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Times-Advocate, 1983-12-28, Page 17Hope economy has turned corner Merchants term past 12 months better than 1987 ¶Y/\WYNEW Yi Times -Advocate, December 28„ 1983 • Page 17 "No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." Those words are as true now as when they first came from the pen of English cleric and poet John Donne more than 300 years ago. This area, in the heart of some of the best agricultural land in the country, is af- fected by the farmer's finan- cial health; when he tightens his belt, everyone else pulls theirs in a notch too, and when he has money to spend. the ripples spread out direct- ly and indirectly to other enterprises. Bruce Hasselback reports an increase in sales at Huron Tractor, the result of better yields and prices for farmers this year. However, he added that the competition for the available dollars has meant leaner profit margins for farm equipment dealers. C.G. Farm Supplies owner Cleve Gingerich agrees "there's a bit more money around." He called 1983 a good year, but believes another 12 months will tell whether'br not we are on the road to recovery after the recession of the early 80's. The Hensall Co -Op was in an expansive mood this year, adding a feed mill to its Zurich facilities. a com- puterzed grain dryer to Hensall,and taking over the financially troubled Seaforth Co -Op. Manager Earl Wagner said 1983 was "quite en- couraging", and he looks ahead to 1984 with cautious optimism. Lloyd Whitesell. said W.G. Thompson Ltd. had an ex- cellent year, which saw a great improvement in farm income over disastrous 1982 commodity prices. He is afraid 1984 may not be as pro- sperous, now that U.S. farmers no longer restrained by the PIK program will be free to grow as much as they wish. General manager Bill Harvey said overall 1983 was a better year than 1982 for Cook's Division. of Gerbro Ltd. Though corn and soy- bean prices were excellent and interest rates lower, ex- treme competition among grain dealers meant slim margins. However, volume was a compensating factor. Cook's market share was up from the previous year, with corn better than expected, soy as expected. kidney bean quality better on smaller quantity, and white beans FACING OFF - Jeremy Pickering and Matthew Regier are ready to face off during a moms and tots skating session recently at•the South Huron Rec Centre. showing a dramatic improve- ment in quality over the past two years. Harvey said he thinks commodity prices will likely be lower in 1984. The general consensus among local businessmen seems to be that the economic climateis healthier now than it was in 1982. Frayne Motors reports the ,)est year ever, with a 30 percent increase in sales 'over the previous 12 months. Rick Frayne said 1982 had been the company's toughest year, which had the beneficial side effect of tightening up management practices and "making me a more efficient manager.' Frayne believes many people who held off in 1982 and made do with their present car needed to upgrade this year. Another reliable economic indicator is the real estate market. Dirk Coolman detected an upswing in December 1982 that continued throughout the next 12 months. His company's real estate sales totalled four million in 1983. He credits the decline in interest rates and the drop in the rate of infla- tion. At present, he said, the demand for housing is ex- ceeding the supply. Both MacLeans and Cana- dian Tire greatly expanded their stores, one at the same location, and the other in new quarters. Gary MacLean said his family's business has ex- perienced an exceptionally good year, and Christmas has been phenomenal. He is con- vinced the economy is turning around, as people are starting to spend again. As far as Canadian Tire's manager Gerry Walker is concerned, his universe is un- folding exactly as predicted. "We have been rolling along with moderest increases each year, but with all the extra display space and the big parking lot and other facilities. business in our new RESTING ON THE BOARDS — Lisa Forrest, Jodi Hamilton, Suzanne Steciuk find Jackie Sweitzer are resting on the sidelines waiting their turn for action on the ice during Friday's Fun on Ice at the South Huron Rec Cen- T-A photo ire. The year that was... in review • Continued from page 2 Services have moved to a new location in the forrher Ausable-Bayfield Conserva- tion Authority building on Thar.ies Road West. Almost half the 825,00xl hag Ontario white Dean crop has been sold according to On- tario Bean Producers Marketing Board manager Charles Broadwell at a recent annual meeting in Ilensall. Zurich