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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1966-11-24, Page 4Village idiot could win 4 gleV/EPNAV AMU &gm/ p Kids are the greatest eeeeee ' ' eee e. )4Argf.. eoteexeferzimoikwomfe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND Member: C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A., C.C.N.R. and ABC Publishers: J. M. Southcott, R. M. Southcott Editor': Bill Batten Advertising Manager: Val Baltkalns Phone 235.1331 1867 I 1967 CEyNTENNIAL FISHER COMMISSIONER b JOHN W. at any other time in the country's history, We estimate that several hundreds will find a place On the Canadiana shelves. More than 100 are being produced with the help of Centennial Commission grants alone. In addition com- mercial publishers, churches and other institutions are bringing out many more Miring Centennial. Through books and plays the glamor, the drama and the excite- ment in the story of Canada, so often missing in history books, and so long neglected by the majority of publishers, will stir new pride in our country. More writers and publishers will be challenging the whole of our country to show it can live up to its potential greatness in the 20th century, I believe the Centennial cele- brations will be for Canada what a good spring cleaning does for a house that's been too long closed up for the winter months. The year 1967 will be a time for a new, fresh outlook, a time when we open the doors and win- dows of our minds, let In the fresh air and clean out the cob- webs, A country with such a potential has no place for cob- webs. By Vol Baltkalns 74 ad all a efele eyeexe:exe::•:-::exex-xeexeeee; "What first attracted me to Ethel was her delightful sense of humor. Then I found out she wasn't kidding:" the next few months, and these will be matters that will affect every individ- ual in the area. They'll be deciding what type of education our children will receive, what recreational facilities will be made available, what roads will be fixed, who will be responsible for our protec- tion, what amount we'll pay in taxes next year, the amount of effort to be expended on industrial promotion, how often our garbage will be picked up, who will receive relief assistance, the appearance of our communities, what we'll do to mark Canada's centennial, etc., etc. Some of those jobs are mundane and some are exciting and interesting; but generally speaking they require the abilities of honest, foresighted, dedi- cated, thick-skinned, intelligent people. There are many persons in South Huron who have these qualifications; many others who don't. The type we get will be dependent on two things: whether those who have the abilities will come forth, and whether the rate- payers are interested enough in their affairs to ask them to come forth. Will we continue to abdicate that privilege and responsibility? Will we fill our offices with qualified candi- dates? Will we at least show enough in- terest in affairs that will dictate our lives to attend nomination meetings? The answers will be provided this week. They'll be provided by YOU. For those who think we may be overemphasizing the importance of the foregoing, let us point out that in re- cent years it would have been possible for the proverbial "village idiot" to be named to some area councils. Due to lack of candidates he would have needed only two persons to ap- prove his nomination papers and he would have been acclaimed to office. It's a rather sobering thought that suggests a situation of which no one can be proud. All that in five short years Several times in recent weeks this newspaper has carried accounts from meetings in which local officials com- plained of the practice of federal and provincial governments moving into the fields where municipalities once had the jurisdiction. It is a common complaint and one that is well founded. The examples are many and they indicate that a continu- ance of this practice will, in the very near future, practically eliminate the need for local councils and boards; or at best, relegate them to the position of being mere "rubber stamps". One of those who has deplored this situation in the past has been Exe- ter Councillor Joe Wooden, but unlike many who would criticize the senior governments for this movement. he re- cently pointed the finger at the main cause in noting that it was really mu- nicipal officials who were abdicating their authority. His contention is that municipal officals can do as much as they are prepared to do, and in that argument there is a considerable amount of truth. However, we feel he could have carried the argument one step farther in noting that the amount of control to be left in the hands of local muni- cipalities was not only up to the offi- cials who hold appointed and elected positions, but also those who are re- sponsible for putting officials in those elected positions. In short, the choice is up to every responsible person in the community. This is the week ratepayers in all the area municipalities will take their stand on that issue and many others. It's the week for nominations and the type of persons chosen for the posi- tions which will be filled at these meet- ings will decide upon the course of ac- tion to be taken by and councils and boards. The persons to be named will de- cide many other important matters in A potpourri proceedings lost much of their importance through a faulty pub- lic address system. It's a fault that plagues a great number of the affairs in this community, because the