The Wingham Advance-Times, 1968-01-18, Page 4Advance -Times, Thursday, Jan. '18, .1968
Safer for Youngsters
At last week's town codn`cit 'meeting
a discussion arose about thea safe;ty of
youngsters , in the area of the public
school. it was pointed out that John
Street, inthe neighborhood of the school,
is a particularly dangerous zone: Leading
uphill to the hospital, the high school and
CKNX, the street carries very .heavy traf-
fic, particularly .in themorning and at the
lunch hour—the very times the children
have to make their way, to and from the
school. •
1t is true that many of_ the students
are old enough to take care of themselves
in traffic, but a large proportion of. these
youngsters are inexperienced and .easily
confused. So far there have been no ser-
-
ious accidents 'on the streets near the
school — and ' verybody wants to keep it
that way. __..
One of the suggestions which result-
ed from • the councillors' discusssion
makes pretty good sense, and that is that
the busiest intersections, especially the
ones at- John and Frances, and at John
and Catherine be ,designated as four-way
stop streets.. If all traffic at these cor-
ners, whether bound' east-wes.t or north-
south,was compelted to stop, the average
speed•C vehicles would be sharply reduced •
and -so would enforce greater caution in
the, school area.
, The four-way, stop system is used with
success in many larger. centres at points
where there is extra risk for pedestrians.
It might well be worth trying in Wingham,
We, wonder, too, `whether council has
ever given - consideration to the use, of
W76
pedestrian crossing regulations. With no
traffic >ligh•ts on our main street, the flow
of vehicles on a busy afternoon or even-
ing is so constant that many people on
foot, especially older folk and' children;
often face a long wait before they can
cross.
If the intersections. at Patrick, John
and Victoria Streets wre marked out as
pedestrian crossings the lot of -the citi-
zens on foot would be made a great deal
easier and the crosswalks I would soon
serve to slow the pace of the vehicles.
Pedestrian crosswalks 'are pathways a-
cross busy streets at which a pedestrian
may step from the curb, raise his arm
and stop vehicular traffic—backed by the
law. On the surface it sounds as though
the pedestrians could completely paralyze
the motorists' freedom -- but in actual
practice the system has worked Well in ,
the -cities where if has been established.
It might work equally 'well "in Wingham.
While we're on the "subject of safety,
it would appear that there is a potential
hazard at the intersection of Highways 4
and '116 at the new by-pass south ofthe
town. An unlighted sign 1000.feet from
the corner warns of the fact that a major
intersection lies ahead. 41 much 'more
prominent and obser„vable warning should
be placed or we can look_ forward to ac-
cidents aplenty.
This, of course, is a problem for the
=;provincial department of highways. A
more effective warning seems to be a very
small outlay, viewed in the light 'of the
sums already expended on the by-pass.
The Leadership Circus
With eight -or °nine ,prominent Liberals
-already . squaring off for the leadership,
,
race, the pattern of competition is begin-
ning- to emerge. It seems very probable
that the/Liberal convention this spring will
bear a startling resemblance to the Pro-
gressive Conservative meeting at which
RObert Stanfield was named to succeed
John . Qiefenbaker.'•
Canadian politicians are rapidly falling
into line with the customs of their Am-
erican counterparts., A leadership. conven
tion is now a three-ring circus, complete
with ;bands, bosoms `'end baloney. ' The-
candidates- try to outdo pach..other in free-
handed generosity to potential supporters;
the ,party. stalwarts. parade around the
arena with banners and caps and ribbons
and ,cheer leaders. , And the man, with the
srflartest organization and the most money
wins the race.
Basically there is something to be
. said' -for any effort which, erodes even
,mild enthusiasm In the,'breast of the Ca-
fadian -voter. Politics has been such a
•
y.. -S
•
dead subject in Canada for . so long that
most of us 'really' care Tittle about . the
sort of 'hands into which leadership may
fail.
