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

The Acton Free Press Wednesday Jan Arton Don McDonald Publisher TELEPHONE every Lid et Street Telephone Subsovoone Single each year Canad 1 Cntl The Free one of the Mwrotond Ltd group at accepted on condition that event of Hem Aurora Portion the aovertraftfl apace by the item together v BannarNewmarket En Aurora Banned Era Weekend The Bolton for not be charged for but balanced the Errlarpnte The BurtoOWn Pott The Burlington Weekend Poet The Dad of at the applicable rata In the even of a typographical error Tha Tha Independent Thorn MS nd Sun Tha Champion Mseauga Newi Weekend The North York Tha York Mirror Beaver Oakwe Friday Beaver Othawa True Week Th Weekend Peel Comumer HeVThomMI Liberal Tha Scarborough Consumer The Scarborough The Stouffv Tribune The Woodbnrjge Vaughan be cold merely an offer Seconded a regalia Number EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor Gord Murray New Editor Helen Murray Contributor Jennifer Peter Mica ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Manager Cook Seles Jennifer Ban Claaairked Advertising Carolyn Art Don BUSINESSACCOUNTING Offlc Manager CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Manager Town snow plowing policy is long overdue Council has directed the engineer to come up with a policy position paper on winter maintenance and the level of service to be delivered Such a policy is long over due In fact it is surprising it hasnt been done before Annually there are com plaints both in town and in the rural area about snow plowing and removal service as well as sanding and salting To be fair to the works staff there are also annual bouquets for a job well done One reason there have been complaints is that the town has never had a set policy despite the fact Hills is now in its ninth year of operation The suspicion has persisted in Acton since day one of Hills that Georgetown is plowed before Acton Frankly we dont believe it Reporters from both the Free Press and our sister paper the Georgetown Independent have gone out during storms and after and found town crews out at exactly the same time Yet annually there are com plaints and grumbling about streets which arent plowed as quickly as people think they should be and sidewalks which are snow covered or icy Many grumble few bother to ask their councillors about the problem And when they do receive complaints councillors must scramble to obtain answers from town staff not quote policy because there isnt a policy Theres procedure and sort of a policy based on what has been done every year but nothing nailed down which the politicians and staff can quote or the citizens can become familiar with Yet snow problems are pro blems which touch the lives of just about every citizen some thing which cant be said for many areas of municipal operations and services Hopefully after the position paper is completed and council discusses it adjusts it and ap proves it everyone will know where they stand Citizens will be able to deter mine the level of service that should be available and decide if they are in fact receiving it Councillors will be able to decide what level of service we can afford now and after hear ing from the public establish if residents are willing to pay more for extra services like sidewalk clearing The policy paper should once and for all writing set how much snow must fall before the plows are out two inches is the rule of thumb It will also set down which roads and streets are the highest priority Every street in the municipality should be classified in priority groups for plowing sanding or salting and snow removal so everyone knows exactly what kind of ser vice they should expect and how fast theyll receive it Our readers write Too cold for mail service Dear Sir I find it appalling that though we have to pay cents to mall a letter a ridiculous increase by any standards we are getting nothing for it A call to the post office today Monday yielded the information that there would be no mall delivery They said It was too cold to go out whoever answered the pott of rice phone told me Whatever happened to the old saying about neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor hall etc Or doe that only apply to the warm weather My God if the whole town decided it was too cold to go to work where would the town be 1 saw people walking to work this morning children waiting at stops for buses or even walking to school I presume the teachers are at school and the stores are open and I dont see the streets Uttered with the frown bodies of people who couldnt make it Meanwhile we who are paying dearly for mall service are getting no service today Why are we paying cents per letter for this Perhaps the carriers should give some thought to the idea of giving up their routes If they cant perform the Jobs they are paid to do lonlyhopethlscoldweatheraoeant last or the town mall may become a thing of the put Disgusted Name withheld on request Dont need town hall to reassure us reader says Dear Sir Mr is amazed at the people of Acton So am I Nearly four hundred of the silent majority finally spoke out There were many proposed uses for the old town hall none of which justified the estimated cost I havent been a for twenty five years without irnlng that estimated costs and ac tual costs are not usually the thing The only reason to preserve this old building seems to be because its there So Georgetown got a new library and cultural centre So what Are we going to play keep up with Georgetown now That would be a very chualih and expensive game George Elliott commented what a pleasure it was to work In a community which appreciates Its history George We dont need to spend label a building Our History and run down and touch it everyday to reassure ourselves its still there Three students compiled a list of historical sites and buildings this put summer Perhaps this paper could reprint the list for the benefit of those residents who fed our history will be demolished with the old town hall Yours truly Pat Harris 10 Rosemary Paper helps make Acton active and healthyChamber Dear Sir As the