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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-08-18, Page 4It is still not known whether the Exeter rodeo was much of a financial success this year, but the small handful of people behind the event should get full marks for their efforts. Enthusiasm for the rodeo has dwindled in recent years and the work has been carried on by just a few individuals in what was described as a "labor of love" by one member. While producer Mel Wakefield took some of the workload off their shoulders, it was still a sizeable undertaking for the few who were involved at the local level. Certainly, secretary Jack Malone was one of the most untiring of those in- dividuals and he, along with the others who helped, deserve considerable praise for the manner in which this year's event was con- ducted. They may not have been abundantly rewarded at the box office, but they must obviously enjoy the satisfaction of knowing their efforts again provided top notch entertainment for the rodeo enthusiasts of Western Ontario. Back to 'square one' Within a month school doors will swing open to welcome back countless young peo- ple in search of knowledge, Almost simultaneously those entrusted with ad- ministering the system will begin searching for ways and means to improve the ever-changing techniques. Thoughts printed in the Mt. Kisco, N.Y., Patent Trader offer an interesting reflection. "Once upon a time, there was a little red schoolhouse with one big room for 27 children. They sat in rows facing the teacher, the littlest ones in front. The youngest was seven, and she was very lit- tle. .The biggest was 16, and he was six feet tall. The youngest was smart, and she could read. The biggest was dumb, but strong and could help carry in wood. In bad weather, he carried the littlest girl across the puddle in front of the schoolhouse. And sometimes she helped him with his reading. "Then one day a big highway was built, right past the schoolhouse door. And people from the education department came by and said, "Great things are happening in education. There are special teachers for arithmetic, reading, art and music. If you combined with other schoolhouses, you could have a great big school with all the advantages." So the parents voted to con- solidate, and the little red schoolhouse was abandoned. "At first things went well in the big school. But after a while, the education department said that it wasn't providing the children with enough meaningful ex- periences. And some parents complained that the children were not learning to read and write and figure as well as they had in the little red schoolhouse. "We will try some new things," said the educators. So they tried the ungraded primary, where fast readers were not slowed down by slow readers, and where children who had trou- ble with numbers did not get moved on to the next grade before they could add. "We will try something more," the educators said, "We will tear down some walls in the new school, so the children will be working together in one big room. That' way there will be less peer-group com- petition". "Finally, an important educator came along, looked at the school and said, "This is good, but it is not good enough. It is too big, and the children are losing their identi- ty. There are not enough interpersonal relationships in the infrastructure. What we really need is a one room schoolhouse. And since red is a cheerful colour, I think we will paint it red." " exeferZimesainsorafe SERVING.CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., 0.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager Jim Beckett Plant Manager — Bill Weekley Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager Dick Jong kind Phone 235-1331 +CNA Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circa lafiion September 30, 1975 5,409 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 OPENING' Tickets Now Available For South Huron Rec Centre Thurs., Sept. 1 • Walter Ostanek $10.00 Per Couple Fri., Sept. 2 • Giant Bingo $1100 In Prizes Plus Share-The-Wealth WEEKEND Sat., Sept. 3 • Tommy Dorsey Band $10.00 Per Person Sun. Sept. 4 • Beef Barbecue $4.00 Advance $4.50 Gate Mon., Sept. 5 • Liverpool $3,00 Per Person The Canadian Federation of Independent Business fyt A Pat Hand Page 4 Times-Advocate, August 18, 1977 The recent survey conducted by the Ad- diction Research Foundation was probably startling for most area residents, in view of the fact Huron schools were included in the statistics. It was found that one quarter of all students had used marijuana or hashish in the past 12 months and a total of 81,9 per- cent had used alcohol in the same period. This was not a survey of senior classes only. It included students in grades seven and up. Statistics on the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco were staggering. In fact, the statistics indicate that many students have a serious problem and Addiction research Airforce yarns that many of their cohorts are bordering on the danger zone. Hopefully, the survey will shock parents, teachers and board members into some immediate discussion of the problem and how the figures can be reduced. That leadership can best come at the board level and perhaps a study group in- volving everyone concerned in the matter (and that obviously should include some students) could be established to determine a course of action. That should be done as quickly as possi- ble, because there is every indication the problems