The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-03-24, Page 1345" WIDE
PRINTED
DRAPERY
,MATERIAL
REGULAR 51.59 YARD
SALE $
PRICE • 27YARD
A
•
520 years with PUC
RICH
lupe
ring,
spea
?,a ORO
ht aft,
lows,
i glass,
ket
iful
lo. JF
:OUP
Iona
el, le ,
omelet
Into
BU
cid
14
cCreath wants
remember the good
cCreath has been a anyone else told them and
visitor to every house then ended up taking the
rich for the past 20 original advice.
t at the end of March He recalls one man who
ds to stop seeing the swore he had no hot water
f Goderich like he has just after Bud bad installed a
ast. He has been the new heater in the house. The
Public Utilities man phoned Bud complaining
ion meter -reader and it turned out he hadn't
957 and is retiring turned on his tap, thus he was
getting no hot water.
tenure as meter Another man installed his
as allowed him to be electri.c heater on the
hand witness to a baseboard directly under the
ion of Goderich thermostat and kept phoning
grow ing..,up, _to Rud to complain that the
the growth of heater was not big enough
h housing arid in- because the kitchen was
nd above all to meet always cold. Bud explained
to know people he that the heater was coming on
never would have and the heat rising to the
ad he been in another control and immediately
shutting the unit off.
een good but it's time "People just don't think
ut," said Bud in his before they call '', he said.
ice in the PUC •When Bud started in the
"Things just aren't meter department he started
e as they were." meeting the people that today
ans no harm when he provide him' with his fondest
ngs have changed and memories. He recalls the first
want to criticize the day he spent reading hydro
t he often looks back meters.
areer and recalls the "I was at this little, old
had working with the lady's house and when she
e has caught people saw me she said she was glad
arrassing situations, I could come, she needed a
him and for them'; he hand. When I got in the house
red people and been it turned out she had a Quebec
imself ; he has been heater she wanted moved and
, accused of over: wanted me to help her."
people for hydro Going into the houses was
even been trapped on something Bud never really
eighter got used to. When he started
nt to remember the in 1957 there were about 3,000
ngs," he said. "I'm houses in Goderich and over
ly sorry I'm retiring." half of them had the meters
not worried about inside.
things to do when he Bud recalls some of the
work. This summer places he had to go to read the
s to take a trip to the meters and says ,that even
ast of Canada, paint today, he has one house
ses and build a fence where he had to go into the
e feels will keep him bathroom, stand on the edge
of the bathtub and stick his
so hopes to do a little head through a trap door into
ance photography, a crawl space where the
s the budget. permits meter is located.
back to England for "They used to put a lot of
e look at the country the meters in the attic," Bud
eace time. recalls. "The old Gothic style
peaks were in style and the
T OFFICE -START linemen used to run the wires
Bud started working to the highest point of the
1JC he was in the front house and take them into the
e spent three months attic. They put the meter on
k before moving to the as soon as they were in the
department. He just house and wired everything
feet on the ground from tliere."
hen he was ,p,ut in He says that most of the
of Hydro's ' water houses now have the meters
rental program-. He outside which speeds up his
he just got that job a great deal.
working when he New houses all have the
en the electric heat meters outside and most
,people remodelling an old
ed to go over house house have the meter moved.
ad figure out what What used to take five
heater was needed in minutes now takes 30 .seconds
om and where it which Bud says makes the job,
go and I would figure a lot easier but takes a lot of
much insulation was the fun out of it. ,
:he said,. "I never "I can do 375 meters a day
le where to put the no," he says. "A.,,good day's
because the elec- work iS 250 but if I cankeep
was supposed to know moving and don't stop to talk
I can get 375 done. 1 know. I
ectric heat and water tried it the Other day just to
Work provided Bud isee if I can still do it."
Brit contact with the
recalla several MUST DEVELOP
ere people 1n. CONFIDENCE
ihtga Uieir Bud listens to Meter reader
e 'Ors 'jokes air) and is
• `
' •
r •
:
quick to point out that they was in poor humour and
are just a lot of talk. He says decided to have just oice He
he had to develop a con- remembers finishing one and
,fidence in his homeowners having another put under his
due to the fact that he was nose and had to refuse it
going in their houses on a several times before he
regular basis, sometimes managed to get home.
when they weren't home. "That old man was not only
Ho said he tries to make ungrateful for the favor his
some noise when he is neighbor had done paying the
going into a house to an- hydro bill and getting the
nounce his arrival but the power turned back on, but he
move didn't always work. charged him for the beer '%
"I was in an apartment
said Bud,
building once and had to go
Not all the unusual call's
into one empty apartment to • Bud dnade were to houses. He
read the meter'. Bud recalls.. said he used to have a "heck
"I *new the door of the unit of a time" reading the meters
stuck so when I got to it I gave on the lake freighters stored
it a kick to open it. When I in Goderich for the winter. He
kicked it someone happened. remembers the boatsbeing
to be inside coming out and
gave the door a pull to open it
at exactly the same time. In
an instant we were standing
nose to nose scared half to
death."
