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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1965-08-19, Page 9• 1 • • • r 4 r • 4 k • • • • 4 • 4 American Drivers Wiser Recently published figures relative to comparative accident rates indicated that, believe it or not, the Canadian incidence of accidents per thousand miles of travel is considerably higher than that in the United States. You may find this state- ment, as we did, a bit hard to swallow, for we traditionally and smugly hold to the belief that Americans, and particular- ly American car drivers, are a pretty wild bunch. Last week we drove through the State of Michigan from the Soo to Port Huron, and crossed the international bridge to Sarnia convinced that there is good rea- son for a lower accident rate on the U.S. roads. The average American motorist is a cautious and courteous operator of his vehicle. We found none of the double -lane driving on expressways which is so common in Ontario. In Michigan (and we found the same thing in New York a couple of years ago) the second lane is used only for necessary passing. And passing is at a minimum. Though most of the highways we travelled had speed limits of 65 miles an hour, 55 or 60 was the average speed of traffic. When the leading vehicle in a string of cars was doing only 50 it was common for those following to content themselves with the slower pace rather than take any risk in passing. Hot-rodders we saw not at all. It would appear that the vast majority of drivers in Michigan have absorbed the shocking lesson of accident rates and have decided to settle for more care, Tess speed and greater courtesy as a fair price for staying alive. Comparisons seem inevitable when one is travelling in another country and we could not fail to note the excellent parks and picnic areas in Michigan. They were plentiful, well -kept and completely attractive. The general calibre of their facilities is higher than we find in On- tario. Picnic tables were sanded to a clean, light color and varnished so that dust and dirt could be readily wiped away. Tourist accommodations—cabins and motels, appear to be above the Ontario average too. We saw very few second- rate establishments of the kind which make one-time visitors out of potential regular customers. Courtesy and a warm welcome for the Canadian visitor is the rule rather than the exception. No doubt Michigan has some dirty parks and some sloppy cabins, just as we have in Ontario, but we failed to find them. As a footnote we might add that at no place, even the border points, did we see one Canadian flag flying on American soil—though one of our read- ers told us that such a sight is common in the areas of Florida frequented by Canadian winter visitors. It's Not All Bad Though we may sound unduly critical of tourist facilities in Canada, it is still the great land for those who love the out- doors. On our trip last week we went up the Lake Superior shore north of Sault Ste. Marie as far as the mouth of the Montreal River. Though it was only 80 or 90 miles beyond the Soo, the glimpse we did have of the Lake Superior shore- line was enough to start us planning for a longer trip in that direction. Totally unlike the Lake Huron coast, Superior offers breath -taking vistas of island -studded bays and tremendous walls of rock rising sheer hundreds of feet. above the water. The rocky crags reach back into the country as far as the eye can travel, clothed in some places with evergreens and dotted with blue lakes and tumbling rivers. In this area, as in the States we found most meals excellent and motels decid- edly good, their condition influenced, no doubt, by the very high percentage of American guests who make, up their clientele. In Sault Ste. Marie we had a very in- teresting conversation with an engineer employed by Ottawa's National Research Council to study the effect of wave•action on installations there. Referring to the one -foot rise in Lake Huron water level this year, he said that within the next two or three years the levels in all the Great Lakes will be reaching their high point in the cycle and so it would seem that millions of cottagers and resort own- ers will be happy once more. Nevertheless, the need for a long. range plan of conservation of Great Lakes waters is still urgent, for with our ever- increasing population, the next low point in the cycle is likely to be much more drastic than the one from which we are currently emerging. What About Equal Rates? A news story in a recent issue of The Toronto Globe and Mail, datelined from St. Catharines, states that members of the Public Utilities Commission in that city will join with other commissions in the area to protest a proposal for rate equali- zation by Ontario Hydro. A meeting was slated