HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1962-02-15, Page 11a
exefer iStvcafe Livestock fee... ers.
defeat vote on. corn 5loP9114.. $ectlora
EXETER, ONTARIO ,FEBRUARY 15, 19152. fags Nine
•
:•• 77,
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TELEPHONE STAFF IN 1938—George W, Lawson was the well-known branch man-
ager of Exeter's telephone office when this picture was snapped of him with two
members of his local staff early in 1938. His daughter, Olive, is seated at the
switchboard with his chief operator, Mary McKaig, standing beside him,
Don't risk disappointment,
get your tractor overhauled
now,. while there's no wait
What can we do? The spring rush is on, and
there's just too much work piled up; it'll be
at least another week.
Don't risk repeating this scene yourself,
Bring in your overhaul work now, while there's
no heavy work schedule staring either of usrn
the face. We'll be able to take care of your
work quickly, efficiently, economically. Our
John Deere-trained personnel have the latest,
tools, the John Deere know-how, and the
genuine John Deere parts to do the job well,
Make a service date soon.
Huron Tractor
and Equipment
Phone 965 North Exeter
TELEPHONE NUMBER IS
235-1115
OUR NEW
BARN CLEANER
SILO UNLOADER
i & BUNK FEEDER
, YOU'LL GET BETTER PER.
FORMANCE AND LONGER
WEAR FROM A BADGER i
ll
SALES SERVICE 114STAUKTION
John Beane
'111111
-tiatembitteb
mei FORINIArt
See Us Now For Contracts
MONTCALM OR PARKLAND BARLEY WANTED
SUITABLE FOR SEED
ORDER YOUR SEED GRAIN FROM
OUR CHOICE GRADES
RUSSELL MIXED GRAIN $7.00 CWT,
(Herta and Selkirk)
RODNEY OR GARRY MIXED $475 (VT,
(Herta and Selkirk)
ASK FOR OTHER, PRICES
ASK FOR OUR PRICES OF GRASS SEEDS.
You'll be surprised at the low cost.
GRAIN - FEED -SEED
E1ER 73735 ••WHALEN CORNERS ?gym-KIRKTONI501
THIS IS THE TRACTOR,
Gives Things Away !
NUFFIELD 3.CYLINDER DIESEL TRACTOR
Which •Pays For Its
• Own Fuol
566 if Now At
Exeter Farm Equipment
508V rt, D, JERMYN EXETER
Our New Dial Number 23s1350
First Service began :here, in 1 .89
with 11 phones on 4irst exchange
It was a rugged life for tele-
Allowe crews raising trails of
wire along Ontario's by-ways,
A novice on the move with one
of these hard-working groups
would "expect to get on the
train with baggage and make
the trip by rail,"
Ile was quickly disillusioned,
however, for more than likely
"the baggage, tools and equip-
ment were all crowded onto
sleighs, and then the gang
worked out one way, dinners
being sent out, and when the
day's work was finished, the
move had been made on foot
while covering work between
two places."
n e such w e t I-seasoned
crew worked its way to Exeter
on a fateful day in 1889, and
telephone lines determinedly
made a path to the popular
jewellery store on Main street.
There, in a specially reserved
spot at the rear of the shop,
appeared an unfamiliar switch-
board.
With connections quicklY
completed, the first 11 custo-
niers were soon proudly ,crank-
ing their brand new Blake tele-
phones: Acheson, Thos.
'
Cen-
tral Hotel, Main St.; Bissell.
Bros., Hardware, Main St.;
Christie, Ed„ Livery, William
St.; Gillespie, T. A., Drayman,
Carling St. Elliott &
Law Office, Main St. Hawk-
sha w, F. W., Commercial Ho-
tel, Main St.; Hicks, Ii„ Jewel-
ler, Main Se; Levett & Hutch-
ins, Grain Merchants, Market
Sq,; London Huron and Bruce
Wy, Station; Pickard, Jas.,
General Merchant, Main St.;
Verity, W. H. & Son, Foundry-
men, Station St.
Fascinating machine
Those, who had no telephone
of their own to try, lost no
time scurrying clown to Robert.
Hicks' store for an extended
inspection. Friends met there
to evaluate the merits of the
13-year-old apparatus, which
was fast becoming a by-word
in homes and offices.
