Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1963-01-03, Page 2Sincere Thanks eeAvry SHOP, • ..,,Mt111111 gin„; tinnhver, Inc. I. NY'141,1 riFh4s n.,trytti. 11-24 s?ceices "The sip shop left your sip at my place by mistake,' Investors gsvoladDcacriogi Ot cANAIA. lI.rtf I 1 b TED HoLmEs 14b peer Park circte. Condon. Gg 4.95o2 Enquire at The Ti AdVOCate • Did you know That two of the cervices offered investors .$1(nOlgee area 1. -.Peere.nteeet sayings :plane 2, Mutual fund investments torials This newspaper ,belleves the., right to express art .opinion In ...public contributes to the,progress of filo .nation: enci. ehet It must .0/ oxer,' cised freelY. and without prejudice to preeerve. improve -ctetTlee critic government. Times-Advocate, JOnuarY air 1963 „-Lan't stand pat The Ausable River Conservation Authority recently considered its proposed budget for 1963, It involves an increased expenditure which will be reflected in a 10 to 15 percent increase in levy on. all watershed municipalities, The pattern of proposed expenditures for • the authority's general program (this does not in- • elude Parkhill dam) varies little from previous years. Increased costs are expected in administra- tion, travelling expenses (it's anticipated there will be a number of special meetings over the clam project), maintenance and development of con- servation areas and parks. On the basis of this budget, the authority's program for 1963 must be considered "stand pat" .CErlQ. No particularly new projects are being ern, barked upon; the old ones will continue at roughly the same pace established in previous years, While there is nothing necessarily wrong with a "stand-pat" program, it does have disadvan- tages which increase in depth the longer it is maintained, One of the more serious of these is the loss of enthusiasm and interest by the general public, as well as by the membeee themselves. This deadening effect can hurt the authority and con- servation its general because the public becomes less and less inclined to support a program in which it has little interest, For this reason alone, authority officials should give more than superficial consideration to a revitalization and reorganization of its program. Another, and perhaps more serious, draw- back to the authority's current program is that it. is slowly leading to financial strangulation, Offic- ials are well aware of this but they have yet to propose any relief, They must face the problem soon, The strangulation results from the author- ity's emphasis on conservation areas, or parks, .and reforestation, As the extent of each of these phases increases, so does the maintenance and tax cost. More labor and more equipment is required. to develop and operate the parks. As the authority buys more land, either for parks or recreation, its taxes rise. Because the revenue remains fairly constant, the rising costs of maintenance take an ever-increasing bite out of the conservation pot. This is quite clearly reflected in the author- fly's 1963 budget. Of the anticipated revenue of .$.65,000 administration, services and maintenance take some $40,000 or about two-thirds of the entire amount. Administration alone, which in- .. eludes personnel services, travel expenses and allowances, equipment purchases, materials and • supplies, office maintenance, taxes, insurance etc., totals over $30,000, or almost half of the total budget. It would not be entirely fair to say that it costs area municipalities as much money to ad- minister the program as it does to finance the program itself, but a case could be made along " these lines. The major rebuttal, of course, is that guch administrative expenses are required for the authority to be in a position to tackle such exten- sive conservation schemes as the Parkhill dam. What are the alternatives or solutions to the authority's current dilemma? We suggest, first of all, that the authority should take a close look at ways and means of deriving some revenue from the recreation areas it is providing. Those who use such facilities should be prepared to pay some type of admission charge, ifa practical means of collection can be found. • Users of the provincial parks, through the modest annual fee which they are charged, contribute ree e.e.,..e.etteeleeeeereataaeleeeetzegeleetteeer Sugar and Spice dispensed by Bill Smiley A closer look Current criticism over the value of county councils appears at first to be ridiculous, Those who favor abolition of the county system contend that, in carrying out its major responsibility of maintenance. of roads, it places too heavy a burden on property tax and that such work could be done more effectively by municip- alities and the provincial government, They also assert that such other services As health units, children's aid