HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-02-22, Page 5Back
in time
10 years ago
•The Exeter BIA was h• ling for a provincial government loan that
would allow up to $150,111 for a beautification program at an interest
rate of only one percent per year.
•Ontario Vegetable Growers were seeking a sizable increase in crop
prices for the 1979 season, according to Harry Dougall of Exeter,
president of the London-based marketing board. However, the deval-
ued Canadian dollar was proving a benefit to vegetable producers who
were not only competing with imported produce in Ontario, but were
finding access to American markets.
•The Huron Country Playhouse abandoned plans to restore a 120
year-old log chapel that stood on the farm next door to the theatre. The
project and its accompanying grant were abandoned because of the dif-
ficulty in finding suitable logs.
•Grand Bend council discovered that contracts for its new sewage
system were coming in at bids lower than the engineer's estimate of
$1313,810.
20 years ago
."Exeter businessmen have voted by a wide margin to close stores for
a full day each Monday.
"A poll taken among all businesses•indicated 36 in favour of closing
Monday, while 18 voted for closing on Wednesday."
•The Dunlop tire company was welcomed to the Centralia industrial
park as it began employment of 70 people for the manufacture of
bicycle tires.
50 years ago
•The Times -Advocate featured the career of former Hensall resident
Wally Walper, known as the "Cowboy Yodeller" on network radio
broadcasts.
•In the march toward home refrigeration, the Exeter Locker Service
was advertising the rental of their storage facility.
"For the first two weeks in operation we have taken in 60001b. of meat
aid there are over 50 lockers in active service.
•Southcott Bros. of Exeter were advertising a rack of dresses priced
at $1.49 each.
70 years ago
•To meet the post-war demand for consumer goods, several area car
dealers were beginning to show the new "touring cars" to the public.
Several of thebrands have long since disappeared, including Gray -Dort
from Chatham, and the Overland from Toronto. Prices ranged from
$1,245 to an incredibly expensive, for the time, $2,575.
•Statistics on the health of Exeter were released, recording 20 births,
17 marriages and 29 deaths for 1918. The Advocate attributed the high
death rate to the influenza epidemic.
•An advertisement from the Repatriation Commiuee of the govern-
ment explained that public works projects would be undertaken to
ensure employment for returning fighting forces.
Jack's Jottings
Jack Riddell
MPP Huron
Ontario Acid Rain Program on target
Premier David Peterson confirmed that the provincial reduction of
sulphur dioxide emissions under the Countdown Acid Rain Program
was "on schedule", and called for the United States to follow Onta-
rio's lead by passing acid rain abatement legislation.
Speaking on the eve of U.S. President George Bush's Ottawa visit,
Premier Peterson reported that Canada is proceeding to meet its 1994
goal of cutting it sulphur dioxide pollution by 50 percent from 1980
levels. As part of the Canadian effort, Ontario is committed to a 60
percent province -wide reduction.
Most of Ontario's reductions will come from the four big polluters
-- Inco and Falconbridge nickel smelters in Sudbury, Algoma's iron
ore -roasting plant in Wawa, and all of Ontario Hydro's coal and other
fossil -fueled generating plants -- which generate four-fifths of tire
emissions,
The province's emission reductions are taking place under the gov-
ernment's 1985 Countdown Acid Rain Program. Countdown Acid
Rain requires the big acid rain polluters to cut their collective sul-
phur dioxide emissions by two-thirds fir m 1980 levels by the fixed
1994 deadline, and report every six months on the research and plan-
ning they were doing to meet the new limits.
"The compliance reports that we have recently received from the
three companies and Ontario Hydro show that they have all found
ways of doing what they once said was impossible," Mr. Peterson
said. "They estimate that they will collectively spend a total of
more than three billion dollars to stop Ontario -generated acid rain." _
The Premier warned, however, that while Ontario and Canada have
taken a leadership role in reducing sulphur dioxide emissions, half
the acid rain that falls on the preiviositorterrterfroursmokestacks in
the United States.
"If we are to reduce. acid rain to levels which scientists tell us are
necessary to protect our waterways," the Premier argued, "there must
be a 50 percent.reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions originating in
the United States."