for Monday of this week so that the commissions in District No. 5 of the On- tario Municipal Electric Association could formulate a united front in opposition to Hydro's proposal. Since we live in a section of the pro- vince many miles from the Niagara region we earnestly hope that commissions in such remote area as ours are also plan- ning to present a united front—in favor of the proposal. Ever since the Hydro concept became reality the municipalities closest to Niag- ara Falls, where the first power develop- ment was completed, have enjoyed a much lower rate than those farther away. In the early years this situation was, per- haps unavoidable. However, Ontario Hydro is supposed to be the finest possible example of pub- lic ownership. Over the past 50 years consumers in all parts of the province have paid rates which not only met the costs of power production and distribu- tion but provided for vast surpluses and reserves. These monies were used to ex- tend Hydro's coverage of the province, to provide for research and development programs to improve its services—for all consumers, no matter how far they might be from Niagara Falls. When you turn on the basement lights or flip the switch on your washing ma- chine the power which begins to work for your benefit may be coming from any one of a hundred generating stations other than Niagara Falls — and the very same situation exists for the consumers in the Falls area. Hydro power is now produced in many stations and fed into a complex network of distribution lines. The day has long since passed when consumers in the Niagara area could claim that the cost of energy delivered to their homes and factories was less than in sec- tions farther afield. Ontario Hydro has been paid for by and is the property of consumers throughout the province and the rates should be the same wherever the consumer is located. Rather than fighting the possibility of higher rates the Niagara district commis- sions should be quietly thankful that they have been so highly favored for such a long time. 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 Claes 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 SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley Now, Back To Work... Some people say to me, "It must be quite a chore writin' that there column every week." The only difficulty is getting started. Tonight is column night. Midnight is the deadline. I sat down at the typewriter at 6.30, so I'd have lots of time to watch TV after I wrote the col- umn. I worked quietly until 8,30 Very quietly. No noisy typewrit- er. Peeled out pristine sheet with interesting lines, "Sugar and Spice, by Bill Smiley", at the top. Threw it in wastebasket. Decided to mow lawn to relieve mental constipation. Then had a beer. Bundling magazines for tomorrow's garbage, came across fascinating article on Procrastination in the Middle- aged Male. Helped Kim get valves unstuck in French horn. Moved water sprinkler on Lawn. Whipped up tea and grub for television room gang. The Fugi- tive is still running. Or re -run- ning.. It's now 10.30. Time to get cracking. But maybe I'll Oust answer a few letters, to get in the writing mood. There's noth- ing that cheers me up and in- spires me like reading the warm and friendly notes from column readers. Here's a nice fat one. Six pages, small writing. From Miss Edna Wegman, "Dear Mr. Smiley: Oh, you poor little pyg- my! My heart bleeds for you." Woops. Let's try the next para- graph. "Now, after feeling sorry for yourself and your fellow males, for males they are and not MEN, wake up and face reality." Uh4 maybe we'll leave that one till tomorrow. Here's one that looks friend- • lier. From a lady who says it's not for publication. Just a quote: "There's not a woman in the world who doesn't consider that her old man is the dope of the earth." Well! Really! This one sounds better. "Dear Bill: I'll call you Bill instead of Mr. Smiley, seeing I always thought of you as a friend, that is until your recent column in which you were lambasting women." By George, a bad week. Here's Linda Alton taking me down a few pegs for knocking the Beatles. She has me all wrong. I love the Bea- tles. I have to, in self-preserva- tion, or I'd go slavering mad ev- ery time I drive the car with my kids in It. Let's see. Here's a letter ad- dressed to me, by Gwen Sar- etsky. Good old Gwen. She must really like my column. She's written about 1,000 words. Hey, this is pretty good. She's commenting on a recent column in which I suggested that mod- ern women had gone to pot, while men are the same stead- fast, gallant chaps they were in Julius Caesar's day. Gwen says: "I wonder if Cleopatra ever had to drive one of her gladiators home in a chariot after one of those Roman parties. There