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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-11-16, Page 110 0 +fFrr•l.rti.r Y �r}5n-�X,,,•rr n r .•"o f fr `r•.•}Y.,.�( -f..M.rr rr v ! •r✓ •y!.:r�rryy.rJ rr Slipping away It is just possible that democracy, as we know it, is in the process of slipping through our fingers. The sad and grateful thoughts of Remembrance Day appear in stark contrast to attendance attown meetings on the eve of nomination days. The comparison may not be immediate- ly apparent, but when we stop to think of the reasons why our young men of 25 and 50 years ago fought and died we have little rea- son to be proud of ourselves. Though many servicemen enlisted on "general prin- ciples", or because their friends were join- ing up, the basic intent was to protect our free way of life from a brand of enslavement that was totally unacceptable in the minds of a generation reared on the principles of • democracy. Freedom, in those days, was worth the horror of battle wounds—even life itself. To- day it's not worth an 'evening at •the town hall. • • The public meetings which have been held throughout this area within the past week were intended to provide a forum—a is f' ? . f f ., r' r ..r J ryr �{'r lr,•F r •rfd- rr f f•f . r r rj,�rr •r .�' `�C rx�{rrYr .�,.rr�f r rr r,• -2,,:P -7115,4411r 1rf'.. -'�� r •}' r � 3' . rr"• 'r r .err , r' . hC .. talking place—where citizens would have a chance to ask questions of their elected rep, resentatives. A time when the ordinary fel- low could get some inkling about the inten- tions of those men and women who would speak for him during the next two years. Most of these meetings attracted less than a small handful of interested voters. Big changes are under way in our so- ciety. The entire structure of local govern- ment—the only sort of government in which we can participate in any meaningful way -- is in 'process of being removed from our grasp. The new forms of regional control may prove more efficient, but they will be, much too remote for public criticism or voter influence. Yet only a dozen or so people in any municipality care enough to attend one meeting in two years. The soldiers and sailors and airmen who died in battle were fighting for a cause. Had they'known the people they were protecting would become so careless of freedom in 25 years they might have been less eager to serve the cause of freedom. Practical approach Last week a Salvation Army captain sat in our office for a few minutes and during the course of the conversation we mentionedthe fact that several jobs for skilled workmen are.going unfilled in our printing plant for lack of applicants. The captain was back a few days later with the news that he had reported the va- cancies to his superiors and SA officers in Britain had been alerted to these specific job openings in Canada for workmen from the old lands who .want to cross the Atlantic. The Salvation Army has a way of going about social and economic problems in a very practical manner. They don't deplore the sad fate of unwed mothers or alco- Amour doorstep In September of 1970 The Wingham Ad- vance -Times got itself into trouble for sug- gesting that there was a serious drug prob- lem in the community and that adults should. be taking some sort of action to reduce the threat to our young people. The result was a meeting of civic, school ^and organization representatives, held at the hospital,. Most of the speakers at that gathering were fully convinced that drugs posed no Marge -scale threat in the town .and that .a :small committee should be appointed 'to -dig a little further. That committee some months later came to a like conclusion' and the: matter was dropped. Last week provincial and local police raided a cottage property near Benmiller after a tip that as many as 60 young people were gathering for an evening's bash. When Let's be fair A great squeal is going up because Bell Canada is asking for an increase in its tele- phone rates. Many Sectors of the economy will protest that Mother Bell is really a high- wayman in disguise. There is no denying that the telephone company, along with its associated com- munications firms, makes tremendous profits—and thus there is reason to question. both the amount of the increase and the ,validity of the reasons for higher rates. Being neither economists nor govern- ment -paid accountants, we cannot render any opinion on the subject. Some very high- priced help will have to argue that subject•in Ottawa.. However, there is an aspect of telephone company activities which the public would do *well to consider before protesting too loudly. A high proportion of Bell profits have been earned as the result of technical re- search ' which it has carried out over the years at its own expense. It may also be pre- sumed that in their request for higher rates the telephone people are concerned about the continued earnings of the company to carry holics—they get right down to the business of helping the victims back to a useful,place in society. Now they are applying the same formula to labor. Perhaps Canada Manpower has a simi- lar program of Locating