Clinton News-Record, 1980-01-24, Page 44
CI.INTON, EWS-1 E
WII
Gr
TBUR$
,Y, JANUARY 24 1$ U,
Th. bate $a w�lls!cortt lit p4 h110400. bath . It �Ils r$1.1000$4, al .+ atond„ Clas* $04011 I4x, Ow
itursdity et co, pox 4f, el ckeen. Qnturio. pmt 11400 $ba permlt naerlwer rl.
Pn,
otiw. N1 111,,. r, _ .0" N.wc•Recsu
cord lrtpwrated', la 1'124 $he:;
Horan $ws.R*cord,'faundoF$ 1n'1*11, end The
Cll,ntgn t44$vi Arai taun4ad 101# S.•Totalpre0
+a09444„
:flow lleeer Assaciatlots •
CNA
Clinton News -Record
Marlr ,r Canedian
ICentaiuolty Newspaper
Assoclattpa
Display advertising -cotes-03401,141t1e—an..rAgnest_Aids. for
Rafe .+Card,Ne.'10 affgctiva Spilt. •.
1001 '
General M.aaogor • J.JHQward. Aitken,
Editor • Jame' E. F1t:gorold
Advertising. Director • Gory 1,.•119)rt
News editor . ,SlMalley' McPhee
Office Manager • Mgrggr.PGlbb
Jlrcvfutrim :Fiit$,Mic44;i `
•
Subscript ion Rate;
• -tanado,,.13.00__
Sr.,eltjxen+'13.00R,er yrear-
U.S.A. A foreign .'J.4.00 Rer your
•
Q,a1Q
b8G
61,6,0
write
letters
006
tAli unit
1►Rurwa 794.
- ruuMt
Bring back the trains
So far during this election, the two
major parties are busily discussing
the cost ,of energy for Canada, but a's
yet, all they really have told us that' it
will go up, but not by how much, or
when.
Neither the Liberals nor the Con-
servatives, however, have offered us
any solution to the high cost of moving
goods and especially people in the
future, except the Grits vague
promise to "twin" the CN ,rail line''
from Winnipeg to Vancouver.
What is' really needed is a. firm
com mittment to -invest' in reliable,
- cheap mass transport by rail and bus.
-would come --in -the form of in-
- cent-ive bonuses to•buscompanies and
railroads to reopen abandoned routes
and rail lines. `
The cost of such subsidies should be
taken from "the increases excisemen oil
(no matter who wins, you can bet -
they'll go up) and within a few years,
the subs dies could be ended when
Canadians finally get•the notion that
the era of cheap energy is over, and
there's nothing low class about taking
mass transit,, especially a com-
fortable and reliable one, much like
they have in Europe.
It seems a pity that is was only a
few years ago that the railroads
abandoned unprofitable passenger
service to this area, and then sold or
demolished the stations, and let the
lines fall into disrepair.
One of the answers to our shrinkling
,4117-711:1.1,
oil supply is the railroad, and the
sooner the government takes action,
the better for us and our future. by
J.F.
Ash is best
As more of us are using more wood
for heating '.the following item from
the Ontario Lumber Manufacturers
Association is interesting.
As anyone who has had a disastrous
experience with smoke and sparks
can -tell you, the first step to a good
fire is the use of proper -wood. The
following poem is helpful in deter-
mining the burning qualities of wood.
Beechwood fires are brightand clear
If the logs are kept a year.
Chestnut's only good, they say,
If for long it's laid away.
Birch and fire logs burn too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last.
Elm wood burns like a, churoh'yard •
mold.
Even the very flames are cold.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room
With an incense like perfume'.
Oak and maple, if -dry and off,
Keep away the' winter cold.
But ash wood wet -and ash wood dry
A king shall warm his slippers by!
"I don't know what the brand is, but it makes my husband more ,predisposed
remembering
our past
F1'4'
O
o the NDP.'
5 YEARS AGO
January 23, 197.5•
Clinton 'stands a good chs e.....of
becoming a "B" fair next spring, •the.
Huron Central Agricultural-- Society`
decided at their annual meeting.
The .Clinton Spring Fair would become
only the second "B" Fair in Huron County
and thus would be eligible for bigger
grants and could increase their. prizes.
Seaforth has the other "B'•' fair.
