HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2004-02-11, Page 4-4—THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Fob. 11, 2004
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Tom Williscraft - Publisher Susan Hundertmark - Editor
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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004
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Editorial
Farmers need
our support
more than ever
Food Freedom Day has always been
an enlightening educational tool to
demonstrate how little Canadians pay
to feed themselves and their families.
But, the fact that it takes only 37
days - from Jan. 1 to Feb. 7 - for the
average Canadian to earn enough
income to buy a year's supply of food
must be particularly galling to farmers
this year.
When so many farmers are close to
the breaking point from the never-
ending list of economic challenges that
plagued them this year, they must be
wondering why they're in the business.
Certainly, it's not for the praise,
gratitude and parades down Main
Street for the essential, life-sustaining
service they provide.
Local farmers who met with Ontario
Federation of Agriculture president
Ron Bonnett last week in Clinton
expressed frustration that it's still up
to them to educate consumers about
their plight when they're struggling for
survival.
Bonnett agreed that farmers are
feeling "cranky" since political support
for agriculture seems to hinge on the
public understanding that their
comfortable standard of living depends
on the bargain in their shopping carts.
And, most shoppers don't understand
why farmers are going bankrupt when
the prices of the commodities they
produce, while already cheaper than
those in many other countries around
the world, haven't seen a further drop
in price.
Consumers are just starting to
understand the high cost of taking the
essential resource of water for granted
as municipalities strain to meet new
standards to ensure a clean water
supply.
Most of us have strayed so far from
our agrarian roots that we would not
be able to feed ourselves without
farmers.
Continuing to take the essential
resource of food for granted could
easily lead to the same rude
awakening of higher costs if we're
forced to depend on imported food to
keep us alive.
Susan Hundertmark
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Opinion
Granddaughter seeks information
about Mary Anderson, of Tuckersmith
To the Editor:
I am looking for information about Mary J.E.
Anderson, nee Sproat 1891-1949. She was the daughter
of George Sproat and Mary Black of Tuckersmith Twp.
I would like to know when she went to North Dakota
and when she returned to the Wingham area.
Granddaughter
Patricia Hunking
RR 4 Brussels
More than anything, spanking reveals
that parents are all -too -human
It's family legend how my
mother once brandished a
wooden spoon in an attempt to
intimidate my sisters and me
into better behaviour at the
kitchen table many years ago.
The alert attention of three
little girls quickly dissolved
into the mayhem of laughter
when the wooden spoon came cracking down onto the table
and promptly broke in two.
All attempts at corporal punishment that day ended rather
abruptly in humour as my mother sheepishly admitted defeat.
It's probably because spanking and other forms of physical
punishment were so rare in my childhood home that we
remember the incident so vividly.
Even though my mother was the main disciplinarian in my
home, 1 can't remember being hit by her, not physically at
least. Her words were far more effective at making us tow the
line.
She wasn't above threatening violence but since she never
followed up with any action, we knew the threats were
always empty.
It was her disappointment we feared more than anything.
She had high expectations for us and high praise for
achievement so we did our best to earn that praise.
It's a parenting style I picked up by osmosis, as every child
does.
That's the tough thing about arguing one side or the other
about the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold a
parent's right to spank. What's "normal" varies from family
to family. And, what's acceptable has changed dramatically
from one generation to the next.
As the voices sound off for and against the recent ruling, 1
find myself uncomfortable with the extremes of both sides.
Susan Hundertmark
I scoff at the idea that there
is anything loving about the
act of spanking.
Yet, I don't believe there's
anything criminal about a
parent who succumbs to the
urge to spunk a bottom now
and then.
In my view, spanking is a
failure of parenting, a last ditch effort at control, an adult
tantrum and an indication that parents are all -too -human.
Parenting is the toughest job I've ever done and as much as
they may look that way while sleeping, children are anything
but cherubs.
Instead, they are little people with huge and complex
emotions, many of which they have not yet been taught how
to channel into acceptable hehaviour.
And, parents are flawed human beings -with huge and
complex emotions of their own - who are usually doing their
best to add a few more skills to the limited parenting repetoire
that was handed down to them from their own parents.
The few times I've spanked my kids. I've been at the end
of my rope and responding in kind to an out -of -control
tantrum by a child who was so full of anger and frustration he
(or she) seemed to he looking for a boundary to contain him
(or her).
Both spankings ended with tears and apologies on both
sides. And, they brought home to me that spanking was not
okay because I realized that by allowing myself to lash hack
in anger and frustration, that's exactly the hehaviour I was
normalizing for my kids.
Instead, we pound on pillows and talk and talk and talk.
Our emotions are still huge but that's okay because we
work every day at finding a peaceful resolution to the endless
challenges we encounter in life.
Streets are closed to traffic when Silver
Creek floods south end of town in 1954
FEBRUARY 14, 1879
A stout heavy built
specimen of the wandering
species of travellers known
as tramps came to town last
week. He did not seek money
but work at whatever
consideration the public
might give him. We are told
he sawed four cords of wood
for one of our citizens on
Saturday.
