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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1980-08-27, Page 4• 0,4 11161111 mayor with the most Some day there will be an Interna- tional hall of fame for municipal mayors. It should contain the histories of such notables as Dick Whittington, first mayor of Old London, Jimmy Walker of New York and John Sewell of Toronto. But in a special place, sur- rounded by a framework of exclama- tion marks and dollar signs there must be a portrait of Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal. No mayor In either ancient or mod- ern times has ever achieved Drapeau's unblemished record of fooling ail of the people all of the time and being re- eietted every time. As father and mother of the 1976 Olympic Games in his city, he permitted his own officials and ap- pointees to overspend their budgets by unbelievable amounts, closed his eyes to graft and payoffs one would normal- ly believe impossible — and scoffed at the revelations of greed and dishonesty officially revealed by public hearings earlier this year. But never mind all that. Montrealers love him. They would rather be bled white by Drapeau than be honestly governed by anyone else. The mayor's latest venture Into the abuse of public rights is a new bylaw which makes It illegal for private Individuals or the press to even ask questions of the city council. He, per- sonally, will deckle what questions "are in the public interest" and none but the most flabby inquiries will reach the council table. Will he get away with this flagrant abuse of democratic rights? Certainly. 'He has encountered no real difficulty with his dozens of previous abuses of public trust and this will be no excep- tion- Our democratic rights — those basic principles for which Canadians have fought and sometimes dled — cannot survive unless we recognize and turn out of office !hose politicians who would destroy what has taken so long to es- tablish. The life of a democracy de- pends not on its politicians and leaders, but upon those common citizens by whom and for whom our freedoms have been established. A dismal record A few years ago the editor of this column was the recipient of a scathing letter from the public relations director of one eef our railway companies. He had written a critical comment on the quality of service offered by the- na- tional railway company after two or three personal exposures to the ser- vices of the railway itself andone of its hotels. Apparently some members of the Ontario Legislature share our opinion. A provincial task forcewhich has been studying rail service within the prov- ince says in its preliminary report that the publichas an image of the railways as "inconvient, outmoded, constantly late, infrequent and served by staff who are often incompetent and rude". Another rail critic, Julius Lukasie- wicz, a Carleton University professor, says in his book, "The Railway Game", (1976) Canadian railways have r - sed to invest . money to Moder a and maintain equipment — and they n ver will unless the federal government subsidizes them. He believes that the railways have been short-changed 11- nanciallyb,.,Then aufharastates.that-no- less thanr8452 # report ea in Ccna�tiast r: r . i �. �ye8 Tamed on "poor maintenance and Inadequate equipment". The professor Says the record of rail- way safety in Canada is dismal when compared with European countries. There are three times as many derail- ments in Canada each year as in Japan and West Germany and twice as many as in France and Switzerland. And there are .five times as many collisions involving trains each year In Canada as in France and three times as many as in Switzerland. A country as Targe as Canada has special need for an efficient railway service. In fact, the western provinces would not agree to join Confederation until there was the firm promise of railway links between central Canada and the west coast. By this year, how- ever, many towns on the prairies were faced with stoppage of rail service, de- spite the fact that many of them are dependent on the rail lines for move- ment of their agricultural products. The sad state of the Canadian Na- tional system may be blamed, rightly or wrongly, on lack of government sup- port. Such however, isnot the case with Canadian Pacific, which has prospered to the point where it has vast holdings in : a widely diversified range of other commercial enterprises. ,CP may not be making its profits from its rail ser- vice, but its total