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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1966-03-17, Page 9Time to Replace the Elms SECOND aECTION Winghain, Ontario, Thursday, March 17, Je..ha'. MOWBRAY CONSTRUCTION is rebuilding the handrails on the Howson bridge which were badly deteriorated. The work is under the direction of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority which is renovating the structure as part of a flood control project. When finished the new hand rails will support winches for stop-log removal. That March Madness A few weeks ago we noted that the junior farm organizations were meeting to discuss projects for the coming year. We have not heard what projects were suggested or agreed upon, but we do hope that replacement of dying elm trees was at least considered. Dutch Elm Disease has already ravaged southern Ontario's landscape so seriously that we are beginning to see dead trees on every side as we drive through the coun- tryside. It is expected that 90 percent of all elms will be dead before the disease has run its course. In larger municipalities programs of removal and replacement have been in op- eration for several years, but so far we have heard of no organized or systematic plan in rural areas to deal with the situ- ation. In the country many of the dead and dying trees are on privately-owned land, and thus the appropriate action must be left in the hands of individual land own- ers, many of whom are either too busy or too indifferent to do anything about it. Our rural landscape has been domin- ated since the original bush was cleared, by the stately elm trees in fields and along fence lines. These great trees have provided shade and shelter for livestock and have added immeasurably to the beauty of the scene. Now they are doomed. There is no known way to halt the deadly march of the disease. The only thing to be done is remove the diseased trees and replace them with some other type of tree which will add both beauty and utility to the scene. Surely there is no better organization than 4-H Clubs or Junior Farmer-Institute groups to undertake the task of persuad- ing farm owners to act, On publicly-owned lands these same clubs might undertake the project on their own. Certainly they would be contributing in tremendous measure to the welfare of future genera- tions of Canadians, A New Responsibility • 0 Hospital boards throughout this part of the province are faced with a somewhat unexpected responsibility as the owners and operators of ambulance services seek to get out of the business, Dedicated, as these boards are, to the care of the sick and injured within hospitals, they can scarcely ignore the fact that if no one else will operate ambulance services the job falls squarely into their own laps. The sick must be cared for and very obviously there must be adequate means of moving sick persons to the hospitals and from one hospital to another when necessary. The present ambulance owners can hardly be blamed for their desire to ter- minate the service. New regulations call for special equipment in all ambulances, such as oxygen supply, as well as a train- ed attendance to ride with the sick or in- jured occupant of the vehicle. These new standards, though highly commendable, simply cannot be met by the average am- bulance operator, who is usually the local furniture dealer and undertaker. The problem thus presented to the hospital boards has no easy solution be- The Parliament of Canada has suffered some grievous blows in the past two or three years. Right at the present time its prestige is undergoing the most degrading treatment one could imagine, as the smut- ty implications of a sex and security scandal are dragged back and forth across the floor of the House. The sponsors of this latest spate of charges must surely have been deeply im- pressed by the John Profumo case in Great Britain. It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. If, indeed some cabinet ministers have been injudicious in their social contacts and if they have endangered Canada's security, then by all means let's turn the facts over to the RCMP for full investi- gation. If these people are guilty let them suffer the same consequences as would be meted out to any other citizen —but for goodness sake let's not waste the time and dignity of Canada's Par- liament. The voting public has conceived a ser- For many years the cry of the smaller community has been for more industry to take up the economic slack left by a shrinking agricultural employment de- mand. It may be that the very force of circumstances will provide industries in smaller places. The most significant fact in Canada's economy today is the drastic shortage of labor, complicated by a grossly short- sighted labor policy which still permits whole segments of the earning capacity of the country to be wasted in costly strikes. Competition for available labor in the major centres has become so keen that both profits and productivity are seriously threatened, Those industries which are not tied to the city c:ntres by necessity cause all hospital expenditures are care- fully controlled by the Ontario Hospital Services Commission — and so far that group has failed to recognize the needs of the community for such a service. If a hospital is to operate an ambulance ser- vice it will be required to find 100 percent of both the capital and operating costs on its own. Not a cent of the expenditure will be approved by OHSC. In a centre the size of Wingham, for example, at least two vehicles would be required to provide adequate ambulance service. It might prove difficult to guar- antee services unless six or more persons were available as drivers and attendants— and the attendants must have special training. It seems obvious that the communities involved will not be able to leave the