HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-07-18, Page 4Need new emphasis
"The United States and Canadian
governments must stop pussyfooting
around with patchwork solutions to the
transportation crisis that is facing both
countries and develop a North American
public transporation policy," a senior ex-
ecutive in the tourist industry said today.
Albert G. Watson. vice president and
general manager of the Niagara Inter-
national Centre, admitted such a policy
would be an unwise move politically
because it would require fundamental
changes in attitudes and lifestyles and up-
set many economic and social institutions.
However, the former social scientist
declared that it is not a question of whether
a public transportation policy should be
developed, but how fast both governments
can move to make it a reality "before both
countries are faced with a transportation
crisis that will never be solved in our
lifetime".
Mr. Watson, who made his remarks
during a recent interview, said he felt the
major reason why both the Canadian and
U.S. governments have not acted on a joint
public transportation policy "is because of
the vested interests of the oil companies".
"A public transportation policy would
mean an end to the enormous profits by the
oil companies and result in both
governments having to sacrifice huge
losses from petroleum taxes," he said.
"But it is a known fact that if the present
rate of increase in consumption of
petroleum products stays at the present
level, the earth's known petroleum
resources will be exhausted between the
years 2000 and 2020."
In the area of vacation travel, Mr. Wat-
son said there are signs now that travel
habits and patterns are changing and will
continue to change.
"Already the mini-vacation is becom-
ing popular and people are discovering or
rediscovering vacation areas a hundred or
two hundred miles from home," he said.
"People are also conditioned to gas shor-
tages and rising prices and they are doing
greater vacation planning and in greater
detail. In most instances they are looking
for vacation areas that will satisfy their
needs in surroundings closer to home, and
they are using public transportation more."
Mr. Watson said the changing attitude
toward vacation travel after years of free
and easy travel "might seem like an abnor-
mal situation for the vacationer, but like
most other things in life what might seem
abnormal today will be accepted as normal
tomorrow",
How much pollution
For what shall it profit a nation if it
doubles its Gross National Product in fif-
teen years and allows its physical environ-
ment to deteriorate at the same rate at the
same time?
To what extent can we have effective
pollution control without seriously slowing
down economic growth and increasing un-
employment?
Suppose that in your community there
is a plant manufacturing plorial-rods, but
that its processes put polluting gases into
the atmosphere and poisons into the local
river.
And suppose that the cost of controlling
such pollution is economically prohibitive,
that it would price those plorial-rods right
out of the market. And suppose that the
plant employs 200 persons — your friends
and neighbors, perhaps you. And suppose
you own a few shares in the company. What
would you think should be done?
Effective pollution control may require
-9Lt.
some quite radical changes in our economic
structures and operations. It is obvious that
it will require some public controls which
many industries will not like. And large
sums of public money will be needed for
clean-up programs — and that will touch
the purses of all of us,
It has been said that smog is a deadly
mixture of smoke, fog, and legislative inac-
tion. But we ordinary voters can have quite
a bit to do with the action, and the inaction,
of the legislators we elect.
But politicians are a wily breed, and
they know how easy it is for citizens to
make idealistic and compassionate noises
without seriously considering the sacrifices
they may have to make if those noises are
to be acted on.
How much pollution are you willing to
tolerate rather than accept a drop in your
standard of living?
Contributed
They're trying to buy me out
Camp director is tough job
"This looks like our regular spot"
41F
When the living is hectic
Times Established 1873
Advocate Established 1881
Amalgamated 1424
1-16 • •rZimeswitruoicate
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
0.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC
Editor — Bill Batten — Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Phone 233.1331
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0386
Paid in Advance Circulation,
March 31 1972, 5,037
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $9.00 Per Year: USA S1 1,00
There is a fair bit of panic in the
financial world these days. One of
Germany's big banks failed. The
stock market is more like a
swamp than a market. Inflation
is scaring the wits out of people
and even politicians.
It was inevitable that some of
us bigger figures in the financial
and business game would be
affected personally. Sure enough,
I've been caught in a personal
bind and I don't know whether to
go for broke or go for the hills.
