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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1963-11-07, Page 9t Winter Is Not All Bad Now that's a doubtful statement isn't it? We agree that it takes a little think- ing to uncover some pleasing aspects of the snowy months — particularly after you've passed the age when toboggans and skates are still interesting. We can recall a local businessman saying a few years ago that curling made Wingham winters bearable—but just barely so. However, it must be admitted that winter weather is responsible for a very high proportion of our sound economy. In contrast, look at those paradise islands in the Caribbean, where the bright sun shines all year long, and where poverty and human suffering seem to have an un- shakable grip. Think of the jobs created by the cold weather conditions which prevail here for so many months of the year. There are the fuel services, coal, oil and electricity; our entire housing industry and its sup- porting businesses (largely created by the need for warm, weather-proof homes); the clothing industry and the merchants who retail winter apparel; the road maintenance services and the thousands who find employment because we must travel, even in the depths of winter. The list could be continued ad in- finitum. Right here in Wingham we have many wage earners bringing home their pay cheques because they help to make doors—a commodity which is superfluous in tropical climates, And what about the people who make their livings out of the manufacture of gloves? Yes, winter is miserable. Most of us look forward with a certain amount of dread to the long months of cold and snow, But it would be a good idea to remember, when the days are short and chill, about the middle of January, that winter is our biggest industry. Recognition Is Appreciated We . would like to voice a sincere "thank you" to the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Last Tuesday evening that organization accorded us one of the most complete and pleasurable sur- prises we have ever experienced. The surprise was in the presentation of a cer- tificate which we will proudly hang on the office wall. This particular certificate expresses the appreciation of the Legion for the sup- port given by The Advance -Times to the various public service enterprises which that organization undertakes. Recognition of this kind is so unusual in our profes- sion that we found ourselves at a loss for the right words with which to reply. Though we seldom pause to brood upon the matter, a very high percentage of the public service support provided by a newspaper is taken for granted. Most individuals and organizations are so com- pletely accustomed to the newspaper's backing in all laudable enterprises. that they give no thought to the part the pub- lication plays in the life of the community. This recognition by the Legion brings to mind the slogan of one forthright Am- erican weekly. If it appeared on our own masthead it would read, "The only news- paper that gives a damn about Wingham." Coming as it does from men who have intimate personal experience with the practical aspects of public service, we place a very high value on the award which the Legion saw fit to bestow upon us. We shall seek to merit its commen- dation even more in the future than we have in the past. Another Leader Gone The sudden death last week of Lloyd Jasper, Carrick Township resident and for many years a leader in Federation of Agriculture activities, removes a popular figure from the public service. He was 46 years of age, and a large portion of his adult life had been spent in working for the improvement of farming condi- tions in Ontario. A man of keen intellect, he was one of the most efficient executive officers of the Ontario Federation, of which he served as president for two years. His exceptional abilities as an organ- izer were brought to bear upon other problems as well. He had served on the Walkerton District High School Board from its inception 14 years ago and was its chairman at the time of his death. As director of the Bruce County Emergen- cy Measures Organization he had success- fully set up the complex departments re- quired and had organized a fine staff of volunteer workers. Anyone who has taken an interest in EMO work will realize how very difficult and frustrat- ing the work of the director can be. Mr. Jasper had resigned from that post only a few days before his death. He was an able leader in those aspects of public life with which he was con- cerned. More men of his ability and energy will be hard to find. Time To Simplify Highway Signs About two years ago we made a sug- gestion in this column which we believe would bear repeating. All motorists are