suitable workmen for available jobs—but if so it must be a highly secret project for business and indus- try of every shape and size across.Canada is running in low gear for need of competent help. It. would be highly interesting, for ex- ample, to know how many trained printing plant workmen are listed as unemployed in this country right now—and how many jobs they have already turned down. the men in blue arrived at the scene no less than 200 revellers came out of the buildings and the bushes. . Within the past few weeks at least one arrest has been made right in our secondary school. From the scant information avail- able it is believed the charge will be traffick- ing—selling drugs. The Huron County Health Unit is now sufficiently concerned to schedule showings of the Art Linkietter film on the non-medical use of drugs and its consequences. It is sig- nificant that On the first round secondary - school students and their parents will make up the audiences—but as soon as possible the film will be circulated to the elementary schools. • Some problems simply will not get up and go away just because they are ignored. I on with further development of new tech- niques and equipment. A host of conveniences, that the public enjoys have originated in the telephone com- pany's laboratories—developments which. have benefited mankind in a thousand ways., Not all of these inventions have been con- fined to those which would earn more divi- dends for Bell shareholders. Lots of them have been given to•the public at large. One example is your trusty little tape recorder:. Bell .started all that technology with the in- vention of a gadget called Mirrophone-elec- tronic recording on metal wire. Perhaps Bell is too greedy. We simply don't know. We do know, however, that the telephone company spends its earnings on a far wider range of undertakings than the mere provision of the little black set you pick up for ,a quick visit with grandma. Canadians have always been extremely cautious with thernoney they vote for techni- cal research by government. Without the programs carried out by profit-making busi- ness enterprise we would still be plowing with oxen. THE WINCHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited. Barry Wenger, President Robert 0. Wenger, See.-Treas. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. Member Canadian' and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Associations Subscription $10.00 a Year Second Class Mail $5.25 for Six Months, in United States $12.50 in Advance Registration No. 0821 Return Postage Guaranteed A page of editorial opinion Thursday, Navernber 16 f %'r .✓'•'•r!,;i•'.+�J�%/!s!'rj�rr�r�•`''rry/�,r��'ryYrr,�r` •ril;•rr .rff''�.: f.%✓.v:rf•'n..:.1 •�i'f:/ frl.'j.Jr�:rr..'�r,: 1ir'+:•i/' ter>' ff .497/07-44,441r;rFr f .fif r4�yfrrr' rfti iAr/�J f1p� �'4jtJ• d.r.79OJ•.O ff/7 Curious Mixture of Boos and Cheers 13i11 Smiley TODAY'S CHILD BYHELEN ALLEN Now that we've all settled down after that abortion of an election, we can get back to the important things of life; what's for dinner; our bursitis; raking thejast'Af to blasted leaves; dusting off tile curling boots; and worryi>i about our kids. Just before we bury the whole unpleasant mess, however, may'; promise that I will make no awe election predictions? Oh, f was right. I warned that the Canadian people are among the most Vela. - tile in the world when it comes to politics They proved it. -t And I prophesied that .11* Tories and NDP would gain, and that it would be the Liberal$ again with a minority, gove f: meet. But' they didn't have to take me so seriously. I dichet mean that size of a minority. From now on, I shall desist from making forecasts, as it seems, to put the hex on things. However, I take 'aback none of what I said. Mr. Trudeau ne'ver did have the common touch, the politician's instinct. Mr. Stanfield still sounds' as though he'd got both feet into one leg of his long, johns. And Mr. Lewis was nettei' more smarmy than when thele - turns were coming in. ' Despite my disenchantment; at the last moment I decided to vote Liberal, chiefly because of fear that what did happen might hap- pen. ,A ship of state with no"t'tid" der, two wheelsmen fighting for the wheel, and the winds of change blowing up into a ty- phoon. Some riding results were of particular interest to me. I was glad to see that my old friend, Ross Whicher, with whom I shared a couple of campaigns when we were mere boys, was one of the Lucky Liberals to squeak in. I was sorry to see another old friend, Perry Ryan, who repre- sented Toronto Spadina for years, get the axe. He made the political mistake of standing by his principles, and quit the Lib- erals for the Tories when he couldn't agree with policy. A pity. I was also sorry to see Paul Hellyer elected. He is a politician whose ego seems equalled only by his ambition. The record: Ran for Liberal leadership. Beaten. Liberal cabinet` minister. Quit. Founded Action Canada—a flop. Joined the Conservatives. He may have great abilities, but I'll never forgive him for unifying the armed forces. You see how little our vote de- pends on reason. I mentioned those • three