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I do not know why everyone thought Benjamin Franklin was such a genlus when he dangled a key from a piece of wire during an electrical stormi and almost electrocuted himself. If I had been around during that century I would have been glad to set bim straight. As a boy, electrical storms i the coontryside terrified me. Maybe it was the booming of the thunder and the dazzling flashes of lightning mhat caused this early trauma but I really think it was the numerous fires that were caused by lectrical storms. These fires often occurred at nlight and the great glow in the night sky, while several barns ires were burning within a rather short radius, muade you very aware of the impact of lightening. There were lightning rod satesmen travelling the country who tried to wain the farmers that the lightning rod arresters on a barnsmight divert the electrical charge. I am not sure how effective these arresters worked. Rural electrification has done much more to prevent bains from burning. They say lightening neyer strikes twice in the same place. Idont know why anyone would be foolish enough to believe this; my grandfather maybe? lis barn was burned by a lightening boit. He promptly built another and a few years later it borned for the samne reason. The barns on the Ron Harris faim is the third rath<er large barns built on that site. If there is any good thing about barns fires set by lightning; it is simply that they invariably happened in the sommer when most of the livestock would be in the fields. I recaîl one particulai electrical storm when live bain fires were borning in the night glow and ail within a ten mile radius. Since there were no rural fire departments; fire was the enemy of die farmer. I wonder if there aie lightening rod salesman still available? Some of these salesmen in the earlier days were real doom and gloomers. It helped promote sales. Lighteniing could strike i town just as easily. I recali one fierce electrical storm on a Satorday night in Orono. It struckç the mectal flag pole beside the Town Hall steps. A local was standing nearby and swore afterwards the lightening travelled down the pote and knocked his pipe from bis mouth. I think the real facts were, he was so frightened by the flash that his mouth feil open and the pipe fell to the groond. My reason for believing tlis, is mhat I saw hlm alive and well the following Satuiday night, pipe in place and no shorter. Well. I don't think fires were anything but disasters. Towns and villages; with many fraîne buildings in proximity were also likely targets. They did have fire brigades. There is a good accoont of Orono Fire Brigade's problemrs in -Out of the Mists". I suppose the -nost confrontationat period occurred in 1896 when it was decided to get rid of the old hand pumper and buy a steam pumper.- A hand pumper had handles on either side and required two men on eachi side to do the pomnping. It was hard work and votonteers were not - eady as one might suspect. The ~.steam pumper soon elicited volunteers; twenty-eight enrotled. t seems practice was called about twice each month. A new fire hall was but next to the presenit Orono Times office. It was horse drawn and its only drawback was having to light a fire under the boiter and get steam up before the pump would operate. They recorded mhat they were throwing a stream of water through four hondreti feet of hose in less tda eight minutes. If this included lighting the fire, then they must have had a good suppty of dry wood. At, one point it was suggested mhat tins body of firemen received a hearty invitation to assist in a Fireman's Demonstration at Bowmanville, date 1899. They declined. If mhis meant drawing their "steamer" ail the way to Bowmanvilte with horses I can ounderstand their reluctance. Haif of Orono could have burned while they were away. The fire Cinetfor Orono was Captain Harry Hooper. I quote from his retirement: "Captain Harry Hooper has discharged the duties of the office with faithfulness. courtesy, and efficiency for the past thirty yeais." Orono has had similar dedicated fire chiefs since then; among them were Captains William Davey, William Riddell, Bruce Mercer and Ross Mercer. I believe one should pay tribute to ail of the volunteer firemen. With a new fire hall now in place, fire service is extended throughout the rural areas. Orono bas pioneered in many voluntary services to its citizens. For mnany years its sign read: Orono, A Good Place to Live." Today it has an equally attractive slogan: "Orono, The Place With a Difference." The citizens of Orono over the years have been feisty; sometimes almost contrary; but through it ail, Orono hias maintained its character and that makes the difference. Many small towns pro bably have equal numbers of characters and their share of humour and pathos. The playwrîght Thornton Wilder called ih "Our Town. But it was the poet Emily Dickinson who caught the glimpses. "As Lightening on a Landscape- Exhi bits Shwees of Place- Not yet suspected - but for a 1Flash- And Click - and Suddlenness June designated as Better Breathing Month The Lung Association has designated June as Better Breathing Month. "Stay in the Pink wimh Healthy Lungs'" is the slogan to stress