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The Acton Wednesday July Were no better no worse We have purposefully avoided of drugs mid tlie Acton youth centre In these for two reasons One we did not to give the narcotics trade more than they already receive from more flamboyant circles Two we wanted to see the youth centre have every opportunity to succeed despite- the pessimism of some Now wo feel it time to el the record straight on Home of a situation which has developed had publicity which paints this with very black brush Indeed Despite unsupported statements In a Toronto dally paper that Acton hurt the highest delinquency rale of any town Us size In Ontario residents here need not become unduly alarmed I lie situation has not changed overnight Acton Is no belter or no worse than other communities of the same size all statements to the contrary However we feel residents of Acton have no reason to he complacent about very real problems flowing over from nearby cities We have drug problems in addition to the usual alcohol problems They could swell If nothing I Is done about them We see the youth centre and Ihe efforts to provide recreation as a Ah this is a grand time of the year entirely Once the heat wave Is over you couldnt find a more wonderful place In the world to live The sun is like a hammer But at night you need a blanket The swimmers are swimming the sailors are sailing the golfers arc golfing and the drinkers are drinking True the workers are working but theyre Just back from their twoweeks peeling gloriously and bragging about the sensational place they found with hot and cold running rats or theyre looking forward to their two weeks at Camp MIssc- vnthing So everybody is happy The children are delightful graceful brown little things with ice cream smeared around their mouths The mothers are strutting around in garments for which theyd have been thrown in the penitentiary years ago And loving It I personally think some of them should still be incarcerated but personal opinions have no place in an objective column The dads the lucky ones who are able to be on holidays with their families are bubbling with Joy You can tell by the way they affectionately cuff their kids roll their eyes until the whites show sheer ecstasy when their wives hand them a onefoot shop ping list and stroll trance like through the supermarket knocking down little old ladies The other dads the unlucky ones who have to stay in the city and work while the family is at the cottage are pretty sad You can tell by the way they act after work of them just the odd one or two havent even the heart to go home to that silent lonely house They know theyd burst Into tears So they Just head with a miserable bereft gleam in their eye to the nearest air- conditioned bar Poor devils No one to talk to except gogo girls borne of the better adjusted unlucky dads of course dont do that They go straight home from work and straight to the refrigerator Then they tear off their shirts and shoes Then they look at the kitchen sink almost throw up shrug manfully and turn on the television Waking with a start at p they phone and order some Chinese food Then they turn on the lawn sprinkler This is the only known positive method to make sure it rains ail night Then there are the happy Irrepressible Looking lightly in brief Civic Holiday falls on Monday and it seems there is a determined effort to keep it one The holiday also marks the halfway point for children school vacation Acton is in an ideal location for visiting conservation areas Kelso and Terra Cotta Conservation Parks are all within short driving distance Bach one has Its own Thislspartly because they are operated by three entirely different conservation authorities but also because of the difference In terrain on whch They are situated park one of the prettiest anywhere is operates me Grand River Conservation Kelso Pork run by the Region Authority has some spectacular scenery and a museum while the Credit Valley Conservation Authority operates Terra Cotta Park noted for its allround program Science has brought us some really exciting new Inventions lately including a perfume that drives women crazy it smells like money a dog food that tastes like a milkman leg cellophane shirts for people who have to watch their waistlines mid most original a long knife that can cut four loaves of bread at the same time known as a four loaf cleaver Acton newsman Jack Carpenter hired to take pictures of the Miss Nude World beauty contest near lost weekend reports he had a heck of a time getting near pictures There were so many other cameramen there Jack claims they outnumbered the crowd Jacks not too sure they all had film in their cameras but he notes that nude beauty contests are Just a Job after youve been exposed to all that skin for several hours He was impressed by the high calibre of the program despite the nudity or because of it Take your pick Noting several other newsmen had doffed their clothes to get in the spirit of the occasion Jack excused himself by saying he had nowhere to put the film in his pockets One for the road I have always felt exactly A safety belt You 11 note where township council has agreed to the GO miles per hour speed limit on highway between Acton and Georgetown Why argue with the Department of Highways which recommended the change from A survey showed most motorists on the road are travelling over 60 anyway Rebuilt and it is a big improvement over the old highway and certainly we suspect much safer However raising the speed limit to Is not an invitation to drivers to exceed the new limit step to combo youthful which In neither unique or confined to Acton Methods used are not department hut we are confident those in charge of the program have looked Into the matter advocating Ihe type of centre the We understand the attitude of adults who