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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1970-01-29, Page 4Our congratulations go out this week to Usborne Reeve Roy Westcott in his successful bid to become warden of Huron County. When he entered the race last fall, his chances of winning the post appeared comparatively dim. He was a relative newcomer to county politics in comparison to two other suggested competitors and was faced with the almost insurmountable task of bringing the wardenship to the south end of the county for the second consecutive year. His candidacy appeared more in the realm of a stepping stone to the top post in 1971, rather than the current session. However, his timing was excellent, and points up the lesson suggested in that old adage about nothing ventured, nothing gained. Warden Westcott has some big shoes to fill in succeeding Stephen's Jim Hayter, but there's every indication the personable Usborne farmer will fill the post most capably. His comments on increased tourism along Lake Huron point up one of the major areas of concern facing county council — that of planning. Oddly enough, there's no municipality where lack of planning shows up more so than in the new warden's own township. Ribbon growth along many of the township boundaries in the Exeter area creates a situation condemned by planning officials for several years. Unplanned growth is often worse than no growth at all, and this is Something county council must keep in mind if in fact the influx of tourists along Lake Huron's shoreline reaches the scope predicted by Mr. Westcott. It's also something demanding immediate consideration by his own township council. Warden Westcott and his cohorts on county council must also give close scrutiny to maintaining public access to the shoreline of Lake Huron for the residents of this county. Public access has diminished to an alarming rate in the past decade, and while Lake Huron has not reached the problems encountered by residents in some other areas, lack of planning in this regard will soon put us into that unenviable position. Of course, as retiring warden Hayter indicated, regional government will continue to demand consideration by county council in the present term. However, there is a suggestion that some officials at all levels of government are spending more time on attempts to determine how they will administrate, than they do in the actual process of administration. That's obviously getting the cart before the horse. Hurray! Ratio lowered One of Ontario's 30,000 Marching Mothers is symbolized by Globe-and-Mail cartoonist, James Reidford, on behalf of the Rehabilitation Foundation for the Disabled whose "Ability Fund" campaign will be held on Monday evening, February 2 in Exeter, Hensall, Lucan and Usborne Township. The Ability Fund — new name for the March of Dimes — rehabilitates disabled adults primarily by finding them suitable work. OUR POINT OF VIEW • Timing was excellent A press release from the Middlesex County Board of Education points out that the board was told at a recent meeting that it is understaffed in its supervisory department, One would expect this revelation to come about after a careful study of the situation and a lengthy discussion as to the exact ' requirements of supervisory personnel for the efficient operation of education in the county. However, information contained in the press release indicates that this was not entirely the case. The board started figuring things out and learned they had a ratio of one supervisor to every 2,061 pupils. At the same time, two other school boards in the area have a ratio of one to 948 and one to 1,179. The situation was easily corrected. The board authorized the hiring of five more supervisory personnel and this will bring the Middlesex ratio of pupils to supervisory staff to one staff member for every 1,202 pupils. Now parents in the county can rest easy. That important ratio has been brought into line with other county boards. Next year, the board may even decide to hire another five supervisory personnel and Middlesex can take the lead in that apparently important ratio race with other boards. The only problem may be that sooner or later someone may ask if the supervisory personnel being hired are really needed, or whether they are just being added to keep that ratio low. It's the answer to. that question that would prove most interesting. * * On the same subject, the Huron board is moving in the same direction. One employee retired last week and the board decided to hire two persons to fill the vacancy. There may be some legitimate reasons, but the board wasn't letting anyone know about it. The matter was approved in secret. Need some guide for year WADE INSURANCE AGENCY D.T. (Terry) Wade Total Insurance Service Home Owners Policy Plus Tenants Package Insurance protects your contents against Fire, Lightning Wind, Vandalism, Smoke or Water Damage. Also Theft at Home or Away and Liability, INCOME INSURANCE Don't Let An Accident Stop Your Income For As Low As $111,00 a Year You Can Receive $75.00 a Week FOR MORE INFORMATION Phone Crediton 234-6224 or 234-6368 INSURANCE — REAL ESTATE Phone 235-2420 M. J. Gaiser J. A. Kneale T Snowmobile ,e- ± Owners WE CAN SUPPLY YOU WITH Low Cost Insurance INCLUDING PASSENGER HAZARD (Check Your Policy For This Protection) WE WILL ALSO INSURE YOUR SLEIGHS and TRAILERS HODGSON LIMITED For TOTAL Home Comfort • • • And All Your GAS APPLIANCE NEEDS Contact GRAHAM McINNES Union Gas Sales Representative DIAL 227-4112 class tommuriily tiewipapers Times Established 1813 Advocate Established 1881 toceferZiniesaltuorafe Amalgamated 1924 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., 