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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-02-06, Page 90 • Facing up to Reality The announcement last week that the Ontario government will place new em- phasis on the importance of water con- servation is welcome news. It is indeed a tragic situation in which we find our- selves at the present time. Ontario, more than most places on the entire face of the globe, was blessed with an abundance of natural water resources. In fact it was this abundance of water, for transporta- tion and power, which led to its rapid de- velopment in the earlier years of settle- / ment and to its growth as the busiest and most prosperous province in the do- minion. One hundred years of human habita- tion have, however, served to deplete our water supplies so seriously that last sum- mer the entire southwest section of the province faced drought conditions. Mil- lions of dollars were lost in poor or non- existent crops. Farmers in thousands had to rely on laborious methods of hauling water to sustain life in their flocks and herds. The prime reason for the shortage is, ' of course, the blind misuse of water re- sources from the time of the pioneers. Water was so abundant that there was concern only for draining land quickly to make new fields. One prime example was the draining of the vast Luther Marsh in the Dundalk area. Here, at the source of the mighty Grand River, the marshes were relentlessly destroyed. The wild life which sheltered in the area had to die or go elsewhere. In a few years the valley of the Grand had become a disaster area each spring as the run-off roared its way to Lake Erie, far to the south. By mid - spring the river bed was practically dry. In our own particular part of Ontario we have been not a whit more far-sighted, but we have not suffered as much from our own folly. Underground sources have been more rewarding than in the coun- ties farther south, and the topography of the countryside is rougher and so retains surface water for longer periods. Nevertheless, the results of misman- agement have been extreme. Witness, as one fact, the little stream which, in spring, * pours a healthy freshet into the Maitland • v at the Zetland bridge. Today's children know it only as an innocent brook which virtually disappears in summer. This same stream, in the early days of settlement here was strong enough to operate a saw- mill for the greater part of every year. Early editions of the Goderich news- papers tell interesting stories about the large boats which operated for miles back on the Maitland. Today the river bed in many places shows only a narrow stream of water and a broad expanse of bare stones a few weeks after the spring freshet. The Ontario government has some very practical plans to rectify the trouble, or at least the worst of the problems. As a first move one of the departments is to be reorganized as the Department of Re- sources and Energy Management. Under it the Water Resources Commission will carry out enlarged and expanded plans for water and drainage control. The new de- partment will also be the home base for the Conservation Authorities Branch. It is certainly to be hoped that the Conservation Authorities will thrive under new management. This branch has al- ready been the baby of two or three de- partments, most latterly that of the De- partment of Lands and Forests. Con- servation authorities have, in many areas, done excellent work in the replacement of natural cover and orovision of flood con- trol measures. In Wingham and district we are particularly interested in Authority work, being a part of the recently -organ- ized Maitland Valley Authority, where work is now well under way to preserve and improve our inheritance from a bountiful Nature. As in so many other fields it is dollars or the loss of them which has finally sparked the government's move to take action in the water shortage problem. Naturalists, even a few editors, have been pleading for decades for some official action in regard to conservation—but the pleas fell on largely deaf ears until just a few years ago. It was when losses could be measured in money that the general public finally aroused itself to real concern, and so has empowered its representatives to remedy the situation. A Sad Revelation Watching a television program over a Toronto station a couple of weeks ago, we were at last convinced that the birds and animals are no smarter than we hu- mans when it comes to predicting the weather. . A naturalist presented convincing proof that the squirrels really don't sense the onset of a particularly bad winter when they hoard great supplies of nuts. The speaker proved that these furry little beasts are just naturally greedy or pro- vident and that they store all the nuts • they can every year. The same, he said is true of many other creatures. AH of them have an instinct to put away enough food to see them through the winter and they will keep right at the task until they A have either exhausted the supplies avail- able, or until cold weather catches up with them, without any knowledge or par- ticular feel for what the weather will be like in January or February. All of this, we say, made us a bit sad. It's nice to think that some of the furred and feathered creatures have it over us in at least one regard. However, Sunday, February 2nd, was a bright, sunny day and there is some comfort in the thought that no groundhog is really smart enough to step outside, take one look at his shadow on the snow and then dive back into his hole as a sure indicator that we are still faced with six weeks of dirty winter weather. Praiseworthy Plan The local Public Utilities Commission is to be commended on its decision to clean out the Lower Town pond. When • the job is finally finished it will be one of the finest improvements imaginable for the town and the waterway. Wingham is blessed with an excep- tionally large acreage