Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1956-05-24, Page 16TH GODERJCH SIGNAL STAR IIIIIURSDAY, MAY 24th, 1950 /TS, DIFFICULTIES WHEN OLD COURT HOUSE WAS 0 hed and reconsidered bl WiEN COMPLETED, ONE OF --PROVINCE'S FINEST (By ,lawns Scott) friendly and enterprising innkeep- er called Gentles. Tlie first chapter in the story >El�yvvever, both the Council and which lads, throng many a twist the Grand Jury (made up of .Huron and turn, to the erection of a real County taxpayers) were loath to Court House for theUnited Coun- take any action which would in - 'ties of Huron and Bruce, covers volve much expenditure of tax- Even�ae year of 1853. before that year, the status payers' money. Judge Bolph was of the teourt House was not as not the kind of man to be easily clear as it should have been. Ten put off and when his letters got no years previous, theCanada Com- action he took the matter to the pony had offered theUnited Coun- Chief Justice of Ontario, Mr. Rob - ties two and a ,half acres in Gode- inson. The Chief Justice then took rich (Lots 503, 504, 505, 585 and pen in hand and made such strong 586) for the erectionof a Gaol and recommendations to the County Court House. Thi offer was ac- Council that, in 1853, hat decided ions ons both and a building cobutnten matter would have to be faced both offices was erected, years later, when the County Coun- and a committee was appointed cil tried to establishownershipof hof consf McKglop of Robertand Hays, Reevelliar these' lands, t»ey iscovered they never had hada clear title Fraser Reeve of Kincardine and to them The Canada Company had never turned over the deed and it took a good deal of quibbl- ing and negotiation before the United Counties we •e able to estab- lish whether or not they owned the land on which their Court House wa built. In. the meantime, the Court House itself had become happens of controversy. today in the math of ailing court houses, the first complaints came from members of the judiciary and the legal profession. The charge was that•the Court House facilities in Huron were scandalously un-� Ninian Woods, Reeve of Stanley- ran�'ement, for a tui a e comfortable. The judges, notably Most of the men -who now made to "hold all Courts and County w d suicarried. able offices This .motion His Honor John olph, wrote •tv -tip the full committee continued meetings." the -County Council complaining; •tl "hoot the early 3 his was a •d alit more It is obvious from the records t the Court House definite step than out hed'�Tt'h' about the low ceiling of the room deal f time con windows in the old loom, and which led to bad ventilation which was further aggravated by too few windows and a most unpleasant aroma which came from the jail yard which was immediately ad- jacent to the con troem. Besides this, Hie Honor pointed out that it was not only inconvenient but somewhat below his judicial dig- nity to have to go through the corn - mon gaol to getinto the court chamber Jailyard Aroma The members of the County Council were fully- as-aiware--of-the courtroom's disadvantages as was the judge since he chamber was used AS a Councilroom as_ well as = a--courtr ni Cou tYletOi net h a This r an O I c n e r 0 n v m r y d e- he1d most o its meetings W ?�: ,._ ,thn° �� ri.. ?! .., � ..: 1 , .:.: _.,_' c`il are . CZ55'iteTt[eti �il�ey" '$'d'vi'�1%iefii�' rc time, possiblyybe ruse r and tbthat "three large venni-1 more recent times. ftem time to time, because innkeeper Had Ideas -like reasonable men and will not the wind was blowing from the Now Mr. Gentles got a great admit that they have not done wrong direction and the aroma venhilators in the idea. H everything needed to be done. from the jailyard was too strong County -- the report goes,on: even to be borne by Huron County "But However removethall difficulty your noses, they would adjourn to,the foul atmosphere." this and he cod committee would recommend that Huron Hotel which was run by a one. It the sum of two thousand pounds be raised from the Consolidated Loan Fund, and that the loans and -specifications be .advertised" for, and that two lots be purchased in a hoped "that the Judges who ob- ject to the Court House in its pre- sent state will be temporarily satis- fied with the proposed improve- McGillivary, and John Holmes, „ Reeve of Goderich Township. The ments. next day the Council decided to That, of course, was where they add three more members and in- went wrong. The Judges were not strutted the full committee to re- view all complaints which had been received and to take the Sheriff, John McDonald, and the Surveyor along with them and see what vould be done to make conditions better while the possibility of House. This was William Wallace erecting a new Court House was of the Town of Goderich. When under discussion. The three mem-, Council convened in May-- he hers added were William Wallace, promptly moved that a committee Reeve of the Town of Goderich, be set up "to select a suitable site Moses Johnson, Reeve of Hay, and' for a Court House or make ar- t bl room satisfied --not even temporarily— and empora y— and another letter arrived from When Wall e Con there ncil etwithinnothJuly, the Chief Justice. Mr. Meanwhile at least one member proposal, and just in the nick of of the original committee had be- time, ,,too. The Court of Queen's come a champion for a new Court Bench was getting impatient and threatened to remove to an adjoin- ing County unless better accom- modation were provided at once. Mr. Wallace moved that a sum of 3,000 pounds be raised "for the building (and if necessary the pur- chasing of land) fora Court House curing the money for Mr. Gentles as they see fit." This time Mr. Wallace was on the committee. Somehow, between May and July, for reasons whir are now lost in the dimness ofthe past, the negotiations between the Coun- cil and Mr. Gentles