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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1980-10-23, Page 4• . b PA , 4 »�- C.LZMTON NEW$, CORD,'h RSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1,980 anA,.E R iBON AWARD 1980 The ;Octet" Navre-itsorrd la published •uch Theceloy et et{ P.O.,`$oe 3'19tR ;Woo. °auric. Otreitle, t!MM �i.1. y�a .'e �f" 34. $t►iiNtc -iptkn *ot ; Cersteht flro+Citizen•'14.00perveer u.14, creltin-43t,MefrYork' tt,tr rest/forg4 ertr secere►dt class matt by the port 4614at ands the:permit rwm6 r 11.411. The deers ftgcord incerecret.*dl itn 11924 the Herm flet ,i-IRAcordi tqut,dq,d to tilt,, 007014 Canton $.ret tea. t'oup4d In,1“5 To1ai ped►#A rw 3,3QQ, Clinton Dews -Record NA ., MEMBER JAMES E, FITZGERALD Editor SHELLEY,McPHEE Mows Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager HEATHER BRANDER - Advertising MARGARET L. GIBB - Office Manager BQNNIE SCRiVER - CirculationNor. copinion Ito P AOC cD Wn MEIVpBER • Display ii advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate. Cord No. 10 effective Sept. 1. 1979. We've been warned The strained economic situation and lack of jobs in Clinton has not only shown its negative effects on the town overall, but is eating its way through local organizations and clubs. e: ' "Like a slow, devastating disea'se,_.or a plot_from some horror film, the people are leaving Clinton. And with them goes. all the components that makes Clinton resourceful, economically stale municipality, The warning his been coming for years and now the statistics are piling up against the town. Not only is the Clinton working force having to look at other larger more productive towns and cities for en-iployment, shopping and services, but the depressed state of affairs is showing in other areas of the town. Inhe past year alone, Clinton's Block Parent program has lost eight volunteers, not through. lack of in- terest, but because they have moved to other areas. That's eight households that have put up For Sale or Rent signs. And there's more. The facts clearly show that ther=e is no work for our high school graduates, they are leaving the area. Just in the past week four fulltime employees and six pastime workers lost their jobs at the Clinton Hotel and the future of the Draper Brothers and Reid industry has been laid on the line. These people cannot be absorbed back into the community, there is nothing here for them no other -jobs to go to. The mythical bubble must burst. Clinton has little to offer for new ,,residents and young families. Its claim to fame as the Hub of Huron and the third largest municipality in the county is not enough to survive on. In truth, the ,Hub offers little, with only one industry Excello-Wildex to its credit, and a few farm service industries like Flemings Feed Mill. A recent planning study has shown that the town is facing a gradual decline -in the total county population growth. But ' perhaps that's the way that 'majority of Clinton residents want. • things. Perhaps they want to create an exclusive geriatric community for • retired people, where taxes are high, jobs are scarce and business is conducted in surrounding towns. This seems to be the case, judging from the attempts to form a new council in town. No one is interested in Clinton, other than a few loyal politicians. The other 3,276 people in town have resigned themselves tb Clinton's inevitable demise. . Sounds like a hideous movie plot, they could call it Apathy. -by S.M•. • As fall floats away 5 YEARS AGO October 30., 1975 First rate, top quality corn is what Huron County farmers are turning out this fall. Large kernels, no mould and a high bushel weight in corn, as well as a better than average yield has resulted in a bumper crop of shelled corn in this area. Corn prices are fluctuating between $2.40 and $2.60 per bushel, which is about one dollar lower than last year's price, but last year, the yield of corn wasn't as good. The five -man Clinton Police Department will soon be moving into new headquarters and out of'their "cramped office as a result of a decision made by Clinton council. Council awarded the contract, at a price of $9,965 because Cal" Doucette had to remove the existing large fire doors .and put them on the new fire building lO.YEARS AGO r, October 29, 1970 The Kinsmen Club of Clinton report that the operation of their raceway was this year a great success. Originally intended to run for nine • consecutive Sunday afternoons, the club applied for and were granted an extension for an additional four dates in September. A total of $515,066 was wagered by 20,340 'paid attendance. Bricklaying on the \addition to the Clinton Public Hospital `began this week. The $40,000 project will provide a new board room in the basement and new sun room facilities for the patients, making hospital life a little more pleasant. The short end of the stick It is indeed - strange that with so many experts who are utterly sure of the correct answers, the civilized world_ remains -_helpless _in the _throes of economic disaster. It has happened before and it will happen',again. The flow Of money to and from nations and blocks ..,of nations creates inflation, depression even inflation and depression at one r=ind -the same time. We find ourselves facing 'unem- ployment and skill shortages simultaneously — and .neveriliAlTere a Zack' of wizards who have all the answers -- answers which do not change_ the _inevitable _. course.of disaster. Th(' bar=ometer of today's wealth appears to he gold. The otherwise useless yellow metal has-hecorne the univer''ally df'siri;ca investment. Its price has vaulted from $1R an ounce t)nly a few years ago to something well over $790 per ounce in the past by JIM. Fitzgerald a look through the pews -record files Negotiations look good,for the takeover to • Canadian Forces Base Clinton, ac- cording to Robert McKinley MP for Huron. Mr. McKinley said that he had seen a report of a study carried out by the department of transport dealing with the combining of, training facilities for military and civilian 'aviation technicians and it spoke very favourably of uniting the two schools. Friday night saw a crowded auditorium at Clinton Public School as several hun- dred attended the. Fun Fair sponsored by the Guides and Brownies of Clinton. The objective was to raise,$200, Clinton's share of, a new Guide came and the sum was easily met, 25 YEARS AGO November 3, 1955 "This is excellent," exclaimed Gerry Montgomery as the enrolment figures for Clinton Rural. Community Night School totalled`343 people andshowed evidence of bc'cdtn ing still greater., AIVin Sharp was installed as the new Noble Grand of Clinton Lodge IOOF No. 83 at'the regular meeting on October 25. He succeeds George L. Falconer. 'On the afternoon of October 18 about 80 ladies were present at B.Jirns United Church when the Missionary Society and Women's Association of Burns entertained ' Walton, Constance, Winthrop and Lon- - dcsboro ladies at their fall Thankoffering nicoting. 50 YEARS AGO October 30, 1930 The new electric -oil train on the London - have sunk to nww lofts in ' onal,arison 11) ..'old and of t ours°. Canadian t<ur'rency.nn;.tintains .m lo\. l,y-1 .).perre.nt_ differential heneath its 'American eoun-terpart. IP the uninitiatt'd. like you .incl mf• it w ould seem apparent that in ()n- tanO we ha4" the Only sensible .in `14'4.1' — sin('(' w, are a gold I)r-ndut ing province. with ;Menti of that mar( 1I yellow stuff under Our racks and, sugarpnd s ice dispensed by bill smiley Bach again ° I don't know that there's much point in writing this column. The posties are dt it age; ith wildcat strikes, slowdowns and whatever you want to call them. And since the column is syndicated, nation' -wide, it depends on the mail, erraTie and undependable as it is. It would be a -little expensive, to say the least, if I had to use courier service to Kamloops, B.C. and Truro, N.S., not to mention 100 -odd places between. However, it's an ingrained habit, like the Saturday night bath, so I'll bungle out a column anyway. Something that truly amazes me is that there has been no physical response., to the constant postal strikes, sometimes, employing violence, often flouting the law. In my mind's eye, I can see some lit=tle old lady, sore as hell because she got her pension cheque a month late, creeping up behind a post office truck and hurling a bomb through the, back window. Or some deserted wife, desperately dependent on that welfare cheque, taking a can of gasoline into a large post office in a large city, sprinkling herself liberally with the essence, striking a match and immolating. But in this country, the first example would get life imprisonment where a' murderer gets 10 years with three off for good behaviour. And in the second, some good souls would start a fund to help her children, and within a week would have raised $482 by which time the story would be on page 24. However, into, each life some sun must shine, though there wasn't much around this past summer. My wife had been feeling poorly, as we used to say, for some time. After six months of blandishment and threats,'r got her to see her doctor and have a check-up. • Today she tells me that she phoned the doc and she's as sound as an apple. I asked her if she'd .had him take an X-ray of her head. Everything is functioning normally. Her reply was short and to the point. Back at school after several weeks, I am beginning to wonder why I didn't quit teaching 10 years ago and go to work in a mental institution. At least there you cansstuff the inmates with tranquillizers. One more year of teaching Huckleberry Finn, and the best place to find me is floating, down the Mississippi on a raft smoking a corncob pipe. I quit teaching because I was getting madder than 'Hamlet. The people who write course curriculums and advocate the one -on• one relationship with pupils are about as close to 'r=eality as the Ayatollah Khomaini or :di Arnin in his last few years. If they had their way, it would be like Moses walking around among the Jews, asking each and every one, "Now, what do you think of the fourth commandment? Do you think ass is a had word?" Or Hitler, strolling through Germany for 88 years, querying the populatioi about the pollutatory effects of mass cremations. Fortunately, most teachers, with an ounce of intelligence, and there are several of us, -completely ignore the millions of dollars worth of "direc- tives", and try to teach the kids some semblance of morality, decency, integrity, and whatever our subject is. In 20 years, I'll bet I've taught 12 kids to answer, when I've asked if they, have read a certain book, not to say, "No but I seen the movie." I have taught at least 15 not to use the dangling participle, "Riding my .