Wednesday Dec 1 Attm press Founded In 1875 Pub by Inland Pub Co L lod Onto to To 15191 yea Con nolo cop a of Inland Co group of ban ntrws Tho B Guard Post I Post Goiotto Tho Mo Sun Tho lion Canadian Chnmolon Tho a Now An a Oakv I a Th Weak Don McDonald Publisher Adverting is on on at of on of advert ng by or noons torn I foi I not bo nod or but of at paid for at op pi cab a rata I a of a 10 rv at wrong pr goods oi ens may nol bo so to ieir and may bo awn any ma EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor ay Editor Diana Roc wood Now a Bar Contributor ay Darkroom thai ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Managar B I Cook t I bo for lod Pat BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Manager RhanaThonhll i loyJocquo CaolynArtnm CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Managar thur Increase police funding give Acton its own force We don t often advocate throw money at problems as a means of government solving them but in the case of the Regional Police we think it might be the best solution Once again concern about icing here in Acton and surround area by the regional force has erupted as an issue Clearly it is a long standing con of businessmen and re sidents There have been news paper stones on the topic in the past Lome isn the first person to put the rap on the force a letter Many times it has been a burning topic at public gatherings There are no easy answers and we don t pretend to have pat sol though we have a few ideas We think Acton needs its own semi permanent force which would still be part of the large region police force It would be foolish to say crime hasn increased Acton and area the past couple of years It would be equally foolish to say it wouldn t have happened un the Acton OPP Crime is on the increase in Hal ton our neighboring counties and regions across the province and in fact the nation There are as many reasons for crime increasing as there are people willing to offer an opinion Toothless laws lenient judges a penal system that simply pro duces more efficient criminals umnvolved citizens frustrated and sometimes disinterested policemen family economic pro blems slack parents permissive schools misguided trouble making youths to name just a handful of the explanations So while the entire mess can t be dumped on the Police doorsteps there are still some pro blems here the force and regional council can correct The Halton Police arrived in Acton and Esquesing m the fall of and didn t receive a warm reception from the community People cared a lot for the OPP detachment here and really see any good reason for their leaving Also the regional force as an obvious symbol of regional government bore the brunt of ariti region feelings which were burning very brightly then The first couple of years though there seemed to be a police force here There was an office not a store front operation for one thing There was a detachment commander There were a of local officers here day in and day out as well as some pretty good imports from other areas of Halton who were posted here for six months a year in some cases a couple of years As time wore on the force developed morale problems there was an Ontario Police Association probe changes in the top police brass etc Around the same time the ation was centralized out of dis headquarters in Georgetown Officers are dispatched each shift from Georgetown to police Acton Sometimes an officer is here for months more often than not they re here for a few weeks or days and then posted to an other area There doesnt seem to be an Acton detachment To many people in Acton they are just faces in cruisers Far too many including the small element here do think of them as faceless ghosts We definitely believe this is the per ception rightly or wrongly of the majority of citizens Not only do many Actomans share s views but our complaints sound a lot like those in Milton and Georgetown There are rumblings of discontent with the police in south Halton too Chief Harding says he can t run a Rolls police department on a Model T budget We agree Regional council has been pretty careful with the tax dollars when it comes to paying for one of the most important important certainly in the eyes of residents here regional services Region taxes will certainly have to go up next year to cover the deficit and pay for delayed pro jects We suspect ratepayers won mind that much forking over even more to improve icing here Harding has made great strides in bolstering morale on the force and has shown ability to get a lot out of value for his skimpy bud get With considerably more money we like to think he could make great strides in reducing Acton s complaints If taxes were to go up for pol icing people here would expect more from their police and the department had better deliver or else expect much more criticism and discontent With more money Harding could establish a detachment here Possibly Acton doesnt need a 24hour a day police station one operating from say 7 a m to mid night may be very acceptable to residents fed up with the 30 a m to 30 p m operation here With more money more of could be hired and more cruisers purchased This would make the police more visible here and give Acton a greater sense of security Also officers could be posted here for hitches of at least six months so they can get to know the people and the people can get to know them The majority of of ficers posted to a beefed up Acton detachment must come from the ranks of the 27 who live in Hills Being Involved in the com mumty but working in Milton or doesn seem too satisfactory to many citizens There is a need for a detachment commander Police must be encouraged to make sure residents are aware they view petty crimes like vandalism theft and burglaries seriously One has to give the police full marks for their handling of major crimes When a couple of females were attacked here and