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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1970-05-28, Page 4A pink tea issue Hats off, says the Fort Erie Times-Review, to colleague Mickey Carlton, editor of the Richmond (B.C.) News, for doing something we've often thought about. . . but never got around to. Mr. Carlton recently brought out an issue "designed to please everyone and offend no one." He dropped all court news, controversial meetings, crime, violence, editorial criticism and cheesecake pictures (he usually uses quite a few). The News apologized to those who might miss "the usual lively news in this special pink tea issue, dedicated to the minority who prefer to view life through rose-colored glasses." The headline story of the edition was the purchase of a $4,000 heifer and photos in other stories on cattle purchases by local farmers had all sex organs carefully blacked out. Headings told of "Clever Pupils", "Jolly Evenings", or other such innocuous events, and the theme suggested everything in Richmond was "lovely, lovely, lovely," a word which appeared several times in most stories. The issue was, of course, a failure. Irate readers telephoned and wrote letters demanding their own 'gutsy' newspaper back again next week. Moratorium sounds deadly Public Notice 1970 CENSUS AND ENUMERATION The Huron-Perth Regional Assessment Department will be commencing its annual census and enumeration programme in the City of Stratford, Town of St. Marys, and all towns, villages and townships in the two counties, June 1 st, It is expected it will take approximately two to three weeks to complete this work. The information required is basically the same as that required by the assessors in past years and is necessary for the completion of the assessment roll for each municipality. All enumerators involved In this programme carry identification cards. Therefore do not hesitate to ask to see these before answering questions or divulging information. Your co-operation and assistance in this programme will be very much appreciated. Further inquiry in this regard may be made by telephoning either Goderich 524-7326 or Stratford 273-0510 or Zenith 66500 for long distance calls. Turn on the Fun with FOX Mini-Bikes . . . the newest, finest and most exciting mini-bike to ever blaze a trail. It's ready to take you where the fun is! Pack your gear on the strong, smart chrome luggage rack and head for the woods — hunting or fishing. A perfect companion for camping for quick trips to town to get 'groceries and supplies. Great for exploring at the marinas. Fits easily in your trunk, camper, boat or plane. The Trait Tramp is first with expensive chrome spoke wheels, chrome fenders and chrome gas tank. The upswept exhaust stack with heat shield is fully chromed and adds a touch of beauty. AVM LAB LE AT N. T. 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VICTORIA and GREY TRUST COMPANY SINCE 1889 425 Main St. Exeter 235-0530 Amalgamated 1924 t, • Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O,W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC Editor — Bill Batten -- Advertising Manager Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation, September 30, 1969, 4,751 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $6.00 Per Year; USA $8.00 Exeter Reeve Derry Boyle has some rather narrow opinions regarding industrial development in this area if his comments expressed last week regarding an option on the local Ontario Hydro office are an example. He flatly stated that council should not consider such a move in that the building would provide no industrial assessment for Exeter. Some members attempted to point out the value of an industry using the building in terms of the business it would bring to local merchants by providing local jobs as well as the business of the industry itself. We were rather surprised some members weren't a bit more enthusiastic in their arguments and the opinion around the table appeared to be that it was only of value to Exeter if in fact it could be used for storage of town equipment. Let's be realistic. If an industry moves into the present Hydro office it would bring the same benefits as an industry locating within the confines of the community in every regard but assessment. Even though it's five miles from Exeter, CFB Centralia and more recently Some enthusiasm, please the industrial park has been a boon to Exeter, not only from the trade generated for local merchants, but also from residential taxes on homes occupied by personnel employed at Huron Park. Surely Reeve Boyle realizes that local merchants require business from outside the community to enable them to pay their taxes, and if in fact council can take steps to attract business into the