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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-03-16, Page 4PAGE 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY. MARCH 16, 1918 What we think Study worth wait The study pi esented to Clinton council last Monday night on the Clinton Town Hall is certainly overdue_ By overdue, we do not mean late coming from Hill and Borgal, the architects and planners of Goderich who carried out the study, but late in terms of years, about" 25 years late_ The 98 -year-old town hall has been ;largely ignored for the past quarter of a century, and now finally, council has an extremely detailed, well - researched, and illustrated study of what's really wrong (and right) with the town hall, and what can be done to preserve it and restore it to its former grandeur. Nick Hill, the author of the 43 -page study, has done the town a great ser- vice in finally putting down on paper what many have speculated about over the past decade: "could the town hall be restored and at what cost?" Town council, and particularly several councillors, are to be congratulated too, for taking the initiative to have a thorough study done_ Whether the building is actually restored or not is yet to be decided, but at least everyone knows its condition.. Over the next few months or even years, there will be a great deal of discussion both for and against, restoring the town hall, which has now become part of our heritage and the present council will go down in history as having taken that first brave step. This paper has taken the stand over the past five years that if the cost wasn't too high, and some practical use could be found for it, the town hall should be preserved_ The cost, as estimated by Nick Hill to completely restore the structure is only S235.000 and if the cost is spread out over several years in stages, and much of it covered by grants, Clinton can, and should have, one of the finest municipal complexes_ in the area, something all of us and future generations can be proud to call our own_ The town hall, once the centre of activity in town, can once again regain her former grandeur_ Sugar and Spicc/By Bill Smiley A new look According to a recent magazine article; this is going to be The Year of the Peacock_ There is afoot a strong movement away from the grub.and slob of the past decade or so toward some style and taste in clothes and appearance_ I'll drink to that. As a high school teacher, I've been in the front lines during the battles over clothes, hair lengths, exposed navel, and such -lie_ Not as a participant ,- I was never unduly exercised over excesses -_but rather as an observer. During the reigns of a couple of pretty conservative principals in a small town, I watched with some amusement, oc- casionally hilarity, their Canute -like efforts to stem the flood of horrors sweeping m from the cities. I think the first wave was longer hair for boys_ Not the flowing tresses they sport today, many of them straight from the hair stylist, others with a hair -brush or comb often in evidence_ Heavens, no_ The first rebels merely wanted to let their hair grow down to their collars. No way. They were expelled, letters were sent home, they were offered the price of a hair -cut, and generally harassed. But that was just the tip of the ice -berg. A side skirmish at the same time told teachers to keep their hair cut, wear a tie, shave off their beards (lady teachers, some of whom had better beards than some of the men, didn't have to shave) and keep their shoes shined. Then the more docile girls got into the act, with the emergence of the mini -skirt. None of the younger male teachers had the slightest objection, but some of the old maids of both sexes were rather horrified I believe, if I recollect alright, that one benighted educator suggested all teachers carry a ruler, and that skirts shorter than a certain standard be forbidden_ (Or ripped off. It might have been one of the young male teachers.) Beleaguered administrators tried grimly t,o_ hold the line. Boys were not to wear "ice- cream pants" or jeans. Girls must wear skirts. Then came the deluge_ County school boards, made up of mothers and fathers as cowardly as all the other parents battling the new wave of attire and appearance, cut the ground from under the administrators by declaring that anything went as long as the student was "neat and tidy" or some such cant phrase. Wham ! Hair sprouted in all directions from masculine adolescents. The girls hiked their skirts higher or leaped into jeans. Granny glasses and Mother Hubbard dresses