The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Equestrian costs inflating riders still enjoy their sport by Jennifer Equestrian sports have been big business in the Acton area or the past 10 years or more How has inflation affected this recreational activity Arc people having too much trouble feeding themselves to bother feeding a horse Has the cost of horses climbed with all other costs Several urea equestrians and affiliated businesses were contacted and reports ore con Aiding There no doubt that costs are up horses cost more so does their feed equipment and transportation However only a few soy high are affecting business or their enjoyment of the sport According to Steve and Ron Lister of Mountain view Farms proprieltrs of a forge equestrian establishment south of Acton dealing In a variety of riding activities business is still very good and people are willing to spend more and more on recreation and the horsehabit Even though trailer costs are up 15 per cent every year Ron Lister says people are still willing to buy them The cost of a general purpose family horse has Increased over the past three years from MOO lo at least WOO and closer to or Lister ex plains Meal prices have always affected he horse market and these have risen from around cents a pound a few years ago to a record of cents a pound last year When thousand pound horses fetch nearly WOO for dogmeot the price of a pleasure beast Is bound to be affected However the public is still buying horses say the Listers In fact competition is keener than ever because there are less horses on the market One person who agree is breeder and horse dealer Roy Ionson of Aeton He feels the horse business had definitely been hurt by inflation and the amount of people getting started In the sport is drastically reduced For this he s cut down his horse activities He Is breeding rabbits The horse show business seems to be booming although small show organizers report entries arc down Instead of suffering from inflation though it seems the amount of horse run has increased dramatically thus thinning out entries in smaller shows Steve Lister feels there ore more people than ever attending more but entries ore reduced because of competition Roy and Join a recognised judging team are busier than ever judging several shows very weekend of the season Don Lawrence of Tack Shop In says more people hove bought saddles in Hie past year than every before He says he doesn sec much change in the horse business lie a horse owner himself Although costs are higher lie feels enthusiasts are willing to pay more for any recreation A record sixteen million pairs of western boots have been sold In the United States in the past months according to Lawrence despite the highest prices ever Boots selling for three years ago are now 105 and up Feed costs have risen say most horse feeders however basic costs have stayed fairly stable for the past two or three years A good crop year has kept the price of at a dollar lo SI a bale whereas to ranged up to a bale Concentrates have doubled heir price In five the being considerably slower in recent years Higher feed costs are reflected in boord costs For those boarding he horses the costs are up to a month Mountalnview Firms charge a month for basic and use of all facilities including indoor arena boarding a Thoroughbred race horse the track can run as high as Wo a day Four B Hunter Traimnp Centre run by Evelyn and Lynda Buchanan near have managed to keep c sis down to a month for board by venng the overhead of their family business They horses of their own and 10 boarders Mrs Buchanan says they try to spread the cost of care and subsidize it even though their feed costs have increased cons They still manage to keep the resale price of a pleasure horse to ap proximately Mrs Buchanan says she feels It important horses are still kept available for the pleasure of everyone who wishes partake of the sport Paul Thompson of Acton a two horse owner who has cared for his horses on 10 acres for a decade says it cheaper to keep his own horses now that board fees have increased His horses are part of the family he says so Continued on Page 2 An Inland Community Newspaper One Hundred and Sixth Year No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16 1980 nix hive Cents Stephenson makes No commitment for new Catholic school a or bo and Melony Wood at a recent Rock wood Trail Riders show when this think These two young of Mr and Mrs picture taken and winning Iota of ribbons Doug Wood of R I Acton enjoy their ponies Joe 11 Photo by JENNIFER and Milch every chance they get They were compel Norths musical festival getting one last chance Full Support may come to the North Hal ton Music Festival when representatives from 12 elementary schools meet next week to determiners future The dozen schools Indicated hoy were in favor of the yearold festival when they answered a recent survey by festival organizer Doug Magwood la your school definitely interested In participat in a revised North Ho Hon Music Festival in 1961 The dozen schools replied they were 1G schools said they were not The closeness of the replies was not strong enough in Magwood mind to call an end to the festival A meeting with representatives of the 12 schools Is scheduled for Z Bennett School next Wednesday A motion to disband the festival will bo introduced and debated said Magwood principal of M Z Bennett School -inside- Peary is the subject of Jennifer Profile this week Turn to page Bert withdraws from election for school trustee Details on page 3 Id Betty Jones has chosen to run or the position of school trustee See story page Board of Education recently changed the way It applies Its school bus policy Turn to page A simple majority vole will end it he said The annual festival was suspended for this year in order to give organizers an opportunity lo measure the support for it The last time the festival was held eightofapossible25schoolscompeled Negative replies to the recent survey came from Acton Milton Georgetown and said Magwood He declined to identify the schools The support Just does not seem to be there said the festivals chairman A decision has to be made in the fall In order that preparations can be made for the May festival Choirs from a number of North Ha I Ion elementary schools for prizes The Georgetown Ki warns Club has been helping festival organizers since last year festival was suspended Financially the yearly musical event is in the black The Snog appears lo be the competitive nature of the festival Competition