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Clinton News-Record, 1974-05-02, Page 4Editorial Comment The readers speak As a community newspaper, the Clin- ton News-Record has welcomed with open arms the free expression of opinions, Not only is there space for the opinions of this editor, but there is always space, every week, for the opinions of our readers, and even those Who are not our readers, $o it was with that thought in mind that we presented a story on the Clinton Town Hall and asked our readers, and more importantly, the taxpayers of this town, what should the Clinton council do with the Town Hall, We provided a questionaire to fill out with several alternative answers available and asked our readers to clip it out and send it along to the News- Record. Altogether, we received 57 questionaires back plus a half a dozen letters with opinions written in longhand. The results, in our minds, was very gratifying, to know that large a percen- tage of the town's taxpayers gave their comment. Many others too, phoned in to express an opinion, but didn't send in a questionaire. On tabulation of the results, it appears that most people are in favor of renovating the Town Hall, retaining it as offices and yet preserving its historical background. Many want to see as little money as possible spent and yet retain the Town Hall's full use. Now armed with this expression of opinion, most of it from Clinton tax- payers, the Clinton Town council can judge it and together with the engineer's report on a study of the Town Hall, they will better be able to make a decision on its future. Before they make that final deOlsion, we hope that they look into every pcissible avenue of acquiring grants to fix it up, should that provta possible. In the next century, we may be sorry we destroyed nearly every shred of our heritage and the cost then will look cheap, Many in town now are wishing they had protested more when the old Clinton Post Office was demolished a few years ago. It was a • landmark, but no use could be found for it at the time. We suspect, however, that the decades of neglect the Town Hall has suffered will cloud its chances of being repaired and restored to its former use, Rising costs and rising taxes too have made both the politicians and the tax- payers crying for belt tightening, and the most likely thing that the council will do is table the report, sit on it for a few more years until the building falls into an even worse state of repair. Watch it dog Will that big black dog in Little England that nearly every Sunday mor- ning knocks over my garbage can please take note: now that Clinton has an official dog catcher..I mean animal control officer...I will not be afraid to turn you in. I'm sorry to spoil that Sunday morning outing you have enjoyed for the past several years, but I'm trying to fill that big hole out at the Holmesville dump, and you're eating into my efforts. Changing moral standards That we are living through a time of changing moral standards is not news. Most of us have been aware of that fact for quite some time. Fresh evidence is provided by problems which face com- munities in this area - ones which would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. The only reaction to the Olympic Lot- tery and its winners was one of interest and gpod fun,• The fact that several million dollars ;were gambled for and won by Canadians is now quite accep- table in our society. We don't say it's wrong - but we do say it's a complete switch from the days not so long ago when kids playing pea-pool in the local hall had to keep a wary eye out for the town cop—or when a cash pay-off at the pinball machine was punishable by law. Goderich town council refused to proclaim a Pro-Life Week in that town on the grounds that abortion is a moral issue on which it has no right to make decisions, We don't agree with abortion but we do agree with that council's decision to•leave the matter to personal decision. Most recent moral. issue faces Kincar- dine where a certain element 'of the , population; wants action taken against a body-rub parlor—a sure sign that the fast growth of .the lakeshore town is being accompanied by the opportunists. Even wild old Toronto has gone a long way toward cleaning up that sort of sleazy operation. (from the Wingham Ad- vance-Times Sugar and Spice/By Bill Smiley I meet a lady in her nightie --1-CPia;;:IsTai6:;a1). eilemitrisa,stroffitigeftelmitto «Hwe 1--"P Niwwitscord readers NI on. coUrsged to express their opinions in lettere to the editor, however, touch opinions do not notesserily represent the opinions of the taintwitecord. Pseudonyms may be used by letter writers, but no litter will be published unifies it can be verified by phone. Please discontinue the sub- scription to the Clinton News Record as of April 25 to William E. Jervis, Zephyrhills Florida as we are returning home April 30/74. Being a former postmaster, I would be remiss if I did not commend the postal depart- ment for the fast and efficient way they dispatched the paper to us. We received it in five days after publication which is fast for second-class mail, Thanks also to the News Record for giving us "The home news" during our six months vacation in Florida. Sincerely Dell Jervis Zephyrhills, Florida Wrong Dear Editor: In last weeks' paper, you. printed a