HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-02-15, Page 44
PAGE 4—THE CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1979
page
Day care problem
No one in Huron County can
argue that there is not a crying
need for good day care facilities for
our children. Whether day care is
provided in private homes or in
municipal centres, it's a fact that
there aren't enough good quality
places for all the children who need
them.
That's why it's disturbing to
learn that the Vanastra Day Care
Centre faces a $6,000 deficit. And
that, with room for 34 children, it
has an average daily attendance of
only 19.
The Vanastra centre, under the
capable direction of Karen
McEwing, is an excellent place for
children. Kids learn skills and
about living with each other in a
warm and stimulating atmosphere.
From all reports, parents who use
the centre are very happy with the
service it provides.
Why then isn't it full? We'd guess
the problem is its location. The
inconvenience of driving out •to
Vanastra twice a day is the only
explanation we can think of for the
fact that only one child from
nearby Clinton is enrolled in the
centre.
Perhaps we have to face the fact
that this rriuch needed facility is in
the wrong place. With risky winter
driving conditions people who have
to travel to or near Vanastra to
-work are likely to be the only
parents for whom it's practical to
use the day care there.
We hate to flog a dead horse, but
a survey in Seaforth before the
Vanastra Day Care Centre was
built showed a need for day care in
our town. (There's a need all over
the county except in Wingham
where Seaforth native Jane Lane
runs Huron's only other municipal
day care centre). The blooming
parent run co-operative nursery
school here has filled part of that
need but it isn't extensive enough to
help parents who „work full time
outside the home.
The day care centre at Vanastra
was built in conjunction with the
recreation centre there and it's
unlikely the centre could be moved.
That leaves us with a need for good
day care in some parts of the
county and empty day care spaces
elsewhere.
The Vanastra day care board is
launching a campaign to promote
the centre's facilities and attract
more children. They don't have
much money to spend and given the
insoluble problem of winter
driving, they may not have a lot of
luck. Perhaps some good market
research though.will come up with
new young charges.
We hope so. It's not fair to
ratepayers in Vanastra, in
Tuckersmith and in the province as
a whole to have to continually pay a
deficit while the centre runs at Tess
than capacity.
But the real problem is that the
centre was built in the wrong place.
— from the Huron Expositor
sugar andspice
Pound out metrics
After about 10 days of solid blizzards
and bad, driving, low temperatures and
a lower. temperament, my social, in-
tellectual, and emotional life hovering
around zero (Fahrenheit), I wondered
what to write about this week.
Came home from work, picked up the
mail, and there was a fat package from
something called AMC, Ottawa,,' I
turned it over a couple of times,
wondering whether the initials meant
Ancient Military Curmudgeons, from
some veterans' outfit, or All Men
Cowards, from some rabid women's lib
crowd.
Not to worry. Democracy is still
rearing its bruised and battered head
here and there in this our native land.
The package was from Anti -Metric
Canada, its 'single and avowed purpose
the stamping out of the metrication of
our fair white country.
It contained: an honorary mem-
bership card; a bumper sticker which
shouts, "Pound Out Metric"; a
newsletter with a number of spelling
and grammar errors; a personal letter
from the president; a petition to send to
my M.P.; a full page of anti -metric
propaganda; and a quiz or survey
loaded with questions along the line of,
"When did you stop beating your
wife?"
Sample question. "Do, you realize
that under the metric system that (sic)
the farmers will lose (sic) money and
the dairy cartel win?" Answer yes -no.
How can you answer a question like
that? With a yes or no? Personally, I
think it's high time the farmers were
pried loose from some of their money,
and the whole thing is putting the cartel
before the cow. '
Another sample: "Do you believe
that people come before computers?"
Well, yes and no. We were here before
the computers, but when it comes to
arguing with one over a boo-boo on
your chargex, it's obvious that they
come before us. And I have a secret
hunch that they'll be here long after the
human race has disappeared, chat-
tering and giggling away among
themselves about how they so finally,
and so easily, got rid of us.
Just one more sample. "Do you want
the Canadian public to pay $2.00 a
gallon for _gas?", Answer: depends on
115 5o colo, M1
Snow "BIOME ft oast' T
PLOW' IT SMf EZES!