Mr. Peterson said that the.most appropriate approach for the U.S.
to accomplish the needed reductions in sulphur dioxide emissions
'"'---'—"woutd be through acid rain abatement legislation. He rejected the
pursuit of a bi-lateral treaty between Canada and the United States
because it is not the most,effective means of achieving "real and
timely results."
"A bilateral treaty," he said, "would regdirc a two thirds approval
by the U.S. Senate, rather than the simple majority needed to pass
an acid rain abatement law. Moreover, the prospect of treaty negoti-
ations could easily freeze all action in U.S. Congress, extending an
eight-year period of inactivity widYTespecttaacid7�iii Z4ittett18r1Q K„rs ,
Describing acid rain as an "enemy that knows no pocitical boun-
daries," Premier Peterson said that he was hopeful that the U.S. will
join Canada in stopping this environmentally threatening form of
pollution, but warned Canadians against embracing American acid
rain reduction plans that do no adequately protect Canadians and Ca-
nadian resources.
�a�s4'•,.. ".kL?= �Fi-iii i} ii' -� - ,144-1--;.fmi' )r 9.i'Xe-rClgn n
leadership role in both a national and international context in the bat-
tle to stop acid rain," and that his government would continue to
place the "protection and preservation of our environment, and the
promotion of a clean and healthy Ontario as a foremost priority."
Senior achievement awards f
As part of the celebration of Senior Citizen's Month in June, the
Ontario government will again be awarding Senior Achievement
Awards to seniors who have made significant contributions to their
communities and to the quality of life in Ontario.
Everyone is invited to put forth names of individuals in our com-
munity who could be considered for an award. Nomination forms
are available by contacting any of my riding offices, or from the Of-
fice for Senior Citizens' Affairs, Queens Park, Toronto.
A selection committee will review nominations and a special cere-
mony will be held at Queen's Park in June to present the awards.
The deadline for receipt of nominations is March 31.
Times -Advocate, February 22, 1989 Page 5
Making the haircut a sociable experience
By Ross Haugh
EXETER - The Yankee Clipper
is still going strong on Exeter's
Main street in the barber business
after 53 years.
Because of his strong affection
for the New York Yankees, Gerry
Smith long ago inherited that nick-
name and his support for the base-
ball team has not diminished over
the years.
A graduate of a barber school in
London in 1935, Smith started his
hair cutting career in Pigeon, Mich-
igan. After nine months in the
Michigan town, he moved back to
his native Crediton and set up shop
in the building later occupied by
the Post Office while Lloyd Eng-
land was Postmaster.
After seven years in Crediton
where he kept the shop open from
8 a.m. to 11 p.m., six days a week,
he transferred to the Centralia
R.C.A.F. base where he "trimmed
up" the air force personnel until the
war ended in 1945.
In 1945, Smith joined the late
Garnet Flynn as a partner in a bar-
ber shop adjacent to the dental of-
fice of Dr. Harvey Cowen. From
there it was on to a shop next to
Tom McMillan's stationery store
and then 10 years ago •to his
present location, right next to the
Bank of Montreal.
In the earlier days in Exeter after
he purchased the business from
Flynn, Smith had Wayne O'Rourke
and Gerry Rader as partners.
O'Rourke is now dealer -manager of
the Huron Tractor farm dealership
in Walkerton and Rader is in the
catering business in Zurich after a
stint as manager of the Zurich are-
na.
Haircuts in the early days were
25 cents each• and shaves went for
15 cents.
According to Smith, shaves
amounted to about half of a bar-
ber's business in the 1930's and
40's and a barber was judged on his
ability with a sharp razor, Fridays
and Saturdays were the popular
days for shaves.
The length of time for a shave
depended on the toughness of the
beard , but was usually about 10
minutes. Ladies hair cuts by bar-
bers were also popular at that
time.
