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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1953-10-22, Page 2THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 22, 1953 This journal shall always fight for progress, reform and public welfare, never be afraid to at­ tack wrong, never belong to any political party, never be satisfied with merely printing pews. THURSDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 22, 1953 What Do You Think? Should We Mention This Proposal Again? It's Our Move Rev. E. Glen Eagle, of Clinton, dis­ cussed a current problem of immigration with Huron County Holstein Breeders at their annual banquet Thursday. He said Canada welcomes immigrants who will help build our nation but he de­ plored the tendency of these newcomers to form into separate cultural groups. He felt they should become members of the Can­ adian family, rather than perpetuate their own foreign customs. The formation of foreign groups within our community (and it is happening) is not desirable, of course. But the onus of pre­ venting this growth lies with Canadians themselves, much more so than with the newcomers. We must bring our way of life to them; we cannot expect them to find our culture without our help. What have Canadians done to welcome and assimilate their new countrymen? We have provided an opportunity to learn the language and the basic traditions of govern­ ment and justice, yes. But what else? Have we invited them to join our organ­ izations ? Have we. entertained them social­ ly? Have we made them feel “at home’’? No! We’ve ignored them, haven’t we ? We’ve given them a cool shoulder. We’ve made them form their own factions of culture. Certainly, as Rev. Eagle says, we don’t want them organizing their own groups, building their own community halls and churches, perpetuating their foreign customs and traditions. But, to prevent that, we must invite them into our own groups, welcome them to our community halls and churches, and show them Canadian customs and traditions. What Is A Secret? Ottawa circles are upset over the pub­ lic's learning of Avro’s “Flying Saucer”, and other defense items like the air-to-air mis­ sile for jet fighters and the radar system called the “McGill Fence”. If these so-called “top secrets” are so loosely guarded that the public can learn of their existence through the newspapers or through rumors, what must trained enemy agents have uncovered? Now at least official­ dom has proof of the holes in the secrecy curtain. There is a second issue as well, The Financial Post thinks. Are there too many things labelled "secrets” ? Are we trying to hide the location of the St. Lawrence River, or Hudson Bay ? The military mind tends to look with disdain upon the public’s right to know how its money is being spent, how—or whether —the country is adequately defended. The rubber stamp “SECRET” is an easy way out. It can hide inefficiency and waste. It can stop questions without giving answers. The taxpayer has the right to know everything about defense except those things which would actually help his enemies. It’s his country, his life, his money. Farm Forums Popularity of the Farm Forums is in­ creasing and, judging by the comments of forums across the country, farmers and their wives find the sessions helpful. “We feel that Farm Radio Forum pro­ vides us with an opportunity to meet with our neighbors regularly and fosters the old feeling of neighborliness which is deplorably lacking in this day and age.” — Munro’s Mills Forum* Ontario. “It has unified the farmers so that they think of themselves as a group rather than as individuals.” — Uigg Kinross Forum, P.E.I. “It has brought together farmers who Otherwise would not have met, to discuss and try to find a solution to, problems vital to their welfare.” — Springfield Forum, N.B. "It has helped to clarify our own minds on many subjects and broadened our view­ point.’* — Melfort Rural Forum, Sask. “It has promoted neighborliness and a What do you think, friend? Should we bring up the question of high school hockey again ? Should we repeat the proposal that hockey should be made a part of the school’s physical training program? You’ll remember that when we suggested this last spring, we received vehement objection from school quarters. While we respect those opinions, we still feel our proposal is sound. What do you think ? Here’s the problem, you see. The com­ munity has installed artificial ice and ren- novated its arena because it likes hockey and it wants to provide recreation for its youngsters. It also attempts to teach the young boys how to play hockey so they can enjoy the fun of Canada’s national sport and play