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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1966-10-27, Page 20Leadership — that has been the great cry for the past few years. One group of Canadians are absolutely certain that we have no leadership at all — . that none of the political parties has produced a single individual capable of leading the nation to her rightful destiny. The party stalwarts would have us believe that the present leaders are the best Canada has ever pro- duced. We could be wrong but in our opinion present leadership is just exactly what most Canadians might expect, since they have failed, as a nation, to demand any- thing very startling from the men who have held the reins of government. There is a vacuum in leadership demands. Ca- nadians are not earnestly seeking a strong man to guide them to the promised land of. the future—they are merely happy that somebody else has shouldered the respon- sibility of leadership. Thus the men who lead the bigger po- litical parties are bereft of the guidance which is normally provided by an out- spoken and determined electorate. Instead of striving to achieve those accomplish- ments which the voters demand, the lead- ers are left to their own resources; they must dream up great causes and present them to the public under the guise of re- sponsible representation. The first of these magnificent gestures was the Family Allowance Act, which be- came law many years ago and which will be with us till the end of time. The "Baby Bonus" as it is commonly known, was nothing more or less than a political bribe, designed to appeal to the uneduca- ted voter with a large family—a prepon- derance of such being found in the Pro- vince of Quebec. The vast majority of parents today have no need whatsoever for family allowance payments. The cheques are but a flea bite compared with the actual cost of raising a child, so that they help only those with very large fam- ilies and in that case they are totally in- adequate. We have no objection whatever to government aiding those who, for one rea- son or another, are not able to provide for their families. Certainly no child of any color or creed in this prosperous land should be deprived of full opportunity. But it is a crying shame that the payments are so slivered among all families in the country that those who need this type of assistance most do not receive enough to be truly worthwhile. The same is true of Old Age Security. In the vast majority of cases the recip- ients don't need any help—and those who do need it should have far more than they are getting. Next on the agenda is Medicare. This is the latest dream of the politicians who spend their time whipping up new hand- outs in their effort to convince voting Canadians that they are sleeping in the same bed with Santa Claus. Certainly some sort of public provis- ion must be made for those whose cir- cumstances do not permit them complete medical attention when they need it. The average, wage-earning Canadian, however, does not need his government to do his thinking for him, He is quite capable of realizing the need for insured protection in the event of costly illness . . . but the politicians simply won't believe him. Speaking in the House of Commons recently, Marvin Howe, our local member, pointed out many of the dangers and weaknesses of the medicare program, the greatest of which is the compulsory na- ture of the plan. More than anything else free and thinking Canadians resent the paternalistic attitude of government when it assumes the right to decide in even the most personal aspects of family life what is the best course of action. Mr. Howe spoke, too, of the staggering costs which medicare would entail not only for ourselves, but for the generations which follow us. It is worth noting that in a country as sophisticated and as wealthy as the United States no govern- ment has yet found a solution to meeting the costs of a full public health program and no party has actually tried to make it law. They fear, and rightly so, that the nation could be completely bankrupt- ed by such an all-inclusive guarantee of public aid. Leadership we need, but somebody to wipe our noses and do our thinking for us we don't need. The never-ending urge to foist social legislation upon us is an insult to the intelligence. Sounds Like A Run-Around Though stories in the daily press could conceivably have distorted the facts, the answers which Hon. C. M. Drury had for the Western Ontario committee on enlarg- ed designated areas sounded very much like the old, familiar run-around. The minister reportedly stated that designation of a slow growth area is a provincial mat- ter, despite the fact that the present de- signated areas were certainly approved and financially supported by the federal gov- ernment. It is possible that there was more point to the minister's statement than was evident in the press reports, but it did have the familiar tones of double-talk. The case which the committee sought to place before the federal minister is, in fact, a simple one and so deserves a straight forward answer. The business men and other municipal representatives went to Ottawa to point out the fact that economic conditions are not appreciably worse in the Owen Sound area than they are in the Wingham or Mount Forest or Goderich areas, and