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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-04-23, Page 13Radio Operators To Guide Rescue An unusual exercise has been planned for the North Huron area to take place on Sunday, May 3rd. The South Western General Radio Association will stage a rescue search operation along the Maitland River, using their own radio equipment for intercommunication between the searchers. The plan calls for two per- sons to become "lost", one north and one south of Auburn along the river. The search control centre will be set up in a gravel pit west of Auburn and the search will be undertaken by radio -directed cars, boats and those walking the banks of the river. A mobile kitchen will be brought in from Stratford to pro- • vide a meal for the participants when the exercise is completed. The members of the Associ- ation operate radios on what is called the "Citizens' Band" and are not to be confused with the "Ham" operators. The Citi- • zens' Band is employed byCom- mercial firms which operate fleets of trucks, veterinarians, etc. Howson & Howson, Ernie Merkley and several others here use this type of equipment. The establishment of theop- erators' Association led to the employment of the equipment for use in rescue work on a vol- untary basis and they have par- tici pated in many important rescue operations. The Associ- ation was formed a little over • two years ago and is now the largest in Canada, covering all of Western Ontario. Initially there were only 35 members, but at present the membership stands at over 200. The Association urges all • radio owners in this category to join them at Auburn on May 3rd, to participate if they de- sire or to observe the exercise. Visitors are welcome to partici- pate_ in the discussion which will follow the exercise when improved techniques will be studied. Barn Burned Early Monday A small unused barn owned by Ferguson Riley, and situated on his property just west of the Western Foundry was destroyed by fire about 3.00 a.m. Mon- day. A large grass fire along • the railway embankment was brought under control by local firemen, although it is not clear whether the grass fire started the barn ablaze or vice -versa. The barn was situated some distance away from the Riley • home which was not damaged. ALONG THE MAIN DRAG By The Pedestrian Pedestrian THERE'S A REASON In case you are wondering why there is so little water in the upper pond, you will be interested to know that opera- tions on the sewer construction program have required the low water level. It is expected that the boards can be put back in the dam in about a week's time. Then the pond will once again be the beauty spot we so much enjoy. 0--0--0 WATCH THAT CLOCK -- This coming Sunday, April 26th, is the annual occasion for " so many families being late for church, At one minute af- ter midnight, 12.01 a.m. Sun- day the switchback to Day- light Saving time will take place. That means you set your alarm clock one hour ahead before you retire. DST will continue through to the end of October. 0--0--0 NEAR MISS -- Fireman Robert Deyell had a close call to serious injury when on duty at the Lloyd Door fire on Sunday. Working close to the building, he was "hit with a falling cement block which knocked the brim off his helmet and struck him on the shoulder. X-rays showed he had a shoulder bone chipped, however he is back to work. k Council Vote Is Split ncioarnt Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, April 23, 1964 Re -open Negotiations to Replace McKenzie Bridge At a special budget meeting of council last Wednesday the town fathers also got around to discussing the feasibility of go- ing ahead with the replacement of the McKenzie Bridge over the Maitland River at the North end of Josephine Street. When Mayor Hetherington brought the subject before coun- cil, he said negotiations should be re -opened with the Depart- ment of Highways regarding construction of a new bridge. He said the . existing bridge is an eyesore and that many citi- zens have suggested that the town should go along with the department on the project. He stated that the Province of On- tario would pay 90 per cent of the bridge cost and 50 per cent of the cost of land which would be required for widening of the Turnberry Board Will Add 6 Rooms to Central School Announcement was made at the regular meeting of the Turn• berry Township School Area Dangerous Fire Quelled at Burke's A fire that had the potential of wiping out a major portion of Wingham's main street was caught just at the crucial time and brought under control by Wingham firemen on Thursday evening. The outbreak occured in the rear warehouse and workshop of Burke Electric and was subdued before causing major structural damage, although the loss to electrical equipment and darn - age from smoke and water to retail stocks will run to several thousand dollars. The blaze was discovered by a Burke employee, Garry Dob- son, who was met by heavy smoke when he started to enter the building just before seven o'clock in the evening as he was returning to work. The fire started in the area of a service bench for small appliances in one corner of the cement