Loading...
The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-01-24, Page 1Permit value over millio n Area man .fined $800, can't drive for two years An area driver was fined a total of $800 or three months in jail when he appeared in Exeter court, Tuesday, to face charges of careless driving and driving while his licence was under suspension, Larry Consitt, RR 1 Hensall, pleaded guilty to both charges before Judge Seneshen, London. The Judge told Consitt to bring his toothbrush next time he faced such charges because a jail sentence would be handed out. In addition to the stiff penalty, damage amounted to $4,090 and involved three vehicles. Fred J, Nyland, RR 1 Dublin, $28 for having liquor in a place other than his residence. Larry S. Hamilton, Simcoe St., Exeter, $28 for having liquor in a place other than his residence. Arthur Whilsmith, Exeter, $23 for failing to stop at a stop sign. Elmer B. Joyce, Lucan, $22 for a speed of 49 in a 30 zone, Keith Rader, RR 3 Zurich, $28 for having liquor in a place other than his residence. Constable Jim McMeekin checks vehicles while Chief Ted Day is ready with a shotgun. A NORTH-END ROADBLOCK - Monday afternoon shortly after the Dashwood branch of the Bank of Montreal was robbed, roadblocks were thrown up throughout the area. In the above picture, Exeter t-A photo GB approve pay boosts One Hundred and First Year EXETER, ONTARIO, JANUARY 24, 1974 Price Per Copy 25 Cents Salaries of members of Grand Bend council and other em- ployees for the year 1974 were officially approved by bylaw at Monday night's regular meeting. Reeve Robert Sharen will receive $40 for each regular meeting and $15 for each special session. Councillors will each receive $35 per meeting plus $10 for each extra meeting, In previous years, council members received a yearly wage plus pay for each meeting. Reeve Robert Sharen said the rate for this year is about the same as in 1973, The salary of clerk-treasurer- tax collector Mrs. Louise Clip- perton was raised from $6,000 per annum to $6,839. Included in the increase is a cost of living bonus. Road foreman Vic Anysymiw's annual wage is $8,764. While on official business for the village out of town , council members will receive a mileage allowance of 15 cents per mile and a daily meal allowance of $12. The value of building permits issued in Exeter last year was $1,302,905. However, that was the value placed on the many projects by those planning to undertake them, and building inspector Doug Triebner suggested this week the actual value would 'be "quite a bit higher." Part of the "discrepancy" may rest in the fact that the cost for building permits is related to the total cost of the ,project and therefore some people have a tendency to estimate low when applying for permits. Included in the 1973 total is the $145,000 permit for Exeter's new post office. There were seven new com- mercial establishments at a cost of $206,500; 23 renovations to commercial establishments at $77,375; 29 new single homes built at $717,000; five home additions at $44,000; 142 home renovations at $88,180; three swimming pools at $9,500; 18 garages and carports at $11,350. At the Monday meeting of council, it was learned that the building committee planned to make changes to the building bylaws and to the wording of the application for permits. The changes are being con- sidered to put more teeth into the regulations controlling con- struction and to make con- tractors responsible for damage to sidewalks and streets. In the future, they will be responsible for putting the area back into the condition it was when they started the project. Councillor Ben Hoogenboom said the new permits would also require people to be more ac- curate in giving estimates of the projects to be undertaken. Police quickly nab suspect in Dashwood bank robber Judge Seneshen suspended Consitt's driving licence for a further period of two years. Evidence revealed that OPP' Constable Al Quinn spotted, the accused driving a car on an area highway, Knowing the accused was under suspension, the officer gave chase and the driving ac- tions of Consitt resulted in the careless driving charge. Consitt was given one month to pay the fines of $300 for driving while prohibited and $500 for careless driving. A licence suspension of six months was handed out to Richard Stagg, Exeter, who pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident. In addition, he was fined $150 or 15 days in jail. A fine of $100 or 30 days in jail was levied against Cecil Wood, RR 3, Dashwood, after he pleaded guilty to creating a disturbance in Crediton. The court learned the accused was shouting and using obscene language on the main street in the police village. In other cases heard by Judge Seneshen and Justice of the Peace