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Clinton News-Record, 1977-02-10, Page 4PAGE,4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD? THURSDAY, FEBR471RY 10, 1977 WhatwE Goodbye Frank Dear Frank: It's been exactly a year since you made your unannounced visit here to Clinton; with a, brief . stopover- at ,our local Clinton Hospital, for a nicechit- chat with all the good people there, and quite frankly, Fran.k, we hope • you ddn't come back. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge, or maybe it Should be under the beds, since then, and even your boss Billy seems to have lost faith in you. Anyhow, what I'm writing about is to say that the people hereabouts are still' getting sick, in fact they get sick at the dumbest times, Frank, right in the middle of a winter that even Polar Bears would shun. You see, Frank, shad our local ho§pital not been open, at least two people wouldn't be reading this, unless there is such a thing as a sut"terranean lighting for'coffins. How much is life -worth; Frank? $800,000? We're just hoping here in Clinton, Frank, that ' your new replacement Dennis, has the "energy" `to sit down with the hospital boards and the medical profession as a whole, and try and. talk this problem out. We agree wholeheartedly that health care costs are way out of line, but why use us as an example? Til our bedpans meet again, Jim. Sugar and Spice/By Bill Smiley Winter musings This week, with no,. great, stark theme demanding my intense and earnest at- tention, I thought we'd have some mid- winter musings, for a change. Show me the Canadian who can be ,fiery in February, and I'll -show" you a saint., Or "a devil. One thing I'm sure of. They're going to come with a large butterfly net one of these days, and cart my wife away. . She doesn't sleep well. Many a morning, in the pitch dark, when the boy wades through the snow with our morning paper, he looks into our brightly -lighted diningroom and sees this funny lady in her nightie -gown, sewing. a .fine seam at the dining -room table, on her new sewing machine. Last night, or rather at four a.m. this morning, a curious passerby might have been rather intrigued had he looked through our cellar window. There, crouched on the floor, was this peculiar woman, with a blowtorch burning brightly, in her dressing-gown'and slippers. She was removing the wax from our skis. It's a good thing we don't have anything resembling a Gestapo in this country. They'd have had her in a concentration camp long ago, on general principles. My daughter's going a bit•fhe same way herself. After a mere 20 years of education, and- only two children, she's decided to enter the real world. She's going to stop being a student, and go to teachers' college. Maybe. My son-in-law, who has a measly 22 years of schooling, is no such fool. He knows that when you end your education, you run into the world's dirtiest four-letter word: "work". and he wants no part of it for a few years yet. "A pound of coffee soon $5? queries a newspaper headline. Who cares? There's still a lot more mileage in a pound of java than there is in a quart of good rye, at $7.80. And nobody *ill force you to drink either. So we still have some freedom of choice in this country. The news story said "People will get hysterical in June, just as the .Brazilian' winter ends." I doubt it. And if 'they do, as Marie Antoinette would have said,•"Let'em drink brandy." At 12 bucks a bottle. A Toronto borough is battling to keep unrelated people from sharing 1 dwelling. ,Why? I'm not related to my wife, -and we've shared the same dwelling, even the same bedroom, for many a year. What's the fuss? The only reason I can think of for the concern is that people start looking like each other if they live together too long. For some, thisis a real bonus; for others a nightmare. Rene Levesque disappointed me hugely when, after first refusing, he gave in and agreed to wear a tuxedo while addressing a bunch of American big -shots in a pitch for loans for Quebec. So n,uch for the vaunted independence of the new Quebec. West German Chancellor Helmut Sch- midt says Germans are annoyed about the .way they are depicted in World War II movies on British _television. -Tough toe- nails, Helmut. How would you like to be represented? As a dedicated band of social workers. A " movie about Germans in wartime without a couple of good "Sd i- weinhunds-! " in it wouldn't be worth the powder. A couple of neat items: a judge in Brampton ordered a 20 -year-old woman who was defrauding the Unemployment. Insurance Commission to$donate a pint of blood every six months for two years; a guy in Illinois is living with his family in a cave and his heating this winter will cost him onlyn$1.29 for gas and oil for his chain saw. This is the type of stuff that restores.rhy faith in the ingenuity of the human spirit. The deadly dullness of Maclean's magazine underlines the reasons so many of, us ' read Time and Newsweek, those horrible purveyors of 'American free en- terprise, lively news stories, and excellent book and movie reviews. The annual NHL all-star game is the least exciting sports event of the year. British Columbia is talking