The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1967-01-12, Page 4A tough act to follow
Councillor Ted Wright stated at
Exeter's inaugural meeting that the
pay increases being requested by mem-
bers of the police department were a
"bit ridiculous",
It's not difficult to agree with that
statement in view of the fact the re-
quests represented increases of just
under 40 percent, which even in this
day of spiralling labor costs, is an ex-
orbitant figure.
However, when the debate over the
pay increases had concluded, members
of the police department had managed
a fair bit of "horse trading", even
though they were not represented at
the meeting. Council ended up passing
out pay boosts ranging around 20 per-
cent and that's probably even better
than what the policemen had dared to
anticipate.
So, it could be argued that perhaps
the initial request wasn't as ridiculous
as it first appeared. It at least started,
council thinking in higher figures than
they ever had before and the police
department ended up the big winners.
Most other town employees gained sub-
stantially too, as council's generosity
towards the police department helped
pave the way for increases ranging
from 10 percent and up to other work-
ers.
There can be no dispute over the
fact most salaries had to be boosted.
The rising cost of living almost dictates
that pay be increased on this basis
alone, and there is also the fact that
some salaries of employees had been
too low.
However, there appears to be room
for argument against pay increases of
20 to 25 percent at one time. While
those are figures being sought by many
work groups in this nation, most re-
ceive them over a two or three-year
period.
Oddly enough, council appeared to
fall into a trap that had been pointed
out during their comments prior to the
salary negotiations. It had been stated
that many pieces of important business
were left until the final minutes of
some meetings and councillors often
made quick decisions in an effort to
keep meetings to a reasonable length.
The fact that salaries were dis-
cussed at the conclusion of a day that
resulted in a 12-hour session would ap-
pear to be in that category.
In view of some of the decisions
made, it would also be correct to point
out that the entire matter should have
gone to a committee for study so that
all salaries could have been viewed in
relation with each other, rather than
dealing with various departments in-
dividually as was done.
It is difficult to understand why
Eric Carscadden should have received
less than 10 percent pay raise in view
of the fact Chief C. H. MacKenzie re-
ceived one close to 20 percent, espe-
cially when it must be noted that the
Chief spent half of last year off duty
and reports around the council table
indicate he is still unable to fulfill his
functions fully, This is understandable
and we certainly have no fault to find
with the Chief under those circum-
stances but we use this to point out
that either his pay increase was too
much or that of the Clerk too little.
There were certainly other exam-
ples of inconsistency between various
employees, although there was no rea-
son given for establishing various per-
centages of increase.
While council's action on the issue
of salaries may result in similar pay in-
creases being requested of other boards
in the community, it is to be hoped
that the percentage of increase granted
is not the lone consideration. The rates
of pay previously received by town em-
ployees granted the raises should be
given due thought as well.
Delays are discouraging
Residents throughout this area no
doubt will understand the discourage-
ment expressed last week by an official
of Exeter Developments Ltd. over the
future of CFB Centralia.
Peter Raymond, secretary of the
group, pointed out that one industry
that would employ 75 men would like
to move in right away. Another two in-
dustries employing in the neighborhood
of 100 each have also expressed a sin-
cere interest in the base.
For years we've been investing
money in attempting to attract industry
into this area and now that there are
some apparently right on the doorstep,
we can't reach out and invite them in.
This is almost as frustrating as
finally being chosen for the team using
the decay preventing toothpaste only
to find out your teeth have already
dropped out.
Some of the reasons are certainly
understandable. CFB Centralia is in the
hands of Crown Assets Disposal Corpo-
ration and apparently the only way
they can dispose of the base is to sell
it to one party. Obviously, none of the
industries interested is large enough
to take control themselves. They only
want a portion.
Time is being lost while federal
and provincial governments decide
whether or not they want to use the
facilities, or whether they can share
the facilities with industrial concerns.
Meanwhile, there is the possibility
that the interested industries will be-
come tired of the wait and will decide
to locate elsewhere.
Surely we deserve a better fate
than to lose industries that would ap-
parently make up in part for the loss
of the RCAF station.
Let's hope the government offi-
cials working on this matter slice
through the red tape as quickly as pos-
sible and indicate they are as interest-
ed in the area ratepayers and industry
in this naticn as they lead us to be-
lieve.