Douglas Wedlake, the following fines were levied: Hubert Hunter, RR 3, Exeter, $20 for making an improper left turn. Gerald Neilands, Hensall, $20 for failing to share half the roadway. David Vincent, Exeter, $25 for driving a motor vehicle on parkland at Morrison dam. Larry Baird, Hensall, $20 and costs of $3 for creating un- necessary noise with his vehicle in Hensall, James Siddall, RR 1 Kirkton, $23 for following another vehicle too closely. He was involved in an 'Exeter collision in which Area drivers lose control Town hall debate may go to voters but placed a small vial filled with a clear fluid against the outside of the door and warned the ladies, "if you touch the door it will blow you up." Waiting for a few moments until the man had left the bank, the two female employees were able to get the window of the washroom open and Miss Holt was able to help Mrs. Edwards through the window to the out- side. Mrs. Edwards ran across the street to the feed mill owned by Harold Schroeder to call the home bank office and the police. While Mrs. Edwards was going across the street, Miss Holt was also able to scramble through the window to safety. They remained at the mill until police arrived. Police did not enter the building until OPP Detective Sergeant Harold Howting of Mount Forest arrived. Corporal Ray Brooks, head of the Exeter detachment said Wednesday morning, "contents of the bottle have not yet been analyzed but it does not appear to be of an explosive nature," The bank employees said the gunman appeared very calm, was soft spoken and did not ap- pear to be in any hurry. The man escaped in a late model compact car. Police roadblocks were im- mediately thrown up at Exeter, Grand Bend, Russeldale, Elginfield and other points in the area shortly after the alarm was sounded, Council this week gave ten- tative approval to engaging the services of engineers to conduct a study on the Exeter town hall. The intent of the study is to determine to the satisfaction of one and all whether the building is structurally sound and whether it, weuld be practical to consider a renovation program. The subject was opened by Councillor Ben Hoogenboom, who wondered what the outcome was for plans to have studies con- ducted on the town hall and the present post office building. Replying to the former, Reeve Derry Boyle said he had at- tempted to contact an engineer to get some idea of the price in- volved in a study, but had been unsuccessful. However, Boyle said the cost would probably be around $150. Mayor Jack Delbridge, who was vacationing at the time of the debate on the town hall earlier this month, said he agreed with Boyle's suggestion that the matter should be put to the ratepayers in a vote, He admitted he was "strad- dling the fence" on the subject. Boyle said he suggested the vote of the people in view of county council's experience over the county jail when residents of Norton Irwin, 32, of 141 Arbor Glen Crescent, London was remanded in custody in Goderich court Wednesday morning in connection with Monday's rob- bery of the Dashwood branch of the Bank of Montreal. Irwin, a former Hensall resident has been ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. Irwin was apprehended in the Hensall Hotel about 5.30 p.m. Monday afternoon by Constables Bill Glassford and Dale Lamont of the Exeter OPP detachment. A quantity of money and a gun were confiscated by the arresting officers. Ray Gannon, loans officer for the Exeter bank branch said he could not reveal the exact amount of money taken. He added, "It was more than we estimated. It could be close to $10,000." Only a minute or two before closing time at 3 p.m., a man entered the Dashwood bank and asked the two employees Mrs. Helen Edwards and Miss Dianne Holt for a blank cheque to obtain money on an account in another hank. When he was told the bank didn't have what he wanted, the -rns.'rrAaitl,heAvould Teturn to his car and try to find one. He returned to the bank in a moment while Miss Holt was occupied with a telephone call. At this time she said she looked at the clock and it was two minutes after three and she then locked the front door. Miss Holt offered to make a phone call for the man to his own bank regarding the withdrawal. At this point he drew out a gun and said, "all right ladies into the back room and give me the money." While ordering Miss Holt to the back room, he requested Mrs. Edwards to clean out the cash drawers. After the money was in a brown paper bag the intruder forced the two ladies into the bank's washroom. He was unable to lock the door, 4N414WW*11!)Fr TRYING TO BALANCE BOOKS - The two female employees on duty When,tke Dashwood branch of the Bank Of Montreal was robbed Monday afternoon spent most of the next day checking deposits and