block and steel ware- house, and had reached consi- derable proportions when it was discovered. Firemen were able to put the blaze out in a short time, but smoke permeated the whole building in dense clouds. Major fire loss was confined to the work area where several customer appliances that were in for repair were destroyed, as well as a number of tools and testing equipment. The heat was so intense that a tank of gas was removed from the building in a dangerously overheated condition. Fortun- ately a drum containing 45 gal" Ions of varnish in the • motor shop did not take fire. Prompt action by the fire- men unquestionably prevented a major outbreak just in the nick of time, for the blaze would soon have been out of control and started into the old- er frame portion of the building. board on Thursday evening that the central school will be com- pleted this year. The township council has agreed to issue de- bentures in the amount of $155, 000.00 to provide the necessary funds for the construction of an additional six classrooms, office and auditorium. The rooms will be added to the present central school struc- ture, located just east of Wing - ham on Highway 86. The ar- chitectural firm of Dunlop, Wardell, Matsui and Aiken was engaged on motion of board members Norman and Worming ton. Correspondence was read fro Mrs. Hugh Gilmour, McNab Bus Sales and Imperial Oil. A representative was present from the firm of Jack Hood School Supplies to discuss re- quirements for 1964-65. The supplies were purchased on mo- tion of Norman and Worming- ton. School insurance was renewe. with Ted Elliott of Wingham on motion of Haugh and Norman. The following accounts were paid: Teachers' salaries, care- takers' salaries, transportation accounts, Alexander's Hardware $31.66; Stainton's Hardware, $56.03; insurance, $963.85. Kinsmen Elect New Officers Main item of business on the agenda of the local Kinsmen Club on Monday evening was the election of officers, who were chosen from a list of no- minations presented two weeks ago. The new officers who will take over at the first of Septem- ber, the beginning of the Kins- men year, are: president, Cal- vin Burke; first vice—president, Ed Bauer; second vice-president, David Burgess; treasurer, Ed Yeoman; secretary, Dawson Pollock; registrar, Jake Jutzi; directors, Jack Hodgins, Ray Neil, Jim Fraser. W. T, Cruick- shank was elected honorary member of the club. approaches. He estimated the total cost to the town at approx- imately $35, 000. 00, Councillor Williams was op- posed to eonstructiui, the bridge on this location and suggested that it be built on the site of the former C.P.R. railway bridge. Deputy Reeve Jos. Kerr said that we should wait, and per- haps the bridge would he con- structed at no cost to the town and this money could he spent on improving the streets. Mayor Hetherington felt that this was wishful thinking and that it might be years before the department would assume all the costs. The mayor also suggested that a deputation meet with the Minister of High- ways to discuss the matter for- mally. DIVIDED VOTE After considerable discussion on the subject Councillor Bate- son moved that the council o- pen negotiations with the de- partment regarding the con- struction of a new bridge, pro- vided that a plan agreeable to both parties can be drawn up. The motion was seconded by Councillor Callan. In voting on the motion the councillors showed their divi- sion of opinion, with Council- lors Bateson, Callan, Bennett, Cruickshank, Wild and Mayor Hetherington voting for the mo- tion and Reeve Adair, Deputy - Reeve Kerr and Councillor Wil- liams voting in opposition. Readers will recall that council has considered the bridge problem on a number of occasions, and has previously set the matter aside due to oth- er pressing needs. Plans have been presented to council, which were reported at the time, by department engineers. These called for a bridge in the pre- sent location that would be sev- eral feet higher above the river, and longer. The plans also call for cutting the grade of the hill north of the bridge and a change in the South approach. It may also be remembered that former Councillor Donald Nasmith suggested that the bridge should be built farther to the west, and the north ap- proach of the highway brought around behind the houses on the west side of the present high- way. Council delegations have been to Toronto in the past to talk to department officials, and on the last occasion were told that the best the Department of Highways could do, in regard to cost, was the 90 per cent grant towards construction. As a mat- ter of interest, this was the last project which the late John Han- na worked on in Toronto, and the afternoon before he passed Please Turn To Page Seven SECOND SECTION WORKMEN ARE BUSY at the Lloyd -Truax plant on John Street cleaning up the rubble from an explosion in a sawdust bin on Sun- day afternoon, which tore out about 30 feet of wall, collapsed the roof and set fire to that area of the plant. It is expected the factory will be back in full operation by the end of the week.