RUSSELL B. COLLINS Prom-inent Whitby citizen dies Sunday F-uneral services were held today for Russell Bradford Collins, the senior member of one of Whitby's oldest mer- canitile famnilles. Mr. Collins died Sunday at the Dr. J. O. Ruddy Hospital, in his 84th year. Mr. Collins was born in LWhitby on July 8, 1892, the son of the late Mathias and Ada (Bryan) Collins. Since 1932 lie owne.d and operated the Collins Shoe Store, the oldest family business in Whitby. Mr. Collins retired a few years ago and the business is being carried on by lis son Robert. The Collins shoea store was begun more (han 100 years ago by Matthew B. Collins, an uncle of Mathias Collins, who was in business as early as 1872. In 1892, the year that Russell Collins was born,- Mathias Collins moved thie business into the store on the east side of Brock Street South where it. remains to this day. Mr. Collins is survived'by his second wife, the former Doris E. Batty. His first wife, who died several years ago was the former H-azel 1. Truil. Mr. Collins is also survived by three children, Mrs. Isabel Taft, Raipli and Robert, ail of Whitby, seven grandchildren and three, great grartdchildren. He. Isalso s urvived by two sisters, Mrs. Hazel'Nealy, of Vancouver B.C. and Mrs. Ada Boyle, of Leaside; and one brother, Harold Coliîn,-, of Amnhurstburg, Ont. The funeral service was held at the W.C. Town, Funeral Chapel, with R£j. M. C. Fisher of Peterborough officiating, followed by interment at Mount Lawn Cemetery. Mr. Collins lived at 320 Byron Street North, and was well known to maniy Whitby citizens. Rural h.ydro rates rise Rates to the 700,000 customners served by Ontario H-ydro's rural svsterf ii be increased to the najority of customners by Feb. 1. The rate change xiii increase Hydro revenue from these customners by I14.9 per cent. Thlis will mnean an increase of approximately S4.30 a month on a typical fari customer's rnonthly bill of S33.70. The percentage ini- crease to in dividual custoîte rs will vary depending on con- sumrption and class such as residential, farm or cottage. Details of the rate increase are being mrailed to rural customers early in January. In mid-Deceniber, Ontario Hydro announced a 22 per cent increase in wholesale power rates to ifs 353 muni- cipal and 1 02 direct industrial customners, effective Jan. 1I. Hydro Chairman Robert B. Taylor said Hydro was folloxving the recornrnenda- tions of the Legislature's Select Committee and the Provincial Governrnent for 1976 ra tes. The new wholesale rates are expected to increase thie monthly bill of a typical resi- dential customer of a municipal utility by approximately 13.9 per cent over a 1 2-month per- iod. 1By comparison, the new rates for rural customers are slightly higlier to recover the 1976 increase over il months. Bills issued to Ontario Hydro rural customners after Feb. i will be pro-rated using 1975 rates from the meter reading in 1975 to Jan. 3 1, 1976 and the new rates there after. John "visser, chairman of the Ontario Fire Fighters Association's 75th annual convention shows off one of the convention beer mugs, designed to commemorate this listoric event, plus the 24th annual convention of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs. Tlie OFFA convention will be hield in conjunction with the County Town Carnival, July 30 to Aug. 2 at Brooklin Memorial Arena and park. Beer niugs are on sale at the main fire hall at. Brock and Coîborne Streets. Sce Page 3. Free Press Photo Road eahs down- oPP Fatalities decreased but there was a substan tîa i- il~ vehicle accidents in 1 975 in the area patrolled by the Whitby detachmient of tlic Ontario Provincial Police. The OPP reports thai I18 people were killed in 1,337 collisions on area roads, in- cluding provincial highways and ahl ronds in the Town- ship of Scugog in 1975. Txventy persons were killed in 1,.3 Il collisions in 1974. While the fatality and accident rate renined fnirly constant, there was a miarked increase in the mnmber of personal injury accidents. the OPP reports. In 1975, 734 persons were iinjured in 419 accidents, coin- pared willh 684 injured in 391 collisions ini 1974. It is expected that the use of seat belts and the lower speed liniiits in 1976 will not çmly reduce the nuniber of collisions but also the serverity, says the OPP. lmipaired driving charges laid by the Whlitby detadli. mient of the Ontario Provin- cial Poîk,-e in 1975 were close to the sanie nuinber laid in 1974. In 1975, 230 persons xvere charged wi th impaired driving or drive over 80 mniligrarns, by the Whîtby detaclinient, compared to 234 chnrged in 1974. There were 2-76 arrests for irnpnired driving in 1975, but Il1 persons were released be- c;;use of low breathalyzer readings and 1 7 were charged with other drîving offenses. Eighiteen persons refused to take a breath test and were charged accordingly. COMMEMORATIVE MUGS OIN SALE i 1