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

th acton fra pratt wednesday march 3 1969 mttt prtss editorial ifaga hu44 i water ottawa in the winter it has been compared to siberia and other northern outpost w he people who are obligated to spend time there but after a trip to ottawa last week for the annual convention of the ontario weekly hewspapert association we can only say the reports like the death of mark twaio have been grossly exaggerated the nations capital is a beautiful place any lime of the year with the parliament buildings sitting in the heart or the city in a majestic letting besdie the ottawa river the rideau canal steps down alongside in a series of locks before it joins hands with the ottawa the tun shone all three days we were there and believe it or not the ottawa area did not have as much snow as we have in this neck of the woods canadas flag fluttered at the top of the peace tower fronting the parliament buildings while the gatineau hills ottawas winter playground beckoned to winter sports enthusiasts behind ottawas sister city hull theres a great deal going on in the capital to interest visitors with the house of commons the focal point we were fortunate to attend twice and watch debates in progress as well as being there for the often controversial question and answer period on a friday morning we met m p rud whiting in the house and he was most gracious advising our party on the beslplaces to sit hear parliament in session he also showed us around his office and explained tome of the myriad duties of an m p it was refreshing to see prime minister trudeau the leader of the opposition robert stanfield always colorful john 8f fenbaker cabinet ministers mitchell sharp and fcdgar benson and m p s like tommy douglas stanley knowles and wellingtons alf hales participate in the debates there was much thrusting and counter punching from both sides of the house on some of the questions although we had been told on good authority that power wtis passing from the mpi to the governments senior civil servants it was evident there is still much free expression in the house of commons george i lees was on his feet at one time in an incident which provoked much laughter at the time but which involved a very important principle he was not satisfied until he got an answer iter undue j mnatw back at the chateau laurier the convention proceeded in a busy round of sessions designed to improve the qualifications of the publishers and editors for the year ahead there were technical sessions and discussions from some of the top men in the newspaper and photographic field but the highlight of the convention for this writer was a talk by the eminent senator m grattan oleary i had heard much or the literary and oratorical skills of senator oleary und they werent exaggerated eighty years old he has spent over 60 years in the newspaper business most of them with the influential ottawa journal he is still editor emeritus of the journal senator oleary is a conservative by his own definition und it was this fact that landed him his first job on a newspaper in st john new brunswick his first big assignment wus meeting the liner carpatlua after it had rescued survivors of the titanic which sank ufter striking an iceberg south of newfoundland the night of april 14 1912 with the loss of 1517 passengers and crew that was 57 years ago but mr oleary is almost us sharp now he took one last look ut his notes be i ore speaking to ins audience removed his glasses and never used them ugain he told the weekly newspaper representatives that they have retained a larger degree of confidence in their product jkifj the daily newspapers enjoy this credibility gap has been fashioned the senator sjid by the dailies smug references to freedom of the press and a tendency to forget the responsibility of the press it is time for press and newspaper people to realize the freedom they enjoy is not absolute he continued the daily press has created this credibility gap with its invasions of privacy and violations of responsibility by putting truth second to other matters the senator charged part of the reason he said was the lack of people competent to deal with public affairs we need better trained journalists to deal with the increasing complexity of public affairs he usscrted senator oleary charged the english press was one of the worst examples of irresponsibility the press has got to realize that it is not the whole community nor an end itself but only a function he said the speaker scoffed at those who derided and sneered at parliament defending politicians for the public interest they have in the countrys welfare canada has had good men to lead despite the presence of u few bad eggs in the nations forum he said the cynicism and indifference were being fostered by some sections of the daily press and unless it was corrected it would be the press which would suffer no right includes privileges to society the senator told the attentive audience his remurks wound up the exhilarating saturday session and gove those ut the convention much to think about thank you all of course another highlight of the convention was the presentation of newspaper competition awards especially since the free press was honored with two of them there is keen competition for the general excellence awards it was a proud moment when publisher dave dills accepted it the award is a tribute to everyone involved in putting this newspaper to bed each week from the correspondents columnists editorial staff back shoppers advertisers press reporters for the various organizations and those who phone in leads or stories to the people who sometimes knock our knuckles it takes a community efforfto produce a prize winning newspaper and we here at the free press appreciate the cooperation we receive from everyone it makes that extra effort seem worthwhile when your work receives special recognition another great source of pleasure of course was a second