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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1965-01-07, Page 2Published Since 1860, Serving the _Community Firs at SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by MeLEAN BROS., Publishers ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association a Audit Bureau of Circulation Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) ,$4,Q0 a Year Outside Canada (in advance) $5.50 a Year SINGLE COPIES — 10 CENTS EACH Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa. SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, JANUARY 7, 1965 Council Faces Year of Decision The inaugural meeting of Seaforth Council this week was unique in sev- eral respects. Not only are five of the nine mem- bers serving their first term on a muni- cipal body, but this year's council in- cludes probably the youngest and old- est councillors to ever have been elect- ed in Seaforth. In addition, for the first time since the town was incorporated, a minister is a member. Councillor Walter Murray, who will mark his 77th birthday in a month's time, served one year on council thirty years ago. A young Seaforth business- man, Brian Flannigan, who is 23, de- serves credit for early taking an in- terest in affairs of the municipality in which he resides and earns his living. The minister, Rev. Harry Donaldson, agreed to serve when a second nomina- tion. became necessary. He is following a course established earlier this year in Exeter when a minister of that town was elected as a member of coun- cil. The other members of council include a number with wide experience. in a variety of fields, as well gs three veter- ans in Mayor J., F. Flannery, Reeve N. C. Cardno and Deputy Reeve Carl Dal-. ton. The •combination of their munici- pal experience, coupled with the .broad knowledge and enthusiasm of the new members, results in a council which at the end of 1965 should be able to point to positive achievements in a number of directions. •- • Certainly there are important mat- ters facing council—matters which will not be completed in 1965, but about -..which policy must be defined and direez tion given if . Seaforth citizens are to enjoy the advantages of growth and im- provement, which are possible with a prudent and enlightened administra- tion. Among those matters to which early attention should be given and decisions taken, but not necessarily in order of importance and certainly not all in- clusive, are: • • Storm Sewers—The MacLaren As- sociates' report should be on hand shortly and 'council will be required to set out a schedule of priorities to pro- vide that some work is completed each year in a manner that fits in with other work, such as sanitary sewers and im- provements. • Sanitary Sewers—Preliminary en- gineering to provide for necessary dis- posal facilities and the completion of a perimeter line to serve the southwest area of town should be initiated at an early date. In this way the town will be prepared to take advantage of win- ter work programs and other assistance when finances permit. • Main Street Renovations—There is every indication the county road south of No. 8 Highway will be rebuilt as a development road,, probably in 1966. Would it not be wise to have necessary engineering and design work done this year, so that that part of the work which is the responsibility of the town could 'be phased into the development road program? • International Plowing Match—Sea:- forth atch—Sea-forth has its greatest opportunity to indicate its advantages when visitors from across the Continent and Europe arrive here in 1966. What plans are we making as a municipality to ensure that everything will be in order, and that we are taking advantage of this opportunity? • Street Replacement—Many munici- palities are finding provision of perm- anent paving on . main travelled streets to be economical. Should we be stab- Jishing a schedule of priority for such paving and have necessary engineering completed? • Town Planning, Zoning—Possibil- ity that planning will become a reality at the county level earlier this year re- sulted in local action being held in abey- ance. If Huron fails to act—and the decision, should be taken this month -4 Seaforth should be ready to go ahead on its own. • Centennial Celebration, Old Boys' Reunion—Have we given thought as to how we, as a community, will celebrate Canada's Centennial in 1967? Should we" think of another Old Boys' Reunion —the last was in 1955, ten years ago? While this list by no means exhausts the matters deserving of council's at- tention, the items in themselves are such that if acted on; in an orderly fashion and, with priorities established, - can contribute immeasurably to the Seaforth of ten—evert five years—.from now. - In the . Years Agone From The Huron Expositor January 12, 1940 While hunting rabbits by moonlight, 22 -year-old Angus Nicholson, of Turnberry, was fatally. shot when his gun acci- dentally discharged. He was employed • by Roland Grain of the township. The many friends of Mrs. Alex Buchanan, of Hensall, were