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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-12-12, Page 4Moue applauded The Ontario trucking industry has urg- ed more communities to follow the lead of Metropolitan Toronto by banning commer- cial vehicles from using the passing lane on three-lane roads. M.W. (Del) Donnelly, president of the Ontario Trucking Association, said the Association fully supports Metropolitan Toronto's decision to prohibit commercial vehicles from the passing lane on the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Ex- pressway. "In our view, this kind of municipal action is an effective way of providing motorists with a fast moving lane and reducing urban traffic congestion, particularly during rush hours," Mr. Donnelly continued: "We en- courage other communities to take similar action where they have three-lane roadways under municipal jurisdiction. The trucking industry recognizes its responsibilities to share the road with other users." He added that the Ontario Trucking Association has, for some time, been en- couraging its member companies to have their drivers keep out of the passing lane on any three-lane road "but unfortunately we cannot control the activities of all truck drivers." We are sure that most users of Ontario highways will applaud this attitude and leadership being given by the trucking in- dustry of Ontario. St. Marys Argus Journal It's election time again :IIFIAMEMEACZNAMISINZIL 4121 Times Established 1873- Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Editor — Bill Batten — Advertising Manager Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Women's Editor — Terri Irvine Phone 235.,1331 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation March 31, 1974, 5,309 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $9,00 Pet Year; USA $11,00 1101MMOMMINIMESSEZMIL=" Our response to now By ELMOR E BOOMER Counsellor for Information South Huron For appointment pnone: 235-2715 or 235-2474 The Orillia Asylum When the label on a bottle says it con- tains 100 tablets, can you depend on that? Who's to know? It appears that interested consumers have plunged wholeheartedly into a new fad - counting things. Paper clips, facial tissues, needles and pins, cough drops, thumb tacks, etc. They want to see if they are being gyped. The count-it fad may have started in Florida when the host of an all-night talk show bought a bottle of 100 vitamin tablets. When he looked inside, he questioned if the full 100 tablets were enclosed and he set about to count them, He found 90 pills in- stead of 100. Then he asked his listeners on the talk show to start counting. They turned up packages that contained only half the number advertised. The average package was 10 to 30 percent short. The Wall Street Journal picked up the challenge and purchased 500 items, selected at random from various stores. Less than 50 percent of the packages con- tained the number of items specified on the labels. About 41 percent contained less and the other 11 percent contained more. The New York paper found that some shop keepers weren't particularly upset about the situation. One reported that it was a way of "getting even" for the shop Can you count on it? lifting to which he was subjected, Another said he knew of the practice because he often took a few nails out of a package to sell to a customer and still sold the balance in the box for the advertised price without disclosing to the purchaser that some had been taken out. There's no reason, of course, to suspect that the packaging of products on Canadian shelves is any more accurate than that below the border. Hopefully some of our readers may be able to conduct their own counts and let us know some of their findings. That's the start of providing a solution and the second part is a strong consumer protest against manufacturers who are found to be cheating the public. The short counts result in the customer paying 10 to 30 percent more for an item than what it is actually worth, Multiply that by the number of purchases you make and it becomes obvious that some checking is required, Just remember, that it's not the local merchant who is trying to cheat you, it's the manufacturer. But you can rest assured that local merchants will be only too happy to pass along your complaints, and we suspect that if they find it to be a general situation with some manufacturers, they'll put those items off their shelves entirely, 'Til death us do part? Alternatives for the losers About this time of year, every year, all sorts of queer things come creeping out of the wood- work and the underbrush and proceed to create a storm in a saucer. I'm referring to municipal elections. It begins back in October, when the local paper starts writing trenchant editorials urging people to offer themselves for public office. This is somewhat like urging people to offer themselves as volunteer guinea pigs to see whether or not the guillotine is working. But any weekly editor worth his salt will be able to demand the paradox of "new blood" and "solid experience" on the town council or whatever. These editorials have almost no effect whatever, except to fan the tiny ember in the occasional guy or gal who has a secret ambition to be called "Councillor" or "Alderperson," or even "Your Worship," and to be on the "in- side," helping "shape the future of our community," Then the papers, in a creditable effort to drum up some interest, begin to interview the incumbent members of town council, public utilities commission, board of education, and dog catcher, to find out who is going to stand again for office. This probing also has meagre results, at first. Most of those asked reply that they haven't yet made up their minds, or that it's time for someone else to take on their exhausting work load, or that they have found the work very rewarding, but . . . Behind this smokescreen of generalities, the potential can- didate, in many cases, really means, "I'll