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The Huron Expositor, 1961-06-01, 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, Audit Bureau of Circulations !'1' � A � ('� O Subscription Rates: At (u /j= Canada (in advance) $2.50 a Year " Outside Canada (in advance) $3.50 a Year SINGLE COPIES — 5 CENTS EACH ' Authorized as STeond Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, JUNE 1, 1961 LEGION MEMORIAL It will be a proud moment for members of Seaforth Branch 156 of the Royal Canadian Legion when their Memorial Hall is officially opened Friday evening. While it is true the hall has been in use for some months, the ceremony this week marks the formal completion of the build- ing. The ceremony will emphasize, too, the successful ending of a project that has extended over several years. It points up what can be accomplished when there exists a well-founded program and the will to bring it to completion. When it was first proposed that the Legion should build a hall of its ,own, there was some objection on the grounds that the existing accommodation at the Memorial Community Centre was satis- factory. It was suggested, too; that there would not be sufficient support to carry out stieb a project; nor to maintain a hall if it should be built. Those favoring the hall persisted and events have proven how right they were. Long hours of planning were followed by contributions of labor, material and money, not only on the part of Legion members alone, but by" the community generally. Out of it all has arisen a hall which serves the Legion membership, and HALL 1S COMPLETED as well, provides a building that is a use- ful asset to the entire district. The Legion Hall is a memorial to the dead of two World Wars. At the same time it is a tangible evidence of the ca- pacity of the Legion membership to work together and to bring a program to a successful conclusion. In so doing they have honored their comrades in arms and have made available to their fellow citi- zens facilities which will serve the com- munity for many years. THANK YOU ! We are indebted to our fellow publish- ers in the area, as well as to many others, for their generous comments and con- gratulations on the General Excellence award received by The Expositor last week. During the long years in which The Expositor has been in existence, its Te - ward has been in the knowledge that it has contributed to the interests and ad- vancement of the community.' At the same time there is asatisfaction in know- ing that our efforts in providing a good newspaper are recognized. For this we are grateful. EVIDENCE OF HIGH- STANDARDS • (The Stratford Beacon -Herald) "One of the long-established news- papers of Duron County has gained a new a -of-recognition, with the an- nouncement of an award for `general ex- cellence' to The Huron Expositor, of 'Sea - forth. The award was presented Satur- day, at the annual convention at Ottawa of the Ontario Weekly Newspapers As- sociation. There is an added bit of evi- dence of the high standards maintained by the newspapers of Perth and Huron, in the fact that the runner-up for the award, won by The Expositor, was the Listowel Banner. "The Expositor o has been a winner, in previous years, of provincial awards and national awards for various aspects of its publishing efforts, but this is the first time it has won the top award, for all- round competence. From its base in Sea - forth, population 2,250, it had to compete . against weeklies in towns twice as big; the classification in which The Expositor won top place was for newspapers pub- lished in towns of 1,500 to 4,500. "Seaforth itself, incidentally, is not as old as the newspaper. ' The Expositor last year marked the 100th anniversary of its founding, in 1860. Seaforth wasnot in- corporated as a village until 1868, when it was beginning to forge ahead in the con- test for pre-eminence among the three settlements at Harpurhey, Seaforth and Egmondville. "A. Y. McLean, editor and publisher of The Expositor, carries on a family tradi- tion of journalism; he took over sole di- rection of the newspaper in 1948, in suc- cession to his father, the late K. M. Mc- Lean. When the latest success of his newspaper was announced, last week, Editor McLean himself was quick to make the point that an awara for general ex- cellence can only be won by teamwork,, and to share the credit equally with the other members of The -Expositor's nine - member staff—John Maloney, Leo Hagan, R. J. Wallace, Ross Alexander, Tom Haley, Flora Ann Scott, Carl Berger and Carolyn Hammond,. The recognition which has come to them, in competition against 48 other towr, in the same population cate- gory, is something in which everybody in the Seaforth area can take pride." Facts as the basis of advertising investments Once upon a time, all business men who advertised were, willing or unwilling, perforce speculators. They couldn't ,help it, because in those days they had no way of knowing what they would get for their money. Today, advertising money can be invested on the basis of facts—the information in the reports of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, a