0,W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC Editor —Bill Batten— Advettising Managet Phone US-ISA Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Setond Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid In Advance Circulation, September 30, 1068, 4,520 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada 0.00 Per Year, USA WOO A love affair that has died Snow is something you like or dislike. You can't just ignore it. At least not around these parts. If you ignored it at our house, they'd find you in the spring, in a high state of decomposition. When I was a kid, I loved snow. The more the better. Fighting in it, rolling in it, making "angels", washing girls' faces in it, throwing it it the enemy, and coming home for supper rosy-cheeked, warm as toast, and soaked to the skin. Somewhere along the line, our love affair has withered and gone stale. Oh I admit it's beautiful to look at on a bright winter day, when there's been a fresh fall of a few inches, and the whole world is like Adam and Eve. But when it keeps coming down and coming down, and you have to get rid of it, you remember that the above mentioned pair got kicked out of paradise, and the rest of us have had to slug it out ever since. Putting out the garbage is a simple thing. But when the snow is over the top of your boots, and you have to carry the cans 80 yards, it's a minor nightmare. Deciding in the morning whether or not you can ram your way through the three-foot bonus from the snowplow across the end of your drive is Similar to Russian roulette. I tried it once last week and had to leave the car sitting there like a stranded whale, tail sticking out into the street and body straddling the sidewalk. One hour shovelling after work. We have an excellent system of snow clearance in our town, except that the operators have a diabolic sense of the perfect moment to strike. The big street plow lurks around the corner while you shovel your driveway. Then the driver's mate says, "OK. He's all ready," and they whistle around the corner and dump about three tons of new snow back into the driveway. The only way to beat them is to throw your slreivel away as though it was Molten metal, jump in the car, and roar out backwards before ttie'y make it. Then we have a sidewalk plOW. If you beat the big plow, the 'little one will get you. He 4oinfs around when you're at work and kicks out a one-foot pile on the street-side and another on the driveway-side. This is frozen into crusty snow-ice by the time you get home, and you need an Alpenstock to break it up. One big help though, is the kids. They re right on the job. If it snows two inches of fluffy stuff, they're at the door with big, boyish smiles. "Can I shovel your walk, Mister?" You could do it yourself without strain, but figure on assisting free enterprise, give them the job, and over-pay them. Conies a real downfall, say ten inches of that wet, slushy stuff, when every loaded shovel weighs six pounds and is a potential coronary, and they're all home watching television. The final aid is the snowblower. When the banks have built up to a height where you can see only your neighbor's roof and bit of sky, when the banks are so high not even the Abdominable Snowman would tackle one, the blower comes around. And throws 2 tons of snow, salt and sand well up onto your lawn. Great for the grass. Exeter council has now completed two meetings in the new year and we have yet to hear an inaugural address from Mayor Delbridge as to the direction which he would hope to see council moving in the start of this new decade. A holiday trip to Western Canada necessitated the Mayor's absence for the initial meeting and no doubt catching up on events which took place during his absence required extra time upon his return. However, we do hope the Mayor finds time to sit down and draft some plans for council's consideration. Too often the myraid of tasks facing administrators on a day-to-day basis precludes their efforts to gaze into the crystal ball. But without some outline of future planning and projects, council members often fail to give consideration to priority projects or needed projects which are not brought into council deliberations until late in the year when the budget is often depleted. A look into the future needs of the community is often a valuable instrument in deciding which of the present demands should be fulfilled. * * * At the conclusion of last week's meeting, a motion was quickly passed on the suggestion of Councillor Ross Taylor that $1,000 be spent on additional street name signs this year. There was little discussion on the subject, primarily because it had been decided last year that the street signs would be replaced on a continuing program over a period of three years. While we strongly supported this approach, we do think the matter deserved more consideration than it received last week from council. The street signs are of benefit mainly to visitors to the community, and there is no question but What there are equally important services required by the ratepayers. One such area is in the matter of sidewalks. Each year this is a subject usually left until the fall, Well, if you can't beat them, what do you do? I've been turning over a scheme. No dopey snowmobile. No downhill skiing, because of a couple of crook knees. And if I wanted to ski, I could do it in my own backyard, practising jumps off the picnic table. Nei, I've decided to relearn to fly. Take lessons at the local airport. Surely some of the old skill, such as it was, is still there, I've done plenty of winter flying and it's great up there, except when you run into a snowstorm and have to set her down in a farmer's field. But I could sail along at a couple of thousand feet and sneer