Clinton News-Record, 1977-02-03, Page 44
PAGE 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1977
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Tougher gun controls
Last year's assassination attempts
on the life of U.S. President Gerald
Ford spurred research into the per-
sonalities of assassins, both male and
female, American and other.
According to Priscilla Johnson
McMillan of Harvard, a ' common
characteristic of assassins is their
desire to escape direct confrontation.
That means, in her view, that anything
- anything at all, that will, make it more
difficult for an assassin to carry out the
deed might prevent it.
Lee Harvey Oswald might never
have shot John F. Kennedy if he had to
risk a confrontation by buying a rifle
across the counter instead of ordering
it by mail, according to Mrs. McMillan.
She adds that Oswald, like the other
assassins she studies, was constantly
torn within about whether or not to
carry out the deed. They were not
single-minded fanatics obsessed with
assassination. They were not dedicated
•
and angry actiVtsts. Rather, they were
quiet people who could not express
their anger directly.
But with guns easily ava'i'lable, •they
found a way. .
Nor need these guns always be used
on others. A mental patient in Whitby,
Ontario, recently blew off his own head
with a gun he had ptirchased moments
before.
A waiting period, like the pause for
reflection between the purchase of a
marriage licence and the wedding,
would help to eliminate many im-
pulsive uses of -guns, says the United
Church.
Those who oppose gun control
regulations as an infringement of
personal rights ought to consider that
sudden death by .a bullet is the ultimate
infringement of personal right. If,
stiffer controls will impede even one
such killing, they should be en-
couraged.
Sugar and Spice/By Bill Smi
ey
Me and my car
Boy, am I glad I'm not rich! There is
nothing wrong with money in itself, th
ough the love of it is reputed to be the root
of all evil. It's what money brings in its
wake that can make life a nightmare.
For the past four days we've been a
two -car family, and it's been a real brute.
We- need two cars about as much as we
need two houses, and I still don't know how
I got into this fandango, but I'm in it, and I
wish I weren't.
There wasn't a thing wrong with our old
car, except that it was getting a bit long in
the tooth. Or so everybody said. I didn't
think a 1967 Dodge, with only 48,000 miles
on it, that ran like a bomb, was something
to be ashamed of.
Dogs are said to age about seven to one,
in comparison with humans. Thus, a
nine-year-old dog would be like a 63 -year-
old man. That seems fair enough: missing
some teeth, missing.some hair, and getting
a bit stiff and arthritic. But there are old
dogs and old dogs, of both species.
I don't know the ratio for cars and
humans. but I'd guess it would be about
eight to one. So, my 10 -year-old car would
.be about 80 in human terms.
To some of you young people, 80 might .
seem a great age. But to my personal
knowledge for some people life begins at.
• 80. And many an old girl in a home for the
aged will back me up. they know, from
personal experience, that some of the
guys, at 80, 82, 84 are among the most
dangerous men they've ever met in their
lives, socially and sexually.
We've all been reading lately about the
Male Menopause. At least I have. I think I
came through it all right, but you never
really know. Only last Sunday aft erneon I
was giving my wife a big blast because she
didn't want me to join the poker club and
go to the Legion Hall and play shuffleboard
with the boys after work on Friday.
She was a bit taken aback for about one
minute. Then she snapped that she didn't
care what I did. 1 could go and stand on my
head in a snowbank. I could go out and play
poker six nights,.a.week, as long as I didn't
take more than a dollar with me, and
didn't `expect me to serve lunch to a lot of
men who'd leave a dirty mess to clean up
and burn holes in the rug."
I don't know how I got away over here
beind the barn when I started out talking
about the horrors of being a two -car family.
Anyway . •
People made disparaging remarks about
my old Dodge. A mechanic wanted to buy
it. Cheap. When I suggested 11,300 as a
fair price, he laughed so .hard he had a
mild heart attack. "Smiley, you've run that
old wreck into every tree in Blank County
•This was a gross canard. That car has hit
only one tree. I'll admit that it has hit the
same tree - the one at thee.� end of my
driveway - three times, once'by my wife,
once by, my daughter, once by my
son-in-law, but never by me. That shows
you how rumors spread.