I've been a pretty big
shareholder of a stock called Peel
Elder. I have 25 shares. It's a
Icing story and I've told it before.
But I got in on the ground floor, as
we say on Bay St. and Wall St.
These are a couple of well known
streets in the financial world. One '
of them runs down to the bay, in
ease you want to drown yourself
when the market is slumping.
The other has a wall for pounding
your head against to the same
eventuality
Well, as I was saying, I got in
early, Was discharged from the
air force with a couple of
thousand bucks the paymaster
had thoughtfully put away for me
while I was in prison camp.
I had decided I wasn't going to
slug and sweat all my life just to
make a living. I was going t3
make it fast, and make it big.
I looked the field over pretty
carefully, searching for a career
with a built-in escalator. And the
field looked right back at me with
a cold and steely eye, saying, in
effect. "What do you know how to
do, besides crashlanding an
aircraft in a plowed field?"
There wasn't really much I
could answer to that. So, I
thought, "The heck with the big
corporations, when they can't
recognize talent, drive and sheer
ability, even though these are
staring them right in their cold,
corporate eye."
The final straw arrived when a
personnel manager at Bell
Telephone told me warmly that
yes, he thought there might be a
real future for me with the
company, and yes, he thought he
might find a place for me in three
or four months, but I'd have to
start at the bottom, like everyone
else.
It turned out, that the bottom
was sweeping floors at something
like $48 a week. Even in those
days The Bell paid good wages.
That's probably why they have to
ask for a rate increase every
couple of years, to compensate
for their incredible generosity to
their employees.
Anyway, the bottom didn't
have much appeal. I'd had
something in mind more like
Vice-President in charge of
Public Relations.
So I shook him warmly by the
hand, with that sincerity that
only a V-P in charge of PR can
muster, thanked him, and said,
"Mustn't take any more of your
time. I have to dash to the Royal
York for lunch with Jack
McClelland of McClelland and
Stewart. then catch the afternoon
train for Montreal, where
President Crump of the CPR has
been trying to get hold of me for a
week. By the way, if you get sick
of The Bell. look me'up in a year
or so, and I might have
something for you. Just contact
Bill Smiley Associates, Incor-
porated, not to mention
Limited."
At least I left him with his
mouth open, but I was seething.
inside. Some people seethe on the
outside, but I always do it inside.
Anyway, I strode out of there.
muttering. "All right. O.K. If
that's the way they want it. I'll go
it alone. I'll destroy them all
within five years. I'll plunge into
the stock market and buy them
all up and have mergers and
conglomerates and caviar and all
sorts of stuff." Even then, young
and inexperienced, I knew the
jargon of big business.
So I plunged. It was like a
butterfly plunging at a bull
elephant,
Oh, I didn't just roar around
buying up companies. I didn't
buy just any old stocks. I wish I
had. I bought some so new the ink
wasn't dry on the certificates.
But I proceeded with caution. I
wasn't going to be taken in by
The "camping bug" hasn't hit
the writer's household to any
great extent, although we did
allow ourselves to be talked into
an outing last weekend.
It all appeared innocent
enough. Our two eldest sons had a
couple of friends lined up for an
overnight fishing expedition to
the Maitland River and father
agreed to go along as camp
director.
However, the outing got
slightly out of hand when number
three son suggested he would be
included, No great problem
there! But then our youngest
strenuously balked at the idea of
having to stay home and look
after his mother and he was
somewhat begrudgingly added to
the list.
In case your mathematics has
failed to keep score, that made
six boys and yours truly.
The lads assured us they had
ample tent space for everyone, so
with fishing gear, sleeping bags,
a cooler filled with soft drinks,
three loaves of bread, a jar of
fresh strawberry jam and a pail
filled with crayfish (for the fish.
dear reader) we lumbered out of
the yard for the jaunt to Auburn.
Arriving at our destination at
the Four Seasons Camp Ground,
father quickly found out that the
boys' estimation of their sleeping
quarters was underestimated.
They unfolded a couple of those
flimsy nylon back-pack tents,
advising that they had a two-man
some smooth-talking operator
working out of a telephone booth.
