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THE WINGHAM ADVANCIE-TIMES
Published sd Wingham. Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited
Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Sec -Teas
Member Audit Bureau of Circulations
Member - Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc.
Subscription 416_00 per year
Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Assoc
Six months $9.50
Return postage guaranteed
If
Takes a long time
• The common denominator of most
governments seems to be the agonizing
slowness with which they can be moved
toward necessary Improvements in our
way of life. They can be arriazingly fast
at imposing new taxes, but don't expect
legislators to rush Into new safety reg-
ulations.
Take the conclusion of the hearings
over the tragic and costly train derail-
ment in Mississauga some months ago.
The committee concluded Its hearings
and brought in a report containing
recommendations for new safety rules.
Jean -Luc Pepin, federal cabinet Min-
ister responsible for the hearings, im-
mediately voiced the opinion that it
Might take up to a year to study the
recommendations. A year before any
concrete action could be taken on a
situation which has already cost mil-
lions of dollars and poses an everyday
threat to human life.
A fire in the Inn in the Park In To-
ronto took six lives. Fire experts had to
admit that there are obvious ways In
which ,needless deaths and injuries
. could be prevented in hotels and
high-rise apartments, but legislation
covering these safety devices Is en-
forced only in newly constructed build-
ings. The guests and tenants who must
occupy the hundreds of older buildings
apparently don't matter.
Most people who have occasion to
sleep In hotels have, at one time or
another, been awakened to the unnerv-
ing peal of fire alarm bells. When that
happens the guest is faced with a
dreadful decision; to get out fast or to
stay In his or her room until the situa-
tion has been clarified. Those who died
in the recent Toronto hotel fire would
have been spared had they known the
fire was confined to one room on a
lower floor. They died because they
tried to escape down a smoke-filled
stairwell.
Installation of a public address
system with speakers in all rooms
would not be impossible, even in older
buildings, but very few of them are so
equipped.
Naturally the owners of older
buildings are not about te spend money
on safety equipment of any kind unless
some pressure Is brought to bear — and
that pressure can only be applied under
urgently -enforced legislation. In the
meantime those of us who must travel
must go to bed in our fifteenth floor
bedrooms with nothing more for pro-
tection than a prayer that the careless
smoker on the third floor doesn't go to
sleep with a lighted cigarette in his list-
less fingers.,
It has happened before
As stories of the atrocities inflicted
on the now -free American hostages by
the Iranians come to light, the world at
large and the American public in par-
ticular Is revolted. It is, of course, rep-
• rehensible In the eyes Of society at
large that innocent people should be-
comethe,vIctlerte of such savagery, but -
the fact is that those hostages were not
victimized by a properly -constituted
government. They were the prisoners
of an unreasoning mob and its fanatical
leader.
There is no way of excusing or
minimizing the suffering of the Ameri-
cans during more than, four hundred
days in captivity, but their sad plight
brings to mind equal and even greater
miseries which have been all but for-
gotten in the storm of publicity sur-
rounding the Iranian captives. We
think, for instance of the continuing
grief of the relatives who lost sons,
husbands and brothers in a pointless
and blundered attempt to free the host -
Who is right?
Richard Cameron, speaking at the
annual Ontario Agricultural Confer-
ence in Guelph recently said Canada
feeds 24 million people in this country
and another 55 million abroad. The
main theme of his address was the
necessity of getting back to the hoe (or
other mechanical means) of killing of
weeds, as opposed to the almost uni-
versal use of chemical weed killers.
His remarks, carried in the Jan. 14
issue of the Wellington 1 Edition, of
Farming Today, were oddly at vari-
ance with other stories in the same
issue of the publication.
For example, one story was headed
"Tomato paste could be all -Canadian".
Another: "S2 billion food Imports could
be grown here".
These stories resulted from reports
presented to the annual convention of
the Ontario Federation of Agriculture
In Toronto. Canada, said the report,
imported 76 million pounds of tomato
paste valued at $.31.5 million in 1979. To
emphasize the contention that Ontario
agriculture could drastically reduce
the need for imports, the reports quot-
ed some statistics.
ages.Eight American .soldiers died in
what was little more than a, symbolic
gesture.
Then, too, there are the survivors
of North Vietnamese prison camps,
many Of whom suffered untold tortures
over periods of years; not months.
There is the grief' OfiliefathilleS'WhOse
soldier sons simply disappeared into
the fetid jungles of Southeast Asia in a
war that had no meaning and secured
no victory.
Human suffering cannot be
wired by any recognized standards.
The 'treatment of the American host-
ages in Iran is a blot on the history of
the nation which, at one time, was the
most powerful on the face of the earth.
