The Huron Expositor, 1949-10-14, Page 21,'
0
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SEAFORTH, Friday, October 14
lhamber of Commerce Can
=owlish Much
The movement during recent
weeks which resulted in the re -
Organization of the Seaforth Cham-
ber'of Commerce can result in major
benefits for the Seaforth district.
As this newspaper has pointed out on
many occasions, an active Chamber
of Commerce in a community pro-
vides common ground where prob-
lems affecting not only the town pro-
per but the community it serves, can
be recognized and corrected. While
some of the problems will be a mun-
icipal responsibility and as such with-
out the scope of the Chamber of
Commerce, the mere existence of
the organization strengthens the
Mand of the municipality, that is the
elected representatives, who control
its destiny, to a great extent, and fre-
quently can exert that extra support
or opinion which results in the prob-
lem being .corrected. -
Too frequently perhaps the Cham-
ber of Commerce is regarded as a
soley to further the interests of the
businessmen's association, designed
- . solely to further the interests of
those in business in the town. This
should not be the case. True, an ac-
tive chamber doe's co-ordinate and
present in an authoritive manner .
the views of the businessmen, but at
the same time if it is alive to its re-
sponsibilities to the community as a
whole, it weighs those views in the
light of what it knows to be the needs
of and what is best for the commun-
ity. It should regard the problems
with which it will be faced from time
to time objectively and not with a
personal approach?
It is not, of course, enough to or-
ganize a chamber of commerce. Cer-
tainly that is the first step, but it is
but the means to the end, not the end
in itself. The success of any organ-
ization is dependent on the work and
thought and interest contributed to
it by those who make up its mem-
bership. Only to the extent to which
the membership iso actively interest-
ed in the welfare of the Seaforth
community in the years to come can
the organization succeed.
There is much an active Chamber
of Commerce can accomplish. Not
only can it be a clearing house for
the merchants of the town, but at the
same time it can be of great assist-
ance to the municipal council in in-
vestigating and taking preliminary
action with respect to proposals that
basically may be A municipal respon-
sibility. Its committee's can study
the question of rural -urban relations
and seek to arrive at an opinion re-
eflecting the requirements of both.
Necessary research leading to a pro-
per town plan and building code is a
task that could profitably engage the
attention of a committee, and one
which in the years to come could
mean the difference between a Sea -
forth that has grown in an orderly
'fashion, and a Seaforth that has just
grown. Related to this, of course, is
the preparation ,of data setting out
the industrial possibilities of the dis-
trict. These are but a few of the con-
structive activities with which a
f amber : of 'Commerce could con-
cern itself. Many more will occur to
the officers of the: organization.
The difficulties which led to the
inactivity of the Chamber of Com-
iercee• during recent years stemmed
mot from the fact that there was
othing for it to doy, but rather from
Cho lack of ° interest ' of those who
e _u
its membership. If those
nOW . are responsible, approach
ria ter with an initiate desire to
e
A
`
a�aic� further . rt ' interests of
, ,t zizt he �
4
ch can t. , ..then ube
o they de
serve the wholehearted sap art of
every ,citiizen in &eolith, and in the
connmuanty of whir it is the centre.
Protect Your Home Against
Fire
The week of October 9 to October
15 is Fire Prevention Week in Can-
ada, and is designed to draw the at-
tention of the Canadian people to
the dangers of fire which are ever-
present, and the cost to them of fires
which, in most cases, can be prevent-
ed.
All too often we are inclined to
think of fire as something that hap-
pens to the other fellow. That we
ourselves will never know its ter-
rible toll. But unfortunately there
will come the day when we are "the
other fellow," for fire is no respector
of persons.
The tragedy of it all is the extent
to which most fires could be prevent-
ed and the appalling toll of lives and
money thereby be reduced if only
each of us would take common sense
precautions.
It seems tragic that a major disas-
ter, such as the Noronic, is needed to
bring home to us the cost of fire.
Here a vessel and more than a hun-
dred lives were lost despitethe ex-
istence of regulations designed to
safeguard against just such an out-
break. In our homes, however; there
are no such regulations. Here fire
can only be prevented by day-by-day
care and common sense.
