HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 1981-02-26, Page 4PAGE4—CLINTON W :RECORD, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY28,1981
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'ClintonNewsRecord
*CNA
MEMBER
JAMES L FITZGERALD - Editor
SHIELLEY McNiff - News Editor
GARY WAIST - Advertising Meheger
iHEATGER BRANDER - Advertising
tMARGARETL. GIBS;- Office Manager
,MARY ANN GLID ON-SubseeIptif#ns
MEMBER
Display odsortlslnD rotes
oeolioifo w. raa,woss. disk for
Roto Card no. 11 offocslve Ott. 1.
iw•.
Despite the overwhelming odds against
them, Drawer Bruth,ers and Reid, along
with brothe n -law Norman Hathaway,
are .taking a big gamble that they can
produce quality pianos in Clinton again at
a reasonable price.
And what a big gamble it is. Faced with
record high interest rates, a sagging
economy, and stiff foreign competition,
company has started building pianos
{ again in Pinto* itoit, once known the, world
over for its quality Organa and -pia*.
They do have a number of 'Oakes On thleir
side, which include air experienced and
demoted W-000.014. itaff, toldineutigenleet,
low overhead, and only two piano models.
With these magic ingredients, Draper
Brothers and Reid should be well of their
way to putting Clinton on the musical map
once agian.
As one of the only two piano -manufac-
turers left in the Canada, they are
pioneering the way back for Canadian
manufacturing, which over the years has
given up so much of its products to
foreigners. And , it's about time. In a
country so rich as ours in all the resources,
it's a crime to see the Japaneses buy $5
million worthof Canadian wood, and then
ha
di back that same world in $40 million
worthofpianos. By J.F. ...
JtVtOt!,tI
it?
for 9111. !rewonly passing interest.
et increase is In "'the
ran,,pIf A percentandwhile that is
'- an accepted figure in to-
-ds escalating inflation, the total cost of
Ce resehinl alarining"p .__
was ustityted about
of the Huron Police
nn elicited:some cone:
.a
council recently, the
mtheonerating.budget_.
>,' ago; toe• total Costs Were ex -
be aro . $75, Per annum.
budg for 981 kis 'hien
$103,210 and obviously such an in -
in that period is well above any in -
factors.
�4'thepresent councils of the five
towns can be faulted for the fact the
system is costing more than originally ex
they must start to question
whether' the cost myolved is warranted by
th4 ry ce provided.
*hen the local police answering service
in #.tar, for example,.was provided by a
•
•
private individual three years ago, the cost
was around $8,500 and the project cost for
Exeter -in the current year is $19,919.53.
Godenclr eould be paYnng•$'111,045.48.
w 0.There are obvious advantages to a
county -wide dispatch system, but the five
councils must keep a dose eye on the costs
involved because they appear to be con-
siderably higher than those which were in-
dicated -when -the system was approved
In Exeter's case, there appears to be a
duplication of services now that a full-time
secretary is available to answer the phone
during the day, If the other towns are in
the same position, itmay lieAbutthe.clel
tral cost could be reduceclby having it in
use only during non -office hours.
There^is also the possibility that by br=
inging other emergency calls into the
system (through a central emergency
number as used in most cities) the cost
could be apportioned over a wider base to
reduce the growing drain on police
hudgets.
It's a situation to which the local police
committee should give some delibera-
tion. -from the Exeter Times Advocate
Not trying to
close classes
Dear Editor:
Contrary to report in the February 19th
edition of the Clinton News-Recovd ((HSS
Chronicle) newspaper, the Huron County
Board of Education has NOT made a
decision to close any technical shops at
Central Huron Secondary School.
However, with enrolment at the school
reaching the one-half of capacity mark,
the Board finds it necessary to examine
the feasibility of continuing to offer the
wide variety of technical shop subjects
that it did when enrolment was in the 1,000
to 1,200 pupil range.
Persons wishing to make representation
to the Board at 2:30 p.m. on Monday,
March 2nd are requested to contact the
undersigned at 482-3496 by 4 p.m. on
, Friday, February 27.
,.,....._� ._. .D.J. Cochrane,
Director of Education)
The Huron County Board of Education.
Drops of spring
by Jim Fitzgerald
remembering
our past
a look through
the news -record files
5YEARS AGO
February.26, 1976
The community around Clinton is up in
arms following the order last week that
Clinton's 62 -bed hospital will be closed down
`by April rat throwing 75 full=time employees
and 35 part-tirne employees out of work.
