The Clinton News Record, 1932-11-24, Page 3THURS., NOV. 24, 1932
THE CLINTON NEWS -RECORD
bKI NGEjJEWS
Co1 I4uiiCiar
J. B. S. Ilaidane thinks thi; would
be a humdrum world, if it were peo-
pled by perfect men and women and
is glad there is no . such animal.
Yet we hays known men (a few) of
whom we could truthfully say that
if we were asked to indicate a fault
in them we could not do so, and we.
have known women and girls every
man and boy has—who were per-
fect, and who would not be unworthy
of the epitaph which William Win-
ter saw on a commemorative stone
at Butlers Marston:
Sleep, gentle soul, await thy Maker's
will,
'Thea rise unchanged—,and be an
angel still.
c—lr—�
Ono measure which would not have
carried through parliament, if whips
had bOen withdrawn and members
allowed to vote as they pleased, is
that one which placed a ban on clear-
ances for the export 'ef liquors from
Canada to any country under prohi-
bition. It was a gesture of interna-
tional good -will by which Canada has
lost and is losing a million dollars a
month in revenue. The United Stat-
es has now declared an intention to
repeal the law which Canada volun- 1
tarily and gratuitously helped to en-
force. Automatically the ban on I
clearances will ibe lifted, so far as •
the United States is concerned. as
soon as that intention is made effect-
ive by legislation, but "Chubby"
Power, M.P., thinks we should an-
ticipate that event and allow clear-
ances to be made at once.
The reduction in the duty on cigar-
ettes will help to curtail smuggling
from the United States where excise
duties are much lower, but the trou-
ble is that habits and tastes have
been acquired which will make it dif-
ficult to eliminate smuggling ,of cig-
arettes.
He was only a modest lawyer,
He Cas only a plain K.C.,
But lie said: "Those prison riots
Would be bloodier but for me.
You will understand my meaning
When you hear me now declare
How many of niy clients
from oin
I Bayed going there."
lie was only a modest lawyer,,
One of our few K.C: s,
But he made a vast improvement
In our penitentiaries.
Cil
An old man in a hurry, as Lord
Randolph Churchill called Gladstone,;
is Mayor Cermak of Chicago, who
started in at once to grant licenses
for the sale of beer. The Volstead,
act and the 18th amendment are still
in' effect, but the chief magistrate
of Chicago gives official sanction to
their violation. The federal govern-
ment at 'Washington and the state
government at Springfield are still
interested in the enforcement .of the
law, but the mayor assumes that their
attentions will be more those of an
undertaker than of a doctor trying
to keep the patient alive. The in-
cident shows that even in official
circles there is use to be made of the
recently coined word, "scofflaw."
Hoover's statement that: if Roose-
velt were elected and if he put his
tariff for revenue policy into effect,
grass would grow on the streets of
a hundred cities and a thousand
towns, was a very foolish statement
Ifor a president to make. The grass
didn't grow even on the landside that
Iswept him out of power.
Lord Macauley in his diary records
a conversation he had with Talley
rand. He had asked the French am-
bassador what he thought of a dis-
pute then raging between Metternich
and a certain cardinal. Talleyrand
' took the side of the prelate. Said he:
"The cardinal may make mistakes,
but he never lies. Metternick always
lies and never makes mistakes."
Early History of Clinton Interestingly
Told
Paper Read Before the Clinton Home and
School Club
By Janie
(Continued from hast week) i
You doubtless have seen the cairn
on the hill beyond the river erected
by the Citizens of 'Clinton and vicin-
ety to mark the birth place of Major
Gen. Sir W. D. Otter who was the
son of Alfred W. Otter another of
our pioneers for a time in the office
of the Canada Co., whose wife was
Miss de la Hooke her father having
resided on the west side of the Lon-
don Read on the Northern bank of
the river. The first public appear-
ance of the future Major Gen, was
at a party at Reed's where his beaut-
iful mother was the belle of the ball
while her infant son was in the care
of a nurse in an adjoining room.
An interesting character who, at
an early date, Caine to the commun-
ity was Joseph Whitehead, the grand-
father of W. D. Fair. It is said of
Mr. Whitehead ' that he . was the
stoker on the Stevenson Engine on '
its first trip . between Manchester
and Liverpool, thus being in at the
inauguration of the Revolutionory
Railroad System of the World. He
settled on a farm a mile north of
The Corners, engaging in farming
and the manufacture of potash.
