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The Acton Free Press Wednesday Oct Don McDonald Publisher Founded fn Tt Anion Free one of Inland Co I ted of ban news I ape which include Tl News Advertiser The imp ton Post Eiobicoke Tl a Georgetown Independent Mi Tho and Sun TloM lion Canadian Misussauga News Thn VolAurora Era This Oshawa This and Stoutly loTibuno Advertising accepted on that portion the advertising space occupied allowance for signature no I be god for paid for at the iota the event typographical error hat erroneous rem together with reasonable the balance of the advertisement Mill be cal advertising goods services not bo sold Adverto is merely an offer Second class EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor Hartley Coles New Editor Helen Murray EncEbiono Spans Editor Robin ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Advertising Manager Bid Cook Advertising Manfan BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Office Manager Fran Gibson ThomhiH Shirley Carolyn A ten CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Manager TELEPHONE 853 2010 Justness and Editorial Of tee Ac ton needs its heart There have been appeals in these columns over the last two years lo save Acton old town hall from demolition Now the time has come for residents to bite the bullet and decide the fate of the centuryold red brick build Not everyone has the enthus and the generosity of the pensioner who donated all of her 300 pension cheque to saving the building but dollars are needed if it is to stay at the corner of Bower and Willow Streets The town hall has come to signify one of last remnants of this community autonomous period before it was joined with and Georgetown into the blissful wedlock of Hills It represents more than a build ing It represents the old Acton which ran its own affairs and did very well thank you Truthfully there much to say architecturally for the town hall It creates no excitement for aesthetic taste It does not dom mate the landscape Perhaps for the superficial it is merely an old building which needs much re pair Inside it is typical of many 19th century buildings with fancy moldings around windows Downstairs the old jail cells are still there The council chambers are still there stripped of the municipal furniture none of which was inspiring Upstairs where so much of Acton early entertainment and social events took place they removed the stage which was the focal point of the auditorium So why save if Why not tear it down and get rid of the old relic There are many reasons for saving the building which is a symbol of this town s early beginnings but perhaps the most tangible is to give the community a heart Remember the children favorite The Wizard of Oz where the Tin Man looks for heart The wizard responds by presenting him with a bauble in the shape of a heart Acton needs one too a symbol that this is still a com munity with a large one Then too there are many mem ones in that old building They can tear them away but they can take away the representation of what this community once rev around Historically much of the history of Acton was dec ided in that old town hall Newcomers who came here to get away from the glitter noise and confusion of the city can also appreciate that this symbol of the old Acton is also a history lesson from another age a look at what this community and this part of Ontario stood for and could afford as they built up the country We I find other uses for the town hall Perhaps it can regain some of its former standing as a social centre Perhaps part of it could house a museum which trays the history of the com There are other uses but too many to mention here If Halton Hills councillors fin ally decide to tear the town hall down it will do no good to blame them They are giving the people of Acton the chance to it If not enough of them are there s no doubt the build will come down If we really care about the town hall and all it represents we 11 donate to the fund to preserve it The ball is in our court Motorists behind Mr Davis Motorists will generally agree with the president of the Canadian Automobile Association that the proposed leap of 30 cents a gallon in the federal excise tax on gas is unreasonable J Genereux the president expressed dismay at the extra financial burden which will be placed on motorists who consume only 23 per cent of the petroleum products to subsidize all other pet roleum users He also claims the 37 cents per gallon tax will not encourage conservation Spending patterns in Europe and Japan where gas oline costs up to a gallon show no change in energy consumption Faced with higher energj costs consumers continue 10 purchase gasoline and stop purchasing other consumer goods That is precisely what Premier Bill Davis is telling Premier Peter in their war of words over increased oil prices Mr Davis doesn think the price of Canadian crude needs to match the world price controlled by the mid Eastern cartel He has mil lions of Canadians behind him especially in view of the immense profits both the oil companies and the Province of Alberta have chalked up with present prices Albertans still paying cents a gallon at the pumps for fuel may support their premier but surely the welfare of the entire country must come before that of one province Canadians faced with inflation in almost every facet of everyday living would be dealt another blow by sudden price hikes of such magnitude Most Canadians realize the must