But in the outpouring of anguish over
the plight of those 52 Americans, one
•
should not , forget the unrecorded suf-
ferings of the thousands of others who
have ,fallen victim- to the untamed sav-
agery which is still so much a part of
human nature.
Based on 1979 import figures, if
Ontario farms and processors replaced
the imported products, 'benefits to the
Canadian economy would include $17.8
million additional income to pro-
ducers; to processors, an additional $18
Million; additional fax revenue to the
province, $2 miliion; ° additional em-
ployMent in growing and harvesting,
614 man-years; additional employment
in processing, 45 man-years; additional
employment in related industries
(packaging and tin-plate manufactur-
ing) 45 man-years. Total employment
created, 740 man-years.
Mr: Cameron may have been using
a different basis of calculation, but it
would appear that ,Canada Is a long
way from feeding its own people, let
alone millions in other lands.
The OFAidoesoivell to address itself
to the matter of imports which could be
replaced by locally -grown products.
Foreign exchange is of vital import-
ance to every person In Canada and
any worthwhile reduction in Imports
will help to alleviate our domestic fi-
nancial problems as well as enhancing
our reputation abroad.
Warning justified
Although other parts of the prov-
ince, notably the Barrie area, have suf-
fered mere than we in Western Ontarloo
these words from The Trentonian bear
reading:
Rabies is a serious disease, and
while no one wants to create an im-
pression beyond the simple truth,
warnings about the presence of rabid
animals are•needed. It Is too late to do
something after someone has been
bitten by a rebid @Menai, so the warn-
ings go out, and while they are phrased
at carefully as possible, there Is a
public duty to head the cautions.
Rabies, \In !hell Is terrible and the
treatment is difficult and painful. Very
frequently those exposed are younger
children who have not been made suf-
ficiently aware of the indicator of the
disease in animals. Although there
have been feW recent reports of ex-
posure to rabies In this area, that does
not mean that the disease has disap-
peared. There are still many rabid wild
animals affected and at any time do-
mestic animals, such as cats and dogs
may contact infected ones. We would
be well advised to remain keenly alert
to the danger and, in particular, to
educate our youngsters about precau-
tions necessary In the handling of all
strange animals.
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Items from Old .F110i..
JANUARY 1934
At -the annual meeting of
the Wingham Horticultural
Society, it was announced
that $1,000 has been spent on
the park during the past two
months: Thomas Fells was
elected president of the
group and vice presidents
are N. L. Fry and Mrs. H.
Angus.
Weir. Elliott has been ap-
pointed choir leader of the
United Church at Teeswater.
C. A. Robertson, 'local
member in the Provincial
House, has been chosen chief
Liberal Whip. Mr. Robertson
has come along rapidly in
the party during his years in
Parliament. Rumors are
that he will be given a
cabinet post if the Liberals
are successful -in the next
election.
Shop this week at Thos.
Field and Co. Round steak is
15 cents a pound; shoulder
roast, 10 to 12 cents a pound;
fresh side pork in piece, 14
cents a pound:
Cecil Wheeler was -elected
president and C. R Coultes
secretary -treasurer when
the annual meeting -of the
Belgrave Farmers Club was
held. Directors are Stewart
Procter, James Michie,
Robert Harrison, C. W. Scgtt
and Lyle Hopper.
Tenders were let for thea„
hauling of ice tothe Bluevale
Creamery. arling and Carl
Johnston aod W. Peacock
were the lu�y fellows.
J. L. Hsb1y of -Blyth has
taken a position on the,Babk
of Commerce staff. in
Wroxeter
JANUARY 1946
On Friday afternoon fol-
lowing the police court
proceedings, Chief of Police
George Allen, who retired
the first of the year, was pre-
sented with an occasional
chair. Chief Allen has retired
after 37 years in office.
The •recent mild spell
turned winter into fall or
TODAY'S CHILD
BY HELEN ALLEN
N11111111111111111111111111•1111111111.1
Miranda -is a charmer of 15 months, who looks more
serious here than usual because she was shy of the
photographer.
This baby was born prematurely and is small for her
age, but healthy and developing at about the average
rate. A happy; cuddly child, she almost never cries.
Miranda is active, especially since she started to walk.
She can say a few words and understands what is said to
her. She 'playa games like patacake and knows how to
wave bye-bye. She has a good appetite and likes' to feed
herself with her fingers.
The Children's Aid Society hopes to find black parents
for Miranda.
To inquire about adopting Miranda, please write to
Today's Child, Ministry of Community and Social Ser-
vices, Box 888, Station K, Toronto, Ontario, M4P 2H2. In
your letter tell something of your present family and your
way of life.
spring for many people in
this district. Many farmers
did some plowing but the
palm should go to Walter
Woods, reeve of Turnberry,
who plowed ten acres last
week.