earnings, springing as they do ; from its original railway op- erations, are vast. ere Jn:-the comparatively well -pop- elated area' of Southern Ontario, we Ear'and "do` survive without rail pas- senger service, but there are hundreds of other sections of the country Less fortunate. Northern Ontario is one ex- ample, as are points in all the other areas of the country where highways are minimal and air travel is expen- sive. An efficient rail system is still a vital requirement of Canadian Confedera- tion. Cache in Buck Rogers The kids who read the comics 35 or 40 years ago were treated to ajaste of the future more 'accurate. than most par- ents were prepared to believe. One out- standing character was Captain Buck Rogers, who had gotten himself blasted some'500 years ahead of his time. First of all he had acquired a vehicle that shot him out into space (laugh, laugh) and then, somehow he cropped up with such nonsensical equipment as a wrist radio, a ray gun and a little (et -powered outfit strapped to his back, with which he could vault into the air at the touch of a button. The guy who dreamed up that fan- tastic series certainly had visions of things to come. Space vehicles are old hat now, as are wrist radios. The laser weapons already in use look much like Buck's ray gun. More than 10 years ago American soldiers in a few special units were successfully using personal jet back -packs for instant levitation. Last week it was revealed that the United States is well on the way to a process by which aircraft will be able to penetrate enemy radar screens un- detected, tantamount to invisibility. They even predict that surface ships will be able to acquire the same capa- bility. Buck Rogers, bless his courageous soul, was able to employ his armament of secret weapons to stay one step ahead of hl apace enemies. But that's not the way it works here on old terra firma. If the U.S. can make its planes invisible today, you can bet your money on the USSR having the same equipment very soon. There are never any winners in this old game of war. Their standards were high The Georgetown independent says that at a time when there Is much per- sonal and family anguish over mar- riage break-ups it is good to see the number of golden anniversaries which local couple celebrated in the last few weeks. As one of the staff remarked, 1930 must have been a good year for mar- riage because so many ventured into the holy institution in that year. Yet, when one considers the economic fac- tors and the gloomy forecasts of that time it is a wonder that anyone would take a walk down the matrimonial aisle. I t is a testament to those who did, and completed 50 years of marriage, that they Made lifelong commitments and stuck with them through a great de- pression, a world war and the vicissi- tudes which strike all married couples who raise families. It is true that social attitudes have changed. Fifty years ago separation or divorce was often the road at ostra- cism. Today it is more readily accepted and understood and strikes most families in one way or another. The number of separations and divorces today marks the achievement of 50 years of marriage as even more salutory than it did at a tithe when most marriages lasted a lifetime. And if the golden anniversary couples have any advice for us, we would all do well to isten. serreW THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at iKiagham. Ontario. be 14enger Bros Limited Barry Wenger. President Robes fl Wenger Sec Trea, Member Audio Bui--eauof Circulations 1r— "Member — Canadian CbnthiUnity Newspaper Assor sf.abgeripitliya $1S.oe per year Second Cess Mail Registration No 0621 Om arm Weekly Newspaper Astec Sia months ,20.00 Return postage guaranteed yeassaa .`.K,• + +x +.k .,,, �., �...?.�, u..w: •r r^,,:,.�,. +?s�:;: r,/i. '.',`r/� j•'� "lgr,�y�y'!/'! _'.� % tK�t +c'K•1 \�y !