became de rigeur with the more advanced girls. Afro hair styles and Jesus beards marked the more hirsute. Hip - hugger jeans and the bra -less look were a la mode. Girls ironed their hair. Curls were out, and pity the poor kid who had them naturally. She was a freak. Then the young devils wanted to wear cool clothes in the hot months, and. June produced shorts that left nothing to the imagination, on both sexes, bikini halters on the girls, bare feet in the classroom, and finally, beachwear_ Every bit of it "neat and tidy_" This was followed by the Grease Age, or the Sleaze Era, mainly marked by denim. Buy a new pair of jeans and a jacket, wash them, fade them, shrink them, scissor them so they bad ragged fringes, tear holes in them, patch them, and sew some provocative or scatological suggestion across the buttocks_ This particular period blew away completely the "neat and tidy" euphemism_ Greasy hair, scruffy beards, no makeup and general grubbiness were the order of the day. Not a particularly pleasant age. Even I had to fight to avoid retching on occasion.. And this particular movement dovetailed right into the new laws that lowered the drinking age to 18. In effect, it meant that kids from 14 up began to drink- Grade Eight girls were arriving at high school dances with a mickey in their purses. It also tied into a new barrack -room lawyer attitude on the part of some of the tougher kids. They knew well that punish- ment for infringement of rules was almost a thing of the past No strap, no detention, and expulsion merely a welcome couple of weeks' holiday_ Or screw school, Ill get a job, easy. Well, things have changed. For the better. The pendulum has swung. The kids are starting to dislike slobbishness. Only those who are born slobs are keeping it up. Girls are wearing makeup, culottes, skirts, even dresses. Wispy boys' beards are disappearing. Shorter, neater hair -cuts are popping up here and there. With jobs a lot tougher to obtain, the old cavalier attitude toward expulsion has moderated. The older kids are hanging in their rather grimly, knowing that, however much they hate school, it's better than being one of the great mass of the unem- ployed, out there in the snow. Whatever is causing it, the new look is a welcome change after the sleaze days. Even my daughter, a graduate of the freaked -out look, is beginning to shed her tattered jeans for skirts and vests smart sweaters, and anything else ladylike her mother will buy her. But knowing kids, I'm rather sanguine about the chances of the improvement remaining stable. Any day now, the boys are liable to start showing up in spats and shaven heads, the girls in corsets and -high- laced boots like their grandmothers. Now, if only the young men would get rid of those ugly Gay Nineties moustaches... m. ai ,.n N.wstt.cord is published each Thhwsday of P.O. ftoa 21. Clinton. Ontario. • Canada. MAI 1u. Member. Ontario Weekly Newspaper Assodafion it is registered es second dans moil by tbe post office under the permit number U17. Tb. thrwspecord Incorporated in 1121 the Nwan N.rrs-Record. founded M 111111. end The Canton Nem Era. founded Fa 1115!. Total press run 3.3911. OispMy advertising rates evellable on request. Ask for late Card Ne. S effective Oct. 1, 1177. General Mismper- J. Howard Aitken 5,0* r • Itimees 1<. fliagentlgi Ad wtk bol Wsecfor - Gary L. Moist News editor - lbelley McPhee Office Manager . Mersee t Gibb Ct lirdoq-Fredalac eod Auanutln$ - Marlon Wt 13 n Subscription Rear. Canada •'13 farrow U.S.A.-'17.40 Other '20.40 Odds 'n' ends - by Elaine Townshend Options Options can drive a car buyer crazy, but one farmer found a way to retaliate. Before I go any further, let me assure you I have not been shopping for a new car; nor do I intend to look for one in the near future. I'm hoping my four-year-old Duster hangs together for another 16 years. But let's follow a prospective car buyer onto a new car lot. She sees an auto that she likes; it's not exactly what she wants, but it gives her an idea of the make and model she should order. She doesn't mind waiting for a few weeks for a vehicle that's just' right for her. Of course, she wishes the price was a little lower, but, if she scrimps, she should be able to squeeze the payments into her budget. Now she enters the wonderful world of options: Does she want automatic transmission or standard? Power steering and -or brakes? Two doors or four? Bucket seats? Reclining seats? What kind and colour of upholstery does she want? Would she like a radio? Air con- ditioning? A rear window defroster? White wall ties? How about