that the offer of grants as high as one-third of capital costs to new industries which locate in the de- signated section around Georgian Bay is obviously unfair. Their brief is to be studied by another committee. That should lead to some more double-talk. One More Step Readers of The Advance-Times will notice that this week's paper is a little larger than the one they have been reading for the past four years. The page size has been increased from seven columns to eight columns in width and the pages have been lengthened by two and a quarter inches. Twenty-three years of publishirtg ex- perience have proven to us that no matter what the change, some readers will be displeased, but in this instance we are acceding to the suggestions made by many readers at the time this paper was switch- ed to "offset" reproduction four years ago. The only, or more truthfully, the major complaint then was that the page was smaller than the one to which they had become accustomed. Page size is now standard or what is commonly known as "metropolitan" for- mat. It allows a little more latitude in page make-up and there will be less need to carry stories over from one page to another. We hope you like it and con- tinue to enjoy what we produce for you each week. Since the pages are larger there will be less of them on some occasions. You will find that the paper is actually in one section rather than two. If your husband starts screaming for the second section when you are reading the only one there is, just drop into the office and we will be happy to sell you an extra subscription to keep him in good humor. The Penny's Obsolete Here's what the editor of The Dutton Advance has to say about one of our basic economic standards: "So obsolete has become the penny, that a large toy manufacturer has an- nounced that its line of penny banks is being discontinued. From now on the company's toy banks will be geared to take only nickels, dimes and quarters. Come to think of it, about all a penny it good for today is to pay sales tax and now even that takes a nickel on the dol- lar. "The contempt with which even youngsters view a penny today was brought home to us in a local store re- cently. When the clerk offered pennies in change, to an eight-year-old he shrug- ged his shoulders and said, 'I don't want them.' "This is quite a change from not so many years ago when a kid with a couple of pennies was pretty well fixed. He would stand before the candy counter for a matter of minutes figuring how to get the most for the coppers clutched in his hand." 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 Association. Authorized by the Post Office Department as Second Class Mail and roe payment of postage in cash. Subscription Rater 1 year, OM; 6 Months, $2.75 in advance; U.S.A., 0.00 per yr,; Foreign rate, 0.00 per yr. Advertising Rates on applidation. Page .4 eeWtnagbam Advance -Times. Thursday, Nov. 3, 1966 Leadership--To What? THESE WERE THE employees phonographs were manufactured building later to become Brown ture belongs to Dave Crothers. A day to remember of Gunn-Son-Ola when by that company in the Bros, factory. The pic- It was taken in 1929. Sept. 25, 1966, Portadown, Ireland. Have been here for two days with the Grays. They are areal Irish family. Friendly and full of fun, and numerous.' Haven't been able to sort them all out yet. Yesterday, Mrs. Gray (Annie) and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Hobson, took the day off from work and in the afternoon, we three took a bus to Newcas- tle, a resort town on the east seacoast. The resort season is over so many of the shops were closed. We were in a few. We walked along the seashore. The tide was out for some distance. The town is beautiful with mountains in the background and the sea in front. We had a real nice lunch which I enjoy- ed. The weather was good, sunny and pleasant. We had to wait until eight o'clock for the return bus. Fog came on be- fore we left. Annie is laundering my white shirt, bless her. I like the Ir- ish, although I can hardly un- derstand what they say. Will be a welcome change to listen to English again, as I know it. Moved back to Belfast. Left Portadown on the 2.15 bus. Came to Presbyterian Hostel and have a room two floors be- low the previous one. Tomor- row I will look up the train schedules for Coloraine, where a friend of the Snells resides, Mr. Alex Campbell, known as "Paddy". (Mrs. Gray is the sister of Mrs. George T. Currie of E. Wawanosh.) Sept. 26, 1966. Train for Coloraine leaves at 11.05 a.m. Walked back to the hostel and missed my way. Streets run every which way in these countries. Have to put in time now until tomorrow. Had I signed out and taken my bag I could have gone today. Had high tea at the Hostel this eve- ning. Very good. Sept. 28, 1966, Garvagh, Ireland. Well, this is more of North- ern Ireland. Caught train in Belfast at 11 a.m. Trains travel fast, and passengers are shook up a bit. Took a little over an hour to reach Coloraine. There I enquired about Alex. Camp- bell of a group of four or five men. After discussing the pros and cons of his whereabouts, an old gentleman spoke up. He knew Alex Campbell. He lived two or three miles from Gar- vagh, at Ballymoney. "Take the bus to Garvagh, stop in at Mrs. Thompson's and enquire." Mrs. Thompson runs the gas sta- tion. He also said, "You'll