Regional salaries tax public purse It is apparent regional cillors consider their job a full time commitment judging by the 500 salaries they voted themselves at the first meeting of the new council Most of them will also pick up a few more grand as members of their own area councils so the pickings for the first term of regional government will not exactly be driving anyone to the lines However we wonder whether councillors t premature in ladling out an sum before they know the extent of their duties We thought Georgetown reeve Morrow s suggestion to set the salaries at a year same as present county councillors receive and have a salary review in six months time was a good suggestion However members of the new council think so In fact Burlington W Thomson Photo A llama Hikes a Hot of Hovel TIPPI PULLS his finicky act when offered oats to get a little more at from Both live at Farm 3 Georgetown Bill SMILEY A number of deep and troubling questions ore puzzling me this rail Perhaps ill get them out in the open those stabbing cramps in my stomach will ease off Leaves I have six maples and two huge oaks on my front lawn That produces leaves to the knees My neighbor across the street has four maples around his property Also a fair crop of leaves but nothing tike My neighbor rakes up his leaves At least his wife does I contemplate mine with a judicious eye waiting for the right moment to strike Might as well wait till they re all down I My neighbors arc godly and righteous people I am an acknowledged sinner Yet every fall about this time we gel one of those howling north winds that make you shiver in bed glad you re there I get up the next morning and my front lawn is as clean as the cat dish I look out the other window in dismay and sure neighbor s tidy lawn looks like pie Leaf Forever My leaves Why I ve thought this time of telling him he should put up a snow fence but I think I better give him a couple of weeks to cool off And get those leaves raked up There I feel better already getting that off my chest As good as the confessional Football In my youth I dearly loved the lame in high school two college before I went off to play another kind of game Every night I d draggle home in the dark after practice aching In every limb drinking In the sharp fall air completely satisfied During the games there was the heady knowledge that every girl in the school was out there watching you This of course was a twoedged sword You might catch a pass for a touchdown You might also drop it for a red face We had some great teams in high school because our principal was a football nut When I think over the names I have more than a sense of nostalgia Half a dozen were killed in the war We didnt have much going for us besides lots of spirit There were about four helmets on the team Our uniforms were ragged We made our own pads of felt ob tained at the local felt mill Some had boots others ployed In sneakers One of my great was when my big brother took me to Ottawa for the Grey Cup final In those days the Grey Cup game t the silly ass spectacle it is now with beauty contest marching bands parades and such foofowraw It was serious business You were there to sec a football game not to get drunk and make an idiot of yourself You could get good seats for cents I sat between two voluble French Canadians who quietly and with dignity passed a mickeyofryeS5cbackandforth but only to keep off the chill Today they d have a twenty each and be glassyeyed by half time It was a great game Those were the days of giants Bummer Stirling who could boot a ball the length of the field Bunny who was like a tank in the line This day the centre of attention was Fritz Hanson who was as hard to pin down as a dragon fly But for oil his scampering the bigger Ottawa team won on the last play At any rate in those days I knew the game From there it was all downhill The Yonks took over and as usual we adopted their terms Outside wings became ends Middle wings became tackles Inner wings became guards And the flying wing my own favorite position vanished into limbo Today I am baffled by the terminology of football as on elderly librarian would have been by the terminology at the recent fighter pilots reunion in Ottawa What is tight end for example Is that what we see when the players go into a huddle and stick those extremely tight pants Into our faces on TV What is the opposite of a tight end Is this someone who has the skitters Is that why they are always running off the field What is an offensive tackle Is this someone whose language or behavior you find offensive to your sensibilities Is he familiar phrase I gave him a pretty good shot an indication that the players are now carrying concealed not to mention offensive weapons One of the universities is giving an ex tension course at its night school It for girl friends and wives of football players so that they can enjoy the game more I think 1 11 sign up for the course I m dying to know what a middle linebacker does for a living Back Issues ot The Free Press councillor David Coons wants to be paid starting with the Inaugural meeting which would mean the county would be duplicating salaries paying both county and regional representatives Few people begrudge adequate pay for their representatives on the region or at the county enough to compensate them for pay they might receive in their own profession or line of work but it seems this time the councillors are in there to get all they can out of the public purse Why couldn t they have waited to see how much work the job was going to entail before voting themselves such a sum action is certainly in creasing the public fear of regional government costs which Liberal leader Bob Nixon said recently will go up by no less than per cent of total costs now His figures