there was fear of a child molester in Acton the force committed men and re sources to the case and seemed to do an excellent job investigating They do investigate petty crimes as evidenced by the arrest of a local youth for 26 break ins re cently However far too often the com plaint is heard from residents that officers are slow to respond to calls on petty crimes and seem to be only filling out reports when they do arrive We think with money Harding can remedy some complaints not wipe out crime We think by establishing a more permanent force presence in Acton they will hear fewer complaints receive more cooperation from the public and thus reduce crime want a little police force here they can call their own We can t see why a semi perm force cant operate here and still be part of the larger regional operation if funds are made available Nowru STEP IT BETTER PERSPECTIVE NOT A BAP JOB IP SO A DEFINITE WINNER THE CHRISTMAS POOP CONTESTy Those who teach have hairy time Well the presidential election the con stitution and the dog fight over energy have been thoroughly probed and mas and turned upside down and inside out by the media So what a poor weekly columnist have to turn to that t been beaten to death II a rotten November day and I have a rotten unshokeabSe cold so I think 1 have a few words about what rotten In the state of education And there plenty First let look at teaching The post war baby boom a natural phenomenon after four or five years of sex starvation is long gone Immigration has slowed to a trickle As a result along with the pill and wives who want to work rather than procreate enrolment in our schools Is dropping rapidly Many of those red brick shoe fac lories built so lavishly and triumphantly by the government in the 50a are standing empty Others echo hollowly halt Hied A direct result of this along with the stupidity of the government has made a teaching profession a very hairy nc Those who chose it as a career ore almost stopped In their tracks With Jobs vanishing there la little of promotion for the young person who wants to rise In the profession The others who don give a diddle about being a department head or a vice- principal but like to eat and t make a living at anything else are clinging grimly to their Jobs looking over their shoulders to see where they stand on the seniority list and lying awake nights thinking about the dread statement You have become surplus Becoming surplus these days is almost as bad as becoming pregnant used to be for a woman teacher For a man it s even worse If ho has a family a mortgage car payments and Is near the bottom of tho list A former Acton resident was recently presented with a gift for long life from a Chlbn Japan resident Thomas 100 years old of North Vancouver was given a Red Hood called that city The gift was from Chlbn a oldest resident who is The presentation was made by Lionn Gate Hospital Vancouver and are sister cities Mr Thomas used to live near town on the Fourth Line of Erin Twp Folks around here knew him as Jack or Johnny Thomas or the young teacher emerging from teachers college Us a nightmare There a solid line of older teachers holding hands to hurl back anyone who wants to get into the charmed circle 1 can think at the moment of three young women graduates of University of Toronto acuity of Education Each has an honor degree One Is teaching in New fie another In the interior of C and the third at an end of rail village In Northern Ontario Ten or twelve years ago these bright would have been beating off hot breathing principals who wanted to hire hem sight unseen And yet the government still churns out dedicated young teachers who will face no thing but heart break and frustration as they try to get a Job It a vicious circle and partly to blame are the teachers unions Long without much political clout they now have quite a bit and because of the past they have an obsession with security Us almost as difficult to Ire a teacher as it Is to fire a postal worker As a result and I don t care If they keel haul me this the profession is riddled with teachers who are emotionally or mentally But It would require a Hercules to clean out this particular Augean stable And educational leaders are not exactly built along Her lines More like Mickey Mouse So what have we Teaching staffs that are getting smaller older and Some atmosphere for great teaching Solution Dangle a couple of years salary in front of everybody over who would retire voluntarily and accept a smaller pension Manywhoare hanging on by their toenails emotionally would leap at it That would open the sluice Tor fresh blood young ideas and new enthusiasm It according to Babe who was good enough to bring in a newspaper clipping of the event An article published In this newspaper and written by Jennifer was recently reprinted In Diabetes Dialogue Jenny was about Roger Moore no not and The Saint and his horse who won a ribbon at the Canada largest western horse show Roger son of Lloyd and Betty Lou Moore of Acton won the ribbon even though only years old with diabetes and a hole In tils heart If the results of a high school leaflet are any indication not loo many people are interested in today youth and their future Four hundred leaflets went out to the community asking for help In speaking to students on various occupations Only 17 were returned The school wanted a list of people willing to talk to Individual groups of students at a convenient time to discuss hisher par tlcular occupation or career would be a real shot of adrenalin for education Now we come to the students They are not getting the best because of the 1 presented tired old blood teaching tired old courses In a tiring old way But they re not giving the best either Many many students are clinging to school as desperately as their teachers are They know its a cold Indifferent world out there Thus with either a good allowance from parents