Why do we tolerate it?
We watched a young couple mak-
ing love in bed last Sunday evening
on television. The week before we
were treated on the same program to
an appearance of one Arthur Ginsberg,
a so-called prophet of the LSD age,
who advocates the use of LSD for ev-
eryone over 14 and who described the
use of marijuana as a religious experi-
ence and the use of psychedelic drugs
as a sacrament.
These were segments of a new
television horror perpetrated by the
CBC under the deceptively innocuous
title, "Sunday". There have been other
episodes almost as disgraceful.
A friend of ours, Arthur Hueston,
publisher of a weekly newspaper in
Southwestern Ontario, likened one of
these programs to turning over wet
and rotten planks in a barnyard to see
the maggots squirm. We felt, after
viewing the last program, that we had
*Mitir"itatP2Ma
not only seen the maggots — we had
eaten them.
Canadians are being taxed heavily
to support the CBC. They have every
right to expect that the money will be
used in a way that will provide health-
ful, relaxing entertainment the whole
family can enjoy. Especially on a Sun-
day evening. We can do without ex-
posure to nymphomaniacs, long haired
beatniks, drug addicts, sexual perverts,
religious nuts and all the rest who live
on the fringe of society. And we can
do without those producers who feel
it necessary to bring them to our atten-
tion.
We know they are out there on
the fringe and we know what they
need, including the producers — pro-
fessional help. What we need is an end
to this kind of yellow journalism at
public expense.
Guelph Mercury
`fie OxeferZimes-ibuocafe
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: Howie Wright
Phone 235.1331
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Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ont.
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?viorei eleirfed at tedalte
Those many
wonderful years
Pedestrians still need help
In last week's column we made
mention of the fact that those
growing beards could become the
majority around the community
before July 1, 1967 rolled around.
We must admit that the state-
ment appeared to be a bit of an
exaggeration at the time, but now
it seems that it may well become
true.
Every time we step out onto
the street we see two or three
more chaps who have joined the
"Brothers of the Brush" and
decided to forego shaving for the
next few months.
Styles vary from sideburns to
full beards, and the colors being
displayed run a wide variety as
well.
The enthusiastic response to
the contest indicates it will be
an overwhelming success.
Judging from news reports of
last week, having given some
mention to men in this column,
we had better give equal space
to the ladies, some of whom
appear to be on the warpath
these days. ,
Mrs. Michael Sabia, head of
the Committee for the Equality
of Women, has indicated her
group wants an immediate royal
commission set up to study wom-
en's rights, apparently on the
contention that those rights are
not what they should be.
It is most difficult to under-
stand that opinion, although Mrs.
Sabia says she has some 2,000,000
members in her group who share
her concern for the fact women
are getting the short end of the
stick.
We just can't go along with
that nonsense, Mrs. Sabia.
Men have long recognized the
fact that women are now on a
par with them. We no longer
rise to give them our seats in
buses or trains, we let them
work along side us in most jobs,
and many males don't even
temper their language in the
presence of women.
The list of advances made by
Women could be extended at great
length, and as stated, it is dif-
ficult to understand why some
of the fairer sex are complaining.
However, there is certainly
every indication that their final
complaints should be silenced
by the males in the coming gener-
ation.
With the innovation of slacks,
jeans and other types of pants
for women, they have become in-
creasingly more like men in
recent years, and now some of the
males in the younger set are
letting their hair grow longer so
that it is becoming almost im-
possible to tell the difference
between men and women.
LETTERS TT:E EDITOR
Thanks
Dear Sir:
Once again our Annual Appeal
for funds in Huron, Middlesex
and Perth Counties has been
completed and we are happy to
announce that there has been an
increase in the monies raised.
On behalf of CNIB, we Would
like to express our appreciation
to thoSe who so kindly gave of
their time and effort in assisting
Us with the campaigns. TO those
Whe Se generously contributed
to the CNIB appeal, our heart-
felt thanks.
We can assure them that their
dollars will be put to good use
— Please turn to page 5
If the trend continues, we'll
soon have to walk around with
signs denoting our sex and you
can't beat that for equality.