about giving everyone a guaranteed wage. Why in the holy old jumpin' was I born 30 years too soon? After spending about 20 bucks on battery boosts from the tow -truck, I installed a block heater in my new old car. Naturally and inevitably, the cold spell ended, and I don't need the thing. Another $15 down the drain. When the ice on my roof built up to a height of about 36 inches, I moved swiftly and got a gang in to remove it before we were plunged, willy-nilly, into the basement. They did a great job, for $50, and threw in a bonus - half a dozen shingles removed, along with the ice. A columnist says our government is stale and exhausted. I would have used the words Hamlet did: "Stale, flat and un- profitable." It has the same stale demands for taxes, the same flat denial of any reasonable appeal against them. And the only .people who ever make a profit from dealing with it are civil Servants and bureaucrats. It hasn't been all bad this winter. There's been some great news from Florida. All those rats who leave the ice -coated Canadian ship every winter to bask ,in the • sun have been freezing their butts off this yeah. So much•for, mid -winter mutterings Member, Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association The Clinton News -Record Is published each Thursday at P.O. fox 39, Clinton, Ontario, Canada, NOM 11.0. It is registered -as second class mail by the post office under the permit number 0817. The News -Record Incorporated In 1924 the Hdron News -Record, founded In 1881, and the Clinton New Era, founded 18 1885. Total press rup 3,100. Clinton NewsReco1'( 1 *CNA . Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association • Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for (tate Card No. 7 effective Oct. 1, 1ti7t11 - Gtenerat Manager -•. Ilowtird Aitken Editor - Jamea.E, itsgerald Advertising Ditector -Gary L. Dalai ilaiatiiq editor • C'Irrii tdeb °fine` Mllnagtr • Margaret olbb Citculatlon • Freda McLeod Accouatiag i�►i rf'en ii►`fi n Subscription Rates: Canada - 812 per year 11.1 Ae•$l5:50 mho- $111 Single Copy - 25c 0 .Mn • Y{OLEl1tE QUI Or Ooft G1iEfff CANAPINI SfoRT? WlY,T,1 T r(OUW Pt uM•AN rntnn� YOU WERE CLOMP AT 10 MPH cfoniri 1t1E Ot,UE.UNE Odds 'n' ends,- by Elaine Townshend Just one of those days 1 should have known the kind of day yesterday was going to be when the egg rolled off the cupboardonto the floor. If I had been smart, I would .have crawled back into bed and cancelled the day. Instead I plodded on. By nine -thirty, I was ready to start writing or to go to -the - Post Office. The sun was filtering, through heavy gray clouds that have become all too familiar this winter. I should have taken advantage of the reasonably clear weather, but I had some ideas for a column floating around my head. By ten -thirty, my ideas were typed on'paper and snow was falling outside. Then began my daily confrontation with my car, which has as much difficulty starting in the morning as do. Yesterday morning I didn't think she'd make it. The battery ground slower and slower, lower and lower. Just when I considered giving up, the motor chugged. After more grinding, she coughed twice, then three times and finally she was purring like a kitten with distemper. My brother-in-law often says I don't know how to start a car. Inwardly I'm beginning to agree with him; outwardly I blame the automatic choke. He drives a '67 Ambassador that "starts like a charm." I point out that his car is plugged in every night, but he shrugs off my argument with a line that's too long and filled with too many mechanical terms for me to repeat. If I had, been smart yesterday morning, I would have stopped at the garage and told the mechanics, "She's all Yours! Fix her." Instead I drove straight home, dooming myself to another battle on the next morning and the next morning and the next morning, until the car finally wins. After lunch, I returned to my notes, which didn't seem as promising then as they did in the morning; I decided to start over. When I write, I become oblivious to everything else, and it took •a sharp hunger pain to remind me suppertime was approaching. After surveying the frig, I concluded that cold beef, some boiled carrots and a baked potato was the quickest menu. I returned to my typewriter, and the next thing I noticed was the aroma of burning carrots. To avoid the same results with the potato, I removed it from the oven immediately. Therefore, I dined on' over -cooked carrots and an under -cooked potato; fortunately, the cold . beef was just about right, Later, with the charred carrot pot scrubbed and the column finished, I thought the day might end on a brighter note than it began. I had several phone calls to make,.some of them long distance. If I.had been smart, I would have given up after the first five tries ;"three busy signals and two no answers is•an omen of worse -to come. But I tried once more, and that was the last straw. Nothing irritates me more than dialing a wrong number by long distance. L went to bed telling myself it was /`just one of those days," and hoping those days didn't come in twos. From our early files • • • • • • 10 YEARS AGO February 9, 1967 Members of Clinton •Public Library Board held their annual meeting in the library on Friday evening, February 3. G. Morley Counter presided over the meeting. Miss Evelyn Hall gave the librarian's report of the year's statistics which showed a lower membership and circulation, due in, part to the decreased population in town. Miss Hall's yearly report showed 1,521 subscribers - 648 juvenile and 873' adult - of which 388 were rural or out of town persons. The total ' circulation of: 29,306 books was broken down as follows: juvenile, 8,423; adult fiction, 17,599; non:- fiction, on-fiction, 3,284. The second meeting in 1967 of the Clinton Public Hospital Auxiliary on Tuesday, February 7 had 17 members present and two •represen- tatives from the Kinette Club of Clinton in the persons of Mrs. Pat Mann and Mrs. Jean Jewitt. Miss Kathleen Elliott, Superintendent of Nurses, brought to the meeting a list of most -needed equipment and a motion was carried to purchase the following at a total. cos t- .of.-..appr"ox.irnate•ly $800: one commode chair, privacy . curtains, portable suction machine and a badly needed desk and chair to be used in the X-ray room. For the past month, 26 local snooker players have been engaged 'in a tournament at Bill's Bowling and Billiards to declare the winner of a trophy donated by proprietor Bill German. The participants were divided into senior and junior divisions. Brad Dutot won the j,unior division and was defeated by senior winner. Howard Grealis in the playoff last Saturday. 25 YEARS AGO February 7, 1952 Recommended by the property committee, pur- chase of 300 new steel lockers for the individual use of the students, at an estimate cost of $(1,000, was voted by Clinton District Collegiate Institute Board at its February meeting in the school last night. When the sad news reached Clinton yesterday morning that His Majesty King George VI had passed to the Great Beyond in his sleep during the night, Mayor G.W. Nott immediately took steps on behalf of the Town of Clinton. His Worship declared a civic half holiday for yesterday afternoon, with the result that both Clinton District Collegiate Institute and -Clinton Public School, as well as .local places of business, were closed. A meeting was held in the Town " Hall in the early af- ternoon yesterday of Clinton and District Ministerial Association, together with representatives of the Town Council, Canadian Legion and other, bodies, to arrange for a memorial service. An invitation is issued to all church choirs to participate in the service to be held in the Town Hall on a day and a time to be announced later. Cheered on by the largest crowd of the season - and it .was really a "cheering" crowd - Clinton ''Colts stayed in the running for the OHA Intermediate 1tB" cham- p -ions -hip n• -h.i.p _. __.�-by.... ' •- tr i m m -i n-g- Listow el in Clinton Lions Arena, Tuesday evening 5-3. Lt was.a "do-or-die" game for Colts, who had to win to stay. But now it looks as if they might finish third to Milverton and Centralia RCAF in the four -team play- offs,' it all depending on the outcome of the New Ham- burg -Listowel match the latter part of this week. And who knows' Colts might take out either Milverton or Centralia to gain the -group finals. Time alone will tell. 50 YEARS AGO February 10, 1927 Fire broke out in the post office a little before ten o'clock on Tuesday -evening, just under the sorting table, which .was piled with letters, etc., ready for mailing in the early morning. An alarm was rung in but the fire was got under control by' Caretaker Walton, with the aid of a chemical extinguisher and without the aid of water, except some carried in buckets. Miss Mahaffy arrived to attend to the late mail just as the alarm was rung and Postmaster Scott, who had been out of town, came in on the train and came right up. Although the fire was blazing up around the table suf- ficiently to blister the var- nished ceiling, it is said that not a letter was damaged. 75 YEARS AGO February 7, 1902 Regular meeting of Town Council was held on Monday evening, , the members all present. • The committee on officers, their salaries and duties reported and recommended that the following be ap- pointed: Wm. Coats, clerk, $250, treasurer, $100; Thos, Cottle, assessor, $50; Henry Stevens, assessor, $50; Jos. Wheatley, chief constable, $360, collector, $50; R. Welsh, assistant and night- watchman, $365; 0 Crich, cemetery sexton, $300; Dr. Shaw, Medical Health Officer; W. J. Paisley, engineer; Robt. Menne!, poundkeeper, .Ia:c_oh �M.iliex,.... engineer fire dep't, $50; Albert Seeley, assistant, $25; John West, stoker, $20; Jos. Wheatley, chief engineer. The severe storm the beginning of the week made the congregations small at all the churches on Sunday. We hear that in some of the country churches no services were held owing to the weather and bad state of the roads. On Monday the elements were even more severe at times it was im- possible to see across the road; no business of any account Was done in town and the regular trains were somewhat delayed. Cattle , deliveries were brought in, although it was so rough. 