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

Friday comment Thomas suggestion good | The boom is over in Simcoe County. Wednesday night the Simcoe County Board of Education heard a report tabled by its Superintendent of Plan- ning and Curriculum Dr. Robert Thomas which painted a picture of declining enrolments in schools over the next seven years. The report also predicts that a slight upswing in enrolment during the years after 1981 will not be felt in the Midland- Penetanguishene area. The biggest problem this will create is what to do with the surplus teachers who will be faced with empty classrooms in the next several years. Firings are not the answer We as a_ society, endorsed wholeheartedly the idea of the people during the 1950's and 1960's when it seemed there would be no end in sight for the expansion of educational in- stitutions. We would like to go on record as endorsing Dr. Thomas' suggestion of relocation of Simcoe County's teachers to more populated schools and upgrading of their qualifications so they can move from elementary to high school work. If enrolment continues to decline after the report's forecast period of 1985, redistribution may still have failed. But in a country that is approaching one million on the unemployed roles, it will help keep these people in the work force doing the job they were trained for. seeking education in the teaching field the Penetanguishene 'ee a : 2 The way it was The Hog's Bay railroad trestle, once a popular landmark and more recently, the object of considerable local con- troversy, is no more. On Tuesday af- ternoon, workers from Xanadu Farms, company awarded the demolition contract for the trestle from CPR, remaining section of the once 2,141 long structure. Good weather allowed the demolition project to be completed much ahead of schedule. felled the last Staff photo Trestle all but gone | Where once one of the longest structures of its type in the world stood, all that now remains of the well-known Hog's Bay railroad trestle are a few timbers lying on the frozen marsh. At 3:13 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, workers from Xanadu Farms, the Penetanguishene com- pany awarded the demolition contract from CPR, felled the last standing section of the 2,141 foot structure. The speed with which Xanadu completed the demolition project has surprised everyone, in- cluding' Xanadu president, Mrs. Juliana Hervieux. According to Mrs. Hervieux, it has been the Letters to the editor 'Develop existing land' Dear Editor, The Town of Midland is caught in a dilemma, in that although the Town is suffering severe unemployment and the economic base needs expansion, there are serious questions as to whether Midland can afford the major ex- penditures needed for industrial land acquisition and servicing at the present time I know from discussions with 'con- cerned ratepayers that Midlanders are worried that the Town may spend substantial capital sums for the pur- chase and servicing of land for which there is no assured market, when there is serviced land lying idle close by. It is argued that if the Motorola property, which is fully serviced, is not marketable to a reasonably labour intensive enterprise, how can it make sense to buy a hundred acres across the road for $250,000 and service fifty acres of this property at an additional cost of about half a million dollars? This is a very resonable and valid question to which I have not yet heard any convincing answer. Although the heritage industrial park must be developed eventually, it would be premature to decide immediately to purchase and service the Jones farm property, in view of the uncertainty regarding the intentions of the province Correspondence from the Minister of Industry and Tourism, the Hon. John Rhodes, indicates that any decisions by the Provincial Government regarding financial assistance for industrial development are a good way off. In the meantime I would much prefer to see money spent on a vigorous promotional campaign to get an in- dustry into the vacant Motorola property, than on land acquisition. In 1977 council voted $12,000, all that was requested, to the Midland Chamber of Commerce as a special. grant for Industrial promotion purposes. I had misgivings at the time was to whether, this was a sufficient sum, but the Chamber has spent less than the twelve thousand and seems rather proud of the fact. There have been no noticeable results. I would be prepared to vote a very much larger sum, in the order of $50,000, if I could be assured that all of this money would be spent on a vigorous, aggressive and determined effort, with emphasis on the vigour, the aggression and the determination, to promote Midland and get the Motorola site occupied by a decent sized in- dustry It will be far better for Midland, both materially and in terms of morale, to make a real effort to persuade a single industry to locate here. I would far sooner vote to spend $50,000 for a full scale promotional campaign to get our existing serviced land occupied, than spend close to $1 million for land acquisition and servicing in an un- certain economic climate. Yours truly, Richard Platt, Councillor--Ward Three. Possible turning. point Dear Editor, The election of Jack Ramsay as the Liberal candidate in Simcoe North could be a turning point in the fortunes of the party or it could be an interlude. He and his friends did show great organizational ability by persuading several hundred people within. a few days to become card-carrying Liberals and to support him. His success was in no way engineered by the local executive. Dick Platt who nominated John Atkinson, belongs to the Simcoe North (Federal) executive and McGill Maltby, Atkinson's seconder is a member of the Simcoe East (Provin- cial) executive The old-line Liberals are a most Looking for Dear Sir, It is hoped that a detective story without murder, fraud or