It did have a wow in the front bumper
from the time I hit a light standard. The
back bumper was somewhat like a
boomerang, because I bombed through two
feet of snow in my driveway last winter,
skidded. across the street, and hit a
telephone pole, backwards. But only one
tree.
On one side, the chrome was stripped off
and the door caved in, when the Old Lady
has an argument with the side of the
garage. But the other side, until today,
looked like a new ear, except for the rust,
which had eaten a bare 12 inches up into
the fenders.
Key words they are "Until today." After
today I have m atching doors, both without
' chrome, both looking as though Paul
Bunyan had taken a grievance and a kick at
the door, in that order.
Inside, the ear is like n ew, if you dont
mind a bit of foam spilling out of the
sea ts. You can tell it has been a one -owner
car. The two inches of cigarette ashes on
the floor are all of.the same brand.
You can understand how sentimental a
chap could get about such a car. Like an
80 -year-old uncle with a few scars and
wrinkels but a lot of zip still in the old
bawd.
Peoplehavemade love in that car. People
have been taken to hospital in that car.
,Babies have been brought home from
hospital on their fifth or sixth day in the
world, in that car.
I loved that car. But it was too randy for
me. It was Male Menopause No. 2, the one
that comes at 80.
So I bought a new one. Not really n ew.
Anybody who buys a new car today is
either rich or ripped-off.Jumped all the
way up to a '72.
But I still have the old one. My wife loves
it now, too, after asking me for five years if
I expected her to be seen in p ublic in
"that old wreck."
So I have two cars. I juggle them in and
out of a one -car garage and a one -car
driveway. Today I had the new one off to •
work.
Although I have told her 7000 times that
she can't back the cat out of the garage,
she 'tried it. 1 don't know what her
technique is.1 think she looks over her left
shoulder and twists the wheel to the right.
Or vice versa. r..
Anyway, she creamed it right up against.
the post . of the garage, could neither
forward go ;nor back, and t now have
matching" dented doors. Sans chrome. At
least it wasn't the new five-year-old one.
Member, Ontario Weekly
Newspaper Association
The Clinton News -Record 1s published each
Thursday at P.O. Box 39. Clinton, Ontario,
Canada, NOMILO,
U is registered as'second class mail by the
post office under the permit number 0817. ,
The .News -Record Incorporated in 1924 the
Huron News -Record, founded in 1881, and
the !Bunton• New Era, founded In 1885. Total
press run 3,100.
Clinton NewsRec( )F( 1
iC A
' Member Canadian
'Community Newspaper
Association
Display adkertising rates•
available on request. Ask for
Rate Card No. 7 effective Oct. 1.
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tic►ief MMNager-JY i owird'Aitken
Editor • Jainet E. Pitigeraid
Advertising fiftcter Gary Lo. H1 let
• Assistant editor Chrlt Zdeb .,
Office Manager - Margaret Gibb
Circulation • Freda Mt`l.eod
Accounting - Marian WI
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WHAT Alit 109 PEOPLE
COMPLAINING REKNIT-toUii1:
ALLOWED To GO ANYWHEQE
V/ PLEASE?
"We'll fight to the finish"
Odds 'n' ends , by Elaine Townshend
Questions
A few questions puzzle me. •
For example, why does a dentist pry your mouth open,
wedge two rolls of batten between your gums, shove his tiny
vaccuum halfway down your throat, prod your teeth with
his miniature ice pick and then start asking questions, such
aS "How's your car running?" "How- do you, like this
weather?" or "I X-rayed this molar the last time you were
here, didn't I?"
Why does a doctor ask you where it hurts, press the area
with cold fingers, note your flinch and query', "Feel that?"
- What does a doctor's "Uh-huh!" really mean?
Why does a nurse use the plural pronoun "we"? "How are
we feeling this morning?" "Now, we'll have our bath?"
"It's time we took our medicine."
Why do the creators of TV commercials think all viewers
are dummies? They must think we're dummies. Otherwise,
why would they air such stupid promotions? Do they
honestly believe the highlight of a housewife's day is
throwing a new, cling -free sheet into -her dryer? Do they
think women swoon over the man dressed all in white, who's
peddling garbage bags?
Why are the best shows on television reruns of reruns?