A crowd estimated at nearly 2,000 elbowed
their way into Central Huron Secondary
School Tuesday night to protest the closing of
the Clinton facility. It was .the largest crowd
ever assembled in Clinton for such a purpose.
Dr. Brian Baker, chief of medical staff at
the Clinton Hospital, received the biggest
response at the meeting when he was given a
standing ovation at the meeting. Dr. Baker;
who has been m town since 1972, said the
health-minister•regarded theClinton. hospital
' as no more than"a mere pin in the map."
10 YEARS AGO
March 4, 1971
Ontario' Hydro offices moved last week
from their scattered location in downtown
Clinton to their new offices at the Canadian
--Forces- Rase -south -of --town. Hydro -recently-
bought the former base supply building and
renovated it for the new Clinton area offices.
The Brucefield post office was, transferred
last week from Ken' Scott's store to Art
Dutton's. While the move was taking place,
Jorma--lialiagawk4o4P3 were found., Keji
was the third generation of Scotts to run the
Brucefield office.
25 YEARS AGO
• March 1, 1956 •
The relentless business of finding the
"champion" speller in the public schools of
Inspectorate 2 of Huron County, yesterday
afternoon narrowed the field down to Miss
Bonnie Hamilton, 12 -year-old daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. John Hamilton of Albert Street,
Clinton. Miss Hamilton now has to go forward
to zone finals in Stratford, which will be held
next\Tuesday.
Less than a week after Clinton Branch No.
140 of the Canadian Legion paid off the final
Gals' names
For some reason, and I've no idea what
it is, this column is going to be about girls'
names. There are several possible
reasons, any of which might be the right
one.
First, it might be just an unconscious
reaction to the worst cold spell I can
remember. The names of girls, exotic or
otherwise, seem to help fight those Jan.-
Feb.
an:Feb. winter blues or blahs.
Secondly, I might simply be getting
senile. This was my wife's suggestion
when I told her my subject. Who knows? A
couple of years.frorn now:Imight ..be.turn-
ing up at playgrounds with nothing on but a
raincoat.
And thirdly, the more I thought about it,
the more I thought about it. I don't know
whether this happens to you, but every so
often I get some silly old song in my head,
and I whistle and sing it, inaudibly, of
course, because I don't want to be put
away, for perhaps fifteen hours.
It could be Colonel Bogey, and I play it,
with variations, through my head all day.
No other tune interferes. Just a few days
ago, I got one into my skull that must date
back to the Twenties, and it went on all
day, through teaching, conversation,
eating, shaving. It was:
You 'can bring Rose, with the turned -up
nose,
But don't bring Lula.
You can bring Kite with the partial plate,
But don't bring Lula.
Some old-timers might remember it. I'm
sure it goes back to the days of vaudeville,
or the gramophone, as we used to call it.
But I've no idea where it came from,
where I heard it, why I remembered the
tune, or what was wrong with Lula.
Anyway, I began to contemplate the
names of girls, and whence they derived.
We chose the name Kim for our daughter,
because we didn't know whether she was
going to be a daughter or another son, and
the name fitted either sex. There wasn't a
Kirin on the horizon then. Now you can find
one on every street corner.
In my home form, I have two Kims, two
Karens, and a Carol, and until I knew
which was which, I'd ask a question and
start sounding like the old song, "K -k -k -
Katie."
Girls' names seem to go in cycles. One
year I had five Debbies in one class. Hard-
ly ever hear a Debbie anymore.
' Aside from the fads, when every third
gal has the same name, there seem to be
some basic roots from which beleaguered
mothers and fathers label their offspring.
(I've known a Robin Bird and a Pete Mose,
but those were exceptions).
Some girls are named after jewels, but
there aren't many Pearls, Rubies, Opals,
Sapphires and such around these days.
They're as old-fashioned as Elmer and
Gordon for boys.
Strangely, I've never heard a girl called
Diamond, though I've met a few hard
enough tolive uptosuch a sobriquet.
Girls are named after some months, but
not others. We can label a girl May, April
er June, but you don't hear too many
Februaries or Novembers floating around.
I think Febbie would be kinds cute for a
short girl born in that short month.
Then there is the practice of naming
girls after flowers. We have Iris and Ivy
and Pansy and, Daisy and Marigold and
Rose, and even, on the occasional farout
encounter, Tulip or Virginia (if her last
name happens to be Creeper). But they,
too, have pretty well gone by the board. I
don't know why. A girl is just as pretty as a
flower, and often smells even nicer.