societies, library facili- ties, care of the aged might. better be done by municipalities themeelves. In a rural county such as Huron, these arguments do not appear to have merit. Without taking a close 1.00k, it would seem difficult for each municipality to attempt to provide the ser7 vices now rendered by the county. The controversy, however, .does make one wonder how often appraisal of the various forms of county work is made and by whom, I t . is, we suppose, taken for granted that the members of county councils themselves are the watchdogs of this system. Yet, one wonders if their judgment might be swayed by some apparent bene- fits they receive by being members of county council with the opportunity of being elected to committees in which trips and special remunera- tion .are involved, This obviously is a possibility, The honest appraisal then would be left either to the provincial gov't or the municipalities involved, It is quite clear, from numerous investi- gations recently, that the provincial gov't does not consider itself a watchdog of county councils nor an evaluator of their services. This attitude is understandable and may indeed be commendable since it is based on the theory that the people, themselves and through their municipal councils, are closer to the services provided and in better position to judge them. This leaves, then the municipal. council. In our experience, either because of faith or lack of interest and knowledge, such councils give little attention to the work taking place under county supervision. Perhaps the current criticism of county councils will encourage municipal officials to take a closer look to ensure that value is being re- ceived for the tax funds spent by the county. hundreds .of thousands of dollars toward the up- keep of these areas. Secondly, the authority might well consider a shift in emphasis of its program. It has concent- rated on reforestation since its inception over a decade ago. It has been active in the parks field for almost a similar period. Perhaps instead of continuing development and acquisition of land for these purposes, the authority should take a look at some of the other areas of recreation for a few years. The proposed budget shows that little is being done in some of these areas. For example, only $300 is budgeted for a land use program; only $700 to fish and wildlife preservation, jpst. $100 to water control. All of these are acknowledged as important phases of conservation and to give more leadership in these areas would provide a greater challenge to the authority members and create a greater interest by the public. The authority, wisely,. sponsors one or two meetings during the year at which its members take a close look at the general program with a view to improving it. While they have helped to maintain interest on the part of the members, they have not yet proved to be productive. While discussion is essential, a program can be talked to death. Action speaks much louder. "A fuse blew and Mommy had to wash dishes by HAND:" Goodbye to 1962 JOTTINGS BY JMS Znit (C-Ixtter ZEtratabbotate Published Each Thursday Morning at Stratford, Onto Authorized as Second Class Mall, Pest Office bee% Ottawa, and fo' Payment of Postage In Cash ,Aiivarite Sel,ft 1Of 1161- 3,#11 .$:(0300.0voN RATES; Canada Per Yearl WA WO Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 11181 Amalgamated 1924 Represented By CC NR loicNowtrinkioaitvxdr... "Well be hinted if word gets out that someone broke iz and took omit/ the frames!" t MY OANIf 10./.1!V 44' (414Oh4rt tceentetia0118iPatearitiSt•h: Tuesday,u.b-Aen cY) Thursday and i)n Nriday 0 th.) Credilon (Sub•AgencY) (O pen Monday, k.%"iednesdayand tqulay) (irantl Bend Brant!, 1)()NALIY lit/HEIlTSf3N1, MariaAer Dashwood (tiulAgeticy).. Open Mon, Wed Ai Frt., Rtantht Nlanauer 1.ocan Stanch!. IACK STPACY Ntattattet Zurich Breech I I()NIN RANN1,8TEll Manaeet tHARI,PA Storrit mAnatiti ALICE M, CLAYPOLE, Superintendent South Huron Hospital "Who gays +hie isn't a LEAP YEAR...?" Well, it's stock-taking time In the old firm, arid one look around confirms my suspicions —that the shelves are pretty bare. don't know about you, but I'll bet you're in the same shape I am—exactly where I was, financially, physically and morally,' when 1962 got under way. I've given it my best for the last 52 weeks, but appar- ently the best is none too good. In fact, if it's possible. I've slipped back a notch or two in some of the categories men- tioned above. Financially, I'm dead even—up to my ears in debt. Physically, I've gone to seed, piling on a lot of excess poundege. until I'm up to a lardy 140 pounds, with my snewboots on. Morally, I think perhaps I've gained a couple of centimetres. I haven't gone oft the weed and on the wagon, but I have stopped lying to the kids