"Stop griping about the cold wea
er — think of all the gas we're saving."
Musical questions
Where have all the flowers gone?
Red roses for a blue lady, your, best
white' orchid for her wedding gown.
Roses for mama; a roomful; of roses.
ft 0711
whether you think a gallon of gas is
more important than a pound of beef..If
the Ay-rabs can get $2 a gallon for it,
and you don't have any, that's what
you'll pay. If the beef farmer can get $3
a pound for sirloin, and you don't
happen to have a steer tied up in the
'garage, that's what you'll pay.
Elemental.
These questions are being sent to
M.P.'s. Migod, I hereby resign my
honorary membership in the Anti -
Metric Canada organization.
I am much more sympathetic with
their aims than their means. (But I
wonder where they were when I was
carrying on a lonely, single-handed,
but valiant fight against metrication a
year or so ago?)
I detest metrication and all it stands
for: conformity, unification,
anonymity, and confusion for everyone
over ' thirty years, of age. Ask any
shopping housewife what she thinks of
it? She will probably, if she has thought -
about it, reply that it's a lovely op-
portunity for the food barons to rip
everybody off, except those equipped,,
with a pocket calculator and endless
time on their hands. A gram here and a
millilitre there add up to millions, over
a year.
And now let's hear from industry.
According to it, changing to the metric
system was going to make Canada
much more competitive in the world
market. We are about as competitive
as Greenland, and our single biggest
customer, the U.S., has not gone
metric, though it is toying with the
madness •
When I want to know how cold it is, I
tune in to an American TV weather
report, get it in Fahrenheit, subtract
another ten degrees for the difference
in latitude, and say to my wife, "Holy
Moses, woman, no wonder the pipes
froze. It was 12 below last night." And
she knows•I don't mean Centigrade.
Math and science teachers to the
contrary, the world got along very well
when every nation had its own terms of
currency, 'measurements and. weights.
In the days when the sun never set on
the British Empire, the British pound
had a solid ring to it, anywhere in the
world, They didn't give a diddle about
changing it to annas, or yen, or marks.
Same with the American dollar, for a
century or so. It was worth a dollar, not
whatever the Swiss and Germans and
Japanese decided it was worth.
The Clinton News-- Record Is publlshed each
Thlarsday et P.O. Sox St Clinton. Ontario.
C.n.4., NOM 110. ,,
Member. Ontario weekly
Newspaper Assodatioa •
It Is registered as second clan mall by the
post office under the permit number 1117.
The News•Record "incorporated In 1324 the
Huron Newt -Record, founded In 12111. end The
'Clinton New Ire. founded In 1241. Total press
run 1,311.
Centemerulty Aeff fir..
Display edvertkdng rates
avoll.blo en request. Ask for
Mete Card No. $ eHettlw. • . 1,
ray.
biw.ril MA.n.g.r. i. Howard AHI .n
Sitter . Amos I. /ftvarahl
Advertising Dlredor • Wry I. Malec •
News editor • Shelley ?Adobes
OfficWM....r • Mfrr sref Olbb
• • Clrc.l.tlan . Fred. Mdred
1 1 0
r��nn .o,
o
Subscription Rate:
Cy.Palfs•'14.11 per year
Mizen •.'11 per year
U.S.A.14'orelrn •'36 per yl yr
There was a quaintness and a dif-
ference and an individuality about
currencies and measures and weights,
that is being lost in these days of in-
ternational conformity. If a British
horse stood 40 hands high and weighed
14 or 44 stone, in a British novel, that
was good enough for me. He was either
a big horse or a little horse. I didn't
have to get out my calculator. °•
If Bassanio wanted to borrow three
3,000 ducats from Shylock, I knew that
was no $78.50, and was satisfied.
I know I have no more chance of
reversing the metric thing than I had of
another of my lost causes: that pale
pink maple leaf on a dirty grey
background that is Canada's national
flag.
But I wish the AMC luck. And I'm
going to use my bumper sticker, if only
to annoy my neighbour, a math
teacher, who has been flaunting a
"Think Metric; ; sticker for several
years.
My sticker is bigger, white printing
on red, with a big hammer -pounding
down on the slogan, "POUND OUT
METRIC."