for the community in district com­ petition. Under the present high school agenda, however, the boys are taught basketball when they go to S.H.D.H.S. This means the hockey emphasis is replaced by the high school sport and, in many cases, the com­ munity loses its ice stars. The boy develops his basketball talent but when he leaves school he finds there’s no basketball for him to play; he’s no longer proficient at hockey —so his recreation suffers. Mind you, there are excellent reasons for the high school program. The town didn’t have the facilities for hockey in the past and basketball proved the best alterna­ tive. But now, that’s all changed. We sug­ gest a change in the school program, too. This situation probably exists in many similar towns throughout the district. Most of the surrounding communities — Clinton, Lucan, Seaforth, St. Marys, Mitchell, Gode­ rich and others—have artificial ice and are building hockey programs. To do this suc­ cessfully, they must have the cooperation of the high schools. Here’s the point worth considering: Towns like Exeter are spending anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 a season to finance imported players for teams to entertain their fans. They can’t keep doing that for­ ever; they’ve got to develop local talent. And that puts us right back to the high school situation again. No one, we hope, would be so callous as to expect the school to drop their extensive basketball programs like a hot potato and rush into hockey. But we do think the com­ munities can reasonably expect the high schools to adjust gradually their physical education program to fit into the local pic­ ture. Well, what do you think ? Is it worth mentioning? x Parking Rhubarb , The town of Wingham is preparing to pass a by-law restricting parking on the main street to two hours at a stretch to pre­ vent congestion in the business area. The Wingham newspaper, The Advance-Times, predicts the regulations will be difficult to enforce unless extra police are hired or the citizens cooperate to the fullest ext.ent. Most small towns seem to have parking problems. They find their main streets clogged, discouraging business and hinder­ ing traffic. It’s been a few months since the park­ ing rhubarb roared in Exeter. After all the fuss was raised, nothing was done to remedy the situation. Parking meters were discussed but thrown out because they disgruntled rural shoppers. A restrictive parking by-law was also considered but judged too tough to administer. Two other ideas were investigated but never carried out. These should still be con­ sidered. They are the establishment of a parking lot and the opening of lanes behind the stores for truckers and merchandise dis­ tributors. And there still remains the problem that only the merchants themselves can rem­ edy. A T-A survey revealed that one-third of the parking space on main street was occupied by cars of businessmen and' their employees. They should stop the practice. community spirit.” — Peace Arch Forum, B.C. Times Established 1873 Amalgamated 1924 Advocate Established 1881 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter* Ontario An Independent Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Town of Exeter and District Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa Member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Member of the Ontario-Quebec Division of the CWNA Member Of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Paid-’n-Advance Circulation as of March, 1953 — 2,494 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada, In advance, $8.00 a year — United States, in advance, 81.00 a year Single Copies Bach ' J. Melvin Southcott - Publishers - Robert Southcott LET’S GO! KNIGHT IN WINDSOR STAR Jottings By J.M.S. Serves Public For 51 Years This week there has been a change in business on Exeter’s main street and an old establish­ ed firm has changed hands. I refer to Southcott Bros. General Store which has been taken over by Douglas Gould and Ray Jory, two local young men. T. Orville Southcott, wiho has been in charge of the business since the death of his brother, Herbert O. Southcott, in 1950, is taking a well-earned rest. It was at the turn of the cen­ tury that T. O. Southcott entered the employ of J. A. Stewart as a delivery boy and clerk. One thing that stands out in my recollec­ tion of the early days of Mr. Stewart, as a merchant, was a pony that was given away as a prize to attract customers to the store. For several weeks the pony was displayed in the north win­ dow of the store. I do not re­ member who won the pony but I do know one who .would liked to have won it. At that time there was a mil­ linery