The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAG , I rPAGI SIX TH~ CANADTMI STATESMAN', BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO ?HUUS1A, JUMn b1M Louis Blake Duf f Tells of the Origin 0f Civic Comerment in Ontario AC2 titerestlng Revlew of Events from the original "Town Meetings' up to Our present procedure for handling real problems by Louis Blake Duff, Welland, Ontario, at the On- tario Association of Rural Mu- nicipalities meeting. Nowadays we accept our mu- *nicipalities as a matter of course, just as we accept sunshine or sieet. We are apt to give I;ttie thought to the truth that aur mu- nicipal govcrnment xvas once born, out of the void, and we give littie study to its beginnings and deve1opment. Toda 'y I thought I would tel somethi'ng of the origins of our municipal governiment, whence and how it came. In this I' lean heavily on a very able rnonograph by W. S. Jicrringetan of Napanee, who has the douple qualification of heing ihoth lawyer andi histor- Îan. Wl: i t lemrent began, what is now !ho Province of Ontario was a part oi t-. Province of Quebec. Ourponr came ta a land of samne t' c anamolies. The Eng- iish crini n [. law was in force, but there was no machinery for en- forcing it. Brought ta fruitage in another climate and designed for quite another set o! people the French civil code took the place o! English common law. Schaols, now the chief item in the -budget, were unknown. Sa there you have the machin- ery and practically the whole ma- cbinery of governmcnt. A restless politicai animal like the Loyalist who had been used ta bis Town Meetings, as they were called, without shadow of higher author- ity, inaugurated the system here for the performance o! a few though very necessary duties. Of- ficers were elected whose sale au- tharity was derived from the franchise of their feliow citizens. Those duties were linked up with the era-the markin o! cattle, the trespass cf animais, forest fire prevention, the viewing of fences. Authorlty for Town Meetings John Graves Simcoe, our first Lieutenant - Governor, arrived with bis mandate in 1791, estab- lished parliament in 1792, and in the succeeding year had an act passed granting authority for the For Live Paint Protection and Beauty: e e *1NmRO F The famous Sun-Proof Two-Coat House Paint gives yau Iong-term property insurance that you can't afford to over- look. No longer is if necessary to spend extra money for that third coat of paint-you save cost of paint and k bar. You need have no fear of resuits when you redecarate with Pittsburgh Points. In mnany ways they are better than pre-war quality. $6.15 per gallon J. H. ABERNETHY 94 CONCESSION ST. PHONE 431 MURPHY'S APPLIANCES 52 KING ST WEST. PHONE 811 holding of town meetings. T he act further pravided for the ap- pointment of a town clerk, twa assessors, a collector, overseers of highways and roads, poundkeep- ers and two town wardens. The wardens were ta represent ail the inhabitants, except in those places where the Church of England had a church building and a minister. In that case the people elected only one warden and the minister appointed the other one. That was the real beginning of municipal government deriving its meagre authority from the faun- tainhead. The same legislature, In the same session, gave certain powers ta the magistrates in quarters ses- sions, and these gentlemen car- ried on the real business. These Quarter Sessions were super- councils, and had none of the brakes that an all-wise legislature has thought well to attach ta, mod- ern councils. Welland County, has on record, for instance, where they fined a man who refused ta act as assessor, and moreover, they made hlm do the assessing. The magistrates levied the rates ta provide funds for defraying the public expenses, they passed upon the applicants who wished ta sell liquor, then as now a very large portion of the population. They even cast a wary eye over dissent- ing clergymen. From their hands came the funds for building roads and bridges; they fixed the salary of the gaoler and even appraised the gaol menu. If a township of- ficer died or removed from the district the Quarter Sessions named a successor ta fill out the term. They had authority ta establish and regulate markets. Under their say-sa, as in Niagara in 1817, was fixed the place in