would be an advantage to a chariot. The over -zealous party- goer would get more air while sprawled in an open chariot than the modern male does when his wife is driving home from a party and he has to re- lax with his head out the win- dow." Hmmm. Talk about lambasting. A few others, picked at random. "I agree that man hasn't changed much since Caesar's day; I really don't believe that it's pos- sible ... It's against their mor- al code to pick up, or hang up, a piece of clothing ... This spe- cies of human manages to con- tradict itself more than any oth- er of God's creatures ... No- body is, was, or ever could be, as sick as a man with a cold". There's a lot more in the same vein, so well written it's like listening to my own wife. But I haven't time to sympa- thize with Mr. Saretsky right now. I have a column to write. In the Editor's Mail Dear Sir: As the summer vacation period nears an end, it is very gratifying to see how the facil- ities of the Riverside Park have provided many hours of enjoy- ment for the citizens of Wing - ham and the surrounding com- munity. However, it is cer- tainly unfortunate that the Kins- men Wading Pool has not yet been made available to the public. This costly project was a worthwhile gift to the town by the service club. Therefore, it seems a shame that no provis- ions have been made to make the pool accessable for our toddlers. Earlier this summer, the Kinsmen Club made an ap- peal to the Council to have the area more attractive. Also, an editorial appeared in our local newspaper regarding the functions and non -operation of the pool. The subject has come up in many a conversa- tion, and I realize that this ad- ditional appeal speaks for the opinion of many parents of pre- school children and non -swim- mers. Most communities that have a swimming pool also have an accompanying wading pool of this sort, which offers many advantages. These include . safety and elimination of fear. Some of us may be able to erect a small plastic pool, but apartment dwellers do not have this convenience. The pool is centrally located and within walking distance from any part of town. Also, this type of wading area allows parents to he near their children at all times, and prevents the waders wandering out too far, result- ing in very terrified children. It is to be hoped that in fol- lowing summers some more consideration and effort will be given to once again furnish the youngsters with an operating wading area for this lovely community. Yours truly, A concerned parent. American Preacher At Knox, Goderich People of this area are in for a special treat when Dr. Clem E. Bininger D.D. , L.H.D. speaks in Goderich on August 22. Dr. Bininger is recognized as one of the outstanding speak- ers in the United States. He is minister of a very large and very active congregation at First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He and Mrs. Bininger will be visiting with Air Vice Marshal and Mrs. J. A. Sully at Rosny Manor and he has agreed to preach at Knox Presbyterian Church. His sermons in Fort Lauder- dale attract thousands of winter visitors and early arrival is nec- essary to gain entrance and get a seat in his large church for each of the three services he conducts on Sunday mornings. Many Canadian winter visit- ors to Florida have indicated that they will come to Gode- rich for his sermons on August 22nd. There will be two iden- tical services, 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and everyone is in- vited to attend and to hear this outstanding speaker. ingbaut Attbanct imeo SECOND SECTION Wingham, Ontario, Thursday, August 19, 1965 Steps up Aid to Small Businesses Economics and Development Minister Stanley J. Randall said recently that the Ontario De- velopment Agency will step try its program of free consultation to operators of small businesses. In the past few weeks teams of ODA consultants have been holding meetings with local businessmen in London, Kitch- ener, North Bay, Sudbury, Tim- mins and Sault Ste. Marie. As an aid to the program, the Ontario Development Ag- ency is distributing a new 16 - page booklet for small business- es entitled, "Does Your Busi- ness Need a Check-up?" The publication summarizes the major areas of management where many businesses have been deficient. It is basedpri- marily on the observation of ODA consultants who have counselled more than 3, 000 small business operators since 1963. Mr. Randall said nearly 100 small businesses with annual sales of $9 million and employ- ing more than 500 people have already taken advantage of ODA's advisory services. "In Ontario we are fortunate in having a large number of very well run small enterprises, but too many firms are finding themselves in difficulties or are failing merely for lack of timely