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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1982-07-14, Page 2ihe 31uron moiler Since 1860. Serving the Community Bret Incorporeting f:BrusseLs Post founded 1872 12 Main St. • 5717-0240 PubWaled at SEAFORTH. ONTARIO every Wednesday afternoon by Signal -Star Publishing Limited Jocelyn A. Slimier. Publisher Susan White. Editor Zitsiet* H.W. (Herb) Turitheino. Advertising Manager Member Canadian Community NeivsgaPer A8socinfinn. Ontario Community Newspaper Association and Audit aureats el Circulation A member ol the Ontario Press Coancil Subscription rates: Canada 1)17 a year On advance) outside Canada S5O. a year (in advance) '• Single Copies - 50 cents each Second class mali registration number COM , SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, JULY 14„ 1982 Taxpayers lose again , It was a nice try. Were referring to Seaforth councillor Bob Dinsmore's attempt to have council memberiaccept the same pay as citizens with whom they serve on public committees. Right now councillors get 845 and citizens $29 for .attending the same meetings. It vies defeated though, as was a more ambitious plan by the mayor to cut council Salaries for regular ogencill and standing committee meetings they attend as well. • That's too bad, betause" under either plan the taorpayers of Seaforth would have been the winners and we would have been proud to say our leaders are setting an example of self-sacrifice in hard times. As it is, we all lose. Small towns growing Some of us who live in and like small town Canada have suspected this. Now it'S been confirmed: small towns aren't 'dying, they're growing. And faster than cities are, according to a report f m Queen's University's school of urban and regional planning, at I t in Oritario, B.C., Alberta and Newfoundland. In P.E.I. and Queb mall towns are growing twice as fast as urban areas and it's just in Saskalthewan and New Brunswick (pity them) that small towns are losing ground. Planners aren't so clear on why small towns are growing. But we've seen it in three of Huron's five towns, Seaforth, Exeter and Wingham and phenomenally in Bayfield, which has grown a whopping 18.2 per cent in the last five years. _ The planners theorize that small town people aren't leaving for the bright city lights in the same numbers they used to. And probably that's true: youngsters who aren't sure of finding a job anywhere stay closer to home where everything, even the unemployment office, is at least familiar. We can add our own theory. Those Of uS- who live in small towns now have medical care, educational opportunities, culture and recreation facilities.....basic minimum standards that are as good as, in some cases better, than these in cities. And we're closer to the country, the lakes, the ski trails. Our small towns have more to offer in the way of community allan many anonymous suburbs or big apartment towers. Our small towns offer individuals a chance to make a difference in the quality of their own daily lives and the lives of others, without entirely sacrificing big city comforts and stimulation. Whatever the reason, it's great to see planning experts understand that small town Canada is a force to be reckoned with, not blithely written off. That's an eye-opener we're sure for those who think life stops at the end of the subway line. Weather terminology As if there aren't enough uncertainties in modern life, Environment Canada is now mailing bets about the weather. After a rotten winter and a sopping wet early summer most of us have gotten in the habit of making a few dire predictions and gloom and doom forecasts ourselves. Our bets, of late, have been 90 per cent odds for bad weather. But our national weather agency now plans to quantify its bad news and will heretoforth give us the odds in favour of rain on any given day. Just to make it perfectly clear what the national weather people really mean when they say things like '<,'a 20 per cent chance of precipation" here's a series of definitions, from (who else?) our friends at Environment Canada: 0 per cent - a dream-like stale of guaranteed fine weather - not very likely in real life, 10 per cent - take your sun tan cream and your bikini - it's glorious beach or ski weather (in winter). 20 per cent - fine weather ahead, but carry a rain -proof jacket or ground sheet so you are prepared if the odd, unexpected shower sneaks in. 30 per cent - go ahead with your picnic, boating or ski plans. You may have to shelter from the occasional shower, and there is even a slight chance of more continuous precipitation. • 40 per cent - an umbrella is recommended. Make alternate plans for indoor activities, just. in case. Not a good day to pave the driveway. Keep your fingers crossed! 