area it should at tempt to do so. An option on the Hydro office would probably not entail a large investment, and presumably any money spent on an option would be recouped when the building was sold. So, it's strictly an investment. Obviously, the building would have to be inspected by members of council and members of the Industrial Commission to ensure that it is in fact suitable for industrial purposes and the purchase price and option costs are reasonable. If those requirements are met, we think an option on the building is indeed a sound investment for council to make and the Industrial Committee are to be commended for making such a suggestion. Council's lack of enthusiasm for the idea is rather surprising. Who delivers for postmen? coffers at the expense of people who pay taxes is not a plausible situation. Oddly enough, the previous arrangement appeared to be ideal. Council managed to pick up about $1,300 per day for the village coffers at the rate of 50 cents per day. It was a realistic figure and one few people would begrudge paying. Members of council are a bit off base if they feel they can charge fees similar to nearby areas such as the Pinery. When economics alone are considered, it's still much cheaper for a family to spend an afternoon at the Pinery, away from the many booths, concessions and rides which most kids avail themselves of to put a dent in dad's wallet. With the money supply being tightened up, many dads may well decide to pay the entry fee at the Pinery and avoid Grand Bend if the parking rates are comparable. Grand Bend needs people to thrive, and while added parking revenue may look, lucrative to ,council, the returns are far below —those received from the taxpayers 'who require business from people to help them pay their taxes. * * * The situation points up the fact that it is always advantageous for officials to outline their plans and permit time for discussion 'before final action is taken. Local sign painter Don Webster managed to have Exeter council delay action on a pending bylaw which would prohibit the erection of new overhanging signs in this town. While council obviously has jurisdiction in this regard, it is a decision which effects businessmen in this community, and council appear wise in letting the merchants discuss the matter before final action is taken. * * Accident statistics are never encouraging, but some are of interest. • Such is the case with those Have you been to a moratorium lately? Have you taken part in a demonstration, or a confrontation? Do you have charisma? Sorry to be so personal, but I read and hear these words bandied about so much these days that I just wondered how things were at your place. They are part of the jargon of our times. Isn't it amazing how the English language can take such a beating and emerge greater and finer than ever? Prime Minister Trudeau has charisma, according to the papers. At first I thought it was something like acne, or maybe a bowel problem. It turned out to mean something like style, flair, elan, magnetism. But the new breed of newspaperman will never use an old tested word if he can come up with something as charismatic as charisma. "There's no such thing as a meeting any more, with two parties holding opposing ideas getting together and trying to resolve them. Now it's a confrontation. Like two bulls meeting in a pasture and knocking 'their skulls together, while the cows look on, chewing their cuds. A demonstration used to be an exposition, explaining something, probably with sensory aids. You might show, or demonstrate. for example, how to make rotten egg gas, or how two and two usually make four. But today, a demonstration is against something, not for it. All you need is a placard, a crowd, and you are demonstrating. It doesn't make linguistic (there's another one) sense. If you are protesting something, be a protester, not a demonstrator. A moratorium sounds like a cross between a crematorium and a mausoleum. At any rate, it sounds pretty deadly, and usually is. How would you like to spend the rest of your life in a moratorium? Some people act as though they would enjoy it thoroughly. I have before me a letter from an editor referring to the "upcoming issue" of a magazine. What does that mean? What she means is forthcoming, or next. I wonder what the "down coming" issue would be like. Each decade seems to have its new slang, idioms, catch words. A few of them stay in the language, like rough diamonds in a sea of silver, through their sheer-power. We don't shed too many tears over such sayings as: "I love my wife, but oh you kid," from the '90s. Nor do we grow higubrious over the disappearance of such inanities from the '50s and '60s as: "That'll be the frosty Friday." Or: "You better believe