are rapidly increasing and are reaching epidemic proportions. I'm engaged in writing a few yarns for Airforce, the official magazine of the RCAF Associa- tion. Naturally, this has brought back a lot of memories, some a bit grim, some pretty hilarious. As the old mind's eye wandered back, something hit me like a cold douche. Not that I've ever taken a cold douche. Why were we so keen to get killed? In this age of dropouts, draft dodgers and deserters, it seems incredible that thousands of young Canadian males, back in the Forties, were almost fran- tic to get into the air force, into air crew, and into a squadron, where the chances were ex- cellent they'd be dead within a couple of months, From the point of view of com- mon sense, reason, logic, it was not any brighter than the Children's Crusade of the Middle Ages, Why? Certainly we had no death wish. We had no deep urge to immate ourselves in the breath of the war dragon. We weren't even running to the battlements to protect our homes, our wives and children. Most of us were in school, or just recently out, and didn't have none of them there things. Oh, we knew we had to "Stop thet bawstawd Hitlah!" as Churchill once told us on an air- field in Normandy. We knew rather vaguely that we were defending democracy and un- employment against the monsters of totalitarianism and full employment, although it was a bit puzzling that totalitarian Russia was on our side. We knew joining up was the thing to do, that most of our friends were doing it, that a fellow looked pretty fine in a un- iform, that the girls were im- pressed and the hitch-hiking easier. But why the air force? And why air crew, where the dice were loaded so heavily? Did we avoid the army because we didn't want to be exposed to the rude and licentious soldiery and get all dirty and grimy in ac- tion? Or the navy because we preferred a fiery grave to a watery one? I just don't know, but most of my friends, and most of their friends, chose the air force, and were dead keen on getting into air crew. Within a bare few years, most of them were a lot less keen, and many were a lot more dead. As I recall, it was a real downer for those who failed the tough medical test for air crew, Once chosen, you were filled with despair if you were going for pilot and had to settle for bomb-aimer, just because you were a little cross-eyed. Once in training, it was a shattering experience to be "washed out" of air crew merely because you had badly bent up one of His Majesty's aircraft by trying to land at 40 feet up, or had wound up 300 miles off course on a cross-country train- ing flight, It was devastating if you wanted to be a fighter pilot and were shipped off to lumber- ing old bombers, I have friends who still bear a deep scar on the psyche because they were made flying instruc- tors and spent the rest of the war in Canada, This despite the fact they were chosen as instructors because they were far better pilots than the rest of us. This despite the fact that many of the pilots they trained were dead, dead, in no time. None of this was any consolation. They still feel they missed something irrecoverable. Well I know what they missed. They missed the stupidity of senior officers who didn't know whether they were punched or bored. They missed long, deadly dull periods of training, and short, intense moments of sheer terror. They missed being shot at, physically, by perfect strangers, and shot down, verbally, by peo- ple on their own side. They missed the utter blind confusion of the amateurs in charge of the war. Migawd, those idiots lost an entire wing of Typhoons for a full week. Nobody, least of all Intelligence, had a clue where it was. I air-hitched all over southern England and northern France before I found the blasted thing, all on my own. Let's see, have I left anything out? Well maybe I have. First I'll take that back about stupid senior officers. There were plen- ty of those in Canada, too, so you didn't miss that, Perhaps you missed the joy of climbing out of your aircraft after an operation, lighting a cigarette, and talking a wild blue streak of relief and let-down. I guess you missed the glory of heading off for a week's leave in a strange country, loaded with lust, a month's pay in your pocket, and the secret sweetness in your head of knowing that Several members of the newspaper fraternity are con- cerned about a new CBC show which had its pilot run earlier this summer. The show is en- titled "Fit to Print" and centers around a weekly newspaper in a small Canadian community. While most people in the newspaper business are natural- ly pleased that the CBC have used their business as the setting for a show, they are more than a little concerned about the image that will emerge. The pilot program indicates that the show depicts conditions as they existed in our business many years ago, but unfortunate- ly the time frame is clearly to- day. The first of the planned series begins with the arrival of the "big city" newsman (who covered the birth of the Dionne quintuplets) in a small town (in a modern car) to take over the operation of a small weekly newspaper. Unhappy with the staff's idea of what makes news, the new owner sends them off and proceeds to put the paper out single handedly. It's designed as a comedy, and while even newspaper folk can laugh at themselves, they're con- cerned about the image of the show. Canadian weekly newspapers have spent the last 10 to 15 years improving their product with highly sophisticated