Bayfield is fast becoming the yachting
centre of Huron County with, the an-
nouncement last week of a major ex-
pansion of Dry Dock Marine Centre, -
Bayfield Limited.
The present marina will be expanded,
adding 95 boat berths, a 'restaurant; a
grocery store and, a marine accessories
store. There will also be washroom and
shower facilities and a sewage pump -out
system.
10 YEARS AGO '
January 22, 1970
Most likely use for CFB Clinton
following its pahsing out in 1971 would
appear to be as an educational centre.
Officials of the department of national
defence, the crown assets disposal cor-
poration, the Canadian Forces Base, the
Department of Education, Huron County
•
and Conestoga' College met with the
Can -ellen Forces Base committee of the
• Midwestern Ontario Regional Develop-
�, •ment Corpo•r--ation in Stratford recently to
discuss the -future of the base.
Clinton Kinsmen welcomed guests to
their civic and press ni l�i Tuesday night
at the Hotel Clinton. ,
Following the dinner, President Steve
Brown outlined plans for the $16,000.
renovation to the Clinton- Community
Park. He said that considerable work has
already been done and more than $2,000
`spent.
More than 50 persons attended a meeting
Monday -night . called by the.. Clinton
Recreation Committee• todiscuss forming
a snowmobile club.
The meeting drew up a striking com-
mittee consisting of Al Finch, chairman;
K.S. Wood, Larry Jones, Ken Tyndall and
Counc illor Russ Archer, to present a slate
of officers for the club.
25 YEARS .AOO
January.•,27, 1955 •
Class piano instruction to children in
Grades 2 to '6 at art- exceedingly low per -
pupil cost is about to be introduced in
Clinton. This is the first such instruction to
be given in Western Ontario.
At a ratepayer's meeting held in SS 8,
Goderich Township, on January. 22, a
motion was passed calling for a vote by
.ballot to decide on one of two courses. The
ra-tepayers are to .decide whether to re-
open No. 8 school pending Department of _
Education approval, or to unite with
Bayfield in the building of a new school as
has been suggested,
..
Despite blizzardy weather last night, the
"fast growing rural Credit Union in
_Ontario" ' held its annual meeting in St.
Paul's Parish Hall with A. Garon in charge
of the meeting.
50 YEARS AGO
January 23, 1930
The reorganization of the Sherlock-
Manni ig Piano and Organ Company and
of Doherty Pianos, Limited, has been
effected, whereby Mr. Manning has
purchased the interest of Mr. Sherlock,
who is retiring from the firm. Mr. Manning
has sold the -.London-f .Tbry'to the Sparton
Radio Co., and the piano busines which
will be continued under the name of
Sherlock-Marl'ty'ttigr%Pianos Ltd., will be
centralized in the Clinton factory, where
all their different styles of pianos, will in
future be manufactured. This move should.
result in greater activity at the local
factory and prove advantageous to out
town.
The Clinton Knitting Company resumed
operatins this week after being closed for a
few weeks. . .
She did it again
There's something positively un-
nerving in the experience of going otit
in sneakers and a sport shirt, in the
month of January, in Canada, to pick
up one's newspaper, and being able to
find it without groping through half a
dozen sno,*banks to find that tell-tale
yellow or green wrapper.
• If our December -January weather
w,as„ny sort of omen,this is going to
be a very unpredictable decade.
;Personally, "I loved it. Every night
T'd say a little prayer: "Please Lord,
make some snow for the skiers.” With
my fingers crossed behind my back.
Frankly, I don't care whether they
have to ski on sand all winter, though
it's rough on the resort-oper.ators.
It's pure envy, of course. There is
nothing more degrading for a once-
yoting man, a pretty fair once -athlete,
to s it in the club -house drinking coffee
and watchingvthose rotten kids come
flying down' the slopes like ..so.. many
seag ulls riding the wind.
Unless it's to be plodding along a
forest cross-country trail, desperatety"—
heav'irig for breath and hear from
behind a sharp, "Track ! ", and once
again h ave to leap off the trail into the
deep snow. while, some young punk of
either s ex; gigs by you like a Jaguar
passing a tractor.'
Let thi s tew in their own wax. Let
them fr/e neti tally chew the toes off
their skis. Let: them put on their great,
thunling boots and stomp around in
the Wreck room. Let them whine and
swear and decry the vagaries of Old
Wien Winter, Ivho this year seemed to
now what he was about, for a
/change.
j Don't tell rrte there isn't a Mother
Nature. It's just that she's a perverse
old bag. Ear;lit last fall; I wrote a
paean of praise to the glory of a
Canadian October.