letter from Mason Bailey, a real estate agent from Clinton about the abundance of food we have, and WE do. But when he started on peoples who don't live on our continent I submit that he's dead wrong. He admits that people in India are starving unless they have money, thereby intimating that if there was enough money there would be enough food. That is a very doubtful sup- position, for if there was enough food it. would not be so expensive that only the rich can buy enough of it.' Also, he conveniently forgets the hundreds of thousands African people who are dying right now from starvation. Sure, they have no money either and there is still enough food in the world today to feed every person if transportation and the division of money was better. But the world wheat stinplyt estimated by the United • • Nations, will be down to one month's supply by the end of August, The population of the world will be double what it is now in a mere 35 years. What happens then? Contrary to what Mr. Bailey says, there are food shortages right now in parts of the world and impending food shortages in all of the world, even here, for it is very short- sighted if we think that the world will stand idly by, seeing their people starve while we in- dulge ourselves. Regardless of the rguments of real estate developers, we have to do everything in our power to preserve food producing land. If new cities are to be build, it should be in Northern Ontario in non- agricultural areas even if it costs more and is snore incon- venient, If the highways, air- fields, cities etc. were build on land that lies under thorn trees there , would be no objection, but that seldom is the case. The ability of farmers to in- crease their efficiency as in the past is severely hampered by oil shortages, whence the fertilizer comes from. I agree with Mr. Bailey that impulse has over- come his better judgement. Yours Adrian Vos, Blyth The Jack Scott Column all From our early files . • • • • • • Clinton News-Record 40 CNA Member, Canadian Cannnunlir N•Wed*Per Aeseeladan tiksinber. Ontario Wok* spew Ainsealadairt Published ovary Thureday at Clinton, Ontario Editor Janie* E, Fitzforild climatal Manager, J, Howard Aitken itectutd Close Milt titration no, 01117 look o‘AN 4,ctorroN NPv.Y.S•111PCORD, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1974 we get lets Efficient Dear Editor: "1 told you this was a good spot—it's still here from last year!" Last week's column, if you recall, had a smashing ending. It left your hero asleep in a small hotel in a small town in Germany, Lahr, home of most of the Canadian Nato forces in ' Europe. Up betimes, after 14 hours sleep, and tottered down to the dining-room, smelling for cof- fee. Hadn't eaten for 16 hours. And it was there, sipping a coffee and cognac, in an effort to get the bones moving, that my crazy kid brother, the Colonel, found me at 7:30 a.m. We exchanged our usual fond greetings. Him: "Hello, you clot. Just up? Supposed to be on our way," Me: "Hello, clot. Yes. Who cares? I'm dying," Him: "You're getting a little thin on top, like Dad." Me: "You're getting.a little thick in the middle, like Mum." The contrast between us was never clearer. He was sole and span, gold braid gleaming, fresh-shaven, full of beans, ready to hit the road for Ram- stein, his base I was in a rum- pled flannel shirt, sock feet, un- washed, unshaven, uncombed, and ready to hit him for 'showing up so early, He's always like that. And I'm always like that, He cantles flying out of nowhere, talks a blue streak, tells a hundred stories and goes dashing off to somewhere. I come dawdling out of Somewhere, sit around as taciturn as a turtle, and go dawdling off to nowhere, He's a hustler; I'm a poke. Perhaps that's why he's a Colonel and I'm more of a leery nel. Anyway, it's a great com- bination to throw together for a three-day crash course On Ger- many — a hustler and a poke. must say we didn't have a etOSS word, in those three days. Although I admit t thought he going to have a baby when he came to pick me up for lunch with the Oommander-ifi-Chielt, a four-star general, and found me still in bed. That was at 11:30; lunch at twelve noon sharp "And you don't keep generals waiting and we have fifteen miles to drive." We made it with 19 seconds to spare. And he wasn't exactly chor- tling when we started off to catch the plane home and after we'd driven like a bat out of hell for ten minutes, I observed, "Gracious to goodness, I've left all my money in your apart- ment; we'll have to go back," He didn't say a word, but there was steam coming out of his ears, and I think he lost a fair bit of enamel off his molars. But that was later. Let's go back to Lahr, where I left you breathless to read what would happen next, There we are. He is hustling me out of the hotel and I am dawdling and poking in his wake. Lahr is something of a com- pany town, with the Canadian forces as the "company". The town itself has about 17,000 people, plus 12,000 Canadians on the periphery. A big industry for the town. There are about 5,000 Canadians in the military, The rest are made up of families, teachers, and assorted odds and sods, Canadian forces there make a real effort to get along with the German community and are closely knitted with it. In- terestingly, the Canadians do all their dealings in German marks; while