Wingham Advance-Times, 1981-05-20, Page 2ance-Tunes, May 2% 1981
R. W. CARBERT, general manager of the Ontario Agricultural Museum at Mil-
, ton, demonstrates the old switchboard recently installed by the independent tele-
phone companies_ The switchboard was the last active magnetic one used in On-
tario, and was in service at Cambray until last fall.
Ontario Agricultural Museum
Rural telephone system
on display at museum
Stop for one moment and
consider: Could you manage
your home or business today
without the telephone? We
take this electronic device
for granted as an extension
of our normal conversation.
, A spin of the dial or the push
of a button connects us with
friends, business associates
or family across the nation,
even the continents.
It has not always been this
simple to place a call. Early
telephones were cum-
bersome and primitive and
in rural Ontario the sheer
cost of building thousands of
miles of overhead lines, even
the provision of a party line,
bordered on the prohibitive.
On May 20, 1981, the
Ontario Agricultural Muse-
um will be recognizing those
NW. have. helped, •to,proyide
an. excellent source of com-
munication to rural people:
the independent telephone
companies.
Most' of .these companies
were formed shortly after
the turn of the century to
provide rural dwellers with
telephone service. Some
companies were started by
doctors who, for their con-
venience, wanted to keep in
touch with the rural area
their . practice covered.
Others were privately or
family owned, others were
syndicates.
By 1921, 689 non -Bell
companies were operating in
Ontario, approximately 25
per cent of the total phones in
the province.
The museum has suc-
cessfully installed a party
line system which reflects
part of our rural past. The
system, which will become
officially operative. May 20
during a special ceremony,
has two major purposes.
First, it is to provide in-
stant two-way com-
munications between the
museum's various display
buildings and the ad-
ministration office.
Secondly, it provides the
independent telephone
companies -an opportunity to
install a system compatible
with the theme of the
museum and one that adds to
the authenticity of the
displays, rather than
modifying them.
An extra feature that will
be of interest to visitors is
the installation of an old
style, overhead telephone
line along the Crossroads
Community. This connects
all the museum buildings .to
the central switchboard.
This particular swit-
chboard is the last active
magnetic switchboard in use
in Ontario, which was
removed from the exchange
at Cambray last year after
serving customers of that
system for many years.
Within the next year or'
two, visitors also will be able
to visit an authentic general
store, which will house a
second, operating ual
switchboard alon with the
old-fashioned wooden wall
. telephones,._,.......,1 .._ - ..__.,. _ __.
All telephone equipment
has been donated by the
independent telephone
companies from throughout'
the province or comes from
the museum's collection.
. Cables, wires and material
necessary for the installation
were donated by commercial
suppliers.
The museum has been
fortunate to have the in-
dependent companies donate
staff time and knowledge in
completing this project.
Among the companies
which donated material and
staff time' are:
—the Bruce Municipal
Telephone System, serving
Kincardine, Paisley. Port
Elgin and Tiverton.
—the Huron and Kinloss
Municipal Telephone Sys-
tem. serving Dungannon and
Ripley;
-the Mornington Muni-
cipal, serving Milverton:
—the South Bruce Rural
Telephone Company Ltd.,
serving Mildmay and Tees -
water:
—and the Wightman
Telephone Ltd:, which
serves Ayton,. Clifford,
Gorrie and Neustadt.
According to. R. W, Car-
bert, general manager of the
'Ontario Agricultural
Museum, he sees this project
of the independent, industry..„.
"as an opportunity to create
an atmosphere truly
representative of the role
that telephone has played hi
the agricultural history of
Ontario: "'•
Host famiiers are n
for Junior Ag. program
The Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food again
is sponsoring the Junior
Agriculturalist program,
now in its ninth year. The
program has been very
successful in providing
practical experience for
young people from non-farm
-homes who have a serious
interest in agriculture, and-
no experience working on a
farm.
As a result, there is now a
group of young people in-
terested in and capable of
pursuing agriculturally
related careers or fern*
labor positions. As well, the
JOOiorAgriculturalists, their
faAlliliea and friends have
developed a greater
aw►ess and appreciation
'tlxos life and the farming
industry.
Host farmers must operate
a Commercial farm and be
Engaged full-time in far-
ming. \Selection of host
farmers will be based on
interest, in helping an
inexperienced young person
develop shills required on a
farm and ability to work well
Ministryp.:Ians
woodlot survey
An on -the -ground survey of
private woodlands in . the
Wingham district will be
conducted this summer by
personnel of the Ministry of
Natural Resources.