about how good was, and what a help to my parents I was, when I was their age. Looking back over the past 12 months, I don't see any- thing worth flinging my new hat in the air about, I helped ram another 180-odd kids through the education grind- er. Only major accomplish- ment in our family was pro- duced by young Hugh, who picked off the highest mark in Canada in his Grade 10 piano exam, and fired his parents momentarily with visions of front-row seats at. Carnegie Ball sonic night in the future. He and Kim grew a foot each, doubling our grocery bill in the process. The Old Battle- axe grew a little mellower, failing, for the first 12.mOnth period in our marriage, to hit me with anything except the flat of her hand. Our cat had eight kittens. And we manag. ed to meet our payments. That's a pretty good epitaph in these times: "He Kept Up His Payments". Not an insniring perform. ante by the Smileys in 1962, hut an average one. If the country had done as well, we'd all have reason to be satisfied. But it didn't. The past year is not one that will go down in history as the finest hour of the true north strong and freezing,. I'm afraid. Qn the social front, booze sales boomed, a healthy sign for distillery stock-holders, but not for the nation at large, But we can't blame it on the weather. This country . a drinker's delight. He has to take a drop to keep out the cold in winter, is so delighted when spring finally arrives that he must celebrate, needs extra heVerage' intake to counter sitriiinet's torrid blast, and finds the nip in the air conducive to nipping elsewhere, in the fall. Once again, Canadians re- vealed their sturdy nolitical independence, and little .else, in a general election, About the same time, they learned with no little heading that the country was heading for the rocks, despite all those (Iona- dons made so wholeheartedly — and blasphemously — every April. 4.• In international affairs, Can- ada moved boldly from a weak position to a weaker one, end- ing the year with about the same world prestige as Mon- a co. At home, we worried about the same old things: the Yanks overwhelming us, the whoop- ing crane vanishing, the way we treat our Eskimos, our jam-packed mental institutions, our lack of 11 flag and national anthem, free medi-care, and capital punishMent — without doing anything about any of them. In the entertainment field, we watched with pride as Canada's own Bob coulet be- came one of the continent's Most sought-after performers. We watched with wry amuse- ment. as Stratfnrd's own Toni — Please torn to page 3 Goodbye to 1962. Welcome to 1963. With the passing of the old year and on entering the thres- hold of the new year there are some important things which might well be taken into con- sideration. One is the' season of stocktaking to ascertain just how we have fared during the past 12 months and another is just what are our plans and re- solutions for the year that is just ahead. In retrospect, we could think of many things that from day to day have engendered fears and distrust at home and abroad. Nearest to home was the Cuban crisis which fortunately up to now has had a happy end- ing but at the time of the block- ade the whole world shuddered in fear that it would touch off a nuclear war. Another world- shattering event was the threatened war between China and India, still' simmering and liable to break 'out at any time. Among the achievements was the sending into orbit the as- tronauts of both Russia and the U.S.A.; also the launching of the Telstar, the importance of which only the future will re- veal. Among the failures, beyond man's control, was the blanking out by fog, the great classic of. the year as far as Canada was concerned, when East met West to decide football supremacy in Canada. Earthquakes. famine and tra- gedies were common events to 50 YEARS AGO Candidates in the field f or reeve of Exeter are W. .1. Ilea- man and J. W. Taylor; for councillors, W. Rivers, A, J. Ford, M, M. Doyle, R. G. Sel- don, W. Walper, L. Day, John Hind, J. H. Scott and T, toll111;r. George Petty, one of the oldest residents of Hcesall, died December 27. When the Lon- don, Huron and Bruce was built, he and his brother John owned the farm on which Hen- sail is situated and donated the land for the :station and called the village after their birthplace in England, The Agricultural Society this week sold the old drill shed to the trustees of. Elimville church Who will, make a shed of Mrs. Thomas Rowe, one of the oldest and most respected citizens of Exeter, 'died at , the home of her daughter, Meg, John Pedlar on Sunday Dec. 29. Five sons and seven daughters surVive, 25 YEARS AGO Mr, George Anderson has re- tired as a member of the fire department after 43 years, act, (rig a"s secretary most of that time, Mrs. N. ,T, Nee