ambulance question in the hands of the hospital boards alone. The boards may provide the organizational focus to set up an ambulance service but the costs will have to be shared by those who want the service. ious distrust of the motives which have prompted the accusations. Most of us have a strong feeling that some of our members of Parliament are far more in- terested in discrediting their opponents than they are in good government for the people of Canada. Already Canadians have been treated to the sight of one former cabinet min- ister standing before television cameras to protest his guiltlessness, while wife and daughter waited to kiss him as soon as his speech was over in proof that they know Daddy didn't do it. Why, we wonder, was this display necessary on a national view- ing network? It would have been more suitable before a proper commission of inquiry charged with responsibility for a decision as to his guilt. Parliamentary debate seems to have degenerated into successive rounds of mud-slinging, interspersed with billion- dollar schemes to spend money the pub- lic has not yet earned. are beginning to turn their eyes toward the rural areas in which there has not been such competition for the available man and woman power. Automation to the contrary, it is still impossible to run most industries without help and in areas such as our own, though labor may not be plentiful, it is still available. The past ten years has seen the estab- lishment of hundreds of plants in the Western Ontario area and very few have found that the decision to locate here was unwise. Their example has been closely watched by the other businesses and there is an increasing trend to carefully weigh the merits of decentralization. The next few years may witness some surprising moves and some interesting developments for smaller communities. Yr. OPEN LETTER TO TOWN COUNCIL Chzen Voices n OFl werpots and Dump Gentlemen vladam: For year our town has been known for many interesting things, which have reflected in some way the image of the citi- zens and the calibre of local government. "_ay I be permit- ted to dwell an two particular things for which Wingham is noted and which are a real source of pride for government and citizens alike -- depend- ing on your taste, that is. The first item is (or was), our display of flowers and greenery to add character and colour to our main street. The second, the display of our gar- bage, smcking and stinking in a dump and a two-acre sign- board heralding one's entrance to a supposed progressive, neat, clean, well-managed, friendly and prosperous community. I read in an Advance-Times article last week that you have abolished the flowers and kept the dump. Is it possible that on the morning of this action you each got out on the wrong side of the bed, had a family row, a spat with the boss, may- be your banker informed you about the overdraft, neighbour- hood kids kicked a hole in the hedge maybe, or did someone re-design the front fender ofthe car? Regardless, you made a bum decision. Keep a dump at the expense of beauty, indeed. The cost factor seems of lit- tle importance when you con- sider that Deputy-Reeve Alex- ander stated the cost to water the plants was $100, with some inference left as to this drastic ality; projects friendliness, pros- expense, then, before the end Iperity and neatness; advertises of the meeting, in toddles good local government; and in- Councillor Callan with a pro- stills a sense of pride in people posal from the Business Associa- who dwell here, I'm for it. tion to take the VUO that Jack Yes, I'll take the flowers just saved the town, add anoth- any time --- you can keep your er ;4.!lei and errect sonic iso .dump. flags up and down the street. It is conceivable that one of the flags might be a colourtul one from the outer reaches of the now dt tact Tibetan Empire; it shows the Lord High Llama rid- ing a Yak side-saddle up Evertet, chasing the bird at the council met:rim-, at wItich paradin Anyhow, by the end the flower pots became an is- of the first two or three months • sue, we stated it cost :.:11.0.00 at the :.lercy of the elements, to have them watered. -1'his the flivs will look like a wash- :igure was tot one month and alit at a handketchh.„ not for the season. It would placed ,ith another :i,L:00 worth have the pots : east approx 00 to nHied with flow. tactop. ..nd will have to be re- ef flag. All this to display a ers this year. It is understood Middt E, patriotism': that then_ t:e to them, two enderstand yotir eco- at the cemetery gates. nolea.: :.hen we may have been c1 Life correct where she stated, 1 411ey were never war- the lalitor, verb ve.11." rlitnination is a Advance-Times. cred .pr , 'erly and did not do very t..;is; way to get nut tram TOWN HALE FRITS under 'Lit in the interests 01 pub- lic price would it not have been better constructively attach the pr,:,,eni*.' If the citizenry Parliament or Playhouse? Opportunities for Industry THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited, W. Barry Wenger, President - Robert 0. Wenger, Secretary-Treasurer Member Audit Burt au of Circulation Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association. Authorized by the Post Office Department as Second Class Mail and for payment of postage in cash. Subscription Rate: 1 year, $5,00; 6 months, $2.75 in advance; U.S.A., $7.00 per yr,; Foreign rate, $7.00 per Advertising Rates on application. fact this might make an excel- lent Centennial Project. We could be known as the only Can.