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Tho Acton Free Press Wednesday Mar 19 1980 press Don McDonald Publisher Founded in EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor Eric No- linn TELEPHONE 519 Business ind Editorial Office ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT I Cook Solo Jr in Id Birr ClnKiriod Advertising BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE flhonj Triomlnll Shi toy Carolyn CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Dropin is a great asset Actons three councillors Terry Grubbe Ross Knechtel and Ed Wood should be commended for developing the weekly dropin ses sion In late November Grubbe fol lowed through on an election pledge to make the local members of Halton Hills council more accessible to Ward One rate payers and with the help of her wo colleagues the at the Community Services Centre day afternoons was born The drop in goes a long way to wards bringing local government back to the people of Acton Ever since Halton Hills was born in a major complaint of Acton ratepayers has been that their local government is remote from them Halton Hills is still pretty much a political entity only and is pre dominately located in or around Georgetown Actonians because their coun cil now meets on Trafalgar Road just outside Georgetown felt their representatives were in accessible Because of the drop in a major and valid Acton complaint about regional government has been eliminated For those who cant meet with their councillors during the day the three are more than willing to arrange evening sessions also The councillors ask that people who cant come to the give them a call and theyll set up a time and place for a resident or residents to get together with them In addition they say they can arrange to bring town staff to evening sessions to answer quest ions Now that we have the dropin it is up to taxpayers here to make use of it must visit the drop- in Make use of this time the three councillors are together Take Grubbe up on her invitation for people to come to the dropin not just to complain or give praise to the municipality but also to get to know your councillors as people The councillors want and need to hear the voice of the ratepayers No question the dropin is a great tool to be used to ensure Act ons voice is heard at Halton Hills council All that remains is for residents to continue to make good use of the dropin Comment on store hours in conclusion Id like to say thanks for the effort to the one who made the signs and please dont admit youre a teacher Recipe for success do the opposite Business and residents have only until next Monday March to comment on Halton Hills coun s plan to repeal the old Actor and Georgetown store closing hour bylaws A by law to do away with the old store closing hour regulations will Lome before council on April 14 What started out as a move to blend the two old bylaws into one resulted in council deciding there shouldnt be any store closing hour laws in either urban area or the old township Comments should be sent to Ken Richardson the towns clerk- This is a double edged issue On the one hand councillors are to be applauded for making a move which deregulates private enterprise Likely some stores will now opt for longer hours and this could be popular with shoppers especially those wishing to purchase ser vices available in Acton who work out of town At the same time ending leg islated store closing hours will create some problems If store hours are lengthened only on a hit and miss basis this could lead to more loitering and vandalism If for example just a single store in a block stays open later than on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday or Saturday that will attract loit erers and vandals Vandalism of business premises costs con sumers money You wont just pay higher prices at vandalised stores but at the ones which stay open later also Added hours of business mean added hours of labor costs Con sumers will foot in these high inflationary times those bills too Vandalism loitering and higher prices all result in spinoff social problems The related social pro blems will cost tax dollars This issue was really only aired once at a general committee meeting The next week at coun cil only informing the public of this change was discussed Maybe the pros including more sales for local stores and possibly more people patronizing Acton merchants do outweigh the pos sible drawbacks However this issue was hastily decided Council should take one more look at the subject of store closing legislation before re- cmding the old bylaws Council has heard a lot from businessmen The town fathers now need to hear from consumers Ie decided how lo supplement my income when they drag me kicking and squealing Into retirement Tins Is an occupational hazard of potential retirees who after living in this country for the past year know full well that their paper money is going to bo good for starting fires with and not much else in a decade or so Canadians are extremely security conscious They give a diddle about growing old gracefully They want to grow old comfortably It hard to believe These are the same people whose ancestors came from the fogs of Scotland and the bogs of Ireland and the smogs of England with plenty of nerve and not much else They paid their dues with hard work taking chances raising and feeding huge families The last things in their were pensions condominiums In the south the falling dollar or Ayrabs They didnt need oil they cut their own wood They couldnt even spoil con dominium There was no such thing as a pension The old man was Grampa and he hung onto his land bullied his sons and made most of the decisions until he retired to senility and the fireside The old lady was Gramma and she helped birth her