especially in the arts is nol popular Another difficulty Is the traditional May dates for the festival Many school trips take place in that month Also some schools are committed to other forms of musical presentation competitive such as operettas Board of Education supports the festival so far as to provide bussing to the host school The board however does not go as far as urging teachers support 11 Not far away In Ihc annual music festival is thriving according to Magwood They are so busy they are searching for an additional secretary to run Delegates who pleaded lo Ontario Education Minister Belle Stephenson the case for a new separate school In town came away with one word on their positive No words of commitment however passed through he minister lips She was very supportive very positive Acton Parents Association President said Friday Acton Georgetown Separate School Trustee Hartley Sherk echoed observation the Thursdiy afternoon Queen s Park audience We all thought of it as a very positive meeting Said Hal ton Separate School Board Chairman and Education Director Cliff Byrnes also attended the meeting which had the car of the minister for about an hour There was no commitment from the minister concerning funding for the school building or Ihc school Mill St site The minister office issued no statement after the meeting In about a month the Halton Separate School Board expects to hear from the education ministry concerning the amount of money left over from other boards which was allocated this year but which has not That notification may translate into some dollars far the school site There was no promise that any will come to us said She Stephenson said we arc on the short list If some funds come from the ministry review his month and hai ioes fir the school site Sherk he would interpret that as a commitment by the m lowirds a new St Josephs School So far the ministry Mas not approved 11 pureh est of the Mill St property for lit hehoo Delegates in return learned from the minister the very severe restraints as described It Sherk and pointed out hat the minister was made aware hat next year there will be only one priority from the School for provincial funding Acton Town parents of children attending SI Joseph School were disillusioned and angered when they learned last summer thai the board presented the province with two number one priorities theirs andOakvillc received he money while the board put a down payment on the farm for a new Acton school expects make final decisions concerning allocations of money in January or This yeir lie came in the spring The school received a separation this summer from Land Division Committee off Ihc property The minister told delegates they might have to their lower concern nj the type of building for an Acton school said No longer is the ministry building super struc lures because bo many of them in Toronto and around he province are empty Modular construction is the new way states Modular schools hove a permanent core surrounded by classrooms The core contains rooms for offices gym library washrooms The advantage according to ministry public relations spokesman John Gillies is that with fluctuating enrolment they can add or sub iract classrooms a triples of modular schools exist in Erin one of Iht early types and where the new Trench school Is underway Modular schools arc somewhat cheaper than regular buildings however their main is that classrooms can be changed said Gillies Sherk indicated the idea of modular schools is not new lo him thai ho is phased the ministry is pushing boards towards this type of construct ion Delegates also invited he Provincial minister to lour St Joseph School the isth century stone structure The reply seems to be lhat she may if her schedule permits Liberal MPP Julian Reed whom parents hive used to pressure the Conservative government minster wis he said not inv led the meeting Kids too noisy residents Residents on Division Street with property adjoin ing Park ore complaining about Ihc newly erected play structure despite the or neigh borhood children who are using the equipment steadily since It was creeled parks department but residents were taking a selfish attitude He said those who were complaining were the immediate neighbours of the park who hav installed by the parks depart The structure wa last Tuesday It is a specially designed framework with logs a tire and a rope for swinging and a slide Tom Shcpard director of parks and recreation said the playground was promised to the sub division when it was built Councillors Ross and Terry Grubbe asked residents what they would like to see in the park before the structure was bought and Joy Gwiltlam Acton coordlnator for the Porks and Ree Department displayed a sketch of the equipment on the Community Board outside the town office on Main Street But once the thing was put up some of the mothers started lo complain A few called the councillors and the Acton Free Press an nonymously They called it other things ugly hideous and dangerous saying the 12 foot height was too high for younger children They also threatened tho town with a lowsult If a child fell off Residents complained of the noise and that it attracted older children and teenagers after nigh fall Shcpard said none of the complaints reached Ihe the open space behind their property pul He added the structure which is only part of an overall plan for the park including a footbridge and bicycle path has the best safely record It is a structure designed for three to four year olds and older he said The equipment Is surrounded by six by six foot planks of wood and filled with six Inches of sand for extra safety I think kids know their limits better lhan the par said Shcpard And you will find there are a lot of kids playing on It He added 1 guess we get a lawsuit If a kid fell Several parents in the area support the equip John Dunn who helped install the structure says he is pleased with what has going up I hove no fears of my girls playing on it he sold I have four girls between eight and and they re always climbing and falling off trees Any mother with smaller children should company them to the pork Other parents voiced similar opinions pointing out less children will be plaing there once the novelty has worn off Seven yearold Kim one of the children playing in the park Thursday said she really likes the structure She said someone swinging on the tire might knock down another child standing in the way but on the whole it was fun And she added she d bo coming back to play a lot