place finish in the sports page and sports coverage competition this was in a competition with all the weeklies in ontario and it bears out a contention weve had for sometime that our sports pages covered most of the sports events in town and district once again it is a tribute to those who contribute in any way to their success thank you for the many notes and expressions of congratulations it strengthens our resolve to continue to make the weekly visits of the free press in your homes and apartments a pleasant as well us an educational experience the historic eden mills mill it being restored in lit ordinal form by owner td barden who it already turning out orders for vegetable crates in parts of the centuryold building mr garden iniendt to rebuild the mill completely in the near futuro wallt three feet thick at ihe bottom tapering to 70 inches at the top are mil tolld detplle the inferno which gutted the mill in the fall photo by jim jenningt sugar and spice b y ley isnt it o delirious feeling about this time of year to wake up in daylight and get home from work before dark it begins to restore ones faith in the scientists claim that the earth is round and moves in orbit about the sun or is it the other way round hor about three months any winter i t join the flat earth society and agree with ftraclically anybody hat the sun is a egend a figment of last summer imagination dont know why im in such a jolly mood today perhaps it is that weve had three straight days of sunshine reeze thq brains of a brass monkey but sunny spring is on its way i can tell tho snowbank pushed up beside my garage has dwindled from 22 feet to 15 and two teachers smiled at each other tn the staff room this week its not such a bjd old world after all nobody has axed a computer or lynched a university president this week yet my daughter passed two tests in school i got the garbage out without cursing once my wife and daughter have stopped fighting they gang up on me instead my bursitis is practically neutral the income tax deadline in nearly a whole month away i found the toe rubber thats been missing for a week what more could a man want the muffler hasnt fallen off my car i havent had a toothache for six months i almost made u crucial curling shot the other night what more could life offer my son is making his mark in the world of dining rooms some nights he makes as much as sts and some nights s5 and lies making something else noises vague but audible about going back to school my daughter tame home from school today smiting instead of scowling her mother asked her what die was smiling at as she came in the door poker faced tilings arc definitely on the upswing around here now dont get me wrong i m no pollyanna i know that hough god s in mis heaven even on weekends ull s wrong with the world i know that there are little black clouds no bigger than the rocky mountains on he horizon there are black panthers and the yellow menace and brown guerrillas and white gorillas and pink elephants and blue singers and reds under a great many beds there arc broken homes and- broken marriages and broken gartetbelts practically everybody you meet over the age of eight months is either emotionally disturbed or senile we have explosions in the population the stock markets and the furnaces of the nation taxes and insurance and even the important things like bread and milk keep going up it wont be long before most of us are living on bread and milk considering tho price of meat cars are not being as well made as tin cans the non returnable bottle is our biggest threat since the bubonic plague the man in the moon has lust his image and mr trudeau is following fast tomorrow there wilt be a blizzard and the day after the muffler and tail pipe will fall off my tar my piles will reactivate ill lose both toe rubbers rut today i dont care the yellow sun is kissing the white snow and the latter overcome by passion is melting that is all i know and all i need to know to heck with all the rest of it im in such a state of euphoria i think i could even go out and have a whale of a tunc with a girl called gloria if i knew one pkette jjwft the paat 20 years ago taken from the luu of the free pieu thurtday match 10 iv49 mr and mri alex mcgiegor lifelong letldents of acton and dlsliict quietly marked their golden wedding anniversary they haw two daughter mil w d talbot acton and mra merwin soy tier of llobbn new mexico and one granddaughter mrs johrimtlluah advertisement for hotann fchop spring i adiupt parade on the slice of the kjoxy theatre our models glili selected by popular vote maiy volt betty gibson joy mnniphf geotgina periyman kay lame ijui hunter mary hotyk shirley palmer kunner up iwn itschlin tile duke of devonshire chapter i o l i annua officers lea wit held al hie home of mri sim willi teacheis and membeis of ihe lakeside chapter at guests mn n band presided mist dorothy simmons gave two songs mrt grant mcdonald a piano tulo and mn ii mjlnprle read several poems the new fue escape at the public school has been uied by 200 pupili and hai been found very satisfactory 50 years ago taken from ihe luue of the i ire 1ieii thursday match d ll llolh farm and town properties are changing hand these dayt quite freely duriug ihe week i a llendeiton hai told to w ii m tullough ihe john walton farm on the i iflh line which lie puichated latt year hubert mann hat uild the alex mann properly on ihe third line to d a llendeiton tills property hat been in mann family for three generations conrad ihldenbrand who wai a familiar figure in acton for 40 yean wat laid tu rest he had chain of the acton lection of the grand trunk railway pie fcnoch mcklnnon reached home- monday after three years of service in khaki ailullc decoiallont of nags and bunting and welcome home signs greeted him si reached ihe family residence on main st near the eledilc railway halloo the mluet coupe i invite ihe ladies of acton and viclnlly to their millinery opening friday and