be more conservation minded but there are better ods than price to control oil supply and demand including rationing Even now the Arabs are prep aring for another price hike If Canada must follow suit the price of gasoline will continue to climb at their whim Mr Davis deserves our support in his bid to keep prices reasonable HE DOESNT VWWT TlRiCK OR ETHEL HE FIRST Its 50 years since the crash of 29 This scribbler was still in diapers when the crash plunged the world Into one of Ihe worst depressions in memory Growing up through those years was not tragedy for me ihal others seem have experienced There were hard times he people of this town and district had tighten their belts bul life went on pretty much as usual The shortage of money also brought prices down and for a kid two to years of a penny was a lot of money For in stance one could go into Pa Jones grocery store on Mill where Chicken and Pizza Spot is now and get a full bog of coaled peanuts for one cent And Pi Jones liked to wan on you himself lo make sure your bag was full Somclimes if you had a talent such as singing or tap dan you had lo perform for him and the store patrons before hi you the door II also only 10 cents to enter into the of Ihc Gregory Theatre which was situated where the imply store for occupied by A is now i would be the dispensing tickets while I Ma sales did everything else In theatre including Ihe ushering Did Price was Ihe projection ist I Ihink The Saturday afternoon matinee always featured a serial such as Flash Gordon and the Mud Men or Tarzan or Our Gang so it was a happy afternoon for a youngster with 15 cents to spend Ten cents went to Elva one cent went for chocolatecoaled peanuts and the for various oilier confections at Wiles Bus Depot which had the fastest candy counter in town as well as a soda fountain As kids we wore gum boots In ihe winter oxfords in Ihe spring and fall and unless your family was really well heeled you went In the summer Only the farm kids wore overalls most boys wore breeches and wind breakers in the winter and again If they were fortunate had a pair of on feel leather boots which today probably sell for a fortune Bccsuse was a leather many of the kids had leather wind breakers patches op their knees and sometimes on their elbows Perhaps someone from on affluent country if there were any would have were underprivileged But never knew it Our lives were full Cotes Slaw They handed out milk in the lower classes only school it and so we wouldn I gel sick Then to make sure of our health mothers stuffed us with Emulsion or other foul lasting con cociions including cod liver oil lo al leviote the lack of winter sunshine was usually by shanks mare reliable and slow method of getting around so in the winter monlhs this was solved hopping onlo Jones sleigh as il was drawn up Church Si by a learn of horses The sleigh left railway station transporting coal lo Ihe Mackenzie lumber Co for delivery to houses around town In the summer months Casey Jones team of while Per hauled a wagon another favorite ride for moppets There must have been poor families in who didn i gel enough of ihe to but ihey were few and far Some of them were on relief somehow they survived I con remember playing hockey on the filler beds with boys who I afford dime for a hockey si slhev fashioned own from tree roots Necessity was indeed the mother of in vention here i much extra money around for such things as made cigarettes or glass of ale the hotels so men made iheir own home brew and rolled their own cigarettes from of lobaceo which sometimes smelted like burning garbage dump In the fall many picked elderberries from which Ihey made own from recipes handed down from generation generation Dandelion wine was hauled out on festive occasions such as Christmas when if you were lucky was also a chicken in the pot Ins been years since the crash ushered thai era into Aclon and district and I if anyone would want to see days repealed there were con in ihe small could of building high enough for anyone jump out of and kill themselves as they were alleged lo do in such capitals as New York so most of Ihc people of Acton sur vived Stones have been handed down of some families who losl all Iheir money they seemed have more money lhan anybody else afier crash anyway so few people noticed The collection plate churches fercd too because most could not afford to turn too much that way But the churches were full It seems to me was more lhan Ihe money So while everyone else is looking back In horror at Ihe Greal Depression which followed crash of we Depression Kids wonder sometimes if il was really as bad as Is sometimes painted Fourth Estate Reactionary comments on radio to Tut by I ric Is tone I like logical argument I not keen on violence there are some things I like even less Therefore do not like Ihc disruptions which occurred during day pro police rally at Toronto Moreover whil I infer from of incident by a Toronto radio station I dislike most of all It was reported the trouble makers two characteristics they are members of the far left Marxist Leninist political parly and most of those arrested have Toronto addresses Perhaps these people had nothing to say worthy of an ear The value of their con however did not seem lo con Bill Walker especially sounded miffed I reconstruct lone of his comments as what nerve these outsiders have coming lo Toronto criticizing causing rouble It is in sufficient in logic lo discredit someone by where he lives