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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-05-01, Page 20 (2)Pag• 20 Times -Advocate, May 1, 1975 Ontario's oldest barber has been cutting hair for 64 years Clarence Millson of Clandfboye Says he's the oldest barber in Ontario. "I saw a story about a barber who was supposed to be the oldest in Ontario, and he was only in his 60's. I got him all beat," said Mr. Millson. Mr. Millson is 82. He started barbering 64 years ago when he was 18. "The barber supply house in London always said I was the oldest barber they ever heard of," he reported. The barbering trade was learned by Mr. Millson from Charlie Banes in Granton. "A haircut was 15 cents, a shave 10 cents, and bread was four cents a loaf. I'll never forget that," he commented. '9 was in Granton for about a year before I started to make any memey. But 1 was with Banes four or five years. Then I started working with Bill Stewartson in -- Liman." Mr. Millson then returned to Granton with Banes. "Then I got married. It'll be 58 years Friday (April 18)", he said. From there. Mr. Millson went to Toronto. and worked with two different men. He noticed a big difference in prices. "Haircuts were 50 cents, and 25 cents for a shave. That was a lot of money then," he said. "On Saturdays. we'd have about 10 razors all out sharpened. "I got paid $25 a week. I thought I had the world by the head." While in Toronto, Mr. Millson learned all about razors. He said it took six months to get a special sharpening stone from Niagara Falls. 1t had to be soaked in oil, boiled, and pumiced down. Mr. Millson said the stone will be passed down to William Powell of Granton. From Toronto, Mr. Millson worked in Grand Bend for the summer. He said there were a lot of American tourists there. "We would get a lot of tips from them," he said. Then it was on to Lucan, where Mr. Millson taught other prospective barbers the trade. He taught three from Plattsville, some from London, and West McGillivray townships, Granton, and from all over Western Ontario. "They had to go to Toronto to learn barbering," said Mr. Millson," but most of them didn't want to go there. I taught about 20." Mr. Millson also said the barber supply house in London also knew of only two left handed barbers, and both of them, Mr. Millson one. worked together in Lucan. Then it was on to Prospect Hill. "I had a store and a barber shop," he said. "That's where I made my money." Mr. Millson said he paid $700 for the premises. He sold it to Jo,- Up o' Up development days McManus of London for $10,000, but quickly added that he had done a lot of work to the place. From Prospect Hill, Mr. Millson went to the 10th con- cession of Blanshard township, but has been in the same place in Clandeboye for the past 16 years "You didn't used to need a licence," he said. "They'll get you now if you don't," he added. The price of Mr. Millson's haircutis only $1, but he gives no shaves. "They don't want them anymore," he said. "But I don't make any money at this. It's just a pastime with me now." Mr. Millson said he'll probably retire after this year. "A lot of old fellows come in here, and we talk." Customers, or those who want to talk, come from Exeter, Ailsa Craig, even as far as London. Asked if he would do it all over again if given the chance, Mr. Millson said he wouldn't. He said he'd go to school and "lake a course on the beauty parlour. Then I'd go right into it." Mr. Millson has much respect for beauty parlors. "1 go to the beauty parlor myself," he said. "Tomorrow I'll go and get a shampoo and get my neck trimmed up. They're good." Stewart sees need to halt `spreading' Ontario will soon have to come to grips with the "sterile cap of asphalt and concrete" spreading over prime food land. "We can't go on forever and a day," Hon. William Stewart, minister of agriculture and food, told the annual meeting of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists in Kemptville. According to Mr. Stewart; rational changes must be made if future generations are to have access to prime land. Close vote decides issue Trustees of the Huron Perth Roman Catholic Separate School board narrowly defeated a motion to keep the number of Professional Development days within the system to six, the same as last year, instead of the ten that Director of Education John Vintar recommended. Mr. Vintar gave board members the dates and tentative agendas for the days, along with a list of what was done in the syst PD days last year. The days or this year were set by a committee of four principals. Trustees noted that one day, September 19, is the date of the Stratford Fall Fair. "What do PD days have to do with fairs?", Wingham trustee William Kinahan asked. There is a lot of complaining in Wingham about children not being able to attend the Teeswater Fall Fair, he said, and suggested that perhaps the board should take a look at a list of area fairs. The PD day is on the Stratford Fall Fair day so that children won't have to miss any more schopl than necessary, Stratford trustee Ron Mercy said. Strat- ford pupils already get a half day off to attend the fair. Mr. Vintar said the Ministry allows a maximum of 12 PD days. He said the two adjacent public boards are still working on their dates, so the days wouldn't be co- ordinated. "Sometimes I feel we should go where we're going and not always look to the other boards," he said. When trustees raised the question of savings in busing and crossing guard costs if the PD days were the same in all three systems, Mr. Vintar said "We're flexible enough that we can make changes if there's a saving to the public." "Do you see a need for an in- crease of four days over last year?", Trustee Ted Geoffrey of Zurich asked. Mr. Vintar