collapsed. central location. True, the Coun- cil had whacked a thousand pounds off his original proposal, and it was not admitting that a new building was really necessary, but there was going to be a building and that was all that .mattered. The problem, n se; was - from settled.' There were a couple of questions in the committee's recommendation which were full of the seeds of controversy. There was the matter of "the suitable lots in<_a central location." In those days, the central area of 'Goderich was far from crowded and there were several locations which would fit these specifications. Then too, when the committee's report was finally accepted, Dr. Chalk introduced another problem. He moved that "the said By-law be submitted to the inhabitants of the respective Townships for their approval, according to the Statute, and that any further ac- tion in the matter be suspended until the votes of the said inhabit- ants be taken." This was carried. Indeed, it was the only legally ac- ceptable procedure. Here, in the matter of erecting a suitable Court House for a County unit which had only been in existence little more than a decade, we see how the whole process of municipal government was put to work. It is subgantial- ly the same procedure which oper- ates today and it reflects a pattern on which democratic procedure in Canada is founded. Judiciary Responsible The original stimulus for erect- ing a new building came at the insistence of an agency outside the County. It was not the people of Huron who were dissatisfied but—in this case the Judiciary -- a body with a broader and larger plan- const er Y to art• irou�, -- knocking ning phases of , 1 and the 1 spent a great tea ot d made up that the decision to build a propor Court House was notrear s out considerable discussion f et' gs in this ant sidering the problem. In a sense, committee was appointed, that there were two factions har they were the founding fathers of of Messrs. Holmes, Hays, Woods splendid edifice which graced and the `Warden, Dr. Chalk of •it work The report brought in the the Square in Goderich for a hund- Tuckersmith. red years_ Mr. Wallace, it would seem, was In No Hurry disappointed at being left off the The committee was in no hurry committtee and before the Council to commit itself to erecting a new was over he had got himself and ilding and the only action which John id ] hadded. bu 1 t hick• by the committee which was finally approved is one of those masterly political documents , which gives both sides something to supe The report began by giving no uarter to the objections of the Tc hn 3tkin on of Bi du p it took during the January session � At thi;�Irpo Gentles enteager ers inn- one areoutside thcuop tion that the present committee of County council was to recom- ; keeper, mend certain improvements; s which itobviouslymenti thelftiro Hot l,'wastalmost the Courtsh- bus 'House ess islarge enough for done t no'te's wh for some time to d with come,an the lately proposed alterations' would remove the most serious objections raised by the Judge of the last assizes." here. As far as •3 0 ` backing up preset q heed would keep the complaining�a home away from home fat the .members of [he judiciary quief for Council members when they were a while. in Goderich going about the Coun- They suggested that a window , ty's business. There is no -.-doubt be_ faade- a door sp it wouldn't : this ho ,4elr -, a lute -deed years ago, rel Sten -Aar' t_ that taken be necessary to go through gh the played a ra e semi ar o a fin f'n4p. Loeb Il tie] .nf the members of the County Coun- room ators be made in the ceiling (one over the bench) with corresponding sides of the dome with a view to carry off the The Council agreed to reached the right conclusions in every detail. ,Between July and September, the proposal for building a new Court House'in Goderich received being given' an opportunity to what, for a moment looked like a change their minds 'and those who final ,setback. In the ihteanrening t�mpioiitss the cause of _ a_ __new months, the members of the Coun -building were given time to gel ty Council had obeyed their in -out and campaign for what they structions and had referred the wanted. problem back to the citizens whom This proposal was passed but not they represented. The procedure before the Council members got in followed here was for each town- a crack at the judiciary. In its ship to call a public meeting at final form, these words were which the voters were free to added: "There is a Court House. express their opinions as to if legal expenses be incurred the whether or not the United Coun- ratepayers will have to bear it, ties needed a new Court House. this 'Council Wing done their A ballot was then taken and the duty should let the Judges take. reeve was thus instructed as to their own course as respects the whether or not he would support place for holding the Courts." the erection of a new building. They were still trying to get a When 'Council convened again in new Court House but if the Judges September, it was clear that most got impatient, they could go pack - townships had voted against a new ing wherever they wanted; the Court House at their public meet- Council had done its duty. ings. On the surface, this looked So back they went to the people to be the end of the mafter. The f thetownships and those who proposal had been referred baclS to the citizens and the citizens had turned it down. - However, there were men on the Court House committee who were not given to yielding so easily. In the report they brought in they. got around a final rejection this way: "The Council consented to appeal to the sense of the rate- payers and passed a resolution to the effect that they were willing to borrow on the credit of the Consolidated Loan Fund a sum sufficient to build a new Court House. To obtain