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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1965-12-30, Page 4EDITORIALS YE 611;LD/ IfNO EL/EN A IFLE t. Et CAA] C 0^,SE THROUGH THESE 13Q A--Wtio lta., F01THE H ere's hoping this New Year brings you good fortune, happiness and kealtb. 61IC 2(,& la* 1 BANK w ig THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA MANAGER AND STAFF EXETER BRANCH To our friends and clients. The holiday season always will be a time for the expres- sion of good will and the exchange of friendly greetings. Now as we grow older, we have come to cherish some- thing more valuable than material gifts, instead a true friendship for all our old and new clients. Times change, brit not in ways of friendship, An old fash- ioned New Year's Greeting to you and yours full of health and happiness. Hodge & Slaght Plumbi ng & Heating Ltd. Crecliton ONE MAN'S OPINION by John C. Boyne Hopes for the New Year this Sunday, Wednesday afternoon and during the evening throughout the week. Please don't shoot It is difficult to understand the mentality of a person who would deliberately put another per- son's life in danger. And yet, these people do exist. Take the case of the careless hunter, whether he is a boy of 16 with his first rifle or an old hand of 50 who has enjoyed hunting for 30 years. Follow these people as they tramp through the fields on a Saturday afternoon, Hunting is scarce and after tramping for some three hours patience wears thin. They walk along, hoping to see something to shoot at, anything to allow them to squeeze the trig- ger so the day will not seem completely wasted. For many there is a compulsion to fire a rifle after they have started on the hunting trip and who can blame them for this. This was the reason they started on the hunting trip, Very few people hunt for food in this day and age. Hunting is for sport and in many cases hunters define this loosely as firing their rifles. Let us return to one hunter as he reaches the edge of the county road. There is a stop sign un- marked and a perfect target from 50 yards. He looks around, there is no one in sight, no houses close, no cars coming, a quick shot and the township has an- other few dollars to pay in replacing this. Now, let us look at our other hunter, it could be either one. He has had a discouraging day as well, nothing has appeared to shoot at in nearly four hours. Something else catches his eye other than a stop sign, there is no fun shooting at a stationary object. Up above is a small aircraft. It appears rather impersonal, just a large moving object. He looks around, no one in sight, He shoots, and shoots and shoots until the gun is empty and then returns home feeling better for having at least shot at a moving target, Unfortunately the aircraft is not an imperson- al object, but a very delicate machine carrying two men. Inside that body is a cable which if cut could send the plane crashing down. And just behind the seat is a battery and radio equipment with high volt- age which, if struck, could cause a fire. And what of the two men. They are as vulnerable as two passen- gers in an automobile and yet no hunter would ever think of shooting at one of these. If apprehended both these hunters could be charged under the criminal code. Apparently many hunters do not think when they get that rifle in their hands. They cause malicious damage and in some cases even death. The time has come to take a close look at the hunting practices of some individuals. There can be no doubt that many people should never be left alone with a rifle. Whether they mean harm or not they are po- tential killers. With the editor in Kerr's Korner This is the end of the year, the last news- paper for 1965 and I'm happy. Notparticu- larly to see the year through but because of the challenge, the fun and enjoyment which I know lies ahead in 1966. It's been quite a year and in some ways I feel as though I'd spent the complete year in Exeter rather than just the last five months. They've been good months. I'm starting to make progress with the High School Board. They had some mixed feelings about me when I first came here but they're starting to change now. For a while they went into committee of the whole quite early in the evening and I had to leave but it's getting better. After a few weeks they started to let me stay until 10:00 p.m. and then until 11:00. The big- gest surprise was the last meeting when I really made progress. They let me stay right through until 1:00 a.m. in the morn- ing and then they must have felt sorry for me for they finally decided to go into corn- mittee of the whole and Iet me go back to the office to work, I think the fellows on that board must really like one another as they meet twice a month and just don't want to go home. They gossip from time to time about friendly matters and the evening drifts on and its often 2:00 a.m. before they are through, There might be the odd one who leaves early but the rest like to talk to each other so much they can't bear to go home any earlier, if they did, they would make sure the meeting were runon little more businesslike manner, I'm getting to know the council quite well too and I look forward to the first and third Monday of the month. Its on those days that I can be sure to hear Jack Delbridge say at least once every 15minutes,,,don't put that in the paper"' Or ',don't quote me", I think I've got it figured out now. Jack must really be a shy fellow and while he doesn't Mind letting his hair down and tell- ing the fellows of council what he thinks aboutvarious things, he's too modest to have everything he says printed in the paper. I'm getting to know that veteran war horse, Derry Boyle as well. Derry is gen- erally good for at least one good outburst every meeting. He gets a little worked up and then he gets red in the face and then lets loose on the subject at hand. He doesn't always make the best sense when he lets loose like that but it breaks the monotony of the evening. I guess that