HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-08-02, Page 25RON SHAW
For neariY 70 wars, W.E.
lion has gathered the news
although last week he
lebrited his' 90th birthday,
and journalism
sin syn
•�
same,onym out.
turned to
Hill aricElliott he he had been
rn, after 80 years as a jour -
1 et but °retirement from ac-
e serviCe failed to put an end
newspaper stories bearing
by-line.
Journalism was never a Alan-
d career.. Mr. Elliott
legevitiated business
Ilege assa gold medalist
s stories filed with the Lon -
n Free Press when he began
king as a correspondent for
ional papers attracted.;atten-
n from The Toronto News
;d in 1906 he was invited to
'n their staff.
"I started with The News as
reporter," Mr. Elliott recalls,
t I really wasn't very good
it so they transferred me to
. ... __ _ ..- - ---
In the early days of the cen-
, before newspapers had s
e services and the help of a
iable telephone system, news
outside the cityarrived at
newspaper by means of
egraph. , L
An operator took. down the-
y and at The Toronto News T
,E. Elliott took on the job of p
riting it to finished form. P
,irking conditions for mem-
rs of the press were E
nuous, to say the least, w
ring the 1900's and the d
ney wasn't much better. 1
'I Was working in my
er's grocery store," W.E. a
lls. "He paid me more than - o
as worth so I had purchased f
$50 coat at , McLean
thers.'' to
It was quite a coat, broad -
with a muskrat fur lining to
a lamb collar, and I wore it "a
my interview with ?e City
itor of the Toronto News." p
He seemed •t&' admire the fo
t and looked me over pretty -,at
roughly, When he decided to an
me he said The News
ally started new reporters m
10 per week, but he'd give
$12. That coat got me an ,./0
a$ _l
n 1909 he moved to The •su
don Free Press where the • aw
ey wasn't much better and
hours were just as 'bad. up
e worked seven days a.• Aab
k and the hours . were' he
tal," he recalls. "Day shift
from 10:00ne
a.m. until mid- Wo
t and the night shift ,star- sat
at 7:00 p.m. and finished at sat
Political reporting was
citing in more ways than one.
"You must remember
motor transport, especial
the early .1900's, • was p
frail," . Mr. -Elliott points
"and I had some 1p
thrilling rides."
Reporters today often
pressed for time as they
back from an asaignment
hammer out their story be
deadline. " Fifty years ago
problem was further comp
ded.
"There' really weren't
many cars around, in t
days," Mr. Elliott recalls, '
I certainly didn't have_ on
"I used to hitch a ride
from a meeting with the
didate but of course he wa
no hurry. He . wanted to
around and - shake hands
times it seemed to take forever
to get back to the office."
If any one thing contributed
to Bill Elliott's ,,success as a
political reported it was his
business school training in
shorthand. r
"I always took down
peeches verbatim," he
plains, "and if anyone char
a misquote I was ready
him."
In 1927 W.E. Elliott left
ondon Free Press and joi
The Mail and Empire
oronto. Soon he was in
rovincial Legislature as
aper's political reporter.
The year 1929 saw
Ilion appointed -Editor of
oodstock Sun Review were
irected a staff of seven u
941. .
While in Woodstock he t
crack at politics from
then side. Running on a pl
orm of open meetings a
ublic information he was el
d to the High School Boa
"Committee of the Whole i
rrible thing," he obsery
nd it is very much abused
In 1941, when the World
rices and Trade Board was
rmed, Mr. Elliott had a look
news work from another
gle.
"It was a big change," he ad -
its.
He was Information Officer
r the board, in charge of get-
together the
pplying information and 'n
ering the telephone.'"
'Canadian. Press would 'call
and ask some question'
out the board or, its work,
recalls, "and then in the
xt day's paper Id read"
"The
rld Prices and Trade Board
d today " quoting what I
d.....I...guess what I told them
s alt right though because 1
er heard anything about it."
n 1943, after a letter of ap-
ation noting that he shared
1 the Tely's nasty and .bigot -
ted ideas", W.E. Elliott was
hired by the Toronto Telegram.
Of the time . tween then and
his retirement, ` 957 he spent
"10 solid yea` on the copy
desk."
He remembers those
Telegram years- with fondness.
It was a very happy ship,"
he muses.
"John Bassett was one of the
finest men I've met," he obser-
ves. "He was certainly my best
boss and I've told him so."
At The Toronto News the
lisher just didn't speak to
one below the City Editor.
Bassett knew everyone by
first name and he wduld
you to say that was a good
or why didn't you get this
hat."
parently the Toronto
gram regarded Bill Elliott
ly as well. On the wall of
basement office hangs a
well citation signed by the
s whole news staff wishing
well in his retirement.
ter so many years as a
alist W.K. Elliott is in a
ion to make some in -
ting observations about
"Newspapers.--.....�,.
are doing a bet -
that ter job today," he notes,
ly in because the system has grown
retty up "
out, "All the systems are so much
retty better. There's the telephone as
opp?sed to telegraph and we've
feel got cars."
rush On the trend toward inter -
and pretive reporting, though, he
fore says, "Nuts. Let the readers
,the arrive at their own opinions."
oun- "Speaking as one who
doesn't read the stuff," he
that notes, "both Watergate and the
hose Ontario Hydro investigations
'and are being overplayed. I was a
e." political reporter here so as far
back as that goes (Watergate) I
can- couldn't care less what happens
s in over there.
stay Mr. Elliott feels there will
. At still be a place in the future for
newspapers.
"They'll be computerized
and people will loose their jobs
but local news is still impor-
tant. People want to read about
opie�they. now•' he -says;__.. _..
