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Untidiness of Actons main stem Theres gold in them there Mason Jars Mason jars the original container for home preserves used to sell for 55 cents a dozen at the turn of the century but they are now worth from to each Prices can run as high as for some types of the antique fruit jars Today the Canadian successor to the original Mason Jar is being produced by Dominion Glass Company Production is centred at plants in Hamilton Ontario and Redchf Alberta The art of home preserv ing is gaining in popularity in Canada and the Mason jar is coming into its own again but while the house wives of today are coming back to Mason jars the hunt goes on for samples of the past The Mason Jar itself goes back to when John Mason of New York City obtained a patent for a glass container made air tight by a metal screwon cap Heating and then sealing of in these containers paved the way for home pre serving in North America 1 have three brothers In law One is a railroader one is a lawyer and the third Is pretty ill right now 1 vc always felt lucky about them Each of the three is a fine fellow and we ve got along with never an unpleasant word or experience between us That more than lots of brothers in law can bay Left alone they probably be fine but when the women involved start getting their knives into each other often a cold develops among the poor devils of husbands My railroader brother In law went to school with me and we played football together on a couple of the best teams that ever came out of Perth Collegiate Institute and Lanark County My lawyer brother in law worked with me on a chain gang one summer when we were students ana it was the best dodge- work chain gang that ever worked for the Kodak company We left no stone unturned In our constant vigilance to appear to be working when the foreman came around Both these chaps are around my own age a bit tattered around the edges from raising families and paying off or gages hut otherwise in good shape My third brother in law Is a bit longer in the tooth and 1 always looked on him as somewhere between a second father and second big brother Not that he acted either part He treated mi exactly most boys would like their fathers to treat them And he never ever acted the bullying know It all role of the big brother He treated me as a human being He never implied that I was a kid and he wus an adult When he was twice my age he talked as though we were equals Smiley men of the world together and I ap preciated it ever since He d take me fishing when I was a kid There was no nonsense about him being in charge We were just a couple of fishermen One fishing jaunt I still remember with particular pleasure We were out in the middle of the lake when a summer storm caught us No or few motors in those days You rowed We were as wet as though we Jumped overboard We got to shore with the rain still pounding down We found a cottage unoccupied and managed to get in We put up the stovepipes got a fire going and foraged There was a halt can tea leaves So there we sat by a roaring fire drinking hot tea and feeling like Ulysses just home from the Trojan war It was not a miserable experience or a disaster It was a joke an adventure Art sat there smoking his pipe and regaling me with earthy stories and I sat there happy as a clam feeling a real man able to cope with anything He d take mc off to the cottage when he was courting my sister and I was about rirtecn a nuisance I must have been but you d never know it from him When I was courting I dragged home thecritter who is now my old battleaxe and MiniComment The Ontario Federation of Agriculture criticizes the province land use plans for the Niagara Escarpment and Parkway Belt system for not selling aside land strictly for livestock poultry production so producers could live without being con harassed by complaints about odor The Is but we don t think It is necessarily the Government s concern When people live near a farm they must expect odors because so far as we know there Is no deodorized manure being produced as yet We have been receiving many comments on the cartoons Dave Waddefl has been producing for the Free Press in the last few weeks He has the knack of putting his finger on a situation with a few lines that thousands of words could not describe Ken wrapped up another year of writing the bowling news at his Main St establishment last week He signed off with his usual and Concord City which since some of have asked is a greeting to his daughter and family in California Ken will be back again in the fall we hope but until then it will be and goodnight Kilty Springs Georgetown councillor Bill Hunter decision to throw his hat into the mayoralty ring for the new North Ha It on borough brings the number to two reeve Tom Hill announced his decision to run the previous week So far no one from Acton has indicated a desire to run for the top office and only Reeve G Pat Mckenzie among all the councillors has expressed his It Is too early yet but if elections are held in October as it seems they will be it is time to start thinking seriously about it One of the weaknesses of the new system of regional government as we see it will be the trend away from the gnus roots to the of more professional politicians Most working men will not be able to spare the time necessary to run a borough of people and only those with the time and money will be candidates Likely this will create a new breed of full timepart time local pohticos a new departure but also another step away from public opinion and thought Walter Mulkewich the NDP candidate in the last provincial election has suggested this might be overcome with a system of community councils within each ward to ensure the community was involved in the decision making process It is a good thought but will never likely be exercised The program to impress bicycle safety THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE Business and Editorial Office The main street of any community should be the show window the place you can show off to visitors Alas Acton has a bad reputation deservedly It seems An editorial in the paper recently mentioned that the editor took a three day trip and as is his custom compared the tidi ness of the Main Streets of dif communities they passed through Tills is what he says The thing that impressed us first on entering individual urban areas was the