think youth complaining having nothing to do but at lite same time making no effort to provide recreation and for themselves Most adults over Ihe age of grew up in an where they hud make their own recreation mid entertainment without much encouragement from their elders At same time many of us forget lhat times and have changed temptations are more varied and accessible There ore those who encourage erratic behavior and It is not uncommon for their opinions to be disseminated with impunity Most of us were raised when under more sheltered circumstances we feel every effort should be made to youth and those Interested In assisting them At the lime we dont intend to discard objective judgment about youlhH own contribution to their plight Wo lake Issue with statements from some for Instance lack of things for teens to do In Acton Acton has one of the most complete recreation and sports programs of any community In the county or maybe even the pi We have a beautiful small lake Ideal for swimming boating fishing and dozens of other aquatic Interests We are close to many major centres where more exotic entertnlnmi In available Is true the town could use a movie Ihcatre but it Is not long ago one closed for luck of business Wed like to see more dances for the teenagers but It was bud actors among some of the teens which soured many actively Interested adults from promoting more of them ho activity you see Is not the one sided piece of silver some teens pretend It Is Perhaps it is time now the entire Issue has been raised for both adults and to reappraise their respective prejudices and unite in a program that will benefit all from cradle to grave we would be protected from Itinerant reporters hunting for superficial Impresses fik ONE OF THE FAMOUS and lovely in this area popular with blue bloods from the city while the village well known for the quality of its cuisine end the benuty of its a pretty hamlet is donning an artists smock gardens is the Terra Cotta Inn picturesquely situated beside various craftsmen set up shop to attract art lovers and the fast flowing Credit River The inn is becoming increasingly connoisseurs teenagers You can spot them regardless of sex by their hump They have all been told all through their lives to keep their shoulders baik and heads up As a result they walk with their heads on their chests and stout dors humped That not clothes or hair Is main reason you cant differen tiate between the sexes How can you tell it girl if she t sticking her chest And of course in summer in Canada and everywhere I guess we hove the summer Raccoon are cute but a pain in the arm to campers Beurs are sweet too but menace In the provincial parks Tip to the campers If you want to stroke a bear make sure you do it with your artificial arm But we can cope with these animals What concerns me is the ones that walk upright They come in nil sizes and intensities There is the mild little man who power- mows his lawn every night whether it needs it or not He probably just trying to get away from his wife incessant babble rhen theres the power boat baby He can be any age from eight to eighty But with fifty horses behind him hes Kirk Douglas or Burt Lancaster or John Wayne or somebody Hes trying to prove some thing And naturally summer spawns the motorcycle gang This is the wolverine of the twolegged animal It destroys for pleasure and leaves its stink everywhere But its a pretty good world Have a happy summer Keep those seat belts on while driving especially the lapshoulder combination Hie Ontario Safety League reports that of lbO cases in General Motors files where at least one occupant was wearing the lap- shoulder seat belt per cent of the vehicles had heavy damage of the type often associated with injuries However per cent of the lapshoulder belt users had no injury or minor injury when involved in a collision When you think of farm vacations the name of Mr and Mrs Frank Freeman automatically crops up Frank and his wife have been much in the limelight over their participation in the farm vacation schemes This past week they have appeared in a four column picture In the Toronto Daily Star and Monday afternoon the popular Erin township couple appeared on CKCOTV Kitchener interviewed on the Elaine Cole show Naturally the subject was farm vacations What better place for frazzled nerves Btlingualismhasofficiallv come to Acton last week when post office signs were erected in both English and French Some applaud Others just shake their heads We care less The Toronto daily newspaper which ran an article claiming Acton has the highest delinquency rate for a town its size in Ontario adds insult to injury this week by printing the same silhouetted picture taken in Acton with an article on Birth Control assistance must be available to all Ye gads we must be devils here End public haggling We suspect the public Is about as sick of the public flaying between secondary school teachers and the Hoard of education as we are One week the teachers reject a settlement endorsed by their negotiating committee and turn on the Hoard for what they term injustices next week Hoard having had time to prepare its carefully couched observation attacks the weaknesses the teachers argument Each is clearly playing with figures and the negotiations are non existent while each attempts to gain public sentiment Its a typical management employee hassle and each side naturally thinks theyre nght but Joe Public who has his hand on the cheque book is caught in the confusion being generated For instance take the percentage of increase the teachers are seeking The Board says its one figure and the teachers say another lower The teachers don calculate In their figure the annual increment they would have received on the basis of their previous agreement The Board says the annual increment Is an increase in pay and is thus reflected