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Clinton News-Record, 1972-07-13, Page 11linton, Ontario Second Section Clinton News-Record hursday, July 13, 1972 107 Year - 28 CD • • I • • • • • • • • • • • cKinley in the House ••. Ode to John T'was 14 years ago--back in "58" A young bachelor made a decision that shaped his fate. Teaching was his game,-and JOHN was his name, But t'was to Goderich Township that he came. In S,S, 4 school house on the 16th grades and 23 pupils were beneath His rule and his instruction, A wonder it wasn't his destruction As he tried to teach the "Golden Rule" n' Readin' n' Writin' n' Rithmetic. He USED a strap instead of the hickory stick. Eight pupils of this school. Liz, Wendy and Len, Susan, Ivan, George, Tom and Don Started and years later ended their Public School Days with teacher JOHN, In 1960 our Goderich Township School Area started, And was with a few regrets that John departed As a teacher from the little old No. 4 To become a principal as he opened the new school door. With two new shiny classrooms and School No. 3 There was little time for John to be free. But Mrs. Powell was there to help him through When all the confusion made him blue. The year of "62" saw many things changed, An office and 3 more classrooms were arranged; Bringing more students and teachers under his thumb We sure were lucky that John wasn't dumb, T'was in that year of "62" Love hit our John--Hard and True. And by the year of "65" Things really came alive. John a fattier did become And at the school-more building had begun. An auditorium, 5 classrooms, staffroom and kitchen were completed. All of the students now would be treated To a bus ride each day of learning While for holidays they were yearning. 5' 5' 5" Now all the little township schools Are under one roof and one set of rules. This was the year of "66", John's family grew to four First a son and now a daughter, who could ask for more. Centennial year will long be remembered by all, The wild confusion-from spring until fall. Students planting and watering trees without complaints Weren't they a bunch of "Dear" little saints? A very large celebration was planned, T'would he held on the new school's land, Displays of antiques filled several classrooms With treasures as precious as found in old tombs. Was such a shame it had to rain But all the hard work was not in vain. We had a parade, barbecue and a dance And then on Sunday, were given a chance To have lots of laughter and fun When the men played ball and things came undone. Would take hours for one to remember it all Have you noticed our AWARD PLAQUES in the hall? During the next years several changes we saw. A larger schoolboard became the new school law, French and New Math our children are taught And kindergarten started--BELIEVE IT OR NOT. By now the paper work is doubled and piled in John's road So "J,J,'' or "Tiny the Typist" came to help lighten the load. The year 1970 brought two joys John's way, Son Ian was born and he got his "B.A." "71" had one BIG event to regret, NO student or teachers will ever forget Those three horrible days of learning to cope With hardship and hunger and keeping up HOPE. From 96 the attendance has risen to 325 With many new problems as each day arrives. The intercom saves many steps down the hall But that "thing" doesn't solve all. With parents, teachers and students it's hard to know Right or left, which way will we go? Of the 36 teachers who've walked thru that door We have "old timers'- but only four. k Carroll and Castle and Powell and "Serts" Now John is leaving and it really hurts, Words can't be found to express how we feel So by our presence tonight we hope we reveal You have our BEST wishes for joy and success And throughout the years--every happiness. G%)LeLeint-Olt.G>x<it.e2mci-x.~•1‘01t..0..91 67-..91 .6"c4;')4G-. 5' 5" 5' 5' 5' 5' 5" 5" At the Orange Parade last Saturday in Goderich • • It was June 29 that the Farm redit Act was presented in the ouse of Commons at Ottawa for he third and final reading. During he debate which followed and efore the bill was passed, uron's MP Robert E. McKinley elivered the following speech in the House: "Mr. Speaker. I thought last night that perhaps this bill might pass and there would be no further debate on it. However, I would like at this time to bring to the attention of the House some of the difficult problems that agriculture faces, The fact that the government has brought forward this bill is an admission on their part that there are serious difficulties in agriculture and that, provisions must be brought in to assist people who engage in the production of agricultural products throughout the country. "On second reading we moved an amendment which was turned down by the government. It was brought forward in an attempt to provide incentives for young farmers who become involved in agriculture, to initiate better programs to enable young people to get started, and to assist those people whom the government is trying to remove from the farms. We believe that incentives should be given to young people to stay on the farm. "This bill provides a little more money. The amount of $56 million has been increased to $566 million in the financial resources of the Farm Credit Corporation. I believe this was done in recognition of the fact that more money is needed to help young people stay on the farm and to assist those engaged in farming to carry on. The bill also provides that loans will be granted to facilitate efficient operation of a farm. Under the present act, loans are available only if the money is necessary for efficient operation. I must admit that this is a move in the right direction— away from negative, last resort aid, to more positive help. This seems to be action taken before last-ditch efforts become necessary, Any move in that direction will, I am sure, be a good thing for the agricultural industry. "Also, under this bill loans will become available to persons under 21 years of age. Previously they were not able to obtain loans, but this legislation brings the age requirement down to 18. In addition, farm improvement loans which are available through the banks can now be obtained without a prior commitment from the Farm Credit Corporation. This seems to be reasonable and will provide money to those engaged in agriculture. It will cut down the ,,,red tape which so frequently ,exists in these matters. "Then in this bill the appraised value of land will include the productive value of a second