-,bicycle, a dog bit me." And I don't give a diddle. "They've learned- a lot more than that, and I have letters to prove it. They've learned not to laugh at people who are physically or -emotionally or mentally slow, and to help them. They've learned that nationalism is stupid, that two wrongs (depending sometimes make a right; that two and two dont always make four; that you' should question things that don't make sense; that emotions are nothing to be ashamed of and so on and on and on, said the boring old teacher. If I don't want to get heartburn or something, I'd better stop talking about teaching. I've seen too many colleagues break down physically or mentally to take much stock in it. T=he kids go through the mill and emerg, in all kinds of shapes; beautiful, grotesque, funny, dour. I think their genes have more to do with it than Miss Entwhistle who crucified them in Grade 9 for spelling errors. ()r Mr Entwhistle, who taught them that: ."Beauty is truth, and truth is beauty. That is all we know and all we need to know." Which is a lot of crap One last cheering note. An article iinforms me that there is no way Canadian tourists can go to Europe any more, because the prices are literally out df this world. Glad we sneaked in a couple of trips when they were merely exorbitant. Canadian tourist operators should he brushing up on their Japanese, German, and Italian. We're going to be swamped, with that palllid Canadian dollar. Canada is a steal for foreigners with a soupd currencv, tee=m''. l,tu,. .._,.... : in gold in storage somewhere we shouldn't have �.I thing to worry about. But. for some totally inexplicable reason, it doesn't work Out that way., We're not really wealthy at all. The only gold with any value is the kind that no one ever puts. their fingers on. The gold that' changes hands not in ingots but in certificates which cross the floor of international brokerage houses in the money capitals of the world. The other day we asked a man who has had years of experience in the field of corporate finance to explain this puzzle and he candidly admitted ~� that he didn't have a clue. You can read the John Galbraith. who has presidents; you can listen to the decisions -of our own finance minister, Mr. Crosbie; you can refer to Shiek Lougheed -of Alberta ,or to ex -PM Pierre Trudeau. All have definitive answers. Each knows the right way out `ta-f a 'financial _morass; each of them can tell_ you how totally -wrong is the concept entertained by his political opposite. But, as always has been the case, the guy who. has to pay the piper will end up just where he always was — on the short end of the stick. — from the Wingham Advance - Times . Kenneth advised Wingham line has been running since Friday last,.coming in on time and filling the bill as well as cold be, until yesterday Yesterday at noon, an old steam engine brought the train in, an oil pipe having burst in the other engine. The train was a bit late but it is expected the new train will be on again todail. The. L.H. & B. line drifts prett badly in the winter° but tfie authorities c Haim that the electric -oil driven' engine vii11 plow through as well as the steam. The Brussels branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia was robbed yesterday, about $7,000 being taken. The robbers walked into the bank about three o'clock, locked the door, forced the three members of the staff and a customer who happened to be in, into the vault and cleaned things up. They got out a side door, walked across the street to a waiting car and got clean away. 'It is thought that the men knew the bank. as they went about the job as if they knew the premises. A number from Kippen attended the fowl suppers held in Henson' and Zurich this week and all say its hard to deicde which one was the best as both were excellent eats and splendid programs. The Friendly Class bf the Londesboro United Church S,S. met at thehome of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Manninon Friday evening. A most enjoyable time was spent in contests and music after which a barrel of fruit and a box of apples were packed for the Children's Home in Toronto. More rain is still needed as, the sround is still hard and wells are drying u,. We cannot have winter until the cedars in the swamps are up to their knees in water. 74 YEARS AGO October -25,1906 Dr. Shaw, the medical officer has Sounded the alarm -in regard to the the use of well water. "It should be boiled before being used for drinking purposes," he said to the News -Record on Tuesday. "I have nearly tested 100 samples and nearly all I found to be impure and this is the cause of several cases of typhoid feve=r we now have in -€own: The long dr -y spell followed by•the•. recent heavy rains has caused this bad state of affairs. Some of the deep wells are about as bad as the others owing to a five - inch drill having been used and a four -inch pipe which allows surface water to find its way down." In Bayfield Dr. Gunn has cut a pipe cancer out of Mr. Elliott's lip and Robert is doing well. 105 YEARS AGO October 28, 1875 A being who professes to have the at- tributes of a man, but we think he lacks the necessary elements for qualifications, tied an empty oyster can to a dog's tail, the other day and set the dog loose. The poor animal went down the street at race horse speed, howling fearfully. A being capable of perpetrating such cruelties must have a heart as hard as steel. On Saturday last Mr. E. Watson, of this place, was driving through town, having a couple of turkeys on his "buckboard," when they commenced flapping their wings, causing his horse to run away. The wheel struck an obstruction, turning over the -v i n eerie sc nd-trhrewing he however retaining his hold on the lines. He was dragged .a short distance, receiving several severe bruises,,:the horse also kicking 'shim. The shaft andthe whiffletree were broken and the harness nearly destroyed. Fresh Lime for sale desborough Lime Kilns. Londesborough. Weather tricks 1 When autumn opens its bag of tricks, no one knows what to expect. Take this year, for example. One day we were meandering through summer's warm green of twilight. 