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Car money stolen by armed hitchikers Giving two hitchhikers a free ride from Eden Mills was expensive for a Guelph driver forced from his vehicle at gunpoint Just outside of Acton last Wednesday afternoon Regional Police arrested the two In Richmond Hill Friday and have charged them with robbery and using a firearm in the commission of an offence Police say the Guelph man his name has not been released was eaatbound on Highway 7 heading towards Acton when one of the hitchikers he picked up In Eden Mills put a knife to his throat while the other produced a hand gun ordering him to pull off onto the Sixth Line The man then robbed the driver of and stole his car The men 29 and IB years old are both of no fixed address police say Acton s population dips For the third straight year Actons in to In I960 population declined though it was by Region projections had pegged just four people Actons 1980 population at For Halton Hills council received a report Halton has predicted Acton will Monday night from the region which have a population of and by shows Actons population dipped from i960 llalton Hills recreation departments Ice safety program scheduled for Sunday afternoon on Fairy Lake may have been caocelled but there was still lots to watch as the Northern Telecom Diving Club from Brampton conducted an under Ice dive Trio to trial in hotel death Second degree murder charges against three Ac- ton men will be heard by an Ontario Supreme Court judge and jury No date has been set The trioCosimo Mercuri Michael McCristall and Leonard Cripps were committed to trial more than months after they were charged in tlon wltha death in the Dominion Hotel Pro vincial Court Judge Douglas Latimer was on the bench at the end of the preliminary hearing Wednesday at Milton The preliminary hearing has amounted to about two weeks in court time The sittings have been over several months because of scheduling difficulties caused In part by the Illness of a lawyer Preliminary hearings are held to determine If there Is enough evidence to warrant a trial The charges stem from the August 1979 fire which killed 58yearold Howard Gibbons He was a rcsld In the Dominion Hotel which was also gutted Halton Regional Police laid the second degree murder charges against all three men on December An Inland Community Newspaper Out Hundred arid Year- 33 ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY ighteen hive Matthew one of about 17 Acton youngsters who will have to wait a year before he is allowed to Join a kindergarten clan Matthews fifth birthday falls after the new cut off date for enrolment For year lUlton Board of Education welcomed to kindergarten In September youngsters whose fifth birthdays fell In the following January or February Under pressure from the Ontario Ministry of Education and other boards fall In line with the rest of the province The new deadline Is December Matthew Is attending the Honey Pot Nursery School The board estimates children are affected by the change In dale Photo by LYNDA HILL Tannery waste runoff studied by firm ministry A spokesman for has pledged com cooperation with Queens Park in solving in us trial waste problems at the leather tanning fac ility Beardmore has one of 11 Industrial waste disposal sites identified as having chemical runoff problems by a consulting firm for the provincial Ministry of the Environment A ministry official emphasized in an interview this week that there is no health hazard to the public posed by the runoff situation Runoff has been found in groundwater and Black Creek ministry regional field representative Ian Gray says Late Last October the consulting firm of Gartner Growing aspara and Lee Toronto studied an old dump site the pre sent disposal site the filter beds and spray lrrig system at Beardmore all of which are contributing to the ground water problems Beardmore was one of si in Southern On studied by the firm and problems were found with Murray Stewart of Canada Packers Beardmores parent firm said the company will cooperate fully with the ministry in solving these problems Gartner and Lee have recommended further monitoring of chemical runoff and other pol lution problems at Beardmore in what Gray cribed as a preliminary report 11 sites have been red flagged as potential environmental Farmer convicted by Eric Halton Hills fanner John had his day in court however he is not happy with what hap pened He was convicted of growing asparagus on tils 3 Georgetown farm without a licence He Is the second area farmer to be convicted for that offence In a year Kitcley is mainly disappointed with Provincial Court at Milton Thursday because he was not able to use it to expose what he regards as irregularities In a plebiscite which landed him and other fresh market asparagus growers in a marketing board which he considers to be expensive and not very useful Klteley was in court with his wife Georgena and fellow asparagus farmer and friend Casey Boss of Acton Boss was convicted last March of the same provincial offence as Kiteley Boss who ended up paying his fees Tor last year disagrees with the asparagus board for tho same reasons as Kiteley Boss circumvented another round of charges by splitting up his acres of asparagus into lots less than a halfacre in size The board can only charge if the lot is greater than a half acre The yearold who pleaded not guilty was convicted of three charges not having a licence refusing to allow an Inspector measure his fields and not filling out a form Justice of the Peace P fined Kit- Leathertown logo approved propose walking history tour Acton moved a giant step closer to becoming Leathertown last Wednesday night when pre liminary approval was given for logo design and the idea of a permanent historical walking tour with plaques photos and displays was hatched About 15 people attended the second meeting and the steering committee made good on its founding meeting pledge to get the major promo tional project off the ground quickly The next Leathertown meeting Is