are based on costs in the Waterloo region where regional government resulted in a 38 per cent increase in costs Allowing for inflation this is still a pretty hefty hike and needs some Targe cost paring in some other area to make it less costly than the former system As Odkville councillor Archie observed introducing such a controversy at the first meeting of the regional council makes it appear peoples fears about swelling costs were well founded Based on the number of meetings as presently laid out the regional councillors will be receiving about an hour for their time Of course meetings will increase as time goes on but it is doubtful if public confidence will accordingly new regional council has set guidelines which everyone else who can dip into the public purse will follow Tht Acton Free Press Wed Nov 7 Restructuring counties sensible Following up earlier statements in which he suggested there would be no more imposition of regional government on counties Ontario treasurer John White has now invited county officials to submit suggestions for guidelines on the restructuring of Ontario county governments Erin and Eramosa townships must be heaving a sigh of relief Unless Wellington initiates action it is unlikely they will be compelled to participate in a regional form of government Instead the province is con restructuring the present county system The idea is to strengthen local government so it can cope with the problems which are cropping up with increasing frequency in this decade of booming development The province intends to give restructured counties the same grants it now gives to regions As a starting point the government suggests the counties should provide seven services water sewage collection and treatment an arterial road system planning health services a welfare program and capital borrowing At last we have some plain thinking on the part of the govern It is too bad many of these ideas had not been advanced before the advent of regional govern Streamlining the county system would have been much more realistic than dragging reluctant counties into regional tie they neither wanted or believed in Queen s Park has endorsed four major phases of reform in the new program to restructure counties consolidation of local municipalities 2 return of cities and separated towns to their counties equitable on county councils and 4 enlarging and updating the responsibility of county units A fifth factor is the need to tailor local government to suit local needs probably the most lm porta point of all It is too late now when the horse has already left the barn to moan about being involved in a regional form of government but it shows the Government recognizes that there are preferable alternatives which won generate such op position as the new regions have It is just too bad they were not available for Lets also remember the living Bands play veterans march crowds watch as wreaths are laid on cenotaphs to honour the dead of two World Wars How many remember the living confined to veteran s hospitals across Canada Are the only ones who care the wives mother and sisters mostly older women who day after day and year after year visit husbands wins and brothers Many of the older patients are paralyzed senile or in a state of nearcoma They do not really know who has visited them yet their wives make the daily pilgrimage Love does not recognize these changes but it cannot abandon the loved one These are the women who endure as Shakespeare says Like patience on a monument smiling at grief Others the wives of younger and physicallydisabled patients who require constant nursing care come daily to provide the com panionship all of us need especially in ill health or old age Day after day you see these women pushing the chairs of legiess armless crippled near paralyzed men down the hospital s long corridors Over the heads of their husbands the eyes of the Colonel s Lady and years ago Taken from Issue of the Free Press of Thursday November II 1K3 Acton High school paced the Georgetown gridiron representatives to a win ensuring the North Halton championship Tor the local Red Devils on the championship team are Bob Garry Dawkins Ross Morton Don Btacklock Fred Gordon Ron Don Dawkins David Bill Richard Mason Paul Lawson Wayne They are undefeated this season Coach is Mr Heron and manager Russell Arblc Cheering the champions on were pert cheerleaders Betty May Lambert Frances Arlene Gordon Donna McMillan Dorothy Dawkins and Peggy Warden cemetery will be beautiful next spring with daffodils and tulips planted by members of the Banaockbum community Stones date back as far as 1836 Mrs J Herb Cook are descendants of the United Empire Loyalist Warden family Warren Grove has been selected as the new name to replace Wartime Housing to designate Mason and McDonald Blv In the subdivision at the northeast limits of town Of the votes cast per cent were for Warren Grove This Is the name the area was called years ago Public school pupils observed reroem day Mary Jane Force was Rev Currey guest speaker Bill Greer recited In Flanders Fields Sandra led in prayer and Margaret Arm strong read from the Bible Flags were lowered and raised by Ernie and BID Johnson Teachers sat In the audience as the carried out the program A cheque for was j Watson projects treasurer of the Men 50 years ago Taken from the of the Free Press of Thursday November 1 1923 For years No 8 school in Nassanawcyn has been an important point in the com But the old school became unequal to modem requirements and the trustees decided a new building should be erected fine new building was formally opened Monday night with on enjoyable social entertainment The finishing touches were put on last week The cost of the building furnace and furnishings was Con tractors were for