sor- ry to learn that she suffered a fall in her home, She - was go- ing through swinging doors and was thrown. Mr. Thomas Gillespie, who has been spending the holidays at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Neil Gillespie, left to assume the management of the Bray Chick Hatchery in Wel- land. Mrs. Hugh Jack, Mrs. T. Swan Smith, Mrs. R. Eberhart, Mrs. Thomas Govenlock, Mrs. John MacTavish and Miss Gretta Ross were in Clinton attending the annual meeting of the Hur- - on Presbyterial of the WMS of the Presbyterian Church in Can- ada. Mr. R. M. Southgate has join- ed the staff of the Seaforth branch of the Dominion Bank. Mrs. Robert Habkirk and Mfss Minnie Habkirk are occppying the new apartment in • the §ills' block, over Sills' Hardware Store. Mr. Bruce Koehler, of Zur- ich, has sold his 100 -acre fain on the county highway 'south of the village, to Rudolph Cor- riveau, of near Drysdale. The new fire siren at Zurich, purchased some weeks ago by the village trustees, had its first try -out when fire was discover- ed in the smoke house at the rear of the dwelling of Mr. Jos. Gastho. MissRuth Hugill', Reg.N., of Stratford, Is nursing ,her niece, J'oyc'e Mgill, of Constance, who was dfie'xhted! on for appends eitls n;!aeitte negie Library and appointed the following officials for 1940: Clerk, John McNay; collector, George McKee; auditors, Mon- teith & Monteith, C.A., of Strat- ford; sanitary inspector, David Boyd; school attendance officer, George Eaton; drainage inspec- tor, George Regele; weed in- spector, Frank Storey; road superintendent, W. J. Manley. Dublin Continuation School celebrated the 25th anniversary of its opening. There is an at- tendance of •80 at present. From The Huron Expositor January 8, 1915 Col. Alex Wilson, of town, has been offered and has ac- cepted the command of two military divisions in the third volunteer contingent which is now being organized for over- seas service. His headquarters will be in London, , Ont. Miss R. Keys, of Varna, who has been teaching in S.S. NO. 12, Hay, for the past year and a half, has resigned her posi- tion and has returned home. She was made the recipient of a handsome present in the form of an ebony toilet set. The annual meeting of the Ladies' Aid of First Presbyter- ian Church was held in the schoolroom. Mrs. Sam Dickson, who has been president of the society singe its inception sev- eral years ago, resigned and Mrs. J. D. Hinchley was ap- pointed. Other officers are Mrs. William Sclater, Mrs. J. Murray, Mrs. (Dr.) Cooper and Mrs. Boyd; secretary -treasurer, Mrs, George Chesney; assistant, Mrs. W. E. Broadfoot. The annual Christmas dance given by the bachelors and benedicts of the town was held New Year's night, Excellent music was furnished by the Blackstone Orchestra, of Gode= five dollars „was,, giv,. From The Huron Expositor 'January 10, 1890 Lumsden & Wilson telegraph- ed a wholesale house in Toron- to on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. for a quantity of goods, and the order was filled and received by express at 8:30 o'clock Wednes- day morning. Mr; John Rice; of Hibbert, in- tends improving the appearance, of his farms by erecting a new barn this coming summer. Mr. George Miller, of Cromarty, has the contract for the carpenter work, and Mr. George Yydd, of Hensall, has the contract of the stone work. Mr. Coleman ,formerly of Kin - burn, has opened out in Mr. Miller's new store in Cromarty. He was a clerk for some for Mr. Hislop when he started in Crom- arty. There are now two stores in Staffa and two' in Cromarty. A wagon load of boys and girls- of Hillsgreen attended' a party given in Hensell' at the residence offMr. James Troyer. Messrs. J. Jarrott and Ned Shae- fer supplied the music to the satisfaction of all present. Seaforth elections- caused a great deal of excitement this year. The principal contest was for the deputy reeveship. G. E. Henderson won with. a ma- jority of' 14. The councillors are: North Ward, James Wat- son, James Beattie, J. A. Wil- son, Wm. Smith; South Ward, James Gillespie, H. J. Punchard, T. W. Duncan, R. Lumsden, W. H. Hastings; by acclamation, Mayor, Robert Wilson; Reeve, D. D. Wilson; East Ward, A. Davidson, George Good and John Darwin. The Turnbull farm on the second concession of Tucker - smith, has been sold to Mr. Wm. Ball, ,of the Base Line, Hullett, for a st th very close tb $5,0011., The school census of Blyth by Mr. George king, shows that the village halt :,a, papttlatlott, o£, BETTER LUCK THIS TIME? A Macduff Ottawa Report Tories Have Troubles? OTTAWA —.The Progressive Conservative Party as the long weary 'session • of . Parliament ground to a close in mid-De- cember, appeared to have scor- ed tremendous blows against the Liberal minority Govern- ment. The charges made by the Conservatives in the Com- mons that led to the Dorion in,• quiry -and the follow-up of whis- pers of scandal over furniture purchases, subsequentlyand vigorously denied by members of the administration, had the Government in disarray and its prestige smeared. But as the Conservatives were congratulating . themselves, the