New Year begins the Acton Chamber of Commerce would like to express its appreciation to toe Acton Free Press and Its staff for cooscteo- tlout effort to keep our town aware of community events accomplishments and plans By keeping its readers aware and Informed through the course of the Free assisted In making our area an active and healthy community Cooperation and Involvement have been the key factors stressed by the Chamber of Commerce in the past years In these areas the Free Press has more than played an Important ft On the 1962 promises to be a yea and growth towards progress in our town Your Chamber of C looks forward to the of the new year Se Sympathy of the community is ex tended to the family of Norman Newman Acton who died last Thursday Mr Newman came to the limelight several weeks ago as he and his wife Mabel celebrated their wedding anniversary Its my fault I was told about It when it happened but forgot to put it in this column but better late than ever Some people gathered at AC Stewart Hall Knox Presbyterian Church over the Christmas holidays to celebrate the birthday of Molly Fulton who was visiting from Nova Scotia Mrs Fulton Is well known in Acton being the mother of Watson entire family was on hand for the party coming from as far away as North Bay and Pat and Mike Hlrlehey have a small problem and its round and furry The Brock Street couple have been adopted by a stray Grey Tabby cat and with three cats of their own already they cant keep the newest addition They would tike the owner to step for ward to claim it and falling that anyone who may want a kitten wel come to come and get it It found in front of the Shop on January and about oneyearold She cant tell if it is male or female The meeting scheduled for Monday night was cancelled to the cold weather It has been rescheduled for January IB at 8pm and will be held at Elmore Drive This meeting will be the first of a series of four gatherings and will deal with the advantages of breast feeding The entire series will be held at 128 Elmore Drive For further information call or Congratulations to local skaters Susan Klnal and Kevin Parker for their great work during recent competitions see sports page Both have worked extremely hard to get as far in the skating world as they have and should be very proud of themselves Actoncer- talnly Is The sacrifice the two have made over the past years is overwhelming Anyone who devotes as much time and effort to any wing is sure to lose out on other things To Susan and Kevin keep up the good work No matter what the future holds for you In your Individual careers Acton will always be proud of you Thanks for Jobs well done Sure was a lot of fires on the weekend One of the calls gave me a real scare Saturday night I barbecueing a nice big rout on my new gas barbecue went outside around seven to check on It only 10 minutes after it put on and found the meat In flamea turning on the spit getting blacker by the second I quickly shut off the gas flow into the barbecue and In the pro cess of blowing out the flames on the roast when the fire siren started blaring away My heart dropped to my toes as envisioned the bright red truck roaring up my driveway and the firefighters hosing down my roast I thought maybe a neighbor had seen the flames and called them In true reporter fashion Gord tore from the house to investigate the fire It wu a car fire on the other aide of town and my roast wu safe at least from a vm of water being sprayed on it But all turned out well for our supper The beef was delicious after all the juices had been seared Inside the char coaled exterior and it cooked In Its own juices Next I plan to deliberately burn the rout to get the same results Watchwhen I do it deliberately It will be terrible MEANDER1NOS by Mabel Stuffed Mushrooms 1 was reading last week about what is Inlnfood and what is out Apparently stuffed mushrooms are out I have always been told not to believe everything you read so here is a favorite of mine Remove the stems and chop finely Saute chopped stems and a chopped onion in a Utile butter Then mix with a third of a cup of walnuts two tablespoons of bread crumbs and one tablespoon of cheese Cool the mixture a little Beat an egg white until frothy and stir into the mushroom mixture Spoon It into the caps mounding high Put on a cookie sheet and bake at degrees for 10 minutes Sprinkle with more parmesan before serving These can be served with a main course as a garnish or an d Im sure you will enjoy them Clergy Comment By Rev Chuck Beaton I came upon a touching and powerful story recently written by George Perkins one of the members of our Trinity United Church con gregation As I read It I could not help but recall the apostle Paula words Bear ye one anothers bur dens and so fulfill the law of Christ We are called u human beings and as Christians to make life easier richer and more caring Here is Georges true story Amid all the doom and gloom the violence and sex that is seen read and heard today there are still true stories of compassion empathy and wisdom Here Is a true case I came across a couple of years ago During a business call the person nel manager in a large firm told me of how a foreman on an assembly line came to the Personnel depart ment for permission to Are a wor ker Despite repeated warnings Mary habitually came in late both in the morning and also after lunch Her absence held up the whole line The other workers grumbled at los ing their production bonuses and most of them were now so angry they wouldnt speak to Mary The foreman had twice bcencalled on the carpet to explain the low production and high defects on his shift He had just traced the defective workman ship to Mary and he demanded the permission to fire her immediately Even the shop steward had agreed to firing Mary Steve the foreman was so angry that the personnel counsellor asked him to sit down and discuss the problem After bearing the story In detail the counsellor asked Steve why Mary had suddenly started to turn up late Why she making errors when she had previously been such an excellent worker Steve and didnt care- all he knew was that