wee elected president of the txeter Hord- cultnral Society for 1938. There are 97 members in the seciety. The official opening of Hen , sail's new skating rink took Made Wednesday evening. A big carnival was put CO and the )ensall CitiZens Band peevided the music. The newly organized Lions Club In Exeter WAS presented with its official charter at a banquet in the fi",`Xelee arena At. temled he ISO people, mar the peace of many nations. In Canada we had the tragedy of thalidomide-deformed babies; of prison riots in Montreal; of the Doukhobour trek in British Colmbia; of the Medicare dis- pute in Saskatchewan and the fiasco of the Canadian parlia- ment at Ottawa. On the other hand Canadians have taken with good grace the devaluation of the Canadian dol- lar, I know of one man who had foresight enough last win- ter to deposit $3,000 in a Flori- da hank in case he decided to winter in the sunny south this winter. in spite- of all dug` fear, our anxieties and our misgivings Exeter celebrated the festive season with a grand electrical display along the main , street and colored lights and Christ- mas decorations brightened up many of the homes in town. Numerous baskets of good-will, as opposed to charity, found their way into many an appre- ciative home. • Few people, I think, are mak- ing resolutions for the new year but tinder our system of old age pensions and hospital care never have Canadians en- tered a new year with greater hopes and less fear than we have today. First Hunter — "jutt met a great big bear in the woods!" Second Hunter — "Good! Did You give him both barrels?" First Hunter "Both barrels be blowed gave him the whole blooming gun." 15 YEARS AGO Elmer D. Bell was appointed a King's Council in the New Year list. He was recently elected president of the Exeter Chamber of Commerce. Several, residents, who spent the New Year holiday in other centres experienced peat diffi. cues) in returning, home owing to the violent storm which swept through Wbeterti ()Mario 'on New Year's Day. At the inauural meeting of the public school trustees held in the office of the secretary, W. IL Hodgson, W. E. Middle- ton was re-electod chairman With R. E. Russell, vice-chair- man. A capacity crowd Paekod the convention hall at Howl! on WednesdaV afternoon and chose Thomas P'ryde at the standard bearer for the Progressive-Con' setWative party in the by-eled, lion for the Huron rldhig on Monday, February 16, 10 YEARS AGO South Huron Hospital will be bpen to, the ptiblie jamtary 29 and ao. Don Easton tees elected fires, iclent of Exeter Citizens Band with Ted Wolper as leader,. Itarvey H. Cowen, Exeter dentist, was elected to his sec. erith tarn as chairman, of the South Huron Distriet . lfigii School Board, Alvin W. Xersiake, ,whose name has never appeared on An electionhallo% is the 106;1 wAt', on of Huron County, He has' here reeve Heiman fo' AN On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of South Huron Hospital, I wish to express appreciation to the many organizations who have made kind contributions to the hospital in recent weeks, These include the groups who sang carols at the hospital, Exeter Dinettes for flowers, and the Girl Guides of RCAF Centralia for the gifts distributed to the elderly folk and to everyone'who contributed in any way to make Christmas more enjoy tble for all those at the hospital. We are extremely grateful to the commun- ity for its continuing support, "Maybe you can't divide 1963 by four—but in tey book it still acids tip to a Leap Year, "I'm starting the New Year with a big leap forward. Tomorrow I take delivery of a brand-new car, and there's a modern stove for Mollie on the way to replace that monstrosity in the kitchen. "Mind you, we did a whole lot of looking before we decided to leap. That's why we settled on the B of M Family Finance Plan in buying our New Year presents to ourselves. The monthly payments are well within our budget, and we couldn't ask for better- terms, All 'our credit heeds fitted snugly under that one broad B of M roof. "This New Year, it's off with the old and on With the new.- thanks to the 74 of M Family Finance Plan," /1 your have somethinA, in mind that Wot;ld give a new ze,s1 to livinp —et new car.. a hi-fi ...a new model 7'l ..o cothlge in due eoyntry, even why not sec your neighbourhood branch of the 13 of hi soon? The people at "MY BANK" will be glad to discuss life-insured B of 41 Family Finance Platt loan that could brighten your days in 1963. ,...ftwitaawitanuesegaftwatemg...... BANK OF MONTREAL f ,. ....nommotaglawstwoometwo...." ami iinancePlan 11 LOW,COST, LIF E -INSUFIED LOANS As the "Times" go by HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE T-A FILES WORKING Miff CANAPIANS 11,1 Ma? 'WALK 61, 11 Ft SINGE years Always winning office "'`"'""`""'" .atalaMation,