the Americans, at their' btises, deal in U.S. dollars. At Lahr, the Canadians publish a lively daily newspaper, bet Kanadier; have their own churches; excellent Schools', arid sports facilities galore. But of course, it isn't home, And the troops never forget that they are there on serious business, not on a 8ttrepean holiday, I received art itriprealion, perhaps wrong, that the Canadian forces feel that they are somewhat forgotten, that the folks at home are rather apathetic about the boys in dark green, the "violent, obedient ones" out there on the peripherY with guns. This is not exactly assuaged by the heavy cuts in our armed forces in Europe. These have been cut approximately in two from 10,000 to 5,000. The land forces are down from a brigade to a brigade-group. The air arm has been whittled from twelve squadrons in 1954 to three squadrons of attack fighters in 1974. This hurts, if you are in the service. But morale is high, despite the ancient Centurion tanks, and we have cracking good troops in the front line, made up of tanks, commandos and infantry. In the air, we have, to quote a well-informed source (my brother), "The best pilots in Europe", and he means it, with no blarney. They are all fighters, and they have a vital role called "first attack". More of this later. But let's get back to Lahr, and get on with this wretched trip of mine. My brother is now hustling me into his car. The town is pretty with spring flowers everywhere, a change from blizzards, There is a branch of the Bank of Win- treal. And there is Jack Thom- son and his wife, He's a first cousin of ours. They live in Winnipeg. It could happen only to me. I fly four thousand miles to savour the ancient hostelries, cathedrals and eagles of old Germany, and I wind up sitting at a kit, chen table talking and drinking with a cousin I've met once before in my life, I don't think we'll make it to RaMstein, destination, but we'll have a try next week, Social note for Western readers; Cousin died( was in his underwear, and his wife in her nightie, when we arrived. 10 YEARS AGO May 7, 1964 Robert Love, Hensel!, has been appointed Assistant Professor of Business Ad- ministration at Berkely College, University of Califor- nia. Robert is the eldest son of Mr, and Mrs. Ross Love, Hen- salt. Mary Dolores Carbert, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Carbert, RR 1, Clinton, graduates Friday, May 8 from St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing at London. Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Pen- found, on the occasion of their 35th wedding anniversary, were at the home of their family Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Penfound. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur L. Brisson, who have now retired to hayfield, spent the past week in Detroit, returning here on Friday. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ander- son and family, Science Hill, and Mr, and Mrs. Dennis Bisback, Clinton, were Sunday visitors with their parents Mr. and Mrs. E. Sturgeon, Mrs. W.M. Aiken returned home last week after spending two months with relatives in Vancouver R.C. Jack Merrier of' Bayfield has purchased the Westlake Garage in Hayfield. 25 YEARS AGO May 5, 1949 Spring is definitely here as the weather jumped to 84 degrees in the shade during yesterday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Williams Goderich Township, entertained about 60 relatives and neighbours on the evening of April 2 J, to eelebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Two new teachers were engaged for the teaching staff of Clinton District Collegiate Institute, They are 8.8. Stubbs, Toronto, who has been engaged to teach Prench and Miss Helen Proudfoot, who has been reason it seemed to me enor- mously funny and I began to laugh and couldn't stop laughing. This got my father laughing, and in no time we were roaring. For years after that I had merely to say "spoon-fashion" to get a laugh out of my father. Albert Canyon was at first a disappointment. There was no sign of a canyon. Indeed, the place was--and probably still is- -a mere section point with a half-dozen neat, red-painted bungalows and a water tower. We arrived just before sun- doWn, with no time to look for a picturesque campsite, and when my father fell into con- versation with a section hand the man invited us to camp in his yard. We had set up the small tent on an aromatic square of pine needles and were just about to open a can of beans when the section-hand's wife opened the flap. She was carrying a pot of steaming Irish stew, a loaf of bread that had been made that day, and a tin of the fattest, reddest strawberries I ever saw. Her engaged to teach English and girls' physical training. Mrs. John A. Sutter and son Benson, Clinton, spent the weekend in Toronto with the former's sister, Mrs. W.E. Floody. Miss Mildred Cameron retur-' ned home on Friday after having done nursing duty in London for several weeks. The Clinton clean-up cam- paign will be extended until Saturday, May 14 to give an opportunity to those who have been hampered by shortage of manpower and conveyances ,to make arrangements for removal of rubbish and do a general clean-up job. Elwin Merrill was re-elected president of the Huron Presbytery Young People. The Bayfield Lions Club made a grant of $100 to the