A memorial service for
Fit. Lieut., Archie Young,
who was killed overseas, will
be held in Knox Presbyterian
Church, Belgrave, on Janu-
arje Ito' He the �n �f
Mrs. Edna Young, Morris
Township.
Lawrence A. MacDougall
joins the staff. of The
Advance -Times, coming to
this newspaper from the
Tweed News.
• Fit. Lieut. R. L. Black, son
of Mrs. M. C. Black of
Brussels, was one of five
Western Ontario flyers
awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross announced
recently by Air Force head-
quarters.
Miss' Jean King has been
engaged as bookkeeper in
the office of K. J. Hueston at
Gorrie.
One of Canada's tallest
and most impressive moun-
tains, Mount Castle in Banff
National Park, has been
renamed Mount Eisenhower,
as a tribute to the former
commander "of the Allied
forces in Europe on an of-
ficial visit to Canada. -
JANUARY 1957
Reeve Harry Gowdy of
Howick Township was
elected to the wardenship of
the County of Huron when
county council convened at
Goderich. A veteran of 11
years' service in municipal
life, Mr. Gowdy has been
reeve of the township for the
past five years.
More than 140 public
school teachers invaded a
recent meeting of the
Toronto Board of Education
to honor the Memory of the
late T. Earl Johns, a former
Wingham boy and brother of
Phyllis and Marguerite
Johns of Wingham. He was a
former teacher on the -
Toronto staff .
At a meeting of the Wing -
ham Recreation Committee,
Vic Loughlean resigned his
position as part-time
recreation director.
The Gorrie feed mill,
located near the CPR
station, owned and operated
by Alvin Simpson, was des-
troyed by fire. Part of the
lumber storage building
owned by K. J. Huesten, was
also destroyed.
James Houston of White-
church purchased a team of
horses from Roy Pattison
and walked them home
around the river road. It is
getting to be an unusual
thing to see a team of horses
on the roads now and few
farms eon boast having a
team at all.
At the inaugural meeting
of East Wa*anosh Township
School Board, Clarence
Chamney was chosen chair-
man of the board for 1967. He
succeeds Roy V. Pattison
who has acted in that
capacity for the last three
years.
JANUARY 1967
Dr. B. N. Corrinand Dr, A.
Klahsen have coMpleted
plans to reiinquish their
practices here at the first of
June. Both will move • to
Loadmpri. Cawrin will join
tI sthff of the Ontario
HOspital and Dr. Klahsen
will • specialize in
anaesthesia.
A fire, believed to have
been started by sparks from
an incinerator, levelled a
small office on the Tom
Burke Broiler Farm at
Wroxeter.
Donald McKenzie, reeve of
Ashfield Township, was ac-
claimed Warden of Huron
County for Canada's Cen-
tennial Year, at the opening
session of county council in
Goderich.
Sufficient interest was
shown at a meeting held- at
CKNX to form a Little
Theatre group in Wingham.
It was decided to call the
club The Towne Players and
those elected to office were
George Walling, Jack Gilles-
pie, Mrs. Ron Bell and Jack
Kopas.
Unanimous approval was
given by the directors of the
Wingham and District
Hospital for the elimination
of a possible fire hazard in
the building. All wooden
joists and flooring material
will be removed from the
basement area and a steel
roofing deck will be placed
over this section which
houses electrical, steam and
water lines. This area is
under the part of the
structure recently demolish-
ed.
Raynard Ackert of Holy -
rood announced that he has
le,ased his business, Hilray
Abbatoir, to Harry Brydges,
an employee for the past four
years.
Frank Field, reeve of
Teeswater, was elected
warden of Bruce County at
the January session of
county council.
The Wingham Horticulural
Society returned W. E.
Fielding to the office of
president it its annual
meeting. Vice presidents are
Mrs. V. Douglas and Rev.
Gordon L. Fish.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred
Brown have moved from
Detroit to their new home on
Maitland Street, Gorrie.
The First Wingham Cubs
welcomed six new boys into
the Pack, bringing it up to its
full quota. Brian MacTavish,
David Reid, Mamie McGee,
David Ritter, Eric Beard
and Randy Wingfield were
first on the waiting list.
At _a,tipecial service in
Mal- Presbyterian Church,
Bluevale, Ross Gray, Tom
McInnes and A. D. Smith
were ordained as elders by
Rev. E. Hawkes.
• •
NeW
IF BIRDS MN 'PHEE'lky
Evelyn WIldeiVilM001-4
After years BR*, A,
mental institutiop, Hipter
has chosen to , take, her
chances on the innerrcity
streets rather than submit to
imprisonMent in the
av-
ding house filled h
dumped mental patients like
herself. She has many
frien , and when her free
dom and her life arct at stake
she miraculously findstill
another ally, a young, femi-
nist lawyer.