On the advice of my landlady's
sister, who had her hair done
every Wednesday with a friend
who baby-sat for a prominent
stock-broker's former wife, I
decided to plunge into Northern
Ontario gold.
My first choice was a lucky
one. I bought into a company with
a property so rich that even the
moose who used it for pasture
had gold fillings in their teeth.
And I didn't fool around with
penny stocks. That's for the little
guy with two hundred bucks to
invest. No, I went for the solid,
blue chip stuff.
I snapped up one thousand
shares of this stock for 22 cents a
share. Within two days it had shot
up to 23 cents. I was on my way,
and I've never looked back since.
It hurts too much. In three weeks
the stock wasn't listed on the
financial page. I still think it was
because some linotype operator
was sore because some of us were
making fortunes, and he left the
name of the mine out of the list
through sheer spite.
But all this is getting us
nowhere. I started out to tell you -
how a couple of big
conglomerates or condominiums
or whatever they call them are
ganging up to get hold of my 25
shares of Peel Elder. They've
offered to buy them for $13 a
share and I could have sold them
a month ago for $11.75 a share.
There's something fishy going
on, and if I can get to the bottom
of it, I'll expose the whole thing in
next week's column. Just hang in
there and wait. I don't want to see
other simple stockholders get
hurt.
and a three-man tent. Divided by
seven, that leaves things a little
cramped to say the least.
The camp director was
assigned to the smaller of the two
tents between a couple of other
wiggling bodies and around
midnight he had finally managed
to convince (dire threats were
issued) the four occupants of the
other abode to quiet down.
+ + +
Some time later the clear, night
'stillness was shattered by an
urgent cry from the next tent.
"Dad, I've spit up!"
Our reflexes were instant! It
took less than two minutes to
figure out 'how to get out of the
sleeping bag and another couple
of minutes to extend apologies to
the two sleepy lads beside us far
crawling all over them.
Racing to the nearby tent from
which the cry for help had been
emitted, we heard sounds that
clearly indicated we were too late
to overcome the messy job of
cleaning someone's dinner off his
sleeping bag. Our lone salvation
came from the fact it was a
borrowed bag.
While sliding down the rocks to
wet a towel for the task at hand,
we noticed another problem was
descending upon the serene
campsite. The heavy mist shining
in the moonlight indicated that
dew was extremely heavy and it
wasn't long before this was added
to the problem along with the fact
that the camp director had to add
one sick occupant to his tent to
bring the total to four. Try that in
a two-man tent sometime,
especially with a bunch of
wigglers.
The dew, we found, was so
heavy it was saturating the tent
and even the sleeping bags and
heads nestling against it were
getting damp.
50 Years Ago
Mr. and Mrs. Preston Dearing
of the second concession of
Stephen drove to town on
Saturday night and left the horse
and buggy standing near Wes
Simmon's blacksmith shop while
they went shopping. On their
return they found the harness had
been cut to pieces, in fact, they
had to purchase a new set to get
home.
The first picnic of the Hern
family was held on July 30 at
Maple View Farm near Veil.
There were about 70 present.
Rev, L. C. Harvey of West
Lorne visited for a few days with
his parents Mr, and Mrs. J. S.
Harvey.
The local telephone service has
been enlarged and now ac-
commodates 300 phones.This in-
cludes the Thames Road System,
25 Years Ago
A minor earthquake occurred
here at ncion Friday. Only about
half of the residents felt the
tremor.
Hensel' Councillor Melvin Moir
Throughout the night, we kept
waking to grab onto a foot and
pull it and the head at the other
end away from the soaking tent
before pneumonia was added to
the list of nuisances for the
coming day.
That day wasn't long coming.
Some silly birds apparently
misread the sun and it wasn't
long before the incessant chatter
from the three campers next door
had the camp director stumbling
out of his tent. A look at the watch
showed it was a bright and early
6:00 a.m.
A fire was quickly made (by
one of the lads after the camp
director had failed in his six
attempts) and branches were cut
for tools on which to toast our
bread. Burned toast, we found, if
smothered in enough strawberry
jam isn't all that bad. It's
probably even good for the teeth.