of waterways in or immediately adjacent to its boundaries. The increasing interest in parks and out- • door recreation makes the Maitland valley a natural attraction, not only for our own residents, but for visitors from the near- er cities as well. The lower pond has become so filled with weeds and silt that it no longer pro- vides a very attractive setting for the new parkway which is being developed along its eastern bank. With the weeds and silt cleaned out, however, the water will remain fresh all year and, of course, the pond will be enabled to hold thousands of gallons of water in storage which at present it is too shallow to contain. Since the pond is still used at some hours of the day by the P.U.C. for peak -load power, the cleaning program should be of tre- mendous benefit in a practical, as well as recreational way. TI -IE 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; 1Vlerhber Canadian Community Newspapers Representatives Authorized by the Post Office Department as Second Class Mail and fot 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 pet year Advertising Rates on application IDENTIFICATION PROJECT STARTS ON AI.L FOOVS DAY How do readers react to the federal government's announce- ment that as of April 1st it will begin the task of assigning every Canadian a life-long nine -digit identification num- ber? Although advocates of the scheme try to assure us it is merely designed to maintain records of people. to us it smacks mightily of finger- printing and is much too 1984 Orwellian in nature to set well on the shoulders of even a flag - less, anthem -less, cultureless Canadian. All still free Jane Does and Johnny Canucks should rise in protest against having their properly good, given names denuded to digits, like 985-411-003. We cannot help hut wonder if it was accidental or prophetic that April 1st, All Fool's Day, was the chosen date to get the project underway. — Uxbridge Times -Journal. How to Cut Down on Smoking Now that cigarettes have become a major news topic these days, the Swiss have come up with an ingenious device to help cut down on the daily consumption. This clever product of the Swiss watch- makers' art contains a precision timing and clocking device. Just pre-set the dial from 10 -minute to two-hour intervals and the crushproof case unlocks automatically on time. The case cannot be opened until the specified time elapses --hence discourages the subconscious lighting of a cigarette. ingbain Abilancoei mit 44) Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, Feb. 6, 1964 SECOND SECTION SUGAR AND SPiCE More Light On Reading By BILL SMILEY My speech was a roaring success. You know, the speech on Good Reading Habits, to our honor stu- dents. I mentioned it last week. Yes, it went well! Does anyone know anyone who wants a slightly used ex -school teacher? I haven't received an of. ficial communication from the school board y e t, but I under- stand they had an em- ergency meeting right after m y speech, and drew up the appro- Bill Smileyche argest arges of mopery, gawk and intel- lectual malnutrition. When I began to write the speech, I couldn't think of a single Good Reading Habit. Then, dimly, from my old health class in pub- lic school, they began to filter back. Rule: When reading, the light should come over your left shoulder. It's very awk- ward if your left shoulder happens to be higher than your right, Unless, of course, you are an Arab and read from right to left, then I presume it should come over your right shoul- der. Rule No, 2: Always read in the bathtub, when pos- sible. Somebody once said that the ideal education would be a boy sitting on one end of a log, and Mark Van Doren, a great American educator, sitting on the other. My notion of a great educational advance would be a classroom with- 35 bathtubs, and up on the platform a super -tub, in pink mother-of-pearl, for Mr. Smiley. Think of the realism we could inject when Lady Macbeth says, "A little water will wash us of this deed." Think of the special effects we could obtain while reading Old Man and the Sea, or Typhoon. We'd all be in swim suits, natur- ally. Well, from that point, my speech moved effort- lessly into the results of Good Reading Habits in history. I reminded the kids of Archimedes. Think what the world would have missed if lie hadn't climbed into his burn one day with a copy of Ovid's poems. The minute he sat down, he knew there was some- thing wrong. "Paprika!", he screamed and leapt out of the tub. Somebody had put paprika instead of bath salts in the water. And thus was born Archimedes Principle, one of our great laws of physics. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I think it's something like "Half a bath is better than none." Anyway, as we all know, it's a very important principle. I left the kids with this solemn thought. An eco- nomic reverse can take away. your new car, your split-level mortgage and your wife. Advancing years can take away your teeth, your figure, and your hus- band. But nothing can take away Good Reading Habits. Many years from now, the matron of the nursing home will point out a desi- cated old chap sitting in a wheel -chair with a huge book on his knees. "That's Mr. Smiley. Used to be an English teacher. Poor old fellow. He's blind now." And the visitor will say, "It doesn't seem to bother him much. What's the old coot grinning at?" And the matron will re- play, "Oh, he went blind when he was 88, and was furious for a while, because he couldn't read, but he learned the Braille syst- in six weeks, and now • reads everything he can get his hands on. Including the nurses." BOX 390 Dear Sir: In a recent editorial you asked for some opinions on the announced intention of the Government to lower the voting age to 18 years. I doubt the wisdom of this move very much. In this age group, 18 to 21 years, a large number of these young people are of an emo- tional and inrational temper - merit as witness