Clinton News-Record, 1974-05-30, Page 4"You'll have to speak uP— my ears are full of sand!"
An irreplaceable necessity
From our early files . . • • • • 0
Member, Canadian
community usweasper
AriOclation
etswasr, Comads Weekly
Assiskilkon
THE HURON NEWS-RECORD
Established 1881
THE ,CLINTON NEW ERA
Established 1865
Amalgamated
1924
Clinton News-I Z.econ
,,fro oast Of 0110A. is CACAO*.
Published erery Thursday
at CIMton, Ontario
.141Itor ► James IL Fitzgerald
General Manager,
J. Howard Aitken
Second Clase Moll
Nitration no. OSIT Hue OF HURON COUNTY
Editorial .Comment :
Pumping back the life
For the first time in a number of years,
Clinton businessmen seem to be able to
agree on something and even had the
largest meeting in some years last Thur-
sday night when they talked about the
town core restoration project, which was
initiated by Gordon Duern of Clinton, a
smooth, articulate, very talented man.
•
Like Rip Van, Winkle suddenly
awakening, after years of sound sleep,
they have realized that Clinton has great
potential, about the best in the County.
We have a unique heritage that can be
preserved not only for future
generations, but can also be used to full
advantage today.
Clinton, as Mr. Duern said last week,
"needs something to pump some life
back into it."
But Mr. Duern wants to include
everyone in town in his project, not just
the businessmen. And why not? For
what will amount to a minimum monetary
investment in our homes, we can make
the whole town a place that anyone
would be proud to live in or visit.
As a first step, look around your
property. Is it clean or is there some junk
laying around that escaped your notice
before? Glen Price of Clereview Auto
Wreckers told us the other day that he
would pay upwards of $10 for any aban-
doned car in Town and would haul them
away free of charge. This is the place to
start.
Yawn :..another election
With the upcoming Federal election
five weeks away, it appears the can-
didates have been selected by the three
parties who are contesting the Huron-
Middlesex riding.
Last Monday night the Liberals selec-
ted John Lyndon of Goderich, who runs
the theatres there, and Tuesday night
the New Democratic Party picked
Shirley Weary, a Goderich native who
teaches at Central Huron Secondary
School in Clinton. Tonight the
Progressive. Conservatives will likely
name present MP Bob McKinley to run
again on the PC ticket.
Judging by the popularity of MP
McKinley, and by the fact that he had a
10,000 vote majority in the last Federal
election, Huron-Middlesex voters are
likely to look at this election with a big
yawn crossing their face. Bob McKinley
is a shoo-in and everyone knows it. The
other two parties are just fighting over
who gets the scraps.
But more .than that, the,, people of
Canada ,and Huron are get7
ting tired of elections. There have been
too many.
Since 1971, there have been four elec-
tions, with another provincial election
likely next year - an election every year -
enough to bore even the most dedicated
voter. Here in Huron, there was a provin-
cial election in 1971, a Federal election
in 1972, a provincial by-election in 1973,
a federal election this year and in bet-
weeh, there have been municipal elec-
tions, which come up again this Decem-
ber.
At $27 million a shot, the federal elec-
tion is a costly way to pro‘k nothing.
Coming in the middle of the summer,
with the warm weather here and many
on vacation, it will attract a greatly
reduced majority to the polls. Even the
two advanced polls are being held on a
Holiday weekend.
The possibilities of another minority
government are nearly as sure as a
sunrise. This will be the no-hum' elec-
:ti011•4 1.1 .t,e
Sugar and Spice/By Bill Smiley
An election? Who needs it!
4--,CL4INTON NEWS.111EQ9130, THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1974.
we . gettt=
Reunion
This week I'll deal with
several topics, none of them
related, but each of them an
aspect of the peculiar world we
inhabit in 1974.
Why do so many young
people want to go into
teaching? There's no real
future in it financially, very lit-
tle hope of finding a job after
teacher training, and only an
infinitesimal hope of becoming
important, famous, or even
notorious.
Yet the teachers' colleges
keep pouring out thousands of
eager and talented young
people with a flaming desire to
be teachers.-
We had two openings for
English teachers on our staff
this year, and received a pile of
applications up to your knees.
And these aren't duds, who
have been weeded out of the
profession because of incom-
petence. They are the cream of
the crop, highly qualified, many
with some years of experience,
some with extra degrees.
There's a certain amount of
security in a teaching job, and
the holidays are pretty good.
But if you want security, go
into the bank, and if holidays
are your chief concern, go on
welfare.
Teaching has its rewards and
satisfactions, but it's a wearing,
grinding life, physically and
emotionally. I feel sorry for all
those excellent young people
trying so desperately to got a
toe-hold in the pr-
ofession. I wouldn't suggest to
my worst enemy that he (or
she) go into teaching.