wheel discs? Does she want an adjustable steering wheel? Soon she's wondering what else are considered to be options - Windshield wipers, one or two? Signal lights, left and -or right? Spark plugs? An ignition? A motor? .Finally, she has designed the automobile of her dreams, and then she finds out how much all those extras amount to in dollars. There goes her budget! A friend of mine heard a story of how an American farmer responded to a similar situation: When shopping for a new car, he became thoroughly disgusted with the pricing system that showed a basic price for an automobile and added to it for anything extra he wanted in the car. He settled on a certain make and model and made the purchase. A few days later the dealer, who sold him the car, arrived at his farm and said he would like to buy a cow for his country place. The farmer showed the dealer his cows, and the dealer selected one. "How much?" he asked. The farmer quickly sized up the situation and scribbled this itemized bill: Basic cow $200 two -toned exterior 45 extra stomach 75 produce storage compartment 60 dispensing device (4 spigots, $10 each) 40 genuine cowhide upholstery 125 dual horns 35 automatic fly swatter 15 Total (exclusive of tax and delivery) • $595 From our early files • 5 YEARS AGO March 15,1973 Clinton will have a new in- dustry that could employ up to 15 people, it was learned at Clinton council's meeting last Monday night. Council passed a by-law to sell nine and a half acres of Clinton's industrial land on the Bayfield Road to Marcon Ready Mix Company of London. Clinton received 3500 per acre in the deal. The unusually warm weather that Clinton and area residents have been enjoying the past couple of weeks has set records for high temperatures this early in March and has many old timers searching their memories for a March that has been as mild.' According to the Dominion Weather Bureau at the Norman Baird farm near Brucefield, the temperature soared to 60 degrees last Wednesday, March 7 and again last Sunday. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in the first 12 days of March in the last ten years. Spring has arrived early in - Huron County this year and at Bayfield, the ice was out of the harbor and the traditional "silk top hat" ceremony using a Christy stiff was carried out last Saturday as the first ship of the year tied up at Bayfield. Donald McLeod of Bayfield was the first in with his boat, the W.J. McLeod, after spending the winter at Goderich, beating Port Stanley. Speaking of robins, you will remember that last year we had pictures of the Hal Hartley's pet "robin. Mrs. Hartley tells us he is still very much a part of their household and likes to sing along with the vacuum cleaner. They have their own harbinger of spring all year long. 10 YEARS AGO March 14, 1968 Clinton residents pestered by dirty dogs that flatten garden plants, scatter garbage, en- danger traffic and lay manure traps for the unwary feet will get relief. Town council decided Monday to investigate a hookup with the London Humane Society that would cause owners of canines to keep them confined. Both Hensall and Exeter have recently signed agreements with the London society under which humane officers scour the communities for stray dogs. The officers arrive at odd times and unannounced, reporting only to the local police before they go to 'work. After a quarter-century of serving the Clinton community Mr. and Mrs. G.R. (Punch) McEwan have sold their Albert Street magazine and variety store. New owners of the store are Bill and Irene Smith. Mr. Smith is a native of Goderich and Mrs. Smith of Lucknow. Clinton . gets its own super - colossal ice extravaganza when the Clinton Figure Skating Club presents Ice Nicks '68 tomorrow at the centennial arena. The club skaters will present "The Wonderful World of Walt Disney" under the direction of club professional Robert McCrabb, formerly of the Ice Capades. Mr. McCrabb instructs about 899 skaters each week. 25 YEARS AGO March 19, 1953 Queen of the annual Clinton Lions skating carnival, Grace Harris, Bayfield, was chosen last Saturday night in Clinton Lions Arena. Miss Harris, 14 -year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Harris, is a Grade 9 student in Clinton and District Collegiate Institute. She wore a bride's costume which brought her the coveted title of "Queen of the Carnival." Mayor W.J. Miller made the award. A fire which is believed to have started from a tractor, totally destroyed the barn on the farm of James Cox, Porter's Hill. Fire brigades from Bayfield, Goderich and Clinton