The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-11-07, Page 4A larming increase 941a -7U4:40f,a4
THE TORONTO
POLICE FORCE
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SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
O.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC
Editor Bill Batten — Advertising Mahager
Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh
Women's Editor Terri Irvine
Phone 235,1331
Published Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0386
Paid in Advance Circulation
March 31, 1974, 5,309
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In case you haven't noticed, law en-
forcement officers, government officials
and industrial leaders have been advising
of late that the nation is experiencing an in-
creased problem due to alcohol.
Ontario Attorney-General Robert
Welch last week predicted that the tragic
combination of drinking and driving has
become the largest single cause of motor
accidents and will cost the people of the
province an estimated $130 million this
year,
Industrial leaders met recently in
Toronto to discuss the problem of alcohol
as it related to industry and their predic-
tion was that lo'ft time, lost production and
industrial acciqpnts related to drinking
workers was draining industry in the nation
of up to $1,000,000 for each working day.
Just last week, Exeter Police Chief
Ted Day noted that liquor offences in this
area had increased by at least 50 percent in
the past year and it is fair to say that this
increase is reflected in the amount of lost
A better report? time in area industries as well as the costly
accidents occurring on area roads. •
Oddly enough, many people fail to
realize they are paying the cost involved hi
alcohol abuse. Those costs are reflected in
the price they pay for their automobile in-
surance and in the price of goods put into
the market place by industrial and com-
mercial firms who are victimized by the
drinking habits of their employees,
It is becoming obvious, therefore, that
government intervention is required in an
effort to reduce the problem, because in-
dividuals have not shown the common
sense required to halt this increasingly
costly and dangerous habit.
Those who make money through the
sale of alcohol should also be reqiiired to
ensure that their customers are in a safe
condition to get behind the wheel of their
cars or to take their places on industrial
production lines.
Our heads have been buried in the sand
too long!
Pinching whose pennies?
Some action needed now
If the latest stories about UFOs
are true and we really are under
surveillence by men from outer
space, they must be completely
mystified and horrified at the
things they see happening in our
world.
Can you imagine them going
back to their own planet and
recounting the destruction of
millions of eggs, the burying of
turkeys, the slaughtering of
calves, the horrendous waste of
food by people in one section of
Planet Earth while thousands of
others are allowed to die from
starvation in another every day?
Can you imagine them sitting
around their conference tables
discussing with disbelief our
inhumanity toward our own? I
seem to hear them ask, "What
kind of a creature is this? Why
does he behave in this horrific
fashion?"
All of which causes me to
remember a piece ofwriting I
came upon several years ago and
which I've used before in a
column. It bears being repeated
again:
"I walked today through the
slums of life, down the dark
streets of wretchedness and of
pain. I trod today where few have
trod and as I walked I challenged
God,
I saw the sots in the bar-rooms.
I saw the prostitutes in the dance
halls. I saw the thieves as they
picked pockets. I saw men and
women devoid 'of life, living in
worlds of sin, and above the din I
whispered: "Why,God why?"
I walked down the lanes of
hate, hearing the jears of bitter
men, hearing_the names as they
cursed and spat, "Dago,'
Nigger," "Dike," "Jap." I saw
the dejected men 'they stoned. I
felt the anguish of their cries.
I saw them as they slapped the
lonely, as they turned their, backs
on human needs. Snarling and
growling were the fiends of hell,
'These, God called His sons?
Gasping for air, I cried: "Why,
God, Why?"
I walked through war's grim
dregs. I saw the headless, the
limbless, the pleading, the
crying. I saw the pain, the waste.
I smelled the odour of rotted
flesh.
I saw the children gathered
round „ . . watching, naked,
hungry, weeping, diseased to
nurse from a dead mother, The
ruins . the agony , . the
despair!
Disaster , ,. disaster all
around!
Blinded with tears, I fled down
these streets, I stumbled, then
stopped. I shouted,
"WHY, GOD WHY? Why do
you let man sin, hate and suffer?
Unmerciful Father, God, art
Thou blind „ . art Thou wicked
and cruel? God, canst Thou
watch and do naught? Why must
this be?"
