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

While the music of Christmas carâ€" ols filled the air and the peeling of chimes heralded the coming of the festive season Richmond Hill’s legal battles continued on two fronts Wed- nesday. No less than three lawyers ' manned the legal guns of the mun- icipality for these skirmishes. Vill- age solicitor B. B. Jordan was as- sisted by E. Bogart in the Shear- down action and by C. C. Downey in the Parisi and car wrecking by- law case. T. Cam'pzbell Line appearâ€"l ed‘ for both Mr. Sheard-mvn and Mr.‘ Parisi. The action of Mr. Shear- down was adjourned until January’ 15th and the Parisi case too ‘will‘ \be heard some time in January. At the statutory meeting of coun- cil last Friday Reeve Greene andl members of council received notice that Wednesday a motion would be heard for an order of Sequestration; and for contempt of court in failing to carry out the judgment of the court given last September. In sup- port of this second action against the Village John Sheardown claims that no effectual efforts have been TOWN LEGAL BATTLES WAGED 0N IWU FRONTS WEDNESDAY made to abate the nuisance restrain- ed by the judge in the previous, ac- tion. He says some little attempt was made by the defendants by plac- ing tile on the property “but most of such tile was near the surface and in some cases protrude above the surface.” He states he has employed Ernâ€" est A. Smith, a professor of the De- partment of Chemical engineering 'n the University of Toronto who has made a chemical analysis of the drainage and sewage wrongfully de- posited‘ upon his land. This analysis of samples taken from» the drain November 27th and December 5th according to Professor Sinith show a bacteriological count of 100,000 per 100 cc. “This,” states Professor Smith’s report, “indicates: undoubted pollution of the water by sewage.” Mr. Shear-down also states that Gardner Alison, a duly qualified pro- fessional engineer, has made a re- port on the work done by the mun- icipality which says that the work done has not rectified conditions but only aggravated them. In defence of the council action Reeve J. A. Greene declares that in his opinion the council made every effort to carry out the order of the court, in entering on the lands of the plaintiff and opening drain and laying of tile. That this was done in a workmanlike manner is sup. ported by W. S. Gibson, Ontario Land Surveyor who has inspected the work, Howard Atkinson who took levels for the drain and Rosc0e Case- ment, town overseer, who superin- tended the work of laylng the drain. Speaking to The Liberal this morning- J. Sheardown stated that the village was given two months to carry out the order of the court and that this time expired November 15th. His second action was insti- tuted Friday and first hearing was Wednesday. Only yesterday he claims workmen on orders of the corporation trespassed on his land. and- were dumping dirt on top of VOL. LVIV Wrecking By-Law Case and Sheardown Case Laid Over Until January TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY. THURSDAY MATINEE ONLY ON THE STAGE FIFI TH E CLOWN MONDAY. TUESDAY, \VEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 25, 26. 27 MYRNA LOY, TYRONE POWER. GEO. BRENT “ THE RAINS CAME ” “ NANCY DREW IN THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE ” THE COMMUNITY’S CLEARING HOUSEâ€" THE LIBERAL WANT ADS FRIDAY & SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 23 “ CHARLIE CHAN IN CITY OF DARKNESS ” â€" AND â€" SATURDAY CANDY FOR THE CHILDREN MATINEE AND EXTRA CARTOONS MATINEES ALL HOLIDAY WEEK AT 2.00 RM. EXTRA CARTOONS STUART ERWIN MARJORIE WEAVER “ THE HONEYMOON IS OVER ” YONGE AT CASTLEFIELD Arthur W. Farr, 67 year old mem- ber of a Vaughan township pioneer lfamily, passed away in St. Michael’s chspital, Toronto, on Saturday, De- Icemlber 16th. He had been .a paâ€" 1’cient ‘there or the past two months. A former Vaughan township c0un- cillor, having: occupied the Deputy- reeve’s chair during part of his Ser- vice, he was also prominent in many other fields. For 35 years he served as superintendent of the Wotod'bridge United Church Sunday School, also being an elder of the church. He was a charter member of the lowl Farmers’ Company and served as its secretary since its inception. the drain. This he claims, is an ad- mission that the work was not prop- erly done in the first place. Another of his many activities in community life was a period as school board member in School Sec- tion No. 13, Vaughan. In this office he shared in the Work leading to construction of a fine new school some time ago. He farmed nearby, about a mile west of Woodlbridge, not far from the site of his birth- place. Surviving him are his widow, the former Agnes Watson, one daughâ€" ter, Mrs. J. (Elta) Snider, Goderich, and a sister, Mrs. Louisa TayIIOr, Weston. Also surviving