need a taxi. Call Willie Turn- er, he is the taxirnan." Well I did all of these things, excepting that Mrs. Thompson called Willie. Willie was down to the station in a few minutes, and we were on our way. The Campbells had received word of my intended visit, but no date. When I arrived only Mrs.Catnp- bell at home. Alex at work. Besides the farm, he has a job buying cattle for an abbatoir in Eire, and the children were at school, with the exception of the eldest girl who has corn- Menced work with a travel.ag- ency. Sept. 29, 1966, Garvagh, Ireland. There was a bad accident just outside the hotel this morn- ing. A car hit and injured the milkman. Broke his arm and other injuries,. IA long time be- fore the doctor came. The in- jured man was brought into the hotel until the ambulance ar- rived. The car had crossed the street and rammed into a store window. Crumpled the fender badly. Went out with Alex. to mark the cattle he had bought. That took all morning. In the after- noon he took me to Port Stew- art on the Atlantic Coast. Spent the afternoon there. Saw a cas- tle that is now a convent. Huge place, all white. Took the sea walk for a mile or so to the beach. A large area with lots of lovely sand. Season is over and not many people there. Town is attractive with very good and interesting buildings. The Irish have imagination when it comes to architecture as well as for other things. Alex and Jean came to pick me up at 9 p.m. We went to a hotel, where we met a Scotch couple, retired. They had done considerable travelling and we had a discussion about our tra- NOVEMBER 1917 Mr. W. F. VanStone re- ceived a letter from his nephew Pte. Joe VanStone Good, say- ing he had been awarded the Military Medal for carrying dis- patches under hettvy shell fire at the Battles of the Somme, Vimy and Lens, he at last was shelled in the knee, and is in the hospital, but hopes to be at the front again soon. His two brothers are also serving their country. Will is now in an Eng- lish hospital, having been gass- ed at the Battle of Somme. He says this mustard gas the Ger- mans are using is terrible, not so serious but very painful.Har- old was wounded and taken prisoner in April of 1915, where he has been ever since working in an underground salt mine in Germany. The Good boys were former Brusselites. J. G. Stewart reports the sale of Miss Sutherland's prop- erty in the Town Plot to Mr. Stewart Kerr, who has been liv- ing in the West for a number of years and has decided to retire near town. NOVEMBER 1931 Mr. R. S. Hetherington of Goderich, who has recently been called to the bar, and who has been connected with the firm of Mulholland & Smyth of Tor- onto, is opening a practice in town in the office of Mr. Jo A. Morton, who has rented him a portion of his office space. Mr. D1 Wetherell has disc posed of his garage business to Mr. W. R.. „tones, his former salesman, and expects to move to Detroit around the middle of the month. Mr. Jones has re- vels, over a social glass. Have a room at the hotel. Took my suit to the cleaners this morning. It will not be ready until Monday afternoon, so will be here until then. Visit- ed with Mrs. Campbell. In the evening we visited with friends of the Campbells. Alex., his friend and myself took off. We pulled into the village pub, had couple of beers, and spent the time dickering about five calves the friend had and want- ed to sell and Alex wanted to buy. A real old-time gypsy session. No sale, with five pounds between them. Real in- teresting to me. On way back, we had a flat tire. Took some time to change. When we arrived at the house two carloads of rela- tives had come, a real family get-together. I am seeing the North Irish at home. Today it is dry. Paddy is going to be harvesting so suggested I go sight-seeing. Will go to Coler- aine, and from there, if there is transportation, to Port Rush and the Giant Causeway. The Campbell children are; Isabel, employed in Belfast; Anne, at- tending high school; William, same; Jackaline, in first year high school; Sandra, in first year public school. ceived the appointment as Ford dealer. Miss C. J. Scott of Kincar- dine, who has been managing the Selrite Store here, is return- ing to Kincardine, and Miss Ed- na Mitchell, a local girl, will take over the store here. T. E. Small has opened an auction room in Mortan Block for household furniture and arti- cles. NOVEMBER 1941 Mr. Howard L. Sherbondy attended the pheasant hunt on Pelee Island on Thursday and Friday. He was with a party from London and they had very good success. Howard bagged seven. Mr. Stanley Sibthorpe of Blyth has purchased Mr.Charles Swanson's barber shop and took possession on Thursday morning. Mr. Sibthorpe is well-known here having been in business in Blyth for the past fifteen years. He was one of the main stays of the band there and was last year elected a member of the vil- lage council. Ray St. Marie, son of Mr. and Mrs. James St. Marie, East Wawanosh, is now a member of the staff of the Dominion Bank here. Mr. Thos. Burke, Morris Township, has purchased the house on Frances Street in which Mr. and Mrs. Wre. Reid are living. Mr. and Mrs. Burke and family will move into town about November 15. Mr. Thomas tviatuske of St. Thomas has been engaged in the shoe repair department of the Willis Shoe Store. Another Remembrance Day is in the offing. As