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The Acton Free Press Wednesday Auguit 1971 Wheres Acton Maybe this community should think seriously about a promotion campaign to make it well known through Ontario On some of the writers weekend trips this summer beyond the towns borders but still well within provincial boundaries the existence of Acton has been questioned by well educated and responsible people They had no notion of where the town was or if it existed outside of our word for it The standard question was Wheres that The pat answer Forty miles west of Toronto Curiously all of the enquirers knew where Toronto is and our directions Rave them a vague idea where Acton Is THESE ARE NOT REALLY dog days You can ask George the Basset Hound- belonging to the Harris family on Cobblehill Rd Ian has to keep close ties on George who likes to stick his curious nose in just about everything Sunday he waited patiently outside the community centre while Ian watched the lacrosse finals and returned to give him an affectionate pat during periods Staff Photo Sugar and Spice by bill smiley dont know how youve fared but so far its been a rotten summer in these parts Instead of the sunny with scattered showers it has been day after day rainy with scattered sunshine Usually by now municipal councils are begging citizens to go easy with their lawn sprinklers or flatly threatening householders with a fine if they use them at all Brown burned crisp lawra are common by midAugust Not at our place this year We havent used our sprinkler since the first week in July and the lawn is alarmingly verdant and growing like weeds which of course a good portion of ours is Not much one can do about it But my heart goes out to the poor devils who are tenting Tenting is great fun under ideal conditions Its about as close as we can come to really getting back to nature Theres the pleasure of finding that choice campsite with a mere list the solid satisfaction of getting the tent up on the fourth try the adventure of exploring a new camp and its adjacent waters Theres the long day of puttering about in the sun fishing swimming gathering firewood relaxing For the men and children that is Theres the long day of puttering about with dishes cooking meals fooling with balky gas stoves and ad ministering first aid to sundry scrapes cuts and bites for the lady Few women like tenting But even for them there are joyful aspects When last pot has had its black bottom cleaned with sand when the last child has been tucked away milady can perch her weary tailbone on a stump or a stone by the look into the blue-red- orange flames and dream of the glorious day when this ghastly trip is over and shell be back in her castle with a proper stove refrigerator and automatic washer She sits there counting on her fingers with a dazed smile When the campfire is dying Mom has her supreme moment of the day She can crawl into her dampish pyjamas crawl into the huddle of blankets on the camp cot which is tilted toward her head and shudder for hours with a combination of cold and fear of the things that go bump in the night What tops it all is that about 3 she discovers that she has to go to the bathroom Its purely psychological of course But its quite an ordeal The flashlight Exactly what is credit union By John Last Director Acton Community Credit Union Some confusion still ex ists in the minds of many people regarding the function and ownership of a credit union any credit union that la I would like to take this opportunity to provide some enlightenment on the various points that appear to cause most of the confusion what is it It is a group of people yourself Included who agree to save together and lend each other money at a reasonable interest rate It is a legal corporation chartered under law as a non profit organization to serve its members only Some misunderstanding exists regarding these groups of people and in particular the word union sends wouldbe members scurrying down the wrong path It has been suggested to mc that the credit unions are owned by the trade unions and in other instances that the Roman Catholic Church wields the power Neither arc true but you may discover a trade union which operates its own credit union and a certain Catholic Parish whose members have formed their own credit union It certainly docs not apply to trade union or every parish Look around and you will find that some trade unions and parish churches invest their money in one of the existing community credit unions You may on occasions hear the credit union referred to as a Poor Mans Bank Dont believe it unless think of as a church mouse You own it and it is run by those elected to office by the membership at the annual general meeting Officials arc bonded and funds art protected by law As far back as 1B48 Wilhelm mayor of Flammersfeld in Bavaria developed a plan of selfhelp to help his people meet the hardships of famine ana free themselves from the clutches of unscrupulous moneylenders The idea of the credit union movement was born and travelled throughout Germany organizing credit unions among the farmers Should hail from Germany you must have hoard of the Bank or simply the Klssc In ltal in a similar movement was under way through the efforts of luzzatti and Leone with some influential support of the Catholic Church and by some were successfully operating in Italy year 1900 saw the credit union idea introduced to the Western Hemisphere by a Canadian legislative reporter who successfully organized the first north American credit union at Levis Quebec His further efforts obtained legislation at home and the establishing of the first credit union on United States soil Take a vacation in Quebec sometime and you notice the in every town and hamlet The