it." Or: "Would you believe ...?" How about "cool" and "man" and "way out" and "groovy?" Do you think some bird or chick will be saying in 1984: "Hey, man, that's cool. Let's groove. You're way out?" Somehow I doubt it. "Hippie" is already a term of opprobrium to the real hippy. "Swinger" is now used only by middle-aged people who would like to be. "Cat," as in "cool cat," is hanging on by the skin of its teeth. And then we have "jet set" and "beautiful people." I was at a press club party recently and it was rather sat. All these chaps with their new sideburns and matching shirts and ties, and striped pants, hoping they were beautiful people when they should have been home watering the lawn. But most of all, perhaps, I despair of the people who simply surround themselves with a cloud of verbal garbage every time they open their mouths. Young people are worst, but you can see and hear university professors, politicians and lawyers hedging themselves about with such inane things as: "Well, like, you know, uh, it's pretty obvious, you know, like, there's no denying, uh, you know, etc." Why don't they just say, "I think it's a lot of crap," or something equally plain? Or would . that not be a viable approach? The pending mail strike has resulted in an endless flow of words from editorial writers and a multitude of other persons, primarily because a mail strike it one which plays havoc with a great many people. Those engaged in the newspaper business are of course adversely effected by such a strike, although for the writer, it does provide one boon in that no bills can be sent our way. Gary Lautens, columnist for the Toronto Star, has come up with a brilliant idea regarding strikes, and while Lautens is noted for his humor, the point he makes should indicate to strikers the seriousness of their action. Lautens points out in a recent column that at the present time, a small group of people can decide to go on strike and society is defenceless. Mailmen can vote not to deliver mail, teachers not to teach, builders not to build and newspapermen not to newspaper. And all the general public can do is sit back and suffer. Lautens' solution is that if a group wishes to go on strike, it should be allowed to do so without fuss — but it must resign from society first. He claims that if a man decides to withhold his services from society, society has the same right. Therefore, if a mailman doesn't want to deliver doctor's mail, there's no reason why the doctor should be expected to deliver the mailman's baby. And if a teacher feels his conscience won't permit him to teach the fireman's son, the teacher had better have lots of spit the next time his house catches fire. ' He says the same rules would apply to the management side of the dispute. Everybody involved in depriving the public of a product or service would be ineligible to enjoy society's many benefits. According to his plan, everyone involved in a strike would be required to register at a central office, where a large X would be painted on his forehead. For the duration of the strike, the striker would be on his own— no movies, no beer, no supermarket, no bus rides, no telephone service, etc., etc. Needless to say, Lautens thinks his approach would cut down on the number of strikes and he feels it is time non-strikers of the world should unite to bring such a plan about. * * * While Lautens idea has helped fill part of this column, this has been a rather frustrating week for yours truly. We sat down Thursday and wrote a blistering editorial about the dispute over the beach parking problem at Grand Bend. Friday night, the businessmen in that community had a meeting and their subsequent discussions with council members indicated to us that the matter had been cleared to the satisfaction of all concerned. So, we ripped up the editorial and tempered our thoughts in a column. However, just before press time we were informed that the businessmen were still not too happy about the parking rates and so our column had to be tossed aside. It was rather absurd that council at the resort would not set some guidelines as to the rental fees to be charged for parking. This is a situation where the leaseholder was not the only person who would suffer from charging rates considered too great by the public for the service provided. Every merchant in the resort would be effected if in fact people started staying away from Grand Bend because they could find places to swim where they did not, have to pay large sums to park their cars. The same rules apply to council if their rates are too high. Obviously, filling the public 50 YEARS AGO The flax mill people, Centralia, have taken down the old saw mill and evaporator and moved the barn purchased from Andrew Hicks on to the mill site. Huron Anglican Synod has fixed the minimum stipend for clergy at $1,300 with free rectory. A meeting of the ratepayers of SS 5 Stephen was held in the school Monday night and it was decided to install a steam heating system in the school. Dr. B. Campbell, who recently sold his practice in Zurich, and who, with Mrs. Campbell, has been visiting with Mrs. Campbell's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Murdock has bought a practice in Toronto. The Jackson Clothing Co. Hensall, were closed down for stock taking. At present they are employing 15 operators with a pay roll of $500.00 per month. 