said he did. PD days are held at the county, zone and school levels. Trustee Francis Hicknell asked if there wasn't a need for more county wide days. "Not really," Mr. Vintar replied. "Specific areas. like the metric system, are better treated in small groups." Trustee Shantz suggested that the first P15 day, scheduled for Sept. 8, be held the first day of school, Sept. 2 and "let the kids stay home another day." "We get a lot of flack on these professional development days", he said, and suggested the flack would in- crease if children were only in Spend time on laws, then see them broken Exeter council spent over an hour and a half at a special meeting on parking, traffic signs and loading zones. Wednesday, but when they adjourned they had a vivid reminder that all their controls are wasted if people don't read signs. A car was parked in a no parking zone right in front of the town hall. Tie meeting was called to discuss the findings of bylaw committee chairman Barb Bell, who has been sorting through the town's maze of bylaws since January. She's had considerable help in that project from her husband, Elmer D. Bell, Q.C., who ex- plained to council that he proposed to draw up a new general bylaw and have" the various controls added as schedules to that bylaw. In the future, if amendments are required, it will be a matter of amending only the schedule and not the entire bylaw. Mr. Bell noted that some at- tempt had been made at con- solidating the bylaws in 1961, but it was found during the discussion later in the meeting that some perking and traffic controls were covered by as many as three bylaws. It was also discovered that some of the descriptions were vague or confusing. A few changes were suggested in the parking regulations. One of those makes it unlawful to park within 20 feet of an intersection. In the past, the requirements were different and council agreed with Mr. Bell that a uniform regulations would be beneficial. Council also agreed to ban parking on the south side of Victoria St. in the area abutting the Exeter Public School building. Chief Day noted this was im- portant from a traffic safety standpoint as well as in any emergencies. such as a fire. Some members of council were surprised to find that the town has 69 intersections controlled by stop signs. "Do we have that many stop signs," councillor Ted Wright asked in noting the number mentioned on the sheets prepared for council's consideration. Councillor Lossy Fuller suggested to council that at least one stop sign should be erected on Marlborough to slow traffic on that street. However. it was noted that most of the streets entering onto Marlborough came to a deadend at that point and it would be difficult to establish stop streets, unless three-way stops were considered. In another matter, council agreed to a suggestion that U- turns be banned on all town streets. Under the existing bylaws, the only places designated were near the high school and on Main St. between Wellington and Waterloo Streets. Some of the parking problems mentioned during the discussion were turned over to the parking authority for their consideration. Others were turned over to the police committee. When all the proposals for changes are made, the new bylaw and schedules will be prepared. school four days and then were off for a PD day. The September 8 PD day is to organize the school placement of children and trustee Ron Marcy suggested that teachers wouldn't know the problems of individual students. on the first day of school. Mr. Vintar said the first day of school had been suggested as a PD day last year. and the board had voted it down. Another PD day, for reporting to parents, is scheduled for November 28. "The majority of parents work and can't get to school in mid afternoon• • Teachers will have to come out at night even if it means more work. We have to get more com- munication between teachers, parents and the board," Mr. Shantz said. Trustee John O'Drowsky said there are both afternoon and evening appointments for parents. Some can attend during the day and some at night, giving more time to both groups, the directory of education suggested. Mr' Shantz' motion to limit the PD days to six was defeated by a vote of 7-5. A new motion by trustee Marcy to accept the ten days as presented was passed by a vote of 6-5 with trustee Hicknell abstaining. The vote was recorded andfor the ten days were trustees O'Drowsky, Kinahan, Connolly, Crowley, Marcy and Haid. Voting against were trustees Geoffrey , Looby, Vere, Shantz and Fleming. Stewart was sympathetic to the problems of small towns which must expand into agricultural land to attract industry. But he emphasized that such progress at the expense of food production could not be tolerated. In accepting a life membership into the Agriculture Institute of Canada, Mr. Stewart told the audience of 150, new demands would be made on agrologists. A drop in world food reserves in 1973 had caused the public to look on agriculture in a new light. To meet the uncertainties of the future, Stewart suggested ad- ditional scientific training for agrologists. He added that agrologists would have to tackle distribution problems in agriculture soon and develop new crop varieties. Unless agrologists continue to provide meaningful information to farmers he said, they will not be fulfilling their role in society. One half of Canada's class I and one sixth of the class II agriculture land is in Ontario. Yet twenty-five years from now Ontario will have difficulty being self-sufficient in foods which can be reasonably produced locally. According to a report by the Ontario Institute of Agrologists, even if productivity rises by 70 percent over the next 25 years, Ontario will have a shortfall of