- adian community to recreate its founding "in living colour", a return to a swamp at the forks of the Maitland. Have we a Volunteer to take the part of Edward Farley? Shall we stop being negative and start with a positive thought? So the plants "didn't do very well" --- how about council supplying a man with a step- ladder, a wee bag of fertilizer, a small hoe, a watering can and a current issue of "Garden Magic", then cut him loose? Cost prohibitive? Well, to help minimize the outlay, I know a guy who can get you the water- ing - can "wholesale". It appears that the majority of our council are "Dump-Lov- ers" and have over-powered the flower-lovers, in a vote. Oh yes! We know the dump is to be moved "again", but it will be back next fall in all its glory to transpose us back to "STINKY HOLLOW". But, will the real beauty lovers please stand up? All this for flowers, you ask. Not entirely. If something looks good and complements our town; reflects the citizen; offers uniqueness and individu- A citizen who cares, J. A. Currie, !l')9 Summit Dr., Wingham, Ontario. poppycock, He had obviously never spent a March in these parts. April is no bargain, hut March is a month no honest tax- payer should have to put up with. At its best, it is 31 days of pure drear; at its worst, a centu- ry of bleak horror. Raw east winds that chap the hands, chill the bones, redden the nose, deaden the soul. Third bout of la grippe in three months. Holes in your over- "And here you are lying in a shoes. Faces of friends become hateful. Tailpipe and muffler soft bed, in a warm house, with gone on the car. a warm woman beside you and sagging. Spirits flag Eavestroughs ging. Spring warm blankets over you, and no is merely a word in the dic- tionary. Winter is a monster, clawing your shoulder. night-fighters shooting up the place, and no guards wandering in to give you a kick. So what if you don't sleep a wink?" In 14 seconds I was asleep. It works every time. Now, the same technique ap- plies when it comes to saving my sanity in March. When the miseries of March have me reduced to one great bellow of frustration, I put it to work. "Old Buddy," I say to my- self, "just go back 300 years. Let yourself go, now. Not three miles from here, they were ek- ing out their March, half-frozen, half-starved, half-blind." And I think about them — the Indians, nearing the bitter end of a bitter winter, in their long-houses. Men, women, chil- dren, dogs, pell-mell in a seven- teenth-century Nissen hut made of boughs and bark and skins. Two or three hundred human beings crawling over each other in about the space you and your family occupy. Cold, Hungry. Stench unbelievable. Smoke from cooking fires indescriba- ble. The last of the meat gone. The maize reduced to a few handfuls. Spruce tea and moss stew on the menu. Hunting im- possible because of the slush. Flabby breasts and swollen bel- lies. And always the cold. much coffee, I'd crawl into bed, and lie there as rigid as a rake, toes curled tightly, eyes burning brightly, no more chance of get- ting to sleep than getting to heaven. One such night, I remem- bered. "Listen, Buster," I told myself. "Fifteen years ago to- night, you were lying on the floor of a box-car, freezing, hands and feet tied with wire, on your way to a prison camp. Scott conducted the ulcetior and instalh“ tan o!fiecrs. Ckunpanion !herb Dexter acted as Marshal. Wore Comm. , Roes I trine- ton; Dep. W or. ( atilt:;., Alex of this community were to ac- cept the action of council as a precedent in such situations, we I have a profound respect for' I first discovered this theory could tear up the gardens, plow poet T S. Eliot. But one of his when I had trouble sleeping. Af- down the lawns, demolish the lines, that which says, "April is ter a long evening of too much walks and roads and allow the cruellest month," is pure j work, too many fags, and too nature to re-assert itself. In BELGRAVE—Morris District Scarlet Chapter met in the Or- ange hail for the annual meet- ing with a good attendance from Myth, Auburn, Dungan- non, Brussels and Belgrave. Worshipful Commander liar- vey Jacklin presided for the meeting with c.:ompanion Rus- Editor's Note: In a report at set Alton reading Scripture and No refrigerators stocked with opening prayer. Campanian steaks and roasts and milk and Harold Webster gave an address eggs. No shelves of canned on the Scarlet Order and stress- goods. No supermarket a few ed the need to wars along with blocks away. No heat, no light. the Christian church iii these No bathroom. No hooks. No tel- trying and unecrtaM times. evision. And always the cold. Past Commander Walter A few cynics will add, "And no income tax, no mortgages, no AND ABOUT TREES . . NetlitrV. cHoliu, Clare .in- 110v.,ird It a. s to me more reason- tor, I barold Webster; :nd Call- able to remove the town hall Iductor, Iharvet Jacklin; herald, and leave the spruce trees. Robert Walter; sentinel, (aeorge W. A. Nie Ribbon Bailie. If you're anything like me, you're hanging on by your teeth. This is fairly easy, because your nose has been running, and you're keeping a stiff upper lip. It's frozen. And your teeth are exposed. It's a wonder we don't all turn as mad as March hares, and cut our collective throat, if only to add a bit of color to relieve grim, grey March. But cheer up, chaps, all is not lost. I have a little therapeutic theory that works wonders. It is the only thing that saves me, in March, from running out into the snow, in bare feet and long underwear, babbling, "T. S. El- iot is mad, mad I tell you, mad!" Chapter Elects, Installs Officers treasurei, lienry Pattison; mar- shal, sttee te .1ine et, I st lee - niter, 6ortion cearter, .hit! lec- terer, Russel .\ltore insurance policies, no fuel bills, no ulcers, no doctor's bills." True. I'Vanna trade? Not I. I turn up the therm.)s. tat a bit. I mix a hot toddy. Then I sit by the f:iepl,,ce lis- tening to the wind whhtling around the house I stuff the waft of pot roast from the kitch- en. I pick up a hook, put a rec- ord on the hi-fi. I listen to my wile, who is not fiehting with Mrs. Abenaki about who gets the fire next. to make dog soup. And my March madness is gone. Try it. ti • • a