The organization also has a stubborn
little war -cry I rather like. "We won't
move our feet an inch."
The snow is on the roses; days of wine
and roses.
Your pretty roses came too late. The
first cut is the deepest. '
You don't send me flowers anymore.
I'll pick you a daisy a day, dear. I never
promised you a rose garden.
Where have all the flowers gone? The
answer is blowing in the winds, - four
strong winds.
The above may not make any sense
to you, but it's a musical question
answered with titles and lyrics from
other songs,.
A few months ago I wrote a column
on musical messages. I decided to try
another-tii'ie, not because of popular
demand but because I had a long list of
tunes left. As I studied them more
closely, I noticed many songs asked
questions that were answered by other
tines.
c• For example, what's your mama's
name, child?
K -K -K -Katie, Mona Lisa, Rosemarie,
Annie Laurie, Delilah, Diana, Delta
Dawn, Paper Rosie, Devil Woman,
Voodoo Woman, ,Cat Ballou, Mrs.
Robinson, Sweet Caroline, Lucille,
Maybelline or Mammy, Mammy,
Julie? Who's Julie? I'm not Lisa; my
name is Julie.
If the question changes to "what's
your papa's name, child?" the answers
are still abundant.
Davy Crockett, Johnny Canuck, Bad,
Bad Leroy Brown, Big Bad John,
Danny Boy, Paddy Doyle the Poacher,
Kawliga, Fiddler on the Roof,
Rhinestone Cowboy, Country Boy,
Bobby McGee, King of the Road or My
Papa.
Which way you goin' Billie?
Galveston?. Abilene? Seattle?
Saskatchewan? Ontari-ari-o? Kingston
town? Durham town? a dirty old town?
I've been everywhere.
Which wav you goin' Billie"? Sam's
Place, The Y'all Come Back Saloon.
Which way you goin' Billie? Wolf
Creek Pass,, way up on the Great
Divide, truckin' on down the other side.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Follow me. I'm leavin' on a jet plane.
I'll fly away.
Where's the playground,'Susie?'
Down in the boondocks; in a mansion
on the hill; in the swamp; down on the
farm ; out behind the barn; down by the
riverside; sittin' on the dock of the bay.
Does your chewing gum lose its
flavour on the bedpost overnight?
Fool!
ave you never been mellow?
'm praying for rain in California, so
the grapes will grow and they can
make more wine; stomp, stomp thein
grapes!
Why have you left -the one you'left me
for? Making the best of a bad situation.
Don't it make my brown eyes blue?
Little green apples.
Don't it make my brown eyes blue? I
left my heart in San Francisco. All
alone am I. Alone again, naturally.
Blue eyes crying in the rain.
Can't you hear the song? Sounds of
silence. Silence is golden. Hear the
whisper of the raindrops blowing soft
against my window. '
Can't you hear the song? Sneaky
snake goes dancin', wiggling and
hissing; when he goes crawling
through the grass it tickles his un-
derneath.
The snakes crawl at night and I don't
like spiders and snakes. '
Can't you hear the song? Dico
You and I travel to the beat of a dif-
ferent drum. Seventy-six trombones.
The band played on.
The above doesn't make much sense,
but "can't you hear the song?"
remembering
our past
5 YEARS AGO
February 7, 1974
Fred McClymont, who has been the Varna
correspondent for area weekly newspapers
for more than 30 years, retired this week
and has moved to Clinton. Mr. McClymont
ran a farm in the Varna area for many
years. His duties will be taken by his
daughter-in-law, Mrs. Ivan McClymont.
The contract dispute between•_„the Huron -
Perth Roman . Catholic Separate School
teachers and board, which saw 19 schools in
-.two counties closed on Friday and Monday,
was settled Monday evening when the board
ratified unanimously a compromise con-
tract for 1973-74 and 1974-75.
Karen Tyndall, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Keith Tyndall of RR 1, Clinton was picked as
this year's Clinton and District Winter
Carnival Queen last Saturday night. Miss
Tyndall was, sponsored by the Clinton
Kinsmen and will reign until next year. She
was one of nine girls in the contest.
Mrs. Harry Baker of Bayfield has had a
lot of luck this year with an Amaryllis bulb.
She has' eight perfect flamingo -colored
blooms from the one bulb since the new
year.
