Clinton News-Record, 1978-02-23, Page 3People in Profile:
Harvey can pull with the best
by Shelley McPhee
It's noisy, dirty, expensive and
sometimes scary, but even so one of the
newest and most popular hobbies and.
competitive activities around is tractor
pulls_
Thebasic idea behind a tractor pull is
to see how far an out -of -field tractor,
four-wheel drive or modified tractor can
pull a sled of weights along a 300 foot
track_
"The farther you pull it, the heavier it
gets. The wheels at the back of the sled
control the weight," explained Harvey
Holland_
Holland, of R.R. 4 Clinton, is one of the
local men involved in tractor pulls, a
many -time winner and the vice
president of the Western Ontario Tractor
Pullers Association (WOTPA).
"Controlling the tractor is the major
part of getting it down the track," he
said_
Holland explained that as the weight
increases, the back end of the tractor is
brought down and the front end goes up;
ideally one front wheel should be in the
air and the other should be down_
"It's hard to steer that way," he added
and noted that often the tractors go up
six or seven feet in the air.
The power behind the vehicles used in
the tractor pulls is another major part of
the event_ There are six different classes
in a pull ranging from the 7,000 pound
class for the four-wheel drives to the
18,000 out -of -field tractor class_
Hollandparticipates in an open class
which involved modified, or homemade
tractors_ He pulls in the 7,000 and 9,000
pound classes_
The tractor that Holland owns, called
"Easy Rider" is comprised of one old
tractor chassis, a frame built around
that, along with an automatic tran-
smission, two V8 engines giving the
vehicle a total of 1,100 horespower,and
about 54.000 worth of tires on the back.
He made the tractor in 1% mouths.
"Whatever the tractor is made of is'
entirely up to the builder," Holland
explained_
To illustrate some of Easy Rider's
power, Holland noted that he can reach
80 mph down the highway in five
seconds. Ile also explained that the
tractor uses about 114 gallons of gas to
go down the 300 foot track.
"You need a lot of. nerve to drive it;
you can't be scared of tractors," Holland
said,.
However, he also added that the pulls
are not dangerous, only expensive. Last
year, competing in pulls in some 20
towns Holland lost one motor, five
transmissions and broken hubs.
During the past year at the various
pulls he also noted that the crowds
ranged from 1,000 to 4,000 people.
"People like to see how the modified
tractors are made and they like to see
how their John Deere goes against
someone else's Ford," explained
Holland's wife Barb, who accompanies
him to many pulls.
"Everyone gets along well at the pulls
and they like to visit," Holland added.
"We get more and more pulls every
year and more people get involved," he
added.
Holland noted that about five tractors
are teeing built this year that weren't
even-"ihought about last year and a
number of pulls have already been
booked, including one in Clinton during
the Spring Fair weekend.
On the average, the WOTPA has 70
members; however, this often varies
from pull to pull as each competitor
must belong to We associauun to ur
covered by insurance. The association
has Si million policy.
However, Holland added that he has
never seen anyone hurt,. "Common
sense is the answer sto driving one of
those."
He also noted that all modified trac-
tors are equipped with a safety switch.
This is used in case the tractor breaks
away from the sled. Instead of going out
of control, it is automatically stopped by
the switch.
Holland obviously knows his hobby
well by the number of trophies he has
gathered. They include mostly firsts
gathered from one -day pulls and from
the yearly number of points he has
gained. An additional trophy from the
WOTPA names Holland as "Mr.
Congeniality" of 1977. _.
Interest in tractor 'pulls is almost a
family thing and Holland's cousin Bill
Henderson of Kippen is one of his
competitors. Holland helped Henderson
to build his tractor which is a lighter one
engine model and last year, Henderson
graciously took the first prize in the 9,000
pound class away from Holland, leaving
him in second. Holland in turn took the
7,000 pound classs, leaving Henderson in
second place.
He also noted that women competitors
are becoming more evident and Clinton
already has one, Laura Papp, who is also
the secretary of the WOTPA.
However, neither modified tractors,
nor cousin Henderson, nor women
competitors seem to worry Holland for
he does not give the impression that he is
out only to win.
Although he often does win, it is also
his friendly manner that has made him
the winning personality as Mr.
Congeniality in the association.
l
CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1978—PAGE 3
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241.11•
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One corner of the Holland home is filled with trophies that
Harvey has won at various tractor pulls around the area. In
fact Harvey has so many trophies that some are at his
parents' home. Along with the many first prize awards,
Allteachers walk out.
• from page I
out". She said she didn't think the
teachers had any change in that attitude.
Hill said arbitration was something
the board and the negotiating committee
would have to reflect on and make a
decision on. He said he personally felt
the parties should be able to make their
own decisions and not go to an outsider
to settle the matter.
The board negotiater said he felt the
teachers should listen to the board's
Tax assessment changes defeated by county council
mi
t
Harvey also holds a trophy naming him as Mr.
Congeniality, chosen by the Western Ontario Tractor Pull
Association. (News -Record Photo)
••
offers themselves rather than dealing
with them through an outside group that
is conspiring to strike. He said it is ob-
vious who ..is "calling the ,shots for the
teachers" adding that person is not from
Huron County.
Parents, teachers, board trustees and
students at the special ,board meeting
agreed that the people suffering most in
the strike are the students. David St.
Jean, Auburn, a Grade 13 student at
Goderich District Collegiate Institute,
You've got to be kidding!