grandchildren bossed her daughters had a wisdom that only hard living can give and was burled thankfully but with copious tears all around They lived with a certain ugliness brutal work vicious weather cruel child bearing by the women until they were warped and arthritic and sick in body Pew pleasures like music and books and drama and automatic dishwashers and television and milk in a plastic carton instead of a cow But they didnt need two martinis to give an appetite for dinner They I need a couple of Seconal to put them to sleep or a couple of mood elevators to re lieve their depression or a couple of Vallum to relax their muscles They ale like animals because they worked like horses They slept like animals because Ihey were exhausted They t need mood changers because they had only two or three moods angry tired out or Joyful They didnt need muscle rclaxcrs because their muscles wire too busy to relax Now you may think I making a pitch for The good old days I m not I think they were dreadful days I remember the look on my Dad when he couldnt even make a payment on lie coal bill I remember watching my mother who cried weeplig over the sewing machine at midnight when she thought no one was looking Butinlhoscdays people grew old with a certain dignity If not beauty They their final illness as God will Most people today say Why me when they are stricken Today people want to be beautiful when re old They want lo be thought of as young at heart They want to be com They dont want to be 111 They dread the cold They fear poverty They search sometimes desperately for some sort of womb or cocoon lo go back to where they will be safe and warm and fed and never have to look that grim Old Man straight in the eye And modern economy lets them down Their hnrdearned and hard saved dollars dwindle Into cents They come close to heart attacks and stroke when they have pay BO for a pound of beef cents for a lousy head of lettuce over a dollar for a pound of They are disoriented confused and frightened And it not only he old who are frightened and Insecure I see it in my younger colleagues They dont talk about Truth or Beauty Ideas and Lire They talk about property and and the price of gold and inflation and the terrorizing possibility of losing their jobs Some of the smart younger teachers bought some land when It was cheap not so young any more eh and built on it The smarter ones have a working wife The smartest ones have both Most of them even those in their are already figuring on a second income when they retire selling real estate or boats doing the books for some small businessman market gardening antique shops Who can blame them But I have the answer for one of them as I announced in my thesis back in paragraph one No problem about retire- Just follow Bill Smiley around do exactly the opposite lo what he docs and you ll come out healthy wealthy and wise when its time to out your feet up My wife could have told anyone that years ago If Smiley buys equities buy blue chip stocks If Smiley buys gold mining stock buy a swamp If Smiley calls the Tories to win vote Liberal If Smiley buys an ounce of gold dump yours fast because it will drop overnight If Smilev gets into seat belts because they arc compulsory you get out The law will change I could go on and on but I won Just And I have all the papers lo prove it But Im charging per cent of everything you make And thats how I plan to weather in flation and retirement Reed cynical about promises in Throne speech The Ontario government Throne Speech hasnt Impressed MP and Liberal energy crlllc JullAN Heed He says he has yet to see the provincial Progressive Con fulfill all of Us promises In previous speeches from be throne by Jennifer Burlington Julian Reed is somewhat cynical about the speech from the throne Introduced in he Ontario Legislature week If the province acted on each of its promises our province would go ahead with great strides he says But he adds hes yet to see all the promises fulfilled in past Throne speeches Commenting on the point program in an interview this week Heed remarked he felt the establishment of more nursing home beds would mean a great deal for which is on a nursing home priority list However hes afraid the promise will get lost In shuffle as each project Is con moved Into further phases He one of the great Ironies of the throne speech in the pledge to put heavier emphasis on hydraulic power Already Hydro sloshed its measly budget of million earmarked for hydraulic power exploration to SI 5 million says Reed This is only one tenth of one per of Hydros total budget and hardly allows them do the paper work he observes However Reed was positive about plans for more efficient farm productivity We do know plans are underway The old grants and loan system Is being replaced by productivity loans designed Tor a bigger bang for the buck He was also pleased to see French language services being upgraded The Francophone community is located in pockets he said feeling services were being increased In areas where they were needed We have a responsibility as Canadians and the whole question of Francophone services Is part of our overall responsibility As the Liberal energy Reed said he was pleased he province did adopt some of his altitudes In four major energy areas The province has made a commitment to examine the issue of alternate liquid fuels such as alcohol Reed explains On the whole question of energy he becomes excited He feels the province Is beginning a move on such things as for appliances greatly upgrading small electric motor efficiency Conservation Is good business the cheapest barrel of oil Is still the one you save Reed says and the cheapest kilowatt of electricity is the one you dont have to use Although hes pleased to see changes In energy thinking Reed would