One situation not encountered
very often now by Smith is hair -
An old customer - One of Gerry Smith's regular customers for
most of his 53 year career in the barber business, Russell King of
Exeter gets a final clip before leaving for a holiday in Florida.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Sir:
We thought that both you and
your readers would be interested in
what has been happening following
the closing of Fleck's Manufactur-
ing plant in Huron Park, resulting
in over 200 skilled and experienced
workers becoming available for em-
ployment.
The company and employee rep-
resentatives have formed an adjust-
ment committee in conjunction
with the Industrial Adjustment Ser-
vice of Employment and Immigra-
tion Canada, to assist these people
in finding new careers. It is the
task of this commiuee to organize
an employee resource network that
will fit the workers into suitable
jobs or positions. Employers may
be eligible for financial assistance
in tfaining new employees through
the Continuing Employment Op-
tion which is a Federal Government
programme, should they hire some
of these people.
To employers who are in -a posi-
tion to hire new people for their
workforce, our committee would be
pleased to make employee referrals.
This would help to reduce the
number of applications with which
they must deal.
Unfortunately, the workers are
placed in this difficult position be-
cause of the competition within
this manufacturing industry. Over
half of the workers have long term
service and all have developed a
number of skills which would be
an asset to any employer who may
hire them. A list of available
skills developed by the employees
is available if wanted.
Any employer in a position to
hire in the near future, should con-
tact our Job Search Office at (519)
235-0532, Monday to Thursday, 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. One of our com-
mittee members will be available
to take the call.
Sincerely,
Ralph A. Yates
Chairman
F.E.A.C.
cuts for small children. Back 30
years ago, mothers would bring
their youngsters in for a hair .cut
and many of them would protest
by crying.
Barber equipment was much less
expensive in the early days than it
is now. Gerry's first barber chair
was a used one purchased by his fa-
ther, pioneer thresher William H.
Smith for $125. They now sell for
about $825. His first pair of scis-
sors cost $2.50.
Smith says back in the early
days, people had more pride in
their appearance. Some men would
get haircuts almost every week to
be "spiffed up" for church.
With money a scarce commodity
back when Smith started out in the
business a number of customers
would charge the 25 cents to their.
account. To this Smith says, " I
still have some debts on the books
when haircuts were a quarter. That
was a lot of money at the time."
Every farmer had a hired man in
those days and the going wage was
$10 a month. The local barber
adds, " With a couple of haircuts
and his usual fine cut roll tobacco
there wasn't much left over.
Smith remembers a joke played
on barber Garnet Flynn by Wes
Simmons. After getting a haircut,
Simmons asked, "Did I pay you for
the last haircut", Flynn replied,
"Yes, you did." With that Sim-
mons walked out assuming the just
concluded haircut was the last.
The long hours in the barber
shop did not keep Gerry Smith
from playing baseball in the sum-
mertime with Crediton and Exeter
ieams. He recalls often coming
back and opening the shop after
ball games which would be over
before 9 p.m
The barber shop is one of the
best spots in town to hear the lat-
est news. Smith says, "If there is a
new business transaction or some
gossip in town, I'm usually one of
the first to hear about it from my
customers."
CONTINUING EDUCATION
ANNOUCING....
Centralia College's latest addition to continuing education
PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
Become the master of your own financial destiny. Attend this
two-part short course and learn how to borrow or invest money
and how to obtain optimum interest rates. For example, guest
speakers plan to discuss RRSP's, GIC's and other savings and
investment plans, plus mortgages, consumer loans and other
borrowing procedures. Gain a clearer understanding of financial
statements.
Speakers are: •
* Gary Bean, Dominion Securities
Stu Homuth, McNeilly, Homuth, Norris, Pinder &
Taylor Accountants
CENTRALIA COLLEGE, Middlesex Hall FEE: $20.00
2 Mondays: February 27 and March 6, 1989
@ 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.
To Register, Please Call:
Ministry of
Agriculture
and Food
ONTARIO
Jack Riddell Minister
CENTRALIA
COLLEGE
Huron Park, Ontario
(519) 228-6691
Attention: Kathy Biondi
Now, more than ever,
investing in a Scotiabank RRSP is the rt thingto do.
Foryour money. Andyour fcfturc.
ScotiabankAz?
i