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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1963-01-31, Page 4Page 4 — Wingham Advance -Times, Thursday, Jan, 31, 1963 THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited W. Barry Wenger, President - Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulation; Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Associ- ation; Member Canadian Community Newspapers Representatives Authorized by the Post Office Department as Second Class Mail and for payment of postage in cash Subscription Rate: One Year, $4.00; Six Months, $225, in advance U.S.A., $5.00 per year; Foreign rate, $5.00 per year Advertising Rates on application raw -o. -Ivo.`. Setback For Planners it was with sincere regret that we noted the resignation of Huron County EMO director Murray MacDonald, which was presented to County Council at its recent session. His secretary resigned at the same time. Murray MacDonald, an ex -army of- ficer, was well equipped to take charge of Emergency Measures work. He was intimately acquainted with the training which has been given army personnel to meet the threat .of nuclear attack, and the necessary chain of command to carry out plans for the protection of the pub- lic. His resignation not only means the loss of a valued individual but a serious interruption in the EMO program. It is only within the past few months that active organization for Emergency Measures was started in the Wingham area. Under the local directorship of Crawford Douglas the groundwork had been laid for the Wingham area and sub- ordinate officers were named. We felt that a good start had been made and that the spring months would see the refinement of an organization which could take over in case of emergency. Of necessity, the appointment of a new director for the county will take time and there will be a serious delay before the new man can get plans rolling again. In most organizations such a de- lay would not be too serious, but owing to.the special nature of EMO work, we feel that every effort should be made to get the program back on to the rails. EMO planning is utterly dependent upon the co-operation of a widespread group of volunteer officers and assistants. Un- fortunately it is difficult to locate a suf- ficient body of persons who are convinced that emergency preparations are indeed necessary. The post of county director must be filled by a man who is completely dedi- cated to the long-range viewpoint; a man who knows that we could at any moment become the victims of history's greatest calamity, but who, at the same time, can impress the general public with the fact that there are means of self-preservation if we start preparing them now. Unpleasant Publicity Bruce and Huron counties are certain- ly in the public eye at the present time. National radio, television and newspapers are carrying all kinds of stories about the two counties. Though publicity is usually good for a rural locality, the type we are getting right now is of doubtful worth. The people in the more temperate regions of Ontario are quite possibly taking solemn vows to stay as far away from Huron and Bruce as they can until the green grass of spring is knee high. Stories of 137 inches of snowfall at Underwood; roads blocked for a week or more and highways made impassible by swirling blizzards are not conducive to tourist travel. The sad part about this publicity is that it's all true. We love to quietly brag about our summertime scenic wonders, and talk about the fine beef we raise and tell our city friends how much they are missing because they have never lived in these parts. After this winter they will be hard to convince. Hospital's Annual Meeting The annual meeting of the Wingham Hospital Association will be held this Friday evening in the recreation room of the nurses' residence on Catherine Street. It is a meeting which should merit the attendance of most citizens of this com- munity and the surrounding villages and townships. Though the hospital is operated on the legal basis of a non-profit corpora- tion, with a board of directors, it is, in truth, a public institution, supported by public funds. Hundreds of residents of this area have contributed, either direct- ly in donations or indirectly in taxes, to the construction of the hospital facilities. Every family in a widespread area is de- pendent upon its services, and should be interested in the way it is operated. The directors of your hospital are re- sponsible for the handling of something over $500,000 annually, and as your trustees should be given an opportunity to a broadly representative gathering on the past year's activities. Even though you do not hold a mem- bership in the Hospital Association and consequently cannot vote, you will be welcome to attend the gathering and to learn more about this vitally important community institution. Plowing Offers Safety Factor Modern equipment has, perhaps, com- plicated our way of living in some re- spects, but it has also provided some very worthwhile amenities. One particular aspect has been brought to mind quite sharply since the heavy snowfalls, cases where farm buildings were lost by fire because