The world grew Silent, I
awaited a reply. The silence was
heavy. I started to. tremble, I
waited long . . . half rebuking,
half fearing. Then I heard from
close behind me: "Why, Man,
why?" (Unquote)
A United Nations World Food
Conference is meeting in Rorrfe
from November 5 to 16, Our
Prime minister and his aides are
in attendanCe. Canada as the
second largest exporter of,
cereals in the world has a crucial
role to play at this meeting.
There are voices in our country
who suggest using this world food
crisis to shore up our power in
international trade. One member
of parliament wrote recently,
"How will we decide which
hungry foreign nation should
have the privilege of buying
Canadian wheat next month?"
What, then, will Canada do?
Will she play power politics or
will she take unselfish measures
to help feed the more than 400
million/people who are hungry?
This should be the concern of
every Canadian. Our prayers
should be constantly upholding
our leaders as they attend this
conference to hammer out
policies that are humane and
just. -
We should also be writing
letters to our members of
parliament and to the Prime
Minister expressing our concerns
on this vitally important world
issue.
If we can lay aside our greed
and work together with other
nations in solving this crisis
maybe the day will come when
the little men from space will go
home with a happier report on our
doings.
Huron County council has reiterated its
opposition to the Mustard report in no un-
certain terms, The proposal to group all
health services into large regions, with
consequent disappearance of local
decision-making functions in the health
care field, is unacceptable in the form
proposed.
Huron's clerk-treasurer, John Berry, is
quoted as saying he believes that some of
the proposals of the report are already be-
ing implemented, citing the difficulties ex-
perienced by the Goderich hospital in
securing funds for an enlargement and ren-
ovation program.
The irritating part about all these
provincially-managed programs is the
assumption that the money required for the
maintenance of local services has to be
"given" by Queen's Park. Where do they
think that money comes from in the first
place? Those funds do not belong to a group
of politicians and civil servants. Health in-
surance premiums and personal taxes have
provided the money these men have been
elected and appointed to manage and to dis-
burse.
We would tend to agree with Mr.
Berry. It has become quite a common prac-
tice 'redent "y'e'ers to go through the
motions of a "study", publish a report, os-
tensibly so the public can make its com-
ments, favorable or otherwise, for the
guidance of government. Later we usually
discover that government knew what it in-
tended to do all the time and the report is
merely an exercise in token democraCy.
We can think of no other service which
has contributed as much to the quality of
life in smaller communities than the
development of locally-governed hospitals
in which patients can receive treatment
close to their homes and families. If the
decision-making process is removed from
local hospital boards and placed in the
hands of regional bodies, subject to the
veto of the provincial ministry of health, a
great deal of the basic values of local
hospital care will be lost for all time.
It is quite true that local hospital
boards make mistakes, but so, too, do the
wizards at Queen's Park. And when the
boys in Toronto make a booboo it's usually
a dandy. And they are making the biggest
mistake of their political lives if they
believe that rural Ontario is going to sit
still for the changes in health services
proposed*by the Mustard report.
Wingham Advance'-Times
Our response to now
fixed incomes fighting the daily
battle against inflation that was
just too much to sacrifice on
treats for others.
The thought struck us - too late
unfortunately - that those of us
with children should have taken'
our supplY,of handouts to some of
these elderly residents so they
could have enjoyed the visits of
the children.
Perhaps if the situation
remains for next year, that's a
project that some people should
consider. Or perhaps we should
consider reverting to those
community parties that we en-
joyed as a youngster, thanks to
the local Lions.
Then, the emphasis was placed
on winning prizes for best
costumes, although each
youngster went home with'a bag
of treats. That was a small paper
bag of course, and not a big
plastic garbage bag the kids fill
up these days.
There's no doubt most
youngsters arrive home with far
too many treats for their own
good health and it may be that
some alternate activity
°I./Halloween would be welcome.
We've got one year in which to
decide. What are your opinions?
By ELMORE BOOMER
Counsellor for
Information South Huron ,
For appointment
pnone: 235-2/15 or 235-2474
An accidental spillage on the
pavement, or clothing presents a
potential hazard and death trap
and may be overlooked by a
motorist in a hurry.