council gives go- ahead to industrial park David Townsend, RR 4, Seaforth was named the top 4-11 member in Iluron at F'ri- day's annual 4-11 awards night in Clinton. Hensall and Goderich win championships in the first an- nual Exeter Molting Hawks oldtimers hockey tourna ment A committee has been established to plan a senior citizens geared to income apartments in the village of Dashwood December 7 Leone Brock and Garnet Hicks were named citizens of the year at the annual town of F:xeter thank you banquet. .' full length Norwegian blue fox fur coat was stolen Friday from the display win- dow at the Looking Good ladies wear store. Keit h A lexander Yin II. RR f Kirkton was fined $1,(k$) or. two charges of driving a motor vehicle with a licence under suspension and not hav- ing insurance. Ben ffoogenboom was nam- ed to Exeter town council to fill the vacancy created by the death of councillor Don MacGregor. Jamie V estman of Kirkton will make musical history i)ecember 17 when he will become the first boy singer in memory - if ever - to perforin in the Mahler Symphony No 4inG A new scout hall in Lucan gets tentative approval from village council. international Slick 01 Toronto wins the A champion- ship of the Lucan Cup Challenge for the second straight year. The South Iluron girls basketball team reaches the V OSSA semi-finals December 11 Damages near $250,0110 resulted from a Friday night fire at the Exeter north turnip plant of Exeter Produce Clarence Millson of ('landehoye celebrated his 90th birthday Hensall residents demand a public meeting to discuss ex tensive renovations to the village's town hall A new txxik on the history of the village of Hensall has been released. Zurich reeve Don Van Pal ter announced his resignation effective December 14 and •TRIP WINNER - Doug Ellison presents a trip for two to Florida to Linda Farquhar. The draw was sponsored by Ellison Travel and Wardair and attracted more than 5,000 entries. T -A photo will return to the held of retail security and law enforcement The federal gayer •'cent nounced grants at nearly $100,000 to the Iluron Country Playhouse for main' theatre expansion and the Royal Canadian Legion for building expansion Robert Down of Exeter was named ,r zone director of United Co-operatives of On- tario fora fourth term_ December 21 Exeter council ratified a decision to end their practice of withholding the Dnp int por- tion of taxes in the levies for county council and the school hoards A rift is opening between the town of Exeter and the townships of Stephen. Hay and 1tsborne over cost shar- ing in purchases of Exeter and area fire board. Tom Cunningham, -RR 1 Auburn. was named warden of Huron county for 1984. Exeter council agreed to kick off Ontario's 1984 bicentennial celebrations with a New Year's levee. M.H. Hodgins ofLucanwas honoured for 25 years of ser- vice as treasurer of the Lucan-Biddulph Cancer Society. liensall public school students will start 1984 Centennial celebrations by obtaining pen pals in Hensall, England A bursary fund for students graduating from Grand Bend - public school has been set up in memory of a former teacher I relen Jean Sharen who passed 'way recently. store is up 40 percent," he explained. No matter what state the economy is in, we all have to eat, even if tough times mean a switch from smoked oysters to sardines. Zehrs manager Les Bott said 1983 has been a good year for his store. Peo- ple are spending the same amount of money, but more wisely. The no -name products are very popular. Howard Holtzman said sales have been brisk at A&H, especially since October. Many customers seem to have more money to spend on groceries this year than they did a year ago, and he expects Christmas shopping will have given his store's business a healthy boost. Looking Good's Karen Pfaff notes more impulse buying this year. She is "really hap- py" with what has happened in 1983, and said everything she has observed indicates those shopping for clothes are wise shoppers willing to pay for quality, and going for the timeless rather than the trendy. Zoren Gerrard across the street sums up 1983 as "noihing spectacular", but customers are spending more. He plans to keep next year's inventory on the same level as this year, "but you'll always find a good selection at Gerrard's",•he added with a smile. As for the future, he vows he has stopped listening to the experts and will just wait and see what 1984 brings. Ron Cottrell said he has noticed people shopping in flit Junction are more price con- scious this year. and are shop- ping around before buying. He is pleased with the Christmas season, with sales well up from