Bud has had brief' en-
counters with PUC customers
that at the time didn't mean
much but when he looks back
must have left the people
wondering about what just
happened.
He recalls one hot summer
afternoon when he went into
the back yard of a house and
met the woman who lived
there who just happened to be
nude from the waist up. Not
wanting to appear shocked he
tried to appear unconcerned
and went about his business.
On another occasion he met
an elderly man in the kitchen
of a house and the man had no
pants or underwear on. The
man explained to the meter
reader that he was not an
exhibitionist but had had a
slight accident and was in the
process of cleaning up.
People have always
regarded Bud as a Hydro
spokesman of sorts and have
always held him partially
responsible for escalating
Hydro rates. He says he has
never in his 20 years at the
PUC ever seen a meter
running high and 'has known
some to run as low as half
what they should to ac-
curately measure power
usage.
SOME COMPLAINTS
Whenever Bud thinks of
people complaining about
electricity bills he thinks of
one older fellow - "a
bootlegger as I recall" - who
hadn't paid his bill in some
time and the PUC had
shut the power off.
A neighbor of the old gent
phoned Bud and said that he
would pay the man's bill if the
PUC would turn the power on
right away. He said the old
man was away and was
coming horde soon.
lined up six or seven across
and ju'St when he got to know
what boat was where,
someone would move them
all around.
"Sometimes it would take
two days to read the meters
on a dozen boats."
He said he got on one boat
with which he was un
familiar. Every boat had the
meter in a different spot and
Bud never got to know just
where each was and quite
often used to go to the•very
bottom of the boat to get his
bearings and then start up,
level by level, until he found
the meter.
He remembers getting a
fright on one when he got to
the bottom and heard foot-
steps above him. He said he
could see a person above him
but couldn't tell what he was
doing.
"It turned out to be the
shipkeeper trying to find me
to see what I was doing," he
said.
He went to the harbor one
afternoon to read one meter
and discovered that crews
were getting ready to move
the boat. It was the seventh
boat in a line of seven and
Bud promised he would only
be a minute if the men would
wait.
While he was on board the
crews moved the sixth boat
and when Bud came topside
he found open water between
him and the dock.
"They got a ladder stret-
ched between the two boats
and I crawled across the
space on my hands and
knees," he said. "It was just
as well 1 did because they got
the boat stuck in the ice and
couldn't move it for two or
three days."
Bud hopes to stay in pretty
good shape after his
retirement pointing out that
"It was very early in the in his 20 years reading meters
morning; about three o'clock, he has walked a lot of miles.
and I didn't feel like going out He plans his routes so that he
very badly," recalls Bud. "I parks his truck and circles
promised I would and when I
across the section of town he
got to the house the neighbor is doing and ends up back at
was there with a couple of the truck.
cold beers he said he had
"By the time 1 finish my
found in the house." , routes I ly#V0,,,waiked both
Bud claims he IS not much 'sides' of every street in
of a ,Oeei driPket,b0,,On,t ,Goderfc "That's a
., •
particular nighty he said, fle" intbt-ifhi
.1;
EASTER SALE
9 BIG DAYS OF SAVINGS!
STORE \
1 46 COURT HOUSE
ASQUARE
GODERICH
MARCH 24th
to
APRIL 2nd.
SIZE 18" x 30"
NYLON TRICOT
REVERSIBLE
WOVEN
SCATTER MATS
ONLY
4 EACH
16 PIECES
FINE DINNERWARE
STARTER SETS
4 PATTERNS
ONLY
$9.97
SET
LARGE ASSORTMENT OF
PYREX
OVENWARE
BIG VALUE
$2.22
LARGE ASSORTMENT OF
HOLLOW EMTS!!!)!!OVELITIES •
O$1.44
$3.33
ASSORTMENT NO. 1
ASSORTMENT NO. 2
COLGATES - CREST
AND
ULTRA BRITE
100 ML SIZE
TOOTHPASTE
REG 51.19
884
50" TALL
INFLATABLE
"SOCKO THE CLOWN"
PUNCHINGREG.r9 BAG
$11.99
BRUSH ROLLERS
WITH COMB
AND PICKS
ASSORTED SIZES
SMALL MEDIUM OR LARGE
ONLY
884 .