� � 1, . f.:,•.. k '4 . K !! ews Items frori AUGUST 1933 Charles A. Robertson, M-L.A.' for North Huron, was the choice of the Liberal convention held in Wingham for the new riding of Huron - Bruce. J..George Anderson of Lucknow gave him a close run, being defeated by a small margin. On Friday, September 1, the : beautiful new schoolhouse, Curries. School, ihich• replaces, *the school which.was burned last spring, will be officially opened. The Red Front store has several meat specials this week: spare rib's, tiro pounds for 19 cents; tenderloins for 30 cents; sugar cured, sliced bacon, 25 cents a pound. Dian Ewing of Teeswater has entered the hall of fame. While golfing at the Alps Golf Course with W. M. Hutchison of Teeswater, he made the ninth hole in one. Don will have a great story to tell the boys at Western University when he returns this fall. Miss Mamie Gibson of Wroxeter has accepted a position as stenographer in T. G. Hemphil's office. Miss Gibson is a graduate of Westervelt School in London. The Canadian Wrigley Company is entertaining 500 children to a two-day trip to the Canadian National Exhibition. Wingham will be represented! bY Beryl Ilene Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Brown, and Benson Hamilton, son of Mr. and Mrs, Robert Hamilton. Capt. Fred Gales, one of Canada's , tau ; pit ts, will .4p . his Reid -Rambler aeroplane and will take passengers for rides over Wingham on Saturday. AUGUST 1945 Last week, less than a day after the Japanese quit the war, the rationing of •gasoline was discontinued Rationing was .:instituted .in- April 1942. Restrictions on the use of fuel oil has also been removed but tires continue to be rationed.:., Teeswater lost one one of its fine families when Reeve and Mrs. E. Roy Thompson moved to their new home near Port Credit. There is little doubt that Canada will have a flag of her own before long. Prime Minister King has given sew* "indications that he favors the Red Ensign. Some 6,200 copies of the new telephone directory for Wingham and vicinity have been. distributed. Among the names in the Wingham section, the Scotts lead with 12, followedby the Curries with u and the Kings with 10. - Gorrie welcomes home Tian. Pritchard,•Fraser Lynn. • and FOX Aeries, retegning • from, active • service,. over- -seas. " ver--eas.." A, Garrett has purchased the Simpson house on. Diagonal -Road and will get possession September i. Mr. and Mrs. :Joseph E. Smith announce the engagement of their daughter,• Alma Leone, to Ross A -'Jamieson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jamieson, Whitechurch. AUGUST 1956 The shortage :of trained nurses at the Wingham General Hospital and the hope of recruiting girls for the nursing profession, was termed as being `grim' by H. C. MacLean, hospital board New political party TORONTO — A new political party calling itself the Unparty has submitted a 13,000 -signature petition to the Ontario government's Commission on Election Contributions and Expenses, asking for egistration as an official p4y in the province. According to Mary Lou Gutscher, Unparty chair- man, "The past two elections have finally proven to many Canadians that the parties elected to government have lied about their promises to reduce the size of govern- ment. "The Unparty was formed in February, 1980, with one purpose: massive cuts to government at all three levels — federal, provincial and municipal. And we mean to do it." Other Unparty officials indicated members are organizing riding associa- tions and provincial parties across Canada. Plans also were announced for nation- wide advertising campaigns to solicit members and sup- port local activities. "We expect to attract many people who are politically inexperienced," Ms. Gutscher said. "The Unparty has developed courses and materials to overcome this situation and we hope to realize an elected representative for every 1,000 members in the party" Among other things, the Unparty would like to abolish the Ontario Censor Board, Niagara Escarpment Commission, all government expropriation, taxation, subsidies, unemployment in- surance. OHIP, agricultural marketing boards and gov- ernment regulatory ages-. •cies. It wants to turn all pos- sible` government businesses such as the post office; On- tario Hydro and Via Rail into private companies, balance the budget, stop printing inflationary money and sell off all government assets to pay off debts. The Unparty will be On- tario's seventh political party to register with the commission- Eleven other political 'organizations are circulating petitions in the province fly .Jebta fPattlsoa Following the death of Richard Clegg in 1917, C. K. Walkr decided tor'etireand by the end of•the text Year Whet fig Clegg was no Mere and the factory wasnffted. for A. Partnerihip was formed by Charles Black- hall, Norman Fry, Walter VanWyck and Samuel Bennett : to continue the furniture business in Wing - ham. Fry and Blackball had een foremen for.. Walker & ,r Clegg, and S. Bennett had operated a planing mill for many years. Pact of the fac- tory was rentedfrom Walker and the new firm of Fry a Blackhall was in business. In