the large num- ber of riots and demonstrations at the higher scats of learning all over the world. This shows plainly their vulnerability to all the isms and theoretical ideas of this very unsettled and disturbed world. One day recently, I was visiting CKNX and I had oc- casion to go downtown in my car, It was just at the timethc high school students were going home and what did I find? At least 60% of them walking two and three abreast with the traf- fic, in direct opposition to the Highway Traffic Act, thus show- ing a disregard of the law, not respecting the other users of the road, nor the meaning of the Golden Rule. These are the ones who will soon he eligible to vote and also drive cars. Who is responsible for this careless and dangerous practice,' the parents, the school curricu- lum or the police force? With such an outlook on life is it any Reminiscing FEBRUARY 1914 The contest for the Canada Temperance Act (better known as the Scott Act) in Huron Coun- ty was concluded with the vot- ing on Thursday last. Voting day in Wingham saw the active workers on both sides of the question hard at work getting the vote out. There were 7, 467 votes for the Act and 4, 924 against, making a total vote of 12, 391, which compar- ed with the vote of 1884 shows that 2, 000 more votes were polled in 1914 than in 1884, notwithstanding the fact that the population of the county is now considerably smaller. Mr. and Mrs, E. Merkley were visiting for a few days in Toronto last week and while in the city Mr. Merkley purchased a quantity of heavy machinery to be used in a machine shop which he intends operating in the near future. The machin- ery purchased includes a heavy 20 foot lathe, planer, shaper and power drill, and Mr. Merk- ley will be in a position to handle the repairing of heavy machinery. He is also arrang- ing to instal an electric motor. FEBRUARY 1928 Miss Margaret Saint has ac- cepted a position in Listowel, in which many friends wish her success, The Ukanous group of C.G. I.T. will hold a Valentine Donation Tea at the home of Miss Vesta Fox, Centre St., on Saturday. Wingham Arena Ltd., are putting on the first special fea- ture of the season on Saturday evening, a Valentine Skating Party, It promises to be full of pleasant surprises, for the ad- mission tickets will be num- bered in duplicate, and it will be necessary for gentlemen to find their valentine on the ice carrying the ticket with the cor- responding number. John Quirk, one of the oldest (if not the oldest) railwayman in Ontario, died at his home here on Sunday, aged 94. He started to work on Ontario rail- ways in 1807, and worked in many parts of the province un- til 19u5, when, as conductor of the London, Iluron and Bruce, he retired from the service. Walton McKihbon of the Western University, London, is spending the week -end with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. McKibhon. Miss Louise Hanna had as a guest a few days last week, a college friend, Miss Brydon of Wolesley, Sask, , who was on her way to a position in Victor - wonder that there is so much restlessness and indecision among this age group? I am well aware that there are many well meaning and ambitious students, but they are subject to that most cussed phrase in the English language (Don't be chicken) and they are often led astray. 'thanking you for your valu- able space. Concerned, is Hospital, Montreal, Miss Hanna is also entering Welles- ley Hospital, Toronto, as dieti- tian. FEBRUARY 1939 Miss Helen Bateson, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. Stafford W. Bateson, left last week for Vic- toria Hospital, London, "where she entered as a nurse -in -train- ing. Her many friends will wish her every success. Prior to her departure she was the guest of honor at a party at the home of Mrs. R. 1-l. Lloyd when she was presented with a handkerchief shower and other gifts. She was also given a surprise shower at the home of Mrs. E. A. Van - Stone when she received a beautiful cameo ring from a number of her girl friends. War Declared: Not in Eur- ope, but right here in Wingham. The scene of the battle, is the Arena to -night when Mayor Crawford's "Flashlites" play Reeve Hetherington's "Fire Flief' for the woe -be -gone trophy. At least that is the way most of them will feel after the game. Two rinks attended the Bon- speil at Listowel on Monday. They both won two games out of three but neither had a large enough plus to get in the prize money. The teams were: John P. McKibbon, John Raby, Joe Evans, Jas. Carr Jr., skip; and W. McKague, F. McCormick, D. Rae, C. Elliott, skip. Due to the storm the former team came back by train on Monday night and the other team came home by Walkerton on Tuesday. FEBRUARY 1949 Fractures sent two Wingham hockey players to London Thurs- day for x-rays to determine the full extent of their injuries. Jim McLean of Wingham inter- mediates, fractured several ribs when he crashed into the boards in a game with Lucknow on Tuesday night. Tommy Lockridge of Wingham Juniors broke an arm on Tuesday in the game at Listowel. The unfor- tunate Tommy had broken an arm during the 1947-48 season as well. Sgt. Meins and Cpl. Guy visited the Cadets at the Wing - ham High School on Friday, January 28th. Cadets Hugh Feagan, George Hall, Willard Platt and Doug. Richey passed the Cadet Morse signalling test at six words per ininute. Cadets llugh Feagan and George Hall also passed the Cadet advanced signalling test at 12 words per minute. Rev. O. J. Coupland, pastor of the 13aptist Church has hcen ill with pneumonia and is a patient in Wingham General 1lospital. Margarine made its first ap- pearance on grocers shelves here on Friday and sales were believed to be the results of curiosity, and the opinions in the products were varied,. A rink of youthful curling enthusiasts, Fred Rich', Irving Elliott, Wally liasclgrove and George Gann/lap:, attended the Ontario Schoolboys' Bondspiei at Guelph last week.