this loan, the law required that the voice of the ratepayers be taken, it has been taken and the result is that they are , against the outlay, and con- sequently the Council is not iq a position to build, but we would UILT recommend that the By-law be committee." again published At last the matter was settled. by' the ratepayers!' The money was available, the Another Chance ' people had been'consulted and the In ether words, the voters were Councilrect tion. All that now remainedto take was to decide where to put the new building -- either on the old grounds or on some other -*bee more suitable. And now something very inter- esting emerges. All through the struggle to get a new Court Douse, the name of Wallace, the Reeve of the Town of Goderich, constantly appears. He it was who, time and again, led the moves which event- ually insured that a new 'building would be erected. One might have •supposed that it was his great pride in his home town which led 'him to this doughty activity and probably it was, but he had another interest in the whale transaction which now came to light. The Wallace Offer It was fairly clear that the Can- ada Company land while suitable wanted a new building must have for a gaol was not ideal for a got in some good work, for when Court House. It was not gentrally the Council met in December it located and besides the gaol build - was found that most townships had changed their minds and now supported the By-law to raise the required money. This information was presented to Council on • De- cember 21st, 1853, and Mr. Wal- lace, the foremost supporter from the very beginning, clinched the deal with the following motion: "That a committee of three (and the Warden) be appointed to carry out the provisions of the passage of the By-law for the erection of a Court House to be erected in Gode- rich on the land given by the Canada Company for the purpose of building a gaol and Court House or on some more suitable location to be seleoted by the said He talked to his friends, the Councillors,and offered to build them their Court House, and wasgoingto make it a g would be two stories high, would contain a courtroom 62 by 3? feet with a 14 foot ceiling, accommodation for all County oaf= fices, a jury room and a fireproof safe." For this, Mr. Gentles ,pro- posed that the County loan him 400 pounds, interest free for five years, and that they agree to rent the building from him at a rate of 20 pounds per annum. The Council seemed to like this idea and a committee was set up to make "arrangements for pro - Best Wishes on the opening of the new Huron County Court House Goderich; int. It was a pleasure to do the decorating on this ,lovelq building. Working with , Ellis-Don Ltd., general contractors, and Mr. L. G. Bridgman, architect. Alfred Bates Decorator I2d4 Fkrence St. • London Ont. view of what was required. The ing was built square in the middle of the lot so that new cbuin could not 'be properly P with- out tearing down the gaol. Obvious- ly, a more central location was needed and it just happenedthat Mr. Wallace owned a coyple of lots which he thought would, be ideal for the purpose. He offered them—at a price, of course—to the County. But Mr. Wallace was doomed for disappointment. Another Scots- man, named Ross, also had some convenient lots and- . he, too, was ready to dispose .of them—at a price—to the County. When a vote was taken it was decided that (Continued on Page 8) pressure was then applied .from .,; .j tilts -outside and fht5` eastmable men. Hirai' --saw the need and pre- pared to act on it. In doing so, however, they were careful to keep two questions in.mind. First, they framed their resolutions so . that the best interests of the County would be served and every oppor- tunity allowed for discussion of what site and what type of build- ing would be best. Secondly, they did not take the final decision theiliselves. They referred the matter back to the townships so that the citizenry could express their opinion and make the final commitment. Ian this way, the process of de- mocracy was served. It delayed matters and, at some points it almost looked as if- t would -pre-- vent a Court House ever being a central situation at a price not to exceed 150 pounds." Goderich Man Leads Way This was the basis on which negotiations fol building the -new Court House were finally begun. William Wallace had won his point. His home s to have anew Court House i� n a PvlcLaren's Studios GODERICH AND CLINTON 14. PORTRAITS CHILD STUDIES WEDDINGS WEDDING BIBLES AND ALBUMS j PICTURE FRAMES AND FRAMING FRAMED PRINTS * _RELIGIOUS ARTICLES At Clinton Studio Tuesdays and Thtrsdays Telephone Goderich 401 Clinton HU -9401 �}�cr:,ran•�+iS'.•'#� --,tk1.P.�(a ..-_1°�'►Y�Ti.7:CJ.= ;Y'K�.`-.`�`•'.. were overcome Irby wise men with great legislative capacity and the most reassuring thing about the entire Court House story is that, awkward as the procedure may seem, it did preserve the rights of free citizens and, what's more, CONGRATULATIONS TO HURON COUNTY ON ITS NEW COURT. HOUSE WE A PROUD TO HAVE SUPPLIED THE Stair Rails, Toilet Partitions, . Window Sills and Flag Pole. BRAUN ORNAMENTAL IRON WORKS 9 VIOTOR.3A ST., N., $ UENEP . An aeria view of Goderich showing the Old Court House which now belongs to pictures of the past. Not only is the new Court House there now but many of the trees which crowded the park, as seen above, have been removed to make room for an entirely new landscaping of 'Court House Park. Congratulations -County Of Huron ON THE COMPLETION OF YOUR NEW COURT HOUSE, WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE CONSTRUCTION. OF THIS BUILDING BY SUPPLYING PYRAMID BRAND PORTLAND CEMENT TO THE CON- TRACTOR, ELLIS-DON LIMITED OF LONDON, ONTARIO. MILLS d • ST MAfYS, ONT. "II."'' PYR D:� (EXOLUSIVE SALES AGENTS) J • ALFRED ROGERS LIMITED 2221 YONGE ST.,. TORONTO