The morning was spent in
wading through the river in
search of fishing holes, with the
camp director finding the most
holes (up to our armpits) while
slipping and sliding through the
slippery rocks of the Maitland.
A few "rookies" and "chub"
constituted our only catches of
the day and the boys decided it
was more fun swimming, while
the old man slumped over a
picnic table in the shade of a
nearby tree attempting to restore
his energies for re-packing the
tents, boys, empty pop cans,
three pieces of bread, an empty
strawberry jam jar and half a
pail of crayfish.
Mother was on hand to give us a
royal welcome and she was
naturally certain our outing had
been most enjoyable when our
two youngest sons gleefully
announced "we're going to do it
again next weekend too".
The camp director is presently
in hiding!
was instantly killed and Carl
Passmore, Edward Fink and
Jack Tudor were critically in-
jured when the car they were in
hit a truck at the intersection of
Highways 24 and 5, six miles
north of Brantford, late Tuesday
evening,
William Cann, Past Master of
Lebanon Forest Lodge, was
elected DDGM for Huron at the
Grand Lodge meeting in Toronto.
The annual staff picnic of the
Exeter Branch of the Bank of
Montreal was held at Turnbull's
Grove Wednesday, July 13. It was
a joint affair with the staff of the
new branch at Crediton and their
families.
15 Years Ago
The Times-Advocate has been
awarded the H. E. Rice Trophy
for the best local spot news
picture in Canada's weekly
newspapers this year. This was
the third national award won by
the T-A.
Threatened by the Ontario
Water Resources Commission
with an injunction to close the
canning plant, Exeter council
this week purchased a $4,000
irrigation system to dispose of
Now that my children are
grown, summers are relatively
peaceful and quiet. For the most
part, my time is my own and the
days pass leisurely and
pleasurably.
Sometimes, when the neigh-
borhood children walk by in
costume from playground I
vaguely remember times, long
ago, when I scurried around
frantically searching for a gypsy
dress, or a cowboy or Indian
outfit to suit whatever happened
to be the theme at playground
that week.
This morning, a young friend
apologized for taking so long to
answer the phone because, as she
explained, she was the audience
of one for a production put on by
her four children. "You should
see the get-up of them," she
laughed, "the girls all dolled up
and the boys mincing around in
dresses having a ball,"
When I hung up, sweet-sad
memories poured over me. I
recalled the endless plays, cir-
cuses and puppet shows that were
produced in our own back yard -
the freshie stands - the
playhouses made of cardboard
boxes - the laughter, the quarrels,
the fun, the tears.
For awhile I wished I could
turn back the clock and bring
back those dear little people of
years gone by who are now in
their own homes, some with
children of their own.
Then my mail came and by
coincidence ( or is there ever a
coincidence?) it contained this
prayer written by a young,
unknown reader (there was no
signature).
"0 dear Lord, here it is summer
again and the neighborhood
children are sitting on my
doorstep with my children, eating
my popsicles, drinking my
freshie, running in and out of my
house like it was their own.
"I don't mind it so much; but at
times I do lose my temper.
Forgive me for this and help me
to love them.
liquid waste from the local plant.
Mr. and Mrs. Rollie Williams,
RR 3 Exeter, returned. home
Sunday from a five-week trip to
the west coast during which they
visited a number of former
district residents.
Mr. Clarence Down, RR 1
Hensall, his son Bob and Shirley
Reynolds, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Lloyd Reynolds are un-
dergoing treatment after being
attacked by a rabid neighborhood
cat.
10 Years Ago
Reeve Elgin Thompson,
Tuckersmith Township, was
recently elected a director of the
Ontario Association of Mayors
and Reeves. It is the first time
Huron has been represented
among the directors of the group.
Exeter's three service clubs
and the Horticultural Society will
be asked to send representatives
to meet with RAP committee to
discuss plans for Exeter's cen-
tennial project fixing the river
flats at Riverview Park.
An improvement has been
made to the main Street in
Centralia with the installation of
new street lights and some of the
back streets, in darkness for
many years, have been brought
to life with the addition of light's,
"Maybe I should take some
time to read a few Bible stories to
them and play with them. I really
don't know.
