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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1964-12-31, Page 2Since 1860, Serving the Community First Published at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by McLEAN BROS., Publishers ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association ABC Audit Bureau of Circulation Subscription Rates: • Canada (in advance) $4.00 a Year i O Outside Canada (in advance) $5.50 a Year SINGLE COPIES — 10 CENTS EACH Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa. 41 L SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 31, 1964 Much Accomplished In 1964 While 1964, which now draws to a close, may have been a year in which at times it appeared little was being accomplished, in fact it • was a year of solid achievement. The gross national product which re- presents the value of all goods and services ,produced, increased about. eight per cent to over $46 billi6n. Un- employment is down to fess than five per cent of the labor force, as compar- ed to an average of more .than seven per cent between 1958 and 1961. Half a million new workers have been ab- . sorbed within the past three years. The outlook for the coming year is good, with rises seen in the economy. There were discouraging wrangles in Parliament, as some in the opposi- tion seemed determined to bring the' legislative process to a standstill in furtherance of political aims. Despite this, much was accomplished by the minority Pearson, government. The legislation adopted included that to provide • for a Canadian flag; • for setting up 10 independent com- missions that will reshape federal rid- ings in each province in line with the decennial census, thus removing 'the task from politics, ending 97 years of wrangling over redistribution; • for student loans guaranteeing in- terest-free bank loans of up to $1,000 a' year for five years to needy students; • for youth allowances, a $10 month- ly payment to youngsters aged 16 and 17 who .'remain at school, thus discour- aging dropouts; • for approval of the Columbia Riv- er power development treaty with the U.S. • for establishment of a 12 -mile fish- ing limit, formerly three miles, to pro- tect inland fisheries from foreign fleets. In addition, of course, Canada has led the free world in developing a pro- gram of integrated defence, involving the three services. In the more local sense, 1964 also has been ,a year of accomplishment, not the least of which has been, a substantial increase in construction in Seaforth. Expansion . programs completed or under way include the new Seaforth Community Hospital, enlarged UDPC and Co-op facilities, a' new Topnotch -Feeds Limited research centre, a new mausoleum, a. new dial exchange and conversion to dial phone, a new PUC sub -station, as well .as added facilities at Seaforth Lions Park. In the Years Agone From The Huron Expositor January 5, 1940 William A. Crich, for many years a widely known Seaforth businessman, died suddenly on a train as he was on his way, home from Toronto. The New Year ushered in the first big snowstorm of the win- ter, and so heavy was the snow • that on°•a -number of oce.asiprs- alI roads from Seaforth .were blocked. A carload of New Year's visitors on their way to Seaforth from London on Sun- day afternoon got as far as the home of Charles Eyre on. the Kippen Road, where they spent the night after a team had pull- ed the car from the middle of a drift. Mrs. Leona Box, Mary Welck- er and Muriel Ballantyne, . .of town, entertained 16 girls at the home of Miss Leona- Box, in honor of Miss Ruth Kalb- fleisch, bride -elect .._of this month. Rev. Thomas Henry Brown, retired Anglican clergyman and well -known in Ontario, died in Toronto. The home of Mr, and Mrs. M. G. Drysdale,. Hensall,' was the setting on New Year's Day for the. golden wedding anni- versary of Mr. and Mrs. J:11. Ortwein, of Hensall+ Snowblocked roads cut down attendance at the Red Cross benefit game by the Athletic Association and rink manage- ment. • Seaforth curlers opened the season on New Year's Day when the annual President vs. Vice - President's game was . played morning and afternoon at the Palace Rink, and resulted in a win for Vice -President M. A. Reid, over President R. J. Sproat, by five shots. Trunk station at Stratford, the damage totalling $4,000. Alex Sparks, of Stanley Town- ship, has sold his farm to Mr. Saundercock, of Blyth, for $5,- 800. Though Monday night, Dec. 21, was very cold and stormy, a large number of parents and children gathered ateSS No. 5, eeuckersarith . Vl