tidiness of the main street Places like Preston Gait now Cambridge had an Immacu late appearance In Acton however the opposite was true refuse of every kind description littering the sidewalks and curbs It was Sunday noon and I thought of the similarity between Acton and Stouffville at a similar time in the week Our town too leaves much to be desired The Stouffville editor goes on to suggest the town should purchase a mobile sweeper to do the job on a dally baslB He says Stouffville the main urban area in a municipality of 12000 has outgrown the broom and shovel brigade that performs the duty on a somewhat irregular basis No comment other than the Stouffville editors needs to be Introduced here It is scathing enough and done without axes to grind and without the holier than- thou attitude Borne visitors might have We received the clipping from an Acton resident with the note You had better tell the town father of council to clean up Enough said The Free Wednoiday Juna 13 Exploit the beauty of Fairy Lake her kid sister who had tailed along He drove the three of us to the same cottage and he and my big sister accepted us and Ted us without a question or a hint or raised eyebrow When the war came along he was of an age which there was no need for him to loin up no question of being drafted He joined the air force and spent four years of uncomplaining service about two thousand miles from his family Ik could have stayed home and made money is most of his contemporaries did He never said much at times of familv crises though he was dragged into out large family But he was always there always steady always the peacemaker He hated rows and scabpicking and soul searching and when people got into thai stuff he change the subject or quietly leave He believed in the old adage as did my mother that If you con say anything good about a person don say anything And I never heard anyone soy a bad word about him He s a good Christian i good Catholic but a down to earth one not one of those pious bores He was no world beater and he want to be He was no but had a wit as Irish as his good looks and at the risk of seeming maudlin 1 would say a sweet man I hope he reads this and knows how much his young brother in law thought or him when ho was an Impressionable kid and ever since And I hope the day is not too far off when out of that hospital bed and we can crack a jug together on students in Acton two public schools is worthwhile both from a safety viewpoint and as a means of introducing youngsters to the rules of the road Results can be wen on town streets as youngsters stop at stop signs signal for turns and follow which were ignored in many instances before Certainly something is seriously wrong when the meanings of words get turned upside down Mutual tolerance live and let live has meant Tor a long time liberation freedom from hatred persecution and violence There is now a very active school of thought that attacks toleration as a form of repression It tolerates evil which is itself the defeat of virtue When the police in tervene against violent disorder to protect citizens as they go about their lawul the police arc said to be guilty of a wicked form of violence This ind of verbal jugglery expresses a scorn for our constitutional principles It is designed to keep us from discussing to any purpose and to turn the society upside down J A Kingston former principal of Queen University Our readers write Acton May 1373 Dear Mr Dills The Greenock Women Inst itute to express their thanks to the Acton Free Press for coverage of our meetings during Ihe year We are lucky to have a press that prints all that is sent in We hear complaints from other localities that their press prints half of what is sent in and for that reason some have stopped sending in material Thanking you again Formation of the new North Halton municipal council will open many new planning avenues impossible while the north is still divided into four municipalities For instance control of land around Actons Fairy Lake has been divided between and the town And they dont always see eye to eye on the ob jectives In the future one municipality will decide its future Although the lake is privately owned by the land surrounding the body of water is mainly in the hands of private people and this could spell trouble if mercenary interests decided to exploit loopholes in planning in favor of an incompatible development We think purchase of the land is the only effective way the municipality can control access and egress It neednt be all that expensive It could take the form of a broad band of green such as presently exists in part of the subdivision A publicly owned strip around areas which have not been developed tied in with way easements through connecting links on private property would be idea In this way the public would have full use of the water This area has two distinct natural advantages the Niagara Escarpment where air is several degrees cooler and Fairy Lake largest inland body of water in the county The escarpment has been looked after by the provincial government The lake has always been the focal point for recreation in Acton As population pressures increase the need for more parkland will be evident Benefits may not be quickly apparent but future needs will be met without the necessity of resorting to expropriation Several years ago members of the Acton Board or Parks came out with the idea of a walkway from Fairy Lake along the School Creek as far as the music centre on Wallace St It was an excellent suggestion never fully explored beyond a few drawings and a certain amount of enthusiasm At the time there were more pressing problems which gobbled up all the available funds discouraging the idea of opening the park system with a broad entrance along Main St N in the vicinity of the School Creek as well What a lovely vista it would make if Prospect Park could extend from Main St completely Fairy Lake with a walkway providing easy access from Wallace St as well It may sound fatuous but is still within the realm of possibility In a few years it may not be so A new rural dynasty coming Amidst all the general press approbation for the provincial government announcement of the Niagara Escarpment planning area and a two pronged parkway belt it is difficult to inject a note of pessimism However it is evident that efforts to prevent urban sprawl and preserve the escarpment are also meant