A very pleasant and
successful social was held in
the First Presbyterian Church
recently under the auspices
of the Women's Missionary
Society. The chair was
occupied by Rev. Peter
Musgrove. Addresses were
delivered by Rev. Graham, of
Seaforth, and Rev M. Coy, of
Egmondville, and music by
Professor Jones.
A young man, the son of
Simon Barrows, of
McKillop, got a very severe
cut on his foot while cutting
wood in the bush after the
axe slipped.
Messrs. Burnett and
Dolphin, of Seaforth, have
leased the Roxboro flour
mill.
J. Bulger, of McKillop, has
sold the 40 acre farm on
which he lived to Thos.
McQuade for $2,100.
The horse stolen from the
stable of Donald Ross, of
Brucefield, was found in a
farm yard near Renniers Mill
at Brucefield.
FEBRUARY 19,1904
The January thaw came
this year in February. The
extremely cold weather of
the past three weeks has been
succeeded by a welcome
mild spell and on Saturday
there was a decided thaw.
The country roads were
impassable on Sunday but
now are getting into decent
shape.
The Mayor called a
meeting of the council on
Years Agone...
Friday to consider the coal
situation in town. The
council had six tons at the
town hall to spare which Mr.
Parkes, the manager, very
kindly offered for disposal by
council.
A 25 horse power engine
for saw mill purposes was
shipped from the Bell Engine
works to Tillsonburg.
At the annual
congregational meeting of
the First Presbyterian Church
a resolution was
unanimously passed
increasing the salary of the
pastor from $2,400 to
$2,700.
A. G. Ault, of Seaforth,
has placed a cash register in
his grocery to keep up with
his largely increasing trade.
Snow shoeing and
tobogganing are very popular
amusements this winter.
FEBRUARY 16,1929
The businessmen in
Hensall, with directors John
McIntosh, J. Wesley Beattie
and Robert Archibald Jr., of
the Seaforth Agricultural
Society, were in Stratford
attending the convention of
fall fairs. Mr. Archibald went
on to Toronto as delegate to
the provincial convention.
A lively game of hockey
took place in the Palace rink
between two teams of girls,
The Pats and The Bunnies.
The line-ups included Pats V.
Hudson, B. Stevenson, H.
Rankin and L. Crowell.
Bunnies M. Hildebrand, E.
Grieve, B. Edgar, A.
Edmunds and O. Nichol.
Miss Turner, of Clinton,
has taken a position as
bookkeeper in the G.A. Sills
and Sons Hardware Store.
Quite a large job of
gravelling has been
completed on the boundary
line west of Walton.
Mr. and Mrs. Angus More.
of McKillop, entertained the
Mcrry Makers at their home.
The evening was spent in
playing cards and dancing.
FEBRUARY 19, 1954
Mrs. Roy Lawson and Mrs.
Evan Hoffman entertained in
honour of Mrs. Phoebe
Booth who on that day
celebrated her 90th birthday.
when friends and neighbours
gathered to spend the
afternoon. The highlights of
the day were solos sung by
an old friend, Mrs. John M.
Govenlock.
Rising waters of Silver
Creek flooded the Lions Park
and thc south section of
town. Streets were closed to
traffic.
Stewart Wigg was elected
President of Branch 156
Canadian Legion. He
succeeds Leslie Beattie who
served two years.
Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Holland.
of St. Columhan, marked the
40th anniversary of their
marriage when members of
their family were present.
Mr. Holland has been post
master and has conducted a
general store at St.
Columhan for 50 years. They
were married by the late
Father Whitc.
Subscribers of the
McKillop Telephone system
approved an increase in rates
of $4 per annum at the
annual meeting held in
Carnegie Hall. J. M. Eckert
was reappointed Secretary
Treasurer and J. Keller
Linesman.
FEBRUARY 15, 1979
The question of who pays
for the maintenance of
Seaforth's fire hydrants
Ron diDom
dev.er«tenddevs COT
Isn't there
someplace
that you find
intimidating?
hasn't been solved yet but
Scaforth council decided
Monday to have the matter
settled in the courts. Council
has argued for sometime that
the Fire Arca Board should
pay the entire $5,400 cost of
fire hydrant maintenance
annually. Council threatened
to withhold their 1978
payment to FAB if the
question couldn't he resolved
but relented in December and
paid the FAB costs.
Tuckersmith Township
Council agreed on a new
salary schedule for township
employees. The salary for the
clerk treasurer, John
McLachlan was raised to
$19,000 from last year's
salaiiy of $18,810, plus a car
allowance of $1,500. His
assistant will continue to he
paid at the rate of $3.50 per
hour but this is under review.
Hensall council approved a
six per cent salary raised for
themselves and village
employees. Under the new
bylaws. Reeve Harold
Knight will receive $675 per
annum and council members
will receive $540 for their
year's work.
After a meeting with Chief
John Cairns. Scaforth Mayor
John Sinnamon and
councillor Brucc Hoelscher
both have said the chief is
doing a good job keeping
police overtime to a
minimum. Cairns explained
Scaforth's total police
overtime hours in 1978 were
about half those of other
Huron municipalities and
that more than half the
overtime hours were spent in
court.
Seaforth Council has
reserved a decision the town
won't sell the property it
owns on Main Street
proposed for a fire hall until
a site for thc building is
definitely settled.
by David Lacey
5