the yearbefore. People still have money for luxuries such as jewellery, which are very nice to have. but not essential like food, clothing and shelter. Mike Anstett reported a good year, with people in a happier frame of mind this year. Jay Campbell said there's still a long way to go to match the boom 70s, but 1983 was better than 1982. He said the hard times encouraged better management practices, in- cluding tighter inventory con- trol. Customers now are prepared to order high ticket items, or wait to have something made up especial- ly for them, rather than ex- pecting to come in and choose from a king's ransom spread out before them. The Feather Tick also specialized in items that add an extra sparkle to life. Pro- prietor Marie Homans said that though money is still tight, "we must be doing something right, as we are having the best Christmas in five years." She has also observed a trend to value and quality. Both Dinneys and Hopper Hockey said the three-month abolition of the seven percent provincial sales tax helped the furniture business. Jon Dinney said lower interest rates had also encouraged consumers to spend some of the money that previously garnered as high as 18 per- cent interest, and Bob Flet- cher sees more consumer confidence. "it's still going to be a shoppers' market in 1984. andprices will have to be real- ly good to sell ', he predicted. Bill Haskett in Lucan agreed with his fellow •fur- niture dealers in Exeter. His store experienced increased sales during the sales tax hiatus. He assumes the economy is recovering, as 1983 was definitely better than 1982. Appliance dealers are also pleased with the credit side of 1983's ledger. The Drysdales in Hensall report an excellent year, better than expected. Marilyn Zimmer in Dashwood said she and her husband are quite happy as they look -back on the past year and Jim Kirton at Peck Appliances in Varna termed 1983 "reasonably good." Peo- ple spent a lot of money on repairs, and sales of new ap- pliances were also up ap- preciably from a slow 1982. "We'r'e not on t .isy street yet. What happens to agriculture affects us. If they slow down we notice it im- mediately," Kirton said. - Business was off to a brisk 'start at Hensall Pro Hard- ware at the beginning of the year, according to co-owner Bill Smith. All Hensall stores had a drop in sales while the main street was torn up for a major repaving job that seemed to go on forever. Smith calculates he lost an estimated 50 to 100 customers weekly from May to August. The increase in Christmas blsiness will partially make up for this loss. Glen Fisher can't compare 1982 with 1983, as his hard ware store was closed for renovations for three months in 1982. He believes 1983 will be a success, assisted by brisk sales in December With one eye on the still high unemployment figures, he plans to "just carry on" in 1984. Joanne Dinney said this year her flower shop has add- ed more staff to cope with more orders. Her customers are generally in a more op- timistic mood than they were the year before. "The 70s were exceptional, with everyone going o Florida twice. Now people are more realistic," she said. "At one time many thought it was all going to be taken away. Now they know that though times were tough, they came through." By the way, the rest of that opening quotations reads "Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee." Could that include.the happy ringing of the cash registers? Municipal politics for Huron schools More courses on municipal politics should be taught in schools, Huron County Coun- cil has decided in a 24 to 6 recorded vote. Councillors overturned a recommendation by its ex- ecutive committee which was presented at council's December 1 meeting. The recommendation suggested that a resolution, calling for two provincial ministries to work together to teach citizens at large about local government, shouldn't be supported by Huron County Council. The resolution from the Ci- ty of Stratford asks that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Education create pro- grams for the teaching of municipal politics. Executive committee member Tom Cunningham first apologized to his fellow committee members and then said the resolution is a "motherhood issue." "I would like to say that as reeves we are people very in- terested in how the system works," said Reeve Cunningham. He said that by including municipal politics in the education system more citizens would be interested in running for local government positions. "That would be more par- ticipation," said the Hullet Township reeve. A newcomer to Local politics, East Wawanosh Reeve Neil