-When a woman driver passe a male motorist, why does
he feel convened to overt'paid-heft a
If we couldn't ask "How arse you?" how would we greet
people? If we couldn't remark about the weather, how
would we break an awkward silence?
One fellow, who recently returned from Florida, noted:
"The people down there don't know how to begin a con-
versation; the weather always stays the same."
Why do we complain about the weather? It doesn't do us
any good; we can't change the forecast. A green Christmas
doesn't seem right, but a foot of snow makes travelling
difficult: Why are we never satisfied?
Why do we always eat too much at special meals, such as
New Years, Christmas and Thanksgiving? Why don't we
learn our lesson from one bloated holiday to the next?
Why do we make New Years' resolutions, when we know
we'll break them?
Why do we glorify the warmth and friendliness of .
Christmastime and then forget the. feeling for the next 12
months?
Why do the years pass faster as we grow older? Why oes
24 hours seem like only a moment to some of us and like an
eternity to others?
Why do we think we have to keep up with the Joneses?
Why are we busier than anyone else? Why are our
problems the most difficult to solve? Why is our sorrow
deeper than anyone elses7 Why is our pain worse than that
felt by others?
Why do we take so much for granted, including health,
freedom and love? •
From our early files .
• • •
10 YEARS AGO
`February 2, 1967 . .
Clinton's eighth annual minor
hockey weekend was a decided
success as far as competitive
hockey and seriousness of the'
teenage boys participating but
spectators were few and far
between. The Friday evening
program was the best supported
of the three evenings. It was
unfor %inate that this district
experienced the heaviest
snowfall of the winter during
minor hockey weekend.
The three Visiting American
teams - Dearborn, Mich. ban-
tams and peewee and bantams
from Clinton, New York State -
provided excellent competition,
for the Clinton and Adastral. Park
teams.
The US teams requested as
much ice time and games as
possible. Each played two games
here. The best efforts by the
visitors was a 5-3 win by the
Clinton, N.Y. bantams over
Adastral Park and Dearborn and
Adastral Park bantams played a
4-4 tie.
The town teams both won the -
feature games on Saturday night
over their Clinton, N.Y. guests.
Two employees of the Clinton
office of Bell Telephone Company
of Canada have completed 21
years of continuous service in
telephone work and were
rewarded this week. -
They are Mrs. L.M. McCann, a
long distance operator and Don
McArthur, a serviceman.
Mrs. Arabell Bushell, Strat-
ford, president of the Stratford
flub of Tecumseh Council of
Pioneers of Telephone Com-
, panies, was in town on Monday to
present life membership cer-
tificates and pins.
With construction started over
the weekend oil Clinton's , new
arena and community centre,
interest has increased in both the
building and finance committees:
Shantz and Hicks Construction
Limited, 'Waterloo, moved onto
the site 'in Clinton Community
Park last week and excavation
began Monday for the $224,660
centre.
The Clinton and District
Community Centre Centennial
Fund received another boost
Monday night when. -Huron
Centrad Agricultural Society
gave $350. According to fund
treasurer Andy Peterson there is
over $6,220 in the fund at present.
25 YEARS AGO
January 31, 1952
Erection of a .new memorial
hall by Minton Branch No. 140,
Canadian Legion, stilF=1§•-a•,.live
topic of discussion among
members, and the matter came
up again at the monthly meeting
in , the Legion Hall Monday
evening.
Although no 4finite action was
taken at the meeting, it was -
agreed that the new building
should be constructed this year, if
at all possible.
The Branch has purchased
vacant land on Kirk St., near
Huron County Health Unit, for
the purpose.
"The trip was very en-
couraging," Mayor G.W. Nott
commented, following return of a
deputation representing Clinton
Town Council which paid a
double-barrelled visit to the
Ontario Parliament Buildings,
Toronto, Tuesday.
In addition ti? Mayor Nott, the
deputation consisted of Reeve
W.J. .Miller, Ald. C.W. Drap.sr
and Thomas Pryde, MLA for
Huron, who introduced the local
men.
The , group interviewed Hon.
William Griesinger, Minister of
Planning and Development, with
regard to the Province's par-
ticipation in the proposed 150 -unit
housing project in Clinton.