department in connection with the store, employing some half a dozen young ladies. Miss Urquhart, wiho was later married to Mr. David Sherry, of Hensall, was in charge. She was followed by Mrs. R. N. Creech. Each spring and fall “millinery open­ ings” were held to display the beauty and originality of the milliner’s art. On Saturday nights Herb and I used to take turns in helping Orv. with the delivery and our compensation was a small bag of candy which we1 were honor­ bound to bring home and divide evenly between us. Orv. would frequently have millinery to de­ liver at midnight or early Sun­ day morning so that the wearer would have it for the Sabbath. Business was done largely on the barter system. Farmers would bring in their butter and eggs, dried apples and cured hams. Eggs were not always strictly fresh but were candled in the cellar before 'being sold ovei’ the counter. Butter was brought in either in crocks or rolls and the customer would sample it by either peeling a small splinter from a butter box or using the thumb-nail to scrape a small sample. Good butter was often put away for good customers. The dried apples were shipped to Germany for the making of wine. Two years after T. O. entered the employ of Mr. Stewart he was joined by his brother Herbert O. After working for several years, like all apprentices, he had to move on to make room for others and he took a job as travelling salesman for a Toron­ to firm, first in the Maritimes and afterwards through the West. In 1919 the two brothers formed a partnership and' pur­ chased the dry goods business of Mr. B. W. F. Beavers, situated in the store now owned by Lindenfield’s. The post office was in the south half of the 'building. In 1926 they bought out Mr. Stewart and became the owners of the store where they first be­ gan as clerks at $1.50 a week. Mr. Stewart was one of the first to graduate from the oil lamp into a more modern system of lighting. He installed an acety­ lene gas plant, first in the store and then, because of the danger from explosion, he had it re­ moved to the rear of the build­ ing. He also had it piped to the splendid brick home he erected on the corner of John and An­ drew streets, now occupied by Mr. Bruce Biggart. The Central 'Hotel was the other establish­ ment to install acetylene gas at the time. Among the clerks who worked for Mr. Stewart a half century ago were Nelson and Herman Prior, who for years were in business in Portage la Prairie, and Herman Prior, of Toronto. Scores Foreign Groups Forming In Community Canada needs immigrants wiho are willing to contribute towards the country’s development and culture, not those who form into “pockets” of foreign groups, Rev. A, Glen Eagle, Clinton United Church minister, told the Huron County Holstein club at its an­ nual banquet Thursday night. Deploring immigrants who settle in groups, Mr. Eagle said “much as we sympathize with these fine, excellent new Canad­ ians, we are engaged in building a mighty nation, a Canadian na­ tion, a Canadian family—but we have not progressed far enough as a country to accept infusion of new blood by pockets or groups of other culture.” “Immigration itself”, he stat­ ed, “is no longer a debatable question. We need immigrants who are willing to contribute to­ wards Canadian nationality and Canadian culture. The problem is rather the question of how im­ migration is going to be handled and by whom.” “The problem of vacant farms in our rural communities has faded into the background by the coming of immigrants. Up until now, in old Ontario, our areas have been complete in Canadian nationality and culture; but this is not so now because of New Canadians, This has brought a problem to our area, and to this generation. However the infusion of these people is not a problem if they become Canadians, accept­ ing the responsibilities of Canad­ ian culture . , . They must give a return for what they receive—* they must be willing to shoulder the responsibilty of separation of Old cultural ties.” Refers To Peace District Mt. Eagle gave an illustration by referring to the Peace River block in northwest Canada, where he was posted for several years as a minister. There, he said, were little communities such as Little Russia, Little Po­ land, and so on, with each group maintaining Its own culture and church. Lack of funds and trans­ portation, and the economic ne­ cessity of banding together kept them from mixing with others, he said “In the areas where the Canadian church had an inroad there one could see a steady pro­ gress towards Canadian culture —and in cases where the young people from these groups were mixing with Anglo - Saxons or Canadian young