other crime may be sufficiently novel as to win space in your paper. There is such a story of a Canadian Army unit that served throughout Europe WW2. This unit, the 65 Tank Transport Coy RCASC was disbanded in Holland in 1945. Ex-members departed for civy street in every part of Canada and contact between in- dividuals was lost Twenty-eight years later, two former members met in Flin Flon, Man. and speculated on what had happened to their wartime friends. It was decided to try for some answers. It should be noted that a 28-year-old trail is a cold trail and difficult to follow. The first answer was a shock, aman remembered as a happy joking youth and unit favorite was found dying in an Edmonton hospital. A notice in the Legion Magazine produced eight replies, all from the area between Sydney, N.S. and Powell River, B.C. (a truly generous hunting preserve). The search became a chain reaction as the members when found joined in the endeavour. After some dedicated group, but have been lacking in numbers. If Jack Ramsay can recruit new voters as well as he ob- tained new members (and he will try hard), if he wins the next election and if the new members remain dedicated workers, the Simcoe North Liberal Association has been blessed indeed. But if he loses and then withdraws into his former political obscurity and if the new members fade away like the morning mist, the Liberals are back in square one and may have lost some of the ground gained by Janice Laking four years ago. Such gambles though unplanned, are the essence of politics. Sincerely, Ken McPherson. war buddies progress had been made, the un- dertaking was organized by province with exchange of information. Leads were dredged up from memory, unit daily orders (source Ottawa Records), from old address books. phone books, old photos, ete. Four and a half years of detective work has located 210 living ex-members and about 35 deceased out of a possible of about 700. The search continues Will anyone reading this, please check with your WW2 army acquain- tances, if a 65th man be found, please advise him of a company reunion to be held at North Bay, Ontario, July 7-8-9, 1978. For reunion details and other important information, he should contact Maurice Rainsforth, P.O. Box 1071, Stirling, Ontario, 613-395-3052 (or the writer). Mr. Editor please accept the thanks of the men of the 65th for this valuable space in your paper. Sincerely, L.L. Purdy P.O. Box 145, Waterloo, P.Q. JOE 2NO0 The Friday Times and Friday Citizen Published every Friday morning by Markle Community Newspapers Limited at Box 609, 521 Bay Street, Midland, Ontario / 526-2283 Box 429, 75 Main Street, Penetanguishene, Ontario / 549-2012 Andrew Markle, publisher Victor Wilson, general manager Rod McDonald, managing editor Howard Ellictt, Penetanguishene Editor The Friday Times and Friday Citizen are distributed free each Friday to households in Midland and Penetanguishene 20c per copy at newsstands Markle Community Newspapers Limited also publish The Midland Times, Penetanguishene Citizen and Elmvale Lance each Wednesday in the Huronia market. Page 4, Friday, February 24, 1978 How does your garden grow? by Agnes B. Millward "Green Things In Small Spaces", is a very handy manual for the Apart- ment gardener, and author Marnie Collins covers just about every snag the apartment dweller might meet, plus various loopholes con- ceived to get around rules that might stop you from hanging a _ particular plant. Not that you will be breaking those rules if you follow her suggestions, they are ingenious alternatives that you may be able to apply to your particular set-up. Not only is this book handy for apartment dwellers, but it is packed full of suggestions for anyone who wants to have a variety of houseplants, healthy houseplants in the home, whether you live in a house or apartment. She begins, by describing the problems unique to apartments, and often pertain to single dwelling climates, and then proceeds on how to cope with them and how to recognize them. Her list of essential tools for the indoor gardener is basic, without forcing you to break the bank, and which she follows up with a list of gadgets nice to have but your plants won't die without them. Collins deals with the specific problem of handling the tropical plants well and with a great deal of com- monsense, which most good gardening practise is anyway, and her in- structions are concise and easy to follow. From experience, I have found tropical plants a little extra work, particularly at this time of year when our homes are so dry, and some of her suggestions I have put to use with hopefully better looking plants in the near future. Soil mixtures Her chapter on soil mixtures, and what plants to put with what mixes, is a lot less con- fusing than some books I have read on that par- ticular subject, and something that I par- ticularly liked was her stress on the light airy soils, which is a point I like to stress on occasion. A chapter is also devoted to the sun, the winter sun to be exact, and how to take advantage of it with the best results for some plants and what plants to keep out of direct sun even if it be the weak winter sun. Then, of course she touches on the subject of fluorescent lights, their advantages and disadvantages, and how to use them without taking up too much room. Lists, include plants which prefer an east or west window, etc., or how many hours to keep your non-flowering plants and your flowering plants under the artificial lights. Watering and fertilizing occupy a portion in the book, with accompanying lists of what plants like what. This is an area in which many people can kill a plant, or be the envy of everyone on the block, and Collins deals with the touchy problem quite well, by using a medium, dry, or wet symbol beside the name of several popular plants and which coincide closely with what I have found by trial and error many