It is the foolish little things we do
without thinking that cause the troue-
ble. Such as washing clothes` iw:
gasoline, or throwing hot ashes in a
wooden box, or failing to fix a brok-
en chimney, or leaving a pile of oily
rags in a closet. In themselves they
are small and at the moment seem
harmless. But if 'they resulted in a
fire the cost of a moment's forgetful-
ness could be perhaps your life, or
the lives of your family.
0
Lots of Parking Space
It seems to be human nature to
want to do the same thing as every-
one else does. In any event, the way
people park in Seaforth on Saturday
nights indicates this.
Main Street, and the streets. lead-
ing to it, are packed with cars in
some cases to such an extent it is dif-
ficult to drive along the streets. And
at the same time, accommodation for
a large number of cars just one short
block from Main Street goes unused.
As a means of easing the parking
situation, the council arranged- to
Iight Victoria Park on Saturday
nights, but motorists apparently
hate to leave the crowded areas to
take advantage of the space provid-
ed at the park.
•
PRECARIOUS OCCUPATION
(Fort William Times -Journal)
The last word in thrills is contain-
ed in the recent experience of an
American pilot. To most people, he
is entirely welcome to it.
His jet plane, travelling at 600
miles an hour, went out of control
when he was up 40,000 feet. After the
aircraft had lost 10,000 feet he eject-
ed himself with his seat from the fall-
ing plane. Then he detached his seat
in which he was strapped and open-
ed his parachute.
Only a few years ago people were
being warned not to jump off trains
moving at five miles per hour.
•
DISCIPLINING CHILDREN
(Guelph Mercury)
They say that to be strict with
children robs them of spirit and in-
dividuality.
One great asset to parents is dis-
crimination, but it is a thousand
times better to subdue a little surplus
spirit than to live to see children
cast into prison, or with a noose
around their necks, with a curse for
you on their lips in the bargain. Be-
ing a Tittle strict in time saves them
fora good and useful life and they
g
will honor and respect you to their
dying day.
We all know that constant repiti-
tion of little escapades and "getting
away with them' is what leads up to
the great crime in the end. If httle
ones acquire proper respect for
all law while growing up
it will stand nd
by them and protet them all through
life.
'When auoreseent light ti !‘ are
out of their sockets, and+ especially
when they aro broken, treat them
like poison—because thee are pois-
on, weenie Laird S, GoldsboreUgh in
The Reader's Digest for Septem-
ber. Fluorescent tubes contain a
highly poisonous substance, ' and
serious injury may strike anyone
who carelessly handles a li'oken
tube.
Although no warning is printed
on the carton containing the tube,
the danger is so real that the; Inter-
national Association of Fire Chiefs
recently issued a safety bulletin
headed:. "Fluorescent Lamp Tubes
Carry an Extreme Poison Hazard."
Insurance companies throughout
Canada and the United States are
asking bheir agents to warn house-
holders. The New York City Sani-
tation Department has ordered its
refuse collectors to single out dis-
carded fluorescent tubes for "kid -
glove treatment." Seamen of the
U.S.. Navy are required to wear
gloves and goggles when replacing
wdrn-out tubes.
Industrial users of the tubes
have been "tipped off" as to pro-
per precauttga . tioidnb(Frongh,s'W
but the. housewife has not been
told. Stile , 20 per cent of• horses
wired for electricity have one or
more f(uoreseent lannps. the h:a ard,
to bonseholdera. is Serious,' The
Reader's Digest article cites ins:
stances of severe fluorescent -tube
poisoning suffered, by children whet,
playing with discarded tubes,; have
been cut by the glass. In some
cases the resulting deep-seated in-
fections, slow to heal, have requir-
ed surgical removal of infected tis-
sue.
Beryllium, contained in the 200
million tubes now burning in
North America, is the .suspected
substance. The three chief fluores-
cent tube makers have recently
agreed to stop using beryllium in
their tubes. although the existing
stock -pile of lamps containing
beryllium will be sold.
Safety engineers complain that
they cannot and out what will re-
place beryllium in the new tubes,
the article says. Since new tubes
may still contain poisonous 'ele-
ments, medical authorities urge
continued precaution in handling.
Just A Smile Or Two
They were entertaining the vicar
to lunch, and the guest remarked
to the small boy of the house:
"Don't you ever say prayers be-
fore your meals, my child?"
"Oh, no," said. the child. "Dad
says our cook's pretty reliable."