50 per cent - even Steven on whether it rains or shines. Be prepared for all eventualities. If you are a pessimist, stay indoors, 60 per. cent - luck is probably against you. If the forecast sounds unpleasant, consider cancelling your garden party. 70 per cent - suggest cancellation of all outside events, unless you are ar) incorrigible optimist or don't mind oettino, wet. 80 per cent - organize only indoor activities. If the sun does shine, bank your lucky stars. 90 per cent - batten down the hatches. Only venture out if you enjoy spashing about in the rain or getting caught in snow drifts. 100 per cent - go down to the rec. room and build a model of Noah's Ark or buy a snow blower! There now. you can clip and save that. It won't make the weather any better. but think of the sparkling conversation you can make when someone asks. ' Hot enough for ya?" U© *dMcxf Local firemen praised „After a etching the Seaforth Fire Brigade in action during Monday mornings Main vtict fire. I feel sve have a fire department to he proud of. , As everyone knows. a Main Street fire can he a potentially dangerous situation. what ith all the buildings co close together, but our fire department had the blaze under ' attroi in short order, lhe way in h the fire was handled created very little danger to Ophtte Seaforth buyer ships 49 ear loads of horses JULY 7. 1882 On Tuesday morning:the fire alarm in Seaforth wa.s rung from both bells. Dried leaves and decorations left over from Christmas were piled at the rear of the St. • Thomas church and accidentally set afire. A few pails of water extinguished the fire and, .no serious datnage was done. - Upwards of 1,000 people attended the Dominion Day piciticin the grove behind the Irishtown Church. Approxiinately 8700 was realized from the day's fun_ Since July 12. UM. T.A. Sharp of Seaforth has shipped to Airnerican markets. 49 car loads of horses. thus making over $150,000 that has hero paid out by this one buyer for horse flesh in this vicinity. The foundation for the new station building was laid. Construction of the new edifice has commenced. holost citizen's feel badly that the old station will be torn down. The residence of William Payne of Brocefield was recently destroyed by fire. Destroyed was the building, contents and S70 lli tOw yocas cvono in cash deposited in a bureau drawer. JULY moisto7 Barrister of Seaforth, Francis Holmested was appointed Police Magistrate for Seaforth and surrounding municipalities. A. M. Campbell, one of four buggy dealers in Seaforth has disposed of 35 new buggies Ibis season. Prosperity.' is evident itt thit section. A new paint shop and paper , hanging business was recently opened by Messrs. Grav'es and Connor, The new business is located on Main Street, west o.,',Morrow's livery stable. Formerly of McKillop township. George Gray of Elgin. Manitoba sustained a broken thigh when kicked while unhitching a bronco. His was one of five fractures in one week, making a record number of accidents in that district. Well known horse buyer of Goderich, Jas. McCluskey sold a three year old gelding for 5300. The colt was sired by the excellent stock horse "Southport" owned by Mr. T.J. Berry of Henson. JULY 1,1932 Many competitors entered the annual Huron County livestock and domestic science judging competition in Clinton. Presented with the silver cup by W.G. Medd, M.L.A. for having the most points was Edward Johns of Seaforth with 923 out of a possible 1,000. While attending church on Sunday. Mr. and tsfirs. Geo. Walker of Hensefl had their house entered and a quantity of clothing taken. Former citizens of Seaforth. they farmed on the property now owned by Geo. Lowery. Mr. McKenzie who will do the construction work on the new theatre, arrived Monday and commenced tearing ,out the inside of the Strong block, where the theatre will be located. , Proceeds amounted to over $50 at the annual C.W.L. strawberry supper held in St. James' Hall. ft was considered a success. JULY 19,1959 A Seaforth merchant for 55 years and a barber for 62 years, Elgin H. Close sold his shop in the Commercial, Hotel to his competitor John Pullman. lie first came to Seaforth from Stratford in 1902 when he was invited to join the Seaforth band. Seaforth UOL 793 and LOBA joined more than 2.000 Orangemen who paraded in Listowel on July 12th. Upwards of 10.000 people attended the annual Orange Walk to make the celebration the largest in the