the town where the butcher's meat, butter, eggs, poultry, fish and vegetables were to be exposed for sale. Two years later, again at Niagara, they es- tablished a fire-fighting system. The magistrates wha served on the Quarter sessions, as has been seen, deait with many matters with which they had only the most remote concern, collecting funds disbursing funds, deciding on weighty local matters in munici- palities in which they were non- resident. If the system did nat re-i sult in tyranny it at least resulted1 in autocracy. Sa one need not bei surprised ta leara that the authar-î ity of the Quarter Sessions was invaded-invaded from two quar- ters. Waning Powers of Quarter Sessions In not a few cases municipali- ties off their own bat, and for a number o! years, assumed unto1 themselves the responsibilities that clearly lay within the rights and powers o! the Quarter Ses- sions. Then in later years the jus- tices were undermined from an- other direction. Urban municipali- ties began ta derive certain privi- leges through the medium of spec- !l acts. The first of these is dated 1832. By a specIal act of that year the maie householders of Brockville were given power ta, eleet a Board of Police. This board, in turn, was authorized ta appoint the chief of- To Dri*ve Refreshed Is Easier Driving dsk for it eitiier way ..both -fradc-marks mcan the rame thing. Authorlzed boMter of Ceca-Cela unidr contvact wth Coca-Cola Ltd. Hcimbly's Carbonatedl Beverages OSIAIVPHIONE75 ficers of the town, ta purchase a fire engine, ta pravide an ade- quate supply o! water, to control the lighting, pacing and repairing of streets, and ta raise by assess- ment, not exceeding two pence on the pound, the necessary funds ta meet the expense thereof. <That rate by the way is about eight milis. Do you note in the press fram time ta time that mu- nicipalities in Ontario have rates as high as 59 milis. In that respect I much prefer 1832 ta 1949). This Brockvilie Board of Police couid enact by-laws and ordin- ances and, in general could do the things that the municipality can do in this very year. Sa Brock- ville can fairly be said ta have be- gun the municipal system that bas came down ta us, and 1932 may !airly be said ta have been the hundredth anniversary af the real beginning of municipal govern- ment in Ontario. Brockviile broke a hale in the wali, and other towns quickly fol- lowed through the breach-Ham- iltan in 1833, Part Hope and Pres- cott in 134, Cobourg and Picton in '37, and Niagara and St. Cath- arines In '38. This new notion of gavernment had a rapid growth. By special nets Toronto was incorporated in 1834, Kingston in '38, Bytown (now Ottawa), Dundas, Landon and Brantford in '47. In each case the gavernment o! the clty or Business Directory_ LEGAL W. R. STRIKE, K.C. Barrister - Solicitor - Natary Solicitor for Bank of Montreai Money to Loan - Phone 791 Bowmanville, Ontario LAWRENCE C. MASON, B.A. Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public King Street W., Bawmanville Phone: Office 688 . Residence 553 W. F. WARD, B.A. Barrister - Solictor - Notary 9 % King Street E. Bowmanville, Ontario Phone: Office 825 - House 409 MIHSS APHA L HODGINS Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public Successor to M. G. V. Gould Temperance St., Bowmanville Phone 351 DENTAL DRS. DFVITT & RUDELL Graduates of Royal Dental Coilege, and Faculty of Dentistry, Toronto. Office: Jury Jubilee Bldg. King Street - Bowmanviile Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily 9 a.m. to 12 noan Wednesday Closed Sunday. Office., Phone 790 Residence: Dr. J. C. Devitt . 325 Dr. W. M Rudeli - 2b27 DR. E. W. SISSON, L.D.S., D.D.S. Office in bis home 100 Liberty St. N., I3awmanviile Office Hours. 