On the other hand,' however, --one can-
not help wondering whether the .circus at-
mosphere of "a national - political conven-
tion is the best climate in which: t� decide
a matter of such importance. The chief
concern should be the selection of a man
who may have "a far-reaching influence.
on, the future of our nation. The selec-
tion should ndt be affected by any candi-
date's andel racking -- .nor:' by' s.
ability lo” find- the right public reletions'
expert t4 push his campaign .to a success-
ful
conclusion. •
° It has been estimated by1 those who
claim expert . knowledge of such things,
that the leading candidates can egpect the
convention to cost them as much as a,
'quarter of a' million dol Fars each. That's
a lot of money in any man's language..
Surely -it could be !better spent elsewhere.
o e
And Speaking of Politics
Thomas Wells, minister without port
folio in the Ontario cabinet, made the
statement last week that 'party politics
should ,be. fully operable in. ,municipal
councils. There's a 'man 4,,.- cann. a•ree
with.
it is, without the addition of party de-
Iiniations. ,
We elect men and women toour local
councils for the express purpose of,discus-
sing and deciding upon .those issues -which
affect us ,intimately and personally. There
is no' place. • this basic level of govern -
heeling and dealing. We- want
pour representatives to sit down and' em •
-
ploy their thinking capacities without
the distraction of second thoughts about
how the political ball . will bounce when
they express their opinions. - -
Party politics is a necessary tool of
provincial and federal government, .where
fairly large numbers of representatives
must of necessity align themselves pro and
con on major issues.' Without this 'sys-
tem our upper levels -of government might
become so chaotic that no progress would
ever be made. Such is far from the case,
however, in local government.
Apparently Mr. Wells was thinking of
the council -of Metropolitan ,Toronto when
he made his remark, but his advice would
have to apply to local councils all over the-
province
he-province if they are•'indeed valid.
We have spent considerable time as a
reporter at. county councils where party
,politics were openly espoused. .in one.
instance we recall that -the ,Liberels and
Conservatives took year 'about in selecting
the county Warden. From our expetience
county councils; and sometimes town and
township touncils'can be frought yvith al-
together too- much political jockeying as
First Things Firsf
It is now apparent that such enlight-
ened
personages es the provincial prem-
iers across Canada' are far from agreed on
the advisabilityof launching a, national
medicare program this year. Many of them
contend that Canada simply cannot afford
the luxury of universal medical care.
There is no doubt whatever thatguar-
anteed medical coverage would be °a great
boon to many Canadians. It would cer-
tainly help to round out the cradle -to -grave
paternalism Which is already so far along
the way.
As an alternative, however, we would
suggest that there are still too many Ca-
nadians existing " without even the rudi
N..M..N..
r.r
ments of decent home life. Thoiisands of
Indian families ` live and raise their' child-
ren in shacks that would be unfit for a
middle-class dog. Our hospitals for the
insane and• retarded are overcrowded: We
lack thousands of beds in nursing homes
and homes for the aged,
Full medical insurance would be won-
. derful--but can our government, in good
conscience, afford to smooth the road for
the upper and middle class income citizens
before the plight of the destitute:has-•been
made at least passable. Money is money.
•Let's spend it where it is most urgently
needed ---- not where it brings back the
" most votes.
° THE WINGHAM ADVANCE - TIMES
w
AMA
r
B't THp . OOD
In Christian Sc nciA M®nitot
The unfinishea hedroam ink'
the ell of Grandfather's house
was called the open chamber,
When I asked nzy grandmother
why it was so namedt she an-
swered, "I really don't know„ •
custom, I guess. Our unfin4sli-
,ed chamber at home was call
ea 'open' and so was the one at
your grandfather'sold home."
I °asked my grandfather the
same question and I liked bis
answer. better.° "It is well call, -
ed open because it is open to
any use to which your grand;
mother puts it."
Grandma found many uses
for the unplastered room. In
one corner she stored theback
copies of the Modern Priscilla
and the Rural New Yorker, mag-
a,ines that were household fa-
vorites. In a second ,coiner; was ,
a barrel filled with featherssav-
ed fdr the making of cushions,
and pillows. Under the eaves
were kept a spinning wheel and
a reel, instruments that Grand..
ma had used in her young warm-
anhood.
In late March and early Ap-
ril the chamber became a sew-
ing room, where Grandmother
set up her quilting frame and
went to work to make her win-
ter's patchwork into a quilt.