The Strathroy Age-Dispatch
printed the following item last
week and certainly is worthy of
mention here due to the optimism
expressed. It goes as follows:
John Tamming told us about
the little Strathroy boy who
wanted very much to attend the
Centennial kick-off ceremonies
Saturday.
When the time came to leave
for downtown, he was playing
happily in the yard with some
other children. Since mother
wasn't feeling well, she decided
to let him play on, hoping he'd
forget.
About four o'clock, he remem-
bered, and pressured his family
into taking him downtown. Upon
arrival, he learned that the cere-
mony was over.
"Oh no," he wailed. "Now I'll
have to wait a hundred years for
the next ceremony."
* * *
In view of the rising mill
rate, it was perhaps welcome
news for most ratepayers that
no members of Exeter council
suggested any new and costly
projects at last week's in-
augural meeting.
However, it was a bit dis-
appointing to one person we know
to find that Councillor Ted Wright
has apparently dropped one pro-
ject he was backing when speak-
ing at the November nomination
meeting.
50 YEARS AGO
J. G. Jones has purchased the
property on Main St., known as
the Farmer property andoc-
cupied by Mr. Jones as a seed
store. This gives Mr. Jones pos-
session of all the land and build-
ings between the corner and the
Bank of Commerce.
The house owned by Dr. Quack-
enbush on the corner of James
and Albert Sts. has been pur-
chased by Mr. William Fisher
of Usborne who takes immediate
possession.
Notice is hereby given that the
ice on the river will be sold at
25 cents a load, the purchaser
to secure the necessary help.
At the meeting of Exeter Coun-
cil the salary of the clerk and
treasurer (Joseph Senior) was
fixed at $500 for the year.
25 YEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. J. R, C. Moffatt,
Jim and Mitzi leave this week
for their new home in Toronto
where Mr. Moffatt has been
transferred as manager of the
Bank of Commerce at the corner
of Bloor and Ossington streets.
Mr. D. C. Size, manager of
the Bank of Commerce at Lea-
side, is being transferred to the
Exeter branch. Mrs. Size and
son are expected to arrive in
Exeter this week.
Misses Dorothy Dougall and
Elva McQueen of Henson, who
are attending London Normal
School this year, are practice
teaching at Lumley and Huron-
dale schools.
A powerful new snowplow be-
longing to the Ontario Depart-
ment of Highways is now located
at Exeter and is being operated
by Percy Hewitt,
At that time, Ted suggested
that some type of traffic regul-
ating system was required on
Main St. to enable persons to
get across the busy highway safe-
ly.
This is indeed a very real
need, as pedestrians now have
to take risks in getting across
the street due to the heavy vehic-
ular traffic at most times. This*
is even more of a risk in winter
when footing is unsure for both
pedestrians and motorists.
A traffic light somewhere in
the middle of town would elim-
inate the problem for those who
would take the time to use it,
although it is perhaps doubtful
that such a suggestion would
gain much support from the de-
partment of highways.
Perhaps we should consider
pedestrian cross-walks of the
type used in some large cities.
There's no question but what
the problem requires a detailed
study and we trust Councillor
Wright will again add the pro-
ject to his list of needs of the
community.
There will be those who will
question the need for any traffic
regulating at all. However, we
suggest to those people that they
stop some busy afternoon and
see the difficulty encountered
by older people who do not have
the agility required to dodge
between cars proceeding through
town, or to watch mothers at-
tempting to pull a sleigh or
toboggan across the road.
It often requires a wait of
several minutes before con-
ditions are safe for such people.
15 YEARS AGO
The symbolic gavel and en-
graved scroll, gifts from the
city of Exeter, England, to the
Town of Exeter are on display
this week in Snelgrove's store
window.
The Exeter District High School
Board declared a surplus of
around $23,000 at their inaugural
meeting Tuesday night. Dr. H. H.
Cowen was re-elected chairman.
Mr. Cecil Skinner was re-
elected superintendent of Cen-
tralia Sunday School last week
and on Sunday began his 25th
year in that office. He and his
wife were presented with a tri-
light lamp in appreciation of
their services.
Reeve of Lucan for 10 years,
Harold Corbett was elected ward-
en of Middlesex county at the in-
augural meeting Tuesday.
