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Th Acton Free Press Wednesday January 21 The national president of the Royal Canadian Legion Robert of has come out with a broad and tolerant editorial in the current issue of the Legion magazine concerning the language problem as it affects Canada It should be read by all Canadians whether they are members of the egion or not We reproduce it in its entirety in the hope the message will hit home at both sides of the language issue This is the time of year when we look back on our sins and omissions of the past and make resolutions to try and do better in the future While we all have our own ideas about what resolutions are important I believe there is one that every member should determine to keep in 1970 It concerns the EnglishFrench language problem which has been the subject of bitter arguments in many parts of Canada It is understandable that some of us Irving in an area where little French is spoken are apt to be annoyed when we receive federal documents and forms in French as well as English Some raise a great hue and cry when they hear upon occasion a voice answer in English after French on a federal government telephone Others see something insidious about the French inscription placed over the English inscription on a poppy wreath at our national memorial Lets resolve to stop this petty bickering It is doing great harm and as long as it continues it poses a serious threat to the continuation of Canada as a nation As an individual and as your president I feel that we should do everything we can to conserve and protect national unity This means putting aside personal prejudices which arc adding fuel to the flames of controversy and providing ammunition for those divisive forces determined to effect the breakaway of one province to form a separate state The Legion includes in its membership several thousand Frenchspeaking Canadians who fought voluntarily for Canada in two World Wars Many died and others suffered disabilities fighting alongside their Englishspeaking comrades In action they were not concerned with protocol and who went firat They worked together as a team They respected each other for what they were rather than for the country in which they or their ancestors happened to be bom The year 1970 could be a crucial one over this question of bilingualism The future of Canada as a nation is at stake with the onus of responsibility on Englishspeaking Canadians to accept the fact that Frenchspeaking Canadians are entitled to equal status I feel that the Legion must provide leadership on problems which affect our national progress arid unity Therefore I hope all Legion members will make a New Years resolution to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards the needs of Frenchspeaking Canadians and take the broader view of a national policy upon which the unity of Canada depends WHO NEEDS A SNOWMOBILE when youve got a good fast toboggan and a faithful St Bernard to get you whom you want to go Peter and Heidi Sugar and Spice by bill smiley Editorial Pages put Out For the last half decade weve proposals fair government for Acton The subject has been studied exhaustively by local municipal administrations the provincial government and innumerable committees and study groups running the government from Mr to grade 4 students When appearances indicated the people were prepared for some changes McKeough stepped into the limelight with his own set of suggestions subject to the desires of the citizens involved and of course without any suggestion of infringing on local autonomy Since tablets came down from the mount recommending the wedding of Peel and the thunder has been reverberating through the forest Burlington would like to stay in Hamilton would like Burlington and part of may come in or may not would like to remain as a unit would agree to absorption by Peel Milton doesnt like its boundaries Nassagaweya doesnt want to be divided into MilonNassagawcya ActonNassagawcya Now emphasizes it would like to remain as a unit but transfer its allegiance to Wellington County The answer for Acton is obvious we should have thought of it before Acton had better secede from Halton it had better secede from Ontario it should join Quebec Now a lot of people will think return It will take 73 bdlion dollars and nearly teachers of every kind this year to educate some million young Canadiansclose to onethird of the total population A detailed breakdown shows four million elementary students million secondary 300000 in university and another attending technical institutions community colleges and private trade schools and colleges Homeowners- who bear the brunt of educational taxescan look for little immediate relief As a nation we spent per student in a sum which is expected to climb by 18 per cent this year to The experts predict more such comparable rises in the years ahead this is foolish but think of the comdor dwn Cartier freewaywirh ifStflrect access- to the motherland Our children arc learning French in the schools as their parents have done for many years from the back of the cornflake boxes No problem there We would have a distinct Quebec flag We can accept any flag it seems We could take advantage of the shared