or a weekend Job that produces plenty of spending money school is a place to stay warm be with lends and not have to get out of the nest Those are the older students The younger ones again In many many cases have not the slightest Idea of good man cooperation or selfdiscipline They are boisterous unruly mouthy foul tongucd and generally obstreperous They have almost no knowledge of the Bible of basic human virtues or ordinary courtesy but base everything on the two dimensional teaching of television Now let have a look at the parents of these kids In many cases both are working of necessity or materialism They are too tired or haven time to give their children some Idea of decency fair play good manners thrift or any of the other virtues Broken families singleparent families are common Kids are left to get their awn breakfast or fall back into bed if it s nasty out They play truant They get behind blame their teachers feel frustrated and resentful From this comes vandalism retreat into dope or booze and all the rest of the sad story Some It enough to kill off many a good teacher In his her prime Thank goodness I m an excellent tea and not one of my students is like those described Otherwise you wouldn see my tali for dust Students may gain more Insight about a particular occupation by talking to someone Involved rather than reading a book or listening to friends advice ac cording to the leaflet Sue Bums or Dave Jones at the high school can be contacted for further In formation Santa needs some help Letters have been pouring In to him and he has been answering ihem as fast as he can Un fortunately there are always a few children who don include their return address Now Santa s a pretty sharp guy but even he can t read minds Onesuch letter Is from a little girl whose name Is Hindu Her letter printed on Sheraton Lock port Inn stationery and mailed in a cute red white and blue en vclopc Will s mother or father please contact mo at the press so I can pass her address on to Santa Santa also needs Jenny and Julie address as well as Stacy who drew Santa a picture of him putting gifts under a tree Kimbcrly who is four and Trevor Aldrlch who is Back issues 10 years ago Wednesday Decembers Garnet McKenzlc Is new deputy reeve and Norm Elliott elected a new councillor Tom Hill became the first Glen resident to occupy the reeve chair since replacing retiring reeve George Currle Russell Miller took over the deputy reeve chair Newcomer Lcn Coxe headed the race for council seats with another new comer Richard second Incumbent Wilfrid Leslie placed third village trustees elected were Stan Harris Bert Smith and Don Hilts Warren Parkinson is Eramosa reeve Duncan deputy and council lors BUI Ken Fair and Dick Strong Reeve Anne Mc Arthur was returned In Nnssagaweys with former clerk treasurer Don McMillan deputy reeve Councillors are Art Gibson Cal Melntyre and Jim Wat years ago Thursday December Cam Sinclair is returned as reeve of with Wilfred Bird deputy reeve Councillors are George Leslie Wilfred Leslie and Walter Elected to school board are Shirley Armstrong the first woman and Stanley Brown OPP Cons Ron Rupert has been trans f erred to Acton K Porter Company has leased square feet of space from Canada Packers in the former Wool Combing building to commodate the Division which will manufacture clutch bearings Legion Ladies Auxiliary members pre sented a wheelchair to pltal Mrs D Rogers Mrs Mrs K Turkosz Mrs Mrs Elsie Roach and Mrs Angell 50 years ago Thursday December 11 IB30 The Gregory Theatre will reopen in two weeks and will be modem throughout No stops the show will be continuous There willbeshowsonTuesday Friday Saturday afternoon and night Prices are 15 cents and cents All pictures are 100 per cent talking The special feature of the meeting of the Young People s Guild of Knox church was the Christmas story told by Rev with lantern slides Songs were sung by a quartette of Messrs Rumley Splelvogel Mann and Smith a piano solo was given by Harvey Hassard and a duet by Lois and Thelma The donation boxes are In business places for your donation toward the community tree It will be on Christmas Eve Auctioneer Kerr is selling at the Guelph Winter Fair today Mr Mark Given of Limehousc is among the winners 75 years ago Thursday December 1905 Mr M Lasby Is now In full possession of the Albion Hotel Mr J J Holland who has moved to his brick residence on Guelph St won for the place the reputation of being the best hotel In town The new rink is coming Into shape well Subscriptions to the project now tola The illness of Mrs John Moore ter minated in her death She was a daughter of Green of Canada self sacrificing who gave up their own lives ringing relief to patients during the cholera scourge half a century ago As they have done for years past the Methodist Sunday School will hold their Christmas entertainment on Christmas night The annual meeting of the Acton Branch of the Bible Society was held The treasurer reported has been raised this year 100 years ago Thursday Decembers 1BB0 Some persons entered the Catholic church about a mile west of this village and committed considerable depredation It Is supposed the villains were tramps A number of the young folks attended the opening of the Georgetown skating rink Saturday night about clock Mrssrs A Secord and Company grocery and hardware on Mill St barely es caped being consumed by the devouring element fire Mr Secord was extinguish ing the lights in a chandelier when a staple came out of the celling letting the lights fall to the floor The coal oil immediately ig nlted and in a moment one end of the shop was all ablaze The alarm of fire was given and ci linens rushed Into tho shop Mr George Havlll pulled off his overcoat and with it those present stamped out the flames There were a few kegs of gun powder near The village constable should prohibit the practice of snowballing on Ihe principal streets