see how the wind blows"; or, "Yeah, I'll stand again, if I'm assured a seat by acclamation"; or, "Wait till I see how tough my opposition is," This is not so in all cases, to be fair. Some small-town politicians have a rare combination of honesty and pugnacity, love a fight, and come out swinging at the bell. These are often elected by acclamation, because they scare off potentially excellent candidates who don't want to become involved in a verbal donnybrook. But behind all the smoke of municipal elections, there is, in most cases, very little fire. Occasionally, there is a stand-up slugging match in which per- sonalities, mud and other such items are slung about with reckless abandon, while the public looks on with glee. As a rule, however, the people elected are chosen for public office not because they are honest, fearless crusaders for the taxpayer, but because they are not quite as bad as the alter- natives who are running for the job. Many a man, or woman, has been elected because nobody else wanted the dirty job. And many a strong and capable candidate has been defeated for these very qualities. He has trod on too many toes in an effort to get s9me action. More and more women are running for various municipal offices, which is a very good thing indeed. Women can be quite ruthless when it comes to getting things done, and are much less apt to sit around and bicker or gossip, when on a committee, than are men. Then there is a certain loathsome type who wants to be elected so that he or she can go to meetings. They usually have a rotten .home life. They love meetings. They adore points of order, addenda, and amend- ments to the motion. They make a brave show of voting against all motions except their own, which are usually so silly, they are almost never passed. Then there are the strong, silent types. They are often elected because their strength and silence are regarded as depth and wisdom, when they are really just stupidity. These people say, at meetings, "Well, I'm not sure as I understand all the ins-and- outs of this here thing, but I'll go along with the majority," Even some young people — 18 An interesting editorial ap- peared in the most recent Strathroy Age-Dispatch following the election in that community. The writer questioned if there was a better way for municipalities to choose their elected officials. The point was, that similar to many com- munities, several good council members were lost because they were defeated in races for higher spots, such as mayor, reeve and deputy-reeve. The same holds true in Exeter, where the community lost the services of Jack Delbridge and Ben Hoogenboom. Had the two been running for council seats, they no doubt would have placed well in the race and been back to serve the ratepayers. The Strathroy paper suggested two or three alternatives. The first was that the electors should choose the nine people they wanted to serve them and then these people should elect the mayor, reeve and deputy-reeve from among their own members, A second proposal was that the candidate polling the highest number of votes would be the mayor, the second place finisher would be reeve and the deputy- reeve's post would be filled by the third place candidate. The problem with that suggestion is that several of those in municipal elections are not prepared to take the two seats which require attendance at county council. In this community, the problem may not be as serious as in some. Mayor-elect Bruce Shaw has already indicated he will move to have council name more special committees to undertake various responsibilities in the community and thereby reduce the work-load for council members. This would include such things as a special committee to in- vestigate the future of the local town hall and other projects of this nature that require a great deal of consideration. Defeated candidates can also be asked to fill positions on a number of municipal bodies, such as planning board, RAP, com- mittee of adjustment, etc. The new mayor has already suggested he would hope to have Jack Delbridge continue in some and 19-year-olds — are getting into the act. I'm not too happy about this. From what I've seen of this age group, including my own kids, I don't particularly want them to have anything to do with spending my money, And of course there are a few people, very few, who are in- terested in a supplement to their income. It's surprising how much a town councillor drags down in these inflationary times. That's why I got into the business. Oh,, yes, I was on town council for two years. Unop- posed, Acclamation. With two mortgages and two kids, that $75 a year pay as councillor looked mighty good. Each year, I had a moment of terror when the committees were being struck. I was in a panic in case they put me on the Public Works Committee. I didn't know a pot-hole from a catch-basin, After two years, I resigned owning to a conflict of interest. I was interested in being a good councillor. My wife was in- terested in having me home at least one evening a week. As in most of our conflicts, she won, In closing, T salute all the people I haven't mentioned in this column: the dedicated, hard- working, self-sacrificing people who were elected to office and have to put up for the next year with the whining and grumbling of the rest of us. Bang in there, We need you, capacity serving the town, and no doubt the energies of Ben Hoogenboom can be put to good use as well. We agree wholeheartedly with Bruce's opinion that the com- munity should be drawing on the talents of its residents and the expertise many of them have in specialized fields. It gets more people involved in the progress of a town and generates a greater sense of community spirit that can only end up paying big dividends. On many occasions we have listened to council members attempt to set a date for a special meeting or committee meeting and this is often difficult because of the vast number of respon- sibilities they are