non- farming enterprise that might be carried on by the same individual. I suggest that this provision may not be all bad: it will be possible to get an increased loan on a smaller parcel of land. The amendments in this bill are good but in our estimation they are not good enough. We would have liked the bill to include a provision for partial non-repayment of loans when young farmers meet certain performance standards. Before anyone in the NDP jumps up and says young farmers would have to be perfect before qualifying, I would point out that -`performance standards'' simply means meeting the payments they agreed to meet when they obtained loans. "We also would have liked a provision in the bill that interest paymen;:s in the initial period of a loan could be delayed, so that a new enterprise could show some results in a financial way before a farmer had to repay large commitments. However, the government majority voted against us on that suggestion. "Some government members suggested that we would not support this bill. This is not true, Mr. Speaker. They seem to enjoy preaching throughout the country that we oppose for the sake of opposing rather than for the sake of being constructive. This is not true. The measures proposed in this legislation are not that had, but we say they could be a lot better; and at second reading, committee stage, report stage, and now on third reading, we have endeavoured to improve the legislation. In the House of Commons our aim is to improve legislation. If government members complain that they have trouble getting legislation through the House, it is because government legislation has often been hastily brought forward, ill conceived, and has not served a purpose satisfactory to the people of the country, "I am disappointed that the government stood fast in upholding clause I of the bill, giving them all kinds of power, without offering any real explanation of how that power would be used. We voted on that matter last night. I am happy to say that I registered my vote against it, "There are all kinds of precedents for providing incentives to new borrowers. CMHC has provision for partial non-repayment of loans. During the last four years incentives have been provided to various businesses to start operations all across the country. The Financial Administration Act gives the government power to forgive a tax, penalty or debt, in particular cases. If housing and business can receive these incentives, why cannot agriculture have the same privilege? It is often said that what is good for business is good for the country. This was preached by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Turner) in his last budget. I suggest that what is good for the farmer is also good for the country. 'The major industry in the constituency of Huron is agriculture. As agriculture goes, so goes the economy of Huron county. So long as I have the privilege of being a member of the House of Commons, agriculture and its betterment will be one of my first priorities. It is disappointing that the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Olson) did not see fit to accept some of the amendments put forward by the hon. member for Mackenzie (Mr. Korchinski) and the hon. member' for Vegreville (Mr. Mazankowski). Had he done so, this would be a much better bill. "The government seems to think that those engaged in agriculture are to be used only to produce cheap food, so that in turn industry may have a chance to export industrial products to other countries. This is not acceptable. If farmers received a profitable return for their products, it would have an expansionary effect all across the country. If the primary producers had dollars in their pockets, they would become purchasing consumers of the industrial products which provide jobs. "We also urged the provision of open-ended loans, that loans could be increased without going through all the red tape involved in obtaining the original loan, One report shows that of the $115.2 million in loans approved during 1970-71, $36.4 million went to repay existing loans. We do not disagree with the provision of additional money for loans to single family farm operations, up to the amount of $100,000; but if the government had listened to our suggestions this would be a better bill, We have offered good suggestions but the government has not listened to us. "We have offered suggestions of the type that would make the Liberal party popular, but they seem to feel that they know all, control all, can do all and are the only people who ought tolovern, I suggest they had better start listening, for before long they will discover that what they think is not true. BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER Several awards for long service were presented to county employees at the June session of county council. All for 15 years of service to Huron. they were presented to Mrs. Rita Dales, Clinton, a seamstress at Huronview; Len Westbrook. Goderich, a court house caretaker: Jack Lowe, Brussels, of the bridge construction crew; and Murray Underwood, Wingham, a truck driver with the Wroxeter Maintenance Patrol. The road report for June showed that 1972 winter control to date had cost $146,103 compared with $147,053 for the same period last year. "We expect the year end cost will not exceed the budgeted amount of $180.000." said William Elston, reeve of Morris and chairman of the road committee. The report also noted that the road department is "feeling the pinch of government restraints" and urged ratepayers to be "a little more patient since we simply cannot improve our road system as quickly as we would like to". "We still feel confident that our proposal to C.S. MacNaughton. suggesting a revised system of allotting subsidies will be implemented in 1973 and thereby give us more freedom in setting our budget." said Elston, County engineer Jim Britnell noted that county is asking that the province consider grants with "no strings attached" and giving the municipalities the opportunity to spend the money as they see fit. A special guest at the meeting was Murray Gaunt, Liberal MP for Huron-Bruce. He urged counties to consider their own "restructuring" and to present their plans to the provincial government for assessment. The Mayor of all five towns in Huron were invited to the session. Only Clinton's Mayor Don Symons was unable to attend: Also present was a number of past wardens of Huron. Moira Couper, Hensall, co-ordinator of Children's Recreation