While the men turned their
attention to a more technical
inquiry, the ladies cast long-
ing glances towards the attrac-
tive displays of jewels and
necklaces. Perhaps the enthu-
siasm of their men-folk for
Mr, Bell's invention could be
passed along to these tempting
counters,
A new gem brooch would add
a delightful touch to a favo-
rite. dress, or make the wearer
an intriguing subject, indeed,
for the amateur photographer
trying his skill with Kodak's
new snap-shooting device—the
hand camera:
Fully convinced of the tele-
phones usefulness, villagers
began taking advantage of its
availability from the hours of
a.m. to 8 p.m. on week days,
2 to 4 p.m, on Sundays, and
from 10 to 12 a.m. and 2 Lo 4
p.m. on holidays. Mr. Hicks
served them well as local man-
ager for the next 15 years.
Exeter prospered and moved
into the 20th century with 19
telephones and a renovated ex-
change.
Telephone linemen were still
dotting the countryside in their
continuous efforts to expand-
telephone 'facilities. One of
these men was Wilfred. 5. Ro-
den, who did much work in
the Exeter Office in years to
conic.
Recalled Mr. Roden, "just as
was going to climb the pole,
I happened to see a large
snake at the, bottom, I put
three sections of pruners to-
gether and made a noose.
When Mr. Snake rose its head
up, .1 lassoed him, and hung
him from the latter behind the
truck ...it turned out to be
a blowing adder."
Mr. Hicks decided to retire,
from business towards the
close of 1905, and sold his in-
terests to another jeweller, Ar-
nold Marchand. Long-familiar
with the intricacies of tele-
phone affairs from his years
as manager of Port Elgin's ex-
change, Mr. Marchand willing-
ly took over Exeter's switch-
board along with the jewellery
business,
His daughter, Mrs. Ida 51,
Sanders, now living in London,
Ontario, remembers well these
early days,. helping her father
in time of emergencies at the
telephone offite. As She rentin
isced, "I grew up with it."
Doctor builds line
The n a in b'er of :farmers'
lines were steadily increasing;
by 1908, the Thames Road Te-
ephone Company, 'Organized by
Dr. It K. tlyndthan, began
BRUCEFIELD
Phenol'Ella 2.9230 defiled
SECOND MANAGER — Arnold
Marchand became Exeter's
second telephone manager when
he bought Robert Hick's jewel-
lery business towards the close
of 1905. .He had previously
been in charge of telephone
affairs in Port Elgin since
1895.
connecting with the Exeter ex-
change, The following year,
the Kirkton and Exeter Tele-
phone Company also made con-
nections here as well as at
SI. Marys, Mitchell and. Gran-
ton,
Sir, Marchand's duties were
becoming more arduous, espe-
cially since lie began provid-
ing 24-hour service in June,
1911. Under Ids direction, also,
Exeter's 100111 telephone was
installed in 1912, and a third
independent, company, the Hay
Township Municipal Telephone
System, was connected to his
switchboard.
Early in 1914, the local jew-
ellery business changed hands
for a third time when Mr, Mar-
chand retired, and James Law-
son took over both the jewel-
lery business and telephone
managership. Shortly after-
wards, he bought the Carling
block from George Bedford,
and moved the telephone -office
exclusively for the telephone
business" located one door
south on Main street,
Mr. Lawson's cousin, George
W, Lawson, had been. in Exe-
ter for a year now, having re-
turned from Saskatchewan af-
ter a varied career as home-
steader, schoolteacher and te-
lephone official.
He was asked .by his cousin
"to come into the telephone of-
fice and learn the operating as
he was having difficulty get-
ting help.
"Sir. Lawson had one ern•
ployee at this time, Miss Ruth
Andrews, who gave me all the
instructions I ever received as
to operating a switchboard. I
worked my trick with this
lady and took every other night
on the hoard as night opera-
tor — Mrs. James Lawson per-
forming the night, operator's
duti5 on the nights I was off
duty""
Family helps out
The responsibilities of man-
agership were officially turned.
over to George Lawson in Aug-
ust, 1928. He ran the office
with the help of one operator,
but soon recruited. assistance
from his daughter, Olive, Mrs.
Hicks, and his wife,
Uneasy times were approach-
ing with the far-reaching crash
of the New York stock ex-
change. It did not take long
for its critical effects to be
The story is told of a farm
worker named Ole, After being
hired he. worked three weeks
and then didn't show up for
five straight clays. Finally, in
desperation the farm manager
went through the country look-
ing for Ole, Going past the in-
sane asylum he saw Ole sit-
ting on the lawn in the shade
of a big On tree. He stopped
and asked, "Ole, what in the
world are you doing here?" Old
replied, "I'm insane, Try it
sometime, it sure has farming
heat."