UGANDA SAFARI by Brian
Herne
Here- is Uganda as it was
before the rise of Idi Amin.
The story is told by -a highly
respected professional
hunter who knows East Afrir
ca well. Herne's safari
descriptions and hunting
narratives are and
exciting combinations of to
vivid picture of the country
and its people and history
with an intimate account of
the professional hunters
themselves.
THE COMPLETE GUIDE
TO STEREO EQUP-
MENT by the editors of
Consumer Guide
Here is a guide *hich
shows you precisely how to
assemble a first-rate sound
system from scratch, or how
to make the system you now
own sound even better.
Ono
Bridge project
stirs controversy
Dear Editor,
Since I have been asked by
council to sell property for
the approach to the new
Eadie bridge, I have -been
made aware of the design for
this bridge and its ap-
proaches.
• This project seems to me
to be the largest ever under -
token by •this township. Due
to thWand the contrisversial
nature of the approaches it
would seem a ratepayers'
meeting would be necessary.
Therefore I would ask for a
a
ratepayers' meeting before I
proceed with the sale of my
property.
The above is a copy of a
letter presented, to Turn -
berry Township CoUncil. 1ie
subsequent reply from
council invites ratepayers to
attend the Feb. 3 Meeting.
Bridge proposals will he
discussed at 9:45 p.rarAlot
of taxpayers' money is
vohied . in this prOject, and I
strongly urge Turnberry
ratepayers to attend.
Lorne Baird
MUSEUM
MUSINGS
John Pattison
In March of 1894, Oliver
Gilchrist, a shareholder and -
director of the Union -Furni-
ture Facthry, decided to
commence the manufacture
of furniture in Wingham. He
purchased a site for a fac-
tory on the east side of
Josephine St. just south of
the north branch of the Mait-
land
River beside the CPFt
tracks. Only the higher
grades of furniture were to
be made, which would not
compete in any way with the
existing manufacturers.
The two-storey frame
factory was built, but before
the machinery was installed
the Union factory was
destroyed- by fire. Mr. Gil-
christ remained with that
firm to help it get back into
production. In March of 1900
Gilchrist suffered two
strokes and never regained
his health. He died in
January 1901.
In August of 1902 it was
announced that Mrs. Gil-
christ had sold the factory
building to John Joynt of
Lucknow, who proposed
turnipg it into an apple
evaporator. After he bought
it he rented it our to flax
storage until the spring of
1903.1 Joynt then sold it to
Dutiln McGregor, a well
kno mill owner and grain
buyer of Ripley. By fall he
had installed a broiler,
steam engine and a grain
chopper. Chas. H. Ftintoul
purchased McGregor's
Chopping Mill and the house
in front of it on Josephine St.
in March, 1906.
In \ February, 1910, Ezra
Merkley sold his farm in
Turnberry. In part payment
he took the Wingham
Chopping Mill, snit wasthen
called, and Mr. Rintoul's
threshing outfit. In April,
Merkley purchased at a cost
of $1,500 an up-to-date cider
and jelly making plant in
Mildmay and installed it in
the chopping mill.
In January of 1912, James
Baird of Turnbery
pur-
chased the chopping 'Mill
from Ezra .Merkley and
carried on the business.
Merkley moved to Palmer-
ston and obtained a job with
the Grand Trunk Railroad.,
In September of the next
year, Merkley returned to
Winghham and repurchased
the chopping mill. It was at
this time he installed ati
apple butter plant along with
the cider mill.
It is interesting to compare
prices of those days with the
present. Merkley would
deliver apple butter in any
quantity to any home in town
for six cents per pound. In
addition, a machine shop for
general repairing was
opened up by Merkley and
his son at the mill. Later the
steam engine was replaced
by a large electric motor.
In 1916 changes took place
down at the south end of
Wingham. Chas. Lepard
built a new concrete building
to be used as a chopping mill
at the south end of his Ex-
change Hotel. This structure
is the north part of the pre-
sent Canada Packers Mill.
Lepard bought the chopper
and the electric motor from
Merkley and moved them to
his new building. Merkley
then bought the store on the
north east corner of
Josephine' and Victoria
Streets, from Dr. Tamlyn
and started a machine shop
there. Later the sale �f cars.
was added and this corner
developed into Merkley
Motors, which was operated
by his son Cecil for many
years, until it was sold to
Texaco.
The old chopping mill pro-
perty was sold to Harry
Brown, who used it for stor-
age for his scrap materisla
etc. Over the years it
became run down and was
quite an eyesore before it
was finally torn down. Today
as one looks east from the
Hanna Memorial Bridge it is
hard to realize, that the.014
chopping Mill ever existed,
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