answered calls but the fire was so far ad- vanced that they could do nothing but keep the blaze from spreading to the house. Signs of spring are continually being reported. Charles Wise tells us he distinctly heard frogs peeping out on a farm on the Bayfield Road yesterday. He also reminds us that unwritten law is that after they are first heard "the frogs must be frozen in three times" before spring can of- ficially be proclaimed. Strong hopes are held at Clinton District Collegiate Institute for the . senior boys basketball team which will be seeking the WOSSA Senior "B" basketball title on Saturday when they travel to London for the final games. The seniors who were not expected to go very far this season have come up with such a fighting team that they were unbeaten in their group and have eliminated Listowel and Meaford in their march to the tournament. The team members are, Jerry Tebbutt, John Wilson, Jim Howes, Ken Howes, Mac Taylor, George Coleman, Allan Mitchell, Ken Gibbings, Harris Oakes (captain), Coach Pat Hum- phreys, Bob Fines, Ron Steepe and Ted Dunn. 50 YEARS AGO March 15,1928 On Friday evening, March 9, goodly number of friends and neighbors of the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Taylor, met at their home in Stanley Township to show a slight token of frien- dship by presenting them with a miscellaneous shower. The forepart of the evening was spent in playing cards, then all gathered in the large livingroom and Miss Grace McGowan after asking the bride and groom to be seated, showered them with many useful gifts. After a dainty lunch, prepared by the ladies, all indulged in dancing until the wee sma' hours, when all departed for home after wishing Mr. and Mrs. Taylor a long life of happiness and prosperity. Miss Etta Hardy of Merritton has been holidaying at her home this week. Miss Hardy has been recovering from an attack of chicken -pox, which she con- tracted from one of her pupils. The party or parties who lifted a certain sum of money from the house of the deceased Miss Craig, on a certain date during her illness and at her request, is kindly asked to return it to me, Mrs. Bert Jackson, Blyth P.O., by the 23rd day of larch. The Kippen community were shocked on Monday when word arrived that Mr. Wm. Hay and daughter Jean had been run down by a motor car on the Thorold Road on Sunday night as he and his wife and two children were returning from church. The snow which fell on Friday is all gone again, Tuesday's rain having washed it into the gutters. As a consequence some of the streets are very icy. 75 YEARS AGO March 19, 1903 The new firm of Hoover & Ball took over the furniture business of Rowe & Holloway on Tuesday and are now pushing trade. That they will do a large business is expected by those who know the partners personally. The stone cutters have commenced the season's operations at the Huron Street marble works whose output is sent to all parts of f the county. We understand that Mr. Geo. Bates has sold his farm to his brother Matthew, for the sum of $4,000. Last summer Mrs. O. Olson was injured at Goderich station by the shunting of the train as she was alighting from the passenger car. She brought an action for damages to the extent of $2,500 and the case was to have been tried at the assizes this week, but the Grand Trunk settled the case on Friday last by paying Mrs. Olson $1,250. As a result of a daring attempt to go in a light canoe by the river from Auburn to Goderich from here after the ice break we are,in sorrow, obliged to chronicle the end of a promising and useful• career of one, who by his generous and kindly disposition had won the deepest regard and esteem of this entire neigh- borhood. Dr. Frank Turnbull was not only Frank in name but also in nature and his genial presence will be deeply missed. Thursday morning he started in the full flush of life and suc- ceeded, it appears, in almost reaching his destination, although over 40 miles of the river's foaming tide had to be watched en route. Had it not been owing to his attempt to keep the canoe we believe his life would not have been sacrificed as the Dr. was an excellent swimmer and very fond of the river. All that medical aid could do was done at Goderich to restore life, but in vain. 100 YEARS AGO March 21, 1878 A Mrs. Glegg, formerly of the 7th con., Goderich Township am lately residing here, was taken last week to the asylum in Lon- don. A gentleman from Hullett informs us that on Monday he saw a grey bird's nest, in which was four eggs. Such a thing is almost unprecedented in Canada, in March. On Tuesday