•
It was time for the factory work-
er's son to go to bed.
"Tell me a story, Daddy," said
the boy.
"Well, my son," began the fac-
tory worker, "once upon a time
and a half .
Everything was set for the' wed-
ding ceremony, but the groom look-
ed bothered. "What's the matter?"
whispered the best man. "Don't
tell me you've lost the ring?"
' "No," the groom answered. feeb-
ly, "but I've lost my wild enthusi-
asm."
Johnny, wbo had been taken to
the country for the first time, saw
a spider spinning a web between
two tall reeds. "Father," he.
called, "come and see this bug put-
ting up a wireless."
Huron Federation of
Agriculture Farm News
Equipment For Ensiling
In a, thorough study of equip-
ment for harvesting hay and silage,
W. Kalbfleiscb, Agricultural En-
gineer at the Central Experimental
Farm, Ottawa, says that forage
crops may be harvested as dry hay
or as silage by many different
methods and by means of various
types of equipment.
There is no single method or
group of machines which is suit-
able for all farms and all condi-
tions of operation. The system us-
ed in harvesting will depend prim-
arily on the amount of hay har-
vested, investment in enuipment,
climatic conditions, man labor re-
quirements, storage methods and
location, topography of the land
and on many other factors.
Cutting and raking the crop does
not present so many problems as
in curing and transferring- thecrop
to storage, he says. The hand
leading method is costly in manual
labor. while the investment in
emnpment is low. With combina-
tion ,harvesters much less heavy
manual labor is required but a
large investment in equipment is
necessary.
To economically harvest a crop
it is extremely important that
labor be used efficiently and that
equipment be properly maintained.
Some farmers ,harvest twice as
much hay as others even though
they use the same crew and meth-
od.
Machinery, where it can be used
satisfactorily, efficiently and eco-
nomically, will aid in harvesting by
reducing 'heavy manual labour
which is normally required, by in-
creasing the speed of operations
and by lowering the cost per ton
in collecting the erop.
But if machinery is not properly
maintained and efficiently utilized,
it will only partially demonstrate
its value and may increase the cost
of harvesting the crop.
To give an idea as to. whether
equipment can be used satisfactor-
ily and economically, the estimated
operating cost for the various
kinds of equipment are included in
the publication. By using this table
and estimating how frequently the
particular piece of equipment will
be used during the year, together
with the man hours saved over
older methods, a good indication
can be obtained as to whether the
initial expenditure for the equip-
ment will be justified.
A copy of a bulletin prepared by
Mr. Kalbfleisch, may be obtained
by writing to the Dominion De-
partment of Agriculture, Ottawa.
Ask for Publication 826, Equipment
for Harvesting Hay and Silage.
Late summer apples and crab
apples, high in pectin and acid, are
excellent for jellly.
w
Wheat Varieties Canada Grows
Canadians may justly be proud
6f the wheat they grow. The
reputation ''they have enjoyed for
so many years has been built upon
the high quality of the wheat for
doer ,malting purposes, and for the,
uniformity of the different com-
mercial grades of wheat from year
to year. This high standard has
been vigilantly maintained by
licensing only varieties that have
shown high quality not only in the
field but in repeated milling and
baking tests.
we
Per over twenty years s samples
deawit from 'Cargoes leaving Port,
'William, Ontario, Vancouver, B.C,,
acid at fr'e'quently as possible froni
Fort Gk tlrdiifll, have been analyzed,
green vegetbbles make: 8tll'rg
sad • drinking milk is just
as bad • he won't touch meat)
• he'll hardly eat • but
pretty -soon he'll wish he,had
PPPPPP way M MA TIONA4'N(ALTN ANO 41krA►L
to ascertain what varieties were
actually being shipped out of the
country. The annual survey has
just been completed and the data
are quite gratifying. The trend in
the upper grades such as Nos. 1,
2 and 3 Manitoba Northern has
been for an increase in the
amounts of Marquis and Thatcher
varieties in shipments from Fort
Wiliam, while in those from. Van-
couver, Thatcher has increased
very materially. The amount of
Red. Bobs in the Fort William same sam-
ples much the
plea ,has n e
as last season, but there has been
a deckled decline in this variety
appearing in the Vancouver ship-
mentse amounting from four to six
per cent in the different grades.