10 YEARS AGO
Exeter starts the year with a
surplus of $8,500. Mayor Pooley
told the council that 1947 would
be a busy year.
Larry Snider was elected
chairman of South Huron District
High School Board Tuesday night.
He succeeds C, S. MacNaughton
and becomes the third chair min
since the board was organized
in 1948.
Zion United Church was re-
opened Sunday after being closed
for renovations for six months.
Everything is new except the
four walls.
NATO students of the RCAF
Station Centralia were guests
of the Home & School Associa-
tion at its meeting Tuesday even-
ing.
BY J. L. WOODEN
The Centennial Year among
other things has stimulated a
renewed interest in history,
especially in local history. This
brief article can do little but
mention briefly some of the as-
pects of Exeter as it was in the
last quarter of the 1800's. Each
of these aspects deserve full
development. Perhaps the public
school and high school could
assign students to research the
items mentioned below.
At the time of Confederation,
Exeter was not yet an incor-
porated municipality. There were
in 1867 two small settlements;
Francistown, north of the river
and Exeter on the area south
of the river. It wasn't until 1873
that the Village of Exeter was
incorporated; in that year the
village was formed from the
adjacent parts of the three town-
ships. Isaac Carling was the
first Reeve.
From 1873 to the turn of the
century, Exeter grew into a pros-
perous village with considerable
industrial, commercial, social
and athletic activity.
For example Exeter had six
or seven hotels: the town doesn't
have any now. The largest was
the Central which came down in
recent years. The Commercial
and the Walper were two others.
Hotels were also found near the
station, at the corner of Main
and Wellington and at the corner
of Huron and Main. All were very
active before temperance became
the rule of the village and one
or two continued to function as
stopping places well into this
century.
Industrially, Exeter had the
Verity Plough Works, a woolen
mill, a flax mill, a lumber mill,
a salt works, a grist mill and
others. In the 1890's Exeter got
electricity. "Cap" Howard
opened a small wood burning
steam generating plant in James
Pickard's old grist mill.
In 1897 the Exeter Electric
Light and Power Company Ltd.
commenced operations in the old
Verity building where the LCBO
store now stands. Snell, Trem-
aine, Collins, Lutz, Bawden were
some of the shareholders. These
plants gave Exeter its first elec-
tric light.
This year is the Public Util-
ities Commission's fiftieth an-
niversary and they may be is-
suing a booklet giving the history
of water and power in Exeter.
The variety and number of
industrial establishments seems
to have been greater in Exeter
in the late 1800's than now.
"Front" street has changed a
good deal in this century. Names
like R. E, Pickard Company,
By the time this appears in
print, I expect that I shall have
severed an association of 17
years with the weekly newspaper
business. And it is not without
some sadness that I do so.
Sometimes it seems that our
life is governed by accident,
that we have very little control
over it.
Had the war lasted a few months
longer, had I taken a different
course at university, or gone to
a different college, I would not
have met my wife. And had I
not met that particular girl at
that particular time, I would
never have been in the news-
paper business, nor would I be
writing this column.
Accident again took a hand.
We were in the city. I had en-
rolled in a post-graduate course
in English. University teaching
was the objective.
Came the tragic news that
my brother-in-law (on my wife's
side) had been drowned in a
boating accident. He owned a
weekly newspaper.
We hastened to the scene, to
be of what comfort we could.
And I pitched in, as ignorant as
Mrs. Murphy's cow, to help keep
the paper going fora week or two,
until other arrangements were
made. Eleven years later, I was
still there.
From the beginning, I was
fascinated. This was better than
the world of Chaucer and Spen-
ser and the Romantic poets, the
whole fleece-lined world of the
scholar. This was life.
There was an exciting tempo
to it that suited me. Monday was
a day of desperation. No news,
no editorials writte n, nobody
wanted to buy an advertisement
that early in the week. The lino-
type operator was getting owly
because you couldn't keep him
busy and he knew what was Com-
ing.
Tuesday, the pace accelerated
rapidly. The news began to pour
in, You madly dashed off two
sparkling editorials. You tried
to make a sensible story of the
donnybrook at last night's council
trieetlig. YOU hit the street"and
sold ads, whether it was raining
Or snowing or blastingly hot.