March at the library presented a number of possible logo designs and a stylized stretched hide with a banner proclaiming across it was ac The favored color scheme was dark brown on light brown has now taken the logo back for refine ments such as making Leathertown Just a single word instead of two and lettering style which he says will be easily legible but also rustic Also ar ches above and below will be added to the logo with Acton possibly being printed In the top arch The steering committee will seek Input on the logo from the community and school children to see if there arc any good ideas for additions to the logo The steering committee is moving quickly on tho logo to demonstrate that Leathertown Isnt Just another promotion Idea which will be studied and forgotten and so the community will have something toldentify with Pryhltka whose firm is working on the logo at a minimal cost said the logo must be a design which will be quickly and easily identified Some in dance thought the stretched wasnt original enough and looked too much like a number of leather Industry corporate logos Ideas such as triangles or other geometric shapes or a cow for the background were tossed about at the meeting but when there was no consensus the stretched was adopted Chip noted the logo can be added to or subtracted from in the future adding things like a glove urged in a letter to mis newspaper by a reader could be added Larry Greaves emphasized with everyone In town starting to talk about time was of the essence to get something done soon Is much more than a business boosting concept the aim is to develop community identity and pride in the leather Industry and history of Acton The Idea of a museum was only briefly discussed after a local industrialist Don Continidnpnge2 which is approximately equal to what Kit would have paid if he had gotten a licence for each of the last three years I was hoping to get In comments on the quality of tho plebiscite Kiteley said after the morning trial There doesnt seem to be anyone responsible to see that everyone gets a vote The alternative now is either to go to the legislature or find enough growers to get a new vote I still think and If I find I have enough strength to continue Ill find a larger organ ization to follow up The charges were brought against Kiteley by the Ontario Asparagus Growers Marketing Board OAGMB under the Farm Products Marketing Act Kiteley has grown about 10 acres of asparagus for or so years OAGMB Secretary Dove Lapos testified that a local board may ask the Farm Products Marketing Board to hold a plebiscite Fifteen per cent must re quest a vote and the plebiscite must pass by a two- thirds majority according to Much of the established the ownership of the Lot 15 Con form and the Illegality of hearsay evidence Kiteleys lawyer Dean Allison of Brampton put Kiteley on the stand for his defence Kiteley told the court that the purpose of the plebiscite was to give the asparagus board control over all asparagus fresh as well as processing Weve passed that stage Justice of the Peace McDermott advised the He suggested Kiteley argue the value of the plebiscite with min istry of agriculture or the MPP As to the pnUo- of the plebiscite it Is not an issue here People change the law McDermott told Kite- ley Perhaps you should form an association An association may have more weight Thats the democratic process Thats what it Is all about Kitcley did learn something about plebiscite from McDermott The farmer believes that two weeks notice for a plebiscite is not enough time problem areas Another ministry official William said the runoff is having some impact on the water of Black Creek and ground water In the area Some lea chat has been detected Dodds noted and added methane gas was found escaping from one of the test holes dug for the study It has been recommended the province expand the monitoring program for surface and ground water quality and gas migration to the ex tent of ected area Is preparing a response to the consult ants report so the two sides can determine what needd to bo done to solve the problem The firms response is due the end of this month We are preparing to get back to tho ministry We will be do ing whatever we mutually feel Is necessary The methane gas was discovered close on one of the plants buildings and Is no problem really Gray declared Since it is confined to property its totally a matter for the company to handle Gray added Stewart said Beardmore is looking at the gas as a safety problem Continued on Ill J Mm and Guides held their annual Church par ade Sunday afternoon For more photos from Scout and Guide week turn Inside Briggs moving new principal for St Josephs St Josephs School will have a new principal next fall following Halton Separate School Board s decision to transfer Sean Briggs to Briggs will become the principal at St Vln cents In Oakville A graduate of La Sails Col lege of Education in Manchester England he has been teaching In 14 years a principal In Oakville prior to coming to Acton He was recruited in England by the former Milton board and Is currently earning his Masters of Education the University of Toron to and has a from York University and his family live In Burlington will be replaced by Fred Springer a man with 11 years teaching experience and a taste for unusual hobbies He has served the board the past five years as viceprincipal at Georges Vanier in Oakville and also previously taught at Holy Rosary in Burl ington and Assumption High School He and his wife and two sons live In Burlington and arc ac tive in the Holy Rosary Parish Springer holds a brown belt in Judo Is an accomplished flute player and organist and Is also an amateur radio operator A graduate of St Johns and Central High School In Burlington Springer holds a Bachelor of Science degree from tho University of Guelph and a Masters of Education from Brock Univer sity He Is a graduate of Hamilton teachers cot lege Trustee Irene reports Springer Is quite happy about coming to Acton and is ex about the prospect of helping open tho