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4 The Acton Free Press Wednesday Dec 12 Don McDonald Publisher Founded In 1875 every Wrfnesddy by Inland Willow Tcloplori SubKiion- Suigte copies soiIk ilia Canada The Ac Free Press one Inland Publishing Co I led group of suburban news pane Too tbyPiclior News Advertiser Tho Brampton Guard The Tf George own Independent Marlihom Thornh Economist and Sun ThoM lion Canadian Champion News The Era Oaky Ho Week Tho Weekend and Us a stapled on condition that the of typographical that portion of the occupied by the tarn together with nocture not be for but of be it the applicable rate In the event a goods or goods or may be Advertising an id rnay be w indrawn at aery timo Second class mail Number EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor- Editor Murray Eric Bator Sports Editor ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Manager ChHatttod BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Manager Fran Gibson Rhone CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Manager TELEPHONE Business and Office Compulsory auto insurance Ontarios new compulsory Auto mobile Insurance Act came into effect December of this year Many will agree it was about time No longer will irresponsible drivers be able to plunk down and consider they have met all their obligations The Act required that all motor vehicles registered on or after that date be covered by a mm imum of third party liab ility insurance Under the new legislation Ontario drivers can no longer pay 150 into the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund and register a vehicle for use without insurance Vehicle owners will be required lo verify in writing that they have insurance before registering a vehicle or renewing registration and obtaining licence plate stickers Consumer minister Frank says the legislation reflects the ministrys view and the predom public view that everyone on the road must be financially responsible At the same time it guarantees every motorist in Ont arm will have access to insurance coverage The legislation calls for the formation of an insurance pool for high risk drivers Lower hydro rates Membership is mandatory for all insurers licensed to write auto mobile insurance in Ontario Rates created by that association will be subject to approval by the Superintendent of Insurance to ensure high risk drivers are treated fairly Another part of the legislation which will appeal to anyone ever refused insurance is the provision for fines of up to to agents who refuse to provide and process an application Insurers who refuse to provide coverage are liable to a maximum fine of has decided the Motor Vehicle accident Claims Fund will remain to handle instances in which claims cannot be handled by an insurer Owners of vehicles driving with out insurance or permits another to drive an uninsured vehicle will be liable to fines of to 2500 possible suspension of their drivers licence for a period of up to a year and possible impound ing of the vehicle for up to three months Tough measures but needed at a time when some drivers avoided their financial responsibility on the road Ontario Hydro with the assistance of municipal utilities wants to see If they can save cust money by offering lower rates for power consumed during off peak hours It sounds like an admirable idea Hydro is conducting an exper iment to determine whether peo pie will shift their power demands because if they do it could mean fewer power plants and trans mission lines will have to be built Its like mass transit They have their rush hour and so do we Hydros rate manager ex plains A lot of equipment is needed to handle all those people and it isnt used nearly as much at other times The same is true of electric power He says Hydro doesnt expect people to change their supper hour but they might wait until p for instance to turn on their dishwasher or turn their Guaranteed mileage If you are old enough lo recall the early days of our love affair with the motor car may also remember how car owners would brag about the performance of their iron steeds Old Albert proudly announced that he got his Gray up to 45 miles an hour on the Centre Gravel and Uncle Louis said bis HupmobiIc could climb the highest hill In neighborhood in high gear In other words when you bought a car in those far- days you look your own chances on form an As the years sped by automobile took much of the hitandmiss out of car buying by guaranteeing efficiency Today we enjoy guarantees for so many miles it be Mac one drop or two Looking forward to family Christmas down during peak hours If rates are attractive enough many people will take advantage of the savings but consumers would also be much interested in a Hydro plan to charge rates that reflect their use of elect the user pay principle Under the present system the user who tries to save on his elect bills is penalized because he does not use enough power The system goes back to times when Ontario Hydro had plenty of power and wanted to sell it Those days are long gone Conservation is the theme today but the an billing system has not been changed Large users of power get premium rates Conservation would have more clout if it paid well to kick the power habits ingrained through the years More consumers would flip switches off if they knew it would keep costly hydro bills down on engine and so many more on the power train etc More recently there arc even guarantees against body rust for the given length of time Things arc changing though Tomor row car buyer is going lo hove one over riding interest That will be miles per gal Ion on fuel consumption fuel which is expensive and may