"The Federal Minister, Hon,
R.H. Winter, was coming to
Toronto Wednesday, to talk with
Ontario authorities regarding
housing," the Mayor reported.
"We're hoping for some
developments."
The deputation also in-
terviewed C.A. Robbins, Chief
Engineer of Maintenance,
Ontario Department of High-
ways, regarding installation of a
stop -and -go light -at ,the main
intersection in Clinton, in the
absence of the minister and
deputy minister.
The Department wilt send a
man to Clinton to make a survey
in this connection. No promisee
were made by the officials.
50 YEARS AGO
February 3, 1927
The annual meeting of the
Clinton fire brigade was held
Monday evening, when the
resignations were received of
Fire Chief Harry Glazier, after
thirty-five years service and
Capt. Bert Kerr, after thirty
years of service.'
Officers were elected as follows:
Chief, -Richard Tasker; captain,
A.F. Cudlnore; lieutenant, L.
Cree; secretary -treasurer, Carl
Draper.
We had our January thaw last
weekend and since we have been
walking very carefully to escape
broken bones.
Mr. J.S. Burtons fell and
I it
received minor injuries and a
shaking up the other day. The
streets have been in a very
slippery state all week. The
middle of the King's highway is
about the only safe spot to walk.
The members of ,the Sung
People's Society of Wesley -Willis
church were invited to the home
of the president, Mr. Leslie
Pearson, in Goderich township,
on Monday evening, when.a large
number of the young people went
out for the sleighride and enjoyed
a very pleasant social evening
together, under the hospitable
roof of the House of Pearson.
The annual meeting of the
Ladies' Bowling Club was held
last week, when •the following
officers were elected for 1927:
Hon:. president, Mrs. John
Zapfe; President, Mrs. G.D.
Roberson; 1st Vice: Mrs. C.
Rumball; 2nd Vice: Mrs. R.S.
Smyth; Secretary, Miss Amy
Howson; Treasurer, Mrs. W.J.
Stevenson.
75 YEARS AGO
January' 31, 1902
The annual meeting of the
Clinton Gun Club, Limited, was
held at the Mason House on
Tuesday evening, when a goodly
;number of the members were
present. The reports presented
showed that everything in con-
nection with , the club is
satisfactory and prospering, the
treasurer's report showing •a
balance of $92.40 on hand -with no
debt. The following are the of-
ficers elected for the ensuing
year; President, JE. Cantelon;
Vice Wm. Foster; Sec., LET
Blackall; Treas., J.E. Hovey;
directors, N. Fair, O. Johnston,
R. Graham, A.J. Holloway' and
Geo. Hinchlev.
The townspeople will be glad to
learn that James Smith's
property,next to the Clarendon
hotel, will again assume store
fronts, which will greatly im-
prove the appearance of`the main
streets. It was., on the 29th of
March 1900, that, the disastrous
fire occurred here, and since'that
time one of 4he best parcels .of
property in town has lain idle.
The stores in this block rented
readily and Mr.. `Smith has lost
considerable revenue thus
derived by not rebuilding. The
other day S.S. Cooper bought the
property,, and has plans about
prepared for rebuilding a block of
three or four stores, above which
will be roorfls that can be used as
offices. Mr...Cooper says that
those wishing Vt. rent may have
apartments- built to. suit them-
selves.
•
100 YEARS AGO
February 1, 1877
Harm
Weld hve "
considered
Conservative MP Robert
McKinley. (Huron) said • the
federal government should
change its apparent decision
to purchase a British -built
hovercraft for west coast
search and rescue operations
and instead buy one made by
a Grand Bend•firm.
Mr. McKinley said In the
Commons last week that, in
view of the fact the federal
department of industry, trade
and commerce had invested
several million .dollars in a
.program 'to develop a
hovercraft industry . in
Canada, he wondered'
whether the . government
would seriously consider
purchasing hovercraft made
by Bell Aerospace, the Grand
Bend firm:
Treasury board president
Robert Andras said he would
take note of the suggestion,
adding that •if a • cabinet a
decision is z made on the
purchase of " hovercraft, "it
will be announced in the
ordinary process."