June, 1920, they received a charter for Fry & Blackhall - Ltd., and stock Was sold in the new firm. The first officers were: presi- dent, S. Bennett; vice, J. A. Mills; Secy-treas., E. S. Copeland: Directors were S. Bennett, A. Cosens, J. A. Mills, Thos. Field and a Mr. Shaunts of Kitchener. The production managers were Norman Fry and Charles Blackhall. These extra men ld Files chairman, after hearing the management committee's report. The -committee also intimated that the housing shortage In Wingham kept trained nurses from co to Wingbam. Morris Township Council appointed William McArter road superintendent to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father, ,'Ivan McArter. Wroxeter welcomes Mr. and Mrs. J. McLaughlin 'of Std P Mary's who will raise mink in the village. The Borden Co. Ltd. has purchased the Fordwich plant of the Carnation Company, situated between Mayne Corners and Ford- wich: The plant will continue to he used as a receiving station, some 85,000 pounds of milk perweek being received and cooled there before shipment to Border's main plant at Tillsonburg. The paving of Highway 4 from Wingham to Blyth is nearing completion as Brennan construction lays a new surface. Bill Kreller has com- menced duties on the staff of the Gorrie branch of the Thanks for the festival support Dear Editor, I am writing to thank you for the overwhelming sup- port you and your organization have shown the Blyth Summer Festival over the summer. The festival has enjoyed a tremendous season this year. Our audience in- creased greatly this sum- mer, and the reason for the increase is due in large part to the interest of the local media in the people and the program we have here. I really think that we at the The tragedies Among the hundreds of fascinating beauty spots in Ontario, Tobermory must rank among the best. "The Tub" attracts thousands of visitors each year as the take -off point for the ferry to Manitoulin island• to addition to its travel i ing papulation it is home country to cottagers and sightseers. Located at lee very tip of the Bruce Peninsula, the .waters which surround the village abound 'inscenic islands, at- tractive to the holiday population, but a centuries-old hazardto shipping. Over the years many vessels have one to the bottom among the rocks•and shoals as they tried to remand the point of land which separates LakeHuron proper from Georgian Bay. The ancient wrecks are a natural attraction for modern skin divers. Several yaws• ago the provincial government established the first un- der -water provkitial park as a place wire Adve ttur`e lovers could Indulge their hobby. Fad nye Provincial Blyth Summer Festival are very lucky to have such a supportive community around us. What a joy to deal with people who are always so welcoming and so in- terested in what we are doing. Our sincere thanks to your paper for its coverage and to the people of the area for their patronage. We hope we can continue to enjoy their trust and support in years to come. Brenda Doner Publicity Director continue Park immediately became a Mecca for the divers. Unfortunately the park has now become a place of tragedy rather than of pleasure. The cold waters of the lake, make for diving conditions which are apparently more severe than most sportsmen realize. They have taken the lives of some divers every year since the park was opened. There were four deaths last year and two this year to date. Most Of the deaths have been attri- buted to the diver's malady known as "the bends", occasioned Most fre- quently by approaching the surfer too rapidly from depths at which pressure on the body is considerably greater than normal. it is obvious, of course, that greater compulsory precautions are needed. It - would be a shame to outlaw either the park or diving exercises, but a better set of safety regulations will have to be sought. Toronto -Dominion Bank. Sally Slosser, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Slosser of Ingham, has won the Dominion -Provincial Bur- sary for the University of Western Ontario. She plans to enter Ursuline College this fall where she will take the arts course. AUGUST 1966 Members of the seven major unions of railway workers in Canada have voted to go on strike on Friday. The strike will bring all the services of two major Canadian railways, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, to a complete stop. Rev. John C. Brush was inducted into the Molesworth and Gorrie Presbyterian Churches. He comes from .a