GERRIE'S BLOCK The building pictured above, until 1969 was Whitby's major drug store, operated by a succession of owners for nearly 100 years. Know as "Gerrie's Block" it was built in 1873 and named after James H. Gerrie, one of Whitby's first The election is now upon us! The various campaigns are underway! Election brochures are appearing in our rnailboxes! All-candidates meetings are being held! The first of these all-candidates meetings was held last night in the Municipal Building for voters from the West Ward, and, that being the case, I thought I would lay out the main areas of concern that the various candidates should be confronted with at future meetings. First, development and growth: Whitby has seen considerable growth over the last three years. Unfortunately, this has been mostly in the area of housing, and, commercial and industrial development has lagged behind. We need an orderly approach which emphasizes industry and commerce, and controls housing development. A moratorium on further housing iight be in order. Second, housing: 1 Whitby has been a single-faniily, single-house type of town for many years. This constitutes one of its greatest attractions. We need formal endorsement of this principle Corridor Capers The Municipal Election seems to be getting off the ground. The rather barren landscaping is now in full bloom with colourful signs. The literature for each candidate is MITCKELL BROTHERS Building Supplies .td. 8rooklin. 86-4991 druggists, and mayor of the town from 1869 to 1871. Mr. Gerrie was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1822, and came to Canada in 1843. He was the only son of The Rev. John Gerrie, a Baptist minister who also came to Whitby. After spending a few years in Toronto, by 1851, James Gerrie had established his own drug store in Whitby. He prospered throughout the 1850s and 1860s, and in 1871, he constructed a large three-storey brick building on the northwest corner of Brock apd Dundas Streets which became known as Gerrie's Block. The lower floor was divided into two stores, the corner store being Mr. Gerrie's drug store, and the adjoining store being the music shop of Professor John Post. Mr. Gerrie used part of the second floor for storage and an office. The cost of the building was $3,000. No sooner had Mr. Gerrie completed his fine new building, than he was taken from the community by sudden. death. He died on May 27, 1872 at the age of 51, and was buried in Union Cemetery. A year later, disaster struck again, when on May 2, 1873, Gerrie's Block burned to the ground. The fire started in the basement, and spread to adjoining buildings, bringing the total loss to $30,000. The sucessors to Mr. Gerrie, D. F. Burke and S. W.B. Smith, immediately rebuilt the Gerrie Block, which is the building we see today. Below the roof line at the corner is the date stone with the inscription: "Gerrie, 1873". . Gerrie's Block was a fine red brick building with yellow brick trirn. fn 1939, the brick was covered with stucco. Mr. Smith continued to operate the Gerrie drug store until 1980. when it was taken over bv W. R. Howse. and with strict limits on density, and an official town policy that prohibits any future highrise development. Third, taxes: There is no doibt that many of us have been forced to pay exorbitant property taxes. The blame for this, lies primarily with the school board and the region. These bodies, along with tovn council, must commit themselves to redncing expenditures, and, thereby, reducingtaxes. Fourth, the Region: The Region has been a disaster since its inception three years ago. Ideally, it should be dismantled, but that action is beyond local control. What lies within their control, hovever, is the power to reduce its size, eliminate those activities which duplicate service provided at the local level, and restrict its influence to those very few areas which arc regional in nature. Fifth, local services: Generally speaking, we are well-served in this town in ternis of recreation, transportation, road maintenance, etc. No one will deny tha t another skating rink would be great, or that a second garbage collection would be nice. But no expansion in any service should be approved at this time unless another service is reduced by an equal amount. These are times of restraint, and council sihould lead the way. Sixth,_public transportation: Personally, I think this is a non-issue, but since it has been promised by one of the candidates, I will comment. A need doesn't exist, and, even if it did, we will never be able to afford it! being distributed to doors. Read carefully, then take time to attend one of the forums. The Chamber of Commerce, in conjuction with a group from each ward, will be helping to set up the forums. In the East Ward, the Corridor Ratepayers Association, with the help of the Chamber, will be sponsoring a forum at Dr. Robert Thornton School on Thursday, November 25, at 8:00 p.m. The candidates for Mayor, Region, East Ward, Separate School Board and Durham Board of Education will be on hand to give their views and answer any of your questions. For local Council in the East Ward, we have Bob White, a G.M. employee, and Ron Treleaven, President of Tri-Circle Service. Then there is Joe Drumm. Sorry Joe, NORTH WARD FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1976, PAGE 7 renamed the "Whitby Pharmacy". Mr. Howse advertised himself as a "dealer in pure drugs and chemicals, fancy goods, toilet articles, perfumery, etc". Mr. Howse'retired from the druggist's business in Whitby in 1895 and was succelded by a man named McCullough for one year. In 1896, Arthur Allin a Whitby native, purchased the store, and remained in business until his death in 1945. Allin's Drug Store was a landmark in Whitby, the name being carried on after his death by his two clerks, the late Frank Gray, and Norman Cormack, who is still working at Courtice-Allin's Pharmacy. They closed the old drug store in 1969. In the early 1900s, Mr. Allin had a large sign painted on the wall of his store which read: "It's so easy to dye with Diamond Dyes". In the 1880s and 1890s, most homes were lighted with coal oil lamps. Old bills from W. R. Howse during this period reveal that one could buy three gallons of coal oil for 90 cents, a glass lamp chimney for 15 cents, a yard of lamp wick for five cents, a tin of soap for 25 cents, a pound of bird seed for 10 cents, and a half ounce of insect powder for five cents. If you were sick, a bottle of castor oil cost 10 cents. The upper floors of the Gerrie Block had many uses. Lodges met there, the Whitby branch of the Royal Canadian Legion held its first meetings there in 1927, and for years, the upper rooms were the practice area for the Whitby Brass Band. Mr. Gerrie, who was responsible for the building in the first place, is honored today in the name of Gerrie Court, a street in West Lynde, and Arthur Street in the old part of Whithy is named after Arthur Allin. Therefore, in summary, I see the issues aigrowth and taxes, and I think we should elect those candidates who will commit themselves to ensuring less of both. Of interest to West Lynders is the survey being carried on by the Recreation Department dealing with the summer programs at Central Park. The Rec boys are now planning for next summer, and they are anxious to hear from as many of us as possible. They would like to know whether the present summer program should continue as is, or be improved upon. They would like to know whether the community favours using the school as part of the program, especially on .bad days. They are interested in knowing whether a fee should be charged to offset the cost of materials and equipment. Since one of the options available is disbanding the program altogether, theÿ are most anxious to hear from as many of us as they can. Also, it is in our interest to let them know how we feel so that their decision can reflect our wishes. So, give Bob Caspell or Joan Luik a call or fill in and return the questionnaire from the November W.L.C.A. Newsletter. Calendar: November 24: Registration for Ladies Sports Night, 1- O- -- Q rr November 26: West Lynde Public School, 8 p.m. W.M.A.A. Awards Dance, Heydenshore Pavilion, Tickets from Bob Smith at 668-9257. i really haven't been able to decide if it's to be a ward Councillor, Regional Councillor, Mayor or School Board. "Let's talk" and find out just what position you are seeking. We have some excellent candidates offering their services this year. The East Ward needs sound representation. The Corridor Area seems to, have been neglected for some r'intm*ed Ppe R ELECT "Jac k"' Woodward AS YOUR FULL-TIM E A & Linda.Russoll' RUSSELL. COUNCILLORTRAVEL LTD. 116 Brock St. S., Whitby 668-5000 For any further details or Information as to voting *cations and transportation, etc., ,please call- For your to i rcgIre idier ,55.OntrG=t i.1239988 1 . 1