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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-06-23, Page 7Wednesday, June 23, 1999 Exeter Times -Advocate Opinion&Forum 1 °YEARS AGO June 21, 1989 - A heifer calf owned by 10 year-old Richard Kinsman was named grand champion in the calf club com- petition .at the recent Hensall Spring Fair. The animal weighed 1,055 pounds and was purchased by W.G. Thompson's HAUGH and Sons for $1.90 a pound. BACK IN TIME Reserve champ was a calf�;,,;�_ owned by 11 year-old Valerie Ryan of RR 1, Ailsa Craig. , Teen Mission, volunteer Rob Hoffman of Dashwood had a close cut to his hair and received $200 in pledges to assist his upcoming .trip to Egypt with Dan Weigand - ; 20YEARS AGO ' . June 21, 1979 - At Thursday's annual Inspection of the Huron -Middlesex Cadet Corps 2923, Ian Sweet was named top male cadet of the year and Darlene Lowe was judged the best female cadet. Dissatisfaction over prices, weather conditions and marketing arrangements have turned many Huron farmers away from white beans. Mike Miller of the Ag office in Clinton says reduction in white bean acreage could be as much as 40 per- cent from last year. 34YEARS AGO June 21, 1969 - Components for pre -fabricated homes began rolling off the assembly lines for the first time at the Space -Pak plant at Huron Park. 35YEARS -AGO .- June 23, 1964 - Don "Boom Boom" Gravett, Exeter's recreational director for the past four years has handed in his resignation to the RAP committee. The old Exeter Opera house, once a favourite spot for the holding of plays, concerts and dances has been sold by McKerlie Automotive to Fred Darling, owner of the local IGA store. Winds which reached a peak of bepveen 80 and 90 miles per hour lashed through the area Tuesday and left ;a . trail -of flattened: barns, trees, TV aerials and ripped roofs and shingles off numerous barns, sheds and houses. 40YEARS AGO June 22, 1959 - By capturing the prize for the highest aggregate marks in grade 12, SHDHS Queen Jane Horton of Hensall completed a "grand slam" in the field. She has been top student in each of the four years it has been awarded. Next week Huron County Health Unit, will offi- cially complete 10 years of public service. The unit now has a staff of 15. The promotion of -Flying Officer John A. Cann of Exeter to the rank of Flight Lieutenant has been announced by the RCAF. Since 1958 he has been serving with the directorate of Public Relations at Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa. 50 YEARS AGO June 21, 1949 - Exeter garage operators met Thursday night and decided to close Wednesday afternoons with one exception. The one station open the previous Sunday will also be open Wednesday afternoons. A roof on the newly added grandstand and rest rooms will be installed at Exeter Community Park before the annual race meet here on Juy 20. 6QYEARS AGO June 22, 1939 - The community is mourning the loss of a Hamilton man John Westcott. Among other things he is known as the man who took the first paper of the Exeter Times off the press. That was in October, 1893 when the paper was printed on a Washington hand press. 75YEARS AGO June 21, 1924 - The Blanshard Mutual Telephone System, a recently formed company, having secured a sufficient number of subscribers has purchased the St. Marys, Medina and Kirkton Telephone Company, according to an announce- ment made recently. The purchase price is said to be $68,000. 80 YEARS AGO June 23, 1919 - Automation is fascinating rural Canada. The Advocate provided some statistics on what a gallon of gasoline can do. It will milk 300 cows, bale four tons of hay, mix 35 yards of cement, move a ton truck fourteen miles, plow three-fifths of an acre of land, and make enough electricity to keep eight lights going in a farm house for 30 hours. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Firearms and youth Dear Editor: While a lot of urban Canadians shudder at the thought of 12 to 17 year olds carrying firearms and hunting, our federal government is apparently encour- aging this scenario. The Canadian Wildlife Service is an agency of the federal government. They are planing a Youth Hunt Day in the Province of Quebec. About one week prior to the regular start of the duck and goose hunting season, youths between the ages of 12 and 17 will be encouraged to get involved in hunt- ing. An adult must accompany either one or two young hunters, and they all must have a certificate of autho- rization for handling firearms. The exact hunting loca- tions have not yet been decided on by the CWS or the participating hunting associations. Here in Ontario, pollsters were sure that when the Harris government approved a system of apprentice hunters, it would cost him heavily with the voters. They were apparently wrong. Now that the federal government appears to be getting "on -side' with hunt- ing, youngsters from all across Canada will be demanding their own Youth Hunt Day. Ottawa is seem- ingly swinging from one side of the firearm spectrum to the other with this latest announcement. PETER E. STICKLEE, Thornton, Ontario Ceremony planned Dear Editor: In October of 1998, an ambitious project to rejuve- nate and illuminate the playing field in the Exeter Community Park was undertaken by the Exeter Centennial Soccer Club in order to provide top-quality facilities for as many of the 450 young players who enjoy the sport, of soccer in Exeter and area as possi- ble. Through the generosity and community spirit of many local businesses, service clubs and individuals, we reached a sufficient financial level to allow us to commit to the project and 1 am pleased to announce that we will hold the official ribbon -cutting, ceremony this Friday, June 25. _The evening will begin. a%.6:30 p.m. with a game between our two Under -11 Girls teams from the West Middlesex Youth Soccer League, the Exeter Dolphins and tikwiTIFaxeter Athletics: Both teams are enjoying successful seasons and they will kick things off with an entertaining game. Imtriediately following, the official ribbon -cutting will take place at 7:30 p.m. The final part of the