When I was very small, I play-
ed under the frame and was en
Aertained by verses repeated by
the quilter. When I was older, •
I cut out paper dolls. There
came a time when I was the en
tertainer and read aloud to •
Grandma as her nimble fingers.
sewed, tied and cut the knotted
silkateen.
I was never asked to help
with the quilting. Grandmother
had taught her younger sisters
and her older daughter to 'sew,'"
knit and crochet. She had less'
success in teaching her younget
daughter and she had none •with,
her oldest granddaughter.
Though it must have been
appointment to her, she .accept-
ed wick good 'grace ,•my- lack o•f -
skill with hooks and needles.
In the !ppm es manta s Skeins
of yarn.hung from a line swing-
ing' from beam to bearri in the
open chamber,.. It;wets Grand-
ma's custom totbuy Ma' a .yarn
0
that was undyed., She, ked to,L4
dip the skein in tkg home der ;JO
pot. She always felt thaat
aj
sva
ilacks'.were bl�k ,,,.nd her
luesandreds ri�t • than
ituAdtpiodueEd' bf tlo
ing. In- amid=August myl grand -i7-
mother spent .several afte rioonv f
winding the yarn into balls. If. 31
she worked on a rainy -day
Grandfather helped't1er y hold-
ing the skeins,': a tas1 that ,he , a
had done for his mother -in his
• boyhood.
BUt is Was in Septern ber , and
October that the open chamber
saw the greatest -activity. Then
;it became a'storeroOmF to, which
..Grandfather and Grandmother .:
dailyirought stores .for the win •
-
ter. There was so much going
yup and down 'stairs that Grand:,
fhother took measures to pro-
tect her front stairs, which in
fact were the only ones to the,
upper storey. She. lead once
made a long burlap runner of
washed and ironed meal bags.
-The Monday after the county
fair this was nailed, to`the stair
carpet ,and there it remained
until early November, when it
was taken up. washed. ironed,.
land folded away until the fol-
lowing September.
Grandmother strung, pared
and quartered apples on twine.
and hunng them from the line -
that had' once held yam. The
preparation of apples for drying
• was a stow and tiresome chore
but Grandmother did not corn -
plaii becauae, she remembered
Grandfather's fondness fordried-
apple pies,, help a fellow get-
up Marah hllc"
,y father did not share his
father-in-law's enthusiasm for
dried apples. 1 recall that he
used to sing a song that gave
musical acquiescence to num-
erous humiliations but drew the
line at eating dried -apple pies.
I can recall only a few lines -of
Published, at Wingbem, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Lhfllted
W. Barry 'Wenger, President - Robert O. Wenger, Secreti(iry' Thweaver '
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Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association.
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e . . • Subserlpti n Rate: d
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Advertising Rates on application
the sohg.
Step on my toes
Or tell me lies,
' ..But don't serve, me
Dried -apple pies. ,
gint
were
p• toy
handl
ring
were b
d high
ter stores.
Grandfather as well as grand-
mother used the unfinished
room as a keeping place. On
its beams he tucked away tin .
boxes filled with seeds that he
ti had gathered and dried. From
the rafters swung hunches of
seed corn, yellow and full in
r..
1 the ea� Gallon lard pails held
the dry beans,' Jacob's cattle,
soldier and cranberry.'
But my grandfather's prize '` --
crop stored in the ell chamber
was his.squashes and pumpkins.
These he piled between the
tandem, and ,these Hey. So
at tl y(Ab edr,heihoat.sud,t ar
e sunshine. s -
When the' room was, filled
" with berries and herbs, with.
, seeds and vegetables, with dried
apples and winter bouquets, the
burlap' runner was removed and
the. storeroom was inspected ,
with pride and satisfaction,
On a midwinter Sunday when
grandfather and grandmother
had the family in to dinner, it
Was an afternoon ritual to visit
the open chamber afid inspect
the :contents. Aunt Harriet and -
Mother always exclairned over
the variety of the treasures. My
father‘alwa, shad praise for the
size. and the color of the squash
.es and purnpkins. Sometimes -
he hummed when fie saw the
Dried apples were not the
only articles hangin he op-
en chamber. There great
bunches of catnip harvested
from the bed by the foundatio
Gran
of the barn -cellar. dmoth-
,,er now and then filled a worn
sock with the fragrant herb and
gave her cat a catni .