Why don't we go back to that and call
girls Petunia, Begonia, Phlox, Crocus,
Daffodil? Think of the sweet little ab-
breviations. they'd. acquire. Pet, Beggie,
Flocky, Crokey and Daffy.
Once in a while there is a flare-up of old-
fashioned or foreign names. Then we have
a rash of Samanthas, Marthas, Ingrids,
Fleurs, Leslies. The trouble is, with' our
fondness for nicknames, even these august
narnes become Sam, Marty, Ingy the
dingy, Flour, and Les.
Thank goodness there is a solid element
of parents in our society who stick with the
good old Biblical and fundarhentally
Anglo-Saxon tags: Ruth, Mary, Rebecca,
Margaret, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Susan,
Jane, Sophia, and such.
Not for themthe exotic and subtly sug-
gestive stuff like Sylvia, Sonya, Roberta,
Giselle, Juanita. Those are the sort of
names that can get a girl into trouble. How
about Carlotta? Or Vivien? Trouble, trou-
ble.
1
Personally, if I had six daughters, Lord
forbid, I'd try to get one into each
category, Emeraldsfor jewellery.
September . for a month. How does
September Smiley sound? Sweet -pea for
flowers. Sweet -pea Smiley? Ursula for an
old-timer. Once had a slight fling with a
girl by that name. Mary for the solid vir-
tues and the religious connotations. And
Diana, goddess of love, for the dangerous
group.
If I suddenly and unexpectedly had a
seventh, I'd name her for one of the great
women in myth or literature. Perhaps
Circe, or Cordelia. Everybody happy with
those?
Thank goodness my daughter has two
boys, one -Nikov, after a character in a
Russian novel, the other Balind, a name
she made up. She'd drive us crazy if she
had a batch of girls.
mortgage on the memorial, Kirk Street, the
general meeting on Monday night accepted
the recommendation of the executive that the
property committee proceed with the
building of a stage at the hall. Final plans are
not yet complete, but it will be a,2Ox40 foot
addition. Upstairs will be a stage for the hall,
and the downstairs portion will be used as
dressing rooms and storage space.
50 YEARS AGO
' February 26;1931
The first of the home and home encounters
in the junior NHL league semi-finals was
played in the local arena on Friday evening.
The Wingham Colts being blanked by the
Clinton Canariesfor a four -goal margin.
The street committee of the town council
`.had a scraperOri the front streets last' week
trying to level them op a bit.
Keep off the gravel roads until the general
thaw comes is good advice to motorists of the
district.
The Clinton Chautauqua programs start •
Friday evening, February 2 land and are of
unsurpassedmer—"if-Ty are presented by
, artists of.universal distinction. Come out and
help your community support this great
Canadian Educational Feature .that pis
brought right to your own homes.
Fresh ',for the, Lenten Season Specials:
caroni;kwo pounds, 15 centseorangeelandt
le, ons, per dozen, 19 cents; salmon; 'one
pound, 25 cents; at W.T. O'Neil, Clinton's Big
Cornet Groceteria. Phone 98.
75 YEARS AGO
March 2 1906
The Brucefield Oddfellows supper on
Friday evening was the event of the season, a
large number were in attendance with a
goodly share of ladies, being the wives and
sweethearts of the members and their
friends. The oyster supper, which was
prepared by Mrs. Robt.' Murdock, was ex-
cellent, the room had a festive appearance,
being beautifully • decorated with choice
flowers. • A fter the supper Mr, Fraser; one of .
the charter members, took the chair, when a
short but very appropriate musical en-
tertainment delighted_ the audience, all left
with the assurance that the Oddfellows of
Brucefield were 0.K .
Mr. S. Switzer of Tuckersmith cut about
1,200 cedar posts last week.
Rev. Wm. Leckie of Londesboro walked to
Clinton last Sunday and preached in Willis
church.
J.P. Harrison. who foolishly tried to work a
blackmailing scheme on Mr. Davis of the
Hotel Bedford, Goderich, last week, and was
committed to stand his trial at the Jurors'
Session, made application for a speedy trial,
which was granted, and he name up before
His Honor Judge Doyle on Tuesday for a
hearing He pleaded guilty 'and elected to be
tried by the judge. After the judge had
reviewed the case and told the prisoner the
seriousness of the crime he stated that were it
not for his wife and child, the latter only a few
months old, he would feel disposed to give
him seven years, but owing to the cir-
cumstances, and with a hope that he ould lead
a more manly and honorable life, he com-
mitted Harrison to Huron County jail for one
tnonth•with hard labor.