to keep those of modest means out Estate type developments will be allowed some of Ontarios most scenic beauty spots along the escarpment to provide the affluent with country retreats while those who could never hope to own such a residence must remain in the ghettos provided for them If the Government was really serious about preserving the escarpment and the parkway they would ban all future development not restrict it to those who can afford to pay the price If estate type developments are allowed then why not a few well built houses more within the range of the ordinary taxpayer We note with dismay that this is the pervading philosophy behind all rural planning in the province Those of modest means will be grouped in the villages towns and cities while those who have the dough can avail themselves of the choicest land in the province the scenic view the choice farm land The end result will be a rural aristocracy not unlike what we have in Britain the country squire on his domain with the serfs huddled in their villages in long rows of town houses No one of course would support planning which provides for jerry- built boxes along the rural routes such as we now have In some places These were constructed at a time when community planning and environmental studies were unknown except in a few more enlightened centres A small home can however be just as attractive and as easy on the environment as a large manor providing the proper safeguards are imposed We believe that if this province is to set up official plans and zoning by laws to regulate the use of land there should be no discrimination in favor of those who can afford to pay for large houses and taxes It is easy to pin the blame on economics when often it is really a case of exclusiveness that has no place in Ontario or any other part of Canada Back Issues of The Free Press Taken Ihe issue of the Press Thursday June IK 1953 One of the hardest battles ever fought in county council was experienced at the regular session last Tuesday when Burlington members sought to have ihe equalized assessment bylaw amended to increase the taxes paid by municipalities In the south and to relieve the northern municipalities Recorded votes were taken on each question The by law as recom mended b county assessor Ford Rogers and J municipal consultant was approved by a 153 vote Staff members of the P C held a party for Horns and Kerwin McPhail the home of Mr and Mrs Bob MacAr thur Tenders will be called immediately for tht new high school buildings at Acton Milton and Georgetown At the meeting of the Music Study group at Ihe home of Airs J Jany presentations were made to Miss Clara and Miss McKay who are leaving lown members attending were Mrs rani of Die and Mrs Doug Maplesden of Guelph The urgency of a new bridge on Maria SI was stressed by council Seven large cartons of used clothing were packed for Korean refugees in hall last week Ukrainian Catholics of Acton attended Mass at St Joseph under Ukrainian Kite Sunday Public school field day champions are Robert Pat Ken Ruth Keith Main- prize and Lynda J E Nelson who practised in Acton for years died In California Taken from the Issue of the free Press of Thursday June 1 9Z3 The General Assembly of the Presbyter Church has spoken on the great question of organic union with the Methodist and Congregational churches By vote of more than three to one the governing body of Presbylerianism in Canada decided In favor of proceeding immediately with consummation of union The decision con over years of work agitating and controversy It is significant that it was the Presbyterian church that made the firs overtures to the other churches in 1902 Immediately the vote was announced dissent of the minority wos registered In a long document So far as the operation of local churches in places like Acton is concerned the union will make no difference In the near future When put into operation the union will have results In unifying forces reducing costs and advanc ing the Kingdom of Christ P Moore editor of the Free Press has been a member of the church union committee since its inception representing the Methodist church A root ball team has been organized which will be known as the Acton Rangers composed largely of English Scotch and Irish players who played on some of the best teams in the Old Land Mr Gordon Beardmore occupied the chair for the first meeting and Hon President Hon Vice is Peter Smith Esq and Hon Treasurer John Clarke Esq President Is David Preston Treasurer Bud McDonald Secretary J Manager J Tyler and Captain J Ritchie For financing the club it has been decided tp take up a lion Collectors are Mr Tyler for the age Mr Brenull for the glove factory Mr Redbum for the harness leather tannery Mr for the sole leather tannery Taken from the Issue of be free Press Thursday June I ISM Our honored and earliest living settler celebrates his birthday today Asa Hall Esq saw the light of day at St Andrews Que in He came to Acton years ago this spring and settled on the farm on Main St bordering the north westerly limits of the present corporation boundaries He had Chased his property two years before i the Canada Company When he came here there were but two houses in the new settlement one of which is still standing in Ihe rear of the residence of Henderson M P Bower Ave and the other was on the site of residence of Mr Adam Cook Main St They belonged to and were by the Messrs Adams the founders of Acton There was no clearing above the creek on Main St and the place had neither name nor post office Mr Hall is still vigorous and at tended with much pleasure the session of Conference of the Methodist church at Guelph during Ihe past week His reminiscences are always listened to with genuine interest by the rising generation Mr near Campbellvflle raised a fine bank barn by block and tackle last week and on Thursday gave a social dance to the young people who assisted Landlord Bennet of Milton formerly of Acton now controls the hotel business in Ihe county town He owns the Bennett and Commercial Hotels and has recently leased and moved Into the Wallace House the old reliable has opened a barber shop In George Adams late The cornet band rendered several selections from the band stand on Town Hall square Monday evening but the programme was suddenly terminated by the alarm of fire at the tannery The new street sprinkler has not been so much In demand the past week