in Huron, gave an interim report on her work. She is in Huron at the expense of the, provincial government, conducting this pilot project to determine the need for recreational activities other than sports. • From talking to people in the communities it would seem that they have a real need for greater opportunities in art, crafts, theatre etc.." said Mrs. Couper. "Many of the new programs which will be established this summer will be of this nature and I believe that people would like these to continue through the year." • am finding great resources in our county and believe that with a little organization, more people could become involved, both as participants and leaders," continued Mrs. Corier. "There could be greater contact one with another in Huron County towns and villages and much wider exposure to arts. crafts and theatre could take place." She had a new idea which caught the imagination of some of her listeners. "I personally, have been doing some work involving the men in the Huron County Home for the Aged," reported Mrs. Couper. "They have made some weaving frames for the children in craft programs to use. Groups of children with whom I have been working with crafts have visited the county home with me and worked with the residents. I suggest that it would be for the well being of our senior citizens in these homes to have closer contact with children in the community in this way." "I should like to recommend that county council give serious future consideration to the establishment of some permanent program in the areas of recreation not covered by sports," concluded Mrs. Coupon Miss Heather MacAdam, of Clinton, who was chosen "Miss Huron Central Fair" recently, will compete with 55 other rural fair queens from across Ontario. The contest will be held on opening day of the Canadian National Exhibition and is the first time in 94 years history of the Exhibition that a "Miss CNE—Sweetheart of the Fair" has been chosen. Miss CNE will fly non-stop DC-8 to the Calgary Stampede as guest of Air Canada. She will also receive $1000 from the Sweetheart Soap Division of the Purex Corporation, co-sponsor of the contest, and many other prizes. Long service awards presented Huron County playhouse Looking forward to busy season Community support and involvement with the new Huron Country Playhouse grows daily, reports managing Director', James Murphy. Season ticket sales are selling even faster than expected. This is due largely to the iniative and enthusiasm of the people in charge of the drive.) Board members, Mrs. Griffin Thomas and Mrs. William Schlegel are heading the drive in Grand Bend and have set up ticket locations at Thomas Furniture and the Havasu. In Exeter, Mrs, Mel Gaiser is in charge and season tickets are on sale there at Jack Smith Jewelry; Mr. Gary Knapp is handling Parkhill and the ticket location there is at Charlton's Ladies Wear. In Goderich Betty Etue is Playhouse representative, and in London, Words and Music is carrying the season tickets. In addition, there are many people who are involved in assisting the playhouse in other ways. For example, Mrs. William Harwood, along with daughter Cathy and her friends, have set up a "branch office' in her Oakwood cottage where they work on a huge Mailing list. Other young people have formed a volunteer' crew to travel With promotion man Jamie, Hamilton of Ilderton on his trips to distribute posters, Still others, like Grosse Point contractor, David Willison, who has his cottage in Southcott Pines, brings his power tools on weekends and pitches in on building repairs. Many others come for a few hours workvothers drop in simply as spectator's or well wishers. It is part of a very vital community spirit, says Murphy, that seems to indicate that many people of this area like the idea of having their own summer theatre here, not only for themselves, but for the tens of thousands of visitors who come here every year. This week, designer and technical director Dale Melsness arrives with stage designs for all the shows as well as the dimensions and plans for the Under the direCtion of Mrs. Moira Cooper, co-ordinator of children's recreation for Huron County, and Fanshawe College graduates Rick Pritchard, Donna Taylor, Ken Roulston, Jim Pletcher, Laurie Kretowki and Bill Mills, a leadership training course for playground leaders was held at Clinton last week. The College students are graduates of the Recreation Leadership course. Thirty.five persons registered stage itself, The stage platform will have to be constructed and ready to go up when the tent arrives on July 22nd, Lights will be trucked in from Toronto; chair's will come from London. Special lighting pylons and electrical lines are being installed. A bulldozer arrives on Monday to clear' the area that will become. the parking lot. While this activity goes on in the theatre site, director Bathsheba Garnett is calmly putting her actors through their paces inside the barn loft, Downstairs young theatre aspirant, Jim Thomas from Wallaceburg is sanding the beams and cementing the walls of what will become the theatre lobby— for the course coming from Exeter, Huron Park, Zurich, Hensall, Seaforth, Lucknow and Goderich. On the first morning the group participated in craft sessions and a hike to experience different types of leadership, These activities were followed by a film dealing with the different leadership styles and how they can affect the success of a playground program, hopefully in time for opening night. Also, the Oakwood Inn is sponsoring, along with the Playhouse, a' special bargain price "dinner and theatre for two" package. It offers a sirloin dinner and choice seats at the show for two for $12,00. Also, on Monday, July 24th, Mrs. Walker will be hostess at a tea at the Inn at which the press and friends of the Playhouse can meet the members of the theatre company, All is geared to a gala night at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26th, The new Playhouse is located one mile east of Grand Bend on highway 81, and one mile north on the B Line. With a 100 foot tent, you can't miss it, In the evening, MI's. William Batten and Mrs. Jack Roeda of Exeter came to take part in the session on pottery, macrame and creative drama, John Park of the recreation staff at Goderich also gave a short presentation on first aid, The final day involved the group With problem solving sessions,_ setting up programs and• evaluation as well as group dynamics. Course for playground leaders held