There' ere always es of
sage that gave flavo to the
holiday fowl and the roast pork.
Atte years there wbunches penny-
royal w
.of thoroughwort and to add a touch ilder•
-
ness to the ,garden -grown herbs.
--�• In.the open chamber -were
stored- a barrel of bog cranber-
ries and firkins of the mo re
choice highland an bush
cranberries. -These were har-
vested by my brothers and me
.and presented as our con
tribu-
•tions -to our grandparents' win=
dried apples but a sharp glance
from mother quelled his im-
- pulse to burst into song.
Uncle Pearl ys made the
same remark bufit have
been one that pleased my
grandmother because she always
LEADERSHIP. AWARDS were presented to
three ladies at the 4-14 Achievement Day
at Howick Central School on Saturday.
In the centre, Miss Sharon Carroll, county
home economist, Department of Agricul-
ture and Food, Clinton, presented a 10 -
Akan. 9
year award to Mrs. G. F. Johnsion . of
Gorrle. Looking on are five-year" leader-
ship award winners, Mrs. Scott. Clarkson, '
Fordwich, and Mrs. Wilfred Johann, Wrbx-
- eter'. - � _
w
—Advance -Times Ph`of o.
"�.1.1y.,flu! OO 0111
News -Items from Old Files
JANUARY 1919
Capt. C,, G. VanStone,
formerly of Wingham, has re- .
turned to• his hotne in Toronto.
Before enlisting he was em -
played as a buyer'for the Wm.
Davies Go.
E. Lockman has purchased
the Kandy Kitchen from James
Savalos. Mr. Lockman is a
. W,Jngham man who has for
some years been in the employ
of Western Foundry.
. Mr. John Stevenson has.
opened the skating rink for the
-season and is charging 15¢ for..
skaters and 5¢ tor spectators.
JANUARY 1933
Mrs. R E. Laidlasw and baby
have returned from. Carleton
Place where they visited with
net parents. '
See Janet Gaynor and Char;-
les
har=les Farrell at the Lyceum this, .
week.
Eleven officers .of the Huron
Regirnent, qualified for promo-
' tion at -the' provincial school of
infantry held during the fall
months. Those from Wingham'
were, Captain Neil McLean for
major' J' L eut`,l,
r
i�.C)xr ��nc
the..' o or c in.
mn
P
Jack .MCNab who has con-
ducted. a *restaurant business
here tor the .past three years'
sold his business to Mr. and
Mrs. Ed Williams who took pos-1
session Monday morning. Jack
is.returrringto Lucknow where
he has been appointed manager
of Sil'Verwoods. He will also
have charge of the Cargill
plant -
°JANUARY 1943
H. C. MacLean has pur-
chased the Cosens and Booth
Ihsura(ce business and will take
possession on February 1. -
gavehim the same 'reply. -
When. Uncle said, "It would
appear that the open chamber .
is open for business. You real-
ly could start a store here, " my
grandmother would pertly re-
ply; "Just wait until.I nail'
down thel burlap runner."
JANUARY '1954
. Miss Margaret Nimmo,
home economics teacher at
Wingham District High School,
has announced her resignation.
effective at the erid of the
term. She is to be married to
Rev. George Malcolm of Ham-
ilton and they pian to take up
work in the mission, field in
Formosa for the Presbyterian
Chinch Mission Board..
John W. Hanna,. M.P.P. for'
I-luron-Bruce, has been appoint
ed to the Ontario Racing Com-
mission..
Murray Gerrie has been'ab-
sent from the line-up of .the
Towne Hailers for the past two
days, having taken a position
in Listowel.
SUGAR
AND-- SPICE
by Bill Smiley
Have a great '68.
Whatever you , want must in
1968; I hope you get. . But
don't count - on it. There's noth-
ing much you • can be sure of
except • those • old. reliables,
death and taxes. And vvi th
-government taxing, us- to; th,
the twain will soon be, one.