the importance of good lunch healmh. We can live for weeks without food, for days wimhout water, but we can live only for minutes without air. The vital exchange of gas between our lungs and bloodstream is a day and night process of needed oxygenation from air. Under normal, unstressed breathing, aduits breamhe in about 6 - 10 litres of air every minute. That's 35 pounds of air daily. This can increase to 120 litres per minute under the stress of physical Queenl s from Gord Mils Last week, followillg some discussion between the iaders Of both the Official Opposition and the Third Party, normal business resumed in the Legislaturè - for the time being! The present §rssiofl of parliament is scheduled i o end on lune 27th. The delaying tactics will undoubtedly cause the héuse tO sit until midnight, in the liext few weeks, in order for the 8êve1flflent to pass important legisiation before the recess. On Monday aftemnfl, I was pleased to make a stitement in the Legisiature about Bro@klin Fair. Twoý important items of legisiation being debated before the House are, Bill 17, the Chiid Support payment bill. ThTe second important item is Bill 70, 'Me Wage Protection Act. The passing of the Child Support Act will reduce welfare costs by ab@ut $344 million. At the moment there are about 15,000 workers qualified to receive $5,000 each under the Wage Protection Act. This mioney wil help those men and wôMfen, who through no fault of their own, have been ieft high and dry by companies who have failed to live up to their moral obligations as an employer. I was pleased to have been able to join in the debate on the latter item, and speak about the injustices to ordinary working men and women. During the week, the Justice Committee, of which 1 am a member, discussed proposed legisiation regarding the making of a Living Will. This proposai is designed to allow persons to make decisions in regard to wbat life extensions they wish if faced with an illness or injury where death is inevitable. The discussions were not easy, and far from being straight forward. On Friday moming, 1 chaired a meeting of Community Care Organizations inDurhamn, held in Whitby. The guest speaker was the Hon. Zanana Akande, Minister of Comunity and Social Services. The remarks made-by Zanana were well received by everyone presenit. Ini the afternoon, 1 attended the officiai launch of the Good Neighbours Campaign for the Town of Newcastle, at Bowmanville Museums. Everyone mnvolved ini the Good Neighbour Program deserves a great deal of credit. 1 cant think of any better community activity than one where people heip their neighboors. activity. In an average tife span (70 years), we breathe 500 million to t billion tises. The quality of the air we breathe directly affects the state of our health and vitality. 1These facts demonstrate how crucial our air supply is to us. The Lung Association is working with governmrent and health care agenicies to promote action against air pollution and to increase awaieness o f the hiazards of air pollution to long health. Vulnerability to long disease is no longer restricted to dhe few ... we are ALL at risk to long stress,, distress and debility from the air we now breathe. For more information about air O)rono Weekly Times, Wednesday, June 5, 1991-9 Park report While in attendance T was approached by a number of people seeking clarification of some recent govenment initiatives. One question that kept coming up was the changes to the oath of allegiance required by police officers. 1 would like to make it clear that the changig of the oath is not some conspiracy on die part of the govensment to lessen the rote of the Queen in Ontario. The oath changes were introduced as a regulation to the Police Services Act. The process for the changes started in 1988, and were, formulated by civil servants upon the direction of the previous governiment. The proposed oath changes were presented to the Solicitor General this Spring, who in tuns presented themn to Cabinet for consideraion, and their subsequent adoption. The oath changes came about fromt consultation with . every stakeholder touched by the changes. These included the Chiefs of Police of Ontario Association, the Ontaiio Police Association, and Police Services Boards. During this process ail those taking part in the process endorsed the changes, including the Toronto Police Commission headed at the time by Chairman June Rowlands. 1 hope that everyone can now understand that the oath change was not part of a New Democratic agenda designed to infuriate people at large, or to accommodate the new chairperson of the Toronto Police Services Board as some folks have suggested. On Saturday morning, 1 was in Brooklmn taking part in their Fair Parade. A huge turnout lined the route to the fairgrounds. The weather was super and the quality of the floats very high. At noon, I attended at Bethay Post Office in support of those fighting the threatened closure of their post office. Following tis I held a constituency clinic in Manvers Township. A number of constituents took advantage of the chance to drop in and discuss many things. I enjoyed meeting everyone. 1 intend to do more of these during the sommer months. Until next week - be kind to one another. WANT ADS WORK,