conscious of the rather haphazard and confusing array of road signs which have been erected along the highways of the province. Speed limit signs, in particular, are beyond under- standing. Some well - improved and smooth -surfaced roads carry a speed limit of 50 miles an hour while other hazard- ous stretches where visibility is poor and hills and curves numerous have been marked up to the 60 mile -an -hour limit. There seems to be neither rhyme nor rea- son to the placing of these signs. Most of us who drive our cars relative- ly long distances have found at one time or another that we were travelling a 50 mile -an -hour road at much more than the legal speed. There are places along the highways where the speed signs are so placed that a motorist can drive many miles without seeing a sign at all. Our suggestion was, and still is, that the department openly announce an over- all 60 mile an hour limit for all highways and then proceed with a careful study of those stretches of road which would be unsafe at such a speed. The hazardous roads could then be marked with bright flame orange signs to indicate that re- duced speed limits prevailed. The plan which has been in effect for some years, whereby approaches to built- up areas are designated for lower rates of travel than open highways, is a step in the right direction. We simply contend that the signs which demand lower speeds should be made more prominent. The car driver today has to watch for many kinds of signs, not merely those which have to do with his rate of travel. He is watching for such other things as pedestrian crosswalks, traffic signals, school and hospital areas, etc. Why not make it a little easier for him to pick out the signs which are supposed to govern his speed? THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited W. Barry Wenger, President - Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer jrir 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, $2.25, in advance U.S.A., $5.00 per year; Foreign rate, $5.00 per year Advertising Rates on application PUNCHING INTO IT — Something of the thundering power of the sea' is conveyed in this photograph of HMCS Saskatchewan, a Mackenzie class destroyer es- cort, as she plows through a heavy swell that covers everything from bow to quarterdeck with salt and spray. The Saskatchewan and four other ships of the RCN, taking part in a series of NATO exercises off Scotland, encountered two of the most intensive cyclon- ic depressions ever recorded in the North Atlantic. During these severe storms, large and small ships alike battled winds up to 70 MPH with 40 -foot waves. —(National Defence Photo). btianciemZi nu Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, Nov. 7, 1963 SECOND SECTION �':I'71IIflll!�IIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'lilli!I;IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'!'�lillliil�llllli;' �!!I!'IIPJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!IIIIIIIIIIII tl111111U11111 'i' SUGAR and SPICE li'IIIIIIi By Bill SmileyFT. Hunter, Hunter, hold your fire! Do not explode that cartridge. That's your neighbor, Mr. Dwyer. It's not a plump hen partridge. All right. You don't like that verse? How about this one? Along the line of smoky hills The crimson hunters stand, A hundred thousand Bob's and Bill's, Their muskets in their hand. They're in the swamps and and valleys, too, As thick as grease in skillet; They have but one ambi- tion, to See something move and kill it. Yes, gentle, all -suffering reader, I'rn afraid that one of the silliest of Canada's silly seasons is upon us. The above doggerel repre- sents two of the attitudes about hunting season which prevail. They might be lab- elled the Apprehensive and the Disapproving. There are others. For example: Why can't we hunters shoot from cars And blast away on Sun- days? Each silly regulation mars Our simple, joyous fun days. This might be called the viewpoint of that small group of malformed in- .dividuals who give the rest of us the creeps. They en- joy killing for its own sake. They will shoot 20 ducks when the bag limit is eight. They will shoot an owl or a turtle' or a cat, if nothing else is moving. I find thyself uneasy in their company. They could be termed The Killers. They are not hunters. Quite opposed to these. queer ones is another seg- ment of our population. I came across a typical group of this species last Satur- day when 1 dropped in at the pub for an ale. There they were, he-men all, in their red caps, red jackets and red faces, on about their eighth round of beers. After another couple of rounds, they'd be ready to fan out into the woods, and it would be every man for himself. This type, and it is legion, seldom kills anything more