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The Acton Froa Press Aug 13 1380 press Don McDonald Publisher Founded in Inland Pubis Co Ln ted suburb in i id New Ail vet Irukpor I Sun The lion an Champion Miss En lie Oslnwj Tli ip by erroneous i urged lor of a I pineal of iho set EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Murray Eric E Sport r Helen IV urn v Ken Bui tin ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT II Cook BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Thoinhill Shirley Carolyn Mary CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TELEPHONE Business and Editorial Office Tough choices for parents This Friday is a crucial day in the brief history of separate school education in Acton Friday is the deadline parents of children attending antiquated and full to flowing over St Josephs School have set to receive a letter of intent from Separate School Board to build a new school here If as expected the letter doesnt materialize then the parents will be sitting down to map out strategy to force the board and province to provide proper school facilities here So far the parents have acted reasonably and restrained over this issue Now they plan to ask Education Minister Bette Stephenson to come out and see the conditions under which their children are being schooled for herself They doubt she will come so they plan to go see her to make their case for funding That probably wont do any good either HaltonBurhngton Julian Reed has already taken the parents case to Stephenson with out any results but a promise to review funding in September Of course that promise of a funding review was made before the parents uttered a word of protest The parents will then have some very tough decisions to make Several of their options involve using the children as pawns which wont be easy but possibly necessary The parents will consider not sending Their children back to St Josephs in September and in stead enrol them again in local public schools That wont please the board but shouldnt bother the province a bit since the young sters will be in classes and theyll still be giving grants for their education except now to a dif ferent jurisdiction Not sending their children to any school this fall would be ef fective It will draw a response from both the board and province However do parents want to set an example for young people of not obeying the law which requires parents to send children to school until they are 16 years of age Do they want to leave im pressionable young minds with the idea you only obey laws you agree with Parents will consider switching their elementary school tax support to public while continuing to send their children to St Josephs This will annoy the board but not likely the province Queens Park will be able to give the public board a little less to operate since it will have some extra tax revenue and give the separate board a little more Another thought is to keep their children in school but not pay ele mentary school taxes to either board The two options involving school taxes arent likely to get them the new school theyve been promised and deserve It will only slow up their battle while courts straighten out the tax mess A fifth plan to sue the board for breach of contract wont likely succeed Promises were made but on the basis of provincial funding being secured The best moves would appear to be the ones involving the children being used as pawns Children have been withdrawn from classes by parents else where in Ontario to get the local board and province moving and it has worked It is sad though that children must be used as pawns to get adult politicians to fulfill promises Fox coverage disgusting August 1 Dear Sir It was with absolute disgust that I leafed through the July issue of the Aeton Free Press to find a few small paragraphs about the arrival of Terry Fox through this town This fellow has touched the hearts of all Canadians lie has become a national hero In his enormous undertaking to help raise funds for cancer research His journey Is updated on national TV but yet you cannot even see fit to print his picture in your paper nor to give the coverage that ob viously is so Important In his campaign to raise funds His arrival In this town was the most important event which took place In Acton last week as I am sure that many people who lined the streets would agree that you read the Georgetown Herald and see the heartwarming pictures and read the articles of praise for this marvel person Your priorities are obviously distorted when you print a picture of strawberry pickers and nothing about Terry Fox To put it politely your lack of coverage was disgusting Sally Editor note Whose priorities are dis torted on the subject of Terry Fox In reviewing our coverage not just the coverage in one issue July seven days after Foxs visit we feel It was com July wc carried two stories both on page headed Acton on the road map of mile Fox Trot and Strawberry Festival helps runner July 16 the issue prior to Foxs visit this newspaper contained two pictures of the runner one In full color on the front page of him running in and another photo on page of Terry greeting fans Wc also published a story On page two Terry to trot in town Tuesday as well as two other stories about Terry Hes determined volunteer and Hero welcomed in on page B7 July we carried a photograph on the front page of Terry running Just outside Acton as well as a story about his run through the area Greet hero this morn Just a few hours after his visit On July 30 seven days after his visit we published a story dealing with how much Acton had raised for cancer research ask ing remaining pledges and donations be turned In and recapping Foxu visit here as well as a photograph of a local man who played a big role in making his visit here a big financial success Lome DoberUiien who rode his bike ahead of the runner August fl this newspaper carried an editorial In tribute to the oca cancer vol unteers and Terry Hats off lo cancer crew and a letter from the local cancer society on page a story on the final fund raising total Fox visit raises IS on page and a photograph and story on an resident a efforts to have Terry appointed to the Order of Canada on B6 Mrs Lea the asks we give Fox the coverage that obviously Is so important in his campaign to raise funds We think 10 stories and four photographs three of Terry