BOY'S
"MR. BRIEF"
WHITE
SHORT SLEEVE
T-SHIRTS
REGULAR 51.89
$1.44
'4 38" TALL
INFLATABLE
EASTER RABBIT
ONLY
9
NICE -N -EASY
HAIR COLOURING SHAMPOO
LARGE ASSORTMENT OF COLOURS
REG. 51.97
EXTRA
SPECIAL
1.44
LADIES'
MULTI PURPOSE
SCARVES
PLAINS -PRINTS -STRIPES
REGULAR f3.59
SALE $2 88
PRICE •
INFANTS
SLEEPERS
ASSORTED STYLES
AND COLOURS
REGULAR 53.19
$2.57
36" WIDE.
PRINTED
FLANNELETTE
REGULAR 51.19 YARD
/11 YARDS $ mo
11.44
FOR
-MEN'S
"MR. BRIEF"
SHORT SLEEVE
WRITE
T-SHIRTS
ONLY si 38
MACRAME
HANDBAGS
ASSORTED STYLES
REGULAR 53.99
$2.97
BOY'S
DENIM JEANS
2 STYLES
SIZES 7 TO 14
REGULAR 53.99
$3.33
DECORATED
STACKING
COFFEE MUGS
ASSORTED PATTERNS
2 i$1.00
LADIES
SUPER STRETCH
PANTY HOSE
BIG VALUE
AT
3 PAIRS • 7 ct
FOR
LARGE ASSORTMENT OF
"PEOPLES BRAND" HEALTH
AND BEAUTY AIDS.
REGULAR 51.33
YOUR
CHOICE
$1 .00
"HOBBY HOLLY"
DOLL
STROLLER
REG. $13.97
$9.97
STANDARD SIZE
CHIPPED FOAM FILLED
PILLOWS
BIG VALUE
AT ONLY
REGULAR 51.99
1.66
LARGE SIZE
TERRY
BATH TOWELS
ASSORTED KINDS t
VALUES TO 51.99
$1.44
REGULAR
51.99
MATTRESS
PADS
SIZES 39 x 75
AND 54 x 75
REGULAR 57.99
$7.44
TERRIFIC BUY!
"PEOPLES BRAND" - 24 OZ. SIZE
BABY POWDER
$1.00
EXTRA
SPECIAL
GIRL'S SIZE 7 TO 14
STRIPED
PULLOVERS
WITH TIE BELT
AND 34 SLEEVES
REG. 53.99
SALE
PRICE $2.88
REGULAR
SALE
PRICE SPECIAL
LADIES'
EMBROIDERED
SCUFF TYPE
SLIPPERS
REG. 52.99
$1.99
48"
BEAD ROPES
WITH 5 BANGLE
BRACELETS
PASTEL SHADES OR
REGULAR COLOURS
ONLY 88 COMPLETE
LADIES'
PRINTED
BIKINI BRIEFS
SIZES SMALL MEDIUM
AND LARGE
REGULAR 99 CENTS PAIR
2 PAIRS $144
FOR •
Aspirin Tablets
BOX OF 100
ADULT SIZE
88'
BOX OF 24
CHILDREN'S SIZE
46'
TWIN BELL
ALARM CLOCKS
2 SIZES
REGULAR 59.99
SALE
PRICE
$6.97
BOY'S
COTTON AND NYLON
STRETCH
SPORT SOCKS
WHITE WITH
COLOURED STRIPES
SIZES 7 TO 91/2 AND 8 TO 101/2
REGULAR 69 CENTS PAIR
2
PAIRS 834 ,9
FOR
LADIES'
STRIPED
PULLOVERS
CREW OR TURTLNECK
STYLES
ASSORTED COLOURS
REG. 54.99 $3 99
12 OZ. PACK
PHENTEX
KNITTING YARN
GOOD ASSORTMENT OF
COLOURS
EXIRA$
57
SPECIAL • PACK
MUSHROOM
TYPE
TABLE LAMP
PLAIN OR MOTTLED
REGULAR 53.99
EXTRA
SPECIAL 2.99
20% OFF
ALL KINDS OF
"PETER PAN"
PANTY HOSE.
• WHITE
Shelf Lining Paper
SIZE 18" x 70'
and
SIZE 12" x 100'
BOTH REG. 51.98
$1.44
ES STORES LTD.
146 COURT HOUSE SQUARE GODERICII
•
•
•