Vol. 8 STRATFORD, APRIL 24, 1931 Clerk's Half Holidays To Start in May Stratford merchants will again ob- 'serve the Wednesday half-holiday for _ five months this year, from May to pata September inclusive. This decision was made at the annual meeting of the Stratford Retail Merchants' Asso- chant 'how long they should continue. merchants ciation. About the only discussion re- garding the half-holidays was as to A few felt that three months were long enough, while another mer- suggested that during the months of May. June and September, arrangements be made in each store by which clerks would have every _ other Wednesday afternoon off, and in July and August that all stores be _ favored the five months were over-| elosed. Upon a vote being taken, those who whelmingly in the majority. One of a) the merchants who had 'favored three that the five months of half-holidays| months of half-holidays then moved be unanimously adopted by the asso- _ ciation. K. Q. Gordon was chosen president _ of the Association, with George Hatha- other friends, way as vice-president, and Duncan e Emm as secretary-treasurer, ALBERT SKITT GETS DESERVED PROMOTION The Mirror, along with his host of want to congratulate Albert Skitt on his recent promotion. Mr. Skitt, who has been manager of the branch of Beatty Bros., Ltd., here for the past three years is made dis- - trict manager of the territory from . Stratford to Owen Sound. During the time Mr. Skitt has been working in Stratford he has not only placed hun- dreds of Beatty Washers in Stratford homes, but made hundreds of good personal friends. His place is being taken here by J. 'Purves, who has been with the com- pany for some time. Mr. Purves' busi- ness ability and honest business me- thods will undoubtedly keep up the prestige of Beatty Bros. washing ma- chines in Stratford. EX-ALDERMAN NEWMAN MAKES . SUGGESTION "a Ex-alderman Newman while in conversation with The Mirror Scribe this week remarked that Stratford should avail itself of the opportunity of getting another big man to speak here. He referred to Rt. Hon. Philip Snowden, who will be attending the wheat conference in August. "He is not a politician,' said Mr. Newman, "in that he tells the people what he thinks." Mr. Newman said if such a move was considered he would be glad to write Hon. Snowden as he knows him personally. Stratford, April 17-31 The Editor, Mirror Publishing Co. Dear Sir, You have invited comment on your leading article in last week's Mirror. ¥ suspect you of leading your read- ers on--expecting us to disagree with you violently enough to make copy of it for this week. magnify things! Your public look to | from -somewhere! | Unemployment has done pretty well | .for you, but it begins to drag. It has given employment go clever column- i ists and given many a wordy editor | fo00d.. But beware--prepare! The day is approaching when it will not be | safe to mention the subject. In fact it | ceased to be news long ago. | There are many of us who are have had two years of "business at a loss." There are men who have had two years of reduced wages--most of them very slightly reduced--some few who have drawn down as much or more than they ever did. But many businesses, retail and wholesale, little and big, reported losses last year a- mounting to thousands of dollars. Do you get that? We worked all year, that without pay--worse than that, ended the year with a loss of several thousand dollars due to shrinking values of our stock and materials in process. - -------- Correspondent Makes Pertinent Reply Article On Present Conditions. How you newspaper men love to, you for MONSTROUS news and mon-) strosities must 'be dug up for them | watching this year with interest. We> long hours, overtime, worry and all, To Mirror Now then, that establishes. the background for what I have to say about editorials on Depression and | Unemployment. I'm sick of them. | Ever since I can remember there has | been something wrong with us and | we have been talking about it. | This is no time for talking about | how many men a machine displaces |in industry and how progress in in- | vention affects us adversely. It is the time for taking every advantage of science in industry. It is the time for |/mere action and less belly aching. Our industries, our national affairs, / our private interests will never pick up until their leaders make up their minds to go after business. Simple isn't it--but isn't it the truth! The British Industries early -- this year sent out their Ambassadors. of Business to the Argentine, headed by one Edward Wales, prince of traveling salesmen, master showman of the Em- | pire. They made up their minds to go after business! We've seen prosperity and we've seen hard times. So have others of cur age. We know that recovery is sure. It takes a while to get around 'to it--a great deal of adjustment, a lot of shaking down and a lot of the- orizing. That's why it's up to us old timers to come forward at a time like this and encourage the younger men | with the hope that it won't be long now and to remind the old boys that it was far worse than this in '98'! ' Very sincerely yours, "An Old Timer." | ! 