11 The next day we were shivering in our hoots. Only then did we notice the frost on the pumpkins. Nothing is more beautiful or more exhilarating than a sunny October • afternoon with the hills draped in scarlet. gold and orange. The nip in the air just encourages us to work harder. Staying indoors is difficult for we're all aware of the dark cold winter days ahead. Nothing is more depressing than a rainy October afternoon with our boots slopping through mud. No matter the time of dav, it seenris at the Lon - Huber Bros, write letters Many thanks DearEditor; We would like to thank everyone who helped at the skate -a -those on Saturday, October 18 and also thank ti pse who sponsored the skaters, The Clinton Figure Skating Club UNICEF support Dear Editor. 1980 is the 25th year that millions of Canadian children have "trick or treated" for UNICEF at Hallowe'en. , The funds they • have raised have helped save the lives of destitute children in over 108 countries around the world. Support from the media is vital to the success of UNICEF : at Hallowe'en! The Year of the Child is gone - but the children are still with us. Thank you for your co-operation in. • the past; we hope that we an count .on your continuing support of UNICEF again this year. Sincerely yours Judy Hobbs Information Co-ordinator Ontario Unicef Committee Parents warned By Shelley McPhee "Attention Parents: "The Clinton Police, schobl crossing guards and conerned.citizens take this time to advice you, the parent, that your children are being careless in the operation of their o bicycles. "It is obvious that they are not, and I repeat, not obeying the traffic regulations and keeping safety rules. "'You are advisied that the children disobeying ,these rules will have their bicycles confiscated until the parent and child appear at the Clinton Police Station.- signed, Chief Lloyd Westlake" This stern warning was issued by Clinton Police Chief Lloyd Westlake on Tuesday in an attempt to prevent a serious accident. The town council, motor vehicle operators and school crossing guards and concerned citizens ' prompted Chief Westlake to take some action regarding the young bicyclists. . Chief Westlake reported that bicyclists disobeying the traffic laws is not a new problem, but occurs each year. "It's not that the school children don't know the rules," he emphasized -and-' pointed out that each -pear the Ontario Provincial Police go to the classrooms to teach the rules and often Bike Rodeos are held in Clinton. The Chief said -that he is forced td take some kind of action, before someone is killed or seriously hurt. Reports of children riding on the wrong side of the road, on the sidewalks, .riding double and six abreast down -the middle of the street are common. By confiscating the bicycles .from those who are disobeying the laws, the Chief hopes that the youngsters will be more responsible and take more care in their ride to school. Do you have an opinion? Why not write us a letter to the editor, and let everyone know. All letters gaiwt, published, providing they 'am b., au entice ed, and psendonyn$41, are allowed. All letters, however,, are, subject to editing for length or libel. by Blaine townshend drenched in the dismal grey of predawn. Windows look dirtier than ever before; all cars, regardless of their base colours, are muddy brown. Getting into a car without getting our clothes dirty is next to impossible. We dive into our closets hunting for heavy clothes, but nothing stops the biting autumn wiiid and dampness from seeping into our bones. October has the holiday that many people consider the best of the year because it hasn't bowed to com- mercialism. 'The Pilgrims knew how to give thanks. They were grateful for the end of a treacherous journey but they knew it was just the beginning of a hazardous life in an unrelenting land. Following their lead, we can find consolation in taking an autumn break and sorting the good from the bad in o=ur modern lives. Hallowe'en , is another day that - makes autumn different from the other seasons. Nothing is more fun than the tricks and treats and costumes of Hallowe'en, when they're harmless. The fun can become tainted, though, if it's taken too far. A full moon with an odd cloud drifting by, corn stalks rtistling in a breeze and jack'o-lanterns grinning from windows make the atmosphere perfect for tiny ghosts and goblins and witches. A howling ,wind, nevertheless, can send even Count Dracula home by nine. Autumn can be a sentimental time; it's often associated with the end of things - end of summer, end of har- vest. In poetic terms, the autumn years of life are referred to. An eighty- three -year old lady recently proved that -autumn can be the beginning. She has embarked on a new career as an author and Volume One of her memoirs closed with an invitation to readers to watch for Volume Two. i)