9 a.m. ta 6 p.m. daily 9 arn. ta 12 noon Wednesday Clased Sunday. Phone 604 MONUMENTS The Rutter Granite Company Phone 501 - P-0. Box 622 Port Hope, Ontario REAL ESTATE ]BOWMANVILLE REAL ESTATE 78 King Street West Praperties Sold, Rented Managed and Appraised. Meynbers o! the Canadian and Onta.rio Rteal Estate Boards J. Shehyn D. Maclachian Offic - 326 Residence - 2017 VETERINARY DR. JOHN H. WERRY, D.V.M Graduate o! Ontario Veterinary College 43 Carlisle Ave. Phone 808 Bowmanvile town was committed ta a common council who chose their own mayor, and often as net went out- side cf their ewn numbers ta make the cheice. The District Councils Act The townships were later in coming into their own. Tbey were able ta obtain ne betterment of their conditions until the passîng cf the District Ceuncils Act in 1841. Under that Act, the magi- strates lest their grip, but the rural municipalities were stili far from being autonom eus. The prin- cipal officors, wardcn, treasurer and clerk, were ta be appointed 'by the Crewn. Every'by-law wvas sub- ject te> disallowance by the gev- ernment. The governm-ent furtber reserved the right te dissolve dis- trict counc'Ils at xiii. As marking the end cf an era the magistrates were instructed ta hand over ta the council ail books, records, documents and funds. After being in effect for five years the Act xvas changed by giv- ing councils power te elect a treasurer and clerk, and ta select a warden. The Baldwin Act In 1849 the Hon. Robert Bald- win mnade a dlean sweep o! the rubbish cf the District Councils Act and provided for the incorp- oration cf villages, townships, counties and cities with fuil power ta eleet their own councils and manage ail o! their affairs o! a local nature. His Act bas grown with the years tintil it is naw a pondereus baîf thousand sections, sa pondereus that many men spend a whole lifetime in study of it and even then are neyer quite sure. The Hon. Robert Baldwin laid the civie feundations upon which you men do yeur work and carry out your functions. Sa this is a very important year in municipal history, the lOth anniversary of the birth o! the municipality as we know it. You o! this associa- tion are the inheriters cf the ieg- acy left by Robert Baldwin in 1849. I suggest that this year should net be allowed ta go by witbout a marking o! this anni- versary by yeur association and by the individual municipalities that make it up. Fer almest bal! cf that century you are ta celebrate I bave kept close watch on quite a number o! municipalities and on the men put forward by the franchise o! the people ta operate these munici- palities. I wish ta state empliati- cally that ail bave been much blest in the men wbo bave graduated ta positions cf municipal autharity, and In the kind of administration tbey have given-competent and bonest ta a degree. Tbey have made an excellent use of the tax dollars. SINGLE HEDGES BEST The question is sometimes rais- cd as ta whether hedge plants sbould be set eut in a single row or in a double one with the plants staggered. This latter metbod uses mare plants and mare space, is harder ta trim into good shape and leaves a poor end at a gate or patb wbere any unevenness is noticcd. Under normal conditions, horticultural officials of tbe Dominion Depart- ment of Agricffltiire ray that single plantis of licilges are ad. vis able. CAN AlIAN Pl'PxFillFD CATTLE FOR ITALY In NeJ'vrmber. 1948, four Hol- Mcin-'rîc~:~ h v t lued at $1.5,000, v\ <eeflo,.t n te 1h !v via New York' I.r:lletOcfi rst :hip- ment of Carï,cihîrï purebril cattie te that coLlntr.v. In ?iarch cf thiz. year, an addii<QaaI deven beacl Of cati le vc ce fonfrom Malton to Itaiv, tir fT t suclhai r sbip- ment cirect from Canada te Eur- ope. Those srnalli 1pmcnts proved te he the larerunner of a large ghiinmnnt f 1-",j piirr'hrçd Cana- diail lolstcin-Frîe.,îan beifers xvhicb are new on their way ta ltaly by steamer. Italian breeders have expressed greýat Satisfaction .w-tli Canadian purcbrcd Iesen-reincattie. and it is expecied that further or. ders will be placed in "hs coun- try. '1** .. -. ~ . i ~ -... * -~' * o - ~-, Stephens. a former warc!en, asked if that could be made retro-active. The hy-law to lev.- a rate of ten mills, the saine as last year, was passed. No change will take place in the equalized assessment. Council passed a resolution which protested the fact that sen- ile patients were being placed in caunties homes, already over- crowded, when they should be the responsibility of the government. This resolution is ta be sent a- round ta other county councils and also ta the government. CHINESE RESPOND In many rural parts o! China there is displayed a poster headed by a flag an which is surmounted the picture of a cockerel. Under- neath is writing, which ta the average Canadian would be quite uninteiligible. Translated froni the Ctiinese it says, "33rktg yeur chickens t4% é». "acfnpted". Alnd Chinese farmers