"But it surely would be nice if
one of the other mothers would let
them play at their place for a
change.
"What am I to do, Lord? They
are running me ragged and into
the poor house. Give me the
patience, love and understanding
which I need so badly, Lord,
. . . and let the days fly by until
school opens again. Amen."
My dear, whoever you are, and
all you other distracted young
mothers, may I assure you that
`even this will pass.' My own
daughter phoned not long ago at
her wit's end, telling me of a
hectic morning when the neigh-
borhood kids had all fought in her
yard, all whined for 'something to
do,' and then one got pushed off
the landing getting scratched and
bruised. The final straw was
when another brought up all over
her kitchen floor. "And you tell
me," she stormed, "that these
are the best years of my
life . . Ha!"
Looking hack, I know that
while there were many good and
beautiful times I have to admit to
harried and trying days when I
scarcely knew what side was up;
when I fell into bed too tired to
say my prayers but thankful for
the oblivion that sleep brings.
You have asked God for
patience, love and un-
derstanding . . also for strength
and Help. Surely if you called on
one or two of the other mothers
you could arrange to take turns
so that each of you could have a
free day or afternoon every week.
If this is not forthcoming, just
hang in there and with God's help
you'll be able to carry through
with this very specioal mission
that He has given you to do.
And why not start writing down
all the funny things the children
say and do . . with your flair for
writing you may produce a book
one day. Happy summering and
God bless.
and others will find him boring,
People who are depressed are
frequently people who have no
interests, or perhaps in more
ultimate terms, no cause outside
themselves. In their day to day
affairs they are just keeping
house and not making a home;
they are just teachers and not
moulders of the next generation.
When we have no vision of life
in which we need to playour part
and play it well, life turns bitter.
I remember reaching a
description of the Middle Ages
and of the people who had to
accept a great deal of routine and
sameness their lives, more than
we could probably accept. Yet
the historian who wrote the
description comments that for
these people life was a great
drama because they saw their
lives embraced by and having to
do with God, They were part of a
great drama with God at the
centre of it.
I suppose there are some who
think that with the kind of daily
routine they have to go through,
there isn't anybody who will be
the better for it, Of course, I don't
know, but. I doubt whether anyone
would want to deny that there are
at least some people who could be
benefited because you are
around.
Pulling yourself out of the
center of things. It is quite
amazing how this affects our
mental health, In the last few
months the number of people
taking advantage of the Huron
Counseling service has slowed to
a near stand-still, I suspect that
with the warmer weather and the
children home, there are just a
hundred and one things to do.
There are vacations to plan and
outings to arrange. We are too
busy to think of ourselves, and
the Huron Counseling service has
slowed to a mere trickle.
do doubt with the return of fall
weather and fewer activities,
there will be those whose at-
tention will turn again on
themselves. Hopefully, most of us
will continue to seek interests
outside of ourselves.
Mind you, I'm not advocating
that we avoid taking a hard look
at ourselves by burying ourselves
under busyness. On the contrary,
I am suggesting that each of us
needs to know thatweal'e players
in a great drama, and that each
of us needs to play his or her part
well.
By REV. JACK ROEDA
There is a story I like rather
well. It concerns two stone cut-
ters. The one is dull and listless
and when he is asked about his
work, he answers with a shrug:
"I'm making a living." The other
stone cutter, off a little to the
side, chipping industriously at a
great block of marble and
whistling a tune is also asked
about his work. He answers:
"I'm building a cathedral." Two
men at the same job, and yet they
are miles apart.
The reason for their difference
' is not hard to find. When a man
looks down on his job and doesn't
regard it as being important, you
will find as a rule that he isn't
using it to anybody's advantage
but his own; and that isn't very
important.
Somehow we have to get
ourselves out of the middle of
things. I strongly suspect that
unless a person has something
that interests him more than
himself, he will find life boring,
Boredom
By ELMORE BOOMER
Counsellor for
Information South Huron
For appointment
phone: 235-2715 or 235-2474
y.
A,