Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-09-18, Page 10wee -T ies, Thum., September il8, 1975, ction called boring ..*197.$ provincial elections -rgeukbeteviewed in the history ls� the adjective used to des- cribe them, for this are at least, , Might, be `boring'. With election t140 just at the door, the constitu- e S of Huron -Bruce riding seem to be no more excited than if Thursday, Sept. 18 were just another ordinary day. At best, some of the voters have said they are looking forward, to Thursday : "Then it will finally be finished." The candidates in this election are also looking forward to "be finished" but neither they nor their campaigns reflect any of the apathy so evident among their constituents. If anything, the campaigns of Liberal candi- date Murray Gaunt and Pro- gressive Conservative William Walden have been high-powered and extensive. New Democratic Party Dr. Don Milne has also waged a campaign but it has been restricted to the Kincardine and Port Elgin areas where the NDP hopes to generate most of its sup- port. The full and busy schedule of the two candidates prominent in this area can only be partly ex- plained by the recent expansion of the riding. Both Mr. Gaunt and Mr. Walden have tried to pene- trate extensively into the new areas both north and south that have added over 10,000 more electors to Huron-Biiice. The rationale behind the in- tensive- campaigns of both the Liberals and the PCs in the area may well be summed up in a statement made by Mr. Gaunt almost a month ago: "We're not taking anything for granted." By the looks of the respective cam- paigns, none of the candidates are. Both Mr. Gaunt and Mr. Wal- den have made swings through the same areas, visiting. ,with people on the streets, in stores and in their own homes. Their schedules have kept them on the move six days out of seven days of the week, and their posters and bumper stickers have become a common sight. Mr. Gaunt, with over 12 years of local representation under his belt, has an easier job than his opponents. He is well-known throughout The entire riding and, in the spirit of a public represen- tative, knows many of his con- stituents by name. There is little formality or restraint in his ap- proach. His friends and support- ers get a beaming smile, a hearty shake of the hand, and not infre- quently a personal question on the 'state or their business or farm, the health of their families or a joke about some shared ex- perience. With strangers or his new pros- pective constituents his manner is not much different. The same friendly approach, the same smile and handshake, but a little more information now about himself and his job. In any case, his record in government spews more than well for him. So much so -that one 'new' voter meeting Mr. Gaunt for the first time said: "Oh, yes, I've heard about you— you're Mr, `Re-elect'." Mr. Walden's job is perhaps he anal IT WAS "Meet the Candidates" night at F. E. Madill last Tuesday, and close to 60 persons turned out to question Liberal candidate Murray Gaunt and PC candidate Bill Walden. The candidate for the NDP, Dr. Don Milne, was unable to come for the meeting. slightly more difficult. His major emphasis during the past month has been on media coverage and advertising for promotion of his candidacy. He has not substituted these for personal contact how- ever. His manner is more formal and terse than that of his opponent.' In most cases, he is meeting the people for the first time, striving to make - the acceptable `first impression'. Not garrulous by nature, he seems to make an extra effort to open up. in con- versation, falling back on party politics as a topic in times of un- certainty. .His optimism has. not dimin- ished throughout the long days and often very long evenings. If anything, Mr. Walden seems more hopeful now than at the be- ginning about his chances in today's election. The enthusiasm of the candi- dates, and the lack of enthusiasm a ates s' among the voters, was manifest in the traditional "Meet ; e Candidates" night sponsored by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture last week. Under persons .attended the meeting. Agriculture was the crux of mot of the questions asked of the two men (Dr. Milne of the NDP was unable to attend the meet- ing) . "We have one of the most effi- cient agricultural systems in the world," Mr. Gaunt said, "but fanners must be given some security . . . I've never seen farmers more uncertain, unset- tled and anxious for the future." He outlined the policies of the Liberal party on agricultural and farm issues and said the preser- vation of 'the family farm' would have "top priority from a Liberal government." Mr. Walden explained that his knowledge of agriculture and re- lated problems was somewhat lin ited. "I'm new at this ... I'm Ory sorry . .. but give me an opportunity and I will certainly get to the answers ... If elected, I will do my best to ensure respon- sible agricultural representa- tion." 1 the candidates ended their c mpaigns this week. Today, Thursday, they stand before the voters for the 'last judgement' in this election. Where the provin- cial leaders have resorted to mud -slinging, personal attacks and general lack -of -manners, their representatives in this riding have conducted well -or- dered and responsible cam- paigns. For one of them, tomor- row will bring `Congratulations'; for the others—at least a 'well done'. i I I try HOWARD GODF R EY of Dungannon met Murray Gaunt for the first time during the campaign in the riding, but he was a rare exception. Most people in the riding are well-acquainted with the Liberal MPP who has remained in office for the past 13 years. 