1 Those who were fortunate enough | to hear and meet E. W. Beatty, K. €., president of the Canadian jon Tuesday night, came away from 'the banquet as new recruits in the _army of admirers which Mr. Beatty 'has won for himself from the Atlantic "to the Pacific. What impressed his listeners most, was the modesty of the man who has been referred to as holding the biggest job in the world. He spoke as a man among fellow citi- zens, but yet with a conviction born of experience and careful study of the topic under discussion. oy | Mr. Beatty's wit is refreshing and his smile is contagious. One could al- most understand the feelings of the man who wrote that one of the things he would like to be able to do in life was to stand at the corner every ! E. W. Beatty Fine Impression Here Pacific! | Railway, during his visit to Stratford . Makes morning when Mr. Beatty passed on his way to his office, just to hear Mr. Beatty say gocd morning and see him raise his cane in salute as he strode on his way to perform his duties in the service of a great railway sys- tem. Dr. 8. Sileox, president of the Perth County branch of the University of Toronto Alumni Association presided at the banquet. The guest of honor was introduced by H. W. Strudley, 'and that old master of after-dinner | speakers, C. A. Mayberry, moved the vote of thanks to the speaker. At the annual meeting of the Perth County Branch of the Alumni Asso- ciation which followed the banquet, D. B. Strudley was chosen president, W. L. Sprung, vice-president, and D. S. Fuller, secretary-treasurer. Time for Everyone to Get Down to Business Reduced Week-End Fares Soon To Be Effective Two announcements which should be of great interest to Stratford citi- zens were made by the C. N. R. last week, One was the revised timetable and the other was the announcement that the reduced week-end fare rates would become effective on May 4; One announcement means better ser- vice for local citizens over the GN, and the other means cheaper travel for those who wish to take advantage of the week-ends in the Summer for visiting friends at a distance. The most important change in the timetable, as far as Stratford is con- cerned, is the replacement of train No. 38, by "The Maple Leaf', one of the crack trains of the National Sys- tem, which will travel via London and Stratford from Chicago to Toronto. Formerly this train was routed via Hamilton, This train leaves Chicago at 9.05 in the morning and arrives in Toronto at 10.35 P. M. It will provide excellent accommodation between here and Toronto, leaving here at 8.12 Pp. M. and arriving in the Queen City two hours and thirteen minutes later. The reduced round trip rates which become effective on May 1 will make it possible to spend a week-end in To- ronto for an expenditure of $3.85 for rail fare; $6.25 for Windsor; $4.45 for Niagara Falls or $1.45 for London. On the whole, it locks as if the citi- zens of this C. N. R. city are to be provided with better service at less expense, and at the same time be pro- vided with an opportunity of turning a little business toward the C. N. R. Attend Services At St. James' Church Approximately two hundred Odd Fellows, members of Avon and Romeo Lodges, and Canton No. 15 Patriarchs Militant, paraded to St. James' Church for the morning service on Sunday. The ladies of Ruth Rebekah Lodge also attended the service in a body. The parade was headed by the mem- bers of the Canton, in their colorful uniforms. Rev, F. Gwynne Lightbourne, rec- tor of St. James', extended a hearty welcome to the visiting Odd Fellows, and congratulated them on the 112th anniversary of the founding of their Order. An organization which was working to carry out ideals such as those of the Odd Fellows, could not fail to accomplish a great deal for the good of humanity, Rev. Light- bourne declared. Rev. Lightbourne had prepared an appropriate sermon for the occasion, in which he stressed the true mean- ing and significance of fraternity. 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