The Rural Voice, 1978-09, Page 13A matter of principle
by J. Carl Hemingway
Back to work again!
My wife and I took a holiday to go "West" where we still have
two of our sons.
Other times we took our car. This year was different. Our son
David, who lived in Saskatoon for several years. and who is now
back in Huron County, has a friend who is the Blue Bird bus
dealer in Saskatoon.
it so happened that David and family wanted to visit Saskatoon
en holidays and renew old acquaintances and the Bus dealer had
two buses on order at Brantford.
.David drove one and I drove the other. We left July 19th by
way of Sarnia.
Since 1 expected to drive somewhat slower my wife and I
started ,off a little sooner and arrived in Port Huron
prod -afternoon.
The bus only had a transit license had to have it bended.
There was a rush on at the custom office and I had no experience.
The clerk at the custom office asked for my driver's license which
(gave him and he said he'd give it back when I had obtaincd the
bonding papers.
There were several tri+i.kers ahead of me and it was about an
bur before I got back to the customs desk. The clerk 1 spoke to
had gone off shift and I forgot about my license.
I was about half way to Mackenac when I remembered.
I was driving without a license!
I stopped for gas and phoned back to Port Huron. Yes! They
had nay license.
I asked if David had come through. Yes! He had left about half
an hour ago. What did 1 want them to do with the license?
I told them to mail it to our son Don at Melita, Manitoba.
Off we went again, driving even more carefully. 1 had no
desire to talk with a state patrolman.
We stayed over night at a motel in Grayling where David and
family caught up with us. We made it to Superior the next night
and parted company in the morning when we headed north to
Kenora to visit overnight with Laurel and her husband and
family where we had a delicious fresh "perch" supper. They
seem to grow big in the north and are not difficult to catch.
Saturday night we caught up to David's who had stopped to
visit Don & family at Melita.
We arrived in Saskatoon Sunday evening so I made it from
lbrt Huron to Saskatoon without my driver's license but not
without a couple of anxious moments.
When we arrived over the Manitoba border I had to get a
Manitoba Transit license. The officer asked for my license and
when I told hm 1 couldn't show it to him he looked a bit shocked.
However when I told him it was in the mail to Melita and that
Eleanor had her driver's license he was quite co-operative and
tilt her license number on the Transit license.
I was also told that I could get the Saskatchewan Transit
license at the Police weigh station just inside the border.
However it was Sunday and the station was closed so we kept on
going but 1.4 k out of Saskatoon a couple of R.C.M.P. noticed
the Manitoba Transit license.
One was a bit hostile but the other, apparently the senior
officer, was quite understanding and we completed the delivery
cl the bus. It was hard on gas, about 8 miles to the gallon and,
since I only had one passenger, a bit bumpy but we enjoyed the
experience and there was plenty of room.
Monday morning we caught a flight to Edmonton and after
about a three hour wait on to Grande Prairie,arriving about 4
pm. The weather was cloudy so we didn't see much of the
mi
We visited with Ray and Elaine and had a good look at the
farming area. Thursday afternoon we flew down to Calgary, with
Ray at the controls. and stayed over night then took a flight out to
Regina and a bus to Melita. We spent four days with Don and
family where 1 accompanied Don on some of his calls, learning
something of the dairy and beef farming in the arca. Hog
farming has almost disappeared in southern Manitoba but both
dairy and beef farmers presently seem happy.
Wednesday morning we started home, driving Ross's truck
which he had parked with Don before moving home last
February - and my driver's license once again in my pocket -book.
As you may have guessed already we arrived home safely
without difficulty. The highway was good, traffic Tight and no
accidents to be seen.
Now I would like to get back to farming.
Crops in the west were generally goodythough we have seen
areas where crops have been better and areas where crops were
much lighter in other years.
This years crops seemed to be uniformly good but not
"bumper',: Combining of rye was well along with good yield.
Wheat was getting close to harvest and oats and barley out in
head. While I'm sure crops were better in 1976 1 was told that
due to the reduction in beef herds thcrewas a considerable
increase in grain acreage which could result in above average
feed grain production this year.
Around Stockton in southerq Manitoba I was surprised to see,
in a matter of ten miles, something like 7 or 8 hundred acres of
corn. It was all out in tassel with cobs shorter but a little more
mature than my corn here. It was by far the best 1 have ever seen
in the west and I think it should mature for grain corn.
If the growing of corn becomes wide spread even in the
southern parts of the western provinces it will have a terrific
inpact on feed grain production in Canada. It could make farming
very difficult in Ontario with our very much higher priced land.
ALFRED
KNECHTEL
Spray Painting Ltd.
—SPECIALIZING IN FARM BUILDINGS—
(519) 669-2638
R.R. 2 WALLENSTEIN, ONTARIO
WE RURAL VOICE/SEPTEMBER 1978 PG.13