cost programs share the money without the program We would have strong even dominant representation in Ottawa We might even have a branch line run off the money pipe line from Ottawa to Quebec That would be nice And then theres the business and industry moving out of Quebec We could stop that with the stroke of a pen These giants of industry could move to Acton theyd still be in Quebec and everybody would be happy Although the zoning bylaw might have to be amended to allow building with a height greater than feet or would that be meters or Of course we could assure our neighbors we have no territorial claims at the present time perhaps sometime in the future but thats a long way off say next week Acton libre Thinking back over the yearend reports of the I realize that all the experts painted a picture of a decade of violence and change probably unequalled in history What is especially embarrassing is the thought that did tlic same tiling though Im no expert On second thought it was all pure poppycock Its true that The Sixties included these things but the in retrospect make the look like a childrens birthday party Noisy disorganized messy but essentially kids stuff in comparison Surely it was in The Forties that todays violence revolt drug addiction sexual freedom disgust with the Establishment and all the other goodies of The Sixties i the l30s those lucky enough to have a job were working for less than it costs today for a night on the town As Toronto newspaper columnist Richard pointed out the Great Depression was not brought to an end by our economists or politicians but by Hitler War created jobs wages went up prosperity began Sickening thought but true In The Sixties we waxed indignant over Chicago cops for beating dissidents over the head And so we should But in The Forties six million nondissidents of all ages and both sexes were beaten gassed or starved to death And millions of others were obliterated without even waving a placard Hows that for violence Revolt It was everywhere in partisan groups and new nationalist organizations And the rebels were just as longhaired and bearded and a lot hungrier than todays rebels They too were of both sexes as today But they were fighting for something not against everything And they were laying on the line not just a clout on the head a paddywagon and a fine but their lives unmistakable member of it Sir Winston Churchill That was a far far greater thing than rioting on a campus Atrocities We had one apparently in Vietnam recently with the Yanks as villains for a change Vile Certainly But it was a mere trifle compared to the atrocities of The Forties On all sides Tell your kids about Lidice the bombing of Hamburg and Dresden and what the Russians did at Warsaw And then there was the biggest one of all committed by the Good atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Todays atrocities are peanuts however indigestible Drug addition There wasnt any pot around But I wonder how many alcoholics are wandering around today who got their start when they were and in uniform I could list you a dozen from personal knowledge Just multiply Sexual freedom Perhaps it wasnt as blatant and selfconscious and publicityconscious as it is today but it was there lady it was there Now I dont for one minute mean your husband But those other guys Wow Change Whole countries disappeared Millions of people wandered homeless New countries sprang into being However just as The Sixties werent all rotten neither were The Forties They produced courage and sacrifice and a great sense of sharing and loving amidst all the hatred They produced a generation that sincerely believed that a better world was not only needed but could be built They produced entire new concepts of world peace They set the seeds for the end of the old imperialism Never mind that these have been frustrated and warped since And as a sideline they produced the millions of kids who are nowa mystery The Establishment In 1945 theBtitishandeTror and bewilderment to those relics threw it out including that heroic but of the frightful Forties Nuff said f the part have been taking good advantage of the excellent tobogganing conditions this winter Staff Photo ariiiN Last column on the of suggestion and morning mishaps with hair spray and deodorants drew tome amusing anecdote from otheri who hid been involved in similar For instance asked one lady who prefers to remain anonymous Have you ever tried to brush your teeth with Ugh horrible she recalled with I admitted that this refinement of modern living I had no with to emulate Some brands of tooth paste are bad enough However after some thought I do recall gargling with aftershave one dull winter morning Its no wonder its flavor does not rank as one of the leading of the nation Cold cures by suggestion Another of my numerous relation recalls many years ago when her husband came down with a cold It shook his ribt like barrel staves in a hurricane His face was a picture of misery Several suggestions to cure the cough by concerned members of the family were greeted with skepticism by the victim who moaned he had tried all the conventional remedies without success Have you tried some whisky and hot water cheerfully asked another gentlemen