equipment and well-trained staff and the TV show unfortunately does not recognize this fact as it depicts life in a weekly newspaper more in keeping with that of a quarter century ago. They argue, quite correctly, that when a medical series is developed the doctors don't use herbs as cures. When a police series is aired the police don't use muskets. When a series is developed about a television sta- tion, the setting is modern. "We sincerely hope that if 'Fit to Print' reaches full birth as a series, it is allowed to reflect more closely the industry today where weeklies have advanced technology, professional staffs and where they serve a vital role in the community," suggests an editorial in the Milton Champion. The alternative, of course, is to allow the series to continue in its present antiquated vein, but more realistically with the editor driving around in his horse and buggy and asking central to con- nobody would be shooting at you for seven days. And you did, I must admit, miss the girls. Not all of those fumblings in the blackout were frustrating. But I still say we were all crazy to volunteer, and even vie to be killed. Must write a paper on that some day. Times Established 1873 nect him by phone with one of his news sources. + + + While the increase in gasoline prices was expected to create a drop in tourism this summer, that doesn't appear to be the case, judging from our recent ex- perience on a short trip south of the border, Our destination was the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn and it appeared to be the destination of a few thou- sand other people as well. Motels in Detroit were booked solidly and people who hadn't made advance reservations were out of luck. So, if you plan a trip to that area this summer, we suggest you plan well in advance . . or at least take along a tent. Another suggestion that could save some embarrassment for travellers is that they don't take Dear Mr. Batten, This letter is in reference to the town of Exeter's disregard of the beautiful trees in this town that seem to be disappearing as of late. First the trees on Andrew street between Sanders and James fell to the saws. Then the trees in front of the Post Office were next to fall. Then if that wasn't enough two beautiful chestnut trees on the corner of Sanders and Main came down! I had hopes that that was, but leave it to the saws; they took down all the big trees on the corner of Gidley and Main, There was a piece in the London Free Press the Saturday after the trees on Sanders and Main were removed in which it was reported that the people in one subdivision were so proud of theirs that they took care of the trees themselves. It was also mentioned that it took many years for a tree to grow, but only minutes to remove them! I certainly do hope that the town has very good reasons for the destruction of natural beauty, Yours, Ron van Amerongen P.S. A copy of this letter has also been sent to the Town Council c/o Mayor Bruce Shaw ANYTIME... ANYWHERE... awattyke ANYBODY Advocate Established 1881 their kids if they plan to visit museums. It was rather shocking to find that many of the articles includ- ed in the Ford collection were items which were in common use in the writer's childhood. Admit- ting that fact to your offspring can result in some questionable glances. After tramping around the village and museum for the better part of a day, one also comes to the conclusion that his legs should be included in one of the exhibits. + + + The Exeter Fall Fair is still over five weeks away, but the prize list is already off the presses and available to those in- terested in exhibiting at the an- nual event. It's one of the earliest publica- tion dates for the prize list, so there won't be any excuses for people wanting to display their wares. Copies are available at the T- A. + Any area farmers concerned about the speed with which motorists pass their farms could consider the solution used by a mid-western farmer in the U.S. He was fed up with the speeding traffic that was en- dangering the lives of his family and livestock and solved the problem by erecting a simple sign. The message on the sign? "Slow down for nudist camp crossing." + + + Many area folk who vacation across the country often find themselves caught up in some rush hour traffic and escape that madness with a realization of how fortunate they are in not having to cope with it daily as do their city cousins. While many people schedule their trips through cities to avoid such rushes, that is often dif- ficult and may be explained by the following item about a Los Angeles man who was trying to solve a problem related to rush hour, He told a friend he was trying to decide whether he should leave for work between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. and join the rush to beat the rush; or leave between 7:00 and 8:00 and join the rush itself; or to leave after 8:30 a.m. and join the rush that waited to miss the rush. In other words, travellers are well advised to take the bypass. Amalgamated 1924 55 YEARS AGO On Saturday evening last the large bank barn of Mr. Thos, Ross, 12th concession of Usborne, was totally destroyed by fire together with the season's crop of hay and grain, two calves, about 70 hens and the machinery. Mr. Ross was work- ing in the barn when a lantern either exploded or fell over, The flames spread so rapidly that nothing could be done to save any of the contents, The Editor of the Times and his wife motored to Milverton on Friday last and attended the an- nual meeting of the Perth and Huron District Association, be- ing guests of the President, Mr. Malcolm McBeth of the Milver- ton Sun. At the bowling tournament on Friday evening, Messrs, T. Pryde, E. Harness and W. Rivers were successful in winning the first prize. Messrs. E. Harvey, W, Sanders and J, G. Cochrane were second. The evaporator in Exeter is proving a boon to farmers of this section as they now have a means of disposing of their sur- plus apples. 