hen•. -a. splendid., program and Christmas tree awaited them. Russell H. Sproat of Seaforth, donated a Christ- mas stocking to each pupils. ' Mr. J. J. Irvine, of Leadbury, intends giving one-fourth of the proceeds from' his gravel pit this coming year to the Reds Cross. In case the war is over. before next winter, the money Will be given to Goderich Hos- pital. Miss Ruth . Sproat, of, town, was successful en winning the prize in the recent contest at -Clinton Business College for having the greatest speed in shorthand within a month. James Archibald and William Cudreore shipped from Seaforth station two .carloads of heavy horses ---36 head ---and the Do- minion Bank paid out $6,000 for horses alone that day. The public school board have engaged Mrs. W. R. Meredith as a substitute teacher for Miss Sleeth's department. Mr. Nelson Westcott, who is training with the Second Con- tingent at London, was home during Christmas holidays. With three reeves already in 'the field as candidates, the con- test for the wardenship of Hur- on County promises to be keen this year. 'Those who definitely will be in the field are Reeve Roland Grain, of Turnberry; Reeve G. C. Feagan, Colborne, and peeve George E. McNall, of , Blyth. There was a large congrega- tion present at Cromarty Pres- byterian Church when Rev. Peter Jarman was formally in- ducted as minister. The Salvation Army Cheer Pot received donations to the sum of $43.48. Twenty baskets of cheer were .distributed in the, town and Egmondville dur- inthe Christmas season.. Good news for younger gen- eration of Seaforth hockey play. ers was the announcementthat the Bantam League would get under way immediately, Direc- tor Tom Beattie • has called a meeting. Ezra Tiernan, Dashwood busi- nessman, died in St, Joseph's Hospital, London, after an op. eration four days ago. * .44 a: From The Huron Expositor January 1, 1915 , Fire originating i1n the 'fur- riscorecoil gutted the east and • taut end of the main building of the handsoriie. new Grand Among the holiday a n d Christmas visitors ; in Egmond- ville we noticed th'e •following: Miss Bessie Grieve, Kincardine; Miss Margaret Ireland, Both- well; Miss Nettie Sproat, De- troit; Miss Florence McKay, Weston; Roy Ireland;- Toronto; Mr. and Mrs. George , McKay, Toronto; Walter Hawthorne, Goderich; Frank ' Docherty, To- ronto, and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Grieve. Detroit. The merchants say that last Thursday was the best business day in Seaforth has seen for several years. The town was crowded from early morning until late at night with Christ- mas buyers. Mr. G,• F. Rogers, principal of the London Collegiate Institute, and his family were in town renewing acquaintances this week. From The Huron Expositor January 3, 1890 Mrs. S. Getty, of McKillop, has sold her farm on the 12th concession to her nearest neigh- bor, James Rinn, for $2,850. Winthrop Cheese Company patrons received' for their milk, per gallon, for May, June and July, .06 cents; for August, .07 ceents;, ,for, ,September, and Octo- ber, ,07.7 cents. The engine and boiler and other machinery connected with the electric light plant are now all in place and nearly ready for operation. The poles are all set and the wire is being strung. Miss Jenny Barr, daughter of Rev. Matthew Barr, has receiv- ed an appointment of assistant teacher in the Kincardine High School at a salary of $500 a year. C. E. Mason and Peter .Mc- Gregor, of Brucefield, two of the largest importers and deal- ers in stallions in Western On- tario, have decided to have an auction sale at Brucefield. Seaforth nominations includ- ed: Mayor, Robert Wilson; Reeve; D. D. Wilson,' F. Holm- sted and James Beattie; Deputy Reeves• A. Strong, E. C. Cole- rnan, A. Stewart, 0. C. Willson and George E. Henderson; Coun- cillors, North Ward. James' Wat- son. William Smith. .R. Willis, James Beattie. John A. Wilson; East Ward: John Darwin, Geo. Good. John Dorsey, A. Davidson, E. C. Coleman, A. Young, T. F. Coleman; South Ward: James Gillespie, W. J. Punchard, Mich- ael Keefe, T. W. Duncan, Fin- lay Ross, R. Lumsden, W. H. Hastings, John Weir. A heavy windstorm passed over the Zurich district, blow- ing down fences and doors off their hinges. It also' blew the smokestack off the flax mill. On Monday evening an en- tertainment under the auspices of St. John's Church Sunday School at Varna was held when the hall was literally packed. The following public school trustees have been appointed in Tuckersmith: Red School, Jas. Cummings, David Manson and John McCloy; Broadfoot's School, Herbert