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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-07-24, Page 1121st Yeae ' _ 'Whole NO, $865 , SEAPORTH 777,7,71 7 ONTN110;.111404Y,...JULY 24, 1900 — 20 PAGES $14 e,year neeeeno •siogid coPy 3FPnts- FIRST,PRIZE—Three-year old Jason Leeming quietly takes victory in stride as he displays his first prize ribbon, and the hat that won it for him, from the Sumrrprtime '80 Pirate Hat contest held Friday. More photos Inside. (Photo by Shoveller) Children drown near Zurich Two Scarborough children drowned last Sunday when they apparently slipped off an embankment gutted pond st their uncle's farm in Zurich. The children, Sara Margaret McGratten. age 4, and ber brother Ryan Joseph age 6, apparently wandered off while visiting their uncle Don Regier's farm on a family outing. Later in the afternoon the family had planned to join a reunion of the Walsh family held at Fergus Feeney's farm in Dublin. Sers'a body was the first to be found Coating face down around 12:10 p.m. Police recovered her brother's body seven Netts later in 13 feet of water nettethe shore of the pond. They were the children of /Uric and Joyce • McGratten of 20 Oakhaven Dr. in Scar- borough, and the grandchildren of Mary Ryan and,the late Joseph Ryan of R.R. 1, Dublin end Mr. and Mrs. Stanley J. McGratten of Goderich. A brother, Sean David, 8, *leo survives. Funeral services were held at St. Patrick's Church in Dublin Wed. July 23 with • interment at Si. Patrick's Cemetery. Father Gordon Dill officiated. The R.S. Box Funeral Home evas in charge of arrahgements.• Pallbearers for Sara were Gerald and Rick Ryan. James Etue and Robert English. Pallbearers for Ryan were Harry and John Ryan, Donald Regier and elicholts Lomand. New building, addition planned for Main Street A new office building and an extension to a bank building will add to oenstruction activity in Seaforth this summer. For the first time in its 104 year history the Meleillop Memel Fire Insurance Company will have its own building when it occupies new aceotrittiodation now under construction on Main Street. The building site is between the new Roth Fc:od Market end John Longstaff's Opto- metry building. "I have to idea when it will be ready," said Don McKercher, president of the company. "Hopeftely by the first of Novem- ber, but soste time this fall." The cempany awarded a contract for S97,474.00 to Wayne and Harold Smith Constrection Ltd. at a meeting lest Thursday and work commenced on Monday. The decision to move was made in April. after which a site was chosen and the company acquired the propetty "and went at it", according to Mr. McKetther. The new buildieig of abodt 2,000 square feet which was designed by Mutrey Taylor of Clinton, will be one floor and will house only the insurance company. "After 100 years it should be good," said Mr. McKercher. "You have to be excited." Margaret Sharp, who has been with McKillop since 1959, and_ has been the company's secretary -treasurer since 1966. is the seventh person to hold the secretary's post. She said a tot of tirne was spent in deciding on plans for the building so that it would serve the crenpany to best advantage. Pot the past 20 years McKillop Mutual has occupied .a portion of a building owned by McLean Bros. Publishers Ltd. who will use Please turn to page 3 n ide this week Walton opens recreation centre Walton opened its new recreation centre last Sat- urday and to celebrate the opening, the day was filled 4), with a parade, baseball - games, a poti barbecue and a dance. Prizes were won and speeches made. look for additional inform- ation and pictures inside. . P. 7 Huron County ' Separate? This - week, Behind the • Scehes takes a humorous look at Huron Comety and the suggestions of separ- ation. In his regular column Keith Roulston suggests Hurot County become "fashionable and start a separatist movement." . . P2 • BY JIM BEER Under its warm friendly exterior, the 'drinking problem involving minors, tire smell /own of Seaforth has an ihteriOr , squealing and drunk driving. On weekends, the small towns -etitetft street becomes a veritable hot 'spot ';for reconditioned cars with over sized tires;and fahrieated engines. Reports of tire squealing d eXceeeiee-noiseeare-the-nieste.e' entTen complaints received by Seaforth police.. In 1979, 40 cases of tire squealing,yeiie recorded by police in this 2;100 population community. In Clinton, with a population i;ogo greater than Seaforth, only 35 cases were listed. In Wingham with a population of 2,879 a total of 29 charges were made and in Exeter, a town of 3,668, only seven charges of tire squealing