to suggest what a fickle creature the average Canadian voter is. I'd have voted for Whicher, Liberal, for old times' sake. For Ryan, Con- servative, because he's a good man. And against Hellyer, Con- servative, because of his many - colored coat. There's an old-fashioned idea that Canadians are a reserved, conservative people, because we live in a stern and rigorous cli- mate, and aren't given much to either dancing .or rioting in the streets. The idea is completely un- founded. True, we don't do much of anything in the streets for six months a year, except scuttle along, cursing, noses. dripping. But behind those steady, 'grey facades that others see live the real Canadians: pulsing, passion- ate; not grey but purple. In fact, sometimes that purple peeps through, usually in those same noses. Perhaps the most obvious ex- ample to illustrate the wild, emo- tional, inner Canadian is the Can- ada -Russia hockey series of re- cent fame. When our team was getting clobbered, most of us went around in a surly, cynical, almost vicious mood, snarling at wives and children, scoffing at our players, denigrating that vast philanthropic institution, the NHL. You see, we were suffering. ' Our pride was hurt in the way that the pride of no mere Latin could be hurt. But when our team began to win, we showed our true selves, exuberant, friendly, joyous, actually cheering out loud, throwing our arms around com- plete strangers Oh, it did the heart good, I can tell you, to see the Canadian character as it really is. None of this "good losers". nonsense of other northern races. Our hearts were in every cross-check, and every one of us, was there, at least in spirit, as.our boys, at the winning goal kissed each other and hugged each other and slob- bered over each other. Show me another nation that can boo' its "boys" in defeat and cheer them in victory, as we did, and I'll show . you another nation with real heart. And that's what we're like in elections. All heart. No brains. Give its a brilliant, colorful prime minister and we cheer him to the rafters. As long as he's winning. We're a funny lot. News Items from QI'd Files NOVEMBER 1937 Mr. Gowing of Brussels who ►. purchased - the- .residence andLeslie Adair, s n of Roy Adai ,property of the lateAlvin Sharpie fell off his bicycle on Friday night and fractured his left arm. The Wroxeter, has commenced fracture was reduced at the ' making extensive repairs on the Wingham General Hospital by house and barn. He and his fam- Dr. Stewart, then the lad re- ily will take , up residence there turned home. a later. There will be an open season of Bill Newton left (.Gorrie • last six days for the shooting of deer week to take over his new poli-. tion as in Grey and,Bruce Counties. The GuelEt supervisor of the dates are November 5-13. Dogs VLA in Guelph. are prohibited. Mr. and Mrs. He.nrJohann Theo sin exercises of the ' , and Mae are comfortabl settled g in their new home in Belmore. Elmer Jeffray moved his house- hold effects to his new home in the area also. John Buchanan was elected president of the East Wawanosh Federation of Agriculture at its annual meeting last week. Aldin Purdon is vice president. Lucknow Bible Institute were held Friday evening. Regular classes will be held each Friday evening with Rev. John MacGilli- vray of Ashfield, Rev. E. M. Loney of Wingham, Mrs. Mar- garet Turner and Miss .Pearl B. Henderson giving the lectures. A gang of Bell Telephone em- ployees are busily engaged , in NOVEMBER 1958 taking down the wires of the com- pany leading from Kincardine to All that remains of one of Wing- Wingham along the highway, as , ham's older landmarks, after a the new line runs along the right disastrous fire on Sunday, are the of way of the Canadian National four walls and a scrambled heap Railways. of ruin inside them. The Hotel Lloyd Weir of Salem has gone Brunswick fell prey to flames to Toronto •where he will attend which apparently broke out near college. , the furnace about 6 a.m. Whitney William Habkirk and his bride Grose, owner of the hotel, was the from Lucknow have moved into building's only occupant at the part of Herbert Laidlaw's house time. at Whitechurch. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Redmond visited Bluevale and Browntown 'schools and administered diph- theria'toxoid to the school chil- dren. NOVEMBER 1947 The new and modern funeral home of R. A. Currie has been completed and is one of simpli- city implicity and beauty. The outside is. constructed of white stone marble and red rough brick. In`• side the main entrance is a recep- tion room and organ room. From the reception room glass doors, open into the large chapel. The entire building is sound proofed and offers the same privacy as a home. Miss Beryl Brown has joined the staff of the Dominion Bank. The engagement is announced of Ada Beatrice Rickel of Carrick Township to Douglas Aitchison of Wingham: Hallowe'en passed com - paratively quietly in town with no serious damage reported. Several street lights were broken but the offenders are repairing these. W. G. 