cooperative, nonprofit association of neatly 4,000 advertisers, advertising agencies, and publishers. The ABC has established standards for meas. uring the-eirculations of newspapers and periodicals, just as there are definite standards for the weights and measures of merchandise. This newspaper is a member of ABC. Our circulation is audited by experienced circulation auditors. The facts thus obtained are issued in ABC reports which show how much circulation we have, how it' was obtained, where it is distrib- uted, and other information that tells business men what they get for their advertising money when they invest in 'these columns„ Ask to see a copy of our ABC report. Tomorrow, I'll be forty-one. It occurs to me that the last four decades have been an interesting period, not only for -'me, but for the world. Let's have a look back and see what happened to the pair of us. When my mother presented my father with a red-faced, undersiz- ed, squalling brat in June, 1920, the world was a fine place. The Great War was over, democracy had triumphed, prices were good, and that great leveler of society, the Model T, was about to start turning pious„ sober men into red- faced, cursing maniacs. The next decade was the time of the self-styled "lost generation" —the era of the flapper, the coon- skin coat, the rumble seat, the hip -flask and jazz. But I'm afraid they didn't mean much to a skin- ny kid with freckles, growing up in a small town. The things I remember are: the old silent movies, with the piano player thumping out the William Tell overture as the climax near- ed; endless summers of hot blue sky; two fat, homely little girls who used to gang up on me and kiss me after school; off for a family picnic every Sunday in the 1923 Chev with the side -curtains; and my kid brother following me everywhere I went, to my unutter- able rage and disgust. * * * That must have been just about thebest decade the world and I ever had, a heedless and happy time. My parents were as solid as the earth itself. My dad was always good for a dime, if I work- ed him carefully. My mother was always there with a kiss or a hug or a cool hand, when I was hurt or scared or sick. The world was -a pleasant place then, too. What I remember most vividly is that it was so quiet and easy-going, 'compared to the world of today. Men worked 48 or 50 hours a- week. But very few of them had ulcers. Women had none of the appliances they have today. But they didn't need sleeping pills. People walked more. Everybody put his car up on blocks in the winter, and nobody drove at night, unless he had to. On summer eve- nings, people sat on their ver- andas, and visited, and drank lem- onade. * * * Everyone forty or over knows what happened in the next decade. Our economy came apart at the seams and the world entered the long, grinding years of the great depression. Canada suffered less 'than some, but enough. People swallowed their pride and went on relief. Thousands of men rode the rods from town to town, look- ing for work; begging for food. There was no work. Those who had jobs took pay cuts without a murmur, and lived in fear of worse. My dad hung on grimly, but lost his busyness in the end. At fifty, he had a wife and five children, no job and no money. We made out. My mother took in boarders, sold home baking and pinched the pennies until they bled. My dad took any work he could get. I re- member one job was selling cof- fins. He sold three in three months, and his total commissions were about $60.' Out of this he paid his car expenses, meals and lodging, on the road. It was a difficult time to be an adolescent. But I have wonderful memories of that decade. First love, in high school. Playing rug- by in the fall mud. Square danc- ing half the night at country danc- es. My first job, sailing on the Lakes. First interest in world af- fairs, and a burning desire to go to Spain with the International Brigade, but too young. * * * The Thirties ended with a bang, whein we went to war. Before I was swept away on the stream with the rest of my generation, I had a year at university, by sheer luck. That was a good time. The "phoifey war" was still on, and we squeezed every drop of juice from our student days, knowing they were of brief duration. * * * I don't know what happened to the Forties. They went by in a blur of excitement. Overseas, pubs, girls, friends, operations, prison camp, back to university, scuttled by a pair of brown eyes, married and a father before I rightly knew what was happening. * * * Then the Fifties, as I entered my thirties. Into the weekly news- paper business and working like a dog. Delighting in my babies. Thrill of the first secondhand car. Fun of buying an old house and fixing it up. Satisfaction in turn- ing out a good paper, sometimes. Good fishing and hunting. Good friends. But the world speeding up, the big bomb hanging there, the job always demanding. * * * And now, in my forties, we'll see what the Sixties have in store for me and the world. Already, a new job, new friends, new inter- ests, for me. New fears, new threats, new weapons, and new worlds, for the world. All I can add is that I'm supposed to be at