dangerous than a crock or an old buddy. Just for the sake of euphony, let's call them The Swillers. Their credo might go thus: Hunting is the sport for us; We're a manly, merry crew, So why the ruckus and the fuss When we bag a cow or two? Beset on one side by The Apprehensive and The Dis- approving, on the other by The Killers and The Swil- lers, the real hunter has my sympathy. All he wants is to be allowed to follow his favorite sport in peace and with a modicum of safety, and it's getting tougher all the time. If he were not the simple, in- articulate type, he might say: Give me a crisp November day With a little skiff of snow, And a deer run, and a good gun, And you know where you can go, I don't like slaughter. But I don't think every man who shoots an animal is a depraved monster, lusting for blood. Many a Saturday afternoon I myself have lined up my sights and fir- ed with cool precision at a fence post or a No Tres- passing sign. And I'll never forget the day I bagged my biggest trophy—the black bear. I was out hunting partridge. REMINISCING NOVEMBER 1913 Mr. John Kerr left on Mon- day for London where he has purchased an excellent grocery business and Mrs. Kerr and daughter, Cora, leave shortly for that city. Wingham regrets losing such good citizens. The many friends of Mr. W. Glendenning, Minnie St. , took advantage of his house being empty and on Tuesday of last week about one hundred from town and country took Will by surprise, but nevertheless spent the night most pleasantly with games and dancing. When the wee small hours arrived they betook themselves to their homes and were profuse intheir thanks to Billy for their enjoy- able time. Mr. E. H. Bird and Miss Maude L. Haslam, two well known and popular young peo- ple who formerly resided in Wingnam, were happily mar- ried on Tuesday, Oct. 28th, at the residence of the bride's brother, John Haslam, in Devil's Lake, North Dakota. o--o--o NOVEMBER 1926 Mr. Hal C. MacLean has bought the beautiful home of Mr. E. J. Mitchell, on John St. Mr. Mitchell and family will leave Wingham in the very near future. Miss Evelyn Sotheran, tea- cher on public school staff, Wingham, entertained a num- ber of her friends to a Hal- lowe'en party at her home in The birds had me pretty rattled, jumping up behind me with a great whir and winging off, laughing over their shoulders. Suddenly, out of the cor- ner of my eye, I saw this huge, b 1 a c k, menacing shape crouched on a tree limb. Quick as a flash, I whirled, threw up my gun and fired. Down he tum- bled at one shot. I felt both silly and a little sick when my 400 -pound black bear turned out to be a 12 -ounce black squirrel. But I ate hint, in a stew. How things have chang- ed since Samuel Johnson wrote, a couple of hundred years ago, "Hunting was the labor of the savages of North America, but the amusement of the gentle- men of England." Or have they? Fordwich on Friday evening. Mrs. M. Copeland and daughter, Margaret, havemov- ed from the residence of Mr. A. J. Ross to the residence of Mr. J. Casemore, John St. Mr. and Mrs. R. Muirhead, are moving from Victoria St., to Mr. F. Vanstone's house on Francis Street.' 0--0--0 NOVEMBER 1938 Mr. Wm. J. Brown hasbeen appointed caretaker of the United Church. He assumed his duties November lst. On Wednesday afternoon of last week a ladies' handicap match was played at the Alps Golf Course for the champion- ship of the club. The winner was Mrs. Reg. DuVal with a net of 31. Mrs. R. S. Hether- ington was second with 35 and Miss Sara MacLean third With 36. On behalf of the citizens of this town and district, we extend hearty congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. August F. Homuth, who on Sunday, Oct. 30th, celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. 0--0--0 NOVEMBER 1948 Dr. R. C. and Mrs. Red- mond leave this week -end for St. Petersburg, Florida, where they will spend the winter months. Two young ladies from Lat- vie on the Balkan Sea arrived in Wingham last Friday and are employed as domestics at the Wingham General hospital. Miss Diana Sokolovs is 20, and Miss Arya Osols, 23. Both understand English fairly well and seem to he happy to he in this country. Our Recreational Director, W. G. "Sam" Burton will he in Toronto from Nov. 5th to Nov. 13, where he will attend a short course in the "Adminis- tration of Recreation" sponsored by the Community Programs Branch of the Department of Education and the Extension Department of the University of Toronto. PAYROLL SALES GOING WELL Further progress reports in- dicate that last year's record sales of Canada Savings Bonds may be reached. Ken Cerson advises that Berry Door sales have reached $10,250 and Mrs. May Mitchell of Fry and Black- hall reports payroll sales at $3,850.