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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1964-12-03, Page 4A NEIGHBOURLY CALL... itpays to do business with B-A Across the fence or over the phone, our experts are always available for service and advice when it comes to farm lubrication. So be sure to give us a call next time you need help. Let us show you how B-A products can save you dollars and time when you need them most. arrange for regular visits now .. MIDDLETON & GENTTNER 12 Sanders W. Exeter 235-2144 Has goal maintained value? GUEST OPINION Participants pay share (The following is a pOrtion of the RAP report given g4 the Exeter nomination meeting by chairman Tom MecMillan.) RAP is a relatively new com-mittee, so I will tell youbriefly what it is, what it does, and how it is financed. RAP is a committee of seven members appointed by council to administer three things; the recreation committee, the eorn- munity centre board, the parks committee, Each one of these committees has a function that is afferent from the others, each has dif- ferent financial problems, and yet all have the same general goal - that is to supply an opportunity for all the people of the community to participate in recreational activities. The recreation committee is responsible for promotion, pro- gram planning, and coordination of the activities; it is their job to help any group organize for sport, hobby, drama or any recreational activity. It is their job also to locate skilled in- structors if they are required and a place for the group to meet. The recreation committee is financed mainly by the fees paid by the participants and partly by government grants from the province, and by grants from the town council. The community centre board is responsible for the maintep- epee and operation of the build- inge end equipment such as the arena, the swimming pool, horee barn, race track etc. and get most of theig money from rents and admissien char- ges plus a grant from the town. The parks committee is rep- ponsible for the maintenance and operation of the parks in the town, and their money comes directly from the town. NOw I would Wee to tell you some of the things each of these committees has accomplished. First the recreation commit- tee. It is associated with and has an active interest in the Kinsmen summer playground, Kinsmen summer camp, swim- Ming program, Junior square dancers, Senior square dan- cers, Junior Bowling, Teen Town, Adult art class, Figure skating, Minor hockey, Minor ball, Trotters and Pacers club and Badminton club. We are also ready to give encouragement and assistance to others when they ask. Probably the most publicized part of our operation this year was the resignation of the rec- reation director and the deci- sion of the committee to carry on without a full time director. However Alvin Willert has been associated with the recreation Regardless of what group-. and ..there are .undoubtedly many—has caused the delay in Mile parkhill..pain, there is one faet that is beyond any debating, and that is that the project is going to :Goss thousands of dollars more than what had ever been pected. A most conservative .estimate would be that by the time it is constructed, it will cost over .$500,000 more than what had been esti,: mated originally, This is due mainly to the rise in costs of construction since the dam was first ap- proved some five or six years ago as every- one can readily understand. There have been many delays and each one has added consid- erable to the cost. One Authority member estimated this week the most recent delay could set the start of the project .back another year or so, And with the amount of paper work that will have to be done by the ARCA and others involved in the project, there is naturally every rea- son to assume the costs will jump, as could the $1,277,159,97 tender bid which had been received in August. And while it is only natural to realize that costs have increased considerably since plans for the dam were first instituted, it is not as natural to assume that the benefit to be derived from the dam has increased that much. In fact it may well be that changes during those years of delay have made the dam of less value in the same way that changes have made other technological ad- vancements obsolete before they were even, completed. Some of the questions which may arise are as follows: —Is the reservoir to be created as ONE MAN'S OPINION by John C. Boyne much :of a necessity ,and benefit now that the Lake I3izron pipeline pass through the area?. ,Has the shortago- of water in the area made large dams a thing of the past when possibly more people .1vpuld benefit from a greater number of smaller dams along the river? —And: due to the shortage of water has the flood ..control benefit of the Parkhill dam diminished in value? —Has the opening of large government parks, along Lake Huron made the recreation value of the reservoir less of a necessity? The -answers to these and other ques- tions may show that the benefits of the dam have not dropped in value, and have even increased. They may show the dam has drop- ped some in value but not to the point where it would be economical to drop plans for its construction in view of the huge investment already made in it. But it may also be that it has dropped in value to the point where it would not be economical to proceed with it in view of the changes which have taken place since it was first known to be needed, This editorial has not been written with any suggestion that the dam should be dropped. But we do believe the members of the Ausable River Conservation Authority and others concerned should take a long hard look at it once again during this delay to make sure its construction will result in a vast sum of money being wisely spent. Due to the amount of time and energy members of the ARCA have expended in the project it is quite conceivable that the con- struction of the dam has 'become a "goal" for them.. But they should be reminded that the benefit of the dam is the "goal" and not the dam itself. Such nonsense, Mr. Ross A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO CUSTOMERS OF THE B OF M Anchor of advent Every dollar you saved went right to work in 1964 James V. Ross, director of information of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, stepped way out into left field when he ques- tioned the advisability of farmers staying at a plush Toronto hotel when. they attend the annual convention of the F of A. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Huron F of A, Ross contradicted the main theme of his address when he hinted farm- ers shouldn't be seen in such luxurious sur- roundings. He said city folk seeing farmers at the hotel may wonder as well if they drive Cadillacs or have their own private airplanes. You see, Mr. Farmer, as long as you're getting subsidies for your products and com- plaining about low prices, the implication is that you shouldn't outwardly show that you're not a prime candidate for the poor house, Such nonsense. Mr. Rossi As you pointed out, Mr. Ross, there's no difference between urban and rural peo- ple in most instances. So Why should farmers act as though they were second class citi- zens and not stay in the best hotels if they want to. You also noted correctly that farmers should have no shame in regards to their ef- forts to society and the economy. So why should they slink around the back streets in any town or city? And if your figures are correct, Mr. Ross, any businessmen who have an 'vestment of between $34,000 and $48,000 in their busi- nesses would have to be classed among our leading citizens, which the majority of farm- ers in our area certainly are, You may not believe it, Mr. Ross, but many of the farmers in our area are the top men in various forms of civic administration, church groups, social and service work. We even select them as wardens of our county and right now we have one representing us in Ottawa. Yes sir, they're first rate citizens and have every right to live as such. And if your city friends down in To- ronto wonder if they fly their own private airplanes to the convention, you can tell them that a few of them could. And there's even a chance they want to stay at that plush hotel because they have a few shares of stock in it. No, not all the farmers in this area are wealthy. Some, similar to their urban cousins, are finding it fairly tough to make ends meet. And one thing is for sure, they all need the government subsidies. But as members of the most important "industry" in Canada, farmers have every right to live as such, and that includes en- joying the same living standards as anyone else. When they can't do that, this nation will be in serious trouble and urban residents will be the first to know about it. Charles Smith, Manager Exeter Branch. Bank of Montreal . seeneeneeeneeletenereleateaeeeeeee'..--. eree- . eeee=-eeiee..eMeeeeee..seee'e BATTN AROUND WITH THE EDITOR Should be considered on a Thursday, Monday or any other night of the week, and would seriously suggest that such consideration be given. was just about ready to get to his feet to tell Chairman Tom MacMillan that he would attempt to answer questions any ratepayers had, when R., E. Pooley beat him to the draw and had the meet- ing adjourned before he had an op- portunity to speak. We mention these facts to show that Ken was avictim of circumstances and was in no way avoiding his duties. And "duties" may be the key as to Why none of the other four Eeeter men who sit on the board was present. While only one had the responsibility of giving a report, the four men have the occupations oft doctors lawyer, undertaker and preacher. It is quite possible they may have been busy and id face, it is even pose sible they may all have been busy on the same "case". While the ratepayers perhaps should expect a report from the high school representative, we'll agree with the thought expressed by Ken Johnst the people know what we are doing by the reports of the ereeetinge In The Times-Advocate. program for many years, and I am sure he will give the town fell value and a lot of loyalty plus an active, well planned recreational program. The community centre board has, a handicap, in that there has never been a surplus so that a repair fund could be accumulated, and that means that any time repairs are needed we have to have assistance, but in the main the operating eepense is almost taken care of by income from ice rentals and from the profit from the snack bar and rentals of the grounds. Last year we had to make major repairs to the supporting pillars and that in turn led to roof repairs this year. Insur- ance is a large cost to the arena and we hope that when the de- benture debt is cleared in a couple of years, a sprinkler system can be installed as this will make a great saving on the insurance premiums. We also look forward to re- novations of the gymnasium part of the arena that will make it a more practical and useful part of the community facilities. The new swimming pool is a wonderful addition to our facilities and it will take a year or two in operation before we can assess the real cost, but I believe that for at least a few years it will be self supporting. The park committee was lucky this year. We aquired a great deal of fill from the high- way and sewer projects which will add several acres of useful area to Riverview park, and the service clubs have offered fin- ancial assistance in a centennial project. I think Riverview park will be a real showplace by 1967. Referring now to the