the dangerous age. I hope the world isn't. There hasn't been a dull moment, in the last four de- cades, for either of us. I hope we're both around to tell about it when I enter my seventies, in 1990. (Prepared by the Research Staff of Encyclopedia Canadiana) When Did Boxing Become Popular in Canada? It was not until the First World War that boxing became general- ly accepted as a popular sport .in both Canada and the United States. Military training showed its use- fulness in physical conditioning. Compared to wrestling, boxing is a recent sport on this continent. In- troduced from Europe in the form of pugilism or bare -fisted fighting, the sport was slow to gain public favor and was often associated with lawbreakers and disreputable char- acters. Early matches were con- ducted in secret and were often broken up by police intervention. In 1866 boxing achieved standard- ization in both Britain and North America with the adoption of, the Marquis of Queensberry Rules. Set weights for competitions were also established. By 1906 Canada ,had produced a world heavyweight champion in Tommy Burns. * * * Who Published the First Paper in Eastern Ontario? Stephen Miles, journalist and preacher, in 1810 founded the Kingston Gazette, the first paper in the eastern part of Upper Can- ada and the only one published in Upper Canada between 1811 and 1815. He sold his press in 1819 but continued to print the Gazette, renamed the I jfitston Chronicle, until he became ,printer of the riv- al Upper Canada Herald in 1822. He founded and published the Kingston Gazette and Religious Advocate from 1828 to 1830 and; after moving to Prescott, the Gren- ville Gazette. He left journalism in 1835, was ordained in the Wes- leyan ministry in 1840, and serv- ed as an itinerant preacher until superannuated in 1851. Miles was born in Vermont in 1789, was ap- prenticed to a printer there in 1805; moved to Montreal in 1807 and then to Kingston in 1810. He died at Ernestown, Ont., in 1870. viold of The Weele .'.i"iii::::�:>:�::<::::::.;::�:•:::.; ... ••" •:::t::�':;!:ii: Silii •`::::::igfii(i(i:+i+iFig "Lay off the deluxe, super -special, DELICIA-BURGER With a full quarter pound of lean, Grade -A beef ... It's 1ousyl" GOOD READING It is significant that the presence of the devil seemed so real to Martin Luther that he hurled an ink well at that evil personage. For the writing and reading of good books have been a powerful aid in frustrating the devil in all his works, from the days of Moses to the present. The 350th anniversary of the King James' version came on March 14 of this year. In calling upon all Protestant bodies and clergy in the United States to pay homage to the King James' ver- sion, there was announced the first church -authorized version of the Holy Scriptures since 1611, the announcement coming from the American Bible Society, 450 Park Avenue, New York City. Acquaint yourselves with great literature and give your children the benefit of good reading. Some deterrent is needed against the piling up of vicious books every- where. It is not necessary to play up all the corruption of men and to wash their soiled linen in news- papers and magazines. Let us strive to heal the rash of bad lit- erature with that which is better. "Search the Scripture, for in them ye think ye have eternal life." Just a Thought: Too much conscience can be as bad as none at all. We should not continue to worry about the mis- takes we have made after we have recognized them and done every- thing in our power to "make things right." . A SMILE OR TWO Small boy's definition of Father's Day: "It's just like Mother's Day only you don't spend so much." Dad: "My son, there are cer- tain things in life that we have to shut our eyes to." Son: "Yes; Dad. Soap is one of them." "Do you think your daddy will be laid up very long with his in- jured leg?" the five-year-old was asked. "Yes, I think so. You she, com- pensation has set in." During a hurricane in Florida, a woman was terribly upset and couldn't sleep a wink. But her hus- band was sleeping as if nothing was going on. "Darling, this house is rocking as if it were going to blow away," she said, shaking him. "Oh, go to sleep," he said, "we're -only renting it." A farmer, on his first visit to the big city, stopped in a plush cocktail lounge and ordered a beer. "How much beer do \vdu week?" he inquired. "About 40 kegs," replied' the bar -tender. "Pll...tell you how you can sell 80.,, "Eighty legs?" said the bar- tender, amazed. "How?" "Simple," answered the farmer. "Fill up the glasses." A McDUFF OTTAWA REPORT EXIT THE HANGMAN A four-year program of public enlightenment was climaxed last week by a Federal Government measure which, to all intents and purposes, relegates the public hangman to a position of obscur- ity in Canadian law. The Diefenbaker Government chose its course in June, 1957, and worked quietly and assiduously to- ward its target—the abolition, ex- cept in the most unusual circum- stances, of capital punishment as a penalty for murder. John Diefenbaker was a defence counsel in a great many murder trials long before he was able to set his sights on the Prime Min- istership of his