The prisoner broke down and wept bitterly
and appealed for ,leniency and promised lie
would lead a more manly life in the future. In
Coming up green
Someone mentioned the 1981 licence
stickers are green. That will match the col-
our I turn every year about this time, when
I hand over my $45 and get that itsy-bitsy
sticker in return. I sympathize with the
mdtorists that pay more and envy those
that pay less.
Granted the sticker is a good idea. Not
having to replace the licence plate every
year makes a lot of sense. It also saves
frostbitten fingers.
Once the sticker is in my possession, I'm
overcome by anxieties. What iL I lose it
between the office and the car? What if it
blows away? Shat if it doesn't go on right?
What if it doesn't stay on?
They're silly worries, of course, but until
that $45 worth of green is safely and firmly
in place, I'll feel uneasy.
I'll avoid the issue as longs-ican and
probably end up in a last-minute line.
Heck, I've got days left - hours, anyway.
the meantime his wife and baby are lefl to get
along as best they can, though the people of
the town will not see her suffer. She will likely
return to the old country, to friends. The
whole affairisunfortunate, to say the least.
• 100 YEARS AGO
February'25, 1881
, The high school Literary Society gave its
regular fortnightly meeting, last Friday
evening. The occasion was one that drew a
large audience. The program, which con-
sisted of music singing, readings, recitations
and a debate, was very entertaining, par-
ticularly the debate, the subject of which was,
"Resolved that the execution of Queen Mary
was justifiable." The subject was well
handled on both sides, and a decision was
' given by the audience in favor of the at'-.,
firmative. •
Clinton's new town hall was formally
opened on Monday and Tuesday evenings
last, by the celebrated Holman Opera Troup,
bf London, under the auspices of the Clinton
Cricket Club. The hall Which is not quite
..finished, presented a very neat appearance.
It was seated with chairs, there being about
'5506 r the purpose. '
`bear Editor, ' �3
One way that Canadians can protest
against Prime Minister Trudeau's
unilateral patriation of our constitution is
to write to Governor-General Ed Schreyer
and ask him NOT TO SIGN Prime Minister
Trudeau's Constitution Act.
We must realize that the chances of
Governor General Ed Schreyer not signing
the Constitution Act are very slim because
he is compelled by his oath of office to sign
it. Governor General Ed Schreyer cannot,
like Prime Minister Trudeau, disregard
the parliamentary procedure of passing an
act.
Our _request to Goyermr General Ed
Schreyer not to sign Prime Minister
Trudeau's Constitution Act is one course of
action that we can take against what
Prime Minister Trudeau is doing to Cana-
dians and to Canada.
If enough Canadians do this, it might
embarrass the Government by showing
the world how we feel about having our
constitution unilaterally patriated.
Thank you.
Sharon M. Larkin,
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Do you have en opinion? Why not
write us a letter- to the editor, and
let everyone know. All lettereere
.
published, providing they can be
authenticated, and pseudonym.
Fa a allowed. All letters, however,,
are, subject to editing jar length
or libel.
Usually in February I'm happy to see
anything green, but in this case, I can wait.
Oh well, buying the new licence stickers
breaks up the monotony of winter. We can
all think of more pleasant ways to do it, but
we have no choice.
We can shock ourselves out of winter
complacency just by opening our heating
bills
The effects of my February bill may
turn me blue. The bills have been making
steady monthly jumps, which I expected,
but I wasn't prepared for the February
leap. After noting the amount due, I turned
down the thermostats and hauled out more
blankets. Yin determined to try to at least
"hold that line" for the rest of the winter.
I could warn visitors to wear heavy
sweaters, but they're probably accustom-
ed to it. Everyone seems to be experienc-
ing the same thing.
It's just another part of our Canadian
winter, and we hardy Canadians can cer-
tainly handle it.
I believe we should try to find something
positive in every situation. It took me
awhile, but I finally thought of a good point
for the storm that confined me to the
apartment two weeks ago.
The cabin fever was tolerable, and the
longer my car stayed off the road, the
longer I could avoid the gas station. This
soothed the bad case of gas -a -pump -a -
phobia that I've noticed developing over
the past six months.