Mother Naluire promptly turned on
the tap and sat there like a dowager
having her Saturday evening soak,
while we went through the wettest
`October. since )Noah was around,
I wrote another rather sharp
column, demEtnding at least -a few
days .of decent weather inwhominally
horrid November. Like the capricious
old trout she is, Mother promptly
turned off the tap, lit the fire, andwe
had a November of tinprecedented
gun and clear skies.
5e»'_�:--tw..`�iiMwie_d�:Aa,ca?;,''s]i71`:�;:._. '..iiiA''�'•".�
I didn't dare demand anything for
December. I was getting leery of the
old witch's moods. Apparently sen-
sing my queasiness, she threw in the
works: 12 inches of snow; warm rain;
green grass; temperature from zero
to almost hot. Fickle wench.
My grandboys came down: from the
frozen north, bragging about it, "The
snow's right over my head, Gran-
dad," and were kicked out into the
backyard in their great cumbersome
snowboots and great bulky snowsuits
to play in the grass. They could have
gone out in shorts and fiddled with the
hose, their usual July pastime.
My son arrived home from South
America, expecting to freeze to death,
blood thinned from five years in a
tropical climate, was exhilarated by
the snow, and a week later was
running, around in a light jacket,
claiming that it got colder than this in
Paraguay.
My father-in-law, after spending
nearly half a century taking the rural'
mail on days when he'd set out in the
morning with a horse and cutter and
nobody knew when, or ' , ie'd ever get
back, slipped on a bit of ice this past
crazy December and brokesome
bones. . r•-•
But don't worry. We'll allpay for
this once -in -a -generation aberration
of Mother Nature. As I write,' it's just
a little nippy, sun shining, blue skies,
and skeptical Canadians goingaround
shaking their heads and muttering
that, "We're gonna get it one of these
days." And they're right. of
I pred,ict:a January and February
so cold it would freeze the boobs off a
brass monkey; a March with so much
snow we won't be able 767 see the
whites of anybody's eyes; an April in
which we'll all be skating to work
because there won't be any gas for
our cars; a May like our usual March;,
a June with millions •of black flies
frozen. to death in their embryo stage;
and soon.
It's not all gloom. I think some
hardy spirits might be able to take a
quick duckin the lake around August
1, though they may have to break the
ice to do so.
And think of all the money and
energy we'll save because we won't
need any air-conditioning. Of course
we might'be burning our furniture to
stay alive,.but you can't take it with
you, now can you? I think our grand
piano, fed carefully, leg by leg into the
fireplace, will " last longer than the.
•:tF,..'�K=su'�x..:S.-.�.%� .. r...rr��'t:..w:.;.14',��.i'v5:.,w.�.:�;=y:�G.+i
dining -room
ago for $150.
It sounds rather appalling, but
there are solutions. One would be for
the party that wants to:get into power
in this country to simply promise to
send everybody south. Just close up
the country for the winter, except. for
Ottawa, which might as well be closed
anyway. They could send us all in
cattle cars, as the Germans did the
Jews. It might even put us in second
running fqr the Chosen People.
There is one other factor that could
save the day. It is not only possible,
but probable, entirely so, that the
next rew weeks in this country will
produce so much hot air that we could
all turn off our furnaces, open the
windows, let it all flow through,.let.the
grass green, and bewilder the living
daylights out of the birds that didn't
fly south in October.
suite
we bought . eons
The Young Peoples' League of
Holmesville finished the payment on a fine
piano purchased for the Sunday School,
having about $40 cash in hand.
7,5 YEARS AGO
January 26, 1905.
The local dealers are paying five cents a
pound for live hogs this week. and "the
tendency of the market is still firmer.
The schoolhouse at Summerhill was..sold
by auction on Friday last and knocke4.
down to Mr. S.S. Coope • for $225. The
building is of brick, was built four years
ago and cost $1;550, of which over $600 yet
remains to be paid:
Members of Cole's Church in Goderich
Township drove to Bayfield on Monday
-evening and presented Rev. Mr. Snell with
a big Load of oats. It came-as--a--complete
surprise•to,the reverend gentlenian,_buthe....
thanks the donors in neat terms.