That seemed to be the attitude of
county councillors who voted recently at
the February session of council in
Goderich to a recommendation from the
executive committee designed to even
up taxes m Huron for county purposes.
Huron for county purposes.
Bill Clifford, reeve of Goderich, urged
county councillors to "look' at what is
fair and what is just" when they perused
figures that showed what the various
municipal apportionments would have
been had the 1975 market value
assessment figures been used in 1977,
added to the equivalent equalized
assessment for grants in lieu, together
with the population base for library,
social services, Huronview, family and
children's services and health costs_
In general, the figures showed that
urban dwellers would have paid sub-
stantially less into the county coffers,
while the rural dwellers would have been
tagged with many more tax dollars_ A
recorded vote tallied 28-19 opposed to a
committee recommendation that the
final 1978 county apportionnri'ent be
raised on the system.
Those opposed were C. W. Bray, Allan
Campbell, Ken Campbell, Tom Consitt,
Frank Cook, Murray Dawson, Cecil
Desjardine, Bill Elston, Gerry Ginn,
Simon Hallahan, Bob Lyons, J. F.
MacDonald, Doug McNeil, Ralph
McNichol, Tom Miller, Bill Morley,
Harold Robinson, John Stafford, Paul
Steckle, Grant Stirling, Jack Tinney,
Roy Williamson and Warren Zinn.
Those in favor were R. M. Bell, Bill
,Clifford, Bill Dale, Norman Durst, John
Flannery, Fred Haberer, Joe Kerr, Cal
Kramer, Royce Macauley, D. J. Noble,
Eileen Palmer, Ervin Sillery and Harold
Wild. 411other councillors were absent
from the meeting_
Warden Gerry Ginn was a little em-
barrassed about voting in opposition to
the recommendation, especially when he
was acting chairman of the executive
committee when it conceived the
recommendation.
"I believe there should be tax refor-
m," said Ginn, "but I believe grant
reform should come in with it But this
does point up the fact there are
inequities."
"I don't believe we can enter into this
before we see grant reform," agreed
Paul Steckle' of Stanley Township. "We
need to know where the grants are
coming from and where they're direc-
ted."
Two sets of figures were set out for
comparison. One set showed what the
actual 1977 apportionment for county
expenses was for each municipality. The '
second set showed what each
municipality would have paid had" the
1975 market value assessment figures
been used along with the equivalent`
equalized assessment for grants in lieu
together,. witft thea population base ford
what has come -to -be *mown as "people
services" which were figured on a per
capita basis.
The results were surprising for some
council members. It showed that in
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every rural municipality but one,
Tuckersmith, there would have been an
increase in the apportionment, while
every town and village in Huron would
have realized a reduction.
Goderich Township would have been
hit the hardest in the rural
municipalities - $23,276 more. Running
neck and neck for second spot were
Stanley Township with $17,193 more and
Ashfield Township with $17,153 more. In
fourth spot was Hay Township with
814,787 more and in fifth spot was.
McKillop Township with $14,437 more,
Other rural municipalities would have
paid ' additional • taxes as follows:
01orne, $13,770; West ' Wawanosh,
16,746 ; Stephen, $10,621; Howick,
$9,934; grey, $9,322; Hullett, $9,263;
Turnberry, $8,271; Morris, $7,735; East
Wawanosh, $6,502; Colborne, $6,159.
Tuckersmith would have paid a total
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Just in time for Easter!
' One sitting per subject-- S1 per subject for
additional subjects, groups, or individuals in
tile same lamely. Persons under 18 must be
accompanied by parent or guardian.
of $23 less than they actually did pay in
1977. This was attributed to a very.
accurate assessment in 1970 and a very-
even
eryeven rate of real estate inflation through
the years. .
The Town of Goderich would have paid
$72,452 less in 1977 had the new formula
been applied. Wingham would have paid
$30,217 less ; Exeter, $26,029 less;
Clinton, $21,151 Less; and Seaforth
$11,478 less.
Among the villages, Hensall would
_have paid $5,892 less; Zurich, $5,448 less;
Brussels, $4,238 less; Blyth, $2,718 less;
and Bayfield, $543 less.
Bill Elston argued that according. to
the figures, the people of Morris who
total about half the people of Wingham,
would be "putting up" almost as much
money as the people in Wingham.
said he was worried like everyone else.
St. Jean said he didn't want to lose
time in school but also didn't want to sit
in a class with 30 students and have the
teacher not even know his name. He said
his largest class was 26 students pointing
out that in a 40 minute period the teacher
does not have time for individual work
with the students and so has to treat
them all like one.
The senior student said that what
really' bothers him is that "no one is
willing to tell the students what's going
on". He said that when factory workers
go on strike nobody really cares except
the company and the workers but when
teachers • go on strike "they're fooling
around with our education".
He said the teachers won't tell the
students about the situation because
they can't. He said he phoned a trustee
and was told that he "shouldn't worry
because it didn't involve him".
"They're not making a product.
They're trying to form people," he said.
St. Jean said he didn't mind the in-
terruption of education if he had some
assurance of what it would do to his
school year. He said he had a summer
job that was based on his leaving school
in June. He explained that if the school
year was extended to make up time lost
due to the strike it may jeopardize his,
job.
He added that the two or three weeks
may mean the difference in earning
enough money to go to university this
fall or delaying university for a year.
Fantastic
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