people, they were beginning to be Canadian- ized.” He added, however, that even so it will be at least a gene­ ration or more before these poc­ kets cease to be little tight groups and start to become Cana­ dian people. “I would not deny anyone the right to worship in his own church,” said the speaker, “but when that church becomes the focal point for a different cul­ ture, perpetuating the same idea as the pocket plan, then it is a different matter,” Here Mr, Eagle said it is a known fact that the New Canadians are trying to per­ petuate their culture by estab­ lishing a Christian Reform Church in Clinton. C. Galbraith, Blyth, president of. the club, acted as chairman for the meeting. Willis Van Eg- mond, Clinton, a past president, introduced head-table guests, who included Earl Hooper, St. Marys, national director; Roy McBride, Zurich, first vice-president, and Mrs. McBride; William Gow, of Auburn, second vice - president, and Mrs. Gow; jake Terry, Lam­ beth, fielilman for Western On­ tario; Hume Clutton, Goderich, secretary - treasurer, and Mrs. Clutton; G. W. Montgomery, agri­ cultural representative for Huron County, and Mrs. Montgomery; Howard Trewartha, Clinton, past president, and Mrs. Trewartha; Huron County Crop Report By G. W. MONTGOMERY The continuation of the ex­ cellent fall weather this past week has allowed for the com­ pletion of almost all of the fall plowing and has given farmers splendid opportunity to complete the fall work in record time. There is an abnormal amount of drainage work being carried on in the county this fall. Approximately 400 farmers at­ tended the Crop Improvement Brush and Thorn Control Day held north of Clinton on Wednes­ day of this week. This county was well represented at the Inter-Club C o mp etitions at Guelph on Friday as„17 teams or 3 4 contestants represented the County 4-H Clubs. Morley Lannin, Dublin, .president of the Perth Holstein Club, and Mrs. Lannin. Entertainment was provided by Frank Schubert, Goderich, violinist, accompanied by Mrs. Ed. Wendorf, Clinton. It was announced that the an­ nual meeting of the club would be held on November 5 at 8:00 p.m., in the agricultural Office, board rooms, Clinton. Harold Baker, assistant agri­ cultural representative for the county, spoke on the 4-H Club work, of which he is in charge. Ross Marshall, of Kirkton, Was ohe of the recipients of awards won at th© Black and White show in Blyth Fall Fair last month. He captured premier breeder, premier exhibitor and placed third in best-uddered female. Other winners were; Thomas Haydon ahd Son, Gorrie; Huron County Home; George Trevett, Wlhgham; G. R. McKiel, Clinton; William Boyd, Walton; William Storey, of Seaforth, and Walter Woods, Wlhgham. 50 YEARS AGO John Smith Jr., 17, of Sodom was fatally shot while rabbit hunting with his father and others in a bush near Sodom on Thanksgiving day. Miss Matilda Finkbeiner of Stephen and Mr. John Humble of Sarnia were married October 14 at the home of the bride's pa­ rents, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Finkbeiner. Mr. Thomas Cudmore met with a painful accident as he was un­ loading a barrel of apples from his wagon at the residence of Charles Perkins. The horse moved ahead causing Mr. Cudmore to fall with the barrel of apples rolling on top of him. Mr, David Rowcliffe of Elim- ville has taken a position as miller at Harvey Bros, grist mill and will move his family to Ex­ eter. Miss Laura Gregory, trained nurse, of Toledo, Ohio, is attend­ ing her mother, Mrs. Thomas Gregory, who continues very ill. 25 YEARS AGO Workmen have started to re­ pair the skating rink the centre of which collapsed with the heavy weight of snow early last winter. Fire broke out in the home of T. O. Southcott. Hydro men working in the neighborhood crossed wires when connecting up the lines in front of the Southcott house and when the current was turned on the wires heated. Workmen cut the wires and damage to the house was con­ fined to charred woodwork and joists around the hydro box. The South Huron Ministerial Association was reorganized. R6v. James Anthony of Thames Road was elected president ' and Rev. Walter Jones of Exeter, secre­ tary. Representatives of an overall manufacturing company were here recently looking over S. M. Sanders’ Manufacturing plant. Mr. Sanders intends closing down his business in the near future and it is hoped Exeter may se­ cure this new industry. 