HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-02-20, Page 9A
r
s
s
M
a
as
New Laws Spell
Several pieces of legislation which are
at present in the planning stage will, in a
few years, create great changes in our
lives. Some may be beneficial, but there
are others about which we cannot be
nearly so optimistic. Two of the most
important of these new laws are those
dealing with universal pensions and with
medical insurance.
Both of these laws promise great
things. Their intent is to end for all
time man's fear that want and ill health
may blight his future, particularly his
years of old age. This is a commendable
motive, but it remains to be seen whether
our society can actually afford the vast
sum required to insure us against every
unforeseen emergency.
We would point out the fact that the'.
Ontario budget speech last week included
the announcement that there will be an
increase in the premiums we will have
to pay for hospital insurance. Not a
slight increase, mind you, but a whopping
50% increase. And after the increase
becomes effective the total so raised will
only be sufficient to pay one-third of the
actual cost of hospital care for those who
need it.
The voters of the province should
think very deeply before they demand the
next two steps in social legislation. They
will be costly right from the start, and
it will only be a matter of time until the
contributions will be sharply increased as
has been the case with hospitalization
coverage.
One of the questionable portions of
such legislation is that contributions are
o'ten borne by employers, in part. It is
expected that employers will he required
to contribute 50% of the pension pay-
ments. This sounds great—for the em -
Drastic Change
ployee. It is fair in those industries which
are reaping fat profits from their op-
erations and through which a few in-
dividuals are growing immoderately
wealthy. The general public, however,
should not become too easily convinced
that a pension plan is some sort of
twentieth century Robin Hood, taking
from the rich and giving to the poor.
In the first place a very sizeable pro-
portion of Canada's labor force is now
earning good wages, ample to cover the
full cost of pension payments. Another
factor is that the vast majority of em-
ployers in Ontario are not big, wealthy
tycoons, but rather are small business
men, all kinds of whom are not making
very much more from their profits than
their top employees are from their wages.
Even where the employer happens to
be a big firm we dare not lose sight of
the fact that owners of the firm are liable
to be shareholders. And many of the
shareholders are folks like you and me
who have invested their savings in com-
pany stock and are dependent upon its
earnings for a part of their livelihood.
What about farmers? Who is going
to pay 50% of their pension contribu-
tions? The small businessman is in the
same category, as are fishermen, dealers
who handle the products of big manu-
facturers on a franchise basis and are
thus self-employed.
We in Ontario should acquaint our-
selves more thoroughly with the facts
about highly socialized countries like
Sweden, where government - sponsored
plans look after every possible emergency
from the cradle to the grave . and
where the alcoholism and suicide rates
are among the highest in the world.
Worthwhile Thought-
Last
hought
Last week's paper carried a letter
from one of our readers, suggesting that
Wingham give thoughtful consideration to
✓ t a plan for improvement of the general
appearance of the business block. This
program, the writer points out, was im-
plemented in the city of St. Thomas, with
exceptionally good results.
The plan referred to is one whereby
all the business places in a block or sev-
eral blocks, are encouraged to redecorate
and brighten up their premises as a boost
to business in the community.
There is a great Ileal of merit in this
suggestion,' for the amount of business
• clone in anycommunity is controlled in
no small way by the appearance of its
retail outlets, In recent years the town
council has made several efforts to im-
prove the appearance of the main street
1
4
a R
r it
R
generally by placing and maintaining the
hanging flower pots on the street light
standards, providing for more frequent
sweepings of the streets and walks and
assisting with decorating for the Christ-
mas season and Frontier Days.
If all the merchants could be persuad-
ed to embark on a program of face-
lifting for their own properties the effect
would be miraculous. We are not sug-
gesting that all merchants are sloppy
about appearance, but it is true that some
who don't care too much permit their
properties to detract from the overall ap-
pearance of the street.
If, by co-operation, every place of
business on the street could be re -decora-
ted in the same year, the total effect
would indeed be spectacular. The results
in better morale and increased business
might he very surprising.