town's history. Janet MacGregor of RR2 Seaforth along with 200 girls, attended the 4-011 Homemaking Club at OAC, Guelph. Almost every county in Ontario was represented at the four day meet. the butlding9s on either side of the restaurant. I believe these men deserve a great deal of credit. They are called out at all hours. and in all kind.s of weather to perform a dangerous dut That's Olt I say- hats off to all members of the Scaforth Volunteer Fire Brigade. Dianne IVIero Seaforth • SS 88 McKILLOP IN 1894 — It was Sept. 3 when this photo, loaned by Marie Melady was taken. Pupils who have been identified are Back row from lett Bob,olden, Archie McKay, Charlie Stimore, August Hemme, George Hoegy, Pat and Joe Johnston, George Hemme, Billy Holden. Second row, ep_.er...ge and Steve Nagel, Mary Gaily, 3 + 4 not known, Lena Kehna, Emma Hemme, Herland Hoegy, Mary Steuernagle, Lena Hoegy, Agnes Kehna, Mary Hoegy. Third row, Annie Koehler, Ella Hemme, Eddie Bell, 4 + 5 not known, Tom McKay. Fred Hoegy, next 2 not known, Katie Diegel, Louis Diegel, Donald Mitchell. Fourth row, Mary Johnston; not known, Edith Diegel, Lizzie Diegel, Emma Eggert, Lena Wail, Lizzie Eggert. Harry Kehna, Tommy Johnston, Henry Diegel, Henry Bennewies, not known, Will Koehler. Last row, Martha Diegel, Sarah McLaughlin, Mabel eIl, Lizzie Hoegy, Rachel Eggert, Peter Higenell, not known, Mary Eckert, not known, teacher Tommy Murray, not known J. M. Eckert, Lizzie Diegel, Louisa Hoegy, Bill Hoegy, Harry Beuerman. People remain nervous despite denials Damilnd A@ MenW by DZMi3h Roubwn A chill went through the country last week when a politician from British Columbia predicted one of the major banks would go into receivership by this fall. The thought brought new blackness to the current dark mood of the country. 'lone of our hanks. those institutions as solid a part of Canada as the Rocky Mountains is in trouble then ‘4, hat is safe? The denials came quickly of course. Thc hank denied it. Government officials denied Thc politician was called irresponsible by leaders of the business community and finally apologized and said he had nothing to base his prediction on. but people remained nervous anyway. • I don't know about you but even the good news last week made one feel this recession or depression is ccorse than we knov.. The go, ernment started holding meetings v.ith leaders of business and labour last week to try to get everybocly working together to beat this thing. It was surprising if understand• able to see the business leaders coming out of the meeting backing thc governments new programs but it was dm; nright disconcerting 10 cce the labour leaders come out of the meeting if' not exactly agreeing with ihe gocernment, at least not breathing fire as they had been since the last budget proposed a six per cent wage increase,ceiling. Time to You know what you do when you're out in a winter blizzard. You Minch Our shoulders and try to make your entire body smaller so' that the cold won't make you lose an appendage or two. Well. I think. and my wife disagrees with •me :so it's probably a good idea. that it's time for families to -hunch- against the bitter winds of a depression -inflation period. Now. I haven't developed this into a 'doctoral thesis. and there are some rough edges to be polished- but I'll give you (he general outline, ece Basically, by hunching. 1 mean a drawing. together of families. or any other units. pooling resources. putting their backs to the wind. and surviving. We have a number of friends our age, all of them living in big houses. burning tons of oil and millions of kilowatts. Our children are grown up and gone. But we keep test great What •s more. this was the second time in a week that labour unions had come out of nieetings with governments speaking in subdued tones. Earlier it had been BC Premier Bill Bennett giving the bad nev, s to labour leaders from his hard-hit province. What could the labour leaders possibly. have been told to so shock them that there could be such a dramatic change in their tone so q'uicklyfrom a declaration of war to preparation for a truce? SCARING PEOPLE The Prime Minister said last week that the one benefit of the current mess is that it is scaring people into working together. In- my limited circle at least. I sensed a real change in attitude in the last couple of weeks as if mantle realized for the first time that this isn't some minor set back but a major crisis. A friend from the west coast brought the horror stories from across the mountains and. though never a WW1' of either his provincial government or the