possibly be in short supply Car owners like almost everyone else in the consumer field are going to become very demanding The car manufacturer who recognizes this factor and is prepared to protect his customers will get the Hon share of market Wingham Advance Times It looks as though Ihe are going to have a family Christmas this year for the first time in quite a few As I write son Hugh is to arrive to morrow from Paraguay There no way were going gel rid of him inside a month Daughter Kim and the grand boys arc going to get out of for Christmas if they have lo hire a dog sled We are a very family and it should be a grand occasion Closeknit As in pulled togclhcr by needles Hugh in his inimitable way has wand from Paaguay by easy stages spending a few days here a few weeks there He seems to have friends more commonly known as marks all over North and South America who will put him up far few days and feed him for sheer pleasure of his companionship He started out from Paraguay in Sept ember In October we had a letter from Florida saying he was staying with friends and taking a course in massage or something from an ancient Japanese gentleman A month later he phones from Toronto collect and announces his second coming Actually it s about his fourth His mother was ready to welcome him wallet But the more he dallied and dillled the holler she grew Bylhetimehephoned collect she had full head of on and the conversation went something like this Right Mom I don suppose you have a winter over No Mom Well 1 m sick and tired of you kids coming home without a penny and expecting to be taken in and coddled And marc of the same Hugh hung up My wife in an agony of guilt promptly phoned everyone who might know where he called from No luck Then she called her daughter who retorted Do you want to hear another of your children hang up on you And did I was quietly watching he Grey Cup game and wondering why I should be interested In a lot of burly young Amer leans smashing each other around About hours later Hugh put through another call this time not collect He was sticking somebody else for the phone He knows his mother She apologized all to hell He said typically Mom you could have bought me a winter coat with all Ihe money you spend on longdistance calls It made her mad again but she help laughing That what I mean We re closeknit family With needles All I do is hold he wool and try to stay out of needlerange not always with success I remember when I used to tell the kids stories about happened to mo in the war They liked them better than the usual bed lime stories and fairy ales of them were fairy talcs come to think of 1 can see what will happen Ihls Christ mas Hugh will be regaling us with stories of swimming a barracuda Infested river si niggling In the colls of an anaconda being shot at poisoned blow pipes My wife will be Kim will be regaling us stones of the lough Indian kids she teaching who arrive spaced out drunk or pregnant and Ihe horrors of the unreliable taxi service into town My wife will be absorbed terrified fascinated The will be caltng peanut bulter and honey sandwiches all over recovered chesterfield suits Their grandmother will be just plain And I II be sitting in a corner relegated to getting some more wood for fire place taking squealing furious Bahnd off to bed and wondering when 1 can get in a word about the dreadful kids I have in Grade this year my battles with the administration and the shrinking of potential pension through inflation In the face of all that exoticism I II probably be drivtn to the grave this happens the turkey wont be prepared cause I always do it There 11 be rivalry in Ihe horror slones Both of our children will plead extreme poverty demur Ihe value of the presents they got and nip out lo visit friends on Christmas Eve while the Old Butt lease and I make the and whip the lumips And beat the if we can catch I hem Ah but it II be grand to have the famll together again There s nothing that can touch gelling up on Christmas morning hung and looking after Ihe for five hours while the young people sleep till noon On Ihe other hand there just might be I am Investigating a return ticket to Hawaii single for the holiday season If 1 left quietly without fuss and nobody knew where I was I could come back on January knowing full well that my wife would have kicked the whole mob out Fourth Estate Typewriters help free prisoners of conscience by Eric I J ton The pen is mightier than the Jail key That is the image which reflects the efforts of Amnesty International vol They mass their Ijpcwnters to unlock prison doors and free people who by international standards deserve to enjoy ihelr rights Amnesty International is a govern mentorganlzationwhich tries everyday to keep significant the Universal Declaration of Human Rights So what you say Another dogooder outfit right Right Human rights is one of those concepts which appears vague when all is well but when one or two disappear the image quickly sharpens- Amnesty International specific role is to provide practical help for people whose human rights have been overlooked or violated Human rights generally covers a range of concerns however the most commonly accepted statement is Ihe Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 It contains articles of declaration It seems opportune to men tion some of them because Monday was Human Rights Day Here arc some examples from the dec laration the right to life liberty and sec urity of person to equality before the law without discrimination to freedom of movement to freedom of opinion and expression and to freedom of peaceful Also established in the declaration is that everyone has the