10 YEARS AGO
February 8, 1969
At least 200 CHSS students were among
Western Ontario high schoolers who walked
out of classes Monday to protest Education
Minister Davis' decision to extend the•chool
year to June 13.
The walk out here, coinciding with similar
protests in Goderich, Wipgharn, Owen
Sound and as far away as Sault Ste. Marie,
was not sanctioned by the Students' Council
and took administration by surprise.
The calendar change means that CHSS
students not writing exams will finish school
on June 13. Last year classes ended June 3.
The student demonstrators complained the
decision will reduce summer job op-
portunities and cut back vacation time.
After being out an hour, the demon-
strators, representing about a quarter of the
total student body, began to crowd into the
school hallways, away from the blowing
•snow and low temperatures.
They were halted by CHSS principal
e
a look through
the news -record files
Robert Homuth who said, "Out. I want you
out of this building. You're strangers here.
You chose to leave."
The Ontario Hydro Employees' Union
called out all 31 of its members attached to
the Clinton regional office Tuesday mor-
ning. The work stoppage ended yesterday
and was part of a rotating series of strikes
planned by the union.
Each strike is officially to last only one
day, although union officials have not
guaranteed that this wili.be't•rue.
Three babies were born one night last
week in Clinton Public Hospital — all during`
the same eight-hour shift when two nurses
had to handle obstetrical chores and care for
22 patients on the second floor.
25 YEARS AGO
February 11, 1954
So, they are going to build a new court
house at Goderich. Why not at Clinton, the
centre and. the hub town of Huron County?
That is the question posed us just the other
day and frankly, we can think of no real
reason.
Some of the merchants in town are taking
the forward step and their stores wi11 close
at six o'clock on Saturday evenings until the
end of March. This seems to be the trend
throughout Ontario. We see that Gananoque
has done the same, and Seaforth has, for
some weeks now. Listowel merchants voted
on the matter recently and the new idea lost
to established custom by a small margin.
Saturday night is more becoming a social
evening when hockey games, parties and
family get-togethers are the thing rather
than shopping.
50 YEARS AGO
February 7, 1929
The skating party given by the Kiltie Band
on Tuesday evening was quite a success, the
largest crowd of skaters of the season being
on the ice. A very jolly time was spent.
On Saturday .,last, the Kippen and
Brucefield Trail Ranger camps played a
fast game of hockey on the Brutefield
skating arena. Bill Mack, the referee,'said it
was the fastest game he had ever seen. In
pct he had to admit he didn't see half the
plays.
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Fear of the 13th
4
concession of Hullett gave a tea to a number
of their friends last Thursday evening when
a splendid evening was spent.
A golden opportunity for the month of
February we are putting on a real, genuine
sale of up-to-date furniture at prices that are
bound to interest you. A nine -piece very
large solid walnut dining room suite,
regular price $225, sale price $185. A fine line
of bedroom suites, a three-piece divanette
suite covered in a good grade of tapestry
with a real good mattress. Birch walnut
frame, very reasonable at $75, sale price,
$65. Come early and get your choice at the
Clinton Hardware and Furniture Co.
75 YEARS AGO
February 11, 1904
Mrs. William Tozer will receive on
Thursday, February 18th, and not again this
season.
To the Editor of the News -Record - It was
with fearful and trembling hearts that many
of our citizens hurried to respond to the fire
alarm last Sunday morning. Those that
were familiar with the situation knew that it
would be utterly impossible to move our fire
engine any distance through the roads in the
condition they were in at that time on ac-
count of the recent thaw. I sincerely hope
that it will not take a serious conflagration
to awaken our citizens to the fact that our
fire equipment is entirely inadequate to
fight a fire of any very large proportion. - J.
*B. Hoover, Mayor.
We are sorry to lose Mr. Albert Brunsdon
from Auburn. He was a hustler at selling
implements and a good citizen. We wish,him
success as he goes back to Londesboro.
A number of the young people from Varna
spent a very enjoyable time at Mr. William
Taylor's on Monday evening and this time
they got home before breakfast time.
Checkers is a favorite game this season.
The finishing touches are being put upon
Captain Combe's new drug store into which
he will move this week. It's one of the
handsomest drug Stores outside the large
cities.