connectionbe- tween the tongue and the brain doesn't work quite as well when the words come at a high speed and in a loud voice. The RAP committee meetings are a pleasure as a rule. It is one of the few groups who call a meeting for 7:30 and start the meeting at the appointed hour. Business is business and they are gen- erally through by about 9:30 although on special occasions it could be a little earlier. I guess at one time they had a few problems but they seem to get along to- gether fairly well now and get their work done. I imagine they'll get through even earlier when Gord Baynham finally gets them all to agree to install those light standards at the ball park In the fair grounds, I've been pretty lucky with the Police Department here. I haven't had a ticket since I came here and that's more than a lot of people around the T-A can say. J.M.S., Morley and Mrs. Harrison all re- ceived tickets in the last month or two. When council suggested that stricter park- ing should be enforced I didn't know they were going to start on the law breakers at the T-A or I'd have warned them. One question I've been asked a lot since I've been here and that's, "how do you get away with saying all those things about your Wife in your column?" Anyone who thinks I get away with it has never met my wife. Every time I mention her name in my column I get hot tongue and cold shoulder for a week. I'm not much for making New Year's resolutions. If I do want to do something I'll do it when the spirit moves me and not on the first of the year as a tradition. I should quit smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, I should stop staying up until 4:00 in the morning to finish a good book, I should eat regular meals, I should put my wife before my work rather than my work before my wife and many other littlefaults of a like nature which need to be correct- : if you go by the rule of the majority. I don't. During 1966 probably sit up until 4:00 a.m. many nights either working or read- ing and I'll smoke too much because that's my nature. And put my work before my home because I love my work as much as my wife and I loved it long before I ever met her. She knows this to be true and tries to understand. She must understand— what other wo- man would put up with a husband who is out five or six nights a week, doesn't come home until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. some mornings, works Saturdays and Sundays when necessary and when it's necessary cancels a night out to go to a special meeting which was called two days in advance? And when there is a fire or accident serious enough in the middle of the night, lie and worry until her husband comes home, It's a hard tough life but there's more enjoyment to 80 hours of work than anyone could ever find in 80 hours of play or leisure. The work in 1966 will be just as hard and trying as it was in 1965 but the enjoyment will always be there. That is what makes this life worthwhile and why we can celebrate and be happy as we face the new year, It's the pure enjoyment Of life itself and it's nice to have an- other year to start with to see how far you can progress and what you can ac- complish, Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND Member; O.W.N.A4, C.C.N.R. and ABC PUBLISHERS: J. M, Soot-haft, R. M. Southcott EDITOR: Kenneth Kerr Altthetrited as Second Class Mail, Post Office Depl, Ottawa, etzeferZimes-Abuorafe 'and for Payment of ostagt, in Cash The end of an old year is a good time to look forward with hope to some of the things which may lie ahead of us. Today MI like to set out a few things I would like to see happen in 1966 and after.Some of them are almost sure to come; others may never come, First of all, I hope there will be a 1966 and after. This is not an academic matter whenKarlMen- ninger's psychological theories of 'self destruction' seem to find their logical conclusion in the foreign policies of at least three big powers — including the larg- est so-called 'Christian' nation! So, I hope for a peaceable solution in Viet Nam and elsewhere — although no one, except those who suffer, appear to want it! I hope too that the white man somewhere finds the grace to grant equality of opportunity to other races everywhere or the Watts areas, the South Africas and Southern Rhodesias of our world may well invite a well deserved blood bath which could in turn trigger the ultimate catas- trophe. So a basic hope is the Christ- mas inspired hope — that peace will be ours. Whether it ever will be as long as we continue to refuse the conditions required is debatable! we don't seem to want to eradicate poverty, greed and lust for power. Nor are we overly concerned about living by the ways of the Prince of Peace. So it may well continue to elude us. In our own land, I hope that the Company of Young Canadians -- and young Canadians generally— will eventually lead us to realize our world responsibilities more clearly—as the churches, schools and political parties have so far failed to do any significant degree. I also hope that with the back- ing of Saskatchewan and Quebec the present federal government will have the courage required to swing other provinces behind a publicly operated Medicare scheme. A lot of work will have to be done in 1966 if it is to begin in 1967. We will need a new in- fusion of provincial co-operation — an item that has never domin- ated Canadian political life. So I hope we'll see more truly 'national' statesmanship and less Dear Sir; As a subscriber to your paper, 1 find at times some very in- teresting items, especially con- cerning the goings-on of our local town Council. May I mention an item appear- ing in your paper of Nov. 18th 1965, page two and bottom of column five. Quote "Notices have now been mailed to about 60 dog owners in town in regards to non- payment of taxes. Approximately 10 have since paid. If the taxes are not paid in the near future this amount will be added to the property tax." Unquote. The fore-going statement would lead one to believe that