advice and guidance," Mr. Randall said. The booklet is not intended to be a "how to do it" publi- cation. Its sole purpose is to bring to the attention of small businessmen the vital impor- tance of practising sound busi- ness techniques and of con- stantly reviewing their opera- tions with a view to obtaining maximum efficiency. "Far too many businesses seek our advice when it is too late to help them," Mr. Ran- dall said. He said that while attract- ing new industry is of prime importance, sometimes too little attention is paid by local organizations to the problems facing their existing industries. Thus, some of the advantages accruing from new industry have been offset by the un- necessary loss of existing plants The booklet is being sent to regional development associ- ations, chambers of commerce, industrial commissioners, char- tered banks and other financial institutions, and is available to businessmen across the province upon request. REMINISCING AUGUST 1915 Mr. A. M. Crawford had over 30 autos shipped to town on Tuesday. We understand he has them all sold. Possibly this beats any other agent's record in Ontario for numbers at one shipment. The Whitechurch creamery was broken into on Tuesday night by some unknown persons and robbed of almost $100.00 worth of butter. Provincial Officer Phippen is working on the case and we understand has already secured a clue to the robbery. We understand that Mr, Wil- liam Caslick has received the appointment of County Con- stable by the County Judge up- on the recommendation of the temperance people. The Lucknow-Goderich stage made its last trip on Sat- urday of last week. This stage has been a daily feature of the traffic on the road to Goderich ever since the days of rivalry between A. Polley of Goderich and Jock Adams of Lucknow. AUGUST 1929 The following piano pupils of Mrs. George C. Hanna were successful in the recent mid- summer examinations of the Toronto Conservatory of Music; Primary -Torn Henderson, Mary M. Robertson. Elementary - Marion P. Robertson, Elizabeth J. Weir. Introductory-Gracey King, Hon. , Catherine Nortrop, hon. When Raymond Elliott, of Turnberry Township, went to the barn on Thursday morning to start the day's work harvest- ing, he found the upper part in flames, and in a couple of hours, the place was a smoking ruin. By almost superhuman effort he got a team of horses and a couple of cattle out. Ilis crop of fall wheat, 45 loads of hay, eleven pigs, and some implements were burned. Neighbors were soon on hand and saved the house which was on fire different times. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Dawson, Turnberry, held a happy crowd last week when all the family met once more in the old home, for the first time in twenty years. The children and their families brought joy to the parents on this occasion, not only by their presence, but also by the kind- ly expressions of affection and esteem, which was nicely manifested in the presentation of a beautiful clock. On Monday evening about sixty friends and good-wishers of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cum- ings (nee Irene Boyle) gathered at their home on the 9th con., West Wawanosh, and tendered a delightful house party. AUGUST 1940 Miss Ruby Newman of the local Bell Telephone staff re- ceived a delightful surprise on Thursday evening last when more than forty of her friends gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs.James Halliday, Shuter St., and presented her with a bountiful shower of white and black enamel kitchenware, prior to her marriage next month to Mr. R. R. Fitzsimmons. Both junior and senior sec- tions of the Tennis Club were quite active last week despite the heat. Raymond Bell and Lloyd Mundy defeated Charlie Lee and Jim Sanderson in the,/ junior winners' final while r' Arthur Brown and Lorne Gard- ner won the consolation. Fri- day night the senior section staged a tournament followed with a lunch or vice versa. Louise Lloyd and Jim Hamilton went through the night unde- feated, winning the final from Mr. and Mrs. Harry Brown. Mary McKibbon and Tom Simpson annexed the round for those who lost their first game. Dr. A. W. Irwin has received a call to the Royal Dental Corps and it is expected that he will leave early next week for Tor- onto to take up his duties. AUGUST 1951 History was recorded on the 1st Line of Morris last Wednes- day, when the new Wingham Golf Course was officially opened. Following months of work on the greens, the sea- son got under way Wednesday at 2 p.m. when President R.11. Lloyd drove the first hall. Sunday was a memorable occasion for the congregation of the Fordwich United Church when their new electric organ was dedicated and the fiftieth anniversary of the laying of the corner stone was celebrated,