Is giving coverage when the advance publicity for his visit Is examined believe the advance pub licity greatly helped bring out the crowd and assisted in raising This reader notes it was the most Im event which took place In Acton that week We agree thats why we had It on the front page the day it happened saw no sense in repeating the coverage seven days later on July JO Mrs refers to the coverage of Fox In another area newspaper This coverage was of visit to Georgetown We cover Acton and area not Georgetown Certainly had there been a reception for the runner here or Terry had been here longer we would have run more pictures and stories Efforts to Interview him both on Tuesday July and on the day he was In Acton failed This of course was through no fault of his or the local cancer or ganizers We wonder how many pictures of Terry running down Mill Street which Is the Acton story of his visit would have been viewed as adequate I offer this editors note not so much be cause of the contents In Mrs Leather lands letter but because we have re ceived considerable comment about our coverage of Terrys visit Some readers like Mrs have been captivated by Terry and expect to see many photographs of him running through own expected us to cover his visit to Georgetown and some asked we have weekly updates on his run In of Ontario We have also received about as many comments that we carried too much about Terry Fox that from the look of the paper he was the only news event in Acton last month They say we went overboard and should have given more space to other events of more interest to them Murray Make Smiley an offer grandaughters for grandsons People keep asking me If I have any plans for the rest of the summer such as going on trip renting a collage learning to scuba dive or whatever To each and all of them I have one answer 1 going into a rest home where nobody under the age of can get near me We just had a lengthy visit from our grandboys the first In more than six months If you have any druthers when your children arc expecting children put In an application for girls There Is no girl or girls on earth who could have put ihcir Grandad through the physical obstacle course I been through in the past week When school ended In June I thought Id hang around for one more year before making way for a real teacher I was in good shape and another months In front of the chalkboard would be no sweat week I ve almost decided to retire on the third of September Somehow I don think either the authorities or the students want an English department head cranking around in a wheel chair The bursitis In my shoulder Is killing me after throwing a baseball to a potential Babe for hours My right foot is bruised battered and sprained from try ing lo prove I can still kick a football over a big spruce tree My knees are scraped my hands are raw my torso is thoroughly pierced from climbing trees to bring down small boys who can get up but like cats can get down My back door had to be removed and re paired after being slammed times by the boys and their bud dies up the sticet My face is burned to lobster like hue from being out in the sun as long as seven Its a bit of an inconvenience but Im now taking part In Divide and Conquer Thats when you separate your garbage one bundle for newspapers bag for cans and one for glass Its tough though when there are just the two of us We burn all our newspapers In the fireplace and could go weeks or months before we finish a jar of something However not being a traditional and making a lot of things from scratch I go through a lot of canned goods so the town usually gets a lot of tin from me We dont have that much to divide and conquer but we are making an effort to help the town In their recycling project It docs take extra small plastic bag a week family of two But Its worth It hours at a stretch The boys never burn They re moving too quickly for the sun to hit them a single direct blow I don t know much about girls I had one about 2B years ago and she was no pro blem until she became a teenager The only idlosyneracy she had was wanting to go to the bathroom at the most Inopportune times such as sailing along on the three- lane highway at with two turkeys tail gating you and iota tree or bush insight But I sure girls are not as curious daring and dicey as small boys who want to climb as high as possible go as fast as possible lean as far as they can over a dock or cliff and hit each other as hard as they can over the head a fist a stick or a baseball bat Do little girls get all cleaned up dressed up and then dash through the lawn sprinkler immediately and frequently Do little girls go down to the docks you ask how deep the water Is then lean over at an angle of degrees lo took down and make sure you re not prevaricating Do little girls plague you because every one else on the highway Is passing you and when you tell them the other drivers ore turkeys suggest with a grin that maybe you are a Do llltlc girls put on boxing gloves and try to hammer the daylights out of each other no quarter asked or given Do little girls the moment they ve arrived for a ask that everything be turned on the fireplace in July the fans and the lawn sprinkler Do little girls go from six in the morning until nine at night without stopping In one place for more than nine seconds aside from the odd four second pee demanded by Grandad Well little girls are not as angelic as I ve suggested but little boys knowing l m doing my bit to help solve Kalians garbage problems Now If they would Just quit sending us tax bills for a house we dont own Well known Acton resident Scott Mai of ridcy Ave travelled to Mon wllh the Pipe Band on August and won a silver medal in Solo March Piping out of Pipers Congratulations Scott Paul a son of Stella Acton has gone to the west toseek his fortune Paul Is a hotel management trainee at a resort hotel in Alberta The Public Health Seniors Clinic specializing In preventative medicine will soon bo moving Ihelr office to the new sen lor cltlzcnx apartment building on Elizabeth Drive The clinic has been held at the Community Services Centre In the the first Wednesday of every month The clinic mo veil in September Lately with everyone heading west or east or south or north Acton seems to most have emptied before our eyes The Monday of this past long weekend had me are Just as demonic as Ive intimated In fact my