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Editorial Comments Bad move When councillor Jerry Taylor soul-searchingly re- gretted the poor handling of the penitentiary issue by council, it was assumed by most that the gbservation was a retrospection. So did we, until council pulled the latest surprise: a closed-doors meeting with representatives of the federal works department about possible sites for the proposed penitentiary reception centre over a week ago. We can only wonder about the reasoning behind the move. If the months of controversy has shown us anything, it is that mistrust of government--both federal and local--runs to almost paranoia on this highly emotional issue. Our worst fears about the closed meeting came true when the mayor of Uxbridge--following a meeting with officials in that community--announced that the feds were talking about two institutions, and not one. * The next question is simply a matter of sequence and we've been approached at least a dozen times with... "Was there such an offer here?" "If not, why. were the doors closed?" Granted, government land purchases are hardly the' kind of thing you want to make public at the wrong" time. Prices have a habit of going up. But we are led to believe that the closed meeting dealt only with preliminaries. The government has already stated there will be no such institutions in good agricultural, recreation land, or built up areas. So why secrecy? There were, we understand, a number of offers of sites made from individual land owners presented at. the meeting. To exclude the public from such preliminary offers is obviously the wisest course, and would have drawn little opposition. That. bit of business could have been deali-.with. in camera following an open, general session. We don't for a minute believe there is anything underhanded going on in these negotiations, we find fault only in the risk council is taking by throwing gas on a smouldering fire--unnecessarily. An apple a day.... Good citizenship, leadership, spirit-and generosity are just some of the qualities we encourage in our young people. Since we think of the proverbial good deed when we think of scouting, why don't we all just put our money where our mouth is this weekend and show these kids we're all for good deeds, physical fitness and clean-cut youth. So quit complaining about keepin' 'em off the streets and buy an apple! That's Boy Scout Apple Day, Saturday. vw? ---- pn <C$E [3 -- "a. Cd 7 RAY pErpMINATION bz" #0 #20 850 %00 954] coLLecTion Au WELCOME TZ COUNTER ce Remember Whe a? 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 8, 1925 Miss Isabel Lucas was elected First Vice President of the "Freshman's Class" at Victoria College, Toronto. Cartwright Fair cele- brated its 60th anniversary this month. Dr. J. A. Mathers was appointed as Coroner of Port Perry and district. Mrs. S. Farmer attended the W.C.T.U. convention at Pembroke as Ontario County delegate. A farewell party was held in Prince Albert to honour Mr. and Mrs. Owen Hill who are leaving to take up resid- ence in Toronto. Rev. M. Swayne was chairman for the evening, they were presented with a purse of money. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, Ocfober 12, 1950 The first 'of three Gala Nights in'aid of the new arena was a great success. ~The - bingo was under the charge of the Lions Club, this netted $207.00. On behalf of the student council of the High School, a cheque for $150.00 was presented to the Arena Chairman, Mr. Ted Jackson, by Miss Kaye Prentice. Dancing was enjoyed and a turkey draw netted $66.25. - The many friends of Cecil Collins gathered in the base- ment of Utica Church to say goodbye and wish his sue- cess in his new home, he was presented with a gold wrist watch. Mrs. Crosier and Mrs. Bailey of Utica attended the teachers' convention in Bowmanville. 15 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 13, 1960 The first All-Ontario Base- ball Championship was won by-the Port Perry Jr. "C" team this year. The team sponsored by the Merchants "and the Lions Clubrtravelled 'to Capreol'and brought home the title. Playing on the team were Archie Menzies, pitch- er; Jim Carnochan; Murray Brikett; Lloyd Wilson; Wayne Powell; Jack Chap- man; Art McArthur; Bert Brent. Certificates were received by two members of the Public School staff for Department of Education Summer School courses. Mrs. Frank Mr. and Mrs Patrick Harri- Hastings receive a certifi- - cate in music and Mrs. Gordon McMillanin Primary . 'Methods, Part IL Mr. Sam Oyler of Cedar 'Creek is visiting friends in England. Atthe W.M.S. meeting held in Ashburn was a Thank Offering service and the speaker for the evening was Miss Margaret Leask, who is home on furlough from India. 