fire trucks could not be driven through snowbound farm lanes. No doubt every farmer in the country would like to hove his lane kept clear by snow removal equipment, and it is ob- vious that such an ideal situation is next to impossible, but it must be a great re- lief to the farmer with a clear lane to know that his buildings could be reached by firefighting equipment in case of emergency. In this same connection, highest com- mendation should be extended to the council of Morris Township for their foresight in providing a water truck. The new vehicle is already credited with sav- ing at least one building and .we expect that it will be the means of saving many others in the years to come. Contempt For Costs (Canadian Printer & Publisher) If any two things emerge clearly from the Glassco Report on government or- ganization they have to be: 1. The increasing tendency of the government departments to get into the business world on a do -it -ourselves basis; and 2. A general civil servant indiffer- ence to cost records. At least $50 million in goods a year are being "made" by government depart- ments—and not always well nor cheaply —which could be bought from private tax -paying firms. The Glassco report states: "Many public servants appear con- vinced that departments produce goods and services more cheaply than private enterprise. They ignore the fact that true costs exceed the figures provided by their accounts by 50 percent or more." The government is the nation's largest purchaser. It is foolish economics for the largest buyer, dependent on industry and workers for income, to deny the largest market to its own people. EXERCISE AT SEA—It is usually ships that are associ- ated with "exercises" at sea. However, exercises also take another and more personal form for members of their crews. In 1962, as RCN ships travelled more than 1,200,000 miles, this scene was repeated whenever prac- ticable, as part of the Navy's physical fitness program. These are University Naval Training Division officer cadets doing exercises on the quarterdeck of HMCS Cap de la Madeleine, a Prestonian class frigate attached to the Atlantic Command.—(National Defence Photo). JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItlIIIIIII111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111E1111111111111111111111111111 I1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111t1 �"iiililllllllill SUGAR and SPICE 1111111111111111111011 By BiII Smile Look, I take it all back. I'm sorry. I apologize. I'll nev live. Truly. I mean that part Ever since that column I wrote about us skiers revel- ling in real winter, things have gone haywire around here. It has snowed (about 24 hours a day and about one inch per hour) and blowed (gale force) and the temper- ature has plummeted like a hawk going down for a fat hen. All I can deduce is that either Somebody Up There has no sense of humor, or that the Lord is on my side. I'm not quite sure which. But it will be a long time before I try getting flippant about the weather again. * * * One kid's in bed with the 'flu. The other is outside somewhere wielding a snow shovel, and we'll be lucky if we ever see him again. The Old Battleaxe has those mid- winter blues, and the dog and cat have to be literally kick- ed out of doors. The only cheering note we have had this week was a let- ter from our sister-in-law. who is wintering in balmy old, toasty old, sweaty old Puerto Rico, in the Carib- bean, stating that she had just recovered from the worst cold she had ever had in her life. Hah! To top it all, the inspec- tor is coming to the school this week. This event causes roughly the same panic among school teachers as an announcement that Princess Margaret would be around for tea on Friday would cause among a gaggle of housewives. It reminds me of the alarm and despondency that used to take over at any camp dur- ing the war, when it was learned that a senior officer would be making an inspec- tion of the camp. Everybody knew perfectly well that the old trout would merely totter around the camp, inspect a guard of honor, and head for the officers' mess to main- tain that purplish complexion he had taken so many years to acquire. But there was always the chance that he'd be one of those maniacs who actually wanted to taste the slop about to be served to the other ranks, instead of join - I didn't mean a word of it. er say it again as long as I about loving snow. ing the officers over their Scotch and steaks. Or one of those nuts who actually drew a white glove along that win- dow sill, looking for dust. Or one of those fiends who actu- ally believed that soldiers, or airmen, or ratings, were hu- man beings, and asked them all sorts of human -being ques- tions. to the complete and utter detriment of ordinary discipline, unit morale and the divine right of officers. You never knew what you were going to get. Worst offender of this sort I've ever experienced was Winston Churchill. One time in France, we were warned that a Very Important Per- son would visit our wing, 'which was flying dive -and - rocket fighter-bombers from a field in Normandy. We sneered. Figured it would be some crummy Air Commo- dore who would try to con- vince