Old Pictures Interesting
Last week we reproduced an old foot-
ball poster in this paper and asked assist-
ance in identifying the players who were
pictured on it. The names of several of
the players have been supplied by a read-
er in Bluevale.
These old pictures are always most in-
teresting to our readers and we have been
asked, from time to time whether or not
we wanted more of them for publication.
The answer is yes. We would like to
reproduce old group pictures which are
likely to be of fairly general interest. We
always shudder a bit when they come in
because each is of great value to its own-
er, and we fear the possibility of losing,
or rather misplacing one of them. How-
ever, this is not a very great risk to take
if the pictures are likely to be enjoyed.
If you have one of these old-timers,
bring it along. We will guard it with our
lives and return it to you intact. Oc-
casionally we are offered a print which
is so yellowed with age that we are not
able to copy it, but modern photographic
processes are pretty dependable, and the
chances are good that we will be able to
pick it up even though it is somewhat
darkened by the passing years.
If you do leave a picture with us,
please make sure that it is accompanied
by your name and address, preferably
printed plainly on the reverse side. This
information will guarantee return of the
photo to its rightful owner.
Riddle Me This
Here is an incident, says The Financial
Post, that may have some deep meaning
4 for those who find sermons in stones and
books in the running brooks. A brand
new 1964 station wagon, built in a capi-
talist Detroit factory, broke down while
carrying a Russian automotive engineer
and his family on a visit in the U.S. mid-
west. As the Soviet expert and his host
° stood helpless, a local farmer, using his
thumbnail for a screwdriver, made an
impromptu adjustment which got the
engine humming smoothly. But more in-
triguing than this demonstration of tech-
nical know-how at the very grassroots of
our economic system was the geopraphi-
cal setting for the incident. The car had
just left Utopia, Ohio, and was headed
for Moscow.
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, $2.25, in advance
U.S.A., $5.00 per year; Foreign rate, $5.00 per year
Advertising Rates oh application
�^!^I...'. .�, .(. , /�a 'J". % . r. - M ♦ 1• .,kms 4 • - ..
A APP
.w AUt
,.,Gar "' ".'^Au,. ,.M, 1.
.i1
44`411006..
- .. ter. ..e.,
.14
Lr ~
�.•.-",,-,fir•-�c'r�
WILIGH,aPd Difm-.1c1
NIGH SC11001
AFACE:Tr. .
EDUCATION MINISTER William Davis will open the new vo-
cation wing of the Wingham District High School on April
23rd. The new addition is shown in this artist's sketch.
In the right foreground is the new gymnasium, with six
new classrooms for commercial instruction immediately to
the rear. The a' rtomotive, electrical and woodworking
+a W.4,
shops are that section in the background, top centre, im-
mediately behind the original buildings. The new addition
also contains a new health room, library, drafting room and
a rearranged administrative area. -- Drawing by Kyles &
Kyles, Architects, Hamilton, Ontario.
Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, Feb. 20, ]..'€4
SECOND SECTION
SUGAR A
sID SPICE
There's A Moral
By BILL SMILEY
Once in a while, it is the
good fortune of an English
teacher to come across a
fresh, orig-
inal piece of
writing by
a student.
When he
does, it's a
drink of
cold, pure
water after
days of wan-
dering in
the desert
of mangled
syntax, crucified spelling,
howling triteness and tor-
tured thinking through
which it has been ordained
that he should plod. It
happened to me this week.
At first, I thought my
judgment might be preju-
diced, because I was quite
fond of the youngster in
question. I read it again.
It still sounded good.
To make sure, I had it
mimeographed and tried
it on my Grade 13 students,
as a piece for critical
analysis. Their snorts and
giggles confirmed my first
impression. Then we dis-
cussed it in depth. They
could find little wrong with
it. It had unity, coherence
and emphasis. The tone
was consistent. Well, here
it is, just as it was written,
on an examination,under
stress. See what you think.