are bringing them. Experts trained by the Food and Agriculture Organization' profit- ing from experience gaIned by their coileagues in England, have introduced a vaccine into China which immunizes poultry againat Newcastle disease. And they are doing the same job in Europe, where the disease threatens chick. ens and egg production In many countries. The cast is trifling; the rnoney value of these salvaged meals In- calculable. Counties Mill Rate Set Sarne as Last Year - 10 Mils By-Laws were passed at the Northumberland and Durham Countits Cauncil last week ta designate municipalities which would comprise the high school areas which had been appraved or were ta be submitted for ap- proval to the Department o! Edu- cat.ion. In the case of Cobourg, the area will be Cobourg, ail of Ham- ilton Township and ail but the western section o! Haldimand Township, not in the Cobourg area, will continue, as in the past, ta send its pupils ta Port Hope High School. Other sehool area by-laws rati- fied Cartwright Township; north- ern Cavan and ail o! Manvers, ta attend Petprboro suburban schaol; Cramahe, Brighton Township, Murray Township, part of Perey Township ta attend Colborne and Brighton villages; Campbellford and Seymour Township and No. 9 Percy to attend Norwood High School. Council listened ta a long list cf recommendatians from the Fire MarshallVs Department designed ta remedy conditions at the Count- les Home which that department considered as not in the interests a! fire safety. Reeve G. A. Wal- ton, Newcastle, estimated that ta carry them ail out wouid cost about $10,000 and he cited one, a 20,000 gallon underground star- age reservoir, as costing in the neigbbourhood of $2,000 to build. Reeve N. Allison, Bowmanville, suggested that Council shouid know mare accurately what it would aIl cost and it was decided ta spend $1,000 now on extra fire extinguishers, etc. Counties Clerk Wm. Barr reminded the members that there were 102 inmates whose protection was the responsibility cf the Council. If a fire started and it cauld be laid ta conditions wbich had been the subject o! complaint by the Fire Marshall, the latter would be in a position ta say that bis recommendations had flot been carried out, Mr. Barr said. Reeve Woadyard, Clarke, drew attention ta the sharp rise in costs since the aid days and in this connectian he pointed out that the warden for many years bas only been given an allowance o! $200 for bis expenses o! office. Other counties paid $500 and he accordingly moved that the war- den's expenses alaowance be in- creased ta that figure. This was carried. Tangue in cheek, Reeve Alex Crcnc Illectric Phone 55-r-i Orono FARN AND HOUSE WIRING Repcûrs and Alterations ... ..Pole Lines a Specialty ... Free Estimates ... TELLS NEIGHBORS ABO UT EASY-WAY TO BUY COAL Y ES, users of the 'blue coal' Budget Plan are so enthusiastic tbey want everyone to know about it. And how can you blame them! With this plan you can really save more money on 'blue coal' and pay monthly as you do a telephone bill. You save money by using 'blue coal', the world's finest anthracite, and you save mare by buy- ing on the 'blue coal' Budget Plan. Phone us for complete details. No obligation to buy. THE SHEPPARD & GILL LUMBER CO. LTD. PHONE 715 BOM1IANVILLE 96 KING ST. E. 28C EAY EMST ,SITY U..NC ED TAP f and Peggy and Peter and Joan PARDON our ponig ... with pride. But it's an event when the number of bank workers passes the 40,000 mark - as it did last year. That's 65%7 more than before the war. It's an event, first, because it shows the increased use of Canadian bank services ... More deposit accounte: now over seven million. More funds: customers' deposits now reach nearly seven billion dollars. More services: to farmers; to personal and small-business borrowers; to war pensioners; to people reoeiving Family Allowances. It's an event, too, because of the kind of men and women who have joined oui ranks. Eager to get ahead, they are finding in banking an interesting job, a challenging career. They can tell you how impor-tant privacy in banlking is to the Canadian way of doing things. S PON SOR ED B Y YO0U R B ANK Adrug used in fighting mnalarî*e., is called phenyl panthotenone4 The name probab]y scares the bugs ta death. IT'S TUME FOR A CHANGIE' TffZ CANADIAN STATESMAN, BOWMAMrrLLE, ONTARIO