strength of the credit union movement in Ontario should be wellknown to you but if this is not the case then ask your Acton manager There is a credit union in Acton which Is expanding quite rapidly on the map However it was clear they hadnt the vaguest notion of what the town was all about or why it existed You could put this down to a failure of the promotion departments like the Chamber of Commerce service clubs industrial development people etc but we believe the fault really lies with individuals an Actonian steps outside the town gates he should be a walking or driving ambassador a miniature Chamber of Commerce who expounds all the towns good points for unwary listeners You can knock the old burgh all you want when your home grouchy when the taxes go up the dogs are running loose or the weather is bad but once you step out of the municipality it is time to adopt mercenary approach Theres lots of good things here and many reasons for a soft sell Try them on strangers and see how they react After all any community is only made up of the individuals who live there If they are ail out selling the town then that is all thats needed to make it the greatest promotion the province has ever known On the other hand if we are all out to knock everything and anything then dont expect strangers to be impressed Theyve got enough problems in their own community doesnt work and the little house with the facilities is yards away across ground that is crawling with snakes and spiders with a bear behind every tree This is where she gets her revenge Whining and whimpering she rouses her spouse from a deep sweet slumber and issues an ultimatum either he gets up and goes with her holding her hand all the way or she starts packing and they head for home right now This is known in some circles as wedded bliss But nothing could be better calculated to put another nail in the coffin of their marriage Ive portrayed so far only the good side of tenting when the weather Is fine But put yourself in the boots of the miserable male who has rented a tent his twoweekswith takes the wife and three kids and gets one halfsunny day the rest cold or raining On the third day the guaranteed water proof tent begins to leak The firewood doesnt even smoulder The kids are going hairy with boredom There isnt a piece of dry clothing to be had The wife has stopped speaking entirely The tent is full of ants who are smart enough to get in out of the ram What to do If he packs and goes home it is obvious that the sky will therell be a heat wave If he insists they stick it out he will earn the undying hatred of his wife and the sullen contempt of his kids Give me the tenting life any day the sizzle of frying bacon the scent vod smoke the clean cool air for sleeping the murmuring talk b the But dont give me tenting on the cold damp ground as Stephen Foster didnt put it Id rather spend my holidays in jail Demolishing straw men Sometimes subjects are scarce and editorial writers must set up straw men and demolish them in order to pad out the columns The Milton Canadian Champion sister paper to the Free Press does this when it takes this journal to task for suggesting the square foot minimum proposed for estatetype homes in the proposed Esquesing Official Plan would restrict the best parts of the township to the wealthy The Champion applauds the entire official plan but puts the accent on some proposals about which no one is objecting The Champion says rural townships in this part of Ontario have to learn the economic frailties of releasing quarter- acre of halfacre lots on country roads for lowcost subdivision homes Such homes the paper pontificates dont usually cover the education taxes nor pay for other services No one could dispute that but where would you find a lowcost subdivision home Next the Champion engages in township comparisons However it is unfortunate they chose Nassagaweya as an example of a township which has successfully put the brakes on random rural development with a plan that allows a 2000 foot minimum house in the rural areas of the township Wasnt it only two months ago when representatives from Nassagaweya township met with the Minister of Education Robert Welch to present a brief complaining about the townships inequitable tax load The brief pointed out that the sale of residential subdivision type property has very high dollar volume as do apartments and industrial buildings and that the township has very few of them so they should not be saddled with their present tax equalization figure The Champion may also recall took a plunge down this year while Nassagaweyas jumped 10 mills The logical question to ask of course is how did Nassagaweyas restrictions help them Comparisons are in favor The Champion also claims that it is not the present residents of who want to build homes but city types who yearn for a country retreat and can afford to build an 1800 sqft home who want to put down roots in Esquesing We hadnt heard that the resuidents of had forgotten about sex and babies or the birds and the bees Maybe the Champion has a scoop but we think the good burghers of the township have children who would like to stay in the township And they will have children no doubt And so on How about them Do they have to go to the villages to build their homes or construct one worth over The Free Press appeal for a democratic decision according to the Champion sounded like we cherish our heritage and well stick together as we carry the township down the trail to the poor house An 1800 foot one we presume Wasnt it the official of the townships official plan L R Keddy who said township was in the enviable position of being in excellent financial shape Some trail to the poor house Again the Champion says the board has the