staying in the home This concoction accompanied by several hours of bed rest would cure any cold he guaranteed Whisky The gentleman shuddered A teetotaller by choice he also had a revulsion forevena sniff of the stuff Nope he replied he would Just as soon have the cold Wiser heads prevailed Come on they urged A few drops will hurt neither your principles nor your stomach and it might cure your cold Under this sort of pressure the relented The whisky was procured With sugar and hot water added It was set down in front of the quivering patient who could barely reach for the glass He managed to clup the glass in his hand and raised it to lips But a stray manipulation of the quivering hand brought the aroma directly under his nose He quivered turned up hii nose in distaste and set the glass back down I cant do it he told the imploring audience Try again they urged in unison He gave in reached for the glass and almost like a plane making a pass over a short airfield drew it up and over his mouth But he couldnt stain his tongue with a drop He dropped the glass back down declaring he would just as soon keep the ailment as smell that devils brew again No amount of cajoling could convince him to change his mind Now before the temperance forces march up and down with banners proclaiming the victory of will over still let me point out there is another refinement to the story The wife standing by in obvious sympathy held no such stout principles about John Barleycorn nor did she abhor the aroma which preceded a swallow She promptly raised the glass and drained the contents smacking her lips as it burned Its way down The patient went to bed shivering sneezing and shuddering Since it was late it wasnt long until the wife joined him Morning dawned bright and sunny but the patient slept easily with little trace of the previous nights illness His wife still concerned gently woke him and enquired about his health A witty fellow in spite of his ailment he opened one eye and said in cheerful voice Your breath cured me Would you believe the lady coughed and started to shiver CAMP CAMERON was set up in the countryside nearby by a group of Acton They posed for this group shot that must have bock many memories of Italy times years later 20 years ago Taken from the issue of the Free Press Thursday January William VansickJe CampbeUvilie the reeve of Nassagaweya township was unanimously chosen warden Judge W N Robinson conducted the installation ceremonies Seven new members were introduced to county council the highest number in several years including WiUiam McLeod of Acton One of the most disastrous fires in many years was the blaze which destroyed the fine bam on the farm of Mayor Harold Cleave of Georgetown The new board of 1 for the North Halton high school district met in the inaugural meeting in Milton G A Dills was chosen chairman and R vicechairman Col G Brown submitted that the costs of education on the taxpayer in was or 54 per cent It cost Esquesing 12 nulls on the tax rate for education purposes It might be necessary for the township to withdraw from the district Mr Carbert Nassagaweya wis in the tame position but council hid received no encouragement in inquiries that had been made Mr and Mrs Tom a son David a playmate for Bobby to Mr and Mn Jack McGcachie a daughter Resident of Acton for over years Sarah Jane Bell Ramshaw passed away in her year The Rotary will hereafter meet at oclock than at noon In spite of tricky weather Harry Oakley has good Ice at the arena The curling ice surface at the arena is being used by children learning to skate Acton council met till Monday Mr Middleton presented the requisition of the public school board for increased this year due to a now boiler It wis ruled members of council be paid 5 cents a mile for trips out of town and SI for meals- 50 years ago Taken from the issue of the Free Press Thursday January 1920 The need of the oppressed people of Armenia is beyond description Contributions axe being received it the Free Press for the starving Armenians who have suffered terrible deprivation under the Turk Monday afternoon while Mrs Philip Forbes had gone to a neighbor for a pail of water her little daughter Pansy lit a match and set her clothing afire The system of the little one just turned three was unable to resist the shock and she passed away The annual meeting of Acton Horticultural Society was held in the council chamber with Mr G Brown president officiating The secretary Mr M McDonald presented annual report that showed 108 members and receiptt of 30325 New officers were elected president Lawrence Williams 1st vicepres Mrs P Moore 2nd N F Moore directors P McLam H H J Gamble A Mochrie H P Moore Miss Laura Gray and Mrs G H Brown The Society intends to make the coming year tell effectively in promoting the beautifying of the town About SO ladies have enrolled for the course in home nursing A local trapper reports he told a raw mink skin last week for 17 Andrew Molozzi has purchased a farm on the first line The sad news reached Acton of the death in Saskatoon of Mr Stafford Bennett brother of Mr Robert Bennett An esteemed resident of this section Mrs Abraham Lindsay passed away THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Editoml Oftffc