I write, two things evoke the particular mood that day always holds for me, or rather the combination of moods. Outside, it's a gloomy fall day• The lowering cloud weeps a desolate drizzle. A handful of oak leaves cling to the stark branches and no bird sings. A typical Remembrance Day at- mosphere, But on my desk is a letter from an old friend, and the warmth, courage and indomita- ble spirit contained in it defy the feel of death and sadness outside. His name is Alexander Forbes, Cannington, Ontario. We've never met, but have cor- responded. We are both lovers of the printed word and about once a year, he writes long letter, filled with reminis- cences, wit and goodwill. His letters always give me a lift. He has been in poor health in recent years, like so many of his old comrades. But this has not dimmed his spirit. His writ- ing becomes increasingly diffi- cult to read. Not because of in- firmity, but because he is going blind. Cataracts are forming on his NOVEMBER 1952 The prize winners in the in- teresting snapshot contest, spon- sored by Kerr's Drug Store, have been awarded to the fol- lowing local residents. First prize went to Lillian Ellacott, Wingham, who received a cam- era and flash attachment; sec- ond was won by Mrs. John Reid of Belmore, and third Mrs. Bill Rowland, Wingham . The prize winning snapshot, taken by Miss Ellacott, was of a small dog dressed up in a fancy costume and it will be entered in the national contest. Murray Johnson, reeve of Wingham, and former garage proprietor here has accepted a position with a London firm. He will continue to reside in Wing- ham. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Henry Carson, of Kamloops, B.C., announce tile engagement of their daughter, Mary Green- field, to Keith Alexander Mc- Laughlin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Norman McLaughlin, ofWing- ham. The marriage will take place on Saturday, November 29th, at 3 o'clock in East Cha- pel of Timothy Eaton Memor- ial Church, Toronto, Miss Helen Louise Pocock, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wal- ter Pocock, received word this week that the O. A.C. commit- tee had awarded her the an- nual 0.A.C. scholarship for Huron County. The scholarship is awarded to the student from Huron County entering the de- gree course at O.A.C. Monday morning marked the opening of the new wing of the public School. The modern building will be officially op- ened later this month. eyes, and he will enter St. Jo- seph's Hospital, Peterborough, after New Year's, for an opera- tion. Does he complain? Not on your life. He can even joke about it. The reason he wrote is that he had promised to send me a book, and wanted to get it off before his sight failed com- pletely. It is based on a Yank's experience in World War I, and typically, he adds, "I believe it to be authentic and not a lot of Yankee bull . when you have read it, you might lend it to some old sweat at the Legion Hall, particularly if he served in the PBI." Short, for poor Bloody Infantry. Each year, my mood on Re- membrance Day is a mixture of sadness and admiration. There's reason for the sad- ness. Twenty years ago, Re- membrance Day was a vital and colorful affair, World War II was an immediate memory. The Legion Parade was striking. The World War I vets were barely middle-aged and their ranks were swelled by the youthful, swinging veterans of the second war, young, fit and full of beans. But the grief was real. There were brothers, uncles, sons and fathers missing from the files of Legionnaires, And when the Last Post sounded, and the bell tolled in the hush, the tears ran free, and there was a communal lump in the throat. Time passed. Grief eased. Things changed. A whole new generation grew up, to which even World War H was just something in the history books. The yeterans of that war are middle-aged now and every year the ranks of old sweats of the first great war grow thinner. There is something almost perfunctory about the occasion now. The veterans remember, and the women who lost their men remember, But it doesn't mean much to the kids, and for many others, it's just a day to go hunting, or put on the last of the storm windows. But for me, the second emo- tion of that day — admiration — does not dim. As the tat- tered remnants of Canada's gal- lant lads of 1914.18 turn out for the parade, my heart is with them. There isn't much spring in the step any more, and backs are not as straight. But there is still a pride in their bearing. And there should be. Their war was no Charge of the Light Brigade. There was nothing dashing about it. It was cold, wet, mud, lice, rotten grub and relentless pounding. It was a brutal, stupid war. But they fought, and they didn't run. Anti they came home, those who were left. And they were shabbily treated. And they suffered their rotted lungs anti their crippling arthritis. And they didn't complain much. There aren't many of them left, but I hope lee , there to drink a toast to them on Re- membrance Day, after the pa. rade, as they swap lies at the Legion Hall. Alexander e'orbes is one of them. May he be reading his beloved books 10 years from now, and I hope sonic of ety tiller friends among the old sweats will drop hint a line. It's lonely when you can't see. James H. Currie Visits With Gray Family in Ireland News Items from Old Files