HARCO ORCHARDS
Started t's
Pulleti
I Chicks
The kuOe16 loollitiOt of tint Feline art Oh*
al work prOdudInt !hi tornot3 HMO OtthArds black 560.Linhs the linutum layer that h'a't
Wok hkalltiki for egg iitoduttiori and all-fithe farm 06tfONnOritt for over 20 ytart,
Order as dayiblet, or ea 'started pullets front
weeks of ana light ud to tOOdy.464iy
every ohe hatohed And tOrirOd uncle nod FOAMS'
quality program.
Stock It first intent fibril the
brattier. TO tieORM leitt Fiftlee fa! 6r'At. Okruffitk obdtioing the 'Wet eletten Otfildik
and day-Old Olillate Old ehinlie that OW tio bought
Other tssiotis Atkin' Afed available' as nai-old
and stifled tests,
Write ,toih,16.114rei.
Meet.
ROE FARMS tiMiltity
Aiwa -64, OW, phana 145.4111
reflected in the daily life of
every home and
Exeter felt the blow, too, in
its telephone way of life. Mr.
Lawson sadly recalls these
days, "My duties in the office
as time went on became, if
anything, more exacting, par
ticularly so in the collections
when the subscribers were un-
able to pay .their, bills .each
month, 'Po show you how an-
xious they were to keep their
telephone, they brought in cop-
pers and postage stamps to
help pay their rental. However,
our office lost quite a few tele-
phones despite my most stre-
nuous efforts to retain them,"
An upward swing exerted it-
self towards the close of the
thirties, with over 300 tele-
phones in constant use by the
time of the Second World War.
In 1942, the Bell erected,
lines to provide telephone ser-
vice from the Exeter exchange
to the RCAF flying training
school at Centralia, and also
provided direct connection be-
tween Centralia and the asso-
ciated landing field at Grand
Bend.
Towards the war's end, Exe-
ter became a company-ope-
rated office with Mrs. W. R.
Chambers as local representa-
tive, and George Lawson con-
tinuing as night operator until
his retirement in December,
1946,
Crank eliminated
On December 10, 1952, the
common. battery system of
operation was introduced. No
longer was it necessary to
turn a crank to notify the ope-
rator that one wished to place
a call, but simply to lift the
receiver from the hook.
Exeter was boasting of over
1,000 customers for a year
now, Mrs. Willa Wuerth was
in charge of the office follow-
ing several changes in super-
vision since the days of Mrs.
Chambers, including successive-
ly Miss D,D, Morrion, Miss A,
W. Whitten, Miss W, Wood,
Miss M, L. Hodgert, and, Mrs.
M. B. Holtzman,
Miss Al'. E. Wells, the pre-
sent chief operator, has been
in charge of Exeter's telephone
life for the past eight years,
and has been working in the
office since 1948,
She will soon be witnessing
another vital improvement in
her local telephone exchange,
for on February 18, the most.
modern of dial systems will go
into operation, bringing the
world to her customers' finger-
tips and the whirl of a dial
a way.
A long path had, indeed,
been traversed since Robert
Hicks was the local jeweller
and welcomed Exeter's 'first
switchboard into his store.
Long distance advancements
have been equally startling
since these growing-pain days,
when a distance of 200 miles
was the absolute limit for sat-
isfactory telephone conversa-
tions, weather conditions per-
ay J, CARL HEMINGWAY
I expect most of you, by
now, have heard, that the vote
on the corn marketing plan
Was leg. Since there are pros-
pects of other votes on market-
In plans this year we would do
well to consider the reasons
that defeated the corn market-
log plan and thereby overcome
the obstacles that may defeat
other plans,
Since 7..am not a "grain corn
producer", I can only report to
you what I have been told
from various sources. if my
statements are not correct I
would appreciate correction.
Three opponents
There were three fields of
opposition—the grain handlers,
grain truckers and the large
feeders of cattle and hogs.
The grain handlers objected
obviously because an organi-
zation of producers would cre-
ate at least some pressure to
higher prices. If nothing else
this would mean that these
dealers in grain would require
more capital. There would also
be the possibility that this in-
creased cost could not be
passed on because of the threat
of imports, In the great ma-
jority of cases, if not all, these
people did not have a vote and
could only oppose to the ex-
tent that they could influence
producers around them,
The truckers apparently had
built up a good business in buy-
ing corn in the corn belt and
trucking it into livestock feed-
ing areas outside the corn
area, The marketing plan
would have interfered with
their business considerably and
since many of these were also
producers they did have a vote
and close contact and strong
influence on the producers
they dealt with.
highest livestock feeding was
by for the most profitable
within, my experience of the
past 20 years as livestock
feeder. I have heard it stated
many times that cheap grain
never produces high priced
meat, It may easily prove a
costly effort on the part of
these farmers
Equal opportunity in the
marketing place as is provided
under marketing plans seems.
to have prevented torperations
from entering the hog produc-
tion field as they 'hoe in
broiler growing, This is of vital
importance to farmers.
