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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-06-28, Page 31TER TIMES-ADVOCATE JUNE 28, 197.3 NEW LAID EGGS - The present of home of R.E. (Ted) Pooley on John grading eggs, Mrs. Hooper, C.F. Hooper, another unidentified girl and St. east once housed C.F. Hooper and his "New Laid Eggs" business. Mrs. East, who also worked there. From the left are William Kessell, an unidenified girl who worked Eggs in 1920 hit $1.00 dozen DOBBS Fred Dobbs sold his first car in Exeter to Ed Breen of Biddulph Township in January, 1935. That was the start of a happy association with residents of a community who we've enjoyed serving ever since. In 1949 George Dobbs join- ed his father in what is now one of the longest father-son partnerships in Ex- eter. Fred and George look forward to meeting their many friends and ac- quaintances during centennial week and invite you to drop by their lot at any time .. . whether it be to say hello or to look over their PERSONALLY SELECTED used cars. I . . . the name car and truck buyers have trusted in Exeter for 32 years. CORNER WELLINGTON AND MAIN FRED DOBBS GEORGE DOBBS High board fences . great for tricksters JQTT1NGS BY J.M.S. July 22, 1954 I do not know what made me think of fences but there was a day when high board fences seemed to be the rule rather than the exception in Exeter. During the early years of the century many of the residents had a barn and kept one or two cows and some pigs. The cows were allowed to run the streets at large. To protect the property fences were erected and in many cases they were high-board fences with no cracks between. School Grounds Enclosed Many will remember when the old school grounds were entirely enclosed with a fence at least six feet high. Entrance to the grounds was made through two turn-stiles. The girls' playground was to the south of the school and was separated from the boys by fences. Likewise the public school children's playground was separated from the high school grounds by a fence. With outdoor toilets on either ground the high- board fence was considered a necessity. There was a combination of three toilets on each ground described by Chic Sale as two- holers, and at recess there was always a mad rush by the students. One of the more recent high- board fences to disappear was the one that enclosed the garden of the late Edward Trehle. Another encircled all but the front of the Carling property. Inside the Carling grounds was a beautiful flower garden in which the late Isaac Carling took a great delight but few of the blooms were ever seen by the public. One fence that stands out in memory was erected on Main street where the Chevrolet garage is located. It hid from view as well as protected the public from falling into an open ditch that ran across the village. Pranks Are Played The old Molsons Bank which was later taken over by the Bank of Montreal was located in the building now occupied by the Dinney funeral home. N. Dyer Hurdon was the manager and the family lived in part of the building. A high fence surrounded the property and many were the tricks of devilment perpetrated by the Hurdon lads from behind that fence. The late E.A. Follick conducted, a bake shop and restaurant where the pool-room is now located and on the lot north there was a board fence that connected the property with the Senior photographic studio. The latter was a high frame building and was one of the early hotels erected in Exeter. If a former resident of Exeter reads this article he will remember as a lad hiding with others behind a high-board fence on a Hallowe'en night and squirting water from a sump- pump gun on passers by, The high-board fences gradually disappeared and picket fences and the more ornate fence was substituted but these too have gradually disappeared until at the present time there is hardly a fence in the town. Exeter Times June 2,181 Last week Mr. Joseph Kidd of Dublin sold 12, two year-old steers of his own raising to Mr. Jas. Oke of Exeter for the English market, The steers averaged 1,530 pounds and were sold at six cents a pound. JOTTINGS BY J.M.S, Feb. 1, 1951 It was about this time in 1920 that the farmers in this com- munity received the highest price for eggs ever paid in Exeter. Eggs were scarce and the price was high but it was during Christmas week that Charles F. Hooper set the record by paying $1.00 a dozen. Mr. Hooper was credited with being the first man to establish a strictly new laid egg business and out of Mr. Hooper's experience grew the present egg grading system. Mr. Hooper was born and raised on a farm in Usborne and after moving to Exeter started in a humble way a business that in a few years grew to be of con- siderable importance. In 1908 Mr. Hooper saw the fallacy of the old way of handling eggs. It was not unusual to find one or two spoiled eggs in a dozen purchased at a grocery store and an egg was an egg regardless of size. I recall one time that a lady came into J.A. Stewart's store and specifically asked for brown eggs. She was given the privilege of picking them out. They turned out to be the largest she could find. In 1908 Mr. Hooper started out collecting eggs from house to house in Exeter in a basket. He found a ready market for his guaranteed new laid eggs and the business grew rapidly. In 1911 Mr. Hooper placed wagons on the road and demanded that eggs he handled in a certain way and not to be over one week old. At first he and Mrs. Hooper made tests by observing the air space at the big end of the egg. lie found that under normal cir- cumstances the airspace grew larger and larger. With this knowledge they could fairly judge the age of an egg. They also had circulars distributed to the egg producers advising them how to collect, how to keep them fresh and clean. Mr. Hooper had no hesitation in turning down eggs that were not up to standard and in doing so he made some bad friends. In 1912 Mr. Hooper purchased the residence on the corner of John and Andrew street using part for his egg business and the other for residence. The business continued to expand. For 11 yearS Mr. Hooper did business on this corner and then purchased the property on Main Street known as the old Royal Hotel and afterwards used by Mr. Senior for his photography business. This old frame building was torn down and Mr. Hooper builtthe buildingnow occupied by the Bank of Nova Scotia and the fine red brick residence beside it. In 1915 Mr. Hooper had an exhibition of eggs at the Canadian National Exhibition and he carried off first prize and diploma against an entry of 12,000 dozen eggs. Again in 1917 he was awarded first prize and sweep- stakes at Toronto. He won the same awards at Ottawa and London and in six different exhibits he was never beaten. In 1923 shortly after the grading law came into effect, Mr. Hooper secured a special trade mark "Hooper's New Laid Eggs", was taken out because Mr. Hooper had been specializing in new laid eggs for 15 years. To Mr. Hooper goes the credit for the present grading system. In January he received a letter from W.A. Brown, of Ottawa, now retired from the Department of Agriculture. In it he states: "I do not think that anyone can deny that there has been a pretty widespread improvement in eggs as marketed. The very fact that, practically the whole country has adopted your system and the Nation Grading System which now reaches right across Canada, is a nationwide development of something which you initiated. One of the secrets of Mr. Hooper's success was the price he paid to the farmers, which was always the highest market price . The biggest day he ever had was on a Saturday between Good Friday and Easter when he took in 145 cases of eggs. At times he ran between 350 and 400 cases a week. In 1929 Mr. Hooper sold out the business to N.W. Trewartha, of Clinton but he retained posession of the residence, In 1943 Mr. Hooper sold the residence to Mr. Edgar Squire, of Usborne, who rented the building for a couple of years and then moved to Exeter. After selling the home Mr. Hooper moved to London and for years as a hobby Mr. Hooper every week visited the sick in the hospitals.