During the past few years the
total percentage of these new rust.
resistant varieties, Thatcher, Apex,
Renown and Regent, shipped from
Fort William and Vancouver has
had a very marked effect in driving
out some inferior varieties. The
poor quality wheats have now
reached trace proportions. It `3s
expected Ghat the introduction of
the new Redman and Saunders
varieties will still further improve
the quality situation, says J. G. C.
Fraser, Cereal Division, Central'
Experimental Farm, Ottawa. To
date, neither of these two varieties
has appeared in the annual survey,
as nearly every bushel has been
used for seed owing to the great -
demand for such purposes. It is
estimated that there will be over
thirteen million bushels of Red-
man and one million bushels of
Saunders produced in 1949, •much
of which will be used for seed pur-
poses.
Cross ventilation in laying pens
for pullets is vital to the comfort
and laying conditions of the fowl.
e
Some Tips For Using Putty
It's getting close to storm win-
dow time—or at least time to see
they are in good condition. Win-
dows with loose glass and broken
putty are not highly efficient in
keeping out winter blasts.
When using putty there are a
few things to remember if the job
is to be well done. Putty applied
to frosty, wet or dirty sash is not
going to form a good bond. It
is important to see that the sash
is dry and that all dirt .and dried -
out putty is brushed away. If the
glass is loose, fix firmly with clips
or glazing points. Use sufficient
pressure with the knife to make
good contact between the putty
and the sash. When painting, the
paint should lap slightly onto the
glass. This assures a tight seal at
the ells important edge where rain
and damp is likely to seep under
the putty.
lf glass has to be replaced, use
a liberal ribbon of patty all around
the •inside of the sash. A thin
continuous ribbon should ooze up
around the glass when pressure is
pplied, indicating a complete bond
etweena
s sh and glass. Each pane;
shouldbe held firmly in place with
nufflcient ' glazing points before
puttying -yip the outside of the
sash.
And remember too, that water
vapour in a 'heated or tightly
closed building condenses on the
interior surfaces of cold sash. This
Condition is a well known cause: for
failure of work done in the late
felt and winter. A damp 'closed
building is often heaters before ;the
time to gutty' 110 ltad set ar ire-
Give the firat coat of paint. The
doopaer ..the ,1011 'Is dont ,neW, the
better.
Years Agorae
Interesting Items Picked From
The Huron Expositor of Twen-
ty-five and Fifty )(bars Ago.
From The Huron Expositor
October 10, 1924
Suffers Pneumonias Attack
Mr. G. W. Christie 1s_1ll in. St.
,Josepb's Hospital, London. He is
suffering from a slight attack of
pneumonia and. has received sev-
eral blood transfusions, latest re-
ports state that he is getting along
Sne. Elteter Tim—Advocate.
Honored On Anniversary
Mr. and 'Mrs. Clarence Johnston
were honored recently on the oc-
casion of their twenty afth wed-
ding anniversary when nearly 25
relatives gathered to •spend the ev-
ening with teem. Cards were en-
joyed and the couple received
many cards, gifts of silver, china,
and a •beautiful table'lamp. Lunch
was served.—Blyth Standard.
A rink of Seaforth bowlers, com-
posed of W. T. Thompson, R. H.
Sproat, R. J. Sproat and J. M. Mc-
Millan, were in Lucknow on Wed-
nesday playing in a bowling :tourn-
ament in that town, and were suc-
cessful in lifting the John Joynt
trophy. It is now on exhibition in
Thompson's, Book Store. •
Mr. John A. Murray, of Egmond-
ville, brought in this week three
potatoes that he claims beat Mr.
McDougall's. The largest one
weighed one pound nine ounces.
Mr. Richard Reid brought in a
branch from a bush- of raspberries
that was literally covered with
large ripe berries.
The nearest approach to a cy-
clone that Seaforthand vicinity
ever experienced passed over here
Sunday evening about six o'clock.
It developed in Stanley Township
and one farmer had a strip cut
right through his bush. Nearly ev-
ery hydro pole west of the North
Road to Maitlandbank cemetery
was broken off at the ground, and
some 25 stones in the cemetery
were overturned. On J. M. Eck-
ert's farm the apple orchard was
almost completely destroyed. On
the London Road, the barn of
Charles Manning was completely
destroyed. In Stanley the chief
sufferers were Thomas Campbell,
John Pepper, W. Moffatt and Thos.
and George Baird. In Tuekersmith
T. Fowler; J. Carter, W. Adams, M.
Crich, V. Terryberry, A. Pepper,
W. Layton and W. Broadfoot,
while in McKillop Jas. Aitcheson,
Geo. Dale, W. Jamieson, J. Ben-
nett and T. E. Hays all had build-
ings damaged.