100 YEARS AGO February 8, 1877 pn Thursday morning last, a young man tamedi Morris, employed at the Stapleton • Salt Works, met with a very severe accident. While crossing one of the pans, on a plank, he slipped in by a misstep, and both of his feet were immersed in the boiling brine, causing the skin to peel off his ankles almost before his boots could be romoved. The collector of taxes for this town has performed a feat that has rarely, if ever, been done before, either here or elsewhere, in the' way of tax gathering; he has collected' every dollar that was upon the roll for the past year, and has also succeeded in collecting some that was upon the roll for the year previous. The Council have acted wisely in re -appointing him. The recent thaw has made the roads in a very bad state. Where it has not entirely cleaned the snow off, large and numerous pitch holes are to be found, and to drive at a rate faster than a walk, is to do it at the risk of either smashing the vehicle, or giving the occupant the worst dose of "shakes" they ever received. Some persons, evidently strangers, do at- tempt to make good time over the roads, but to see them bump the sides of their cutter, and suddenly draw up when What you think • : Big heart Dear Editor: People really do pull together. in Huron County. - O We were storm stayed the first two nights of the storm in Debbie's Custard Cup, south of Clinton. The owner kept • restaurant open round clock as long as people were stranded. Friday night, January ,.28, twenty stayed there and - almost as many Saturday night. The restaurant menu was unlimited, the food good, and service fast, even though the waitresses could not get in to work. Area residents on snowmobiles offered assistance. Blankets were picked up from the Vanastra Centre and a local farmer brought in eggs. This kind of neighborliness makes Huron County warm, ip despite the cold. Lavern Clam - Walton. 0 Smiles Dear Editor: Customer" barging into local restaurant on -Feb. 3rd ap- proximately 3:10 P.M.: "Did ya hear latest - Old' Frank Miller has had the biscuit! Waitress - Ya gotta be kiddin! He died? • Customer - Nope - jus came over CKNX - He's bee 1� transferred to dept. of natural resources'. Waitress - Oh my gawd - There goes all our lovely► • trees! Customer - No-o.o! Dont think so. Dept. of natural • resources would be more apt to plant trees than cut them down. Waitress - Well Old Miller did everything ass -end - backwards - so there go our trees! From Clinton 11 M a e " ing Dear Editor: One year ago on February 4 disastrous earthquake in Guatemala killed 22,000 people and left over a million homeless. With " your assistance I would like express on behalf' of CAE , Canada our deep and sincere gratitude to all those generous Canadians whose contributions to CARE for the victimes of the earthquake totalled over $400,000. Immediately following the `quake, . CARE Canada's. Advisory Board had allocated $100,000 which enabled the CARE Guatemala staff toll provide instant aid and begin emergency food distribution to 300,000 people each day. With the addition of CARE experts from nearby coun- tries, water systems were quickly repaired to prevent possible epidemic an temporary shelters, blankets and medical supplies were distributed.. As the funds came in from $ concerned Canadians, CARE Guatemala was able to ad- dress itself to the longer-term • restoration of more per- manent facilities. Priority was given to the construction of inexpensive quake - resistant houses to be built by the survivors themselves. CARE's model was a simple structure with a light -weight zinc roof. The agency also provided tools, support poles, bracing and rafter rods as well as training the people how to build their homes. To date over 12,000 of CARE's projected 21.006 houses have been completed, 10 million r tl ._s-Crikk a. -hrite ttm, i~ie. "-.pounds• •of-.food-dis.tributed--to... . amusing, were -it not for the "strain on the system" thus caused. But little teaming is 'being done, on this account, and a fall of snow would prove very acceptable. Recently a lady in town, at• one sitting, had sixteen teeth drawn, and all without the use. of any anaesthetic. They were drawn before she retired for the night, but we presume found their way back again in the morning, as they were her - false set. News -Record readers are encouraged to express their Opinions in letters to the editor, however, such opinions do not necessarily. represent the opinions of 'the News - Record. Pseudonyms may be used by letter writers, but no letter will be published unless it can; be verified by phone, more than 450,000 people and 15,0 water systems restored in one of the hardest hit areas of Guatemala. Because CARE has built up a_ staff of competent people - over 30 years and has established facilities and emergency supplies in 36 countries, this kind of insta aid is possible and can followed by continuin rehabilitation programs. It is not a hit-and-run affair but it is possible' only because hundreds of thousands of concerned Canadians trus CARE to carry out such ef- forts effectively and ef- ficiently on their behalf and respond with such generosity. We thank them with all our heart. 4 Yours sincerely, Thomas 'tines, National Director.