mason and work carpenter work Bert Mr J Akins a former pupil acted as chairman Acton Male quartet consisting of Messrs A Mann and J Smith sang necessitating encore after encore Miss Laura also gave several vocal selections Splendid speeches were given by Rev Strachan and Reeve Moffat The trustees who have brought the building to successful conclusion are Messrs Thomas Storey Nelson Anderson and John McGregor The outside stairway on the fire escape at the town hall Is In dangerous condition At the last golf tournament in Georgetown both Mrs PilkeyandMrs Shorey of Acton were winners Citizens who have radio outfits had an exceptionally fine concert from Pittsburg tsst Wednesday Rt Hon David Lloyd George speech from that city was the most distinctly heard address he has given at any point in the continent The nine bead of cattle which strayed from the farms of Austin Swackhamer and Harold Smart last spring were recovered this week They did a lot of wandering in four months years ago what others say Token from the Issue of the Free Press Thursday November 3 The election trial at Milton last Thursday revealed bribery and John Barber was unseated for Nearly witnesses were summoned The particulars set out cases of bribery treating etc Evidence was given of the leaving of a number of envelopes supposed to contain money at the houses of people who worked in Robertson limekilns and brick yards in the township of The court regarded evidence as sufficient to void the election Halloween passed off very quietly People must be getting more sensible than they were in days gone by when the foolish tricks were ployed The concert in Lome school on Friday was a grand success The attendance was very large Rev Macpherson acted as chairman The wand drill by six little girls is deserving of special mention as was also the singing of Miss Maggie Dennis a litUe tot of years Miss Lawrence of Trafalgar recited The Drunkard Wife Great credit is due to teacher Miss McDonald Mr Benjamin has died from injuries he received in a runaway The community was thrown Into deep gloom A hound in pursuit of a fox sprang in front of his horse Mrs Watkins lies 111 at Nerval Friday Is electric light election day here In all probability the bylaw will pass with a large majority Those who have looked Into the situation are perfectly confident electric lighting can not only be self sustaining nut a source of revenue to the community prices of undertaking ON SlDrDSTl DIES ON Tilt St Mary Journal Argus Slop Picking on little cars says an editorial heading last week in the Toronto star and read it with eager interest THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Business and Editorial Office Recently there been more stories than emanating from the United States the home of the big over blown American car about the danger of and a small car Here is what the Star editorial had to say in refutation of all mis big car propaganda and we heartily agree with them study by no means the first on the subject has shown that occupants of small cars are more likely to be Injured or killed in the of an accident than those In big cars There no reason to doubt the statistical evidence even though the study was conducted at the University of Michigan in a state that also happens to be the home of the big US auto industry and even though it was first made public at a seminar sponsored by General Motors even though it was recently quoted with approbation by two executives In fact the findings I surprise anyone There little doubt that the oc cupants of a Vokswagen would come out second best in a clash with a Cadillac ft also not hard to imagine who would fare better In collision between a Cadillac and a bus The real flaw in the study is that it looks at only one side of the coin Another recent study this by the New York state depart ment of motor vehicles looked at Doth sides And while It concurred In the con clusion that accidents prove much more severe for small cars the small cars are much less likely to became Involved In accidents in the first place To lake a popular example Volkswagen showed the highest seventy rate but the lowest in cidence The Michigan study does make one Grady meet there s a faint of recognition for they to know one another Above all there is a sense of silent communication of sympathetic understanding A number of the patients are without families and without visitors There can be nothing so lonely as old age without loved ones The years pass for all of us We too may need friends when old and alone On Remembrance Day we honour the dead of two World Wars it be better to honor the dead by also remembering the living cresting point Ihe likelihood of injury or deolh the same in a small car tosmall car collision as it is a crash Involving two big cars That taken with the Sew York state leads Irresistibly to the conclusion that there would be fewer with no change in severity if everyone drove a small car And that only a safety argument Small cars pollute less consume less energy need less parking space and arc cheaper both in Ihe initial outlay and in subsequent maintenance In view of all of which the North American auto industry would do well to meet the small car competition headon so to speak rather man try to discredit it by using selective statistics and onesided studies Comment High rise living is driving people insane according to a psychiatrist who recently took a survey of a Sydney Australia suburb of people The higher you go the madder you get he The isola tion loneliness and boos of high rise living can lead to mental disorders and even suicide he claims The trouble with the world today Is not that populations have multiplied but that tbey remain divided You have an excellent memory if yon can remember what you were enjoying time last year A