Postmaster Scott moved across to the new
office o'n Tuesday night and has everything
in working order The building in several
respects is not suit what it might have been
the
readers
Fair parade
Dear Editor:
This year, the directors of the Huron.
Central Agricultural Society will be
hosting a very special event. They will
be running the 125th Clinton Spring
Fair on June 1, 2, 3, 1979. This fair is
believed to be one of the oldest spring
fairs in the province, which should
make it a very special event for the
Town. We must remember that the
Clinton Fair was started by our an-
cestors 21 years before Clinton became
incorporated as a Town. We' owe a
great deal of thanks to those people and
the ones presently running it. It is quite
a task to run a fair that has grown to
the size that the Clinton Fair has.
This year we hope to have something
for every member of the family, from
events for the kids, commercial and
livestock displays for the adults and
arts and crafts for the ladies. At the
present time we are working on some
very special attractions, but at the
present time all details have not been
worked out. The directors of the
Society are always open for
suggestions of things the general public
would like to see or do.
The parade this year will be held on
Saturday June 2, starting at the Legion.
The chairman of this committee is Eric
Switzer, and I am sure that he would
like to see it a big one. We would hope
that all organizations within the Town
and surrounding townships would lend
their full support to him. Il' anyone
wishes more information on the
parade, call Eric at 482-9942.
In this day of tight money and
restraints, let's join forces and make
this fair one to remember. Let's not see
the Clinton Fair fall by the wayside,
like so many other things have. So keep
June 1, 2, 3 open and attend the fair.
Mr. Roy Wheeler,
President
Robert M. Gibbings,
Secretary
Sexing. grouse
Dear Mr. Cooke,
Congratulations on your interesting
article (Naturally Speaking) con-
cerning Bonasa umbellus in last week's
paper. It was great. However, there is
one point in the article. that I would
question. That is the sexing of the adult
birds by the band on the tail feathers
(..."Females...identified (in mature
adults) by the break in the black band
on the tail feathers...").
Being an avid grouse hunter, I have
.sexed many grouse by examination of
'internal sexual organs to.° check it
against a more widely -known method
used by Ontario biologists.. That is, to
measure the length of the plucked
central tail feathers. If they are 578
inches (15 cm) or longer the bird will be
a male. If shorter, a female. A booklet
entitled "The Ruffed Grouse in
Ontario", availabale from the Ministry
of Natural Resources, suggests that
this "length" method is accurate 85
percent of the time. For me, it has been
accurate for every bird thus far.
Although I have some doubts about
the methodmentioned in your article,
I'll keep it in mind and give it a try next
year when the grouse hunting season
opens again. (It's closed now) .
Keep up the good work, eh.' How
about an article about the European
hare, another favourite of mine.
Waiting for your
next article,
Randy Whelen
Tiverton.
Reunion. set
Dear Editor,
The Town of Haileybury will be
celebrating its 75th anniversary of its
incorporation •from Friday, June 29 to
Tuesday, July 2, 1979.
To honor' this occasion, Haileybury
High School will hold its first reunion of
ex -students on Saturday, June 30, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the school building.
We sincerely hope that all ex -
students of Haileybury High School
will plan to attend if possible. If so, we
ask them to write us a short note to the
address below, including the year that
they left the school, so that we may
produce a list of "expecteds" for later
publication. ,
We should also like very' much the
loan of any "suitable photographs in
their possession. These should have
their name' and return address on the
back, and, if possible, the names of
those in the photos. These pictures will
be returned promptly after they are
duplicated.
Needless to say, we should also
welcome their help in notifying ex -
students of their acquaintance who
may not be contacted in this particular
manner. ,
Since the reunion will be held as part
of the Town Anniversary celebrations,
they will have the opportunity to meet
many friends other than classmates,
and to enjoy the other events scheduled
at that time.
As soon as a comprehensive mailing
list can be compiled we will send to all
who write in the complete program of
the anniversary weekend.
So, please let us hear from you! We'll
be there, and your friends will be there.
Join us and make it a time to renew old
friendships and rack up one more
pleasant memory!
Yours very sincerely,
The Reunion,Committee
Haileybury High School
Box 279, Haileybury,
• Ontario POJ lKO