It would be the equivalent of
saying: "Get thee to a nun-
nery," Strangely enough, I like
it. But then, I got into the game
back in the days 'when there
was a frantic shortage of
teachers, and they were taking
any old scruff who could stand
up in front of a class,
Now, the election, If those
idiots in Ottawa think anyone
is happy about it, they're as far
out of touch with public
opinion as usual,
The Liberals have had two
shots at it, and have proved lit-
tle except that they can't do
much about anything. Their
policy seems to be to cover the
wounds with talcum powder
when the patient is bleeding to
death.
The Conservatives, in the
last eighteen months in op-
position, have not exactly set
the House on fire, which might
be the best and only way they
could get the attention of the
electorate.
The NDP has had the best of
the deal in the last parliament,
letting the Liberals pull their
chestnuts out of the fire and
squelching any possibility of a
Tory blaze by voting with the
government. The party has
shown more politics than
statesmanship, and an almost
repulsive enjoyment of power.
This time around we need
more than a shrug, a mumble,
or a smarmy washing of hands.
We need a government with the
guts to govern. And the chances
of getting it from the talent on
display seems minimal.
Personally, I'd vote for Joe
Stalin if he could do something
about inflation, and I'm sure
enough other people would to
put him in the P.M.'s chair.
Last week I chanced to look
at the price of a small can of
bully beef. Seven ounces, 82
cents, This means, roughly,
that a pound of that smashed-
up mess of meat, gristle, fat,
and the odd bit, of bone from
third-rate cattle, costs about
$1.85. There is something rot-
ten in the state of Argentina.
I am utterly appalled by our
grocery bills, and can't help
thinking that there is a grand
rip-off in there somewhere, The
farmers aren't getting it, and
the chain stores claim they
aren't. But someone is.
My heart bleeds for the large
family on a low income. The
working man demands higher
wages and is not even holding
his own when he gets them.
We're headed for a depression,
chaps, Your dollar of a couple
of decades ago is worth fifty
cents today, and may be worth
forty cents tuna week.
Now turn my attention to
something closer to home. And
closer is the word. can hear
my grandbaby from all the way
downstairs, bellowing with
brazen lungs for his dinner.
He's a bonny baby. In fact, I
say without prejudice that he's
the handsomest boy baby I've
ever laid eyes on. Huge dark
eyes, 'and •a grin that would
melt Mother Superior.
But his mother has some odd
ideas. She has some good ones,
too, like feeding him mother's
milk, on which he is waxing
into a butter-ball.
However, she wants to bring
him up the way the Indians
and Eskimaux do. Pick him up
when he cries; feed him when
he's hungry; play with him
when he's bored. Never speak
crossly or punish.
He's a "good" baby. Sleeps a
lot, chuckles a lot, kicks a lot,
plays with his hands. When his
mother is around.
Twice in the last three days,
I've offered to babysit, while
his Mum went to a show. No
problem. Baby sound asleep af-
ter a good solid dinner from the
twin founts of life. And if he
doeswake up, old Grandad can
always amuse him with songs
and witty sayings.
Thirty minutes after his
Mum is out of the house, he
wakes up. With bated breath I
hear the first bleat, With
despair I hear it build to a full-
throated bellow that would
suggest the imp is being mar-
tyred at the stake by the
Iroquois.
Pick him up, dandle him, jig
him, sing to him, talk my ver-
sion of Chinese to him, always
a great hit when Mum's
around. No dice.
He wants grub, and I ain't
plumbed right for it. An hour
and a half of torture, changing
diapers, blowing on his belly,
kitching and eooing. Nothing
works. His Mum comes home,
whips out the equipment and
the little devil is asleep in ten
minutes, and sleeps all night.
So, Here are my predictions.
Another minority government,
a major depression, and a
spoiled kid,
10 YEARS AGO
May 28, 1964
The corner of North and
Spencer streets was colorful
last weekend with over 1,000
tulips in bloom at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lep-
pington. Many persons drove
past the lovely gardens as has
been the custom for years at
tulip time.
Two sons of Mr. and Mrs.
Bert Boyes of Ontario Street,
won top prizes in the recent
Kiwanis Music Festival at
Stratford.
Good weather mixed with
periodic rains are responsible
for crops that are, above
average. Hay will likely be cut
this week. White bean plan-
tings have started and the
remainder of corn is going in.
Early sown turnips and sugar
beets are making good growth.
The Clinton Women's In-
stitute'threw its support behind
Councillor George Wonch in his
crusade against erratic driving
in Clinton.
Seaforth town council,
meeting in special session last
week, endorsed a Chamber of
Commerce recommendation
concerning Bell Telephone ser-
vice in Seaforth and Dublin as
a temporary solution to the
problem which arose when Bell
rearranged administrative
areas.