same problem can invariably be ex- pected at the arena. Surely the situation can be rectified at the high school. There are many proud days in a community. Sometimes they come for individuals; at other times they are shared by many. Certainly Friday must have been one of the latter as the annual commencement at SHDES listed a record number of grad- uates. In addition, the indication that a vast majority of those graduates were continuing their education was most encouraging. Whether they were scholar- ship winners or those who pull- ed through by the skin of their teeth, each graduate displayed an air of self-satisfaction that was justifiable. There was also that special glow emanating from the par- ents of the graduates, for they too share in the accomplishment to a great extent. The final group visibly pleased with the proceedings were mem- bers of the staff, who for the past four or five years had en- couraged, cajoled, threatened and taken whatever other steps necessary to carry students through to the pinnacle of their school days. It was a time for all present to be proud and thankful and at this their first official function at SHDHS, we join with those of the area in adding our best wishes for continued success to the grads. ' As long as I'm a big winner, I think it only fair that I quit and give someone else a chance," Don't underestimate the good effect the Centennial celebrations are going to have on Canada. The Centennial is coming just at the right time—a time when many Canadians are beginning to feel they have too long been sub- jected to the crying of the beefers, the whiners and the knockers. You know the kind I mean—the ones who do nothing but wring their hands and predict that the country is about to come apart at the pro- vincial seams, that, alas, there is naught to do but woefully sit and watch the disintegration. The idea of Canada disinte- grating, I imagine, was merely a novelty of the mind thought up by the doom-criers as a publicity aid, but to use the language of the television age, it has been "over-exposed". It has been ex- hausted in the public prints and along the public sound waves to the point where most Canadians are yawning. I think we are all eager and ready for a refreshing change. We want to consider the bright future for Canada which we know, down deep, to be probable as well as possible. During 1967 we will hear and see plenty about the kind of Canada we picture for the future. Just as an example, consider "Second Century Week",a gathering of 1,100 students, rom all across Canada, on the two campuses of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary next March. Grants from the Alberta and federal govern- ments are assisting the univer- sities in this Centennial year project, It is the students in our society who often spark the action necessary to put new ideas in motion and the theme of their "Second Century Week" gather- ing is that the Centennial is a bridge to the future—a future involving opportunities so great that they are bound to overshadow the temporarily unsolved prob- lems of Canada. Throughout 1967 events and words also will help refresh the original dream of a great Canada which the Fathers of Confedera- tion started on the way to reality when they met at Prince Edward Island 100 years ago. For ex- ample more books, poems, essays and plays on the story of Canada are being published than It is practically an impossibility to add any words of praise to those which were bestowed on the persons respon- sible for the Blue Water Rest Home which was officially opened in Zurich, Sunday. Visiting and local dignitaries were most generous in their commendation and certainly it was appropriate that they should be, because it took a great deal of enthusiasm, foresight and hard work by a large number of people to make this extensive project a reality. Those responsible must have looked on with a great deal of satisfac- tion as the ribbon was cut at the cere- monies. At most nomination meetings, few questions are asked from those in the audience, although no doubt there are many points on which people would like to question their various elected or appointed officials. We hope someone will ask his rep- resentative on the Ausable River Con- servation Authority why they are still buying and expropriating land for the Parkhill Dam, when there appears to be so little indication that it will ever materialize. It's too late to make any changes for this year, but some councils would do well to consider holding nomination meetings on nights other than chosen at present. Those communities which have shopping hours slated for Friday nights should schedule their annual sessions at some other time to allow all persons to attend. There's certainly no plausible ex- cuse for businessmen to miss the meet- ings as they have more at stake than most people, but someone still has to man the store and that means a num- ber of people can't be in attendance. * * * * As the year end rolls around, sev- eral councils and other bodies would be advised to review the business transacted during the past months to determine if all decisions had been carried through. In the past, some members have pointed out that pieces of business have been approved or set aside for committee study and have not been completed due to various reasons. About '70 percent of the eli- gible voters turned out in Swit- zerland over the weekend to de- cide on an important issue in that country. The issue was whether or not women should be granted the right to vote and be