times, or if I have researched a particular plant. . The chapter titled Mini- Climates is a section which I found most in- formative, for in this section, Collins has devised many useful, space-saving and at- tractive ways of finding the '"'spot"' for your plants where they will thrive the best. She describes the use of floor to ceiling poles on which to place plants to very economical window sill trays. She deals with the problem of the very big windows common to the apart- ment, to instructing the novice on how to handle an electric drill in order to install a wall hanger, or how to install a non-hole wall hanger. Terrariums, bottle gardens, plant benches, plant walls and containers are all discussed with the same view on the pocketbook. On the cheap. Much of her ideas are do-it-yourself projects which would be fun and certainly you would look upon the completed job as something totally your own. Green Oasis Then Collins takes us outside to the balcony and expands on the two or three window boxes, with the result of turning that rather unobtrusive balcony into a green oasis in to which you and your friends will gladly retreat in the dog days of August. Again the economical approach is taken, yet she covers a very com- prehensive range of plants to grow on the balcony. Some plants suggested are small type trees in containers, spring flowering bulbs, hanging baskets' to various vegetables. There is a chapter dealing with-the storage problems for tools, soils ete., which can be a chaotic problem in an apartment, and from my own experience in a reasonably sized house. She has many great ideas on this subject, some of which I should take to heart and put into practise. 2 Throughout the book are sketches of various plants, drawn by the author and are quite delightful. In short, I found the book most in- formative, imaginative plus entertaining to read. Green things in Small Spaces by Marnie Collins. 154 pages. $5.95, paper- back. Methuen Publications. recent stretch of clear weather that has spelled such a quick end to the bridge. "At first, we had a lot of poor weather, but with the good weather recently, we were able to work from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. When you can work at that pace, it doesn't take long for it to come down," Mrs. Hervieux said, in an interview. Taking advantage of the good weather were 28 workmen, three cranes, and a converted school bus, used for transporting timbers to a temporary stock piling yard, located at the CPR freight yards at the Port MecNicoll end of the trestle. The bus, says Mrs. Hervieux, "'is the talk of Port MeNicoll."' "You have to do a lot of weird things on a job like this,' she added. All that remains of the trestle are the supporting piles sunk deep into the muddy bottom of Hog's Bay. Originally it was intended to cut the piles off below the water level with underwater chain saws. However, part of Xanadu's agreement with CPR stipulates that the demolition project be completed by March 30, so the piles will have to be - removed by an extracting machine, Mrs. Hervieux says. Xanadu has already begun to sell some of the timbers from the bridge. Early purchasers have been local contractors, marina operators using the wood for dock con- struction, and _ local farmers who have been buying complete sections for use in the construction of sheds and pole barns. Also, said Mrs. Her- vieux, railway spikes have been sold at 50 cents apiece to local souvenir hunters. Mrs. Hervieux ex- presses optimism that the thousands of board feet still remaining, will be sold. "T think we're going to be lucky, she commented. "We believe that most of the wood will be sold." Readers will recall that. the demolition of the Hog's Bay trestle prompted a storm of controversy early this winter, with groups such as Society for Citizen's Advocacy Now (SCAN) and the Midland Historical Society organizing efforts to save the 70-year-old structure. THE HURONIA PLAYERS PRESENTS YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU by Moss Hart and George S. Keufman at Sacred Heart School Williams and Elizabeth Streets Feb. 24-25 -- March 3-4 at 8 p.m. Adults $3.00 Students $1.50 Directed by Ron Payne HANDY MAN'S | TOWER 40' high, UHF/VHF/FM Antenna, rotor, 150' wire, X-brackets, tower sections, mast pipe, stand offs ! a ony °222-" ~ THE TV MAN Yonge St. Balm Beach Rd., Midland 526-4652 W., off Hwy. 27 ere not the only one trying to sell you a Retirement Savings Plan. Before you buy an RSP, compare. Look out for #1. Don't just shop for a high rate of interest. That's important, but there's much more. Look out for a high rate of interest that may suddenly drop after six short months. Look out for a front-end load. Look out for opening fees. Look out for forced minimum contributions, Look out for closing fees: Look out for management fees. Look out for redemption charges at maturity. Look out forgovernment statement filing charges. Look out for surprises. More than anyone else Sterling Trust doesn't think you should have to pay to invest with us. Afterall, the wholeidea behind an RSPis to Our Guaranteed RSP out B. Del Reed (Manager), 309 King St, Midland 526-3768 Helping you make the most of what you've got. How to look out for for us. STERLING : STERLING TRUST CORPORATION make you more money. By charging you less. But don't just take our word.Come in and let us show you what our Guaranteed RSP can do for your future. Other investment options are available. So if you're looking out for #1, look Government Statement Bank Bank _ Trust Trust Insurance Insurance Sterling | | #1 #2 Company #1 | Company #2 | Company #1 | Company #2 Trust | | High Rate of Interest % oa % % % YO | \GEs | | Rate Guaranteed 5 Years YES=3-;| |. Front-End Load NO | | Opening Fees NO | | Forced Minimum Contributions | | in Subsequent Years NO l Closing Fees NO | | Management Fees NO | | Redemption Charges | at Maturity NO |