Tory group in the Commons it- self began -to fly apart. Leon Balcer, the Quebec Conserva- tive Leader, gave a clear indi- cation that he had had enough of John Diefenbaker. • It came as no surprise that the stresses and strains' of the session led to a final break be- tween Mr. Balcer and Mr. Dief- enbaker. They had shared ••a front row bench in the official opposition. But in the.last few weeks of the sitting Mr, Diefen- baker and his Quebec lieuten- ant were not speaking to one another. -; r, The sitting of Parliament fin- ished on a Friday night. - Be fore departing from the capital Mr. Balcer talked to newspaper friends. He disclosed that he was fed up and was about ready to walk out of the Party. Saturday morning Mr. Balcer's friends, had written speculative. stories for their papers about his intentions. He was called for comment in his constituency of Three Rivers in Quebec. He indicated that he had about made• up his' mind. The following Monday he was back in Ottawa and newspaper- men asked for interviews. He decided to hold a press confer- ence in the lounge of the Par- liamentary Press Gallery. When he arrived he was accompanied by Paul Martineau, Quebec Con- servative -M.P. from thee,,,,,, riding of Pontiac Temiscamingubt Mr. Martineau• declared he was there just as an "interest- ed observer". interested•observer". He explained that his future as a Quebec Con- servative would depend upon the final • decision made by Mr. Balcer who was his leader in Quebec. Mr. Balcer said that he and Mr. Martineau would Meet with the Conservative Quebec caucus in mid-January and that they would make known their' intentions at that time. He indicated that he was ready to sit as an independent and that there' were other Que- bec Conservatives prepared to follow him into the role of an independent member of parlia- ment. Since the press conference it has appeared that about one- half of the Quebec Conservative group might sit as independ- ents in the next session, Of the 10 Quebec Conservatives, eight voted for the red maple leaf flag. • The two others were ab- sent. Three Quebec Conserve tives, including ex -Mines Mini- ster Martineau, followed Mr. Balcer's lead in voting for clo- sure. Just before Mr. Balcer's an- nounced press conference Op- position Leader Diefenbaker held an impromptu press con- ference in his office. In reply to questions he emphasized that Mr. Balcer was not the "Deputy Leader" of the, Party. Later, he was to say his door was still open to Mr. Balcer. "There is not, nor has there ever been a Deputy Leader. It would take a change in the constitution of the Party for such a position," .said Mr. Diefenbaker. Asked to comment on what consequences might flow from the departure of Mr. Balcer, he declined. But he pointed out that both Mac- kenzie King, after the conscrip- tion crisis, and Sir Robert Bor- den, at the time of the Navy bill, were stripped of much of their Quebec support. Mr. Diefenbaker and Mr. Bal- cer have never been very close. He opposed Mr. Diefenbaker's bid for the leadership in 1956; However, Mr. Diefenbaker re- luctantly took Mr. Balder into his cabinet and the Quebec'Tory made a good name for himself. But when the cabinet began to disintegrate in February 1963, Mr. Balcer was one who sought to oust Mr. Diefenbaker and restore the Conservatives' strength by putting in Hon. George Nowlan as a caretaker Prime Minister. But the rebel- lion was aborted and relations between Mr. Balcer and his na- tional leader worsened. Hotiever, last February a brave. attempt ' was made to patch things up. The Quebec Conservatives put pressure' on John Diefenbaker to accept Mr. Balcer as his Quebec lieutenant and deputy leader. They man- oeuvred Mr. Diefenbaker into the position that 'he had no choice but to take Mr. Balcer as his Quebec leader. Mr. Diefenbaker was prepar- ed.. to go along with the idea if he could be persuaded that it would ensure the Conservative party some support from Que- bec: But -as the session of Par- liament got well underway it became increasingly apparent that Mr. Diefenbaker and Mr. Balcer were not finding much common ground on which to stand. Finally as Mr. Diefenbaker persisted in an all-out filibus- 'ter against . the new flag, Mr. Balcer reacted strongly. He urged his Conservative col- leagues to call off the filibus- ter. The result was that Par- liament was treated to the am- azing spectacle of the Quebec leader of the Conservatives ap- pealing to the Liberal Govern- ment to invoke closure in • or- der to' end the Conservative fight. That was about the last straw. Coldly and calculatedly Mr. Diefenbaker sat with his back turned towards his desk mate," Mr. Balcer. It was obvious that a split was coming. Now Mr. Balcer has made it official. He has been criticized by Conserva- tives for, his manner of break ing with Mr. Diefenbaker. They accuse him of trying another power play to unseat Mr. Dief- enbaker. But it was noticeable at the press . conference that Mr. Hal- cer declined each and every op- portunity afforded hhn by ques- tions to comment on Mr. Diefen- baker. He