Bill Smiley
* * *
The title was: The Wan-
derings of a Ten -Dollar
Bill,
"My mother was extreme-
ly large and could make
only loud, whirring sounds
in her throat. The thing
that puzzles me is how I
turned out so thin when
she is such a fatso.
"Anyway, when I popped
out feeling like a wet piece
of cabbage, a long, dark
man with a black mole be-
neath his left eye clutched
me and cried, 'Oh, darling
George.' He and the rest
of the boys kissed me all
over, even on the Queen's
head. I was later to dis-
cover that I had the honor
of being the first bill in an
evil batch of counterfeit
money. I was the one who
would set the plot in motion
"First of all I was given
to an unsuspecting old lady
for a packet of cigarettes.
The decrepit old woman
hesitantly handed them the
change, all in nickels. They
then turned and scampered
In it
out, leaving me to face the
consequences. It turned out
that the old lady was a
trifle goofy.
"One fine day she traded
me for pennies, all pennies,
I was pushed wildly into
the buyer's pocket, where
I met a girl ten -dollar bill.
It was so cosy and dark
in there that I have to ad-
mit I was a little fresh.
* * *
"Suddenly I was jostled
out and traded for more
cigarettes. The store owner
grabbed me and yelled,
'The Queen doesn't have
that many bumps on her
nose.' The trail was hot.
"Well, my boys were
found. Unfortunately, they
had already died from lung
cancer because they had
smoked so many cigarettes
when setting bills in mo-
tion.
"I write this while sitting
amidst coals in a large
furnace. The penetrating
heat is beginning to stifle
me. My breath is coming
shorter, the happy hunting
grounds are coming nearer.
"But the moral of my
story is, 'If you're going
to produce counterfeit
money, make only one
bump on the Queen's nose
and always buy gum, not
cigarettes'."
The above essay was
written by my daughter
ICim, age 12, Grade 8. A
chip off the old crock?
I'm only surprised that her
second last sentence didn't
say, "My breath is coming
in short pants."
Beatle Boots
Hit the Market
Beatle hair cuts, Beatle wigs
and Beatle cakes have all been
in the news in recent weeks --
and now we have Beatle boots.
Last week -end 2, t300 pairs
were put into Toronto stores to
sell at $5.99 a pair. A Toronto
manufacturer has received the
rights to use the name on girls'
footwear in Canada. Another
firer is discussing the possibility
of making Beatle boots for boys.
These shoes are no more
outlandish than other footwear
fashions that have attracted
teenagers. They have Mexican
type stacked heels, V cup
vamps and leather Beatles on
the front.
The shoe's design is suitable
for any age as casual footwear,
but was styled for Beatle fans.
Rem iniscing
FEBRUARY 1914 led the High School Commence -
The gentleman employees Iment Exercises. Mr. G. M.
of the 13e11 Telephone Co. in ,Procter presented the Gradua-
Wing;ham recently presented tion Diplomas to the following:
Mrs. John Radford (nee Nliss IDorie Armitage, Ralph Baird,
Nettie Vanalstine) with a music:Jean Cruikshank, Dorothy Gol-
cabinet as a slight token oftheir"lev, Rita King, Jean McKay,
regard during Mrs. Radford's 'Edith ;.Mundy, i Tarry Posliff,
tenure of office in the local 1 Mai• Julia Preston, Richard
telephone office, !Roberts, Rhoda Robertson, Verne
For the f:r.r time, we under- Walker, Nora Wheeler, Ruth
:
stand in the history. of Wing- �tiheeler, Muriel Williams. Dr.•
Wing -
ham, it will be necessary to ;Geo. Ross presented the Field
hold a new nomination for the !Day prizes, as follows: Lois
office of Mayor and also to fill !Bateson, Irene Clark, Margaret
six vacancies on the Public tConnell, Margaret Coulter,
School Board. Following Mr. Virginia Currie, Betty Gannett,
Irlma Harrison, Grace 1-ling-
ston, June Irwin, Jean Lowey,
Meta McLaughlin, Mamie
Merryweather, Patricia Parker,
Melba Radford, Betts Rae,
Mary Tervit, Louise Thornpson,
Helen Thomson, Jean Wel-
wood, Donald Adams, Kenneth
Baker, Jack Bateson, Hill Burg -
man, Jack Carter, Norman Fry,
Jack Gorhett, Dick Irwin, Ken-
neth Jackson, George Johnson,
Kenneth Johnson, George Mc-
Gee, Gordon Miller, Melvin
Phippen, Harry Posliff, Charles
Proctor, Smith Robertson.