like to see the province go further He d like lo see more encouragement of small hydro plants rather than large Installations Hed like to sec use made of the per cent waste on government cut wood In tree lots He has many facts at his fingertips to prove the efficiency and low cost of small hydro plants We got get away from ho window dressing he says referring lo huge install We need to adopt the viewpoint of a young farmer who has just purchased his first farm He would walk around his land lo find out what he had and how to utilize It most eff iciently We re not doing thai with our province Heed feeb the Government has to venture into the field of leadership on this question of energy exploration instead of simply being a mirror Weve got lo risk falling The government has to stick its neck out he says Thats what 1 see for the we cant hang back and do nothing about it Two areas he would have liked to sec in cluded the Speech from the Throne is more environmental protection The problem of acid rain was commented on in the Throne speech but Heed feels the problem Is far more serious than making strategic proposals We know the sources of acid rain we know how to deal with it were now at the stage where we have lo make a commitment to it Weve got lo do It by example weve got to clean up our own act first hen we can go to the States and say this is what were doing Reed was also concerned about the lack of land use commitment in the Throne speech He is increasingly concerned about the dis appearance of agricultural land and feels that we need to move now on a program to save the five per cent of tillable laud left in Canada half of which is In Ontario He has strong feelings on energy and a return to alternate methods of using energy I dont advocate going back but using the resources weve always had with applied new technology Ontario has a golden opportunity lo become a world leader in technology for conservation and pollution abatement What la now our problem should become our asset Back issues 10 years ago Taken from the Issue or The Free Press March Mason Knitting makers of Carter childrens wear are using standard suing Steven is being recommended for a Boy Stout award following his rescue of Hill from the icy water of Fairy Janet has joined the news staff of Publishing working mainly in Milton The first team to accomplish an eight in the new rink are Andy Mary Marks subbing for Eleanor Goy Val Dnnkwalter and Dave Dawson Over attended open house at the newly renovated Bank of Nova Scotia Chester Anderson came as manager in 1901 Others on the staff are Clark Mrs Betty Mrs Mane Mrs Beverley Miss Mary Bos Mrs Eileen McFadden Miss Pat Synnolt and Mrs Sandra Thiesscn A presentation was held for Mr and Mrs Don Matthews and family who arc moving lo the Fergus area Work began on the third apartment on Churchill 20 years ago Taken from the Issue of The Acton free Press Thursday March I960 Saturday third annual Fun Fair was the most successful yet when over gathered in the Robert Little school for an afternoon of shopping and entertainment Genera convener was Mrs J and decorations under the supervision of Mrs Monty Root Wares were sold out and games and fish pond had to close down hen they ran out of prizes Last lo keep go ing was he Punch and Judy show made wnttcnondaelcdby Mrs E Browne of the Home School executive Bill Wilson welcomed the crowd over the A Ron Smith was in charge of the bingo room George Haggctt the games room Mrs and Mrs J the fish pond Book Sales were directed by David Sproslon John and Divld Lidkea Mrs W Wolfe was in charge of admissions A ballot in today s paper asks Arc you in favor of capital punishment David Ben ham of appeared on the Ken Soble amateur hour Gas war prices dropped to cents a gal 50 years ago Taken from the Issue of The Acton Free Press Thursday March The banquet and presentation to the Hockey Clubs of Acton in lie town hall was a community affair The Inter mediate and Junior clubs were the guests of the citizens The ladles of the Womens Institute and O E chapters had charge of the banquet for about and Scout master George Mason said grace Acton orchestra played and Scotty Burlon Geo Alex Mann and F J Salt sang Veteran sportsman pro posed the toast to he learns Gold wrist watches engraved Intermediates 1930 were presented to the team by Reeve Mason G A Dills Dr Nelson and Councillor Hansen Several of the players were vociferously called on for a speech John Greer who had won a sweater for the most goals rocked the crowd with laughter The toast to the hosts was proposed Neil Gibbons who sprung the surprise of the evening when he presented a cheque for to the arena committee be applied on he new building Nelson who is chairman of Ihc arena committee expressed thanks and said there was enough to cover debenture He paid tribute to the patronage and loyalty of the people of the community The floor was cleared and dancing lowed to Mason s orchestra 100 years ago Taken from the Issue of The Acton Free Press Thursday March IB 18H0 The arrival of immigrants of a good class from the old country is cause for rejoicing and we hope the Influx may continue A young mens Literary Association has been formed at Knatchbull with Mr David Waldlc blacksmith as its president The meets every Saturday evening in Town Hall Over half mile of sidewalk has been laid in the small village of Hornby The annual meeting of the Bible society was held in he Presbyterian church Mr John Speight President in charge The following dialogue actually occurred the recent open winter Pal Moike did Iver ye see a winter loikc this wan Mike Indeed I did Pat Pat Whin Mike Last summer and begone to ycl We believe a veterinary surgeon would do well by a weekly visit to Acton More people from this vicinity are moving to Nebraska to take up land