When Railroad building began in
Upper Canada, he obtained a con-
struction contradt near Dundas on
the Great Western Railway, after-
wards a part of the 'Grand Trunk
System, being constructed between
Niagara "Falls and Windsor. Later
he had a large contract on the Buf-
falo and •Goderieh line between
Brantford and Buffalo and later still:
he obtained a contract for the con-
struction of a section of the main
line of the C. P. R. which he was not
allowed to complete. He filled a
large place in the business and mun-
icipal interests here, one of his en-
terprises being the erection and con-
ducting of a Grist Mill which was
later used as a Grain Elevator and
now as a warehouse of the Gunn
Langlois Company. His residence
during the latter years of his life is
now ocoupied 'by Dr. Gandier.
The Ransfords were leaders in the
industrial affairs of the community
`at an early date. henry Ransford,
father of Richard and John Bans -
lord, took up a large holding of land
in and in the vicinity of the town
and later the rens were the discov-
erers of salt en the property held by
them and engaged extensively in its
manufacture. The Walker fain,
s Scott
community were the Ranee ;brothers.
Samuel and Thomas who erected one
of the first Grist'. Mills in the Dis-
trict. Mr. Samuel was especially
active in ;the ueines and social life
of the embryo, town. He was ap-
pointed the first Clerk of tile Diviss
ion Court in,Clinton, in 1850 succeed-
ed Iby his brother-in-law, Russell
Reed, who, in turn, was succeeded
by W. W. Farren and he by our gen-
ial friend, Colonel Tore Rance, the
son of the first holder of the office,
a nephew of the second, and a son-
in-1'ew of the third—aa case, surely,
of apostolic 'succession, these hav-
ing administration of the most anc-
ient Court in the B. E., tracing its
descent back to 'theSaxon period.
The two brothers Samuel and. -Tho-
mas ,Rance became sons-in-law of
William Rattenbury.
Other early settlers were William
Murray who cani,e from the town-,
ship of Zorr•a and became active in
the church and municipal life of the
town; also, Malcolin, McTaggart who
established an extensive factory for
manufacturing fanning mills, being a
flourishing industry for many years,
the first site of his residence and fae-
tory'being that of the present Town
Hall and Lilbrary. park. He was as-
sisted in this industry by Mr. Jas.
Chidley who was active in the town
life of Clinton. Later the business
was taken over by Mr. Alex. McKim
chie and Alexander McKenzie who
had been for a time as assistants
in carrying on of this factory. An-
other early and important addition
to the town was the coming of Hor-
atio Hale, an American lawyer who
at one time had been an Indian Com-
missioner under the United States
Federal .Gofernment. He was else
on a committee appointed by the
Canadian Government to investigate
the condition of the Indian
tribes in the Canadian West.
Ile came here to adminis-
ter the estate of his wife's father
who had taken up lots now within
the town limits on either side of the
Huron road. He filled a large and
important place in the early educa-
tional and business affairs of the
town. In the construction of the
London, Huron and Bruce Railway
line he was employed by the Coni-'
pany in the purchasing of its right of
way through this County. Mr. W. W
Ferrer was an early comer, he hav-
ing -been engaged as a surveyor in
the snaking of the roads between
Clinton and Winghant and between
Seaforth and Brussels, and after-
wards, as has been said, was appoint,
ed Clerk of the Division Court.