federal government. sounded almost philosophical about the whole situation. not trying to blame either government. Someone else. surveying the "hunch" destruction in our economy mumbled that whatever's coming Im's get it over with so we can start to build things up again. It is perhaps the healthiest sign that has been seen itythis country in recent memory that these kinds of statements are. beginning to be heard. E,ven the media seems to have a sato: tone, The first sign of recovery will not he thc economic indicators like housing starts or the stock Market index but the halt of the search for a scapegoat to blame this mets on whether it be the prime minister. a premier of a province. Ronald Reagan. thc Japanese or the oil sheiks. WERE ALL TO BLAME The fact is we areali to blame for this mess. Pierre Trudeau is. Alan MacEachen is. Dennis McDermott is. Your neighbour is.. I am. You are. The most common scapegoat after the government itself has been government deficits. But as economist Bruce Whitestonc wrote recently -Deficits of any kind reflect a community wanting more than can be produced now." We've brought it on ourselves, all of us. We've taken the age-old urge to control our environment to an extreme of wanting perfect protection. perfect comfort without risk. So o e have created more and more. demand for protection from government. a demand met by the politicians doing our bidding. We may decry big government but all of us have this or that government program that is untouch- able when it comes to government cuts. Just cut the other guy's sacred-coa government service please. We have expected not just to be protected from inflation but to gain on it. taking it as our Goragiven right to increase our standard of lis ing every year. While our demands of government have led to greater and greater deficits we've also been running up personal deficits. We have built a society of consumption. needing more consumption to keep thc whole wheel turning. even if the consumption isn't really necessary to us. We consume junk food because it creates -more jobs and more profits than wholesome ' unprocessed food. then complain that unpro- ceSsed food costs too much. leaving less for U5 to spend on luxuries like junk food. It is a society out of whack. Looking for scapegoats. government. unions. civil ser- vants or any other scapegoat will only make things worse. If we've come to realize were all to blame then we've taken the first step on the road to,sanity. against winds of depression cand opik@ by BM Sffirdby barns going so that. The kids will have a place to come home to." Sentimental slob. We oldsters could hunch. board up the rambling barns for the winter. at least. and save thousands of dollars. We all have furnaces aqd electric stoves and washers and dryers and 'television sets and cars. Most of us have room to plat up four couples. Whit keep four big houses going when we could all live in one. at least through the nine brutal months that Canadians mist suffer? Most of us ha\ve some sort of gift or talent. A couple are gourmet cooks. One or rivo are excellent •sewers (as in to sew). Some are first-class mechanics or woods -rafters. or general handymen. Another couple are entertainers. Among us we have three or four languages, a knowledge of drafting and physics and typing and brtok•keeping. and various other useful odds and sods. Why not pool our talents and our TV sets? We could probably build an ark if we tad to, and yours truly ceuld write the news release about it, while encouraging the hewers of wood and drawers of Oyster. As I said. I sounded out my wife on the idea. quite enthusiastically. She merely commented thin I'd go to jail for life fOr being an accessory before the fact of murder. She didn't spell it out. I had to admit that Jack's moroseness and lilis ebullience would be hard to take seven days a week; that Jim's pomposity and Jane's 60 -minute monologues might be a bit hard on the nerves: that George's nose -picking and Mabel's sherry -sipping might wear a bit. And. of cotirse. we'd have to haye eight television sett. so that each could watch his own'. But, dammit, it could work. When she just sat there. gently shaking her head. I fell back to my second line. "What about families. then? Why can't we hunch? Your brother and his son-in-law are out of work, along with your son and your daughter. and yotir father is retired and fragile. I'm the , only one in the family working. "Yet your daughter is paying $450 a month For an apartment, your son dear -knows -what for another. and your Dad is clinging to a Please turn to page 3