—A-T Photo. Blast in Shavings Bin Damage May Reach $30,000 In Factory Explosion and Fire Charles Lloyd, Plant Super- intendent of Lloyd -Truax said on Tuesday that damage caused by a dust explosion at the John Street plant last Sunday may run as high as $30,000 although no accurate estimate has actu- ally been made. The blast in the shavings bin at the plant took place at 3 p.m. Sunday. Dust appar eptly exploded when an. elec- Only Minor Change In Town's Mill Rate Town Budget Sees Slight Change In Total Mill Rate Picture Sitting in special session last Wednesday evening the town council approved the 1964 bud- get which provides for a small change downward in the mill rate. A drop of .32 mills will apply to the mill rate against commercial and industrialpro- perty for a 1964 total of 82.45 mills. The rate levied against residential property will remain the same as in 1963 at 73.90 mills. Unconditional grants of $8,968.30 applied to residen- tial assessment only, make up the difference. A drop of some $6,000.00 in requirements by the public Lions Donate $5,000 to Construct Washrooms at Park Camping Area The Lions Club of Wingham has pledged $5, 000 to the Ri- verside Park Board. The mo - ney will be used for the con- struction of a building which will house toilet and laundry facilities for the camping area at the south end of the park. It is expected that the structure will be erected opposite the end of John Street near the river. The camping area is requir- ed by the regulations under which the park area is being developed and will help to snake the tenting site an attrac- tive spot for out-of-town visit- ors. Major projects to be carried out by the Parks Board in 1964 include the cleaning out and deepening of the Lower Town millpond a large body of water which lies adjacent to the lower end of the park de— velopment; construction of the washrooms and laundry in the camping area; providing hydro outlets for the camp sites and sodding and finishing the grounds near the swimming pool. At a recent meeting the Parks Board decided to proceed with construction of the wash- rooms this year, since the area is already under reconstruction following the installation of sewers. The cleaning of the lower pond is one of the big undertak- ings. Present plans call for draining the pond at the first of September, after the swim- ming pool is nto longer needed and then permitting the river bottom to dry out so that earth- moving equipment can be brought in for the job. It is likely that an escape channel will have to be cut in the head- racc below the lower Town darn to effectively drain the pond. TORN UP The present appearance of the Park is disappointing to those who were so pleased with the job which had been done last year. The installation of trunk sewers, unfortunately, re- quired excavating the entire length of the Parl< arca. How- ever, the sewers contractor will return the terrain to its ori- ginal condition, The Riverside Park has been under development for the past 5 years and remarkable progress has been made. The upper pond is providing touch pleasure for water ski-ers and boating enthusiasts. The swimming area, just below the Howson Darn, is popular with all ages. Please turn to Page Three school was offset by a compar- able increase in high school needs. The overall rate is made up as follows, with the residential rare listed first and the com- mercial and industrial second; general, 28.53, 33.53; public and separate school, 17.98, 19.97• high school, 14.08, 15.65; county, 13.31, 13.31; total, 73.90 and 82.45. The general rate, which is the levy for money actually spent by council, will bring $86,679.62; high school levy, $41,866.60; public school, $52,017.34; separate school, $1,444.22 and the county levy of $38,096.55. The total raised by taxation amounts to $220,104,33. The $86, 679.62 raised for general purpose in the town, supplemented by the uncondi- tional grants, will provide a total of $95,971.24 which will trical switch in another room was turned on by one of the week -end watchmen, Fred Saint. Fortunately he was not injured in either the explosion or the ensuing fire. The shavings bin was com- pletely demolished in the blast which ripped out about 30 feet of wall and destroyed the roof which supported three large ex- haust cyclones, These huge metal containers fell into the mains of the bin, along with a powerful exhaust fan. Wingham firemen responded to the call and were able to bring the fife under control be- fore it caused major damage to the plant. Fortunately the boi- lers, which are situated in a room adjoining the savings bin, were not damaged. They are fired by conveyor from the bin, Mr. Lloyd said that one de- partment is shut down and a number of female workers are laid off, However, he said he expected the plant to be back in full operation by the end of the week. he applied against general town expenditures of $229,- 1.86.5k6. The fiscal difference of $133,815.32 comes from the following sources: recoverable debenture debt from the public Please turn to Page Two. PROCLAMATION DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME COMMENCES IN THE TOWN OF WINGHAM AT 12:01 A.M. SUNDAY, APRIL 26th, 1964 R. S. HETHERINGTON, Mayor, Town of Wingham. AimmissmatermoomospiougszIA