Another family, that of Wm. Ship-
ley, came about this time taking up
land on the north of the Huron road,
his residence being that occupied by
Chas. Peacock, opposite the Hospital,
Streets, Shipley, John and Elizabeth
being connnonorative to Isis residence
This street -making was disturbing to
Mr. Shipley who sought another
hone on the Huron Road East,
where he could pursue his farming
undisturbed
At the prospect of the Railroad
line of the Buffalo and Goderich
'Company passing through the site, a
great impetus was given to the
town's growth and the population in
the late 40's and early 50's increased
quite rapidly. Amongst the arrivalr
in that period were the Jackson fam-
ily, who had gone from England
to Rochester, New York, but Jack-
son Sr. being a sturdy Britisher in-
sisted upon living under the Union
Jack and chose rather to come to the
forest and make a 'home there than
to live under a foreign flag. The
sons, John and Thomas,' entered into
mercantile business, the former as a
Boot 'and 'Shoe merchant and the
latter in a Clothing Store. About the
same time carne the Fair family,
Thomas later receiving the appoint-
ment as Postmaster. The first Post
Office to serve the community was
opened in the home of Dr. Cole on the
Huron Road west. The first Post
Office within the limits of Clinton
was 'housed in a small building which
stood beside the Elliott Garage and
was just lately removed. The next
location was in what is now the
Sloane Block and removed from that
place to the building which had been
erected by Mr. Fair adjoining the
Rattenbury Hotel where the Post
Office continued to be until the Gov-
ermnent Buiding was occupied.
ly also , came out with Henry
Ransford and settled at 'Stapleton.
Dr. Cole who resided on the IIuron
road, North west .of the Corner;, was
the pioneer medical man in the coin
musity. The medical profession is an
exacting one under most favourable
circumstances but when practised un-
der pioneer conditions of bad roads,
and little aa: no conveniences, it
meant untold sacrifices. Many doc-
tors, I suppose, render professional
services for which no remuneration
is received, but this is especially dq
with a pioneer. It is said of Dr. Cole
that his unpaid bills if laid side by
side would have reached from here
to Goderich. There is a silent testi-
mony to his worth and value to the
community in the form of a monu-
ment in the Clinton Cemetery erect-
ed by his grateful patients.
Another Doctor who resided in th-
immediate vicinity of Clinton, war
Dr. Robt. Leiper, (sometimes caller'
Lapeer), a graduate of Glasgow
University, who practised for a time
in the West Indies, and casae in the
early days to this locality, takup up
land in the 3rd eoncess. of Hullett. He
brought out his brother John, and
some members of his family, who re-
sided with 'him. The two brothers,
died within a few hours of each othi
er. A wake was held and a ghost
appeared to the wakers that filled
the neighborhood with excitement.
But the hair-raising romance was
spoiled by the ghost turning out to
have been a settler's white horse, that
had strayed into the bush.
.William Rattenbury, the actual
father of Clinton came to Canada in
'31, and to the Huron District in '35,
settling on Lot 42 London road sur-
vey, about half way between here
and Brucefielcl. He later moved to
Goderich doing construction work for
the Canada Company, and located- at
the Corners in 1844. He purchased
lots on three of the Corners, Mehl -
ing the interests of Mr. Reed and
continued his business of 'Tavern
'seeping. He had a survey made of
part of the lands the purchased malt-
ing allowances for streets and town
lots, His English home having been
on the estate of Lord Clinton, , he
gave that name to what formerly had
been The Corners. As a result of.
his activities, people were attracted
to the place.
Amongst the later arrivals who
made ,their mark in the life of the
as Warden. Previous to that Act.
any Municipal Government in the
Western part of the Province was in
-hands of a Board, of M
a •istrates
thed
h sg
sitting at Lander:. In 1849 the Dis-
trict was dissolved, Perth being form-
ed as a separate County with Strat-
ford as County,'town. Bruce did not
become a separate County until 1866,
Goderich (being continued as the seat
of the Municipal Government for the
District. In 1857, the year of the
completion of. the Buffalo and 'Gode-
rich Railroad, .Clinton was incorpor-
ated as a village and in January,,
1858, the first 'Council, composed of
Joseph Whitehead, Sainue'1 Rance.
William Rowell, and Jonas Gibbings,
was ,elected. At their first meeting
Joseph Whitehead was appointed
Reeve, Thomas Stevenson, Clerk, and
Malcolm McTaggart, Treasurer. The
salary of the Clerk was fixed at 85.
The following have been the clerks
in Clinton: Mr. Nellie, succeeding
Thomas .Stevenson, John Callander,
William. Coats, D, L. McPherson and
R. E. Manning.
During the 18 years of the exis-
tence of Clinton as a village, Joseph
Whitehead occupied the position of
Reeve for 9 years, and W. W. Far-
ren for 5 years, the others being
George Brown, and Robert Callander,
Tlie first 'School Act was Passed in
1842 and in subsequent years the
Rev. Egerton Ryerson was whipping
our school system into shape. A
school building was erected in Clin-
ton that same year at the south-east
corner of the Church, of England
grounds. There had previously been
a log building near the same site us-
ed as a school and for religious meet-
ings. The first teacher is reported
to have been a Mr. Osbaldeston, re-
siding at Bridgewater, east of Hol-
mesville, who walked into his schoo'
every school morning. Sulbsequently,
the cottage now occupied by Mr.