elected to public office, and again the all- male electorate turned down the proposal. News items didn't indicate how many times the issue has been taken to the men, but a com- parison with one of the previous votes shows that the men are slowly losing their grasp of the situation and the majority is being cut drastically. The majority this time was just a little over 10,000 votes while it had been more than 50,000 in a vote in 1959. Perhaps the men of Switzer- land have looked around at other countries and have come to the conclusion that women don't use their privilege when they do get it. Certainly, in Canada only a handful of women have been el- ected to federal and provincial governments and few women in our particular area have shown any political tendencies and only about four or five have ever held elected positions. It would be safe to say that at this week's nomination meet- ings in the district, there will be an average of only two ladies at each meeting. On many occasions members of the public arise to voice strong complaints about the work of policemen. This stems from the fact many people seem to think that laws are made only for other people. In this regard, a telephone conversation we had Friday turned out to be most pleasant. It was from Huron Crown At- torney W, G, Cochrane, who thought local residents should be made aware of the excellent job done by Cpl. Harry VanBergen and other members of the local department in their recent work surrounding the disappearance of a local juvenile. The police spent a great many hours on this assignment and were finally successful in lo- cating the juvenile in Tampa, Florida, from where they ar- ranged for her transfer home with the co-operation of im- migration officials in the U.S.A. "It was a case of alert police work," Mr. Cochrane stated, ad- ding that Cpl. VanBergen and his men "did a very good job". First class rubbish Envelopes come to us marked "first class mail" almost every day in the week. First Class Mail and yet they pay no postage. What are these important pieces of mail that come in many thousands and take up so much of the time of our post office people? They are pieces of publicity material sent out by a gov- ernment department. In the case we are speaking of they are all from the Department of Agriculture in Ottawa. What do the envelopes contain? This is difficult to report accurately since very few people who ever receive them read them — or even open them. Some do not even carry them home, or to their office. They merely drop this First Class Mail in the waste basket at the post office. It seems to us that a great deal of the glut of mail which is reputed to be causing the Canada Post Office so much of a problem could be eliminated if these thousands and thousands of free pieces of mail from various gov- ernment departments were each cut down about ninety-nine per cent, or eliminated altogether. — St. Marys Journal-Argus 50 YEARS AGO Mr. Sam Brock has purchased R. D. Hunter's farm at Elim- ville. Reeve of Exeter for 1916 is B. W. F. Beavers; councillors, T. Hatton, J. P. Hind, C. B, Snell and Louis Day; school trust- ees, S. Martin, F. Wood, R. N. Creech, I. Armstrong, A. E. Fuke and F, W, Gladman. Mr. F. E. learn, formerly of the Sovereign Bank, Exeter, and latterly of the Royal Bank, Lon- don, has been appointed manager of the branches of the People's Loan and Premier Trust Co. which opens in Windsor this week. Norman Norry has enlisted with the Scottish Borderers in London. 15 YEARS AGO Six weeks ago the first service of the Dutch Reformed Church for this district was held Sunday afternoon in James Street United Church. At that time there were 32 new Dutch-Canadians in at- tendance and since then the con- gregation has doubled. The local creamery staff were again successful In receiving second and third prizes for their butter exhibit at the Royal Winter Fair. Large congregations greeted a former pastor, Dr. Walter E. Donnelly of Young Church, Win- nipeg, on the hundredth anniver- sary of James Street United Church Sunday. W. G. Cochrane succeeds 13. W. Tuckey as mayor of Exeter for 1952. o0piAN 11124 m o0111r It was perhaps unfortunate that everyone couldn't attend such a function, because it provides a wealth of material for thought— and also for inspiration. The night provided a very real- istic showing of the process of growing up. The first persons across the stage to receive awards were the students from the junior grades. They came in all shapes and sizes. Most were noticeably shy. Some of the girls had trouble navigating with their high heels. the boys were nervous. F e w dared to glance at the audience and those of us in the front row could hear a few audible sighs of relief as the trip through the limelight concluded. Things were different when the graduates had their moment of glory. There were no awkward girls, They were all young ladies who carried themselves with poise, grace, and sophistication. Their male counterparts march- ed briskly and exuded an air of going somewhere and knowing how they were going to get there. Already they were men of the world. It was difficult to imagine that five short years ago they were identical to those grade nine and ten students. Yes, the night provided us with a glimpse of the growing up pro- cess, Without exception, it Is possible to say that the grad- uating class of 1966 had done an exceptionally good job on that process. It is undoubtedly something for which a great many people-- including teachers, parents and youth leAders, can take a how, We in this area are richly endowed. Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ont. Authorized as Second Class Mall,. Post Office Dept, Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage in Cash Paid in Advance Circulation, March 31, 1966, 4,180 sUBstRitsTION RATES: Canada $5.00 Per Year; USA $7.00 25 YEARS AGO Art appeal is made to the people Of Canada to entertain airmen in their homes over the Christmas and NeW Year's holidays. President of the Exeter High School Literary Society is Shirley Duncan; vice-president, Britain Sand e r s; secretary-treasurer, Marjorie May; editor, John Page, assistant, Florence Haberer; re- porter, Dorothy Green. Leavitt's Theatre is donating the entire proceeds of Monday and Tuesday evenings of next week to the Exeter branch of the Red Cross. Rev. J. W, Down was the guest of honor of the South Buren Ministerial Association at a bati- vet marking sixty years spent in the ministry. If there was a fault to be found with the commencement it Wee the fact that some of the 10 YEARS AGO Exeter's Furniture Limited, Exeter's first new manufacturing industry in many years, recently completed its initial product—a pulpit for a church in Toronto. Designer for the firm is Pees- ident McCaffrey. Mr, Garnet Flynn has disposed of his red brick dwelling on Andrew Street to Mr. Victor Aquilino. of RCAF Station, Cen-, traliao Workmen are putting the finishing touches to the newly remodelled pest office. Mail boxes have been increased from 348 to 802. Don Pullen, ItR 1 aranton, Wert the Queen's Guineas at the Royal Winter Fair With his Aberdeen- Angus steer Friday. become big kids. And as they grow, their parents shrink. Physically, mentally, spiritual- ly. And financially. The tendons of the family body begin to stretch, under constant pressure. The family joints begin to creak, under constant strain. Not to labor the analogy, let's just say that your cherubs have become teenagers. Momma's tolerance thins with the same rapidity as Dad's hair. Daughter's lippiness in- creases at the same rate as son's surliness. What was once merely an ex- ercise in exhaustion getting them to bed becomes a su- perhuman effort —staying up till they get in. But this is just the home life, something to be borne, like in- g r o wn toe-nails, or varicose veins. What really grabs you is the influence of the outside world. Everybody, from the prime minister to the local plumber, tells your kids they have to stay in school. It doesn't matter whether they have the brains of a louse. A drop-out these days, is practically a felon. In fact, don't be surprised if all drop-outs are sent to the moon, as soon as we have established a colony there. Similarly, your daughter has an irresistable attraction toward hoods. Vainly, you nudge her in the direction of some clean-cut honor-student son of a wealthy WASP doctor. Her reaction? "That fink!" And she makes a date with some long-locked, Yamaha-rid- ing character who is in his fourth year in the two-year technical Course, makes $2e a week in his part-time job at the super-market, probably drinks, and will be rich by the time he's 25. And your son? Same, only More so, He leeks on LSD with the same interest With which you looked on the Literary, So- cial and Debating clubs when you were his age. He helps himself to a beer with the same nonchalance with which he used to take a banana. But cheer' up, parents. Therecs One satisfaction. If you can held out physically, you're going to be able to sit around and laugh yourself silly when your kids are bringing up their kids, My heart aches for the par- ents of young children. All the parents of all young children. They are like soldiers who have done their basic training, but have never heard a shot fired In anger. The real war lies ahead. I know there are some young mothers with several children who think they are going through a rough time right now. But this is merely purga- tory. Hell comes later, and is hotter. Little kids are lovable. As ba- bies, they are soft and warm and, if changed frequently, smell good. They grin, they creep, they gurgle, and they cheep, and every day, in every way, they grow smarter and smarter. Life is full of landmarks: the first tooth, the first step, the first word, the first fist-fight with the little girl next door, the first day at school, the first big crush on a member of the opposite sex. They 're very funny and they're very sweet. And there's always a big occasion not far away. There are Hallowe'en costumes to m ak e , and the thrill of that first time out in the eerie October night, one hand clutching a huge paper bag, the other clutching firmly the hand of the bigger girl from next door, as the rounds are made. There's Christmas coming, and the growing excitement of carols and the part in the Sun- day School pageant, and rustley paper in closets, and the hair- raising help they give in dec- orating the tree. And there's Valentine's Day, with the great social decisions to be made, about who gets the five-cent one and who gets the 10-cent one. And there's Fire- cracker Day, when they have to stand in a circle and watch their father burning his fingers and scorching his eyebrows While he shows them how eare- fill they must be, A 11 iri all, little kids are about the greatest single bless- ing we can find in this vale of tears. They're a laugh a day. They can make you feel big, and strong, and capable, and honest, and whole. There's only one thing wrong with little kids, Inevitably, inexorably, relentlessly, they • eee'e•eee,eierevee