'Sam' Burton, recrea- tional director for Wingham, is at Barrie this week attending a con- vention and instruction classes for all directors in Ontario. Reynolds, Nancy Donaldson, Robert Harrison has taken over Patsy Coulter and Sonja Ross. the mail route out of Gorrie which Miss Berva Gallagher enter - was formerly operated by Reg tained her pupils to a Hallowe'en Newton. party at Bluevale School on Fri - Sgt. Jack Ernest has arrived back in town after spending a year in Egypt with the United Nations Emergency Force. Since last November he has been a member of the force which main- tains telephone communications in Egypt. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Ernest of Wingham. ham. • Mayor R. E. McKinney an- nounced at the town council meeting on Monday evening that he expects the town will receive title to all Canadian Pacific Rail- way property south of the Mait- land River at an early date. The transfer will include ownership of the former station and attached dwelling and the freight shed. Mr. and Mrs. John Horvath and family of Stoney Creek have moved to lot 11, concession 12, Howick Township, formerly owned by Lloyd Griffith. Mr. Griffith has moved to the former Tom Wright farm on the B. Line. Frank Madill was returned as president of the Saugeen District Boy ' Scout Association at its meeting held in Walkerton. Mrs. Herb Fuller is secretary -treas- urer. nix girls were elevated from Brownies to Girl Guides in a spe- zial ceremony held in the Masonic Hall. They are Lynda Green, Janice Henderson, Wendy day afternoon. Murray Robert- son was champion in • the. hula hoop. contest. Mrs. G. Egieston of Calgary, who- has been visiting in Ontario the past few weeks has purchased the home owned by Mrs. Murray Johnson on Centre Street. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Agar have sold their farm in Morris and will soon move , to Wingham where they have bought Henry Wheeler's houses I used to feet guilty about the burden I placed on the checkout clerk at. the supermarket as I ap- proached with, my massive col- lection of food to feed a family of ten. Then one day, when I .started to voice my usual barely audible apology, the clerk gave .me a beaming smile as he called ac- ross to the manager, "It's okay, boss, she's here! You can go ahead and make up the payroll now." ho to costs • Jerry looks so neat and clean it is hard to picture, this eight= year-old at one of his favorite occupations -.- searching for bugs, toads, frogs, anything living. He always has a lookout for wounded birds .as well. He brings them to his foster home, feeds: them and cares for them and is good about setting them free when his foster mother suggests it is time for them to go back • to their normal life. Jerry is a handsome lad, Anglo-Saxon In origin, with brown hair and dark eyes. Slight and small -boned, he is hi good health. A. speech defect is being helped by speech therapy and by the understanding co-operation of his foster parents. His speech has definitely improved though still difficult to follow, especially when he talks quickly. . Affectionate, Jerry is quiet and easy to get along with: He is very willing to help others and responsible about -anything he is given to do. Jerry is a slow learner and will need special education. He is In a special class in regular school, working at the Grade one level. He will probably be able to complete the two-year course ineconda.ry school. Jerry is eager to excel and tries hard at school. At horse he learns quickly and remembers instructions. Lovable young Jerry needs parents who will appreciate his endearing qualities and not be demanding about scholastic achievement. To inquire abut adopting Jerry, please write to Today's Child, Box 888, Station K, Toronto. For general adoption in- formation, please contact your local Children's. Aid Society. A NATURE•STUDENT LETTER n r /1 • rr. Dear Sirs, As I stood in front of the ceno- taph on November 11, I felt an - overwhelming gratitude for the men and women who coura- geously died for me. They died'so that we could con- tinue to enjoy our freedom, to that we could have safe *homes, that we could have the chance to go to school and to the church of our choice. I thank God that I live in Canada, a free country. I thank God, that I am alive. These 114,000 men and women sacrificed their lives. It saddens me then, to see some merchants in the community of Wingham, o heartlessly open their stores tOn 212 Minnie St., Wingham, Ont., Nov.. 12, 1972. • ' •ifste%%!/'f the morning of Remembrance Day: It appears to me, that they cannot sacrifice three hours out. of the whole year. Has the al- mighty dollar a more important place in our lives than the mem- ory of thousands who died fo} us? Perhaps, if^ they could have 'seen into the .future, would they have fought and died focus? - Yes, I know, ` the stores were closed for one and a half hours. Next year, it will be for one hour, until the stores will not be closed. at all. But by then, perhaps, Canada will be at war,, again. I am only seventeen years old, so I did not know the horrors of war. I can only think ..: lest I for- get.. Respectfully yours, Katherine Pattison "i/ON/ COA / Ot/ THE OVeDoelE FLK NON OVLY WHEN WE f/.¢VE V/S/rORS t "