It is questionable if the
average motorist should in fact
be dispensing gasoline and it is
obviously a matter that should be
mote carefully examined by safety 'officials.'
. It may have gone unnoticed by
some of the younger goblins and
ghosts, but a brief tour around
Exeter Halloween night indicated
that a large number of people
appeared to be "away."
Many homes were • in total
darkness, an obvious move by
some to keep young trick or
treaters from visiting.
In many cases, that action is
most understandable. The cost of
treats this year was exceedingly
high and for some of our older
residents it no doubt would have
been just too much burden to,
supply all the visitors with treats.
By the same token, we imagine
it was a difficult decision for
some of these senior citizens to
make, because they love to have
the children call. It was strictly a
matter of financing.
Some local residents no doubt
dispersed $5 to $7 worth of treats
(one man said he spent $15 and
still ran out) and for those on
Rural living now
One of the problems ex-
perienced by columnists and
editorial writers is the fact that
some of their thoughts are out-
dated by the time they appear in
print.
Two weeks ago, for instance,
this writer discussed the leaf
problem and then before ''the
article was printed, council id&
stepslfor tarred the
o!Tlien -Alas Week' We' prePared
some, comments in our 'column,
regarding the town hall,i" and
again before that was in print,
council had also discusSed the
matter.
However, while twe members
did indicate some concern for the
building, no action was taken and
we decided to print the column as
pre-Pared prior to council's
Monday night session. It appears
to be still applicable although in
fairness we did want to mention
that council discussed the
situation.
It's a time to remember
There is nothing drearier, for
anybody who is not one, than an
"Old Sweat"; unless it is a
collection of Old Sweats, ex-
changing cheerful lies and trying
to drink Canada dry, about this
time every year,
Although I'm not much for the
old soldier bit, I find myself, each
year, doing a lot of remembering
when Remembrance Day rolls
around.
Just the other day, I came
across a photo that brought-back
a lot of memories. There were the
two of us. Tony Frombola,
grinning as though he owned the
world, and looking over his
shoulder, with a crop of dark
hair, a huge, sweeping, handle-
bar moustache and a devlish glint
in his eye, yours truly.
I think it was taken in Brussels,
shortly after we "escaped" from
prison camp. We didn't actually
escape. We just got sick and tired
of hanging around, and left.
The blasted war had been over
for about seven days, and there
we were, stuck behind barbed
wire. The only difference bet-
ween that and the situation a
month before was that the guard
up in the sentry boxes were
Russians, instead of Germans.
At our camp, our incarceration
didn't end with the Yanks or the
British rolling into the camp
in jeeps, and throwing cigarettes
and chocolate bars to the joyful
prisoners, who wept and kissed
their liberators.
We were "liberated" by the
Russians. They didn't have any
cigarettes to throw around, they
didn't know what a chocolate bar
was, and they didn't particularly
want to be kissed. They threw a
guard around the camp and told
us to stay put. Our senior officers
told us the same. They didn't
want us wandering around the
countryside being shot by some
drunken Rooshian.
Bored silly, Tony and I decided
we'd had enough of that dump.
So, about four o'clock one mor-
ning we nipped the wires with a
pair of borrowed wire-clippers,
crawled several hundred feet
through grass (very wet), and
headed for home.
It sounds incredibly daring and
fool-hardy, and it did make the
heart thump a bit, but it wasn't
either of those. It was just stupid.
However we made it to the
Canadian lines in three days,
hitching and hiking and a very
enjoyable time we had of it. In
fact we . caught a plane 'to
Brussels, another to England and
were there about four days before
the other chickens got out of the
coop.
Frombola was an irrepressible'
character. He was a Yank, from
Oakland, California, who had
joined the RCAF. Most of his
compatriots switched to the US
air force when the latter got into
the war, but Tony didn't bother.
He didn't bother about much of
anything except enjoying life.
He had a big, homely mug, but
was a terror with the ladies. He
was strong and tough and cynical
and witty.
This may be hard to believe,
but this incident, which I per-
sonally witnessed, showed what
he was made of.
