HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-12-06, Page 34PACK jFOOppICH 81CNAL8PAR. Tr1UpSDAV. UECeMne1 n. 1973
Inspector Tom of Huron County schools
BY W. E. ELUOTT
"The people of Huron want
the school inspector to be a
Christian and scholar and a
gentleman. A drinker and
swearer and shoulder -hitter
and Sabbath desecrator should
not be even mentioned in con-
nection with So important and
honorable a position."
This from the Huron Signal
of January 22, 1886. Dan
McGillicuddy, editor and
publisher, always knew what
was best for town and county,
and was never backward about
offering guidance to public
bodies: County council had five
applications for the post of in-
spector, and the Signal announ-
ced that " "the two gentlemen
with the best claims are Mr.
Turnbull, Clinton, and Mr,.
Tom, formerly of Exeter."
Either, it said, would fill the
position with honor.
The school and printing com-
mittee of county council dealt
with this appointment. On
January 28 a bylaw was or-
dered, appointing J. E. Tom, ef-
fective Feb. 15. On Feb. 5. it was
recommended by the committee
that James Turnbull be appoin-
ted.1, Diligent search of the
minutes discloses no further
mention of Turnbull. Goderich
public school board, which -
evidently appointed its own in-
spector, in March received an
application from Mr. Tom.
John E. Tom, better remem-
bered as' J. Elgin ,Tom, perfor-
med the duties of public school
inspector for West Huron for 42
years before retiring in 1928:
Evidently he met the
yuelifications originally
specified by the Signal, for the
same newspaper, upon his
death' in 1930, praised him for
"great influence and untiring
exertion in the advancement of
education," active association
with church work and the tem-
perance cause and a lively in-
terest in civic affairs. "In his
passing," the newspaper said,
"Goderich loses one of its most
active and useful citizens."
LOG SCHOOLS GONE
The vacancy which
necessitated appointment of an
inspector in 1886 resulted from
the retirement of Inspector
Miller after 15 years. His doctor
This is the schoolhouse of SS No. 5 Usbome, where J.E. Tom, future school Inspector,
received his primary education. It Is on part of Lot 17, Concession 3, .near Exeter, and Is
now the residence of Mr, and Mrs. Donald Wilson. (photo by W.E. Elliott)
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had advised against risking
"another winter's travels." The
windswept Lakeshore roads, he
noted, contributed to the "sad
tale" of school attendance,
nearly half of the pupils
enrolled attending school less
than 00 days in the year. In his
final year, 1885, attendance was
47% . Mr. Miller reported with
pride that whereas in 1871 there
had been 27 log schoolhouses in
his inspectorate there remained
in 1885 only one. The total of
school sections was 83, of
schoolhouses 85. The
legislative grant was $5420.
As to teacher' qualifications
Mr. Miller reported four first-
class certificates, 33 second-
class and 67 third. In Goderich,
there were no firsts.
The inspectorate included
Ashfield, Colborne, Goderich,
Hay, Stanley, Stephen, Usborne
and Wawanosh townships, and
the village of Bayfield and
Exeter.
Inspector Miller reported 168
visits to schools by himself in
1885, and 251 by trustees. In the
first years of his term, he had
spent more than four hours on
each visit. School inspectors
"found it convenient to dine in
. the homes of rural trustees,
especially in the days of horse:
and -buggy travel.
J. W. Coulter, an academic
•
superintendent in the modern
set-up, recalls visits from In-
spector Tom to the stone school
on the Coulter farm in Morris,
where Inspector Field was also
a "regular diner" at_ the
trustee's house.
(continued on
Page
eS)
John Elgin Tom was appointed in 1886 (by county council)
public school Inspector for West Huron, and served for 42
years, retiring in 1928. For some years he,was superintendent
of Knox Sabbath School, and held various church offices, as
well es serving on the library board and as a trustee of
MacKay Hall. He died In 1930.
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1
WE CAN'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED ANYMORE
Recent events in the Middle East have underlined just how
essential a dependable supply of energy is to the way we live.