country. He de- veloped a strong loathing for the gallows as a twentieth century answer to capital crime. Mr. Diefenbaker and his Cabinet knew that capital punishment' could not be abolished overnight, without the most violent protest from the electorate. They chose instead to make extensive use of the Royal prerogative of mercy. Between June 21, 1957, and May 21, 1961, the Cabinet commuted the sentences of 39 murderers, giv- ing them their lives to serve in prison instead. Ten others, con- victed of the most heinous type of crimes, were allowed to die by the hangman's rope. While this process went on, the Government entertained discussion in the Commons on outright aboli- tion of the death penalty. CCF M.P. Harold Winch, of Van- couver East, ,a devotee for a quar- ter of a century to the belief that human life is sacred, and not to be taken by the state in the name of revenge or punishment, led the way. But when his private trill seemed to be getting nowhere, Mr. Winch co-operated and let a Gov- ernment supporter, Frank McGee, of York Scarborough, take over the chore. Mr. McGee, with some adroit edi- torial support, (his father -id -law is Grattan O'Leary, long-time publish- er of the Ottawa Journal and Chief Royal Commissioner on the Pub- lishing Royal Commission), blew up a storm. After a faltering start in 1959, he re-entered his bill to abolish capital punishment with a single exception—for high treason in time of war. The Government, subtly, let it be known that a full debate would be scheduled on the McGee mea- sure, and dangled the carrot of a free vote to follow with members voting in accord • with their con- sciences instead of the party line. By the time the McGee bill came up for debate, public interest from coast-to-coast in Canada. had reach- ed a crescendo. The public galler- ies in the Commons chamber were packed, and the House settled down into one of the most inti- mate, emotional and sincere de- bates in its 93 -year history. But the time was not ripe for abolition. The debate revealed a solid core of opposition to the abo- lition bill. If it had gone to a vote, it would have been overwhelming- ly defeated. Mr. McGee, painfully aware of his colleagues' intended rejection f his merciful proposal, agreed to ithdraw his bill at the end of e 1960 session. Three months later, a new ses- sion of Parliament opened with a speech from the throne that fore- cast Government action on the death penalty. Last week the action was taken. Justice ,Minister Davie Fulton in- troduced an amendment to the Criminal Code which divided the crime of murder into two categor- ies, capital and non -capital mur- der. For capital murder—planned or deliberate—the penalty will con- tinue to be death. For non -capital murder, which will include crimes of passion, the vast majority 'of such acts, life imprisonment will be the price. Support for the Government's compromise was not unanimous. Several Liberals, who spoke out against abolition a year ago, term- ed it an unwarranted watering - down of the old Biblical law of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a human life for a human life. Liberal Alexis Caron, from Hull, brought his Roman Catholic Bible into the Commons to quote passag- es from Genesis, Deuteronomy and Leviticus -to support his contention that the death penalty should be - retained. Two other Roman Catholics,, strong abolitionists, argued just as strongly that the death penalty was unsound; that it failed as a•. deterrent to murder, and that it. was morally wrong for the state to take a life for a life. The fact that a Roman Catholic Cabinet Minister — Mr. Fulton — brought in the amending bill may have been a contributing factor to its passage: The Government also declined the Liberals' demand for a free vote, which bound its own supporters to go along. The CCF, which has a formal policy opposing the death penalty, cheerfully accepted the Govern- ment's half -measure as a step in the right direction. And the majority accepted Mr. Fulton's statement that the amend- ment, even if a compromise be- tween the strongly opposing views, represented "the most progressive and far-reaching move in this field in Canada since we did away with public hanging." It takes time, but democracy moves steadily and inexorably for- ward. w + w Capital Hill Capsules The Government still entertains hopes of completing the fourth session of the 24th Parliament by July 1. The target is still possible of attainment, but increasingly un- certain. Much legislation, includ- ing the annual budget, remains to be introduced. * * * The publicly -owned CBC, de- fending itself before ,the Commons committee on -broadcasting, seems to be having an easier time of it than on the last such occasion two years ago, despite its ever-grow- ing demands on the public purse. Its relative success seems to re- flect that its management has be- come more aggressive, while the investigating talent of the Com- mittee has slipped noticeably. How Long Have We Celebrated Labor Day? Labor Day, the first Monday in September, -has been a federal sta- tutory holiday in Canada since 1894. Its observance in the autumn rather than in May