Mary E. Lavis, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs, George Lavis of
Princess Street, Clinton will
receive her Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University of
Western Ontario, Miss Lavis
has accepted a position on staff
at Kincardine,
Mr. Reginald McKiel of
Beaucrest Farm, R.R, 4, Olin.
ton, Sold the highest priced
heifer at the Canadian
"Classic" Holstein sale held
recently at OlarkWortli, Oat,
upon the ear--the thud and the
urgent bell of teletype
machines, the plaintive, unan-
swered call of "Copy!", the
hard, fast clacking of
typewriters, the ringing of
phones, the soft clash and shuf-
fle of Linotype machines, the
relentless roar of big presses.
Most of all, the presses-, You
can think you're God's gift to
journalism, but when you stand
up close to a big press when
she's rolling out the home
edition at high speed, it's a
humbling experience. The news
and the men who write it come
and . go. The monster rolls on
forever.
If you are not a part of• this
buiness you'd be hard put, to„
fin,d any beauty in it. It looks
disorganized and untidy and
often times a little desperate in
the shadow of, a deadline. And
yet there's a great deal of
beauty in it if you know what to
look for.
There's beauty in watching
an old-time desk man handle a
piece of badly done copy under
pressure' when everything is
waiting for it to be gobbled into
the mouth of machinery.
There's one man in particular I
25 YEARS AGO .
June 2, 1949
A record, has been set by the
CNR F;eight office in Hensall.
During the past months, 86
carloads of beans, amounting
to 45,500 bags, have been 'ship-
ped. Total receipts for the
month were $48,000, which is
the largest in one month in 30
years.
Milk production continues
high as pastures continue to
make good growth. Corn plan-
ting in general is beginning and
preparations are being made to
plant beans. The bean growth
will be considerably decreased
this year.
Clinton Spring° Fair Friday
last, proved the largest in the
45 year history of Huron Cen-
tral Agricultural Society. The
weather was ideal, chilly
enough for a topcoat but was
just lovely. There were 620 en-
tries made up of 324 cattle, 234
horses and 62 swine.
Eighty-two pupils of the ten
schools of Hay Township Area
travelled by bus last Friday to
Detroit,. Mich., and visited
many of its parks and
museums.
Mrs. John A. Sutter and son,
Benson, spent the weekend in
Toronto with the former's
sister, Mrs. W.E. Floody and
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Crutcher.
Frank Riley has treated him-
self to a garden-tiller tractor.
50 YEARS AGO
June 5, 1924
Harvey Potter, who has coat=
pleted his third year in
Medicine at the University of
Toronto, has gone to New York
to take a special course during
the summer months.
Local students successful at
the various Universities in.
dude: W. Cooper, C. Liver-
more, Miss C. Higgins, Manley
Shiplov, John Towfishend and
love to watch. The swift, sure
movement of the big, yellow,
soft-leaded pencil cutting and
bridging and sharpening the
typewritten copy before him
gives me the same kick I get out
of watching a golf professional
or a confident artist.
There's beauty in a young.
reporter doing his first major
story and the reluctant grunt,
"Good stuff!" from a city
editor, like the conferring of a
knighthood and then to watch
the reporter furtively reading
his own story in the paper,
perhaps with his name on it. (I
sat up one whole night waiting
to see my first byline.)
There's beauty, in the bright
lead :Slugs slipPing out of 'a
LinotyPelnachine, one after the
other, giving words the dignity
of this false permanence, for
this is where the patience of
research and the agony of
writing becomes something you
can feel with the fingers,
There's beauty in an
editorial fluor late at night,
brilliantly lit yet strangely
silent, with perhaps a sport-
swriter in .one distant corner
batting out the story of a fight,
hat on the back of his head,
H.D. Ball.
Miss Susie Powell enter-
tained a number of friends on
Monday evening in honour of
her sister, Mrs. John D.
Stirling.
Misses Madelon Shaw and
Isobel Draper are visiting Mrs.
Helen Quinn of Londesboro.
Mr. and Mrs. James A.
Miller and Fred are visiting
Mrs. J.H. Simpson of
Hamilton.
The Young People's League
of Wesley Church paid a frien-
dly visit to Seaforth League on
Monday evening. Miss • M.A.
Stone and A.F. Johns were the
speakers of the evening.
William Symonds has
unloaded a car of heading and
a car of stoves and expects to
get making barrels at his place
on the Midway next week.
The Clinton Kiltie Band has
been engaged to play on the
Greyhound Moonlight excur-
sion out of Goderich next week.
Bowling has started on the
local green and enthusiasts are
cigaret in mouth; and away
across the other side of the
room a society writer, in a long
evening gown and with a cor-
sage at her shoulder, staring at
the blank paper and trying to
think of a lead that won't use
the word "agog."