withdrawals to determine the amount of money taken, Shown above are Helen Edwards and Dianne Holt. Goderich successfully blocked attempts to tear down a wall last year. Discussion again indicated members varied in their opinion regarding the usefulness of the building, but most appeared in favor of having the study con- ducted.,so,...the .matter. could be • settled from that standpoint at least. No report was given on plans to lease the present post office for municipal offices. A committee has been named to consider the cost of renovations required. Information at the last meeting of council, however, indicated council had already offered a figure of $1.50 per square foot to lease the building. Councillor Shaw told council that .he had been in contact with the architect who had drafted plans some time ago for a new town hall. Shaw said he told the architect it was unlikely any new town hall would be built in the near future and suggested the account to date be submitted for payment. In 1972, council budgetted for up to $4,000 for plans for a new town hall. "I doubt if it will be that much," Shaw said Monday night, Exeter supports resort in bid to drop toll rate Despite extremely hazardous driving conditions due to the ice storm, Sunday, the Exeter OPP detachment report no major accidents during the day. Three minor collisions were investigated but because drivers were going so slowly due to the road conditions, property damage was minimal when the vehicles slipped into the ditch. There were five other crashes in the week, the most serious occurring Saturday when a 1973 model car driven by Morley Thompson, Parkhill, went out of c,ontr 91 on ,Ceunty 13.oad 5 and struck a tree in the north ditch. Damage to the vehicle was listed at $2,500 by Constable Al Quinn. At 2:00 a.m., Saturday, a vehicle driven by Rosell Cochrane, Thedford, went out of control on the Credi ton Road and ended up in the south ditch. Constable Dale Lamont in- vestigated and set total damage at $900. There were two accidents on Friday, the first at 5:30 p.m. when a car driven by Lois Bowen, London, went out of control and rolled over on Highway 23 near Whalen. No injuries were reported and Constable Bob Whiteford set damage at $400. Later in the day, Constable Frank Giffin investigated a single car accident on Highway 83, in Dashwood. A vehicle driven by Harold Bender, Dashwood, went out of control on the icy road and struck a hydro pole. Bender received minor injuries and damage was listed at $1,300. The other crash of the week occurred at 6:00 p.m., Thursday and was the only one to involve more than one vehicle. However, one left the scene. Ross Langford, Exeter, reported to police he was in- volved in a mishap on County Road 36 at Highway 4 and the second vehicle left the scene. Constable Lewis investigated and set damage to the Langford car at $225. Councillor Ben Hoogenboom, another businessman who ad- mitted he would directly benefit, said some people may resent paying the extra 30 cents per month on their phone bills to have free calling to Grand Bend. Councillor Bruce Shaw ex- plained that •a survey taken by Bell Telephone indicated that the majority of those answering from Exeter did not want the service. "The survey was negative," he added. Shaw also thought the cost cited at the time of the survey was more than 30 cents per month. "It's right to co-operate, but Exeter council this week agreed to support a plea from Grand Bend that toll-free telephone service be initiated between the two communities. Reeve Derry Boyle, who ad- mitted having a "conflict of interest" in the matter because his wife would benefit in her business with the long distance tolls removed, led the move to support Grand Bend's fight with the Hay Municipal Telephone System and Bell Canada. He said there was evidence of more co-operation between municipalities in South Huron and he said if Exeter concurred with the resort's wishes it would create a better feeling. the only thing is, a survey was taken and the people said no," Shaw continued. Councillor Tom MacMillan said his calls to Grand Bend work out to about $15 per month, but added that many of his customers in Grand Bend "phone out before they drive out" to make certain his store carries the item they want to secure. Harold Patterson, another businessman, said the free toll would save Grand Bend residents more than Exeter customers. When it came time for a vote, Reeve Boyle suggested the four councillors representing businesses should not vote, and while Mayor Jack Delbridge indicated this was not necessary, all except Patterson refrained from voting. The motion carried unanimously, but carried the stipulation that approval to the request would only be granted if the cost was no more than 30 cents per month. BANK