asked to assume. They have few nights open, That often necessitates delays in taking action that is required on important subjects and the use of more people would help alleviate this situation. ,;,,One of the most pleasant aspects of last week's election in Exeter was the interest generated and the large number of people who became involved in assisting some of the candidates. It's been a good number of years since this community saw such interest in an election or candidates working so hard to get elected. The effort paid off for most of the candidates and Mr. Shaw told his large group of supporters that without their assistance he would not have Won the contest. It is encouraging to see that people were willing to work in a municipal election to the same 50 Years Ago Mr. & Mrs. Walter Rice and family of Petrolia, manager of the local branch of Libby, McNeil and Libby pickle plant moved to town on Tuesday of this week. Harry Lawrence has returned to the staff of the Molson Bank after relieving in Clinton. Miss Evelyn Huston has received the appointment of organist at the Main Street United Church. Mr. Chas, Godbolt has rented for a term of years the 23 acres on Huron Street owned by Mrs. W.J. Bissett and formerly rented by the Exeter Canning Company. G.M. Chidley was elected W.M. of the Lebanon Forest Lodge AF & AM on Monday evening. 25 Years Ago Asa 113.enhalp ' was elected president of the South Huron Plowmen's Association Saturday afternoon, Community night at Lucan netted $12,000 for the new Lucan Community Centre now in course of erection. Thursday, December 8, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lewis celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a family dinner at their home in Crediton. The Centralia church choir under the leadership of Mrs. G.F. Penwarden presented its can- tata, "The Chorus in The Skies" before a large congregation. 15 Years Ago Saturday's $200 jackpot in Exeter was won by Mrs. Lloyd Parsons, Exeter, The draw was made by Police Chief C.H, Macitenzie. A well-lighted Christmas scene, including boy choristers on the frontsteps of the home of Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Beavers, Andrew Street won first prize in the home decoration contest, extent that many do in provin- cial or federal politics. We feel that local politics is still the most important in our society, and if interest can continue to be generated, local councils may be able to halt the erosion of their responsibilities by the two senior governments and even win back some of the powers of which they have been stripped in recent years. At the'citizens' meeting prior to the election, Ted Wright suggested the time will come when we will wish we had all stood up and been counted in this matter so people would have more say at the local level as to their destiny. Many people did stand up and were counted in last week's election and we trust they will not now sit down and return to their complacent positions. One of the humorous incidents coming out of the election con- cerned our popular reeve, Derry Boyle. At one of the polls, the two election officials were noting that he was listed as "retired" on the ballot. One wanted to know what he did before his retirement. "As far as I know, he was always retired," the other replied. We know that's not true, Clarence, but we couldn't miss the opportunity to share it with out readers, and we'll leave it with you to explain what you did before your retirement. Garnet Hicks has been ap- pointed Usborne Township's representative on The South Huron District High School Board, He replaces William Ellerington. Grade eight students of Exeter Public School entertained members of the Kindergarten class at one of the numerous class Christmas parties Tuesday af- ternoon. On Sunday evening the first CGIT vesper service held in Main Street United Church was led by Bonnie Doerr. 10 Years Ago OPP Cpl. George Mitchell, formerly of Exeter was installed as the Wor. Master of Lebanon Forest Lodge, AF, AM at the regular meeting Monday evening. One of the lightest votes on record resulted in Grand Bend this week when electors went to the polls to cast ballots for council and school board seats. Mrs. Tom Pryde, Albert Street, was the winner of the portable TV which was raffled off recently by members of the Exeter Legion. An urgent meeting of the Huron County shareholders of Farmers' Allied Meat Enterprises Co- operative Ltd. has been called for Monday night in an effort to determine if farmers were in- terested in keeping the organization going, A friend penned these sardonic words to me recently, "It's been a pretty good week; I've heard of only one of my friends who's separating from her husband!" When one sees so many marriages breaking up, some brand new ones hardly tested or tried, some as old as 25 or 30 years, one can't help but wonder whatever became of old fashion?,d fidelity. Even among Christians, who for generations considered marriage sacred, there is a growing and accepted feeling that marriage probably won't endure forever, A minister friend tells me many of the youngsters coming to him to be married are requesting- the phrase 'until death us do part' be deleted from the ceremony. They argue they're only being realistic and don't want to take an oath which, they may break later on. My friend sees it as a sign of them not wanting to commit themselves . . of not intending to stick to the ship if and when the going gets rough. I think the latest statistics I saw on divorce in the U.S. is one out of four marriages, and in Canada we're not so very far behind. It's easy enough to un- derstand that children from broken homes are more apt to have their own marriages go on the rocks than children who come from unbroken homes. Surely there is some way of turning the tide and avoiding the terrible heartbreak, the traumatic ripping apart of families. It can only begin in the home. And somewhere along the line the elders in these homes have got to