as in Europe, follows practice in the .United States and is accounted for by the closer affiliation of Canadian labor organizations with American. Or- ganized labor proposed the Sep- tember date, in part be,ause it was not too near other puolie holi- days, and in 1887 several stuns in the United States passed legisla- tion making the first Monday in September a holiday. IN THE YEARS AGONE Interesting items gleaned from The Expositor of 25, 50 and 75 years ago. From The Huron Expositor May 29, 1936 Dr. J. M. Field, who for the past 25 years has been Inspector of Public Schools for East Huron, in- tends to retire in December. -Hon. T. B. McQuesten, Minister of Highways, announced this week that there would be no prefix let- ters on motor car license plates in Ontario next year. The letters will be placed in the mid -middle of .the numbers instead. During the storm on Thursday night a cow belonging to Mr. Harry Tyndall, Tuckersmith farmer, was struck by lightning and killed. Mrs. William Gourlay, of De- troit, is in Scott Memorial Hospi- tal here with serious injuries re- sulting from a car smashup on the North Road, near Winthrop, on Sunday. Mr. Glee, who was in charge of Mr. Thomas PurcelI's truck, last Monday while transporting cattle for Mr. Norman Beuermann, had the misfortune to upset his load, but no injuries were reported. Over a hundred friends met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Art Nicholson on Friday, evening to express their regards for the new- lyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kling. Mr. J. H. Reid left this week on a trip to the West. He expects to go as far as Medicine Hat. Mr. J. A. Stewart and Mr. C. B. Stewart are in Toronto this week. Mrs. Henry Koehler, of McKil- lop, underwent an operation in Scott Memorial Hospital this week. Mr. "J. R. Scott, University of Toronto, is spending the holidays with. his mother, Mrs. H. 11. Scott. * * * From The Huron Expositor June 2, 1911 Mr. Roger Roberts,, of Seaforth, who has been on the staff of the Dominion Bank at Wingham, has been transferred to the Winnipeg branch, and is. spending a couple of days with his mother before going West. Mrs. A. D. Sutherland and chil- dren left this week for Edmonton, where she will visit her brother and sisters. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Atkinson, of Tuckersmith, Left this week on an extended trip through the West, ern States and Western Canada, Dr. H. J. Hodgins, who is re- turning to Seaforth from Lucan to practise dentisty, is having an of- fice fitted up in the Scott block, where he was located when in Seaforth before. Mr. W. J. Ryan and family, who have been living here for a year or so, moved back to Walton this week, where Mr. Ryan has erected a residence. Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Alexander and little daughter, who have been residents of Seaforth for some years, left on Monday for Toronto where they will visit prior to go- ing to the West to live. - Mr. Robert Holmes, ex-M.P. for West Huron, and formerly editor of the Clinton New Era, has been elected president of the Toronto Civil Servants' Association. Richardson & Scott are adding a new department to their shoe store. Mr. Alex Davidson has had the old board platform in front of the Commercial Hotel removed, and is having the cement walk ex- tended to the building and will have steps placed up to the door. C. Aberhart, D. T. Pinkney, R. E. Cresswell, A. McLennand and W. Ament attended a Shriners' meeting in London on Friday. * * * From The Huron Expositor May 28, 1886 Mr. F. W. Crich has moved into town from Hullett and has located in his new residence on Goderich Street. A man named Hall, who has been a resident of this town for several years, was arrested as a dangerous lunatic on Monday and was sent to Goderich jail for safe- keeping until an opening can be obtained for him in one of the asylums. A young man named Burton went to Mitchell on the Queen's Birthday, where he got into an altercation with the bar -tender of the Royal Hotel, Mitchell, and the feIIow hit him in the face with a tumbler, cutting and injuring his eye so that it will have to be re- moved. He is now in Toronto un- der medical treatment. Mr. Michael Madigan is erect-. ing a comfortable residence on the Volmar property, which he will occupy himself. Mr. Lyons has received the con- tract from Mr. Hugh Robb, Jr., fpr;"the erection of a brick resi- dence on the old Adams home- stead property on Goderich St. Mr. E. C. Coleman, of Seaforth, acted as referee at the bicycle tournament at Woodstock on Mon- day and Tuesday. Mr. Cornelius, who for the past year acted as leader and instructor of the Seaforth Band, has remov- ed to Clinton and has taken a situation in the organ factory there. Gigs for business driving are now becoming all the custom. The latest addition in this line are those of Dr. Mackid and Mr. 0. C. Wilson. Mr. John Hargan has sold his farm in McKillop, which contains 75 acres, to Mr. Anthony Boyd, for the sum of $5,300. THE TIDY FAMILY LOOk AT THESE LOVELY BLOSSOMS FROIMN� GARDEN, I'LL MAKE SOMETHINS TO DISPLAY THEM 1fl,MOM EY LLOYD 8 a s s • s 0 a • 1 1 4 s • r 0 •