SUSPECT - Norton Irwin, formerly of Hensall has been charged with the armed robbery of the Dashwood branch of the Bank of Montreal, Monday. The above picture of Irwin was taken September 20, 1971 when he was named the Liberal candidate in an upcoming provincial election. He withdrew the next day due to personal reasons. T-A photo TWO YOUTHS CHARGED Two area youths have been charged with four counts of theft following investigation into in- cidents by the Exeter Police and the local OPP detachment. Charged are Thomas Gloor, Huron Park, and Robert Pen- ninga, Exeter. Both are 16. They have been charged with thefts at the Burkley Restaurant in Exeter and the Huron Park arena, as well as two car thefts, Investigating officers were OPP Constable Bill Glassford and Exeter PD Constable Alex Balazs. Ice fells limbs and wires "I hate to see trees slaughtered," said Hugh Davis, Manager of Exeter's PUC as he reviewed the damage done by the ice storm that struck Exeter Saturday night and all day Sunday. Although he said damage was moderate, Davis stated PUC crews, consisting of every staff member, worked steadily all day Sunday up to and beyond mid- night clearing away fallen, ice coated limbs and trees that were endangering power lines. In spite of the storm which covered most the southern portion of the province, hydro outages were minimal, The periodic interruptions that oc- curred several times Sunday were all due to limbs falling on wires. The longest cut-out came Sunday night around 11 o'clock. It lasted for about an hour and Mr. Davis said it was due to a problem some distance away 'right out of our territory', Besides the mutilation to trees some buildings and homes were also effected as falling trees tore and trucks that were hard to control on the icy streets, it was a hazardous place for children to be," Mr. Davis suggested that should there be another storm of this nature, parents would be well advised to keep their children inside, Clean-up from Sunday's storm continues. Two bucket trucks are Working late days taking down all hanging branches that are en- dangering hydro lines. Although there was some damages in the townships west of highway four, the greatest destruction due to the ice took place in Usborne, Tuckersmith, Mullet, Morris, Grey, Hibbert, McKillop and Ellice townships. According to Walter Palmer, Ontario Hydro area manager, the storm caused extensive damage and hydro interruptions in these areas. He said the main source of trouble was broken tree limbs falling through a large number of conductors. The local crews, who worked off hydro stacks and damaged roofs. A few of these houses had no hydro for several hours but all had it restored by Sunday evening. The PUC manager said the limbs were falling so fast that it kept the crews busy just getting them off the lines. He said it was a wonder there were no injuries or casualties as 'we were often working where major limbs were falling down all around us'. Exeter fire department came in for praise from Davis, He said, "They did a terrific job by keeping the roads clear for us. Our crews hardly had time to pick up the limbs as we cut them down so the fire department followed us around, clearing away the debris . they helped tremendously." Mr. Davis said one of the things that concerned him most was the numbers of small children out on the streets during the sleet storm, "Parents surely didn't realize what danger their children were in," he said. "What with falling limbs and branches, live wires, almost steadily until 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, were assisted by approximately 50 staff members from as far away as Sarnia, Chatham, St, Thomas, London and Strathroy. Mr. Palmer stated all service had been restored by early Tuesday morning except for a handfull of customers who had suffered extensive damage on their own properties. In the southern tip of Huron county and in the Granton- Kirkton area many residents were without hydro from 1.15 pm Sunday until mid-morning Monday. Icy roads made driving hazardous and police were warning motorists to keep their speed down to five miles per hour if they had to venture out. Several churches cancelled services due to the icy conditions. While some schools were ef- fected, Exeter area schools remained open. Lloyd Hewitt of Exeter Coach Lines said all buses ran on schedule Monday morning with 'no difficulty whatsoever'. PUC WORKMEN BUSY - Sunday's icy blast from the weatherman provided plenty of work for hydro linemen throughout the area. In the picture at the left Exeter PUC lineman Verne Postill is shown repairing a Tine. In the other photo, lineman Harold Wurm foreman Bob Pooley and Wilson Morley are shown at the Morley property at the corner of Sanders and William streets, T,A photo