Crich, John Townsend and J. B. Henderson; Mill Road, David McIntosh, C. E. Mason and Robert McCart- ney. "Show some caege spirit mat's what you ger paid for, The (Continued frpm Page 1) forth Community Hospital was approved. Mrs. Mary Van Rengen was appointed Librarian of Sea - forth Public Library. April 16 Stanley Township council ap- pointed Lloyd Makins, Bayfield, as assessor at a salary of $250 a year. Mr. Makins succeeds Jack Stewart, who resigned af- ter two years' service owing to ill health. Russell T. Bolton, RR .1, Sea - forth, was elected chairman of the Ontario Wheat Producers' Marketing Board. A safe driver award was pre- sented to Grant Chesney, Sea - forth, for driving safely for a five-year period. M. R; Bolton, associate agri- cultural representative in Grey ,County, has been transferred to York County.. Mrs. Beverly Beaton, of Hen- sall, wasreturned as president of the Hensall Women's Insti- tute. When a -farm bridge collapsed Tuesday morning, a milk truck dropped 18 feet into the Mait- land River. A contract for $8,978.00 was awarded Frank Kling Ltd. for the construction of a new pic- hic pavilion at the Seaforth Liens. C lull. Park April 23 Fire broke out in a caterpil- lar tractor at 'work opposite the residence of Lewis Boshart, North Main St. Fire broke out in a house owned by Georg Stone, McKil- lop, 3% miles north of town. The blaze was confined to the roof, Mrs. J. Wm. Thompson, Mc- Killop, passed away while vis- iting her sister in La Grange, near Chicago, Ill. April 30 Huron Liberals at a meeting. in Clinton' Thursday evening named delegates to represent,. Huron ridings at. the annual meeting of the Ontario Liberal Association, Complimenting Miss Beth Goddard, pride -elect, oder 60 neighbors and friends attend- ed a miscellaneous presentation held in her honor in the Le- gion Hall, Hensall. Nearly 100 Kinsmen from Stratford. Simcoe, Essex, Lan- don, Exeter and Clinton attend- ed the tenth anniversary of Hensall Kinsmen Club: Harold Knight, past president of the Hensall club, reviewed the his- tory of that club 'and pointed out that $22,600.00 had been raised by the club in the past 10 years. When a stove flared up at her residence, 7 -year-old Debbie Doig suffered .serious burns. A parade of more than 300 veterans from branches throughout Western Ontario halted at Victoria Park on Sun- day and laid two wreathe on the cenotaph during' the Dis- trict 'C' Legion convention here. May 7 Members of Cromarty Church congregation attended the ord- ination service of Rev, Samuel Howard Kerr, B.A., B.D. Edward C. Miller, of Walton, passed away in his 75th year. Fire caused about $2,000.00 damage to the slaughter house onthe outskirts of Hensall,• owned by A. Scholl, Hensall. Robert Love, 29 -year-old Hen- sall native, has been appointed professor of business admini- stration at the University of California, at Berkeley. Cpl. Helmer Snell was honor- ed Tuesday when friends across Huron gathered at Clinton Le- gion Hall, Jack N. Eisler, Seaforth Le- gion president, was injured when a block of cement fell on his foot. May 14 Fireside Fellowship group of First Church toured the gravel pit of Frank Kling Ltd. Sam J•, Scott, or Northside- . Cavan congregation, was named' a commissioner to represent '13ANNED IN OTTAWA.." Year In Review Huron Presbytery of' the United Church at the General Council in St. John's, Newfoundland, in September. May 21 Miss Carol Brown, Seaforth, was awarded two goldmedals, three silver medals and a bronze medal at the Stratford Kiwanis Music Festival. , The Presbytery of Huron held a special session at Cavan .Unit- ed Church, Winthrop, to license Leslie McSpadden and to re- commend him to London Con- ference for ordination. About 100 friends and neigh- bors gathered in Walton Hall to honor Mr. and Mrs. R. J, Doig on the occasion `of their 25th wedding anniversary. For 50 years a highly regard- ed citizen of Seaforth and dur- ing that time a familiar figure among retail merchants on Main Street, Mrs. Mary Phillips died following a short illness. May 28 Little Lyle Hill, Brucefield, had his arm broken. The little fellow was coming out of the barn at • his • home when the wind blew a door against him. John Leeming, McKillop, cele- brated his 80th birthday at his Winthrop home. Completing a hundred years of °service, S,S. No. 8, McKillop, •Iviairley- School, - marked -its- cc nt. tennial, at a reunion celebration. Gregor McGregor, past mas- ter of Brucefield Lodge IOOF, was !presented with a 45 -year jewel. ' -June 4 The parishioners of