone 715-W Centralia
instruction in swim-
lost their fear of
for the
children
heart be filled
with peace and
good will on this happy day,
Memorials EXETER
«. * • *<>
Maya full measure of holiday
joy and good will be yours
in this happiest of
seasons. And may it last
throughout the year.
..’.Exeter;
Motor Soles
Fred and George
DOBBS
and Steiff
I
Let us hope that its;
adjoining park. I with a modest oro^ramme of con-1has been gradually impressed on members will be equal to the de-;
In 1953, the Ausable Authority. ‘ setvalion the ner ennita exoendi- Bmnicipal councils and the mands made upon them and the j at the renuest ot the Town otj £twlhW?^ "........................................... -
Exeter, undertook to clean out [bc Ausable watershed than any
the pond. The work was done and ’ other Authority in the province,
the results have been most, The Authority makes a levy of
gratifying. Exeter cleaned h« ; $35,000 per year on the area. Fifty
park, built a bath-house, sanded iper CCnt of this tax is levied on
a portion of the shore to form a 4 thp basis of population artd fifty
beach , and a clean-bottomed per -cent is apportioned on the.
swimming hole and hired men to basjS Of assessment. Thjs method
serve as lifeguards and swim-,u designed to collect .more
mine instructors. Picnicking j money from the town dweller
parties of the area have flocked -than he.would otherwise have to
to the area and there is seldom a i pay fbr benefits that he shares
summer day which does not wit-{equaiiy. The Provincial Govern-
ness at least one group enjoying 1 ment gives a grant equal (0 this
an outmg in this lovely spot. j which creates a sum of $30,000.00
Two other ponds that might be j a year (0 carry on the conserva-
mentioned as somewhat unusual tiOn activities. In addition the
arfc located at Staffa ^nd Arkona* ^Department of Planning and De-
The one at Staffa is spring-fed . velonment pavs the salary of a
and very clear. It is used by the ................ • ...............
young people of the area as a
swimming hole and was built
with this idea in mind. The other
Was constructed by Mr. ftlatch-
I ford. It is also spring-fed and
was built for the purpose of fish
production. It has recently boon
purchased by the Sarnia Girl
Guide Association and is being
used as a girls’ camp.
In most cases the farm ponds
of the Authority receive free
engineering services, and ' one-
quarter of the cost of construc
tion up to a maximum of $200 for
the pond, i.e., a. maximum sub
sidy of $50 from the Authority.
The, Exeter Pond, Davnatd’s
POrtd and the Blatchford Pond
received more than this amount
as the benefit was to be shared
i by many people and it was felt
, that they were worthy of greater
assistance.
Land Use
Up to date the Authority has
done, nothing to encourage proper
land use. In 1956 a survey Of the . vunuuuiLd tacn year ana niera-
Denfteld Creek area was made ture on Conservation distributed
by the Department of Planning eanmng teachers and children,
and Dcvclo'nmc'nt and this report *- -
i 5s now ready, for distribution. To
'T^ehtjts recommendations
each year is small. It is interest- community farsighted enough to
ing to note that eight of the back them up in their endeavout.
members who made up the!
Authority in 1946 are still in |
office. It is also Worthy of com
ment that three, Oliver Amos,'
Fred Eastman and Dr. J. H. .lose t
who served on’the Authority have ,
died. Let uS hope that these nien
are not soon forgotten. Those who
give of their time in the interest
of the public welfare are indeed
difficult to replace.
For the first few years, the; _ , , ... ~ , -,1contact between the Department | reached a high record of
of Planning and Development j $9,292,424 in 1954. |
Value of factory shipments in j
Canada’s wool group industries
declined for the third consecu
tive year in 1954 to 5122,733,000.
The 1953 figure was $142,869,000.
Value of factory shipments in
Canada’s boat building industry
ached a
of Planning and Development j $9,292,424 in 1954.
Exeter
We wish you and yours a rich
abundance of all of the joys of this
happy holiday season,
CANADIAN CANNERS
Limited
From the Staff
EXETER’
The Little Plumber
: resident fieldman who divides
, his time between the. Ausable
i Authority and the Middle Mait-
, land. This department gives
. Other services such as a 75 per
|ccntMgrant on preliminary engi-
• nccring and it carries out the
; surveys. In addition to these
i monies we are now receiving
revenue from leasing cottage
J sites and so the tola! that is
snent on this work is consider
ably more than the afore-
i mentioned sum.
' The Public Relations Commit-
. tee operates on a small budget
’ and tries to keen the public in
’s formed of Authority activities
i without being blatantly boastful.
It is difficult to be startling by
one’s excellence year after year
and it is felt that to let the results
-of the work of the Authority
justify its execution is the best
| policy. To keep the public in-
j formed, the following things have
/been done.
j (1) An Arbor Day has been
i conducted each year and liters-
(21 Every School has received
‘’Our Valiev’*, the condensed re-
norf of the original- survey, a
Art the (rue spirit of th
Yulctich Season, We Wish you
» rich »hund»nee of health,
happiness and contentment.
JACK
SMITH
JEWELLER
q&tcM
GINGERICHS
EATING4I6HTIHG-PLUM&6
OIL BURNING -AIR CONDITIONING
equipments, supplies
'34 & repairingZURlClfXW0T0^ REWINDING