100 YEARS AGO
January 22, 1880
Mr• Chas. Keni`iedy has started an
evening writing class in Holmesville and.
at Porter's Hill, .which proves to be a
success, as there are many who are glad to
improve the opportunity so rarely offered
in this neighborhood.
The recent mild weather has been very
bad for those who had killed pork, with the
intention of marketing it. On Monday last a
farmer from Morris, had a large load on
the market here, which had been killed for
over a week, tach of which was con-
sequently turning dark in color. As he
could not get a bid, he had to take it back
home. Had it been brought in several days
sooner, he would have realized' -la per
•hundred anyhow, and possibly a little
-. more.
On Thursday night last a couple of
tramps came into town, they were able
bodied and healthy looking, yet they went
around soliciting aid. This being refused
them, they gave vent to their feelings by
cursing the place and all its inhabitants,
declaring that "they would make it warm
for the place" if what they wanted was not
forthcoming. Being informed that "their
threats didn't frighten worth, a cent," and
that they would be handed over to the
police, they proceeded eastward at no
slouching speed. ' .
Fresh herring were selling on the streets
last week, at 25 cents a doien.
Several parties residing_ on the llth
Concession of Goderich' `Township have
suffered the loss of a number of their
fowls. Some say that a fox has carried
them off, but it is the general opinion that
the animal only has tto legs. -
Sunday afternoon was a magnificent one
for promenading, and many availed
thoniselves of the opportunity.
Winter humdrum
How would you describe your
winter? Exciting? Invigorating?
Challenging? F all of fun?
"Humdrum ! "
F beg your pardon.
"Humdrum [ My, winter is hum-
drum."
When . I was a kid, winter was
anything but humdrum.. It was
probably the same for most of you.
First came the Christmas•,concert at
school and Sunday School, Sometimes
we practiced at noon or recess or
after school, but it was worth it;
because sometimes we also practiced
during math or history or science
period.
For a fe,w years, 1 played a small
play -by -number organ, and every
December Dad trucked it down to the
school or the church for the special
night. One year I took pity on -The
audience: I . played one extremely
short number and decided that was
enough. My teacher, my mother and
the boys holding the curtain waited
expectantly, but I just shook my head
-and said "That's it!" d'
The curtain came down, andI'll bet
Dad was thinking, "I hauled that
organ all the way down here for
that?" (The tune was probably On.
•1 up ui it, i recat1, it was
one of the strongest numbers in my
repertoire.) -
After Christmas, there was no such
thing as the,,January blah. January,
February and March were the months
for snow - glorious snow.
The school, that I attended, was
blessed with hills nearby, and the
-:£armor kindly let us use then. On
every school day, we spent noon hour
on the hills, and if parents allowed, we
took another run or two after school.
On Saturday morning, the chores
were clone in a - flurry' because
Saturday afternoon had to be free.
The most popular kid in the com-
munity lived on the farm with the
steepest hills or the largest pond.
Sometimes large groups congregated
in one spelt; other t.i-roes a couple of
friends--preferre.d to have the hills at
home to themselves, even if they
weren't as long as the others.
It wasn't all fun. The aide down was
a lot faster and more exciting than the
climb back up.
Clearing the neighbourhood pond
was one winter chore that was done
willingly. The shovelling sometimes
took hours, and no matter how hard
the kids scraped, the ice was still
bumpy. But the• bumps didn't matter
anymore than the hand-me-down
skates and the rubber boots that some
Iltids slithered around in. The accent
was on fun! •
Remember the excitement,, the
enthusiasm, the energy? Where did it
go? What happened? Did . winter
change, or did we change?
Kids today get out with their skates
and. hockey • sticks and skis and
toboggans. Obviously the magic of
winter isn't lost to them. Their fun
takes place in different atmospheres,
like indoor arenas -in's'tead of outdoor
ponds, and their equipment is more
sophisticated and expensive than our
makeshift tools. But the fun is still
there.
Many adults retain their love for
winter. They take to the ski trails and
slopes, the curling rinks and the
skating rinks with as much en-
thusiasm as the' kids. The difference_
is they notice a few more shakes and
shiver's -and sore muscles.
Their advice to people, who claim
winter is humdrum, is to get out in the
fresh air and enjoy it.,Participate in
winter recreation. Have fun! Enjoy!