10 YEARS AGO Thursday, October 14, 1965 Through the generosity of "has accepted a position as son of Seven-Mile Island, the Scugog Ramettes ball team and their families were feted at a delicious banquet and evening of entertainment. Each girl was presented with a lovely white cardigan by Don Ashbridge. "N Ontario County Farmers had the six top eritries at Markham Fair this year in the Gary Oats class. They were Bruce Heayn, R.R. 3, Port Perry; Roy Gerrow, R.R. 3, Port Perry; Jim. Gerrow, R.R. 3; Bruce Wil- son, R.R. 2, Uxbridge; Nor- man Wilson, R.R. 2, Ux- bridge, and Dale Swanick of R.R. 3, Uxbridge. Miss Betty Cawker, R.N., left for the Yukog where she Superintendent at the hospital at Mayo. The Scout Paper drive this month netted about 13 tons of paper. Bill Smiley -- Should we go to court? Something came up on my Saskatchewan holiday this summer past that rather virtues, and a return to the "Good years" of the Depression. Bob-Tail spoke thus: "Blank-beep! Who do you think you are -- God? The guy or the with this. When I was a weekly editor, I had to cope I decided, with the full concur- intrigued me, and I thought it might strike a chord, responsive or otherwise, in the breast, or breasts, of my best friends, the readers of this column. I had thrown a small and unselect party on the last night of the convention. Atleast it began small. It grew steadily larger because it was unselect: everybody who passed the open door of my room was hollered at.to cummon in. Fortunately, most of the people who were passing were weekly newspaper people with their wives, girl friends or grosdianiicks. With regard to the ladies, I must confess, 4aid he gallantly, that you couldn't tell the girls from the grandmothers. Perhaps that is because it's Women's International Year, but I doubt it. I have noticed in the last few years that girls are becoming .more like grandmothers: the glasses, the long skirts, the humped should- ers; and, for good or worse, grannies are becoming more like girls: smoking cigar- ettes, dringing rye whiskey, and elevating their 'Rdsoms, with the aid of goodness-only- knows-what miracles of elastic, to positively perilous positions. 2 Well, back to the party. Federal and provincial politics, women's lib, starving editors; rotten kids, and overpaid workers, were dealt with farily smartly and expedit- iously. They were all bad, we agreed, except for the starving editors, the last bulwark in the fight for freedom, law and order, the old This was standard for a party, and I was pleased that everything was so cool. But, as every host or hostess of every party, everywhere, and everytime, knows, most people sensibly go home to bed, and mine host is stuck with the Rag-Tag and Bob-Tail . of the party, who still have a few bones stuck in their craws and want to wash them away with some fairly strong solvent. It happened. I won't mention names, because they are two fine western editors, good to their children, kind to their wives, pillars of their communities, and I don't want them run out of town on some torn-up rails of a defunct line of the C.P.R., not tarred and feathered, but smeared-from head to foot with printers' ink and copies of their old editorials. I'll just call them Rag-Tag and Bob-Tail. Rag-Tag finally ran out of arguments and bout 4 a.m., but Bob-Tail kept me up until 6:47 a.m. the bus leaving at 8:30 for the fishing trip, me going, him not, and I hope, if hereads this, heis dying slowly and painfully from an incurable disease. This is what they got hacking about, with me as the judge; should or should not a weekly editor run in his columns court news? And that is why I thought your readers might have an opinion. Rag-Tag said:"'Ab- solutely. Itis our duty. Noone canbe spared. We owe it to our readers. If I myself were convicted of impaired driving, I would run it in the paper.' gal has already been judged and sentenced by the law.-He or she has been punished. All © you are doing by printing it in the paper is doubling the sentence, exposing him or her to the. scorn and contempt of friends and neighbours and salivating sensation-seekers who swoop like vultures on the garbage that _ is other peoples' troubles." "As you dan see, Bob-Tail was a little more poetic. But Rag-Tag was not to be downed so easily. He fought back. "0.K., smart-ass. What would you do if there was a murder in your town?" You'll note that he had by now dropped the subjunctive. Bob-Tail: 'I'd ignore it. paper that So-and-So had passed away on Such-and Such. If the Calgary papers wanted to come in and make a big murder thing of it, let 'em. Youknow what I'ddo? I'd go and see the widow (or widower) and talk to, her (or him) as a friend." I won't bore you with any more. The argument went on for two hours, with the judge (me), looking at a non-existent watch, brightly mentioning that the fishing trip was starting in two hours; and even calling room service to see what time it was. So what would you do, gentle reader, if you were a weekly editor? _ Would you run the court news, and break some poor mother's heart? Or do you think that the ppblic has a right to know that the mayor got 'drunk and beat up his wife? JL wy "E> PART . VB £44 I'd say in the, rence of my partner, that there was no particular point in running court news. Too many people were being doubly punished, and why? Merely for the delectation of the righteous. Strangely enough, or not, the people who howl and pleat the most, when it is their family about to be exposed in public print, are the most righteous. The less righteous are almost proud that nephew Elmer "'got his name in the paper". Three days later, on our fishing trip, I reintroduced the subject, and saw two weekly newspapermen, this time from Ontario, practically come to blows over the issue. Daily papers treat the subject with the utmost cynicism. They have a court reporter. He or she reports only those cases before the judge which will make a "good story": the salacious, the sensational, the bizarre -- only those that will make ope , reader chuckle or slaver. What do you think? Perhaps your eflitor would be interested in your opinion. Does he or she run court news? Does it serve any' purpose? You judge. Write him, or her. Write me, care of him or her. . I would really like to know how ordinary, decent human beings feel about this. The Argyle Syndicate Ltd. 4 ¢