Present indications are that supplies of imported crude oil
in Eastern Canada are barely sufficient to meet demand.
If we can't maintain imports, real shortages of gasoline
and heating oil could occur here in Ontario.
But uncertain import supply isn't our only concern.
Canada's own oil and gas supplies are being depleted.
and cannot be renewed.
To make sure we have enough energy for the future, and to
give us time to develop alternative energy sources, we must
make the best use of the sources we have now. L •
Nobody has the right to waste fuel, or any other form of,—
energy. The time has come to take a good, hard look at the
way we use energy, and to use it wisely.
Good energy habits learned now, especially by our children,
will bring us comfortably through the winter, and pay off -
in years to come. Let's get to work.
,, um mil mu mill am mil ii um on Nos iii moo in IN in Not NE Ns EN lim on Ns um us Eli
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candoto
conserve energy
tyQ_
1-7Your heating system.
Clean forced -air filters once a month
Bleed air from hot water radiators,
fix leaks ❑ Empty the flue clean-out -
CI Have the system Qhecked by an
expert ❑ Insulate ducts and pipes in
areas that don't need heat ❑ Glossy
white radiators heat best ❑ A gravity
air system with a single return works
best with interior doors open.
8-13
Keep the heat in!
Insulation pays, especially,in attics.
o Fit storm windows, weather-strip
outside doors 0 Keep fireplace
damper closed,0 Use range hood
ventilators only when necessary 0 If
you sleep with the window open,"
close the door.❑ Close drapes at
�,ght. ,...'
14-17 Use/ ��our thermostat.
Each,degree youlower the thermo-
stat cuts fuel consumption about 3%
' 0 It's possible to save b lurnin the
Y 9
1111
MNNMMINMNMI NMI MUM --- Ell -- 11111 IMO= I"
Save this check list and save energy
thermostat down at night If you use
a humidifier, you'll stay comfortable
with less heat .` If there's a Shivery
Sam in the family. suggest he wears
a sweater. •
1822 Hot water.
Insulate exposed hot water pipes
• If your water heater has a dial, try
setting it lower 0 A dripping tap
wastes up to 175 gallons of hot water
a month ❑ Don't use dishwashers till
they're full ❑-Geherally, a shower
uses less hot water than a bath.
23'32 Around the house.
Are the door seals on your oven,
refri9erator and freezer good?
❑ Don't use the oven if a toaster or
fry -pan will do the job ❑ If you buy an
electric heater, make sure it has a
thermostat 0 Use lower wattage
bulbs iLyou can D Use Christmas
lights from 6 pm till bedtime ❑ Use
pots that cover stove elements
U Thaw frozen food before cooking
O Defrost freezers regularly 0 A
pressure cooker saves energy as well
as time.
3339 on the road.
A well-maintained car is an economi-
cal car 0 Check tires and alignment
O Prolonged idling wastes gas Can
you use the bus? Or ride with some-
one else? 0 Does your size of car
really fit your needs?,
o Over 50 mph, economy decreases
❑ Jack -rabbit starts waste gas
4O"44Around the farm.
.
A well -tuned tractor burns 1O% less
'fuel ❑ Underground or pressurized
storage tanks reduce vapourization
loss 0 Reduce tractor wheel slip and
you save fuel ❑ Prol&nged,idling of
engines wastes gas ❑ Can you turn
yard lights off earlier? •
45-41 At work.
Can the thermostat be turned down?
0 Can you turn off any lights? ❑ Has
your company got an Energy* .
Conservation Suggestion Scheme?
We're: taking our own advice.'
All Ministries and Agencies of the
Ontario Government are doing their
bit to conserve energy. Lighting and
heating levels are being reduced in
government buildings: a new
emphasis is being given to economi-
cal operation of vehicles; Ontario
Hydro and the Ministry of Education
are encouraging, consumers and
schoolchildren to learn good habits
in the use of energy. And that's just
a beginning!
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Industry, business, homeowners, agriculture and government must all work together
to conserve energy. If we each save a Iittle...We'II allsave a lot.
of Ontatio
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