right lo take part in the got of his or her country to work to receive equal pay Tor equal work to receive Just and favorable remuneration to enjoy rest and leisure and to have an adequate standard of living and education Much of Amnesty International con rests on violations of human rights related lo low One measure of such viol aliens comes pulling oneself in the victim s places For example without charges or trial That was whal happened to Gerard Toussalnt a school teacher in Haiti in 1969 The Guelph group of Amnesty International took on the case January 1974 After more than three years of organizing letters from America Europe and other parts of Canada plus enlisting help from the Canadian Federation of Teachers and politicians GerardToussauit was released from JaU still without charges without trial The Amnesty Inlernatiowl group Is made up of ordinary citizens from many walks of life In six years the group has helped gain release from prisons 16 prisoners of conscience In such countries as Korea Chile Philippines Pakistan East Germany Brazil and Ihe United Slates Prisoner of conscience Is an Amnesty International term for men and women whoorcimprisonedfor their beliefs color origin language or religion provided they have neither used nor ad vocated violence So far you have read of 113 prisoners of conscience for ihls year Is an adoption group which means thai at any time members are working on cases Involving someone from a Western an Eastern or a Third World country Abuse of human rights has spread to form a world wide pattern according to Amnesty International s annual report which was made public Sunday The 220- page report indicates that incidents of arbitrary arrests Imprisonment torture and the use of the death penally are spreading Political dissenters warns Amnesty International were facing an increasing threat of murder or execution in countries wilh widely different ideologies Amnesty International Secretary General Martin acknowledges the organization reports on human rights arouse controversy He went on to say however when governments change and regimes fall the criticisms voiced by Amnesty International are normally found lo have been cautious of the situation which in reality existed Continued on Page Back Issues 10 years ago Taken from the issue Acton Free Press Wednesday December The Latin banquet at the high school was a unique success thanks to the Latin Club and Mrs Martindalc Bob Kml and Nancy Shaw won prizes for the best togas received a glfl in nitlon of his many years on Beardmore fire brigade Incumbent councillors returned in were D McPhedran Warren Parkinson and Bill Adsett Curlers started using ntw club Ihls week Vicepresident Johnny delivered Ihe first ceremonial rock in the absence of club president Rev Andy Tom Nicol and Jack Level I performed the sweeping duties For the first time The Free Press lures a Tourcolor section The first compulsory breathalyzer test was administered Cons Roy Wood Saturday The came into effect Dec The former Anglican rectory is being I pulled down 20 years ago John A La douceur was elected from applicants lo become Acton first assessor An innovation was started at the post office when a night shift was started to cope with the volume of mail Vic and Dave are working nights The Robert Little auditorium was jam med to for the musical Christmas concert directed Glenn Banks assisted Doug Cope la nil Children who read Scripture were coached by Mrs GwcriLa Among with solo parts were BUT Pendleton Colleen Perkins Coles Scott Watson Eileen Jane Watson Michael Frame Donna Pendleton Smith Sharon Bradlev Time Jane Heller Bettv Janice Vtoodbum Ricky Henderson John and Dannv TheOPP investigated the first on A large crowd attended Knot church School concert Satur dav night undeterred the storm and power failure supper was eaten candlelight but the concert was cancelled The men are selling Christmas trees 50 years ago Taken from the Press Thursday December IKS The annual oyster and chicken supper the district beef ring took place at the hall William was named treasurer of new arena and curling club When Mr and Mrs H Moore were married here ago radio had not been discovered there was no electric light no telephone no motor driven machinery nor airplanes no motion pictures let talking pic tures and television pictures street cars were propelled by horses and farm tractors were not even dreamed of ill the next 50 show as great advances The w inter season of Chatauquo concerts have been arranged to be given in Acton this year The new curling club is being favored with a good membership list Mills is to be made a Police Village Wellington Council A large crowd attended Ihe turkey social at St s parish hall 100 years ago By law no 70 a by law to raise by way of a loan the sum of to pay the purchase money of land for a Public Cemetery It appears Ihe village is ex penencing considerable difficulty In col lecting the labor tax from young men over years of age The money col Icclcd in this manner is used to keep the roads and sidewalks in proper condition The concert under the auspices of the choir of the Methodist church was but fairly attended Prof Harrington of Guelph led the choir We understand a supper was provided for singers after the concert but we were not present to make a report A few cords of Beech and Maple Cord- wood will be taken in exchange for new subscriptions to the Free Press Mr C King one of the kid finishers employed in Mr James Moore s glove leather manufactory left last night for England to visit an aged mother who lies at the point of death His family remain here We hope he may nave the pleasure of again meeting his respected mother on earth