are two grandchildren. Funeral services in the United Church Monday afternoon were con- ducted ‘by the Rev. C. W. Barrett with 6 fellow..elders acting as hon- orary pallbearers. They Were Robt. Watson, Wm. Watson, J. W. Wall- ace, Jesse Humphreys, Henb Nat- tress and Dr. G. D. MdLean. Active pallbearers were John Kellam, Boyle Kellam, Wm. Hutchison, W. J. Blake, Robt. N. Mitchell, Frank TDOyer. In- terment was in Hillcrest cemetery. The funeral of the late William Armstrong Duncan was held frOm the funeral parlors of Wright and Taylor last Friday afternoon and in. terment followed in Richmond Hill cemetery. In his 64th year the late Mr. Duncan was :born on the Duncan homestead south of Richmond Hill and was the son of Mrs. Duncan and the late John Duncan. A salesman for General Steel Wares for many years he was widely known through- out Ontario. He was taken suddenly ill while in Niagara Falls and died there on December 13th. He is surâ€" vived by his widow Mrs. Daisy Dunâ€" can, one son Allan, three daughters, Mrs. Howard Bamlbrick of Toronto, Mrs. John Barron and Mary of Oshâ€" awa, his mother Mrs. John Duncan who is now in Florida, two sisters, Mrs. J. D. Stuart of Miami. and Mrs. A. Holland of Vancouver. A brother Garnet H. Duncan predeâ€" ceased him a little over a year ago. CHRISTMAS BASK ET FUND Clerk A. J. Hume is still receiving- donations for the Richmond Hill Christmas Basket Fund. With this fund all needy families are provided with a bountiful basket for Christ- mas LATE \V. A. DUNCAN ARTHUR \V. OBITUARY FARR "In Essentials. Unity; RICHMOND HILL, ELECTION CONTEST LOOMS ASA LIKELY POSSIBILITY FOR VILLAGE candidates for all the offices. The annual Nomination meeting, sometimes a drab and lifeless af- fair, promises to be lively and In- teresting as present office holders give an account of their activities and aspiring candidates present their claims for election. While Reeve Greene departed from a seven year custom and made no declaraâ€" tion of his intentions at the statuâ€" tory meeting last Friday it is as- sumed he will be a candidate for re- election. He has now completed seven years as Reeve. It is almost a certainty that if he stands for an eighth term he will have opposition. His likely opponent will be ex-reeve T. H. Trench. Mr. Trench has not made a definite declaration of his intentions to The Liberal, but he has admitted that he is being urged by a large numlber of ratepayers to allow his name to stand and that he is seriously considering doing so. Further in his remarks he made it very clear that it is his very defin- ite opinion that he does not think the record of the 1939 council merits endorsation. ‘ The changes which the passing of a single year can bring about is forcibly brought home by the fact that of the four 1989 councillors only one, Christian Nelson, will seek re_election. Death removed council- lor Mills, councillor Alex Little is living in Weston, and councillor P. G. Hill is now in a Toronto hospital and is not likely to foe, a candidate. Councillor Nelson, now completing three years as a councillor will stand for re-election. 0n the eve of nomination meetâ€" ing the possibility of a keen elec- tion campaign looms as a likely possibility for Richmond Hill. Local ratepayers looking forward to the New Year holiday can list the anâ€" tici ation of casting- a municipal vote among their other anticipa- tions of the celebration marking the entry of a New Year. During reâ€" cent weeks the Municipal Pot has been boiling with much more than usual intensity and out of the simmâ€" erings which have been the popular subject of local speculation for some time comes the likelihood of a real old time election with plenty or candidates for all the offices. Criticism heard of the record of the 1939 council from citizens inter- viewed :by The Liberal centres chiefâ€" ly around two subjects namely, the by-law prohibiting the,wreckinig of used cars and the Sheardown law case. The concensus of opinion of those who oppose the council on the car wrecking [byâ€"law is that a licensing by-«Iaw would have serv- ed the good purpose of the counâ€" cil"s intentions and would not inter- fere with the establishing of a legiti- mate business as does the present by.law prohibiting the wrecking of cars. Opinion canvassed agrees that the council showed good judgment in considering the car wrecking business andywould have been justi- fied in taking steps to see that un- sightly wrecking plants were not established in the village. They con- tend however that the wrecking of used cars and the selling of the used parts is as legitimate a business and just as necessary in our present day‘ business conditions as the selling of new parts. They maintain that a by-law providing for a license fee would have given the council con- trol over any such business estab- lished here and the authority to pre- vent