St. James' Church, Seaforth, honor- ed' their pastor, Rev. C. E. Sul- livan, on theoccasion his 25th anniversary of his ordination. Former teachers and pupils were back in McKillop to at- tend the centennial reunion of S.S. No. 8, McKillop (Manley ScI16o1). • Mrs.' Alex Cuthill, of town, celebrated her 95th birthday: .A fire that broke out around a chimney caused extensive damage, estimated at several thousand dollars, to . the farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Con Eck- ert, a mile north of town. Traffic on No. 8 Highway was slowed to a crawl late Tuesday , afternoon following a collision' at the western entrance to the Lions Park. • Dogs running at large are becoming a problem in Tucker - smith,' it was revealed at the township c o U n c i 1 meeting. Reeve Elgin Thompson report- ed an incident when a dog kill- ed 16 young rabbits. June 11 Four generations of' the Nigh family were together at Huron - view, Clinton. Mrs. P. Mickle, the former Mrs. Nigh; her daughter./ Mrs. Peter Hicknell, McKillop; granddaughter, Mrs. Olive O'Neill, Kirkland Lake, a n d great - grandson, Danny O'Neill, were present. At Brucefield United Church, hymn books were dedicated in memory of the late Miss Maud McIntosh, Miss Tena Baird and Mrs. Agnes Baird.' Miss Mabel Turnbull present- ed a number of retired teachers with honor certificates at the Federation -of Women Teachers of Huron North meeting. Mr, and Mts. Frank Sills,, of town, marked the 55th anni- versary of their wedding. Le w is Knetsch graduated from Royal Military College, Kingston, with the degree of B.Sc. Katherine Dinnin, Land Ran- ger, has been chosen to attend an international camp in Swe- den this surtener. Kathy is a daughter -of Mr. and Mrs. Har- ry Dinnin, of Petrolia, and a granddaughter of Mrs, Gertrude Wright, Seaforth. June 18 A large congregational show- er was held in Kippen in hon- or of Miss Susie Mae Lostell, bride -elect. Brenda Houston, 18 -year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. It:ae libUttoti, RR '2, Brussels, won the Huron County Dairy Prin- cess crown. - Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Oke, Lon- don, ,celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Miss Kendra Moore has been appointed secretary -treasurer of the Seaforth Public Utility Com- mission. Dr. J. D. Harvey, nutritionist at Topnotch Feeds Ltd., has been named chairman of . the Ontario Division of the Cana- dian Feed Manufacturers' As- sociation. , June 25 • - William Morritt, 69, reeve of Blyth for 14 years until illness forced his resignation a month ago, died in Victoria Hospital, London. Mr. and Mrs. John McDonald, of Walton, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.' Gisela Dorrance; of McKillop, won the faculty and staff priz- es at the University of Water- loo for having obtained the highest standing in first-year arts at the university. A nine-year-old Auburn girl, Marie Plunkett, ran up 41 points out of a possible 50, to win The 'Huron Expositor trophy at the A ,Macduff. Ottawa Report annual Hullett Township field day at Londesboro. The contribution which for- mer members of the Seaforth Lions Club had made to the Lions Park.-£acilities,,was recall- ed in a ceremony, when a plaque was unveiled and dedi- fated in the bathing pavilion. Sugar and Spice - By Bill Smiley A CHRISTMAS .CRISit Oh TWO Maybe I'm getting old; but that Christmas rush seems a lit- tle rushier every year. And ev- ery year, it takes me a tittle longer to get over it, physical- ly, financially and psychologic- ally. Everything, this year, was going along fine. That is, in its usual maudlin state. Tree 'wasn't bought; exam papers un- marked; Christmas cards not purchased, let alone sent; no idea of who would be at our place for Christmas; dozens of presents to buy for -people who wouldn't be satisfied .with the moon wrapped in solid silver. But this was normal, and no cause for alarm. Then, things began to go haywire. First, my wife discovered she had a hernia. This was rather a blow to all hands. She thought it an extremely unlady-like ail- ment. I associated a hernia with wearing a 'great belt called a truss. .I don't know why you wear them, but I haven't- been reading those ads on the back of , True , Confessions all these years for nothing. But trust her. It was merely a dainty hernia of the esophagus or sarcophagus or something, a tiny puncture in her diaphragm, not to mention her self-esteem. The next thing was worse. My daughter, my delicate, little flower, my baby, was invited to the Christmas Prom. There was hell to pay. "She's