down at the snow, enjoy its beauty, and maybe even get to like the filthy stuff again. It would be a lot better than having the snow sneer down at me, as I try to hoist a loaded shovel onto a severi-foot bank, and wait for that sharp pain in the rhea with each hoist. and quite often there is no money left at that time of year. Perhaps the $1,000 or a portion of it could have been better spent providing safe sidewalks for residents as opposed to providing street signs for visitors, This again points up the problem faced by council when they make decisions at the start f, of the year without having considered the needs of the community over the entire 12 months. * * * Government regulations demanding quarterly payments from municipalities to the county boards of education will ease the borrowing needs of the boards, but the fact that Huron's board this week approved the borrowing of $5,000,000 indicates that a great amount of money is being "lost" through the bank interest rates. Last year the board paid $100,000 in bank interest. This constitutes a figure that should make most ratepayers shudder. While the board's borrowing will be lowered this year in view 50 YEARS AGO Harry Beaver, of Crediton, has bought the farm owned by Jas. W. Lawson on the 9th concession and will take possession next March, At the meeting of the Dairymen's Association of Western Ontario in London last week Mr. W. G. Medd, the proprietor of the Exeter and Winchelsea Creameries was re-elected president. Messrs. J. H. Grieve and W. J. Statham were successful in winning a number of the prizes at the Poultry Show in Goderich last week. Rev. Dr. Waller, principal of Huron College, London occupied the pulpit of Trivitt Memorial Church both morning and evening last Sunday and preached two well-directed sermons, on behalf of the Forward movement. Mr. Cedric Stanlake last week disposed of his 100 acre farm in Hay township, London Road, North to Mr. Arthur Coxworth. 25 YEARS AGO Chief John Norry had an exciting experience when he and County Constable John Ferguson took part in a hunt for a 300 pound black bear which had escaped from the farm of Peter Baker, north of Zurich. Wounded by one shot the bear charged to within a few feet of Chief Norry when a second shot laid the wounded animal low, A pair of bears had been bought by Mt Baker as pets. The second One was also shot at his request. Fire destroyed the fine school building at E. 8. No. 6 Hibbert known as Cromarty School, Mrs. Prank Truce noticed the flames about 10 p.m. A bucket brigade was formed from the well, but, when the water gave out, there Was no hope of saving the building. Rain accompanied by a wind-storm in this area flooded of the quarterly payments from the municipalities, ratepayers in Huron won't be saving much money. To meet the payments, most municipalities will have to borrow the money, so the expense is just moving from one pocket to the other. This is an expense which does not appear justified, and again we urge municipal councils to discuss the merits of quarterly or half-yearly tax payments. At county council, the members voted to ask the county board to resort to half-yearly collections from the municipalities. This may cut down on some of the interest charges being paid by municipal councils, but it will not change the interest charges being paid by the same ratepayers because they'll still have to come up with it for the county board purposes. * * * Many members of the older generation have given up entirely — Please turn to page 5 streets and fields and made motoring almost impossible as cars cut through the snow. In a fire at Wiarton, which wiped out a business block, the apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hodgins, formerly of Centralia was destroyed. 15 YEARS AGO Mrs. Hannah Taylor, of Andrew Street will celebrate her ninety-second birthday on Sunday, Jan. 23. "Wheels are turning" towards purchase of the 4,000-acre Pinery as a public park, H. G. Hooke, secretary fieldman of the Ausable Authority, said Wednesday. Mr. Wm. May, prominent in business in Exeter for many years, died suddenly Friday while on a motor trip to Florida. Chambers and Darling, Exeter butchers announced this week they have dissolved partnership. Mrs. Arthur Mitchell visited last week with her daughter Mrs. William Fawcett of Mitchell. 10 YEARS AGO Beaver Lumber Co. Ltd. has purchased Huron Lumber Co., Manager A. J. Sweitzer announced this week. Harry Dougall was re-elected chairman of the Usborne Township school area, board at its inaugural meeting last week. Nearly 130,000 trees have been planted in the Ausable water-shed And the Pinery provincial parks by the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, it was revealed by District Foreman J. 1<, Reynolds th IS week. The per-day public ward rate of South Huron Hospital, has been raised from $1.1.50 to $13.35, it was announced this week by Sup't Miss Alice Claypole. Exeter PUC this week called for tenders for construction of a filtration plant near its pump house beside the dam. Leave your lights on for Marching Mothers In five years, will you answer an ad that says "No experience needed" Or will you be looking under the column "Skilled Tradesman"? If you're looking under the "No experience needed" column now, chances are you'll still be looking there five years from now. But it doesn't have to be that way. You could have a career trade, Job security. A steady income. A great future. It's as easy as becoming a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, For more information contact your local military career counsellor. THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES • RECRUITING CENTRE 120 QUEENS AVENUE LONDON 12, ONTARIO PHONE 433;5124 p 4 '1 4 fi