financial interest of ALL the township taxpayers at heart when it establishes high minimum standards for new houses on the rural roadways Of course that would have to be anyone who makes at least 15000 a year and up No one else could afford 1L Cheap homes strung out along the landscape on every country line and stderoad just dont pay their way and by encouraging estatetype develop ment on a limited scale Esquesing is doing the right thing the editorial concludes Now we havent heard anyone disputing that nor has anyone suggested continuing that type of development to our knowledge As a matter of fact the Champion takes a swipe at many straw men What the Free Press did suggest was that the 1800 figure be reduced to one within the reach of people who live and work in Esquesing so they and their descendants could continue to live there It is people who live in houses not tax figures and it seems that township residents have been able to meet their obligations this far We never at any time suggested there should be unlimited development Why should the choicest parts of the township be reserved for those who can afford a 36000 house That is exciusiveness no matter what the Champion says 20 years ago Taken from the issue of the Free Press Thursday August 1951 Tuesday morning about 535 children and teenagers start back to school In Acton At the public school classes will be held beside the steadilygrowing new addition For grades one two and three there wilt be one experimental room combining the three grades following the recommendation of the Hope report There is much inside work to be done on the new addition and principal does not think any of the rooms will be use this year The new teachers are Miss Dorothy Capper Stratford Miss and Miss Acton The other teachers are Mrs K Alger Mrs Jme Gamble Miss Anderson Mrs Annie Wilkinson Miss Daisy D K Smith and W McKenzie Principal expects about students at the High School Two new teachers on the staff are Miss Harrus Toronto and John Heron West Hill Other teachers ire Miss Isabel E Hansen Miss Over Nassagaweya residents gathered in rook lie hall to honor John Keith the first Korean war casualty to return to Ontario Rev J presented the ex soldier with a gold watch Halions new equalized assessment has been realized after five years of effort the figures as set down did not meet the approval of all the members of county council Georgetown Oakville and Burlington thought they were assessed too high Russell Arbic the fourth Acton resident to contact poliomyelitis this ear was taken to Hamilton General Hospital Saturday 50 years ago Taken from toe Issue of the Free Press Thursday August 251921 One who has been a familiar figure on the streets of Acton for years was laid to rest at cemetery Peter McNab was bom in Scotland in came to Canada in his year and arrived in Acton in June 1856 just two months after Mr Charles T Hill and family had settled here He was a tailor and was engaged for years by the late Adam Dickson in his little tailor shop on Willow Street on the corner of the lot now owned by Mr Murray MacDonald Customs Officer In tunc he went Into partnership as Dickson and McNab then and Mr went home periodically to Scotland Seven times he crossed the Atlantic Mrs D Robertson who has been In California the past two years is In town the guest of Mrs A Lees Mrs Robertson Is engaged in writing scenarios for the leading producers of moving picture films and has made a success of this profession Wages of men engaged In road construction in Wcntworth county have been reduced by council The cits are as follows teams from SO cents to cents an hour foremen from to cents an hour laborers from to cents an hour There are many signs of an early autumn THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Business and Editorial Office Blackbirds arc assembling In flocks Goldenrod is In bloom two weeks earlier than usual A second bloom of buttercups is now on and almost a certainty of seed ripening Ail weed seeds are about three- fourths matured Elderberries which will be a large crop will ripen a fortnight earlier than usual General Sir Sam Hughes former minister of Militia has died Once more the time when a five dollar bill will buy a pile of groceries worth while years ago Taken from the Issue the Free Press Thursday August 20 ISM The HiUsburg Ladies Band has been engaged to play at Toronto Exhibition At about four oclock last Thursday morning the alarming tones of the fire bell rang out on the morning air It was soon ascertained that the small dwelling belonging to J T near the track was on fire The alarm was given by the brakeman of a passing train In a remarkably short space of time the hook and ladder truck ana the hose reels were an Ihe scene and in 1 minutes steam was up in the fire engine which was stationed at the tank on Frederick St and a stream playing ire was in the and could not be got at until the hooks had torn off a portion of the roof and siding The firemen handled their splendid apparatus like veterans and in a few minutes the flames were under control Loss about Without the fire apparatus the building would have been completely destroyed and the fire company suffered a loss of the amount of the policy The fire was clearly the work of an incendiary One of Actons fairest maids Lottie was married at her home Woodbine Cottage to Mr John Bcws one of Miltons most popular young businessmen The mystic words which united the happy couple were pronounced as the principals stood beneath a mammoth floral horseshoe The bride was very prettily attired In a travelling suit of novelty cloth trimmed with Persian silk Amid showers of rice they left on a trip down the SL Lawrence to Montreal A civic holiday excursion to la talked of In Georgetown they to the Falls