only a child! It's ridiculous. She's certainly not going to start running around with a• gang, at her age." First I pointed rout 'that it wasn't a gang that had asked her, only one kid. Then I ob- served that the "child" is ,near- ly 14, wears most of her mother's clothes, and is legally enrolled at the high ',school, where the dance was to be held. The child's aunt and other adult sympathizers intervened for her, and the Old Battleaxe began to soften. But I almost, spoiled it. "What kind of, a boy is he?" she demanded. I told her that as, far as I knew, he was a nice lad, that it wasn't his fault his dad was an alto- . holic, his mother ran around with men, and he had to work in the .poolroom on Saturdays. She swallowed the works and it took me a week to convince her that he was a perfectly normal 15 -year-old in. grade 10, with the biggest paper route in ;town. I shouldn't have been so smart. It cost me the following: a new pair of shoes; a new dress which is suitable for wearing to next year's Prom, and nothing else, except that you can't wear the same dress you wore to last year's Prom; and about 12 ' hours of listen- ing to the old lady telling about how tough things were for girls when she was 13. ' Right on top of this came the worstest thing of all. We had three invitations for the Friday before Christmas: a staff party, a dinner party, and the Biennial , Pre -Christmas Buffet and Brag of the Young -At Heart Fighter Pilots. I had a terrible time making up my mind -which to attend. They invited wives to the first two. The third one is held only .every two years because it takes the Young -At -Hearts two years to get over it. * 3 Well, after I got home from the fighter pilots' party, and had a couple of buckets of plas- ma, I knew I'd make the right choice. Imagine exposing your sweet- ie -pie, to a 'lot of rich foods and stuff, and her with a hernia and all. That was about the only thing that wasn't exposed there, for a day or two.. Oh, well, everything . else went off on schedule. The tree fell over four times. •The tur- key was tougher than an old rubber boot. All our presents had to be exchanged because they didn't fit. And. we had the shortest, sweetest cocktail party, on Box- ing Day, that we've ever had. Usually, when you ask people to come from five to seven p.m., you lever the last couple out sofnetime' early on December 27. This year, it was all over at 5:30. I'd forgotten to order the booze. July 2 Mrs. John Holland, Sr., of town, purchased the Dr. _ J. B. Ffoulkes estate property in Dublin. Mr. Eldin Kerr sold his 100 - acre farm in, McKillop to Jos. Verberne, Seafbrth, with pos-' session Oct. 15, J. C. Cornish, Ron Bennett, Bruce Walters, Ross Tyndall, Charlie Ferguson and W. C. Bennett captured two •36 -inch pike and all, kinds of pickerel on a trip to Northern Ontario. Mr. and Mrs. William Forrest, residents of Hensall, celebrated their 50th wedding annivers- ary. Acoustic screens enclosing the choir loft on- either side of the church were dedicated in Northside Church in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. H. Golding.' Two hymnaries. were received in memory 'of Miss Tena Bristow. July 9 Flt./Lt. J. Miles McMillan, Mrs. McMiIlan 'and three chil- dren, have returned to Canada from England, where Flt./Lt. McMillan has been on duty for the past four years. The sixtieth anniversary of the Brodhagen. Band was cele- brated with a social. Rev. Leslie McSpadden, who has recently graduated from the Saskatchewan University, won the Daxid Dix memorial scholarship in theology, the Mal- colm Munro scholarship in Old Testament, and the Harry Smith scholarship in Christian Ethics and Sociology. ' Announcement was made this week of the sale Of Smyth's Shoe Store Ltd. to Robert J. Read. Mr. and Mrs. George Mcll- wain suffered injuries when in a collision near Sault Ste. Marie. Fire' destroyed'a barn Friday afternoon on the farm of Ron- ald Williamson, three miles east of Walton. July 16 Mrs. Fanny Dungey, after 43 years in the hotel business in Seaforth, sold the Commercial Hotel to John Chernes. Work of stripping top soil and grading began at the site of the new Seaforth Commun- ity Hospital. Looby Construction Ltd., Dub- lin, have been successful in ob- taining a contract for the con- struction of a bridge over the Little Maitland River on High- way 23, three miles south of Palmerston. The contract for $71,298 was awarded by the De- partment of Highways. (Continued ori Page 6) . A New Burst OTTAWA -- An upsurge in the appxent public support for the °New 'Democratic. Party • has Ottawa politicians worried, con- cerned or jubilant --depending on their party affiliation. New Democrats are jubilant. In recent by-election results from Ontario and Saskatchewan they see portents of a nation- wide trend. Conservatives are worried. At a recent meeting of party brass from across the country, Oppo- ' sition Leader Diefenbaker warn- ed of a new 'burst of Social- ism. Liberals admit 'privately that they are equally concerned, es, pecially in the heartland of OA: ,tario which they reckon they must • win to get a clear major- ity in the next Federal election. In Canada's biggest pr'ovinc:3, say the Liberals, the battle is now' with the resurgent NDP rather than, with the Conserva- tives, The session of Parliament re- cently adjourned tarnished the image of both Canada's tradi- tional parties. Whatever sup- port he gained in areas loyal to the Red Ensign, Mr. Diefenbak- er's flag stand brought a revolt from his party's Quebec wing and 'added to. a nationwide re- putation for stubborn intransig- ence. Prime Minister Pearson got the maple leaf flag, but he had to get it by closure and after a long and bitter debate. Then the Liberal Government came under charges of misjudg- ment by individual ministers in the handling of bribery and coercion charges against mem- bers of their ,staffs. Even Mr, Pearson himself was not untouched. In the final week of the session he saw 105 Op- position Members of Parliament vote in effect that they did not believe him whet he said he had forgotten being told of the bribery charges 10 weeks be- fore they reached the Com- mons and the headlines. ' The NDP has been playing up the bitter personality clash between Mr. Diefenbaker and Mr. Pearson and they've been pointing to the little work ac- complished in 10 months of continuous talking in the ses- sion, The first sign that this line might be having effect among the voters was the provincial by-election• in the' Tal•onto rid- ing of Riverdale when the NDP picked up, a former Conserva- tive seat which had been con- tested bye Liberal leadership hopeful Charles Templeton. Thee they got an extra seat In the House of Commons— bringing their total, to 18' in the 265 -member House — by beating out the Tories in the Waterloo 'Satith bveleetion. The latent sign ' was the pro- , vincial by-election in the urban - rural riding of Hanley, $askat- • chewan, where., the• -Minister.- of - - Indtistry in the new Thatcher .Liberal Government was de- cisively defeated by the at- torney -general in 'the former CCF Government. New Democrates in .Ottawa say Federal issues had a pow- erful effect on the Hanley vot- ers who reacted against the bickering in the Commons. This is difficult to prove 'but they may have a better case still in Waterloo South, an Ontario cen- tre of light industry. One post-mortem study of Wa- terloo South claimed to show that the voters who swung NDP were' worried about automation and job security despite full em- ployment. And .there was, a fur- ther estimate that 30 Ontario ridings have 'similar social pat- tern and , ,problems •and thus could go the same way in a ; general election. New Democrats from Toron- to say their support in that city is nearing the "break through" point of 35 per Cent which canmean a clean sweep in three -cornered contests. Experienced political observ- ers are cautious about reading too much into the NDP's by- election victories. They've seen Socialist Party support rise and fall before. For the NDP this "can't win" attitude, in and out of the party is the main thing which must be fought if it is to become one of Canada's ma- jor parties. There are still wide areas of the country where the NDP is , almost non-existent, especially Alberta, the Maritimes and French Canada. But the big parties are wor- ried enough to plan counter ac- tion,.. For the Liberals this will probably tae the time-honored form of trying to steal away NDP support by stealing the planks of the left-wing party's platform. One thing resulting from the by-election wins and the new hope rising in New Democratic breasts is that there isn't much talk any more about a Liberal - NDP merger. "If we can win it on our own, and I think we can, then that's the way we want to do it," says one optimistic New Democra- tic MP. Late one night a taxi pulled up and a Scotsman got out and began fumbling through his pockets. Finally, he handed the taxi driver a coin. "I've known folks to give a bit over," grumbled the driver, "Aye," replied the Scotsman, "that's. the very reason I asked ,ye to stop under the street ,lamp."