The survey is being under-
taken to obtain data on tree
species, timber volume and
productivity of these wood -
lots to provide a base for
future resource manage-
ment planning.
Woodlots in southern
Ontario have a greater sig
nificance than many people
realize, J. L. Hamill,
Wingham district manager,
noted. Nearly 30 per cent of
the wood produced in
Ontario comes from private
as opposed. to Crown lands.
Woodlots in the Wingham
district -help . supply . high
value hardwood timber used
. by the region's furniture
manufacturing and other
wood -using industries, with
more than 10 million feet of
locally -grown timber sawn
in the district last year.
Private woodlots in this
area serve many other
important functions, such as
regulation of stream levels,
protection of crops, soil and
buildings from wind
damage, enhancement of
landscape beauty and
habitat for wildlife, ail of
which are important to the
farm ' community, Mr.
Hamill.added.
A staff of 13 forestry in-
ventory personnel will be
working in the district from
May 19 to Sept. 1 to complete
the survey. They will be
contacting local landowners
to get permission to enter”
their land to gather in-
formation from designated
forest areas.
As this information is vital
to the ministry's forest
resources program, the
cooperation of private wood -
lot owners will be appre-
ciated • greatly, Mr. Hamill
said.
The head of the survey
team is Don Cunningham
from the natural resources
office in Toronto, He is no
stranger to this area, as he
worked in the Wingham
district for three years after
the office first opened here.
Further information about
the survey is available from
the ministry by calling 357
3131 or toll free 1-800-265-
3003.
OBEXto ..•
In an age where services vi-d•eo a ucti en
pare available to almost s
everyone in a matter of
seconds. the Ontario Agri-
cultural Museum provides a
glimpse of the efforts made
by our rural ancestors to
connect them with urban
centres. neighbors and ser-
vices which we so often take
for granted.
SFA plans pubic
meeting in Toronto
The Ontario Federation of
Agriculture t OFA 1 has
announced plans to hold a
public meeting in Toronto
June 4 to discuss the
economic problems facing
many members of Ontario's
farm community.
Ralph Barrie, OFA
president, said he expects
Agriculture Minister Lorne
Henderson and Treasurer
Frank Miller will attend.
Invitations also have been
sent to the federal agricul-
ture minister. Eugene
Whelan. and Allan Mac-
Eachen, minister of finance.
FARMERS & DEALERS
Reserve This Date
SATURDAY MAY 30, 1981
10 A.M. SHARP
Including o Targe selection of tractors, ploughs, discs,
cultivators, land rakers, seed drills, weed sprayers,
fertilizer spreaders, corn planters, manure spreaders,
bale feeders, balers, stockers, haybines, swathers,
mowers, rakes, elevators, wagons, harvesters, forage
boxes, blowers, combines, grinder mixers, rotary
mowers, stone pickers, snow 'blowers, grain augers,
blades, gravity boxes, plus lawn and garden equipment
and a large selection of new power and hand took.
Selling By Number Lunch Booth on Grounds
Terms: Cosh or cheque day of sale
'TRUCKING AVAILABLE ANYWHERE*
Owner or Auctioneer 'not responsible for)ac-
cidents on property day of sale. J
AUCTIONEER: CLIFF GILBERT
Wiarton, Ontario
DON'T MISS IT - SEE YOU THERE!
Wayne Ward Farm Equipment
Hwy. No. 6, Wiarton, Ontario
PHONE: (519) 534-2980
or (519) 534-1638
i3
Mr. Barrie said the
meeting is necessary
because politicians have
done nothing to ease far-
mers` economic difficulties.
He said both levels of
government have.a mandate
to protect the best interests
of their constituents, yet the
federal government has
accepted high interest rates
and the problems they cause
and the provincial govern-
ment - has failed to put
Ontario farmers in a com-
petitive position.
Other provinces already
have introduced programs to
cushion the effects of high
interest rates on their far-
mers, he reported.
Mr. Barrie warned the
failure to help could have a
disastrous impact on
Ontario's ability to produce
food. He estimated the
province already is losing
1.000 farmers a year, and
predicted this could increase
as more farmers are forced
out of business.
He also predicted that the
present state of the economy
will discourage young people
from entering farming.