In the percentage increase being sought For the taxpayer every cent over last years salary is an increase despite the intricacies of where it was in last years contract or this year We hope the rounds of attack will not continue indefinitely but it is a little surprising to find the teachers dont expect to resume negotiations until after the two month summer holiday the teachers maintain summer studies have scattered their negotiating committee and argue that if negotiations had been scheduled by the board so they could have been continued through meetings of suf ficient length greater progress would have been made hey object to meetings from which the board representatives must excuse themselves after a limited lime to attend other scheduled meetings Presumably issue will be settled the fall and the fullness of time but it disturbs us that the annual haggling goes on and takes its toll on the respect we sensed for education In general It disturbs us too that as part of the press were being used as messengers between Board and Teachers for attacks between the key partners in Education And we think that taxpayers are not quite as confused as some might think cost of operating schools is not declining and no matter how you cut the cake more than per cent of the costs are related to instruction Thats why Joe Public is still going to have an anxious eye on the final settlements The Canadian Champion years ago Taken from the Issue of the Free Thursday August 9 1951 Mr and Mrs A T Brown received about guests at their home at the corner of Mill John St when they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Mr Brown operated a drug store on Mill St for half a century Both have been very active in the United church and he was Sunday School superintendent for years Mayor Tyler hoisted the cornerstone into place and chairman spread the mortar as school board officials watched the cornerstone laying on the site- of the addition to Acton school Nine Scouts from the First Acton troop with the scoutmaster Dave Dills and his assistant Hartley Coles spent last week at Island David Cooke Bill Bruce Hewitt birrs Ron Sinclair Bob Coon John Jack Davidson Peter Hurst and John 1 has decided to build shelves in the Memorial Hall in which to keep the library books hospitable home of Mr and Mrs I Davidson on the third line was opened twice this week About friends of Mr and Mrs Charles Mason gathered at a surprise part to honor them on their recent marriage Knox Ladies Aid with their children grandchildren and friends held a puruc there George Mason was presented with his past president s pin at Rotary last week A new phone booth has just been placed north of the Dominion Hotel This makes four in town with the others in Wartime Housing at Garage and outside the Bell Telephone office 50 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Free Press Thursday August I 1921 The following Acton students were successful in the Upper School and Junior Matriculation examinations Elmer Henderson Jessie Mowat Annie Snyder John The annual Ontario champion ship tournament was held on the rinks of the Acton Athletic Association on Saturday and Monday The tournament was in every respect a success The tournament was opened by H Moore who was introduced by the indefatigable secretary of the Acton Athletic Association John Wood The players were delighted with Acton were players from Queen City Milton lndon Sarnla Bolton and Acton visiting on Sunday attended divine service at the Methodist church in a body Their secretary preached a fervent sermon The visitors were very impressed by Acton s grounds provided through the generosity of Messrs and Co A former champion Hugh Cameron of was welcomed He pointed out the plaee within a few yards from the present rinks where he pitched quoits on the Old years ago Representatives of four generations of the Matthews family visited the ancestral home at Elora founded by the grandfather of Postmaster Matthews years ago Miss Margaret Bennett leaves today on her trip to England Miss Olive Mowat has passed her Normal THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Business and Editorial Office School examinations and has been appointed a leather at St school in Toronto Women Institute held one of the most meritorious garden parties of the season in the park to raise money for a drinking fountain years ago Taken from the Issue of the Free Preii Thursday July Between and friends of the Presbyterian churches at Enn and picnicked at Stanley Park If people enjoy a game of baseball suf ficiently to go to the park to see It they should pay their way Some do not pay but climb the fence at points they think obscure the artist has opened a bicycle livery and will supply wheels by the day or hour During the past two months extensive improvements and additions have been in progress at the sole leather tannery of and Co On Monday the fine new engine and boilers were started and the large staff of employees is being gradually put back to work again The entire works have been thoroughly refitted The new h p engine and the two 80 p boders put In by and Gait are doing perfect work The new three ply tanned driving belt was manufactured In the firm belt factory The line shafts have all been replaced with fourinch shafting A fourth rolling machine has been put in and the new drying kiln and 140 new vats In the tan yard give much greater capacity The foot artesian well just drilled will supply abundance of water Manager McGrall is justly proud of the works in their Improved form Baker Hams has a somewhat serious runaway on Park Ave The finest new potatoes of the year we have sampled have come from the garden of Rev Howell at the Methodist parsonage Some local people have been camping In the wilds of Muskoka A bill has been introduced to reduce number of county councillors saving a year to taxpayers