When ..you're young, a year
seems an 4hge, and each new
,year is filled with promise and
inv,y
hgpe of n
.tela u went re 'fet
the` years eg n ipping past
like the pages in a book, and
you eallie the newis going to
pretty much like the old
4ofe• f
There'll be wars and ru- "
mors of wars. --There'll be one
cris�Nis after another. There'll be -
scaii8al in high'places'. There'll.
be race riots and protest
marches. There'll be a lot of
rotten TV fare. Canada will be,
licked in the world hockey
playoffs. °' °
And a, lot • of the other old
inevitables will be there: high-
er taxes and, lower morals;
shorter skirts andlonger faces;
louder music and softer bel-
lies; more people and less
housing; great }folitical prom-
ises and minusc'ule-political ac-
tion. And so on. Make your
own list.
On, the personal level, the
picture is about the same. if
you're a man, you're probably -
going to lose some hair and
gain some girth, pick up anoth-
er ache or., two..- grow. a little
u•sos.nruk.nn.......r
THE KIDS LOVE, IT but roc diroctor „ Jim Ward was
bowled over when 105 youtigstar'a arrived at the town
hall last Wednesday as the; result of en invitation to
take part in Little JIM 'expected
or 40 kids ,but interest ran ' high. I t FIs anticipatedf> the
30
program Will be operated every second week. A.T Pix.
Theatre
activltiot.
more grouchy or - pompous'
and wonder loudly what ,the
hell the world is coming to.
-If you're a --woman,' - you'.re
probably •going to lose some
shape and gain a chin, pick tip
a few more furrows in the _
face, 'grow a little more bossy,
and iiudge your • husband - an7
other degree toward an early -
grave.
tev r x, i you're
y in find
�0 tl
g
t at a. lite a more of your get-
up -and go- .has quietly got -
up -and went..
But don't worry about that.
Gird up your loins, • seize - for-
tune by : the . forelock,. pit in
the face of fate, get some hor-
mone - shots and face another
year with courage, dignity and
bursitis' in both shoulders, like
me..
For,, whether we like it or,
not, we happen to be living in
one of the most exciting times
in human history: Many of us
often wish we could •be living
in a simpler age, when black
and white, right- and wrong,
were clearly established. Alas,
we ain't.
But perhaps, when we feel a
twinge of regret, we 'should
also remember that in those ..
"good. old - days" it was every
man for himself. The rich . were;-.
richer and the poor were starv-
ing. The strong grabbed from
the weak. The :white used the
black as - ,Em amirnal: The men-
tally
entally ill were swept, under the
carpet And closets were
crowded With skeletons. .
Now,today's technological
advances are frightening, but
fascinating. Everyone's going
to' the moon. Personally, I
don't want to be on the first
scheduled flight, but Oe very
idea is staggering in its reflec-
tion of man's eternal .curiosity
and, ingenuity.
But even more exciting, in•
my opinion, is -the social revo-
lution that is sweeping our
world. Modern minis examin-
ing himself as he never has
before. He is literally .picking,..
himself .up by the heels and
shaking. As a- result, long -held
ideas' are revealed as poppy-
cock, rigid dogmas are shjstter-
'ing like shards:
It's as ,though an, atic
musty 'attic, piled with
valuable antiques, had had its
roof blown off, and a fresh,
clean wind had blown away the
must and dust 'and showed
most of the relics for what
they were — junk.
Today's society is,. perhaps
for the first time ever, con-
cerned with being its brother's
keeper: We are trying to do
something- about our weak and
our poor and our ofd. Prejudice
and intolerance are still ;with.
us, but they are attacked Hath-
er than accepted. .
Divorce, abortion, hantotextt-
ality and mental° illness, have
been 'dragged out. of the died-.
ows and into the light. Capital
punishment' is 'almost obsolete.
Mind •you, it's painful. The
whole process of growing up is
alwats painful. But 1 don't
want to live in ancient Greece
or Elizabethan England or
,206$...A15. I want to 4Ive in
1068 and see. what happens.
How about you?'
ret
fit