more than a million acres. The solution could create con- siderably higher food prices. Up to two million acres of foodland with a lower food potential may have to be brought into productivity in Northern Ontario. The report states that Ontario's most productive foodland is located in areas of high population. But because foodland priorities have been over- shadowed by housing and in- dustry. new policies will have to be developed to minimize the loss. While acknowledging that Ontario grown food can be produced elsewhere, the report emphasizes the importance of being self-sufficient. It cites recent developments in the sugar industry as creating renewed interest in the production of sugar beets in Ontario. "The cutting off of soybean, even -briefly, by thw United Stales raised similar questions," the report says. A LITTLE TRIM — Johnny Richardson, 20 -month old son of Mr. & Mrs. Robert Richardson, RR 4, Denfield, got o bit of a trim recently from Ontario's oldest barber. Clarence Millson, 82, has been cutting hair for the post 64 years. He is also one of the few left-handed barbers in the province. SS trustees want to know what's being taught in school (>ver the objections of two trustees, the Huron Perth Roman Catholic separate school board decided to set up an ad hoc committee to report to trustees what is being taught in the schools. The decision was made at their regular meeting in Seaforth Monday night. -We should get beyond tran- sportation, buildings, policy and finance and into education — that's the name of the game.", said freshman St. Marys trustee John O'Drowsky, who introduced the motion. The curriculum committee will also study sub- jects that are not now taught in the HPRCSS system for possible future implementation. Dublin trustee Joe Looby ob- jected that reporting on what's being taught in the schools is the administration's job. "If I had a man working for me and wanted to know what's going on, I'd go and ask him." He said that the move to establish the committee meant the board had no confidence in its administrators, Director of Education John Vintar and Superintendent Joe Tokar. "This is not a witch hunt", Mr. O'Drowsky said. "We have great confidence in the administration and we may find out that everything is okay." "Do you think things. are not well now?", Mr. Looby asked. "Yes, but we'll find out for sure", Mr. O'Drowsky answered. "Bully for you", Mr. Looby said, The board agreed to set up the committee of Mr. O'Drowsky, Ron Marcy. Stratford, Don Crowley, Kinkora and Director of Education John Vintar, with Mr. Looby and Michael Connolly, Kippen voting againstthe motion. Another motion by Mr. O'Drowsky, to provide in-service TWEENIES ENROLLED — Thursday afternoon 0 group of Tweenies become Brownies at theExeter Scout House. From the left ore newly installed Brownies Sandy MacDonald, Andrea Pearce, Melissa Becker and Michelle Aunger. T -A photo training for newly elected trustees at the local level, was passed to the board's policy and bylaw committee for study. Trustee Howard Shantz of Stratford told the board that he had contacted the separate school representative on the Perth County Board of Education about the HPRCSS board's suggestion that a joint metric committee be established. At the last meeting trustees learned that the Perth board was setting up its own committee on the metric system rather than working with the HPRCSS board. The matter was being discussed by the Perth board in committee of the whole and he had had no answer yet, Mr. Shantz said, but he will follow it up. The Huron Perth business administrator, Jack Lane, commented that a policy on the use of schools passed two weeks ago should be brought together with a previous school use policy, "so that principals have only one policy to look at." The board's policy and bylaw committee will look into this. Huron Perth's attendance counsellor, representatives on the public school boards and Stratford Library represen- tatives will be invited to report at the May 26 meeting, the board decided. Trustees voted to discuss a letter from the Ontario Separate School Trustees' Association on a proposal from the Ontario School Trustees Council to replace local bargaining by boards with regional or central bargaining, in committee of the whole, in camera. _ The OSSTA letter pointed out that the new bargaining model 'features a profound and cen- tralized restructuring of local boards' roles in negotiations and presents the model in an entirely compulsive and unilateral manner." The OSSTA says the proposed central bargaining has not been approved by their association and would reduce local boards "to the role of building managers." The new model also fails to see that the dominant element in negotiations between boards and teachers is the relationship to the Approve changes in land agreement At a special meeting, Wed- nesday, Exeter council agreed to make two changes to the new subdivision agreement as suggested by P. L. Raymond, lawyer for two of the local sub- dividers, Len Veri and Fred Darling. It was agreed to withdraw the stipulation that the subdivider be responsible for the location of houses on lots in subdivisions. Raymond had argued that this was a matter for the prospective home builder to consider and should not be the responsibility of the subdivider. Council also agreed that the legal and engineering fees ac- crued in preliminary planning of subdivisions agreements should not be paid by the subdividers. This includes the legal research on the content of the general agreement. However legal fees paid to draw up specific agreements with each subdivider will be charged to the subdivider. Council decided against changing the requirement that subdividers be responsible for landscaping