it ever becoming objectionable or an eyesore in the community. Proof that a wrecking business need not be objectionable in a commun- ity is cited in the docal case of MI. ‘Parisi who between legal engage- ‘ments with the council has carried on his wrecking business and there lhas been a notable absence of any icomiplaints according to the state- ment of the Reeve at the December meeting of council. We found little sympathy for the opinion that if one license was granted it would have to be granted to every applicant ir- I'respective of locatiOn or conditions. J. A. Greene and T. H. Trench Probable Entries in Reeve ship Raceâ€"Large Slate Anticipated For Four Council Seats â€" Nomination Meeting Friday Evening pointed out that the purpose In Non-essentials, Liberty; In All Things, Charity” ONTARIO, THURSDAY, DECEMBER let, 1939. At the December meeting Reeve Greene advanced the prOposal that Mr. Parisi pay all legal costs in connection with the by_law and that! a licensing by_1aw \be substituted forl the present prohibitory one. To thisl Mr. Parisi agreed but council mem-l bers refused the proposal. In thisl issue councillor P. G. Hill statesf clearly his: stand on the matter and. councillor Nelson will no doubt have something to say on the subject Friâ€" day evening. The other matter of the law suit with Mr. J. Sheardown has caused much local comment and while there are many legal aspects to the case" [which have been pointed out from time to time through these columms 'our interviews have revealed that the average taxpayer on the street has equally as little use for high sounding legal phraseology as he has for legal :bills. The average man in his private life has learned that very often even if you win a law suit you are often not a winner financially. With this back ground despite all the complicated legal as- pects there is a very appreciable body of public opinion which either rightly or wrongly thinks the ex- pensive law suits with the costs which follow in their wake could have been avoided. The opinion has many times been expressed to The 1Liberal that the council should have . I . lsteered clear of these expenswe {legal entanglements. Undoubtedly ithe case has been the cause of much icon-cern to the 1939 council and the members have expended much time and thought and been put to much personal inconvenience as a result of the whole affair. Following the hearing of the case some months lago the council was directed by the court to do certain work to take care of the water crossing- the Shear- down property. At considerable ex- penditure a tile drain was laid across the property but now Mr. Shear- down in another action claims that it is not at all satisfactory. It was up for first hearing this week but likely will .be postponed and no doubt will be one of the first items of business to [be dealt with by the 1940 council. The position of the town in regard to the law suit and the drainage problem will likely be thoroughly explained to the rate- payers at the nomination meeting by Reeve J. A. Greene who has been closely in touch with the case since its inception. of a licensing by-1aiw is to contro: and supervise any business which has a possibility of becoming o'bjec- 'ti-onaible. As one citizen remarked “under a licensing vby_1aw the minâ€" ute the wrecking business was ob- jectionable to the community the license could be cancelled ‘by the municipal council, but if a man con- ducts a business: which is legitimate in every way and free from objec. tion why should he be prevented from conducting such a business in Richmond Hill?” That no doubt Is the question which ratepayers will put to members of municipal coun- cil Friday night. It is to be helped however that these two very contentious matters will not crowd out all other matâ€" ters of municipal importance. 0n the shoulders of Reeve Greene and councillor Nelson Will be the re- sponsibility of giving a detailed out, line of the work of the year cover- ing- both; village and county affairs. The contenpious matters however promise to add- spice to the evening’s program of speeches. With only one member of the 1939 council aspiring for re-election there promises to be a large field of pres. pective candidates. The ballot for council may include in addition to councillor C. Nelson, ex-c0unc'illors Bill Neal and Wes Middleton, L. H. Clement, R. D. Little and P. E. Angle, former members of the school board, James Butler, president of the Vaughan and Richmond Hill Veterans Association, Dr. J. P. Wil- son and Arthur C. White. Others prominently mentioned and who have Mm been urged to stand: are Alfred Mills, A. A. Eden and Walker Hall. And then there always is the possibility of a dark horse comilg out in a year when the election spirit is in the air. One Iname often mentioned for council or school board office is that of Mr. R. E. Edmunds who recently