could have raked the ,Tory leader up. and down and sideways, but he .avoided the temptation and turned aside all questions regarding his - rela- tions with Mr. Diefenbaker and his opinions of Mr. Diefenbak er's actions with the two words: "No comment". Douglas Harkness, the ,. Con- servative Member of Parliament for Calgary North, who is cer- tainly no enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Diefenbaker, was -not so reticient when asked •to com- ment on the defection. Mr. Harkness bluntly blamed Mr. Diefenbaker: He expressed the hope that .Mr. Balcer and • any other Quebec M.P. who left the Conservative group in the House to sit as independents, would considered to be Conserv- atives' Clearly he hopes that the time is not far distant when Mr. Diefenbaker will be dump= ed and a new Conservative Leader will attract back to the Tory fold all who have strayed because they could not abide Mr. Diefenbaker or, his policies. TO THE EDITOR: Sugar By and Spice BIH Smiley WINTER LEAVES HIM COLD This is the time of year when the average honest citizen, how- ever bravely hetries to conceal it, is about as warm, lively and full of vitality as the discarded Christmas tree leaning drunk- enly against the back steps, a few morsels of tinsel fluttering from its prematurely aged• frame. Prematurely aged. That's the way I feel in January. Like a woman of 35 Who has had twelve children in fifteen years. As though I can't face it again. By the middle of February, of course, I'll be all cheered up, and 'will be going around like all the other iodiots, blithely agreeing that "the days sure are stretching out, aren't they?" But right now I look upon life with the wild enthusiasm of a man-eating tiger confronting a bowl of cornflakes- First, and worst, part of the January miseries is that hideous struggle to get out of the sack. Crawling out of the warm drowsiness into the grey hor- ror of the day is as desperate a business as any I know. There are days when I'm sure I'll nev- er make it, , were it not for the voices demanding help with clothing and breakfast, and the total silence from the other side of the bed. Finally, having survived the first hour of the day, there's the dash for the car, a feat that ranks, in my mind, with Hil- lary's dash for the South Pole. Big • difference is that Sir Ed- mund didn't leave his galoshes at the office yesterday. There's nothing I enjoy more, in the summer, than reading about the simple pleasures of oldtime winters. Sleighbells, .the crunching of snow under- foot, the snapping of trees in the frost, the smiling midwin- ter sun on the snow, jolly gath- erings of congenial souls about an open. fireplace. Fellow who whites those stor- ies never lived where I' have found myself stuck these past few winters. Christmas Seaforth, Dec. 25, 1965. Sir: Going back over the years when we were on the farm, Christmas and New Years were so wonderful for us. A few days before Christmas we would gather up 10 to 15 people, hitch 'the team to the sleigh and heat half a dozen bricks. The older women near- ly all wore fairly heavy shawls, and away we would- go to Sea - forth. We used to slide back .and forth going through deep pitch -holes, but nevertheless got there to do our Christmas shopping. Hours later we would arrive home, tired •but all very happy with our day's shopping, consisting of 'bags of flour and oatmeal in 100 -pound bags,' gro- ceries and holiday treats. We certainly looked forward to Christmas morning and San- ta Claus. We would find in our stockings, an orange, one saw- log candy (one cent), a stick or plug of licorice (for one cent). .Mixed candy—ten cents worth— would de a family, and if moth- er had the' time, maybe she would knit us mitts and stock- ings. . We nearly always had our own fowl. Although they were very cheap, ducks about 15c a pound, geese about 18c.a pound, we would have some pork hams, covered with grain in the gran- ary. In the afternoon we would go skating as the river was nearby, or cutter driving, or curling. We made our own curl- ing stones by cutting blocks off a good smooth tree and put handles on them. Hockey we tried to play after cutting a crooked, limb off ,a tree for a hockey stick. We made a puck out of a': piece of wood. I won- der .what people would think today of hockey played this way. In those years we would have house dances, and all through the winter, when 50 to 75, peo- ple would gather and certainly would enjoy themselves. We hung up our stockings Christ- mas Eve if we could find them; if not, one of our shoes, Those were happy Christmas days, but as years passed Christ- mas kept changing; people start- ed to make a little more money and' this brings us to Christ- mas just passed -1964. We drove around town one evening to see the decorated homes. We never have seen a better display than this year, and it is a, credit to all those who took part; also the gayly decorated Main Street and stores, 'which are a credit to any town. Eg- mdndville and Harpurhey, not to be outdone by Seaforth, and the large Christmas tree in front of the Town Hall, were sights to