morning, the heaviest snow storm of the season was experienced, but it only lasted about fifteen minutes. , The flakes were very large, and fell unusually thick. It is said that the present weather is bad for horses and cattle, it inducing inflammation and as several have died from this is different parts of the province, these few words of caution may not be amiss. Mr. J.A. Yuill, of this place, has been awarded the contract of carrying the mails between this town and Porter's Hill. Dr. Gracey returned to Blyth last Friday night, his old friends were glad to welcome him back, he is thinner than usual, but is as well as can be expected under the circumstances. A number of 'residents of Seaforth celebrated St. Patrick's Day by a supper at Carmichael's Hotel on Monday. Mr. John McGregor, while going through the woods a few days ago, found a fox lying dead on the ground. He held a post mortem examination on the carcass and decided a verdict of death by poison. Mr. McGregor made sure that the animal did not get away before he had secured its hide. The Rev. Mr. McNaughton of Keppel delivered a leacure upon church music in Londesborough on Thursday evening last, to a large and attentive audience. What you ink- Reply Dear editor : The following is a copy of a letter sent to the editor of the London Free Press. Dear Sir: Re: "Booze and broads'' It has become evident to me that this specific phrase used by me in a telephone con- versation with a London Free Press reporter and sub- sequently appearing in an article has deeply offended many people - most par- ticularly female readers. To have given such offence, even unintentionally, is inexcusable. For this I make public apology. The remark was made within the context of a discussion on a serious matter and was used as a catch phrase for emphasis. Unfortunately catch' phrases are easily misunderstood; this one using the demeaning word "broad" especially so. My only defence, in the circumstances, is simply to state that in all of my dealings with women in- cluding my wife, daugh,:ers, students and friends I have striven always to give to them my utmost respect. I am not a male chauvinist and those who know me will agree. Neverthelesss, I have given offence and I would ask that all readers accept my deepest apologies. Yours truly, G.O. Phillips, Principal Central Huron Secondary School. Canvass Dear Editor: March is Red Cross month. Canvassers will be Tailing at every home. Blood tran- sfusion is only one of the many services performed by this worldwide humanitarian organization. The Red Cross is symbolic of help everywhere in every country in time of floods, famine, earthquakes, epidemics in war and peace. Red Cross food parcels save many from starvation. Thousands of dedicated volunteers carry out this work, supported by a handful of skillful professionals. Their many services are, first aid, hospital services, in- ternational aid, sick room equipment, family healtn, water safety, blood tran- sfusion service, homemaker service, services for seniors and others. All this cannot be done without funds. Clinton and district last year, after a lapse in time of not being canvassed, responded well. Let us not falter in this great endeavour. Contributions, however small are gratefully received. Mr. Earl Hilderley, manager at the Bank of Montreal, will gladly receive donations from anyone missed by canvassers and will give an official receipt. He is treasurer this year for the local Red Cross com mittee. Please receive your can- vasser generously. Sincerely, E.D. Fingland, co-ordinator, Clinton Hydro Dear Editor: In a letter to you which you published in the February 23, 1978, issue of your paper, Mr. Adrian Vos of the Huron Power Plant Committee suggests that a survey now underway is designed to scare the farmer into sup- porting Ontario Hydro's position on electrical power system expansion. It is `unfortunate that Mr. Vos did not make the effort to seek the reasons behind the survey before accusing Ontario Hydro of scare tactics. The farm survey is part of a broad study examining the standard of power system reliability for all electrical power users in the Province — not just the farming community. The industrial, residential and commercial sectors have already been surveyed. The study was started in 1975 at the request of the Ontario Energy Board. An external advisory group — representing 13 organizations — is assisting Ontario Hydro on the ptoject. Results will be made available to the Ontario Energy Board upon com- pletion. The survey questions are designed to assist in the Turn to page 11 • • •