Politics though, don't make
the the stories they used to because
ex- they no longer involve people.
ged "The 1911. reciprocity cam -
for paign was hot. There was a real
issue in free trade with the
the United States. It split parties
ned and it pulled • the provincial
in parties into the campaign as
the well," - he notes.
the "The ; zip has gone:; out of
politics. Years ago everyone
Bill knew who was a Grit and who
The was a Tory, you could almost
he count the votes before the
ntil ballots were ,east. Why, as boys
we used; to wear colored arm-
ook bands to school designating
the party affiliation," he said.
at-
nd
ec-
rd.
sa
es
king conditions W.E.
it remained with the Free
for 18 years, with the ex -
ion of four years' service
the First Battalion of
adian Infantry during the
Id War. I.
e served with the Canadian
e in England, France,
'um and Germany.
e got shot over plenty,"
xplains, "but I never went
the top."
fore leaving the Free Press
rvice in the armed forces;
ever, W.E. Elliott had
d his "niche" as he calls
political reporting.
le career as a political -
r, which would take him
press galleries of the
of Commons in Ottawa
the Provincial Legislature
peen's Park began with
London Free Press in 1911
wound .up with a posting to
copy 'desk of the Toronto
am in 1947. For 30 years
flowed the changing scene
nadian government.
I
pub
any
,Toho
his s
stop
story
or 't
Ap
Tele
kind
his
re was Aleut of fare
etre was y political Tely'
t g those years with him
continuous campaigns Af
thefew lulls in cam -
party con- bourn
ons,
RI filled with posit
teres
FOR A GOOD JOB AT A REASONABLE PRICE
PHONE RAY LAMBERS482-395
The., old campaigns were
more emotional," W.E. obser-
ves, "more persona). There
were the big hurrahs at cam-
paign meetings."
In 70 years newspapers have
changed , and politics have
changed but W.E. Elliott is still
reporting the changes. At 90 he
still works, producing freelance
news material ,for 'The
Goderich Signal -Star and The
London Free Press.
- Most of that material in-
volves history and old homes in
Huron County.
�t takers--aa-lot ' research---
and it's hard work," Bill ex
plains.
But hard work is no stranger
to W.E. Elliott_
W.E. `Elliott, 94 Arthur Street in Goderlch, cuts his birthday cake under the watchful eye of --
Mrs. Elliott as he recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Mr. Elliott retired to Goderich, Where
he had been born, after a lifetime career in
to write for*
newspapers despite his years. A specialist In polit cal a reporting, Mlism but rntinues Elliott seried in the
press galleries of both the House of Commons at Ottawa and the Provincial Legislature at
Queen's Park. (staff photo)
Man drowned
near cottage.
7/L4thur & Red4j c,t
GaODERICH A OWEN. SOUND
' Flew' anthills • Paints,- Wallpapers
Draperies - lath Cautery F!rnitere Refinisher
IN G.ODERICH •
PHONE524-8532 �
Officers of the Ontario
Provincial Police last Wed-
nesday recovered the body of
William Howard Gmeiner, 83,
of Birmingham, Michigan, in
about 40 feet of water in Lake.
Huron north of the Bayfield
River. ,
Accortng - to -Fi1ice- ,-•Mr.
Gmeiner -� had been ' reported
missing by his wife that mor-
ning although he had .left their
Cottage on Monday and had not
returned.
r$}:'''�`�'7{�`2h.o'�:�,`X�.t13a:yi.^.'�:�%���:i:;:•:y.,.;•::•:.,:::::c`?c:;:':..:•;.•:•:::r'•"•s�:::;;a�••:.:::�>:.:::::»::, ....:....: .
ik`y��.:.:•�'+�kn�+v.:'v?::Sy:•$::n{lS:''i}}::s:.}::?�};i4:^:.{::?'::i•::vr':{'��}r:•:.?:?:�:{:•: $':•:i �?': i::: v.• •:•�•.}; ::i ::: ::: :.:�•.�:•;.
Stnti:ri
a
Pr°Dreasive
°OmPany
in a
caressive
olduatry
CORDON T. WESTLAKE
Ontario Housing Corporation offers to
builders on a lease basis parcels of serviced
Luilding lots for the construction of 38
detached houses at Kincardine.
Proposals are invited from builders interested
in leasing this land for the purpose of build-
ing houses for sale , under OHC's Home
Ownership Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) Plan.
The lots are located in the Huron Ridge
subdivision, west of Queen Street on the
northern boundary of the Town - of Kin-
cardine.
Builders ma Y..gbtarn--fuN--details by- -CoIrecfing —.
a proposal package from DEC's third floor
office at 60 Bloor Street West, Toronto, or
the Kincardine Township municipal office at
Armow, Ontario.
Builders' proposals will be accepted by
OHC up to 2:00 p.m., August 24, 1973, at
101 Bloor Street West, Toronto M5S 1 P8.
ANOTHER 11.0. M r
E■ COMMUNITY
DEVELOPED BY
ONTARIO DOUSING CORPORATION
Also An
Advance
Showing Of
Ahoy _
FALL
FASHIONS
In Setts
Sportswear
Dresses etc.
Imagine the latest in fashion and at 10% saving. After
our August Coat, Event, the next time you will be able to
buy these coats at a saving will be January. You'll save
in January "IF" the coat you really want is stilt in stock
and in your site. Get the coat YOU WANT now and
enjoy it Fall, Winter and early Spring.
OPEN ALL OAT WEDNESDAY
OPEN FRIDAY NIONT TIL 9 P.M.