there exists considerable objec- tion to the above mentioned tax, especially since it has been in- creased from the original amount by Council, to more than double for male and double for female dogs. Apparently our Council was at a loss to find a way to collect, so took this method of trying to coerce the residents of this town into paying double taxes on their pets. This to me does not seem just, as I have been informed by a senior member of Council, that the dog tax was increased 50 YEARS AGO Gordon Taylor of Toronto, Chester Harvey, Edgar Horney, Thornton F e a r, Clive McAlister and Archie Davis, all soldiers of the King, were home for Christ- mas. Howard Quackenbush of Mil- waukee Dental College is holiday- ing at his home here. Notable improvements have been made to the interior of Dr. J. W, Browning's drug store, The whole store has been re- floored and redecorated, quarter cut oak cabinets placed along the south wall and an indirect light- ing system put in. A pleasant feature of the Chiselhurst Christmas tree con- cert was two ducks given by the Ladies Aid and a turkey by a private party to the pastor, Rev. J. F. Knight. 25 YEARS AGO Electricians have been busy as quite a few farmers have installed hydro for Christmas. Members of Csborne Township Council and officials and their wives were entertained to supper by Reeve Percy and Mrs. Pass- more Wednesday evening. Mt. Silas Reid, who, for 11 years was employed with J. A. Traquair, in the hardware busi- ness, left for London where he has secured a similar position. petty sectionalism and division in Canada. In the same vein, I feel that the success of nationalplan- Ring could be assured if the Liberal and NDP groups would agree to form some sort of c')ali- lion or pooling of ideas and re- sources. For a start, I hope that these two groups will learn to work as one bloc in Parliament to assure that there will be no federal election in this country for 4 years. On the local level the long awaited addition to South Huron District High School should start to take shape in 1966. This looks like it may well be our great- est Centennial project! I hope that this next year will see the estab- lishment of more effective lines of communication between sup- porting Council and the Board. There has been a breakdown at this crucial point in the past. In my basic area of concern, I have a few hopes for the Church of Jesus Christ in 1966. May there be a real attempt to better ex- press our essential 'oneness'. May there be more mutual under- standing and a better realiza- tion of how we can work together. I wish the Anglicans and United churchmen well as they continue their thorny debates. My best wishes too to my many E.U.B. friends who will probably be part of the United Church in 1966. Perhaps some of the more fosil- ized groups like my own Presby- terians, Lutherans, and Baptists might begin to open up a little in 1966 and after. I believe that the churches waste at least 50% of their na- tional budgets in Canada. We maintain at least twice as many buildings as we need, We waste men right and left. It's too bad we couldn't have a Centennial project to close half of the churches in Canada! This would free men and resources for the places they are needed most — in Canada and out- side of it. Above all I hope the Church will become more effective in making its teaching relevant so that it will affect every area of our life. I hope that everyone who bears the name 'Christian' will try to em- body the faith so that it will not continue to be vague spirituality, but will become an increasing part of our national fibre. BEFORE Council were aware that the dog tax could be added to the property taxes. Should this be so, it seems to me our Council should be frank enough to admit this error, and refund all residents who have paid at the higher rate on their 1965 dog taxes, as there does not seem to be any valid justification for the dog tax increase. On page 3 and column 3 of the Exeter Times-Advocate there is the following, Quote. "Pay dog tax or else. . Exeter Police will be calling on some 30 homes in Ex- eter in the near future to either collect or give a final warning to residents who have not yet paid their 1965 dog tax," Unquote. This to me shows a great lack of Common Sense on the part of our Council, who has to resort to police methods to collect a tax that is apparently unjust and cer- tainly dictatorial to many resi- dents of Exeter. Is this one way to help Exeter grow? or is this an oversight on the part of our Exeter Town Council?. Thank you sincerely. A DOG TAX PAYER H. M. Smith 267 Carling St. Exeter, Ont, 15 YEARS AGO Usborne Township has return- ed its 1950 council by acclama- tion. Reeve is Wellington Brock and council, Verne Pincombe, Earl Mitchell, Harold Jeffery and Harold Hern. The Times-Advocate contains only four pages this week due to Christmas and Boxing Day holi- days. Home for the holidays from OAC Guelph are Fred Dobbs, Don Bell, Bill Mickle, Walter Creery, Murray May and Grant Morgan. 10 YEARS AGO Mr. and Mrs. John Jones of town were surprised on the oc- casion of their 40th wedding an- niversary Thursday last when their family entertained them to a turkey dinner, Bolstering the regular staff at the post office of Wallace Pfaff, Norma Veal and Mrs. Helen Broderick were extra helpers, Charles Heaman, Jim Sturgis, Mrs. Frank Wildfong and Mrs. Glenn Bonnallie. Property damages in the area rose to an all-time highof$1,060 and seven persons were injured in II trashes over the holiday weekend, The year of 1955 was one of the driest years in history. The only caah crop that did make satisfactory returns was sugar beets, 1111111111111,11 lllll 111111111 lllll 111111111111111111111111111111111l1111111111111111111111111111111111 lllll 111111111111111 lllllll 11111111 Letter to the editor 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1 lllll 1111111111111111111111111111 lllll 111111111111111111111111111 llllllll II Best Wishes for the New Year from Bill Stewart MPP MIDDLESEX NORTH