were recorded. • S fire damage $65, Seaforth, the smallest toWn in Huron County, remains the highest in car related noise offenses, and according to Police Chief John Cakes, it's not becausepoliee here are more sensitive to noise. , "Yee seem to get more complaints on tire squealing than anything elee," he says. BEER IN THE CAR "I would say 80 per cent of these tire squealing charges had beer ie the cat," he adds. In a 'small 'back storage room at the Seaforth ,police station, tvvo long shelves stand full vvitlt half empty and unopened bottles of beer and alcohol, eee The aceurnulation of bottles is a result of the last few weeks' confiscations ie drinking releted 'offenses. An estimated $65,000 to S70,000 damage - was caused to Seaforth District High School when a fire broke out early Tuesday morning., • The cause of the fire, according to an investigator from the Ontario fire marshes office, was either from an overheated piece of office equipment or a defective extension cord. Fire Chief Harry Hak said the fire, which was reported about 6:30 Tuesday morning, gutted one room in the school causing approximately 510,000 damage to equip- ment. Timetables, handbooks, and other paperwork prepared for the school year to come were destroyed. Other parts of the building, said Mr. Hak, suffered extensive smoke, heat and evater damage. eee- e '- 'Firefighters were called to the Tuesday morning blaze by a woman who lives across front the school Marie Palin of Franklin Street in Seaforth said she Was making her husband breakfast when she first smelled the smoke. She added it wasn't until her husband James was on his way to work that they noticed the smoke coming from the school and she called the fire department. Sidewalk sale busy here Merchants in Seaforth were generally pleased with the results of this year's sidewalk sale held July 17 to 19. said , crganizer Jerry Hetherington. 'I was a little disappointed with the actual participation from merchants on the side - wallet' he said. Mr. Hetherington desctibed Thursday and Friday as good sale days, but said Saturday business slowed down some. This he said. may ° have been an effect caused by competing sidewalk sales in Exeter and Goderich. ' "It just so happened they ran their sales at the same time," he said. • Some merchants, said Mr. Hetherington complained of parking tickets being issued by the new bylaw enforcement officer recently hired by the town. "It was a matter of timing." he said. "We rEdn't realize she was starting her job the same time as the sidewalk sate. It's sort of bad when a person comes from out of man and receives a ticket." Mr. Hetherington said nothing was done about the tickets this year. but during next year's sidewalk sale. he hopes to have the meters covered. Puppets at na Toronto's Frog Print The- atre has been working hard the last 12 years to fulfill ....4,14_44,4,44.5.4.4t444,4Setrgn,r1,4. the dreams of its artistic cBrector. In, its attempts to increase rectignition and popularity of puppetry, the troupe travels and performs across Ontario. Last week they entertained about 30 Seaforth children . . P. 20 Girls save $1400 Four Seaforth area girls who have worked the last six weeks designing kits that stress basic learning skills and research tech- niques, saved the Huron board of education about 51400 (the price ;. <mid have paid to pui chase the kits) Look for details inside P16 e MIN MOVING IN — Firemen Ron Anstett, Jim Parkinson and Jim Palin feed a hose in to fight a blaze at Seaforth District High School at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. The fire, probably caused by a faulty extension cord or an overheated duplicating machine, resulted ho about $65,000 damage. More photos Inside the Expositor. (Photo by -Ellis) to. • "Out of the five towns in the county, we have -the smallest population and Probably the biggest alcohol problems," said Chief • CairlAS. The ptoblem, he added, is more deeply rooted thaneust a few individuals out for a good time. Driving and drinking is almost indigenous to the area. "We get them as yeungets 15. and 16 in the cars drinking," he said. •s EXPLAIN TO PARENTS "When they're under 16, our policy the first time is to take them home and explain the situation to their, parents." "After two occasions, they are taken to juvenile court," he added. In total for 1979, Chief Cairns said 107 charges were made under the Liquor Liceece Act, up from 76 charges in 1978 and 55 charges in 1977. "Most beer charges begin with other • charges," he said, adding police may pull a vehicle over for a traffic violationeind find an open case of beer in the back seat In examining 