financial operations of RAP, you will note on the interim report that up to the end of October we have disbursed slightly more than $30,000 with $6,200 of it coming from town council. In other words the people who use our recreation facilities have paid out of their own pocket 80% of the cost of the program includ- ing all salaries, Insurance, re- pairs and in fact all the things that go to make up the overhead cost. Another factor that I would like to point out is that a very high percentage of the money disbursed by RAP is spent in Exeter, and we are able to supply summer jobs for several teenage supervisors. While I am still on my feet and because when my present appointed term ends, in Decem- ber, I will.be resigning from the RAP committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank council for the oppor- tunity and honour of serving on this committee, and also want to publicly thank the boards of the public school and the high school for the co-operation they have extended in granting the use of their facilities to the recreation committee for various group activities. Mr. Farrow has done an ex- cellent job as treasurer, and his up-to-date accounting and financial reports have been a great help towards the efficient operation of RAP. His enthu- siasm to get his work done without prompting has consi- derably lightened the load for the chairman. And I thank all the other members of the committee for the lively and business-like way they have participated in all of our meetings and thanks to The Times-Advocate for attending and reporting our meetings. lates our awareness of the re- sources of faith, comfort, cour- age, and conviction which God makes available in Jesus Christ. He is the utterly re- liable anchor. We are not.in any more try- ing times than the people to whom that letter was written.. We are not in the position our pioneer forefathers were in. However, we still need our an- chor because behind the glitter and hustle and bustle of this season we still need God, In ancient times the Anchor was a symbol of hope because there were times when it was the last resource of storm tossed sail- ors. The Christian church took this symbol and baptized it with new meaning. As Clarence hiacartney has said, "No one who knows what can happen at sea would go to sea in a vessel that carried no anchor. Because even though it was the most modern liner cir- cumstances might arise where the hope of the ship would de- pend not on the captain or the crew, the engines, the company, or the steering gear, but on the anchor." So in this Advent, pre-Christ - was season, may we find the time to strengthen our hold on the Anchor. May we find the renewal of strength, comfort, courage, joy and hope which only He can give. May the pros- perous glitter of it all not ob- scure our real need at this time, as always— our need of Emmanuel — God with us — Je- sas Christ. OLD 'TIMES' As Manager of your local branch of the Bank of Montreal, I would like to report to you briefly about the use we made of the savings dollars which you placed in our keeping in 1964. Let me say that our country's economy got 100 cents of effort from every savings dollar entrusted to us in the past year, A large portion went to assist people in financing things that meant an improved way of life for them such things as cars, home improvements, household appliances of all kinds. Another very substantial proportion of your savings dollar was lent to small, medium and large business enterprises, encouraging them to expand and to employ more people. The personal savings of all our customers this year amounted to very nearly one-half of the total deposits of $4,340,434,648 at the Bank's year-end on October 31st, 1964. This figure is the highest in all our 147 years of banking and allowed us to bring our loans to a record high of $2,728,862,030. Another $874,466,266 was invested in high-grade government bonds which have a ready market, plus $268,181,390 in other securities—mainly short- term credits to industry. What else did your hard working dollars do in 19643 Well, they breathed new vitality into vir- tually every community across our nation. They financed new industry and created new jobs ... helped farmers improve both their farms and their way of living , constructed new schools and helped students get a better education ,.. built new roads and highways.., supported community projects, large and small, of many kinds, Yes, your savings dollars worked hard in 1964 — and hardest of all for you. For, steadily accumulat- ing at interest, they are a sound investMent in a better future for yourself and your family. On behalf of the Bank of Montreal, may I say "thank you" for your confidence in "My Bank" and for the Opportunity you are giving us to work with you in building a more prosperous Canada. Moore, Stanley Green, Douglas Pryde, _Norman Hannigan and Britain Sanders. 50 YE ARS AGO Mr. Earl parsons is another Exeter' boy to enlist for active service and is training at tit- taws, Mr. end airs. Milo Snell have moved to towel this week from the farm on London Road South. Mr. Robert Luker has pur- chased Mr. Snell's farra. Mr. Robert Sanders has re- turned from the neighborhood of Wirighe= where he spent se- veral weeks hunting. Mr. T. H. NeWell has closed up his open shed in connection with the Commerical Hotel and converted It into e garage and ice hotise. 