Mr. and Mrs. J.,G. Mullen, Mrs.
T: S. Smith and Mrs. J. C. Greig
attended the Jean Gordon concert
in London last week.
As we go to press we learn of
the death of Mr. W. D. Bright, one
of .Seaferth's oldest and most
prominent business men.
The new blacksmith shop at
Constance is being rushed along,
and the cement walls are complet-
ed. Mr. Pinkney is anxious -to get
started.
Anniversary services were held
in Brucefield on Sunday last when
Rev. Dr. Gaudier, of Knox College,
Toronto, was the guest speaker.
Mr. John Bullard, of Winthrop,
is improving the appearance of his
residence by having it sided with
asphalt shingles.
•
From The Huron Expositor
October 6, 1899
A fire started in N. F. Gerry's
store in Brussels in which pitch,
coal oil and gasoline were stored.
Fortunately the wind changed and
the firemen were able to get the
flames subdued before it reached
the oil.
On recommendation of the Post
Office Inspector of the Leadbury
division to the Post Office Depart-
ment at Ottawa, it has been plac-
ed on the list of offices which will
transact postal note business from
October 1, 1899.
Wright - Troyer.—At the resi-
dence of James E. Troyer, Hen -
sail, an October 4, Therese Jane
Troyer to James II. Wright, of Mc-
Killop, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chas.
Wrig'ht.
When the citieens awoke on Sat-
urday morning and looked from
their windows they were surpris-
ed to see about three inches of
snow. The trees from which the
were loaded down with the beau-
tiful, and many of them had brok-
en limbs, The winter apples are
still on the trees and many valu-
able trees will be lost.
When tearing up the sidewalk in
front of the Royal Block, a Well
about 14 feet deep, was found di-
rectly under the walk. This is, no
doubt, one of the ancient land-
marks and, was probably used in
the long ago.
Mr. W. H. Willis 'Is having a
large addition erected at the rear
of his shoe store, to be used as a
workroom, and is putting in a gaso-
line engine with which to drive
his sewing machines.
F. C. Neal and Miss Maggie Mc-
Donald, of Walton, left last week
for' Toronto, where they will at-
tend the University, taking the
Medical
and Arts course respec-
tiveiy.
The following were ticketed to
distant parts this week by W. Som-
erville: Miss May Kemp toLeipsie,
Germany: Frank Warwick, (IreY
Twp., to San Francisco, Cal.; John
ISe 1 1 , �ta a S if , and Brown Jackson,
liigmonilville, to Grand Rapids
NHugh Meat isch.- c�
nn N. Ha11et�.
to GiniCthnRti
011ie; Mrs. . Peteit
Todds,:Seldou Ross anti Wm. Selat:
e 'to ., hic�a'
r o Mrs. Masters M3
g ea
.ya , funcafx McCalltim` and. Mrs,
•
{i•: Y • �CifrnbuLl' to IS'De etr xif
tr t,
Vera Lyon wan the intermediate•
girls' ch'allapiel ship with a Wel o
16 points She ie a slaughter of
Mr. and Mrs SttaeleY 1•Yon, [line
lett Townai ip t' Gfrover. Piero, of
Blyth won the senior boys' cham-
pionship, with 'a total of ;4 points.
Grover was further honored ,by be-
ing made Mayor of Teen Town,' u
Youth organization group hbsing op-
erated within the studont body' of
the Collegiate Institute. Myth
Standard.
Wins $50 Priie
There was one Very lucky per-
son in town during the week and
that was Mrs. Omer Hdgeley, at
whose door a stranger knocked
last Saturday to present here with.
a .$50 cheque. Last spring she sent
in a recipe to the Swift Canadian
Co. and almost forgot it, but the
company did not, and when the
contest was over 'Mrs. Edgeley was
in third placer -Mitchell Advocate.