It was August, 1944. One'
evening, after flying we decided
to walk down to the beach in
Normandy, There was nothing of
interest to do back at the wing,
and the padres had cleaned up
the tiny whiskey supply in the
mess.
At the beach, a Liberty ship
was unloading jeeps. There was a
line of them, parked on the sand,
guarded by two British soldiers.
Tony walked up to one of them
and said: "How much do you
want for a jeep, buddy?" I nearly
fell over.
"Five quid," responded the
Limey. He was always flush, as
he was a gambler and a dealer.
He drove the jeep away to a place
of privacy, rounded up some
paint, and painted RCAF roun-
dels and the legend "Canada" on
it.
He was the only lowly Flying
Officer to have his own jeep
during the Normandy campaign,
and he made good use of it, such
as visiting field hospitals. Not to
visit the sick and wounded, but to
date nurses.
• We came home on the same
ship. He picked up five hundred
— Please turn to Page 5
creek water taken in September,
The Ontario Water Resources
Commission indicated to Council
Monday night.
James Street United Church
celebrated its 97th anniversary
on Sunday with Rev. Clayton H.
Seale associate secretary of the
missionary and maintenance
department, Toronto, as the
speaker.
Mrs. Melvin Gaiser, Shipka
was crowned sweetheart of Beta
Sigma Phi sorority Friday night
during the local chapter's annual
ball in Exeter Legion Hall.
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Times Established 1873
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An elderly friend of ours
dropped into the office this week
after taking his annual driver's
test to get his licence renewed.
He had been at the local town
hall and questioned why town
officials were taking no steps to
p'revent further decay of that
building by the installation of
proper eavestroughing.
As the engineers pointed out, a
major part of the exterior decay
has been created by the lack of
down- spouts. This 'has caused
water to soak down the side of the
building, deteriorating the bricks
and creating a heaving problem
in the winter when the frost goes
to work.
It's a good question and one we
couldn't answer.
Despite the attitude of most
council members that the
building should be replaced, we
are of the opinion they should
take the necessary steps to at
least 'investigate the costs of
preventing further deterioration
by installing proper
eavestroughs.
Every indication is that the
building will be standing for some
time yet and lack of preventative
maintenance at this time may
well place the building in
jeopardy and force its demise
before alternate facilities are
available.
Having been advised of the
problem several months ago,
council's lack of action would
place the blame for such a
problem squarely on their
shoulders,
+ + +
Those self-service gasoline
outlets are springing up more
frequently in most major centres
and nadoubt will soon spread into
rural Ontario as well,
While the savings%which result
from this type of outlet may be
welcomed by most motorists, the
safety factor is one which they
should also take into con-
sideration.
Gasoline is one' of the most
dangerous products on the
market, and must be handled
carefully and by responsible
people who are aware of the
dangers and know how to handle
it.
50 Years Ago
Rev., W. E.Donnelly B.A.,
pastor of James St., Methodist=
Church has received a call to
Central Methodist, Stratford to
become their pastor at the next
conference year.
The Exeter Junior Farmers'
Improvement Association held
their regular monthly meeting in
Senior's Hall on Thursday
evening. The organization held
their annual election of officers,
the tresults of which are as
follows: president Wilfred
Shapton; vice-president - Horace
Delbridge; secretary-treasurer -
Harry Strang; auditors - Earl
Shapton and Clarence Down,
25 Years Ago
.A Board of Management was
set up for the Crediton Public
Library consisting' of nine
members with ReV. H. Currie
chairman.
William Cook, who for the past
17 years has conducted a grocery
business in Exeter, has sold out to
Wesley Ryckman.
Mrs. W, E. Middleton was
installed as worthy matron of
Exeter Chapter OES for 1949-50
Wednesday afternoon.
The third annual banquet for
Winchelsea ,school pupils, their
parents and the school trustees
was held in Elimville United
Church. Harvey Sperling is the
teadher, "
' 10 Years Ago
Several telephone operators in
the area will complete their
duties this weekend as the "voice
with the smile" will be replaced
by a dial tone. Exeter residents
will have Lucan, Hensall and
Kirkton exchanges added to their
free calling district.