Winter will no longer•be ho-hum.
They're probably right. On the
Tither hand, some of us prefer a warm -
fire, an easy chair and a good book on
a winter's evening to a trek in the
snow. Just because we reminisce
about childhood fun doesn't mean we
want to try it again.
De Editor:
The fallowing is a copy of a letter'
sent to Clinton mayor Harold Lobb.,
Your WOrslaip Mr. Mayor:
As a dog owner 'who dutifully
purchases .a dog license eget year,
aid one who controls 411 the'
movements of my dog in every sense
of the word,. I object very strongly to •
the exorbitant increase leva<e4
against the dog owners of`- this town
who do control their pets.
This increase was reported in the
same edition of the Clinton• News -
Record as the report on the exor-
bitant increase to the town for the use
of a landfill site, Dog licences are
jumping 500 percent, the landfill
- increase I approximately 199 per-
cent. Is this not dual standards?- 1
realize t at r is is an extreme com-
parison, but a comparison, never-
theless, '
My question is this,. "Why are the
people " who religiotisly purchase a
licence being taxed, just to balance
the scales and increase the feasibility
of a higher return on the fines of those
who break the law? Is it not also clear
to Council that if someone does not
purchase a tag, that this person most
likely -would not respond by calling
the .police if the dog is picked up for
running loose?
The police force in this town is a
most co-operative group, but is
chasing stray dogs around town the
type of job we should expect from our
law enforcers?
Licences were first required to
create revenue for the purpose of
reimbursing farmers for the loss of
livestock ravaged by stray dogs gone
wild-. But like everything else, this
had been ;directed by municipalities
into a tax, -or if you wish, a source of
general revenue.
Other citizens of the town are
permitted to have cats, or horses and
no licence is required to own these.
Let's be fair -to all those who have pets
and - levy the cost of owning a pet a
little more evenly
If you intend to ienforce the bylaw
covering dog tags, then enforce or
change where necessary the bylaw
prohibiting the housing of horses or
farm animals within the town limits.
A tax for tags for cats could also be
established.
Just because there is_ bylaw, does
not give the elected or appointed
officials the right to. increase these
changes indiscriminately, Because
the' tax'of a dog tag is a small item on
the overall business of council and
because it affects the minority of the
population of our town, it still isn't a
reason for this form of discriminatory
increase.
Control of stray dogs • cannot be
achieved by increasing the cost to
those who are already conscientious.
Control should be gained -by catching •
the strays and thus eliminating the
problem. This would mean hiring a
dog_-ca.toher. The fees for licences
received in past years, which should
have been used to finance the control ---
of stray dogs, could be put toward the
salary of the new dog catcher, that is
if this revenue has not been directed
to a use other than dog control.
Respectfully •
Seamus Doherty
Clinton
Burned up
Dear Editor:
The revelation by your. in-
vestigative writer that billions of our
dollars are literally all BURNED -UP
annually by our prestigious Bank of
Canada is no strange wonder or even•
surprise, insomuch as we are all
guilty of and 1participate in that very
game act of var"ndalism and
desecration of our•...noble currency.
This is not a BURNING question, just
the mere ,acts of life, I quote.
At the moent you may be -reading
this BURNING expose, sitting nice
and warm in your home, why is it so
•warm? Of course, you're BURNING
gas or oil which is money. You lay .
aside your News -Record and pop
down to the .store for some needed -
item, jump in. your car and bang!,
you're • BURNING not only gasoline
but money galore. It's dark when you
and
BURN some more ofeyourtp s on
nus
nus
money. You become frustrated and --
light a -cigarette, go ahead and be my
guest, BURN yet some more
vanishing money, who cares. When
frustration really gets you down and .,
you don't give a damn, you take a
consoling drink. You get all BUR-
NED -UP. It's only money. Money
even BURNS holes in your pocket.
Hosts of people hoard money only to
get urns holes in your pocket. Hosts of •
people hoard money only to get
BURNED-UP`by inflation.
Not being an economist or
statistician it is not too difficult to
appreciate. the manner in which
money gets BURNED -UP. The
probability is that many people have
their own unique method of BUR-
NING money. From all of these
deliberations I retire and, fall back
upon my guilty conscience..
Yours,
All Burned -up,
Mr. A. Sourbutts.
Vanastra
1