Always when I take strangers
through the editorial room
their first impression is one of
chaos. It's not hard to under-
stand. It is' not a business of
visible discipline. It does not
deal with the predictable as a
raw material, although the
finished product must be as
predictable as the clock on the
wall.
And yet when you've been in
it anytime at a kV yoti discover -
that' it' Works Ab' itern as
fixed and as efficient as any
business\ office. You see that
most dramatically when a big
story breaks - a bank holdup,
say - just before deadline. Then
a good quarterback on a .city
desk can call the signals in a
way that will pull the story
together like a scoring play
from a dozen different angles.
Believe me, it's a sad day
when any paper closes its
doors.
now practicing for the tour-
naments of the season.
Dr. P. Hearn and Dr. H.S.
Brown attended a medical
meeting in Wingham.
75 YEARS AGO
Juno 1, 1899
Messrs. Swallow and Grigg
attended a meeting of the direc-
tors of the Huron Poultry
Association held in Seaforth on
Friday last. There was a good
turn out of the members of the
board and considerable
business was transacted.
A special train of 14 cars left
Clinton station last Tuesday
evening carrying the companies
of the 33rd Battalion, with the
exception of Seaforth and the
Band, to Camp at London.
Mrs. Leech, Holmesville, is
the guest of her sister, Mrs.
McKenzie, Goderich.
Mr. and Mrs. John Davidson
and family of the Goshen Line,
Stanley, visited Clinton friends
last week.
Dear Editor,
The Class of '33, London
Normal School, is holding its .
second reunion in forty years,
and, needless to say, we have
lost contact with some mem-
bers. We would appreciate your
help in locating the missing
grads.
The reunion will be held on
June 15 in Room 259 of Univer-
sity Community Centre at the
University of Western Ontario.
There will be a noon luncheon
followed by an afternoon get-
together. For further infor-
mation write to Bert Watson,
898 Trafalgar St., London.
Yours truly,
Albert V. Watson
Dear Editor:
Canada faces serious
problems of inflation and a,
drift toward total control by
the state.
-None of the established par-
ties has a programme to solve
these problems. Therefore a
new party, called the Tax-
payers Party, is needed. A draft
manifesto of the new party has
been prepared and is enclosed
with this letter.
• The Taxpayers Party ad-
vocates a massive reduction in
the size of the government and,
as a result, an end to inflation.
All those of your readers who
are seriously interested in the
new party are asked to contact:
"Albert Lyons"
P.O. Box 35601
Postal Station "E"
Vancouver, B.C.
V6M 4G9
Mirse-ilsoord readers ski en-
couraged to express their
opinions In lettere to the editor,
however, such opinions do not
necessarily represent the
opinions of the Nhows•Rimord.
Pseudonyms may be used by
letter writers,,but no letter will
be published unless It can be
willed by phone.
The' daily paper which em-
ploys me has been shut down
by a strike that, at this writing,
has gone on for some 'five mon-
ths. The experience has been
painful to all concerned, but
one thing is true. It has given
us all a deeper appreciation of
what a remarkable institution
the newspaper really is.
You know, if a publishing
house put out six hundred-
thousand word novels in a
week and distributed each one
to--say--a couple of hundred
thousand readers, it would be-7,
well, it would be unusual. But
that's pretty much what
newspapers do fifty-two week .
of the year. If nothing else,- it'''.
a 4 iiriiiiddr Mf. in:661140es% '":" '
S6tnetiftieS' peo'ple"whe rAhvgl
never been inside a newspaper!,
office ask me if I'll show them
around. I never miss the,
chance. That way yOu can see'
the whole enterprise through.,
other eyes...see it as you did on
the first, unforgettable day.;
when you signed on.
People who have never
worked in a newspaper office'-,
often speak of "the smell of
printer's ink." But what
always gets me is the effect
Celebrating
Dear Editor:
One hundred years ago,
Alexander Graham Bell inven-
ted the first telephone in Brant-
ford, Ontario. We are remem-
bering this historical event by
celebrating in many ways
throughout this Bell Centen-
nial year in our city.
The staff and Community -
School Organization of Graham
Bell School, Brantford, will
celebrate during this Bell Cen-
tennial year by holding a
reunion for all former students
and staff members, on Satur-
day, June 8, 1974, at 2 p.m. in
the. school.
Since our school has been
recently renovated, we will
therefore have our official
opening on the same day. There
will be an opportunity to meet
former friends and visit the
classrooms where you may
renew acquaintances.
We would appreciate hearing
from our former students and
staff members and correspon-
dence should be addressed to:
Reunion Committee, Graham
Bell School, 56 'Grand Street,
Ett'antfOrd, Ontario 'N3R 4B2, • ,
Sincerely, •
Dennis A. Foster,
Principal.
Party