The winter white -outs also kept me away
from the grocery store and those cash
regrstef tapes. It must be -my imagination,
but the shopping bag seems to be getting
smaller. After every spree, I'm determin-
ed to shop more wisely. I'll turn away from
the goodies that make my mouth drool and
buy only the practical items.
The best things in life are still free, and.
it's agood job, because we certainly pay
for the necessities.
Now don't get me wrong. I know Canada
is a great country and Canadians are much
better off than the people of many other
lands. Complaining is just a tool some of us
use to pass the time in these mid -winter
doldrilms.
Returning to the subject of green, after
the green sticker is firmly in place on my
licence plate at the end of February, I'll
look forward to St. Patrick's Day. When
the green of March passes, the green of
spring can't be far behind.
Valuable restoration
Dear Editors,
I would like to take this opportunity of
discussing two issues that are of impor-
tance and topical in the town- restoration
of the Town Hall and improvements to the
downtownshoppingrea.
As some of your readers may know, my
firm of Hill and Borgal, Architects and
Planners has been intimately involved in
both these projects. Whether to restore the
Town Hall has been, is and will be a con-
troversial subject, hotly debated by both
sides. However it is of value to reflect
some five years back I believe whena
referendum was held to solicit local opi-
nion on the future. of the building. Two to
one were in favour of keeping the Town
Hall.
I share this opinion and to this day am .
absolutely confident that council's deci-
sion also to retain the Town Hall is a sound
one. The work to date on the building has
been to secure its_structural soundnessand
this involved underpinning the foundations
tying' the upper structure together so to
speak, especially the front that is leaning
out and repairing the brickwork. This was
necessary work before anything else could
be done.
Unfortunately, for the money spent` thus
far nothing attractive can be seen. The
Town Hall looks just as neglected as it was
before we started work. The situation may
be likened unto one net• waStiing fora year:
-one would .look •and.feel deoiiddly shabby,ti..
So it is with the Town Hall, but in this ease
it is many manyyears since the building
was cleaned, maintained and painted!
The next stage I believe is indeed pain-
ting and maintaining the exterior, and this
I am hoping will be done this year with
Council's approval. The Town has applied
to the Ontario Heritage Foundation for
funding and there is no reason, I believe,
why Clinton should not take advantage of
these public funds designed for this very
purpose.
We have been appointed architects for
the restoration of the Goderich Town Hall
and our original feasibility study won
$40,000 for the restoration of their Town
Hall. Going back a few years a con-
siderable grant was also obtained for the
Exeter Town 'Hall. So I am confident we
will obtain Provincial support and can
assure the good people of Clinton that the
painting and decorating of the Town Hall
will be a very attractive result and one we
will all be proud of. I should also mention
that a number of us are working hard on
designing a new use for the upper second
floor. More about this later.
The second issue I want to write about
briefly is the proposed improvements to
the downtown business section. These are
being directed by your merchant com-
munity and involve a combination of basic
improvements to the car park behind the
Town Hall and also a'number of beautifica-
tion proposals such as creating a paved
seating area in the Memorial Park, a land-
scaped "Corner's Park" next to Triangle
Discount and tree planting in specified
areas.
That we need a well paved car park is
without question and well worth the ex-
pense. When it comes to beautification
however, I am sure some merchants and
members of the community question its
merit. It does not seem to have any direct
tangible economic result to any of us. I
believe however it does. As a merchant
desires an attractive and appealing store
front and display, which is good for
business, a whole downtown should aspire
to these same sound qualities.
The objective behind the Province pro-
claiming the act for municipalities to
create B.I.A.'s (Business Improvement
Areas) was to enable merchants to plan
and improve their business areas in a col-
lective manner as a merchant would his
store in a singular manner. I appreciate
your merchant communities concern to
expend the B.I.A.'s budget carefully and
properly and I believe the improvement
proposals that are being planned for have
achieved a good balance of functional as
well as purely beautiful improvements.
May I conclude by saying that I think the
town has many strong assets. I work with
many municipalities, town councils, mer-
chant groups and members of the public,
and I am impressed by the foresight of
your town council and busine,4is communi-
ty and am very confident that with the
ongoing restoration of the Town Hall and
improvements of the downtown, Clinton
will go from strength to strength!
Nicholas Hill,
I Ipl.Arch.,M.Arch,,
M.R.A.I.C.,M.C.LP.
Goderich