25 YEARS AGO Dr. Hobbs Taylor of Dashwood, Progressive Conservative who has been ill and unable to take an active part in the campaign, was re-elected with a sweeping majority on Monday. Mrs. Almer Stewart of Usborne suffered severe bums at her home Thursday afternoon when her clothing took fire. D. H.H. Cowen was elected president of Exeter Lions Club at the meeting held in Trivitt Parish Hall Friday evening. 15 YKARS AGO Miss Norma Keller was maid of honor at the Kennewies-Rhode wedding in Mitchell on Friday. Two Exeter houses were sold by auction last week. Graham Arthur purchased the residence released this week by the Canada Safety Council in regard to highway accidents in the country during 1969. As many would expect, the months of June, July and August are the three in which the totals for injuries and fatalities are the highest. However, the three months are not the worst for accidents. In fact, October, November, December, January and February each eclipse the three summer months in the number of property damage accidents. The statistics would therefore indicate that you are more apt to be injured or killed in accidents taking place in June, July and August, and this no doubt stems from the fact motorists are driving at a faster pace than in the months when driving conditions may be more treacherous. So, slow down and live longer. * * * Bill Forbes, editor of the Canadian Printer & Publisher, has been scanning the auditor-General's inventory of the six Queen's Printer bookshops across the country and, to put it mildly, there's been some over-stocking. The report says that of 4,800 copies of Fishes of the Atlantic Coast, printed in January 1967, fully 3,705 remain on hand with retail value of $31,000. Later in 1967, An Illustrated History of Government House became available with a press run of 8,000 and a retail price of $12; 7,000 copies remain on hand. Flora of Manitoba (plants, not a Scottish lady) is a 600-page book printed in 1957. There were 1,283 copies on hand eight years later and there are still 1,150 copies left today. The present retail value of books and slides on hand is slightly over $7,000,000. Editor Forbes asks: "Could you run your business like that?" of Miss Alice Handford, Main St., and Harper C. Rivers bought the Ernest Hatter residence on Senior Street. Mrs. G. W. Elliott, who with her late husband conducted a grocery store here for ten years, is leaving to take up residence in London. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Rundle, Hugh and Allen, Mrs. Franklin Skinner and Miss Blanche Morgan were in Ridgetown on Friday attending the graduation exercises. Hugh graduated from the Western Ontario Agricultural School. Exeter is to have a new Scout Hall for the use of the Scouts, Cubs, Rangers, Girl Guides and Brownies. 10 YEARS AGO Mrs. Hilton Laing, librarian of the Exeter Public Library and Mrs. G. C. Koch of the Library Board attended the annual conference of the Ontario Library Association in London this week. Tom Arthur, town, fractured his arm Monday when he fell from one of the viners at Canadian Canners Ltd. John Anderson of Hensall became sole owner of the Venner Trophy over the weekend as he won the annual Victoria Day Kippen Gun Club shoot for the third time. Town of Exeter's operations during 1959 resulted in a surplus of $1,443.26 it is reported in the auditor's report approved by town council at its last meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Jory, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Webb and ML and Mrs. Ted Wright and two boys spent the weekend fishing at Chesley Lake. Rememeeit tle 604? -Photo by Doerr Technological advancements were responsible for the loss of many jobs in the past decade, and probably hardest hit were area telephone operators. During the 10 years, most were put out of work, Exeter's crew losing their jobs in 1962. Replaced by the dial system were, from the left: Mrs. Murray Coward, Mrs. Fleming Simpson, Mrs. Stan Zachar, Mrs. Lloyd. Miller, Mrs. Charles Kernick, Mrs. Len Harvey, Mrs. John Hodgins, Mrs. Lorraine Pfaff, Mrs. Lorne Ford, Mrs. Joyce Carter and Mrs. Garnet Shipman. U