Bert Hovey was used as a school
building until' the erection of the
present Public School during the
principalship of Mr. D. M. Malloch.
emilavaromommemar MOW
PAGE 3
it was pre-eminently the leading 'in-
dustry but has. suffered from the
general depression inrecent years,
but hope is that it will come into its
'
own. again ander the. able manage-
ment
ment of the owner, Mr, W. N. Man-
ning.
As to the press, prior to 1865, there
had been two, papers in Clinton. The
Cornier owned by ,George Laycock
(who also ran a Book Store) and the
True 'Briton, owned 'by J. II.. Kelly.
Both had ceased publication in 1865;
Mr. E. Holmes, father 'of Robert Hol-
ince, who had, been foreman of the
Hamilton Times bought ottt the plant
of the True Briton and formed a
partnership with M:r. Layenok, and
began the publication bf a newspaper
known 'by the name of. the New Era,
this first issue appearing on July
6. 1865. Later on, the New, Era sold
out to other publishers. The change
did not turn out as profitably as -ex-
pected and the printing plant re-
verted to Mr. Holmes who resumed
the publication of the New Era. Mr.
R. Holmes succeeded his father and
continued the publication of the New
Era until his removal to Toronto. Mr.
E. Floody was the publisher of a Pa-
per called The Record until his re-
moval from town. He was succeeded
by Mr. Whitely who had been the
publisher, of a paper called The
News in 'Goderich. He united the
two publications calling it The News -
Record. Later the News -Record
was purchased by Mr. Mitchell. Mr.
Kerr succeeded Mr.' Holmes as pub-
lisher of The New Era and in 1924 sold
out to Mr. Hall, who had succeeded
Mr. Mitchell as published ,of The
News -Record, and the New Era was
amalgamated with The News -Record
7 have not entered into the town's
ecclesiastical 'history; first, because
in many cases there is not definite
data, and secondly, tine would fail
us to give a general vie* and it
would not be fair to deal with so
important a subject in a partial way.
(Suffice it to say that the Canadian
Church did not commit the error of
the United States' Church in its
failure to minister to the needs of thn
settlers in the United States' West.
Representatives of the various con-
gregations were active in ministering
to the needs of the community, even
of the two's and three's, and in en-
couraging organization of a congre-
gation as soon as the numbers adher-
ing to any Communion would justify
it.
Mr. Horatio Hale and the Rev. A.
D. MacDonald wore the prime mov-
ers in the inauguration .of what was
then called the iGrammar School
here. The Department of Education
made it a condition of establishment
that there should be a certain num-
ber of pupils guaranteed. After the
whole community had been scoured,
there was a shortage of ten. There
was much correspondence and nego-
tiation with the Department and at
Last it was proposed that girls might
be allowed to attend, two git'ls to
equal one boy. In fact, it was through
the. representations made by Mr.
Hale in this connection that the Edu-
cation Dept. opened ,the Secondary
Schools of the province t o
girls. This proposal being
accepted, the required attendance
was secured. When the school was
started in the upper story of a frame
building'. fronting 'on Ratter:bury.
street, east, a girl of generous pro-
portions, physically as well as men-
tally, sat across the aisle •from a
stripling of a boy of 12 summers, and
she was heard to soliquize thus: "Ye
gods, to think that I am rated only
at the half of that!"
James Fair purchased the Grist
Mill, engaged extensively in Grist
Milling, and Saw Milling, together
with a Stave Factory and engaging
in operations as a farmer.