charge in Kingston Presbytery. Mr. and Mrs. Clare Harris and their family moved their household effects to the house in the village of Ford- wich which they recently purchased from Mr. and Mrs. John Minnigan. A well -attended party was held in Blnevale in honor of newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Percy Vincent. Mrs. Vincent is the former Dorothy Greenaway. Rev. Don Sinclair, pastor off the Baptist Church here for the past eight years, will preach his„ farewell sermon on Sunday. Initial copies of a record entitled 'Centennial Hymn' have been released under the Caprice label from Mon- treal. The record is of in- terest to Wingham people because the lyrics of the hymn were written by Mrs. Mende Du Val. l ,t sin Was thata• operations.. 13y July, 2 t'i , chased the Bennett P,ta>g mill on Jooeplliifle Street,. but by pctoter thea 0044 it to Josh 'Hi st, Wbo 'OtaAndr a produce warehanse7Sorne of the machinery from, the planing mill was retained. Walker sold hie • factory to Willlialn Gunn in 19220, who. started the Gunn -Sol -Ola, but Fry & ` Blackhall were allowed to remain. in a short time Mr. Blackball had to drop out due to illness. shares werebought by D. B. Porter, who later served as president and -pleats per - intendent and wag respon- sible for all woodworking for many years. Harcourt Mundy joined the final in the early twenties as secretary - treasurer, when E. S. Cope- land became general manager. Both Mundy and Copeland were also sales- men on the road.. By 1927 Fry & Blackhall Ltd. was asked to vacate the Gunn factory. At that time they were employing 40 people. They took an option on the empty Union Factory from . Canada Furniture Manufacturers for$10,000. To buy the building, move and make alterations ' was estimated to cost $15,000. They asked the town to loan that sum for li5'years at 3 per cent, repaying $1,000 per year. The shareholders at that time were. N. L. Fry, E: S. Copeland, W. VanWyck, D. B. ?orter and D. • I'i[. Mundy. It was taken to the people in a vote on Monday, March 5, 1928 and was carried 617 to 27. The company weathered the depression and the war years. By 1945, due to Con- tinuing success, more space was required and a 15,000 square square footaddition was built at the rear, bringing the total area in the factory to 50,000 sq. ft. A, severe loss was suffered in the sixties with the death of two share- holders, D. H. Mundy in 1960 and D. B. Porter in 1963. Their expertise was hard to replace, Fry & Blackhall beat only quality furniture and were granted patents for new uni- que methods of manu- facturing upholstered furni- ture. Their registered trade names "X -Rayed" "Chester Bed" and "Red -D -Rest" were well known in the in- dustry. Their products were sold from coast to coast in Canada, although most was sold in Ontario. They em- ployed 55 people at their. Peak - 1965 Messrs. Ray Dho and Ken Kirkham purchased Fry & `BlackhalL Town & Country Furniture in London was purchased in 1967 and the operation was moved to Winghain. It was said that it would increase production by 60 per cent. By 1968 Dho & Kirkham were in receiver- ship. This was the end of heavy furniture upholstering in Wingham, New Books in the Library CHANGE OF HEART by Sally Mendel Sharlie Converse is 26, courageous, beautiful. Born with a heart defect which has defeated the specialists, she has lived her short years from moment to moment. Hers is a careful life until, on a crowded cross-town bus, she falls into Brian Morgan's arms. This is a story so moving, so bursting with tenderness and laughter, hope and courage and tears, that its charm is irresistible. AN IMPERIAL AFFAIR by Gretchen Hoskin This vividly authentic, richly detailed novel of romance, intrigue and revolution, recreates the last days of the Russisin aristocracy and gives startling answers to questions which have haunted the West since the summer of 1918, when the world was told that Czar Nicholas and his family had been executed. ROGUE DIAMOND by James Broome Lynne Born 200 million years ago, the eight-caraCdiamond was to mark the beginning of a long journey into fear and intrigue. Appleby's discovery was destined to be the catalyst in the lives of many people. THE WIND IS FREE; Windsurfing with Ken Winner Since the invention of windsurfing more than a decade ago, the world has started a love affair with the sport. Whether you are a total beginner or a more experienced sailor . wbo wants the challenge of high- performance windsurfing, this book is for you,