built a fine new home on Centre Street and since c0ming to the town has proven himself a. capâ€" able and pulblic spirited citizen. Some of those mentioned for council may choose to contest seats on the school board. Those whose terms expire this year on the trustee board are Trustees R. D. Little, L. H. Clement and D. M. Chammey. Final Meeting Of Village Council The curtain was rum-g down on the activilhixes of the 1939 Richmond H'i‘llI Municipal council at the statutory meeting held' last Friday evenrivng‘. The Vintage rslolioitoa', ‘Mh‘. B. B. Jorâ€" dam: was present and u‘epxomhedr that ’all delimquvemtls in the matter of dog tax payments with the excepltion of three had made payment. One was present and after some discussion was presented with a- dog tag with; omt cost owing to special cimumâ€" srtances which were exphadmed to the council. Another letter 'will be sentt to the remaining- .two and if paymeth Nominations open at 7.30 and con- tinue open until 8.30 after which the retiring members and candidates will be heard at a public meeting. is, not immediately fonthcomimg they will be {summonsed‘ to court. On motion of coun'cillhorr P. G. Hill and oounciliior '0. Nelson Bent Cio~ok was appointed Chief of rthe Richmond Hill Fire Brigade, succeeding the late Harobd’ J. Mlills. M11. (Jack hasbeen deputyâ€"chief for a number of yearsi. ‘ “"ILL FACE RELIEF FRAUD CHARGES The usual by-law was paSLsed pro- vid-img for the holding of the annual nomination meeting Friday evening” December 22nd- and‘ the elections Monday, January let. Polling booths will be open from 8 a.m. until 7 pun. and the following were named as officials: Deputy Returning- Off- icers: Harry Glover, Fred‘ Coul’ter, Arthur G. White; poll clerks, Joseph Jefferson, J. Brown. Leslie Reardom. Constable, J. A. Mahl’ey. At the concLusdom of the business the Reeve thanked' the members for their comperaxtion throughout the year. W womowmwoowmvomuoonoouw Mr. Charles Holmes and Mrs. Rose Holmes of Gard-en Avenue, Vaughan 'Township were arrested this afterâ€" noon by Constable George DeFerrari relief officer for the municipality "and Serg't. S. A. Barraclough of the County Police on charges of un-Iaw. Sully obtaining relief under false pretences with intentions to de- fraud. Officials Named For Election Day " REEVE GREENE DEFINITELY * IN THE FIELD * Reeve J. A. Greene definitely * declared to The Liberal this morning thafi he will be a candi- date for his eighth term as * Reeve at. the coming municipal Vaughan township annual nomina- tion meeting will be held- at the township hall, Vellore, Friday after- noon and at the time of going to press everything points to an acclaimâ€" ation for the 1939 council. The coun- cil has had a very satisfactory year and the financial statement to- be de- livered to the ratepayers Friday shows township finances in an ex- ce‘ptionally healthy condition. Pay- ment of 1939 taxes to December 15th totalled 83.2 per cent of the to- tal levy which is the highest percentage of payment at this date since 1930. The tax levy this year totalling 894,040.06 was the lowest in many years and some idea of the substantial tax reduction is gaineC by comparison with the year 1930 when the levy totalled $126,885.95. Tax arrears owing the township are the lowest since 1931. A very successful bazaar was held in St. Stephen‘s Church Parish Hall on December 14th. The Winner of the quilt on the lucky number dram- was Miss Blundell, 2nd prize a crochet purse was won by Nora Jack. son and third was won by Jackson Cook. The dressed doll was won by Miss Pettit of Toronto and Mrs. Sniveley of Aurora won the chicken. A special candlelight service will be held at St. Stephen’s Church Christmas Eve at 10.30 to which ev. eryone is invited. Prospect Park United Church Dra- matic Clulb, Toronto, will present “Look “410’s Here”, a three act comedy play in Maple Community Hall early in January sponsored by Hope United’ W.A. The Hope Red Cross Unit No. 6 will meet at the home of the Presiâ€" dent Mrs. Neil Malloy on Wednes- day, December 27th, at 1.30 pm. Come early. The Lutheran Ladies’ Aid and Missionary Society held their annual meeting in the Sunday School Room on Tuesday, December 12th. The meeting was opened by the Presi- dent, Mrs. J. Montgomery. The 67th Psalm was read by all. Prayer by the Pastor. The auditors are Mrs. Jesse Keffer and Mrs. William Sniâ€" der. The officers for 1940 are as follows: President, Mrs. J. Mont- gomery; Vice-President, Mrs. Roland Keffer; Secretary, Mrs. Lawrence Keffer; Treasurer, Mrs. Roy Keffer. Meeting closed by all repeating the Lord's Prayer. The Bowling Club Poultry Draw will be made this (Thursday) even- ing. Winners will be notified- by mail or telephone. SINGLE COPIES 5:. $1.50 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE Reeve 2. elections Vaughan Nominations Friday POULTRY DRA‘V TONIGHT MAPLE No. 25.