Ready for
'separates
Two-day schools for leaders
for the forthcoming 4-H Home.
making Club project "Sepa-
rates for Summer" were held
at three centres in Huron,
Hensel", Brussels and Clinton
last week.
The last day of the liensall
school for South Huron lead-
ers was so stormy that it was
cancelled and the ladies at-
tended the Clinton school last
Tuesday.
In Huron County there are
41 clubs and a total enrollment
of 500 girls is expected.
Leaders for Grand Bend
club are Mrs, Willis Walper
and Miss Karen Taylor; Dash-
wood, Mrs. Leonard Schenk
and Mrs. Eden Weigand: KIP-
pen, Mrs. William Bell and
Mrs. Verne Alderdice; Huron-
dale, Mrs, Alvin Moir and Mrs,
Roylance Westcott; Elimville,
Mrs, Delmer Skinner, Mrs, Al
lan Johns and Mrs. Norman
,Jaques; Crediton, Mrs. Lorna
Hodge and Mrs, Alfred Smith.
Forums like
teletype
Farm Forum 'members In
discussing the teletype system
of marketing hogs, which has
been operating for the past
year were quite in favor of the
plan declaring it to be "fir,
best, type of selling yet",
While this system has worked
very well with hogs, members
did not think it would work as
well with some other commo-
dities. Fairfield. Forum felt it
MOVED TELEPHONE OFFICE —James Lawson was photographed in front of his
jewellery store one winter clay during his 14 years as Exeter's telephone manager.
He bought Arnold. Marchand's jewellery business early in 1914, at the same time
he took charge of telephone affairs. When he purchased the Carling block from
George Bedford, shortly afterwards, he moved the telephone office to the rear of
his new store.
By the turn of the century
the range had been . increased
to 1,000 miles Further exten-
sions followed, until 1915, when
a great improvement in qual-
ity and scope resulted from the
introduction of repeater sta-
tions at intervals along the
long distance lines to renew
the voice currents,
By 1920, calls could be made
to any point in Canada and the
United States, though service
to places' outside Ontario and
Quebec was still only avail-
able over United States lines.
mitting calling at all,
The first all Canadian trans-
continental route was Maugu-
rated in 1932 with the opening
of the Trans-Canada Telephone
System.
In the meantime, overseas
radiotelephone service between
New York and London, opened
in 1927, was gradually ex-
tended to other centres on both
sides of the Atlantic.
The opening of the first
transatlantic telephone cable
in 1956 greatly improved over-
seas telephone service. Today,
Exeter customers can reach
almost every country in the
world by telephone,
rI.L. SE THE. FELLOW
WHO WRITES THOSE SWEET
VERSES ON VALENTINES
FORGETS TO SEND I-11S
WIFE ONE
Reduced own income?
The livestock feeders were.
also producers in the vast ma-
jority of cases. Many of these,
I have been told, made a prac-
tice of buying large quantities
of corn at harvest time at low
prices while they stored their
own crop, some of which they
were able to sell, at much
higher prices later. However
they purchased so much more
corn than they sold they pre-
ferred low prices for corn and
they were fearful that a mar-
keting plan would raise prices.
From what I have been told it
would seem that it was largely
this group that was responsible
for the defeat of 'the plan.
From going over 'figures of
the Ontario Department of Ag-
riculture, it seems to me that
these feeders did a very effec-
tive job of reducing their own
incomes-
During the years 1950.51-52 could not be applied to beef
when grain prices were at their —Please turn to page 10
I.
Barley
Contracts
Barley prices are the
highest they have been
for years. With the west-
ern crop prospects very
questionable, there could
be a real good price for
barley this year.
Oat Contracts
We expect oats to be a good price, too. We. have
a choice of high yielding Rodney or Garry.
Mixed Grain Contracts
We require acreage for good heavy mixed grain
for feed, Priced on the same basis as oats, this
should give you a good yield return, Our mixture
will be Rodney or Garry oats mixed with Herta
barley and. Selkirk wheat,
ADVANTAGES OF OUR CONTRACTS
1. GRADE I TREATED SEED SUPPLIED
2. FERTILIZER SUPPLIED
3, GUARANTEED MINIMUM PRICE
4, DELIVERY TAKEN WHEN THRESHED
5. EXCELLENT UNLOADING FACILITIES
6. DRYING FACILITIES AVAILABLE IF
REQUIRED