night will feature a Western Ontario Soccer League First Division league game .with the Exeter Centennials hosting the Wallaceburg Sting at 8 p.m. I would like to. extend this open invitation to all of the people in the area who are able to attend this event. This invitation also goes out t9 those who have played a role in the development of local soccer by coaching, and/or serving on the Soccer Executive. Your- efforts in the past are' being perpetuated now and you are as deserving as anyone of the recognition that this project represents. Please plan to attend. Sincerely, GEORGE MCEwAN, President — Exeter Centennial Soccer Club Big:BrotherslBig Sisterssaythanks Dear Editor: On behalfof the South Huron Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association, we would like to thank those who have helped make our 1999 Bowlathon, fundraiser a tremendous success The Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association is an organi- zation dedicated. to helping children in need of a posi- tive role model 'and a mentor in their lives and we depend upon the annual bowlathon to fund our associ- ation's activities. '-'04411,""r4.41? ;. � " - "''g Through the generous efforts of the league bowlers in Zurich and Lucan, the celebrity bowlers who took part and everyone who made a donation, we raised $13,000 which will be used to fund the day-to-day operations of our association. Outstanding pledges are still coming in and can be dropped off at the Town & Country Bowling Lanes in Zurich or Moiled to our office in Exeter. As a Big Brother, I have seen how our association has helped the boys and .girls in our programs, but we can't help these youngsters without the support we received from the people who bowfcollect pledges and donate prizes during our bowlathons. Those who par- ticipate in our fundraiser have enabled us to continue to make a positive impact in a young person's life. For more information call 235-3307. Sincerely, CHRIS Sl{ALKOS, Vice-president, South Huron Big Brothers/Big Sisters 7 Balance budgets TORONTO -- The premier who has said often too many politicians spoil the broth is now oddly finding room for more of them in his inner circle. Premier Mike Harris made his surprising turnaround in a re- making of his cabinet in which, he also showed that, despite promising to create and operate a cabinet different from the oth- ers, he is proving much like the rest. In appointing his first cabinet of only 19 mem- bers, including himself, in 1995, the Progressive Conservative leader pointed out proudly that it was Ontario's smallest in more than three decades. He vowed then also that his cabinet would not lose a parade of ministers through indiscretions likethe preceding Liberal and New Democrat gov- ernments. Harris added that he would quickly have a law passed requiring a cabinet to manage taxpayers' money prudently or find its pay cut. He explained his first, small cabinet by saying there are too many politicians manipulating resi- dents' lives and went on to cut the number of MPPs through his Fewer Politicians Act and school trustees by reducing the number of school boards in the province. But Harris after another election has unveiled a new cabinet which has 25 members including him- self and has crept up fairly close to the average size of cabinets of all parties over the past 30 years. The biggest by far was that of the last Tory pre- mier before Harris, Frank Miller, who had a cabi- net of 33 in his brief minority government in 1985. Miller achieved this milestone by trying to reward virtually all MPPs who supported him for leader with jobs, and went to such lengths as nam- ing separate ministers of transportation, urban transit and northern. transportation. No one knows whether, having -such a la `abi- net would have brought an 'tinSi benefits, because it lasted only four months and Miller was gone. For all his boast of small being better, Harris now has a bigger cabinet than Liberal premier David Peterson, who in his first couple of years in minori- ty government got by with only 23 ministers. Peterson may have shown that a small cabinet works better, because in those two years he had the highest popularity of an Ontario premier recorded in polls and it was only after he won 95 seats in 1987 and increased his cabinet to 30 members that he lost an election, although other factors influenced his fall. Harris's smaller cabinet worked well enough to raise questions about why he increased it. Individual ministers were caught poorly informed at times, for example then municipal affairs minis- ter Al Leach admitting that he could not explain legislation and asking the opposition to question him another time. But these were due more to personal ineptness than overload of work. It is possible to make a case that Harris needs a separate minister to deal with crucial higher education, but ministries devoted solely to tourism and correctional services seem designed merely to provide jobs for the boys. Harris deserves more credit than he has received for keeping his cabinet relatively intact and free from the indiscretions which plagued his predeces- sors. Peterson had to let go 'at least half a dozen ministers directly because of misadventures of var- ious sorts. New Democrat premier Bob Rae lost seven, most later cleared in various ways and some sacked for trivial acts, one being shown the door merely because an office employee tried to fix a parking ticket, without his knowledge. Rae made standards ultra strict in trying to counter ferocious opposition attacks. Harris lost only a solicitor general, Bob Runciman, who Inadvertently identified a young offender in violation of federal law, and a health minister, Jim Wilson, because an aide revealed high billings of a doctor -critic in hoping to silence him, again violating privacy law. Both were quickly returned to cabinet after inquiries cleared them of wrongdoing. The Tory premier has had plenty of opportuni- ties, but still has not got such a law passed and these days is proving not the great cabinet Innova- tor he once posed as. ERIC DOWD A VIEW FROM QUEEN'S PARK