Bayfield Fire Department to assist in the purchase of equip- ment. 50 YEARS AGO May 8, 1924 Mrs, J.C. McMath has pur- chased the residence of John Johnston, Mary St. and takes possession about midsummer. Friends are indeed glad to see Mrs. McMath and family coming back to town, H.W. Gould, 0,5, Hall, T. Hardy, TA, Managhan, and J,L. Heard attended an Old Fellows meeting in Seaforth. Mrs. Gibbings, Mrs, Steepe assisted at the reception at the Clinton Public Utilities Office marking the first an- niversary of the Opening of the Hydro Shop. Miss •Sybil Courtice was honoured at the WM8 meeting of Ontario St. Church held at the home of Mrs. W.S. Downs, the occasion being Miss Cour• lice's birthday, Mrs, 0,8, Hawke and Mrs, B. Kennedy presented Miss Courtice with $25 which will be used by the missionary when she returns to Japan in August, to help with a name, as I still remember, was Mrs. Murphy. In the morning I went with her to a field behind the small bungalow and she showed me the berries, strawberries by the tens of thousands and begged me to eat as many as I could. I remember sitting in the field with my abdomen stretched taut with strawberries and waving to the transcontinental train when it went by. I had been pretty happy all my life, but I'd never consciously thought, "I am happy," until that moment. Mrs., Murphy, who seemed to be the mayor of Albert Canyon, told us how to get to a pool a ,• couple of miles north of the track and we set off through the bush. The trail was "blazed" by bits of red cotton tied lo the boughs of trees. We had heard many tales from Mrs. Murphy's husband of grizzlies and so my father carried a large soup spoon and a frying-pan, the theory being that the fiercest grizzly would take to his heels if you beat the fund for providing books for Japanese girls. Bert Marshall took the part Bert Sloman had previously taken in the St. Paul's play which was repeated. S.S. Cooper has purchased part of the property of the for- mer .Jackson Manufacturing Co. The equipment was not sold, but it is understood that the Sevenson-Harris Knitting Co. will use part of the equip- ment and will also use part of the building. Ernest Livermore won the debating shield at Broadway Tabernacle, Toronto. This is the second year in a row that he has won. 75 YEARS AGO May 4, 1899 The egg season is in full swing again and Cantelon Bros. are busy buying and ship- ping, They take in on an average 1000 dozen each day, on Tuesday it ran up to 1200 dozen, That same day they sent off a consignment of 4,500 dozen, 1111111111111111MI THE CLINTON NEW ERA EMaldished 1865 spoon upon the pan, When we' came upon a small brown bear eating blueberries in a clearing my father banged on the pan. The bear looked at us disdain- fully and went back to his berries. We did not meet, any grizzlies. The pool was formed by warm springs, a small, circular body of crystal-clear water, just pleasantly warm in the dark shade of the evergreens. The section-hands used it oc- casionally, but in the week we were there we had it to our- selves. There was not a sound but the birds in the trees and the plangent grunt of blue grouse in the hills beyond. I remember my father sitting in the shallow 'end` With juSt his bald head above water and how I swam in a comical way, shouting, "Look! I'm swimming spoon-fashion!" I never figured it out or bothered to, but either my father grew younger or I grew older, or perhaps we just grew closer together, and that is what Albert Canyon means to me, Albert Canyon The name Albert Canyon popped up in a newscast the other day and as quickly pop- ped down, but not before it had brought back to me the memory of a happy week there. I was either 13 or 14 when my father suggested that he and I go for a camping trip in the Rockies. Years later he con- fessed to me that the trip was really a device so that we might get to know each other better. I was at that age when sons tend to drift 'away from their families and, in fad, I had already run away from home for an entire day. The trip ac- complished what he had in mind, • I rememlier particularly the . train Journey. To save money. we shared an upper berth, I was a very restless sleeper and whenever I'd turn over I'd be in danger of falling out of the berth. Finally my father sat up and switched on the overhead light. "This will never do", he said gravely. "We've got to sleep spoon-fashion." I had never heard this expression before, and for some obscure Last Monday, Rev. E.B. Smith, rector of Middleton's parish, was ordained to the or- der of Priesthood, the ceremony being performed in London by Rev. Dr. Baldwin, Bishop of Huron. Mr. Henry Stevens is the oldest builder in town having been engaged in the business for forty-five years and many of the best carpenters in the district have at one time or other been in his employ. Geo. Lowry has sold his house on Queens Street, Brussels to Mrs. McKibbon of Walton. Ellis and Smallacombe's new onion seed drill has a musical attachment which greatly helps to lighten and cheer the heart of the man who shoves the machine along. Mr, Joseph Ducharme, • Drysdale, our blacksmith, has his new shop nearly completed. Mr. Robt, Orr is planting a large quantity of potatoes this spring with the intention of having a large shipment this fall. Amolgokn ('d THE HURON NEWS-ACCORD 1929 EstcibUMed 1881