Wednesday was even moreso.
Complaints, callers, classified
ads piling in, and the inevitable
Ross and Taylor, Sparkman,
Louis Day, once graced Main
Street. The villagers and the
surrounding population could buy
everything they needed in Exeter.
Health could be assured by
taking "celery compound, emul-
sions, pills, purgatives and so on.
Ladies could look gorgeous in
Pickard's "top-line corsets" for
only 87C. Men could look dash-
ing in $3.00 suits.
Sports and social activities
made the village an almost self-
contained unit for recreation and
amusement. Skating carnivals,
skating races, hockey, dances,
church socials provided winter
entertainment.
In summer, teams from Exeter
competed in cricket, lacrosse,
croquet, baseball. One ball game
in the 1890's saw Exeter down
Crediton 30 to 211 The turf club
was very active in the 1890's
and perhaps earlier. The town
band received a small grant from
Council and in return "guaran-
teed" 24 concerts during the good
weather. Some of these concerts
were given in resident's yards.
Two newspapers, The Times
and The Advocate stirred the
village up politically, reported
on the comings and goings and on
peoples' health—"Mrs. so & so
is in bed with inflammation of
the bowels." Locally these papers
gave coverage on important de-
velopments and criticized when
necessary. For example, in the
1890's Exeter's roads were
"bad" and this was "not good
for Exeter."
One could go on. Perhaps the
editor could encourage columns
on local history during the Cen-
tennial Yaar. Knowledge of the
past helps enormously in devel-
oping a sense of community pride
that is necessary if a town is to
be more than just a domicile.
Knowledge of what went on before
produces a sense of continuity and
of being "at home" in a com-
munity.
So let us have a history of
hockey in Exeter from Clarence
E. Boyle and Al Pickard; of base-
ball from Earl Russell; of music
and drama from Gwen Whilsmith;
of retail business from Clare
Pickard; of our two papers by
J. M. Southcott; of hotels from
Charlie Acheson; of education,
churches, industries, transpor-
tation, and the other everyday
things that are the basis of every-
day life.
The teacher placed this sent-
ence on the blackboard: "I didn't
have no fun over the week end."
"How could I correct that?"
she asked Larry.
"Get a feller," he replied.
merchant waltzing in, after the
deadline, with a big ad you simply
hadn't room to print. Proof-read-
ing away behind. People in look-
ing for free publicity. People in
just to chat about town affairs,
or their grandchildren. And the
linotype operator, dangerous
to the point of being lethal, within
a radius of 12 feet of his ma-
chine. Work often till midnight,
putting the sheet to bed.
Thursday was decision day.
Too many ads. Can we leave
this one out? Too much coun-
try correspondence. Which re-
porter will be least infuriated
if we leave her stuff till next
week? Short a column of front
page news. Where can we dig
it up? The photos haven't ar-
rived. Rush to the bus station;
see if they're in.
But by about 10:30 am, she
was on the press, and the com-
forting thump and rumble of the
old machine was reward enough
for all the scrambling. There
was solid satisfaction in folding,
stamping and mailing the finish-
ed product. You felt as good as
though you'd just wrestled an
alligator to a split decision.
At any rate, I was hooked.
Formed a partnership with one
of the printers, and We bought
the thing. We didn't have 40
cents apiece. But we went out
like a couple of pirates, hit
every friend and relative we
knew, scratched up the down
payment, outbid every competi-
tor because we had nothing to
lose, and took on what was prob-
ably the biggest mortgage on any
weekly newspaper on the con-
tinent.
They were great fun, those
first few years. There wasn't
much caviar or champagne. Ev-
ery spare nickel went into the
debts. But we made it, and made
a host of good friends among
weekly editors on the way.
But I can tell you that run-
ning a weekly newspaper is one
'of the roughest games in town.
Holidays are almost unknown.
Long hours are the rule. Some-
body it always sore at you. And
you'll never be rich.
I'll miss it. Some of it. And
I'll always have warm memor-
ies of it. But I hope to keep in
touch through this column, which
will continue as usual.
ONE OF A SERIES
OF CENTENNIAL REPORTS
Recalls some
early history