There also entered into business'
in that period Thomas Stevenson the
father of Mrs. John Cuninghame. He
started a business as a Cabinet Mak-
er and Furniture Dealer. . Also A. S,
Fisher, the father of 'Mrs. R. E. Man-
ning, who conducted a Dry Goods
business, and Mr. W. Harland, fath-
er of the Harland brothers.
t
t
s
eeking , an explanation • of vel y u no more than three have -
hie decrease it seems to been registered in 'full -tithe courses
ne, two mainceases appear, first,.' at any one time.
the wholesale ,trek to the West, dim -
ng • trio last q last sen -
Harter of the 1
ury, affecting not only Clinton but
he whole of the District. Ie. 1875
in
there wasof 70,000
t l e a
Huron County Whereas at the pre-
ent it stands at less than 50.000, a
cicerease of nearly 80 per cent, so
that the rate of our decrease follows
closely' that of the County, 'showing
that we have not suffered more than
other parts of the County, The se-
cond cause is the drift of population
to the cities. This question` may be
asked. Are there not two dangers
threatening our welfare as a coun-
try? One, the concentration of pop-
ulation in large centres, the other,
the accumulation of wealth in the
hands of the few. Should not the
hood health and moral worth of the
Country consist in the general dis-
tribution of population throughout
the land and a more equitable dis-
tribution of wealth, bringing in the
state desired by the wise man when
there should be neither poverty nor
At the date of the incorporation of
Clinton as a town, the population was
reported as between 2500 and 2600.
At the present time it stands, I be-
lieve, between 1800 and 1900. In
The first principal was„Mr. Argo,
a senior wrangler of Oxford Unive.-
sity, no less. How did it happen?
Mr. Hale discovered him, and the
explanation is that his girl .had jilted
him and he took to the woods. The
succession of principals following
Mr. Argo has been: Mr. Yeoman,
Mockridge, James Turnbull, John
Houston, A. P. Gundry, J. W. Tre-
leaven, Mr. Erwin, Mr. Teeter, and
E. A. Fines.
The Secondary Schools were first
called Grammar Schools and after-
wards, High Schools. Clinton High
School was raised to the status of
Collegia,to Institute about the year
1885. The building occupied previous
to the present one was opened in'
1876. with the following staff: J.
Turnbull, Prin., Mr. 'Bryant, •Mi.
Sheppard and Miss M. O'Neil and
the present one in April, 1927.
Comparing the present industrial
enterprises here with those of ear-
lier times, the question arises whet-
her or not the municipality is holder
.ing its own. An enumeration of the
flourishing industries' of earlier days
seems to confirm the impression that
we're not holding our own in the in.;
dustrial realm. There were 2 Salt
Wells, that of the Ransford's .at
Stapleton, with a .capacity of 300 bar-
rels a day, also the works of John
McGarva, situate near the present
Railroad Depot, the McTaggart and
McI8urchie Fanning Mill Works, one
of the most extensive in the Province,
the Glaegow, McPherson Company, a
branch of the McPherson, Glasgow
Company of Fingal, Elgin Coantyt
was established here in '62 as manu-
facturers of Threshing Machinery.
Besides these there were a Woollen
Mill, 2 Grist Mills, those of. Joseph
Whitehead, and the Rances, after-
wards Crombie's, and later that of
James Fair; 2, Saw 'Mills, 3 Sash and
Door Factories, and Planing Mills, a
Broom Factory, a Dog Factory, not
for the'making'of dogs that hark and
bite but .an appliance for use in Saw
Mills, 2 Carriage Factories, a plough
factory. Peter 'Grant's hoose Hay
Pork Factory. This was an invention
of Mr. Grant who was an uncle of
Mr. W. A. Grant, Doherty Organ Co.,
the predecessor of the Sherlock Man-
ning Piano Company is of compara-
tively recent origin., For many years
With respect to the matter of mune
icipal Goverciment, the Provinies lof
Lower and 'Upper Canada were uni-
ted into one Province in 1840, and at
the first session of the first parlia-
ment, . of the United Provinces, an
Act was passed for better Municpal
Ocivernment in Upper Canada. In
pursuance of that Act, the District
of Huron, comprising the present
,Counties of truce, Huron and Perth,
with the Townships of Biddulph' and
McGillivray in the County of Middle-
sex, was formed, and Dr. Dunlop was
appointed by the Government to act
CLERGYMEN'S FAMILIES KEEN
ON OBTAINING AN EDUCATION
Children of Rev- H. W. Snell Estab-
lish Record For Western
Unpredecented in the history of
the University of Western Ontario
and believed to be a record among
Canadian college students, four
members of a single family are at-
tending full-time courses at the Lon-
don college.