Mr. Barrie said he expects
several hundred farm
leaders from across Ontario
to attend the meeting. He
urged all Ontario Members
of Parliament and Members
of the Legislative Assembly
to attend,
Conestoga
chair draw
Laurie Crawford of
Belgrave won first prize, a
grandfather rocker, in a
draw held by the Conestoga
Chair recreation committee,
Debbie Gower, also of
Belgrave, won second prize
of a "glass turkey"
The draw was held May 15.
The Ontario. Beef
Exchange Ltd. (OBEX) will
be holding five video feeder
cattle auctions in 1981, Ginty
Jocius, general manager of
OBEX, announced.
The first sale, held May 6
at Chesley, had consign-
ments from western Canada.
The dates for other sales
are Aug. 26, Sept. 16, Oct; 7
and Oct. 28, all at the Chesley
Community Centre.
Prior to this year, OBEX
consigned only cattle from
Ontario for presentation on
the two, six-foot screens at
charges
A report released recently
by the Econl 'rile Council of
vaiada eritit ized cigru.u,
turas marketing • boards,
which it said. particularly in
the dairy industry. have led
to unreasonably high prices
for consumers.
However Gerry Fortune,
president of the Huron
County Federation of
Agriculture, said she doesn't
believe farmers are making
excessive profits as a result
of marketing boards.
"i would like to know
where the excess profits
are," she declared. "They're
not here on this dairy farm."
Gisele Ireland of RR 2,
Teeswater, a member of the
public relations -committee
for the Ontario Federation of
Agriculture and OFA repre-
sentative to the Canadian
\'- ociation of Consumers in
t)ntano. said tanutrs
choulsn't • deny that mar-
keang boards do increase
the price of milk.
"However 15 cents a litre
is very debatable. What is
their criteria that suggests
excess profits?"
Mrs. Fortune also
defended the practice of
selling quota to farmers as
the simplest way to dispense
it.
"I don't tell unions,
plumbers or electricians how
to run their business," she
concluded. "Why should
someone tell us how to run
ours?"
the community centre.
Buyers bought cattle off the
screen to go right from grass
farms to • the feedlot,
reducing animal stress as
well as disease problems and
allowing flexible lifting
dates.
The majority of western
cattle will be 600 -700 -pound
steers from an area 60 miles
northeast of Calgary
Alberta. Tney wiIl,have' had
all the necessary -medica-
tions. They will be shipped
around 75 miles to Hanna,
weighed with a three .per
cent "pencil shrink" and
then shipped to. buyers in
Ontario.
"Vie are extremely excited
by this 'Alberta Con-
nection'," Mr. Jocius said.
"This new step will truly
round out our saying that
OBEX brings cattle
marketing into the 20th
century."', • -
Information on .consign-
ment or buying procedures is
available from the OBEX
office in Toronto at 590 Keele
Street, M6N 3E3, or by
phoning ( 416) 767-5494.
0 0. 0
St. John Ambulance
teaches courses in child care
which are good training for
babysitters.
with and supervise youug
people.
Junior Agriculturalists are
16 or 17 years of age, with no
previous farm experience.
Participants are selected on
their reasons for being in-
terested in . farming and
future education and career
plans.
The program gives
students an opportunity to
develop an appreciation for
rural life through living with
a farm family arid- partici-
pating, in local: 441, Junior
Farmers and other com-
munity activities.
The on-farm assignments
last from June 22 to Aug. 22.
Each Junior Agriculturalist
will receive a training
OM per -day. The
terwill pay $6.00 in
cash and supply room and
board worth $8.00 per day.
The ministry, of agriculture
and food pays the remaining
86.00.
Farmers who would like to
host a Junior Agriculturalist
for the summer should
contact their local
agricultural office for an
application, or the area co-
ordinatot, Sharon Salm, at
the OMAF office, 279 Weber
Street North, Waterloo, N2J
3118 or phone 519-884-5390.
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BEE charges miles of uninsulated 1 or more wire fence in any
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BEE has alt electronic circuitry - no moving parts to adjust or wear out
BEE has a' full 2 year.over-the-counter ) verrenty
FREE FENCE TESTER
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91Elc'Ellt
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Overconsumption is prevented by salt in the
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EARLY IN THE SEASON - when your
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IN LATE SUMMER - when your pasture is
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-up the daily maximum intake to around 7 or
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BEEF UP YOUR BEEP ALL SUMMER
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