Usborne Township council
decided Monday to establish
parks on two' sites of former
public schools in the township.
Parks will be established at the
Zion and Hurondale sites.
P. D. Ritchie, deputy' clerk
treasurer at Riverside for the
past year, has been appointed
clerk-treasurer of Bo'sanquet
Ts:MI-Ship. He succeeds Donald
Frayne.
Mrs. Harold Taylor was named
president of the Women's
Auxilliary to South Huron
Hospital at the annual meeting
Tuesday afternoon, She succeeds
Mrs. R. C. Dinney,
15 Years Ago
Arsenic poisoning which killed
one cattle beast this spring Was
not present in two samples of
Stress is a new fact in rural
living. This is the point of a recent
column by Mr. Norman Webster.
Rural living promises freedom
to city dwellers. Skies can be
seen, Space is 'a luxurious reality.
Green fields, bush lots, un-
polluted streams rise up
vigorously in the dreams of the
people stacked and crowded in
cities.
So they buy country estates.
Mr. William Stewart the Ontario
Minister of Agriculture and a
farmer from Middlesex County
calls them "rururbanites". Their
impact on the rural community is
not all that positive,
Often these do not com-
municate with the community
around them. They are colonists
from another culture. They do not
bring values with them that are
in tune with rural living. 'They
desire to remain independent.
Their fields grow weeds and their
line fences fall down.
Here is just another shocking
impact upon rural living - one in a
, long procession.
There is a faster pace in the
country now. The farmer is a
man with a huge investment in
land, animals and machinery. A
crop failure, a'wrong move can
brinebankruptcy. The end comes
quickly at times. "Stress has
become a fact of life on many of
rural concessions."
Farmers are easily divorced
from their land. Big city jobs
beckon; farms must be enlarged
to survive; land values make
farming seem an unreasonable
sacrifice. Families and farms no
longer belong together. In the
1971 census only 5.1 per cent of
The readers write
Dear Sir,
Friday I went Christmas
shopping then to get groceries.
While shopping some kind soul
relieved me of my gifts. •
I would just like to say I wish
who ever it was, a very Merry
Christmas. The boy'whose , gifts
you so kindly took had just lost
his father through cancer and
brother twenty, in an accident, So
what is the difference if he
doesn't have a good Christmas.
I pray you needed them more
than I, if so please enjoy them
and Merry Christmas.
Sincerely
Gloria M. Vincent Exeter
Ontario's population truly far-
med.
Farmers now have to be in-,
dependent of each other and
more dependent on themselves
and their machinery. No more
barn raisings, or threshing times,
Labour is a moral problem for
our farm communities. Work is
hard and pay is low. Abuses do
exist. Yet labour strife on the
farm front could bankrupt many
employers overnight. Even now
management decisions in
Toronto or striking rail unionists
can have direct effe6t on the
farmer. The vagaries of weather
have become incidental when
compared with economic forces,
And there are the hungry the
world around. All are conscious
of North America's responsibility
for those who are not eating. "As
a society, we're ready to fight
starvation to the last farmer".
But there is little en-
couragement to the farmer to
grow the needed food and no
guarantee of a fair return for
labour expended. Netting $4,400
per farm family is not enough.
Nor do we suppose this figure is
representative of all farmers.
Corporations pass on mark-ups
to consumers to shore up very
adequate profits but farmers are
largely in the hands of others as
far as prices to themselves are
concerned.
Cheap food at the expense of
the farmer has been good for the
urbanites. They are able to save
estates!
money to buy their country
The crunch seems to be on
everyone. But, 'with more being
demanded and resources drying
up, surely a ;negotiation con-
cerning the division of the
rewards is in the offing.
And lest we think this is a local
issue only it is well to remind
ourselves that the same division
is present on a large scale the
world round. The third world
looks up to the urban western
societies and demands an
evening, up.
A new world consciousness is
demanded. A new leadership
which concerns itself with world-
wideproblem-solving is required.
Gone are the days when
parochial answers are sufficient,
And of course we cannot
continue to buy country estates in
the underdeveloped world
around.
4
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