start taking a more mature, responsible attitude to their roles as marriage partners and parents. A three-year-old child holding a doll begins to dream of a home. As the child grows older the dream expands and it begins to plan for the kind of home which is ideal in its opinion, Fortunate indeed is the child who belongs to a family where parents honor, respect and love each other. True love is the giving of oneself, This is deeply grounded in our lives and is a real part of our human nature. A child brings tributes of love to its mother . a flower, a favorite toy, a simple token to give to one who is loved. Our last column was an of- fering from a small history of the Orillia Asylum. This we finish today. While Orillia is outside of our locality and the Ontario Hospital does not receive our immediate interest yet in the "telling of its tale" we see the beginnings of care for mentally ill in Ontario. The problems and growth pains and pressures of the infant in- stitution seem very modern. We are still wrestling with some of the questions which faced our fathers. We take up the story of the Orillia Asylum with Dr. Beaton's remarks in his report of 1908 about the closing of the hospital school. Anti-American sentiment is noticeable. In the early 90's we had a staff of eight teachers and the im- provement of the 160 children under training was most marked. Our exhibit at the World's Fair in Chicago ranked among the best in the United States. In 1896, unfortunately for us, a charge was made in the Minister who had charge of the public in- stitutions. At that time a great cry was made by the Patrons. This refers to a political organization denominated ("The Patrons of Industry") over what they called the extravagant and useless expenditure in the matter of salaries for all public officials, and the local Patrons fell foul of our training school, and on the public platform ridiculed the idea of teaching idiots as a useless labor and extravagance. Since 1898 it has been uphill work for our school. The staff was reduced to three, and those not the best, and so indifferent was the improvement that on my advice the schools were closed for a time, with the un- derstanding that they should be re-opened in a few months with thoroughly trained and efficient teachers, I was authorized to select from one of the best institutions in the United States a capable prin- cipal. One who had received the training in Sweden was selected and was very highly recom- With young people in love the desire to give is even stronger. Again, it should be supremely set forth in marriage, where two persons seek to give not only tokens, but themselves, unconditionally, forever. Love, and the desire to serve and to give within a home are surely the true attributes of Christian living, A child should be taught love of others, sharing its toys and pleasures, giving help to others. The seeds of unselfishness are planted early in the life of every child. They take root fir- mly in a good home where father and mother carefully do the cultivating. Sad to say, many children never experience this kind of home-caring, Instead, they often live their tender years in an at- mosphere of self-centredness, distrust, anger and bitterness. It's not much wonder by the time they reach young adulthood their idea of the ideal marriage is so warped that they cannot take the risk of saying 'until death us do part'. In his later years, a young person weaves into his character, his achievements, destiny, im- pressions and often his marriage what was imparted to him when he was young. The Child I am the Child. I have come into the world About which I know nothing. Why I came I know not; How I came I know not. I am curious, I am interested: I am the Child. All the world waits for my coming. All the earth watches with in- terest To see what I shall become. Civilization hangs in the balance. For what I am, the world of tomorrow will be. You hold in your hand my destiny. You determine, largely, whether I shall succeed or fail Give me, I pray you, those things That make for happiness. Train me, I beg you, that I may be A blessing to the world. Mamie Gene Cole mended by Dr. Barr, of Elwyn, She was advised of her ap- pointment, but as soon as it became known that she was a native of Philadelphia, some few persons interviewed the government and induced the minister to cancel the ap- pointment, which he did." In 1904 the school was reopened and Dr. Beaton's report is worthy of notice. Certainly the scarcity of funds for recommended programs is a perennial problem. "During the summer about one- half of the children have been placed under two teachers in primary work, physical culture and manual training and it is gratifying to report that excellent results are being obtained from their efforts. It is not to be expected, however, that so small a staff can accomplish all that should be aimed at in a large institution like ours. Two or three more capable instructors should be added for different industrial lines. As it is now the children are only instructed for a part of the day, classes having to alternate," On August 1, 1910, Dr. Beaton, having served as Superintendent for 33 years retired. The change in administrative procedures is interesting in light of similar developments in the Ontario system in recent years. Our recorder spoke of the change in the following words, "a new system of management was inaugurated, a layman, Mr. J. P. Downey, being appointed superintendent, with Dr. W. C. Herriman, previously assistant Superintendent of Toronto Hospital, as medical director." In 1915 after a number of enlargements new building capacity of the institution is mentioned as being 1200. AS for the school within the institution, Mr, Downey glowingly reports in 1913 the wisdom of such a program and the success they had had. "More and more the value of the in- dustrial training of the feeble- minded is borne upon us, The field of labour in which this class — Please turn to Page 8