In an interview outside the
Commons, Mr. McKinley said
he was pushing for the
government to consider
buying the hovercraft from
Bell Aerospace because it
meant Canadian jobs.
"We're talking about
unemployment, and that's
(purchasing outside the
country) throwing away
jobs."
In his riding
Bell Aerospace, which has
been operating at Grand
Bend for almost six years, is
in Mr. McKinley's riding.
Jim Mills, managing
director of Bell Aerospace,
said in an interview that the i1
company, which at one time
employed as many as 180
persons, now has 26 em-
ployees.,
- Mr. Mills said his company,
a division of Textron Canada
Ltd., makes two sizes of
hovercraft — the Voyageur
and the smaller Viking, which
he said, was developed
especially for coast guard
work.
The larger Voyageur,
depending on its size and
equipment, can cost between
$1.8 million and $2.3 million
while the Viking costs bet-
ween $900,000 and $1 million.
The Voyageur is equivalent
in price to the British -made
hovercraft the government is
said to be considering.
The contracts for building the
_Bible Christian Church in this
town were given out on Saturday
last, Mr. Copp getting the brick .
work, and Messrs. Cooper and
McKenzie the carpenter work.
The total cost of the building,
including fencing etc., will be
about $3,500.
Although the cold has not been
so intense here as it has been in
some former winters, the frost
has been sufficiently severe and
continuous as to have made .ice
near two feet thick, making tyle
ice crop a splendid one.
Mr. Allison is rapidly fill& all
the ice houses in town, with these
crystal blocks, and will lay up a
large stock of his own to supply
customers next year.
We question if any County in
the Dominion can show as large a
number of papers published
within its limits, as can the
county of Huron, and as
newspapers are supposed to
represent an intelligent and'
pushing community, this county
must consequently be the most
intelligent and energetic.
,There are already nine papers
published, and a tenth about to
be, in this County, four of them
being in the Conservative, and
five in the Reform interest. Let us
give their names.
While a Signal is given
Goderich, a Star also. twinkles;
and able Expositor advocates
Seaforth's claims; Exeter ad-
vances as its Times demands;
Brussels is .kept fully Post -ed,
Times Advai%ee In Wingham as•
elsewhere; and Blyth intends to
Review the county; Gorrie's
Vidette "speaks for the eastern
corner of. the county, while
Clinton's New Era urges "equal
rights for all," and steadily
labors to haste on what its name
implies.
More than a year since a
traveller came to this town,
accompanied by a fine spaniel.
Previous to his departure, he
gave the dog to a person here,
with whom it has remained ever
since.
One day last week the traveller
returned to town, and the dog, by
some canine instinct, became
aware of the fact, and finding at a
hotel some articles.'belonging to
his former owner, seated himself
thereon, and would not permit
their removal or handling, until
the party himself called for them,
when the dog gave unmistakable
evidences of pleasure at meeting
his old master.
Licence stickers
0
selling poorly
With slightly over one
month to go before the
February 28 deadline, over
2.4-rriilliori ' automobile
owners have failed to pur-
chase their 1977 licence
renewal stickers, Minister of
Transportation and Com-
munications James Snow
revealed today.
Snow said, "If motorists do
not soon make the effort to
renew their passenger
vehicle registration, the line-
ups at issuing offices could be
unbearable by the middle of
February."
The red stickers have been
on sale since December 1, and
a Ministry spokesman stated
there will be no extension of
the deadline set for the end of
February.
The stickers are available
at 300 licence issuing offices
throughout the province. The
annual fees for automobiles
will remain at $40 for eight
cylinders: $32 for six cylin-
ders; and $23 for four
cylinders or less.
To complete the renewal,
motorist should take along
their motor vehicle
registriion permit, com-
pleted proof of insurance
form and the appropriate fee.
Insurance_ forms are
avacilable at l eenEe issuitfg
offices and many Ontario
liquorstores.
News -Record 'readers are
encouraged to • express their
opinions in letters to the
editor, however, such opinions
'do not necessarily represent
the opinions Of the News -
Record.
Pseudonyms.. may be used
by letter writers, but no letter
will be published unless it can
be verified by' phone.
Mvertising...
helps you judge
good from bad.
CANADIAN AOVEP'fSING ADVISORY BOARD
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