1980 charges made so far, Chief Cairns cited a notable increase. ' - "It is definitely on the increase," he said. "55 charges this year as of July 17 - up 9 • over last year." The increase, he said, may be partially attributable to recent lowered fmes for liquor offenses. The fine for bewaring liquor vehicle laws had been increased to S104 in August 1979 because of a need for steeper controls noted by police in Huron County. However, becaueeeeof a systems change in the provinces fine structure, liquor offense fines were unified in all parts of the province. Lowering the $104 fine to 538, said Chief Cairns, otde added to a problem he thought 'police had finally begun to control. "We thought at that time, the bees were beginning to feel the pinch," he said. "An increase from that point would have really helped." • "When it was cut down, the rate of charges jumped up again." A NEW INCREASE Although the 5104 fine was just reduced im February 1980, a provincial increase has recently been issued. By August 1, all liquor related fines, presently at 538, will be Please turn to page 3 Dne of a dying breed Seaforthis new sh BY HERB SHOVELLER Michael Dupuis is a little bit of new blood in what otherwise may be a dying breed. He is a young man in what is often reserved as an older man's craft. He's a shoemaker. "There used to be over a hundred and strneshoemakers in Toronto in the '50s." he said, "but now there's just about 60. It's down by half. "It's mostly older guys; there aren't many younger guys going it." Michael. 25. who was raised in Clinton and lives there now, is unique in another sense. His father, Ray, is a shoemaker in Clinton, so he's keeping the family tradition. "Dad has been trying to talk me into it for the last six years," he says. "I thought I should give it a try." This is Michael's first 'go at his own business, and he suggests it's a little risky and one that will likely never be lucrative. but it also has its benefits. "It's good to be your own boss," he says. "And everything's a gamble now- adays with 18 per cent interest." There's really no formai school for shoemaking, nor are there such things as apprenticeships. You simply latch on to someone who does it and then learn from experience. In Michael's case that meant his father,. with additional instruction thrown in at high school classes taught by former Seaforth shoemaker Hugh Thomp- son. HE'S A WELDER TOO "I've been fixing shoes since I was aboilt ten," he says, but in the meantime he, picked up another trade as a welder, and worked for Dearborn Steel in Goderich. "I got tired of getting laid off all of the said Michael. "Everybody you go to for a job keeps asking for an experienced guy. 1 just got fed up. 1 just decided to go on my own with another trade I knew." Even when he worked as a welder he kept his interest in shoemaking active "I used,to work nights. I worked nights for three years, then 1 would work for my father in the daytime." When Hugh Thompson was about to retire. and was selling his business, a combination of frustration at his other job, prodding by his fail:lei% and his knowledge of the craft led Michael to try his luck in the business. His experience leaves him realistic about his trret.:. "It's seasonal work," he says. "In the winter everybody is wearing boots, so you don't get heel and sole work. It depends on the weather. ' F r some people it's just as well to get ride of boots rather than fix them, but you get that all year too. Some people think its cheaper to buy a new pair." ZIPPER WORK When a business slows down in the winter months, Mr. Dupuis relies on zipper work to keep him going. The zipper work is mainly for snowmobile suits. It's been about IS years since Michael's been working on footwear, and over that period materials have changed, as have styles. "There's more and more plastic." he said. "It's herder to work with. You need the right kind of glue. There's a different emaker technique to fixing thern. "The ladies' shoes are not as well made now. They're trying to make them cheaper to stay competitive. I guess. It depends ou styles too, and you can't blame companies if .h.er-cesea demand for them." If you're thinking about a new pair of shoes, Michael may not be *Isle to advise you on the latest styles. Besides. there's a matter of taste. But he can tell you what be finds most comfortable and has the highest quality. "All I've ever worn are cowboy boots and work boots." he said. "They don't look too bad if you keep a shine on them." 4 4 e Seaforth's new shoemaker is Michael Dupuis. store on Main St. has been open three weeks. As of today, his new (Photo by Shoveller)