saturday v u dan ritchie and pt george green arrived horrfe from overseas pur green was one of our lint buys to enlist hi im 4 and has been in hospital ihe past year suffering from the effects ofgeiman gas th kings ovdeihei ipent last friday at hie home if mr and mn roy aiittwougli tv program was in charge of scoutmaster n i moore assisted by assistant icoutiuuler savjge and bugler spielvogel 75 years ago titan from the iuueuf ihr vrce press thursday march a ihm the acton i uurlig mills of which mr john harvey has been ihe proprietor for the past eifcht ycju luve been uld to messrs c heyne hrot ofguelph who for a number of years have been conducting ihe speedvale mills the social held at the imme of christopher swatkhamcr at hurchlll to provide fundi for renovating and improving lite i onereutlonal chunli was very largely attended i very room in ihe house was crowded a couple of weeks ago ihe choir went over to t aledon lo give a ucred concert i or ihe first lime since their organization 20 years ago walker lodge a i and a m held a public entertainment under their uuinues last wednesday evening sheppard s worlds i air was ihe attraction ihe lull was crowded lo ihjw entrances a large number or colored vtewt of ihe great i uir and the beautiful white city were shown salt and pepper bv ha r 1 1 y coles another view of the firemens reunion in acton in 1008 is shown this week in this series the pictura wu lent to the free press by roy brown bower ave any more pictures available for us to borrow to include in this comer what do you say when a fellow aiks you to be a judge al a beauty contest yes by all means of course you betcha yes siree ja oui si or as ihe chinese say fits gs j ding dong it happened to me about three weeks back after id finished showing ihe rest of the thursday night bowling crew how to get a 300 triple with j mere 90 balls ken hulford piopiielor of the local kegling range sauntered over to the bench while i signed autographs hit glasses perched perilously close to the end of his nose a clgaiette dangling from the comer of his mouth say kid he says howd ya like to be a judge at a beauty contest knowing kens proclivity for pulling legs my first impulse was to answer wazza madder you sol some headpins to pick over instead i pulled myself together looked solemnly at him while his cigarette ash grew another inch and said why nop ken flicked his fag closed one eye and peeied over ihe top of his lenses its over at claikson on the 1 6th pop compnys throwing it in conjunction with a tournament need somebody who can really pick em outside of ihe time i put a five on the oakland seali to win the stanley cup or picked ihe speysjde hornets to crush the crewtons corners red wings in the tiddly wink tournament i guest i qualified picken i mean i know i said the new york mets would win the world series the cubans would be the first to reach the moon and george wallace would be the next president of ihe united states but these were minor mistakes in reckoning a decision like a beauty contest where a poor pick could have major repercussions like a purse over the head a cold shoulder or some hot tongue from an incensed mother would keep me on my toes sure i confirmed mentally pictunng a gorgeous levy of beauties trailing down the alleys count me in blithely i tripped home my head in the clouds an aura of indestructibility about me that left my better half mystified whats got you up in the clouds she enquired her tongue in check what she really meant was what have you got to be happy about gonna be i judge in beauty contest was the reply they need somebody who knows how to pick em what could she say to that one kind of a left handed compliment wasnt it if she snorted or turned up her nose it might reflect on the fact i chose her or did the chose me without getting into the arguments for both sides let it be said she tolerated the idea merely muting every now and again on the idiotic choices for judges they have in some contests k continued to walk around on cloud nine my head in a nimbus my feet in the stratus the big day arrived and number one son decided hed go jlong for the ride to clarksun he s reached the age where you dont publicly admit tu being interested in girls but remain a detached observer hell go lo ihe dance hut stand ail nighf ijt the slag line j we started out an hour to spare and headed for ihe lakesliore following ken llulfords directions to hie letter followed ihe queen lluabeth way as far as missisuuga road lurned down it and landed in port credit the beauty contest was in clarkson oh well turn south cm the lakesliore road and hit clarkson we did on the nose pardon me muter could you tell us where the so and so howling lanes are never heard of it pardon me son wheres the blankety blank bowling lanes shrug of the shoulders back into the bucket of bolts down the lakesliore turn north and up on a shopping plaza no bowling alley frantic half an hour late up and down streets looking asking no luck turned back home tall between legs frustrated arrived home just in lime to see acton bantams lose the deciding playoff game no queen no winner self pity very evident arrived back home to cheery greeting couldnt and the place ha hai began to see the funny side hoped mr hulford would hit comment the next day what a pinhead i guess it all proves a small town boy should never venture into the big smoke without a compassespecially for a beauty contest the acton k free press 6oiiau rtd ffetarlaj ohfc ktjktiafai let uttattj r l u 10 wotsm 14 lim oavurt stesu fc hjty tal ytl if cemsaautaa ttcma tatal 4keau mm s fjsmtf ewswrtp t feat urn ia fed vm mf aimtmrtwa m tttmi cfau 1uj t oat mtmajsg h utajhgj llkf ttettiam ikm u uw mttal arf n if wi- uu mtiajs w tki u ihlllng imm caumal ism hastl um lajkhmm w haw ui ta smial aw al rt jmtiriejl mawl al h twajagssjtlttjj ana fcwihbgj tjjsjjdjj at lamkart u b tmoaj htcaj iimhh ww u uli lt irilili tjisj mfmr 10 wit mat mm wjewmbl m ihm mtufc owl at mm i hi r h