0 0 MURRAY GAUNT meets with' an old friend and staunch supporter during his campaign as Liberal candidate. Mrs. Olive Chisholm was a safe bet as a house call: "Re-elect 1 Gaunt" posters sprouted from her lawn and bumper stickers adorned her car. Midwestern Regional Library System CAMPAIGN ISSUES mingled with exhibitions and displays at the school fair last Wednesday when PC candidate Bill Walden took the opportunity to meet\ some of the Huron -Bruce constituents while enjoying the fun of the Bel- gravd, Blyth and Brussels school fair. Chief reference Iibra.!an says must be a detective Next time hungry family and friends ask for something dif- ferent, try feeding them a punnet of berries and an o,strich egg. As any public library reference specialist can tell you a punnet is an old English bafket measuring about two quarts and an ostrich egg is equal in volume to two dozen hens' eggs—enough for any family. To find this and other informa- tion librarians search through reference and circulating books, magazines, pamphlets, booklets and government documents. A quick survey of librarians in the Midwestern Regional Library System (MRLS) area of Perth, Huron, Waterloo and Wellington counties found that most all of them frequently turn to the Encyclopedia Britannica for an- swers. Some material is located through MRLD's telex service which annually fills 1500 requests including occasional reference items. Librarians also gather in- formation from experts—doc- tors, lawyers and professors. Occasionally they quiz other library employees too. According to one reference librarian, cus- todians make very helpful estions. In addition, MRLS libraries have the advantage of access to the resources of all the other libraries in the area through an inter -library loan program co- ordinated by Midwestern. Said Grace Schmidt, chief reference librarian at Kitchener public library: "You have to learn to be a good detective and investigate a ques- tion from any and all directions." People of all ages, from all walks of life request information. As might be expected, students frequently use reference ser- vices. And as the number of adults taking evening, summer and correspondence courses grows, so does their need for reference aid. Kitchener public library re- ceived 2,992 requests in May of this year, Miss Schmidt said: "That's about average for any given month." Librarians at Cambridge and Stratford public libraries re- ported approximately 600 to 700 requests a month and they too said the number is growing. All library patrons, rural and urban, seem to ask the same kinds of questions. Marianne Kirkness of Elmira public library and Peggy Faulhaufer of New Hamburg said people always want to know how to draw up a will, what are the customs regu- lations of European countries and how to fix everything—especially plumbing, wiring and cars. Karin Manley, director of library services for the Waterloo regional library, recalled one occasion when a patron asked for a book on fencing and a librarian returned with a text on the an- cient sport only to find the gentle- man was interested not in rapiers and sabres but rather posts and pickets. ' Businessmen and women everywhere often want addresses of firms in other communities or countries. City and trade direc- tories and telephone b . . ks usually hold these answers Mail requests are rece from all over North Amef is usually from people attemRting to trace their ancestors. Old laity directories, birth, marriage an land records often help investi- gate the family tree. During July and August many visitors came from such wide- spread areas as Calgary and Texas in search of information about their ancestors. Among the most interesting was a group of five Old Order Mennonites, two from Aylmer and three from Indiana, looking for records of their grandparents who had lived near Tavistock before moving to Indiana in 1871. Microfilms of the 1861 -census at Kitchener public library reported the grandparents in South East - hope Township at that time. Happy to have found the informa- tion, the Mennonite visitors left with a reader -printer copy of the report. Statistics such as the cost of living and price indicies are in constant demand and everyone seems to have spelling questions. Patrons are usually erh- couraged to do their own re- search, especially students who benefit most from the training. If however a request comes from a great distance—such as one received from Genova, Italy sking how to build a Conestoga wagon—the reference staff will investigate and send a detailed reply. Or if localatrons are not able to search out material by them- selves, the reference librarians will do it for them. If patrons are not familiar with how to use reference materials, the librarians will teach them to utilize the facilities. To train for this exacting work reference librarians take special courses while studying for their Master of Library Science degree. Yet most of their training for this specialized field is still acquired through practical ex - perience. . To supplement this, the Mid- western regional library system with its office in Kitchener con- ducts in-service seminars and workshops for all reference librarians in the four counties and individual libraries some- times hold their own programs. At all the libraries questions range from the academic to the practical. The Guelph public library recently answered one of the latter: "What goes into a Scarlet O'Hara cocktail?" "Easy," said the unbeatable reference staff, "one ounce of Southern Comfort, half an ounce of lime juice, one ounce of sugar syrup and one ounce of cranberry juice. Shake all ingredients with lots of ice." ,Any more questions? Molesworth WMS GORRIE' — The afternoon group of Molesworth Women's Missionary Society met for the September meeting at the home of Mrs. William Mitchell. Seven- teen members answered roll call with a verse containing the word "brother", and 20 visits to sick and shut-ins were reported. Plans were made for a visit to the Fordwich Nursing Home and for the Fall Thankoffering ser- vice in October, at which Mrs. Carl Remus of Paisley will be guest speaker. The study and devotions were by Mrs. John Brush and Mrs. Tindall McKercher. "A world full of strangers" was the theme, and dealt with problems in China, Trinidad and Guyana and prompted all to ponder on what stand the church should take over the missionaries having to leave these countries. PC CANDIDATE BILL WALDEN meets with new friends and supporters at the Belgrave, Blyth and Brussels School Fair last Wednesday. Mr. Walden is the PC candidate for the Huron -Bruce riding. MURRAY GAUNT has no trouble meeting people' while campaigning—the only trouble is finding someone who doesn't know him. Most people he met while campaigning the past few weeks, like Harold Cooper of St. Helens above, not only knew Mr. Gaunt well but re- member hlm from earlier pre-polltical days. Mr. Gaunt grew up In the area.