us that our young juicy, fresh lives were fair exchange for some vague crap labeled "freedom" or "democracy" or "home -and - loved -ones." Nonetheless, we spitted and polished. And cursed. On the big day, we were drawn up in a hollow square, on the field. Pilots' silk scarves were exchanged for shirts and ties, flying boots for polished shoes, bare heads for caps at the right angle, beards for clean - shaven faces. Officers in front, other ranks in the rear, where they jolly well should be, in a democracy. A little plane hopped the nearest hedge and butterfly - ed into the middle of the square. The motor was cut. A massive figure, rather like an old sea -lion, struggled out of the rear cockpit, and stood on the wing: We didn't need the jutting cigar to tell us who he was. He grinned. I'll swear his eyes twinkled, as he looked us over. Then he lifted his right arm, as though to make the famous V-sign. Instead, he made a rude gesture, then beckoned. The "other ranks" safely in the rear where nobody would be of- fended by their cheap uni- forms and low pay, could One Moment, Please STEWARDSHIP By Rev. A. C. Coles, Fordwich, Ontario. "It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful". 1 Corinthians 4:2. St. Paul reminds us that one of the essential aspects of Stewardship is faithfulness. As stewards we are required to be faithful in fulfilling the res- ponsibilities which life brings to us. 1. We must be faithful in the stewardship of our time. We have been placed on this earth for only a short time, therefore it is extremely im- portant how we use it. We could wile away our time and corhe to the end of life's jour- ney with a feeling of great emptiness in our lives. We could clutter up our time with many trivialities and end up feeling very sorry for ourselves because of the many wasted hours which can never be re- claimed. Or we could use our time to perform such duties as will contribute: (a) to the building up of personal charac- ter. (b) to the betterment of society. (c) to the strengthen- ing of the Kingdom of God within us, and in the world. As the hymn writer says we should "Fill up each hour with what will last", remembering that, "The life above when this is past Is the ripe fruit of life below." 2. We must be faithful in the stewardship of our talents. Of course we are not all blessed with the same capabilities. Some have one talent, some take a hint. They gave one wild cheer, and ran toward the plane, So help me, sev- eral officers in the front rank of the hollow square were trampled so deep into the mud of Normandy that they weren't found for days. * * * The old man with the great heart, who should have been safely at home in England, not dodging about the air- fields of France in a tiny, unarmed aircraft, gave us five minutes of the famous Churchillian prose. Not the kind you'll find in the his- tory hooks, I'm afraid. More like the kind that Julius Cae- sar used to give his legions. Roars of delight answered him. Now, how in the world did I get from the white wilder- ness outside to a blistered, baked, octane -stinking, con- verted pasture in Normandy? Frankly, I've no idea. I keep telling my students to stick to one idea, to write in logi- cal sequence. I hope the in- spector doesn't read this. two, and others five. The im- portant thing is not how talent- ed we are but how well we are using the talents we have. A five talent person may make little worthwhile contribution to mankind simply by continu- ing to hide his talents. On the other hand a one talent person may be performing a great ser- vice to humanity by making faithful use of the talent he possesses. Let us prove our- selves good stewards, taking N the talent which God hasgiver�2.,, us and using it to the best of �!// our ability to do the tasks for which he has fitted us. Let us remember St. Pauls admoni- tion, "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful". qtr BOX 390 January 26, 1963. Advance Times, Wingham, Ont. Gentlemen: Upon reading your Editorial "Course for Baby Sitters" we wish to advise that we are very much in favour of same. Although we try to brief our baby sitter and leave the phone number as to where we are going we feel that they should have a little more knowledge in case of an emergency, where with a little bit of train- ing they would perhaps be able to cope with such and not be too excited to handle them- selves accordingly. Trusting that many other parents are interested so that such a course may be organized, we are, Yours truly, Arnold & Verna Taylor. THE MAN WHO GOT NEW YORK STARTED In 1609 the Dutch East India Company, sent explorer Henry Hudson, in his ship, " The Half Moon," to look for mineral wealth in America. Instead, he found a great protected bay into which flowed a majestic river from the north. He sail- ed 140 miles up river. His re- port on the rich furs to be ob- tained soon led to Dutchmen fur -trading up the river and then to making the island at its mouth their business centre. The island of course was Man- hattan. Although we see countless .� shooting stars in the skies,. 23 meteorites have been re covered in Canada. The larg- est, weighing 386 pounds, hit at Iron Springs, Alberta, in 1869.