Mary had to go The veteran counsellor agreed to let sieve fire Mary but with one restriction Steve had to first find out from Mary why she late every day and then be could fire her Steve stormed out of tha office muttering to himself about all this foolishness HaUonhour later be shuffled bock Into the counsel- want fired but could ha please shift her to a betterpaying job Steve explained that when he con fronted Mary and demanded to know why she wu late every day she had burst Into tears Finally she had told him that her husband was at home alone all day He dying of cancer of the spine and couldnt feed himself Every morning she got up and looked after him She bathed him shaved him and fed him She administered his medicine and helped make him com fortable as possible In front of the TV By the time she grabbed a quick bite she often missed the bus and late for work At noon Mary rushed home to feed him and do what she could to make The bus schedule got her back to the plant a little late for the end of the lunch hour break She apologized for her errors but said she just couldnt seem to concen trate on her work like she did before he took sick The other workers were madat her so she hadnt told anyone else There were tears on Steves cheeks when he finished telling the counsellor about Mary and between them they quickly found a less demanding job for The personnel manager told me how within a week there had been tremendous changes on Marys assembly line As the story became known her fellow workers had banded together to help Mary They watched her units like hawks and every error quietly picked off the line and subtly corrected without her knowledge The workers mediately beside her casually dev eloped some spare time to help her out with a few extra units here and there so she constantly bonused Workers on the opposite shift found excuses to drop in on her husband and visit while Mary working There always some one morning noon and night to give Mary a lift to and from work The morale in the plant had never been high and production had hit new peaks u the workers made sure that Mary bonused The per sonnel manager ended hit story to me by shaking but bead and saying and It all came about because someone cared enough to ask why before they fired Back issues years ago January 121972 Bert will seek the Conservative federal nomination for riding Mr announced this week he has decided to stand as nominee with the support of Acton and Esquesing PC associations Acton firefighters prompt action fighting a fire at Highway Garage Main St N last Wednesday night averted what could have been a more serious blaze Flames erupted at approximately m while a youth filling a tractor with gasoline and firefighters fought the fire for an hour before bringing it under control A headon collision at the brow of a hill on Churchill Road sent three persons to hospital last Wednesday Afternoon about 330 Mr and Mrs Severing Braida were surrounded by family and friends at an open house and dinner when they celebrated their golden wedding an niversary but Saturday They came to Acton in years ago Reeve Wilfred Bird of Town ship a five year veteran of County Council work was chosen Warden of the County on Tuesday afternoon by his fellow County councillors The ultimate construction of a night har ness racing track at at an estimated cost of announced Wednesday by officials of the Jockey Club Ltd of Toronto Beginning his 13th year on the Acton public school board Tom Watson chosen Tuesday evening during the Inaugural meeting to head the board chairman This will be his fourth term chairman Vice chairman of the year Is Gift Bradley Believed lo be Actons oldest resident Mrs Peter Sayera celebrated her Mth birthday quietly Sunday when a few fr iends and relatives dropped In to offer congratulations and best wishes New Year baby at the Georgetown hos pital came to former Acton residents Mr and Mrs John Big Canoe Little Elmer Leslie the first baby bom In the hospital in 1962 weighed seven pounds 11 ounces 50 years ago January One of the worst ice storms of years visited this section of the province on New Years Day and wrought damage to the telephone telegraph and Hydro lines at and inestimable damage to fruit and shade trees and ornamental shrub bery In Acton the Hydro power went off on Friday morning but it wu in order during the night again Last Wednesday evening a surprise par ty given Miu Dora Lambert by a number of her friends and relatives at her home on the occasion of her going away The inaugural meeting of the 1832 Acton Council held on Monday evening with Councillors W McArthur Jones John and George Cowie present and Reeve George Barber presiding 75 years ago January When Rev J Wilson pastor of Knox church announced a congregational social he never imagined how much it had in st are for himself and his beloved partner In life Mr Wilson presented with a fur- lined overcoat and Mrs Wilson a dinner set of Limoges china as expressions of the love of the congregation Actons Property owners have voted In favor of HydroElectric Power com mission five to one Seventy voted for the bylaw and 15 against Mr WH GrantanaUveofActon eldest son of the late Alexander Grant Esq who been with Messrs McKemle and Mann for a number of years been pr aised In connection with the construction of the Halifax and South Western Railway Mr WR Roche of Acton House purchased from the Robert Holmes estate the brick residence in which he resides for 2100 This Is the father of author de la Roche 100 years ago January 1 One of the accidents It been our lot to chronicle Is the lou of three fingers of the six year-old- eon of Mr James Butler The little fellow got hand caught in the planing machine In tbe fac tory where his father working Mr Thos Moore purchased the stave factory on Main St south of the G T tracks and Intends doing a large business in staves and shingles A drunken Indian wandered into Mr residence Saturday night allowed to warm his benumbed limbs at his hospitable hearth and gave him aonM to eat by which time be sober a to depart Working men form backbone of the nation and boys should learn useful trad-