the boulevards. local electorate, OSSTA says. Under board policy, three trustees and one administrator can attend the Canadian Catholic School Trustees convention in St. John's, Newfoundland, from June 25-27, the board heard. Trustees were asked to decide if they want to attend by the next board meeting. Director of Education John Vintar read a letter from the Holy Name of Mary School PTA in St. Marys expressing en- couragement and support for the board's Family Life Education program. The PTA, who heard a presentation on the program by Sister Mary St. Louis, principal of St. James School, Seaforth, said they support extending the program into earlier grades. Mr. Vintar said 11. teachers from the system have applied to take a family life course this summer and recommended that the board pay the $200 fee for each teacher in the six week course. Last year the board paid for six teachers to take the course, Mr. Vintar said. and "the increase in numbers is encouraging." He said a good cross section of the schools in the two counties would have teachers taking the course. oriel i Annie Lawson at the Exeter Legion crazy hat dance. Garden firm expand again Starting out a couple of years ago on a small scale as a market gardener, Bill Rammelloo of Shipka is in the midst of great expansion and will soon have one of the largest green houses and garden centres in Western Ontario. Known as Farmer Bill's the greenhouse is located a mile and a quarter east of Shipka on Huron County road 4 and will provide plants, flowers, shrubs, trees and everything a gardener needs. A third green house has been added recently giving Farmer Bill more than 10,000 square feet of greenhouse floor space. He is in the process of obtaining a complete line of trees, shrubs, and herbs to go along with more than 40,000 boxes of plants now under glass. Rammelloo says "we have everything a gardener needs. We sow it and you grow it." The Rammelloo greenhouses now hold a large number of hanging baskets and many novelty flowering and gardening plants. One interesting item is a Venus flytrap. The flytrap is a small plant which lives on flies and literally gobbles up any stray insects. It is being imported from North Carolina and grows in a special peat moss. Tomato, cabbage and spanish onion plantsare now ready for re- planting in area gardens. Pinery police recover loot Stolen property from a weekend break-in at Ross' Shell Station in Northville along with other stolen property from break- ins at cottages in Port Franks and businesses in both Arkona and Hepburn, Saskatchewan was recovered by Pinery Park Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police recently. A Thedford area man, Ricky Bade of RRL, Thedford, has been charged with possession of stolen property. Following the investigation by Constable F.A. Gardiner, most of the items stolen from the Nor- thville service station were recovered. Three juveniles have been charged following the in- vestigation by Constable R.J. Kotwa into a break-in and theft at a cottage in Port Franks. Property stolen, valued at $25, was recovered. On Sunday, a car driven by Teunis Van Brenk of Strathroy struck and killed a deer on high- way 21 just south of the entrance to Pinery Park. Mr. Van Brenk was not injured and damage to his vehicle amounted to only $225. Also on Saturday, the detach- ment investigated a two -car collision at the intersection of Ontario and Main Streets in Grand Bend. The vehicles in- volved were driven by Randall K. Campbell of Sarnia and Clifford Pettigrew of RR2, Forest. During the week ending Sun- day, April 27. the detachment investigated 50 occurrences and laid 11 charges under the Liquor Control Act. Charges under the Highway Traffic Act also totalled 11 while two charges were laid under the Narcotics Control Act. Seven charges were laid under the Criminal Code. One charge of impaired driving was laid. Board will join chamber Exeter Board of Trade has made an application to join the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. \lembership fee is $25.00. A letter of resignation was received from Gerry Smith. He is resigning his position as a director on the board, due to other commitments. A letter was sent, thanking him for his valuable assistance in the past. Friday and Saturday. July 18 and 19 were suggested dates for the merchants annual sidewalk sale. These dates are to be discussed and finalized at the next meeting. The standing committees for 1975 are as follows, with the first name being the chairman. Christmas Promotion - Ron Cottrell, Jon Dinney, Norm Whiting. Christmas Parade - Tom Arthur, Bev Skinner, Bruce Peat, Bea Carpenter. John Morgan. Sidewalk Sale, Jon Dinney, Edith Boyle, Don Taylor. Memberships - Don Taylor, Ron Cottrell, Bruce Peat. Banquet Committee, Norm Stanlake. Special Events - Ben Hoogen- hoom, Don Webster, John Norris, Marg Cook. Parking Committee - Jon Dinney, Edith Boyle. Fishing is poor, except for police While fishing success was not good at Morrison dam for the opening, of the trout season this weekend. the activities of area youths was better than last year. Last year, several thefts were reported and one tent was burned down. Police kept a close watch on the area over the weekend, and several campsites were visited. A total of nine youths were charged with consuming liquor while under the legal age, while another charge of having liquor in a place other than a residence was also laid by police. Admirer to political candidate: "Great speech sir, I liked the straight -forward way you dodged those issues " ADAMS Hooting & Cooling • Heating Systems of All Types INSTALLED, MODERNIZED and MAINTAINED • General Sheet Metal Work • Air Conditioning • Humidifiers • Ventilation 235-2187 133 Huron 5t. East, Exeter