15 YEARS AGO Five persons met death when a car driven by Dr. George the TIMES" Go By Racey, widely - known Parkhill physician, crashed into the side of the London and Wingham C.N.R. passengei* train at a cross­ ing on No. 7 highway a few miles south of Clandeboye. Dead are Dr. Racey, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wills of Thedford, Miss Evelyn Mason, Parkhill, and five-year-old Norma Wills. Records have been broken for warm weather in October when the temperature climbed to over 80°. Swimming in the lake has been indulged in at Grand Bend. The Lions’ frolic netted the club over $1600/ The pasteurization of milk will become compulsory in Ex­ eter on December 31. More than 4>0'0 people lined the pier at Goderich on Sunday fish­ ing for perch and they hauled th© fish in as quickly as they could manipulate their lines. Thirteen hundred and fifty people were served at the fowl supper staged by members of Crediton Evangelical Church. Net proceeds were $530. IO YEARS AGO L/Cpl. Douglas Gould, son of Mrs. Florence Gould, o f Hay township, was invalided home from England and is at Christie St. Hospital, Toronto. He suf­ fered leg injuries in a motor­ cycle accident in England. Union evening services of Main St. and James St. United con­ gregations will be held during the winter months to comply with the Fuel Controller’s re­ quest for a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. The old livery stable on James street which has been a land­ mark since the early days of Exeter, has been purchased from Sandy Elliot by Lome Hodge of Staffa and is being torn down. Barbara Brintnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Brintnell, broke her right arm while play­ ing in the school basement at recess. After several weeks of de­ lightful weather, rain and snow visited the area over the week­ end. The rain was badly needed as the ground had become to hard for fall ploughing. Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Buswell have received a cable from their son Ted telling of his arrival in. Gibraltar for his first operation­ al duties. News From Our NEIGHBORS Barbers Meet A well-attended meeting of the Ontario Barbers’ Association (Goderich Branch) was held in the British Exchange Hotel, Goderich, on Monday, October 5 to elect a new executive and dis­ cuss matters pertaining to all barbers in the Goderich, Clinton and Seaforth zones, as well as those in Exeter, Hensall, Zurich, Lucan, Crediton, Grand Bend, Dashwood and Bayfield. Officers elected were: president, John Plumtree, Clinton; vice-president, G. W. Smith, Exeter, and secre­ tary-treasurer, Melvin Crich, of Clinton. (Clinton News-Record), Build New Barn Work is progressing on Alex Crago’s new barn on the fourth line of Blansliard. The new L- shaped barn will be 36’x 62’ with the ’L’ 36’x 48’. It replaces a barn burned July 13 last and will be a hip-roof Eastern Steel type structure. (St. Marys Journal-Argus) Lovely Thanksgiving Fine weather prevailed during the Thanksgiving weekend and many holiday visitors took ad­ vantage of the fine weather and visited friends at home and abroad, as the highways were not so congested as earlier in the year. However, there was also a number of fatalities, motor acci­ dents chiefly. Our speedy auto­ mobiles and fast and reckless driving in many cases cause- ac­ cidents. In Goderich there was a drowning accident, but these are becoming. less as the bathing is about a thing of the past for an­ other summer. It was a lovely Thanksgiving and many are the people who observed it thus. ' (Zurich Herald) Long Parsnip Nelson Salter brought into our office a parsnip with a very long root system. This parsnip mea­ sured 39 inches and the tip of the root had been broken off. The thin tap root certainly went down deep in its search for food. (Parkhill Gazette) Attend Services ■When a stray kitten wandered into St. George’s Anglican Church Sunday and temporarily disrupt­ ed the 8:30 a.m. communion ser­ vice with its consistent meowing, it marked the second time this year that an animal visited a local church while a service was on. In August a pet coon belong­ ing to the Sturdy brothers, John and Bill, ambled up the aisle Of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic church while the 8:30 a.m. mass was being celebrated. (Goderich Signal-Star) To Study In France John O’Brien, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. E. O’Brien, formerly of Staffa, sails this week for France where he will study in\the Uni­ versity of Paris, on a $2,000 scholarship. A graduate of McGill University, Montreal, he has been teaching in. Owen Sound Colleg­ iate where his .parents now live. A former student of Seaforth High School, his parents lived on the Mill Road. Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Walter O’Brien, Staffa, visit­ ed the O’Briens at their Owen 4 Sound home for a family gather­ ing before Mr. O’Brien leaves Canada. (Huron Expositor)