wife heard at the hair dresser that little boys are more honest more affectionate and more lovable than little girls who of course ore practising to be big girls That may be However I about us bruised bat bewildered and burnt as though I climbed a mountain without any ropes or crossed a desert without water Gran I take the punishment I do Oh she does a lot of work The washing machine is thumping moat of the day there a dry towel In the house she about run out of Band Aids and she spends hours In the kitchen whipping up such delicacies as honey and peanut butter sandwiches and strawberry shortcake Guess who picks the berries She hada whirl in the backyard one day batting fielding being shot wllh the hose did nobly but been out of the house since and spent most of the next day in bed Thank goodness for good neighbors John the car doorts when the boys through some miracle of mechanics had made it impossible lo close them He also the sprinkler the little guy wants to make sure the tense quite clear so he an extra Jim another neighbor the door which was about to fly away by itself All In all however it been loo bad except for the sleeping arrange ments The boys are peripatetic while You go to bed In one room alone wake up midnight in another bed another room three of you and may wind up in the morning In still another four of you I wouldn trade ihem for all the and Mary Ellens and Joannes in the world But make me an offer thinking everyone had been mysteriously transported to another planet Here at the Free Press not many of us are lucky enough to have the Mondays or long week ends off We usually get the Friday Its Christmas then we get the same day as everyone else This past week while pedalling my bike on Mill St across the railroad tracks It was really eerie not to see one car truck bike or person from the Mill St curve to the light many blocks down Usually at 7 a the street Is bustling There was not a soul I was re lieved when I got to work and there were a few cars in the driveway Acton residents seemed to have travelled to all parts of Canada and S this summer Trips to Newfoundland Nova Scotia Vancouver Victoria Boston ThcDakotas California Have you been on a vacation lately If so let me know Others are Interested In where you were and how your summer been People have been complaining for some time now are no personals In the However we don t know them we re lold Call me at or 3224 Were smart here at the Free Press but not In dreaders Back issues 10 years ago August An Acton woman Mrs Emma Alice St has been commended by the federal Minister of Consumer and Cor Affairs the Hon Ron Basford for her help in preparing a report on hearing aids Acton council thinks the town could still use one more dentist although a new one Robert Stcen is establishing in the block at the comer of Church and Main Sis Fairy Lake is one or the cleanest bodies of water In Ontario according to a recent teat for bacteria Acton Board of Parks Management exulted over the results Residents of may soon benefit from a owned waterworks and sewage system if the OMB approves the two projects for the village at a of SI Pollution problems in the village have become apparent a number of residents have trouble with their wells other with their septic tank system Con lamination could leach Into the Inatcd water supply Unless the new system is installed soon there could be epidemics of hepatitis or some other communicable disease The villagers are asking many questions Acton OPP will no longer be allowed to have auxiliary policemen 20 years ago August 1900 Disregarding a recommendation from Ontario Hydro Hydro Commission decided give their services free of charge again for this year at least On Oil spot treatment is given to casual ties at Fairy Lake by the St John Am brigade every weekend Linda Braida passed her fifth figure test Joan Cook her second and Barbara Cook her Ten Fox Trot Acton Legion Minor Sports Association is many dollars richer thanks to their three- day carnival Moira was crowned Popularity Queen by last years winner Trudy Scotl Runners up were Gloria Latimer Lorraine Richardson and Jackie Soap box derby winner was John Price Ernie Waller second Allan Robinson third There was a midway races parade pony rides and booths The parade was one of the longest in the history of this carnival Best decorated doll buggy winners were Debbie Johnson and Lynda Ralston Bob Loutetl Herb Cook Mr and Mrs Gord James and Sam Brunelle acted as clowns Aclon Public Schools float was judged best the firemen second and third 50 years ago August 14 1930 A letter from Ontario Hydro advised the Public Utilities Commission hat after a study of operating conditions in Acton Hydro rates are to be lowered by per horsepower The rate is now instead of per The meeting of the Women Institute was held at the home of Mrs William Hali The ladies again decided lo serve hot dinners and hold their booth the fall fair Taking part in the program were Miss Nellie Hall Miss Lizzie Orr Mrs Bell Mrs Andrew and Miss Verna Murray Union services are being held with the United and Baptist congregations The reUnion of Ospringc Old Boys and Girls fully realized the anticipations of those who conceived the happy idea Bet Theprogramin eluded ball games races and horseshoe contests After a bounteous supper the crowd was assembled at the platform lo hear speeches Mrs Roy Hindley was chairman J H Miller gave on Interesting account of the history of Osprlnge Other speakers Included G J Swaekhamcr Rev J Grant Rev serais J Stewart An umbrella was pre sented to Mr James Kirkwood ex M who was that day Laler In the evening the or chestra supplied the music far an old time dance in the school house years ago August 12 1880 Summer Complaints or Cholera Infantum which Is carrying off the infants and children by the thousands at this season of the year can always be surely checked and cured by Dr Fowler s Extract of Wild Strawberry Advertisement There Is talk of a post office being opened at Corners Today is Georgetown s civic holiday An excursion to Collingwood and return over Railway for 100 will take the majority of ihe inhabitants away from town The freight and passenger returns for station of Railway are very satisfactory and show that business is fast Improving In our village For the six months ending increase was which is that amount In excess of any other months since Acton was made a depot on the