Registered in secretarial science.
post graduate work in medicine and
nursing, the collegians are the chil-
dren of Rev. H. W. Snell, Anglican
cleric in charge of the Mohawk In-
stitute at Brantford, formerly of
Wingham. Dr. Dorothy Snell, who
received her degree in medicine from
Western two years ago is at present
registered in the master of science
course at the Medical School. Two
sisters, Gwen and Margaret are
registered in secretarial science and
the university course in nursing
leading to the degree of bachelor of
science. One brother is in his
third year in medicine.
The fainly of the Rev. Canon. Ap-
pleyard, who has recently been ap-
pointed to St. Thomas Church, Sea -
forth have had a distinct record of five
including the father, have received
nine degrees from the Western Uni-
Hospital for Sick Children,
87 COLLEGE- ST., TORONTO 2
(Country y Br t
al oh, xhistletown).
December, 1932.
bear, or:
TheMr. prolongEdited period of hard tlmers'
bas created a most difficult problem.
for Ontario's world-famous Hospital
for Sick Children. which only the.
benevolent public can solve. Here it
Is, in a nutshell:
The Hospital .has nursed in its cots
this yoar 7,894 small sufferers, an,.
increase of 887 over the total of the
previous year. In addition 81,202'
treatments were givento the great
Out -Patient Department, an increase
of 16,092. On one day 620 treatments.
were. recorded. In the previous year
there was a similar growth in the'
demand for the merciful ministra-
tions of the Hospital. While all this
has been going on the amounts of,
the donations from the kind-hearted
have decreased by many thousands
of dollars, creating the situation of
far more to be done and far less to
do it with,
The statutory grants obtained by.
rho Hospital fall much short of being,
sufficient to pay for the actual cost
of maintenance of the little patients:
and each additional patient means
an added deficit. The task of bridging.:
the gap between the cost of opera-
tion and operating income has
usually been accomplished by contri-
butions from the benevolent. While•
the Hospital has retained the major-
ity of its friends who kindly donate
to its work yearly, and is continually
adding new ones, donations dimin-
ished to a somewhat alarming extent
in the response to last year's appeal
for funds and there hes been little:
Improvement in that respect through-
out the year; It is unthinkable that
any child needing the humane ser-
vice provided by the Hospital should
be refused. The Trustees are anxious.
and can only hope that the kind-
hearted people of the province will
see them through the difficulty by
a most generous response to the
present appeal.
Public benevolence has built the
Hospital for sick Children to the
proud eminence of being the finest
Institution of its kind in the world.
Its country branch at Thistletown 1s
a recognized model and persons in-
terested in child welfare come from
all parts of the globe to inspect R.
Any child in the Province of Ontario,
deformed or diseased, is eligible for
admittance to this wonderful insti-
tution, where the very finest treat-
ment known to medical and surgical
science is at once available. There•
is no class or creed distinction. The
very best that any Hospital can give•
is placed within easy reach of the
poorest child.
Now, more urgently than ever
before, is the Hospital in need of
contributions and no amount would
be considered too small. Please ask
the benevolent In your community
to help. Tell them that the story of
the Hospital, covering 67 years, Is
not that of merely adding cot to cot
and ward to ward It is the story of
a battle constantly waged against
disease and deformity, with all the
advancing resources of the medical
and surgical sciences. It is a story
of demands which have aver exceeded
the financial resources, but whlah
have always been met by generous
response to appeals for aid. But for
this generosity the Hospital would
many times have been bankrupt.
Ask your readers, please, to prevent
it from becoming so now.
Faithfully yours,
pOUGI AS 3. ROBERTSON,TrustO
i5 '
III'pil�uurulll
I�.
Our Commercial Printing Department is
equipped to handle printing of all kinds
from a box of Calling Cards to ten
thousand Statements or Letter Heads
Where to Get Quality
C Bunter Check Books
(Carbon Leaf or Carbon Back�5•tyles or the New
Detachable Carbon Leaf, have you seen it?)
Prices and quality being equal, wise buyers order
through their Printer
Keep Your Orders in Your Own Town --IT PAYS
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any make and give you as Good Prices
and as Prompt Service as you'll get
Anywhere.
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