the best way is to counter what he says One may live outside Metro borders criticize Metro and still be correct as one may live outside Metro borders praise Metro and still be correct and according to Sunday Star there is at least one such person Dan St Andrew one of the of the propolice rally Mr St Andrew is an auto workerfromofall places I wonder if Queen Elizabeth would loan her phrase book of very polile put dawns I needa very pointy one in one ear and out Ihe other of Charles Ben son And who is Charles Benson Someone testing Confederations mettle while demonstrating west Canadian humor Mr Benson is a radio station manager in Alberta west of Edmonton Mr Benson earns a royal for spawning a spoof by passing Ihc hat round westerners to establish an Ontario Heritage Fund and help this province buy Alberta oil Stalion listeners sent Mr Benson in nickels dimes and cents One typical donation was a package of tissue for Premier Bill Davis to dry his tears and two cents Other donations according to the Globe included a can opener so we can open Ihe barrels of oil we buy and a broken so that a no could keep up with Alberta Now that s Alberta rude And I wonder how many of you out there in readcrland are living in luxury If you re not sure if you qualify for the easy life Statistics Canada has churned out a definition essentials included households automatic washing mach incs clothes dryers record players and television sets And of course the second car the agency does not distinguish bet ween automatic and manual Stats Can has discovered we are having an easier lime of owning such luxuries lhan we experienced in the early 70s There still some loose change out there However recent boosts in interest rates and probably has palmed much of Few exhibitions of archaeological Irea sure coming to North America have created the public interest and Indeed Ihe public excitement that has been cause by the loan exhibition of these marvels from Treasure Lines from a King Tut advertisement for tomorrow opening at the Art Gallery of Ontario quite Charles Comfort director of the National Gallery of Canada wrote those words l5yeirs ago when the 000yearold boy king loured Canada for first time He stayed in Toronto at the Museum And as far as excitement goes there much more this time Promoters push pyramid power so much now they surely subscribe the everything better the next time round Like Jaws 2 Rocky II and Air port what ever the figure is Back Issues 10 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Press Aclun council confirmed decision 1 develop ihc industrial park in the north end if town A Chamber of Commerce delcgalion made a plea to council lo make up their mind North urban board after of successful existence is now banded While Aclon representatives favored its continuance Milton and Georgetown councils withdrew Iheir support The hoard operated as a sounding board for discussion of mutual problems Mr and Mrs Bill Denny marked golden wedding began for new addition back of the Bank of Nova and teachers from schools over SI for I NICEF in s Men sponsored w ilk finishers were Kevin link Van Heel Law son Jon Mien Mary Unison residents petitioned council a race irack rumored for the 20 years ago Taken Ihe tree Press Novembers 19j3 Mr and Mrs Browne have moved heir newly renovated store in after being in cramped quarters for His first slore was where the si ire howling alley an located J ick Newton relumed as fire chief with other officers Mick Holmes Bern Heel Bill Williams Philip and John Knpek Mallow en worn children fo- were judged at Winners are John I cooper Christopher Wilson A large local cast was in Iwnnighl stand of Casper sponsored hi ihe Legion Ladies Taking parts were per taddick Helen Lou Wagner is opening a new baker in Ihe shop formerly operated as Bakery Marsen won tram a public speaking contest Land was broken for new sihool Spcside 50 years ago I from tree 1rrss 19 old Aclon This old time town stood her old time principles voted dry a majority Mr Itillmn ii Thomas Blake lock is the in Dominion lo have Ihis put into in years ago A Lion iiizens Bind will again stage Hit Halloween parade and Ghost Walk Women four buckle overshoes Harrison s Sale for SI splendid temperance met tings were held by Ihe In the aflernoon meeting for the ladies was held in school room of the United Church and it evening a gathering iin people was addressed al Knox Hi ere were inspirational messages The of Knox Church was greatly edified Sunda and evening by anniversary messages given Rev of Knox Church Gall Monday evening a bounteous supper w as served to and 400 Some fine loads of turnips arc being shipped from these days 100 years ago Taken from Ihe Issue of the I- Press of Thursday October 1879 Now lhai long winter nights are approaching the question arises how shall our young people spend their evenings Las winter skaling mono polized interest but sport docs nol furnish We ihink thai a Debating Club or Lilcrory Society lake very well From every station along Ihc comes a call for cars to ship wheal Thanksgiving in will be by Rev on Thursday November Thanksgiving Day Thursday was cold enough for a snow of old fashioned proportions Gel your parlor stoves up as he nights are becoming loo chilly for Ihe couple out side Halloween tomorrow The village con stable will be on Ihe lookout for depredators John Slreet Mill and Bower has been blockaded for the week by a building In the removal ve Ihink it is lime the obstruction was removed