30 YEARS AGO Huron County Library Associa- tion mobile library—a new book truck filled with shelves—starts its tour of the county early in September. Mr. Ted Davies has disposed of his residence on Andrew Street to Wallace G. Seldon. Mr. and Mrs. Davies will move to Forest. Public School will open Tues- day with C. Blowes, principal, and teachers Mrs, Armstrong, Miss Grace Pepper, Miss Marion Forbes, Miss Jean Cann and Miss Helen Walper. The Hooper reunion was held at the home of Mrs. Edgar Hooper, St. Marys on Monday. Miss Doris Mitchell has joined the Bell Telephone staff. 20 YEARS AGO Officials of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Associa- tion inspected modern grain- by JIM SMITH Politics is a poker game. The stakes are higher than normal, but it's poker none- theless. When the players don't hold strong hands, they try to bluff their way through. Occasionally, though, someone calls the player's bluff. And that's when the fun begins. At this very moment. one of the more interesting hands is being played out in Ottawa. The players include representatives of big busi- ness, organized labour, and the federal government. Big business and organ- ized labour want an immedi- ate end to the Anti-Inflation Board — even if the ultimate result is intolerably high inflation. Government, with fortunes that are closely tied to the level of inflation, is less willing to dispense with the A113, Recognizing that they don't hold strong hands, the business and labour repre- sentatives have tried to bluff. They argue that business conditions now are un- favourable to large wage or price increases even without the AIB. Therefore, the argu- ment concludes, the govern- ment should do away with the AIB. The government, after listening patiently to this fuzzy thinking, has called the bluff of the business- labour coalition, Big business and organized labour are being invited to put their money where their mouths are. The government has handling machinery in the elevator of Cann's Mill Ltd, dur- ing their tour of Huron County this week. They visited Jones, MacNaughton Seed Ltd., SHDHS and district farms, Ausable Authority has purchased 106 acres of land on the site of the proposed dam and reservoir near Parkhill. SHDHS graduates have been awarded three of the four 000 university bursaries provided'for Huron County by the Ontario Department of Education. They are Robert Clarke, Stephen township; Beverley McLean, Ex- eter, and Donald Peterson, Dashwood. Trudy and Marguerite Pickard, daughters of Clerk C. V. Pickard and Mrs, Pickard, have returned from an eight-week tour of Europe. The sisters, both school teachers in Hamilton, travelled thousands of miles through Western Europe, England and Scotland, 15 YEARS AGO Huron County is not affected by the small pox threat which hit Toronto and New York over the weekend, according to Huron MOH Dr, Robert, Aldis, Goderich, Town council Monday night agreed upon a program to reclaim the swamp land in the northeast section of Riverview Park as part of the long-range development project for the area, Ontario Hydro plans to erect a transformer station on No. 4 highway, just south of Centralia. To be known as the Centralia Transformer station, it will provide better distribution facilities to Exeter, Centralia, Dashwood, Lucan, Grand Bend, Parkhill and Ailsa Craig, Bill Batten's sports page has won second place in the 1962 better newspapers competition of the Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association. The T- A was second to the Stouffville Tribune in the best sports page competition. coun Le red with a very reason- able proposal. The Al D. will be dropped on October 14th, exactly two years after its birth, provided that business and labour agree to three conditions, First, big business and labour must agree to volun- tary wage and price restraint - at levels lower than are allowed by the mandatory controls that are presently in effect. Second, government would set up a watchdog agency to investigate abnormal wage settlements and price hikes. Federal government activi- ties would also come under the agency's spotlight. Finally, business and la- bour leaders would partici- pate in a multi-partite con- sultative forum to advise the Cabinet. The forum would be made up of representa- tives from small busintss, agriculture, and consumers as well as big business and organized labour. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is delighted with the proposals, which are basically in line with Federation recommen- dations dating back two years or more, "Even though our members would like to see the AID retained until the new year," Federation president John Bulloch ex- plains, "we believe they will be willing to accept an earlier end to formal controls in ex- change for these three pro- visions." In this particular game, the government is holding all the cards, Rodeo IEUTRON BOMB n1115 PEOPLE 01E5 BUILDINGS DEVELOPED By o.5, Show concern "My girl-friend would be safe — she's built like a . . . •