The home of Mrs. Jack
Templeman was the scene of a
happy party on Wednesday night
last week when a number of
Mrs. Howard Bedford's girl
friends gathered in her honour.
:firs. Templeman and Wilma
Brown acted as hostesses.
A quiet wedding took place
at London on Saturday, Febru-
ary 18, when Rev. J. W. Hunt,
pastor of Wellington St. United
Church, united in marriage
Miss Winnifred Estella Carr to
Frank Moore, both of Wingliam.
They will reside in London.
Little Dorothy Stone, daugh-
ter of Mr, and Mrs. Arthur
Stone, is suffering from an at-
tack of broncho pneumonia.
Morton's discovery of a change
of law in respect to the forma-
tion of a Board of Education
which was noted in our last is-
sue, it became evident that
both the high and Public School
Boards were still in existence.
Dr. A. J. Irwin still had one
year•to serve as a member of
the Public School Board, and•
should have resigned this posi-
tion before seeking election as
Mayor.
Mr. J. A. McLean, of the
Wingliam saw mill Lias this
winter received an extra largo
supply of all kinds of saw logs.
The fine sleighing last Thurs-
day was responsible for seven-
ty loads of logs being delivered
at the mill yard. There were
Lt; teams in the mill yard at
one time. Work on Mr. Mc-
Lean's new mill is just about
completed and the logs will he
converted into lumber as early
as possible.
FEBRUARY 1928
•rhe open literary meeting
of the Wingham high School
was held in the town hall on
Wednesday evening. T. C.
King acted as chairman and the
high school orchestra furnished
the music. The first nutnher
on the program was a piano solo
by Miss Nora Beattie. The FEBRUARY 1949
valedictory address was given The Literary Society- of
by Miss Jean Stewart of Luck- Wingham High School met on
now, who has spent one year in Friday afternoon in the Town
the Wingham High School, af- Hall, with the president, Grant
ter leaving the continuation Ernest presiding. The meeting;
school at Lucknow, and who has opened with the singing of the
been successful in obtaining the school song. The secretary,
Carter Scholarship. Then fol- Muriel 13rydgcs, read the min -
lowed a piano solo by Miss Kate utes of the previous meeting
King, after which the oratori- and Lois Lockridge sang "Gal-
eal contest was held. The way Bay" accompanied at the
speakers were: R. Vanstone, J. piano by her sister, Shirley. A
A. MacLean and Dr. A. J. Ir- skit "A Case of Suspension"was
win. The decision they arriv- presented under the direction
ed at was first, Morris Christie, of Miss MacGregor. The cast
second, Ma ry O'Neil, third, included, Professor Edgerton,
Margaret Stoltz, fourth, Grant Joy Brown; Miss Judkins, Ruth
MacKenzie, The prophet's ad- Showers; Kathleen, Mary Ann
dress was given by Yvonne Mc- Cleland; Jonas, Jim Irwin; Mil -
Pherson and covered a goodly dred, Doris W:ay; Dorotln,
number of the school students Jean Pennington; Alice, Jean
and teachers, Elliott; Harold, Don Fortune;
Torn, Currie Burchill; Jack, Bill
Johnston. A sing -song followed
which was led by Grant Ernest,
John Lancaster and Currie Bur-
chill with Doris Marlatt at the
piano.
FEBRUARY 1939
The Town Hall auditorium
was well filled on Thursday and
Friday nights by an enthusiastic
audience who thoroughly enjoy-