see. Christmas sorely has got to be big business. We used to have a few horse races on Christmas morning, up and down Main Street, ,and a lot would gather to enjoy the fun 1In the afternoon people would be out walking around 'town, down to Egn'iondville ba'dlt nywhere, tr. The sleighbells are more like- ly to be fire sirens as some poor devil sets the pipes on fire trying to stay alive. The crunch- ing underfoot is more likely to be your toes breaking off by the numbers, from the right. The snapping is more likely to be the roof of the back porch caving in under the snow. No self-respecting fairy would be caught dead under the Janu- ary sun, which smiles at you with all the geniality of a cold fried egg. The gatherings are more likely to be melancholy huddles of taxpayers exchang- ing cold remedies and talking about their furnaces. Winter is fine, up until New Year's. After 'that, you can give it to the Russians. In. fact, if they ever invade us, they should do it in January! Half the population is in Florida. The other half is down with the 'flu. I' wouldn't even give this country back to the Indians, in mid -winter. In the 'first place, they wouldn't take it. In the second, we've handed them en- ough bum deals in the past. It's enough to curdle your blood when you hear people duck into the coffee shop, faces gray with cold, noses running and wheezing: "Isn't that a grand winter's day," as they blow on their claw-like fingers, before wiping the steam 'from their specs. Seems to me that we all suf- fer from an advanced case of self-deception. Just 'because our ancestors couldn't imagine any- thing worse than their Irish shanties, Italian slums or, Polish villages and came to Canada, we think we're automatically rugged and physically fitted to endure the climate which fas- tens on us everywhere but in the South. This country, in January, is fit for jackrabbits, alcoholics, and people under the age of twelve. The sooner we realize it, and demand from the gov- ernment return tickets to Flor= ida, good for three months, the better. As It Used To Be enjoying themselves. This was dents: Christmas years ago, but it has changed so much over the years and people enjoy themselves in a different way --much different and much more expensive. Are we getting too big for Christ- mas, or is Christmas getting too big for us? P.S.—Could• you picture a float out of this write-up for the Santa Claus parade of 1965. Yours sincerely, R. H. SPROAT Thanks From, Clinton Clinton, Dec. 26, 1964. The Editor: May 1 through. you and your •paper express to those who live in the area that is served by you, the sincere thanks of the residents of Huronview,- To those who visit regularly, the door is always open for you to see your relatives; to those groups who bring in a part of the, other community that we may keep in touch with the out- side world; to those, who come to • visit friends, we say thank you. Our thanks to the Women's Institute who throughout the year put on the monthly birth- day parties, and to the ladies of the RCAF Station for their regular visits. To all the families who sent flowers to help brighten the Home, we say think you, as they were much ,appreciated. To the Sergeants' Mess and the Ladies' Auxiliary of RCAF Station Clinton, for their gifts; the Seaforth Lions for their an- nual visit, and all the church organizations and groups that visited the- Horne or sent gifts at Christmas, may we say thanks. Our residents were certainly not forgotten and the wish they send to each one is that 1965. may be good to: you. On behalf of Huronview Resi- HARVEY' C. JOHNSTON, Superintendent. Mayor's, Sister, Writes Dearborn, Mich., December 21, -964, Sir: I had almost decided not to renew my subscription this year—I know so few of the peo- ple now. It changed my mind when we got the 'news, by way of-. The Expositor, that my brother is to. be the .Mayor of Seaforth; so now I must con- tinue my subscription to keep track of 'him. ' Enjoyed the stories about the town changing to dial telephone, as well as the stories and pic- tures ' -about the office and switchboard operators. If they dug into their files. I think they would find I held the record for being the night operator for the longest length of time -12 years. And . I. enjoyed every year of it, even though I didn't think I was at the time. I have so many pleasant mem- ories ofgiving out hockey scores for our mostly good Sea - forth Beavers; also giving the time, turning in fire alarms, and then telling customers where the fire was. I could go on and on about this; in fact, it was with a feeling of loneli- ness I read of the closing of the telephone office. But then the old must give way to progress, as it has done in so many ways. It is to Min- nie 'Habkirk-Fowler, who was chief operator when I began to work there in June, 1929, that 'I. owe my thanks for the train- ing I •received, which has led to my present position with WJR Radio, in the Golden Tower of the Fisher Building, 760 on your dial. Wishing all of you on the staff the best of the season. I am, Sincerely yours, MARTHA M. MILLER • •