Fractures Hip
Mrs. John Douglas, of the town
line, near Blake, met with a very.
painful accident on Tuesday morn-
ing while rising out of bed, when
she fell and fractured her hip, and -
was taken to Clinton Public Hos-
pital by the Westlake ambulance.
Mrs. Douglas had her other hip
fractured over a year ago and had
been back in her home for about
six months. Her many friends
wish her a speedy recovery.—Zur-
ich Herald.
Elect Teen Town Officers
The 'first meeting of Clinton
'Teen Town Council for 1949-50
was held in the Town Hall Tues-
day evening. Grover Clare presid-
ed over the meeting and the com-
mittees were formed. Geo. Beattie
represented the Lions 'Club. New
officers are: Mayor, Grover Clare;
reeve, Kenneth Arkell; clerk, Bar-
bara MacDonald; councillors, Mar-
garet Durham, Janet Pollard, Bev-
erley Smith, Jack Wilson, Clare
Maltby, Gerry Holmes. — Clinton
News -Record.
Attends Opening of New School
Mrs. P. A. Parker attended the
official opening of the new Lis-
towel high school last Friday eve-
ning. It is a $45,00,0 one -storey
building, containing a modern lib-
rary, gymnasium, cafeteria, audi-
torium and even a shooting gal-
lery. The new building is near the
site of the old high school, which
is now in the process of demoli-
tion. Mrs. Parker was before her
marriage a member of the teaching
staff for three years. — Wingham
Advance -Times.
Won Sports Honors At Clinton
Two local young people, both
students at the Clinton Collegiate,
proved themselves leaders in the
field of sport last week. At the
annual Collegiate field day, Miss
Year.Old Citron Looks Appetizing
We aro not an authority on the
keeping qualities of any particular
vegetable, but we think. ,possibly a
citron 'brought' to this; office by
Mr. Stewart Ament deserves hon-
orable mention for its longevity. It
is a year since the citron was
plucked from the vine. Since that
date. Mr. Ament haskept it in the
pantry, with. no particular emphasis.
being placed on its preservation:
When he displayed it in the office
it looked fresh and Wholesome; in
fact- we would readily have 'believ-
ed it to be picked this year. The
interior -was still firm and of na-
tural
atural color. The only -indication of
age was in the •outside grind, which
showed a slight fatting from the
original color.—Blyth Standard.
Badminton Club Reorganizes
The Exeter Badminton Club held
a reorganization meeting on Tues-
-day evening in the Town Hall with
a good sized crowd in attendance.
Norma Wilson was elected presi-
dent for the 1949-50 season with
Ray Wuerth vice-president and
Doug Pryde as secretary -treasurer.
Committees were also named and
arrangements made to open the
season on Tuesday, October 11. A
special committee, headed by
Eldrid Simmons and Eileen Hod-
gins, was formed to recruit new
players and see that they are
taught the game properly. The
fees were left the same as last
year—$4 per single, $6 for a mar-
ried couple—which everyone agreed
was very reasonable. —• Exeter
Times -Advocate.
Observe Silver Anniversary
A very enjoyable evening was
spent at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Orville Smith, Parr Line, Hay
Township, on Saturday evening,
when a number of friends and rel-
atives gathered to help ahem cele-
brate their silver anniversary. Din-
ner was served at 7230, the table
being attractive centred with a
three-tier wedding cake. After din-
ner music was enjoyed and an ad-
dress was read by Mrs. Harold.
Broderick and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
were presented with a number of
lovely, gifts by little Miss Joan and
Bob Broderick. Mr. Smith, on be-
half of his wife and himself,ex-
tended thanks. One of the high-
lights of the affair and one which
caused much 'merriment was the
presentation of a mock wedding.
Guests were present from London,
Exeter and Hensail. The immedi-
ate family was all present with the
exception of the oldesti son, Jack,
who is at White Horse, Yukon.—
Zurich Herald.
Three Million Blind
Drivers Ride the Roads
(By Selwyn James in "This- Week")
(By Selwyn in Week")
Three million auto drivers ride emerged: restricted side vision.
our highways today with such haz- aggravated by his general fatigue,
ardous visual defects that they're had affected 'his steering. He had
a constant threat to your life and wandered further and further to
mine. the right until the outside wheels
This startling estimate made slipped over the edge,
Dr. Leon Brody, of New York
University's Centre for Safety Ed-
ucation, reports that "tunnel vis-
ion'','is tilicommonest visual im-
perfecti0ad 'among drivers' involved
I i 'fregtient accidents. The Centre
discovered' that 58 per cent of a
group of chronic accident -repeaters
weret pibgied by poor side vision,
whereas „a'dy eight per cent of the
are: cent -free drivers suffered from
it. A study by California licensing
officials put the finger on over 5A
per cent; and Ohio State Univers-
ity found 34 per.cent defective in:
this important visual sense.