Vincent said the only municipal training he has received has been on-the- job training. Another executive commit- tee member, long-time Reeve Cal Krauter of Brussels, said it isn't necessary for council to support the resolution. He did. however. question the removal of nomination meetings at election time. "I used to go to Ethel for nomination meetings and it was crowded to the doors. Now we have ratepayers meetings and just the council shows up," commented Krauter. The Brussels reeve had another concern about adding municipal politics to the cur- riculum in schools. "Then teachers want another $5,000 a year. Maybe we (council) could teach for BACK TO SKATING Suzanne Steciuk is ready to resume her speed skating test after sliding under a chair at Fun on Ice Friday at the South Huron Rec Cen- tre T -A photo Town of Exeter Special Garbage Pickup Monday, Jan. 2 changed to Tues- day, Jan 3 There will be no changes for Wednes- day and Friday. Pickup day will stay the same. New Years Eve Ball at South Huron Rec Centre Music by Traces Tickets only $55 per couple "Leave your wallet at home" • Only a few tickets left • Tickets available at the T -A, Wuerth Shoes or phone 235-2528 a lot less." Hay Township Reeve Lionel Wilder added similar comments, noting they were reasons for the executive committee's decision. The six councillors voting against supporting the resolu- tion were: Tuckersmith Reeve Robert Bell, Blyth Reeve Tom Cronin, Morris reeve Bill Elston, Reeve Krauter, Goderich Township Reeve Grant Stirling and Reeve Wilder. Those voting in favor of supporting the resolution were: Grey Reeve. Leona Armstrong, Ashfield Reeve John Austin, Hay Deputy Reeve Tony Bedard, Goderich Deputy Reeve Jim Britnell, Clinton Reeve Ernest Brown, Seaforth Reeve Bill Campbell, Reeve Cunningham, Exeter Deputy Reeve Lossy Fuller, McKillop Reeve Marie Hicknell, Bayfield Reeve David Johnston, Colborne Reeve Russel Kernighan, Wingham Reeve Joe Kerr, Hensall Reeve Harry Klungel, Turn - berry Reeve Brian McBurney, Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle, Usborne Reeve Gerry Prout, Howick Reeve Jack Stafford, Stanley Reeve Paul Steckle, Zurich Reeve Don Van Patter, Reeve Vincent, Stephen Reeve Alan Walper, Stephen Deputy Reeve Ralph Weber, and Goderich Reeve Harry Worsell with two votes. West Wawanosh Township Reeve James Aitchison was absent when the vote was taken. GREAT FOR SNOW- MOBIUNG Blocked roads posed no problem for snowmobilers in the area, Christfnas morning. T -A photo Annual Boy Scout Bottle Drive January 7 Starting at 9:30 a.m. Please save your emp- ty bottles and help local scouting. JR. C HOCKEY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AT THE CLINTON ARENA DECEMBER 29 -30 -31 -JAN. 1 "A" DIVISION Keswick Pt. Elgin Wingham Dresden "0" DIVISION Clinton Orangeville Norwich Kincardine THURSDAY, DEC. 29 7:00 p.m. Pt. Elgin vs. Wingham 0:00 p.m. Clinton vs. Kincardine FRIDAY, DEC. 30 10:00 a.m. Kincardine vs. Orangeville 12:00 noon Keswick vs. Pt. Elgin 2:00 p.m. Orangeville vs. Clinton 4:00 p.m. Dresden vs. Winghom 4:00 p.m. Norwich vs. Kincardine 0:00 p.m. -1 o.m. HOSPITALITY DANCE "FREE" SATURDAY, DEC. 31 10:00 a.m. Winghom vs. Keswick 12:00 noon Orangeville vs. Norwich 2:00 p.m. Pt. Elgin vs. Dresden 4:00 p.m. Norwich vs. Clinton 6:00 p.m. Keswick vs. Dresden 0:00 p.m. -1 o.m. HOSPITALITY DANCE "FREE" SUNDAY, JAN. 1 1:00 p.m. First game Semi-finals 3:00 p.m. Second game Semi-finals 0:00 p.m. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 1 SOth Wedding Anniversary • Bernice and Hubert Cooper On January 1, 1934 Bernice and Hubert ex- changed marriage vows at the United Church in Centralia Ontario. Happy 50th Love and best wishes from your family Gerold Jean,Fronk 8 Dennis. RR Shirley, GF Glenn anNett,d ElaineEileen, and grandchildoss ren. Open house will be held at the Community Cen- tre Main Street, Crediton on Monday, January 2, 1984 from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. Best wishes only. THURSDAY NIGHT IS SHOOTERS NIGHT • ILY SPE IAL M • ND • Y NI HT IS DRAUGHT N1 • Colonial Hotel Grand Bend Rod & Gun Room 238-2371 Dining Lounge Every Monday Night All you can eat Lasagna And all you can eat salad bar $650 Children under 12 3.25 Every Friday Night All you can eat white fish And all you can eat salad bar $650 Children under 12 3.50 Also Featuring f Iomernade Daily Features Phone 238-2371 OUR BAR iS OPEN MON.-SAT. 12-1 kb Spend New Year's Eve at the Albatross Tavern Huron Park 228-6733 Dance from 9 - 2 with "Dance Band" Tickets $48 per couple "Leave your wallet home" Need a rlde call 228-6733 elk Ham - Scalloped Potatoes - Luncheon obi