4ten.:7-4 'WY BANliv f03 Villat CAMM'S 4 4 • • • 4 4 • 4 • 4 " B in 4 4 .14 • • a/ As we enter the Advent sea- son I would like to share with you a few thoughts I gleaned from a 1961 editorial by Doris Anderson. "There are eternal, human, and spiritual bonds that draw us together at Christmas — fun- damental things we ra.rely talk about these days — faith, love, family loyalty and tenderness." "We live in anxious times. We may be excused if we sometimes feel like members of a colony of ants, industriously pursuing our tiny affairs, just as a ma- licious child is about to kick a crater in the ant hill. But let us not despair," "As we look back in history we realize that very few people in the past have enjoyed a per- fectly secure world. Consider for a moment the anxieties that must have been present at one of the first Canadian Christ- mases at. Port Royal in Nova Scotia." “As Champlain and his ad- venturers dipped hand made spoons into boiled eel stew and squirrel pie they must have felt as isolated in a Cold, hostile land as a modern band of astro- nauts would feel if they were celebrating Christmas on the moon." "Even nearer to our own time there are many tales of pioneer Christmases amid great hard- ship. But the privation simply intensified the need to celebrate Christmas no matter how humb- ly. Almost all gifts were made by hand from scraps of material or carved out of native wood after the children were inbed." "A prairie chicken or a fat rabbit has often been a Christ- mas meal in this country. Yet these hard facts did not darken the significance of Christmas. Instead they heightened the re- ligious significance which was Of paramount Importance for Most of Our pioneers." "Christmas was a religious time. At one old timer said, "We were all like little boats tossing On a prairie ocean of dry land) only taking a chance on success or failure in an un- predicthele adventure and WE NEEDED AN ANCHOR". "Chtistrnees then Wae pri- Inertly a time when they ex- pressed their faith in that an- ehor by gathei-Ing tbgetber to sing old familiar hymns and carols and retell the Christmas story. Christmas has ellwa.ys been and always will be a sea- son for rebirth Of faith, a re- assertion of love, an extension of friendship and the fervent trust that peace and a better life for the whole world is close at hand.'' We all need to reaefirin OUT faith In the Anchor of Advent. We 'need to find a basis forhope which is hot destroyed by prie vatioh, depression, or anxious world tonditiOne, We heed to find the hope that is eternal. In the letter to the dtetressed Hebrews hope Is described as the 'utterl'y reliable anchor for out 'steels° as hti lips translates it. It it a f act of Christian tl- perience that dittionity gime- It's unfortunately too late to men- tion it, but there is one important aspect of Exeter's nomintion meet- ing that should be considered. And that is in regard to the date on which it is held, Readers will have noticed in the patt few issues we have attempted to coax, cajole, wheedle, etc., etc. people to attend nom-illation meetings in their respective communities. As pointed out, we feel attendance at such meetings is a duty and respon- sibility for everyone. However, in Exeter, there is a legitimate reason why some persons dO not attend and that is due to the fact nomination meeting is held on a Friday night When merchants and their staefe are on duty. We doh't know how long the town has been using the Friday night date, but it is quite possible it was chosen Whet stores here stayed open Saturday nights. As fat as we know there is no rea. son why the meeting couldn't be held One of the things missing at this nomination — besides several resi- dents— was a report from a repre- sentative of the SHDHS board. When Chairman Tom MacMillan called for a report, no one stood up, except Councillor Joe Wooden, a member of the staff. He apparently saw beard chairman ken Johns at the back of the room and sat down, al- though the chairman made no move to give a report. Ken phoned us up after the meeting, reporting regret at the fact he had not been able to give a report, but he was just not prepared for it. This of course was understandable as Ken is not Exeter's representative on the board and had come to the meeting Only as an interested on- loOker, However, he informed us that he Times Establithed 1873 Advocate Established 1081 Amalgamated 1924 ereferZimes-Uocate SERVING CANADA'S BEST PARKLANO *ember: C.W.N.A., ind ABC PUBLISHERS: J. M. Situtheoft, R. M. Southcotf EINTOR: William Saffefi BAN OF MONTREAL 60.444 9buie ec444 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ont. ALttfterized ashond. Class all, Pest Office Dept; (*ewe, or Paytnetitd Postasie in Cash TOTAL ASSETS W68,056,569 Paid-in-Advince CircUlatkm, September 30, 1963, 3,020 SUBSCRIPTION RAT'ES: Canada $4.00 Per Year; USA $S.00 working with Councilor's in eve walk 61 itriee Vitt 25 YEARS AGO A call hat been extended by Creditors United Church to Rev, Lawrence Turner of triglehart to becane nastot Of the Cradle ton charge to fill the vacancy` caueed, by the resignation of Lieut. Eel diaartuni, Ralph Delbr.idge, W 1111 am Wilson and Grant Taylor of London etPeet the weekend at their hornet in Exeter, Boy Scouts itoestad1Othtliliit badges Tuesday evening were John Page, Donald Traqiialt, Glenn McTavish, Murray 15 YEARS AGO According to Mr. C. S, Mac- Naughton, ehairman of the pro- perty committee, the new Dis- trict High School building should be completely ready in January. aire Bert Gotland was named preSident of the Exeter branch of the Canadinn legion Monday night.. The proceeds from the Jelaior Fanners fall dance amounting to $60 is being donated to South HutOn Hospital Fund. 10 ree,ARS AGO SS 11 Hay (glue water School) was closed tent Week *o,lien the building wet declared unsafe. /in. S. Cross of lienSall recently retired as. president Of the united chnrch W/4.5 after holding offite for 16 years. J ohn Rylko, a 38-year-viii native of Poland and forraerly held in GerMan concentration camps, is Making his home In Exeter with his Wife and two children. 'He Is sculptor ; and is carving the Holy Trinity In full eigute for a Windsor chart& .-eetieSeleonetioteeen-