A variety of commonplace cir-
cumstances may prevent an ordin-
arily competent driver from.seeing
all he should.."Edwin D. Fletcher,
M.A., research chief of.California's
State Division of Drivers' Licenses,.
reports that an aching tooth, in-
flamed sinuses,.a [headache, or at
single cocktail may temporarily,
induce deficient side vision.
Your chances of meeting deat
on the highway go up sharply at
night. According to the National
Safety 'Council, over half of the
fatal accidents occur after sun-
down, even though only about one-
third of America's automobiles are'
running. The most widely publicize
ed reasons: drunkenness, falling,
asleep et the wheel and just plaint
reckless driving.'
But take the Los Angeles driv-
er—neither drunk, sleepy nor reck-
less—whose big sedan smacked in-
to the back of a parked fruit.truck.
on the LA -San Diego 'highway, ones
night last summer. The unfortun-
ate truck. driver, Who was inspedt-
in'g a blown tire at the moment of
1n,pact; was brushed to death. Wit-
nesties teatifled that the rear of
the 'truck 'rho virtually festooned
with bright red lights and reflec-
tors. Why hadn't the driver of the
sedan seen them? A simple test
provided the answer; He was a
case sof •almost 100 per cent night'
blli'idiiess; even with ,headlights he
t:ould make out the road only dim-
i4lost ,drivers are momentarily,
.otiose by* the headlights of on-
coniiing cars; but some habitually
`'d'rive `blind" for hundred's of feet
lief' .b _.r
i` their eyes recover from the
o. :?t y s
Aare: Theon headligtht?blindeddriv-
era ;itniss •c'urVes• fit the 'road li+ti'Ike '
,
recently by the American Associa-
tion of Motor Vehicle Administra-
tors, is grimly supported by acci-
dent statistics; some of the worst
smash-ups are directly traceable to
visio•r defects drivers never sus-
pect they have.
Consider, for example; the mot-
orist who smashed both legs of a
day -dreaming 10 -year-old school-
girl at a quite suburban intersec-
tion. Angry witnesses loudly pro-
claimed that. he must have been
blind. Traffic was light, the Wea-
ther clear and dry—yet the driver
with plenty of time to pull up, had
jammed on his brakes only a split
second before his car knocked the
youngster down.
The [horrifying fact was that
the man behind the wheel actual-
ly was blind when it came to see-
ing objects on either side of the
road. He was a victim—one of
thousands on the nation's high-
ways—of "tunnel vision." This
deadly visual handicap put him ap-
proximately at the same disad-
vantage as a horse with blinkers.
You may well ask why men like
this—a highway menaee every bit
as lethal as the drunken speedster
—are permitted to operate cars at
all. The truth is, most of the
States just don't bother to check
the faulty side vision when exam-
ining applicants for drivers' per-
mits. The only evidence of visual
fitness they demand is good acuity
—ability to see straight ahead—
and normal color perception.
The driver who hit the school-
girl had scared a flawless 20-20
rating when he'd taken the state
acuity test. His tunnel vision,
however, hadn't even been suspect-
ed. .And Significantly, his record
disclosed Three other accidents, all
of them at. intersections.
'The •same afflietion proved even
more calamitous to a 37 -year-old
New ,York salesman who, in the
eight years he'd, been driving, ran
down'trine pedestrians, crippling
two of them pernianently,.andd side•
swiped on -coming cars on three pe&
casions. Not long, ago, otl,::a Winer
ng updtate. teak. WO*
over 3dfo of smasie • on
reeks bglorv.
fr uosis l e,s e
i • ..
o'ut. of .i 1*t only
iUa • ew
t t..,i'. .
es mitt brulsesbitt !his :wife died., •. .
Lster, at a drivers'. ciffito,• the 'tenth (Ctstltiiiifl oiu `snags 7)'