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I THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, 1111111., April 8. 1954 W. 8. 000E Elmo? The National budget presented in the House of Commons Tuesday by the Minister of Finance showed Canada in a healthy economic condition and reflec- ted the vigor of a great and rapidly exâ€" panding young nation. Apart altogeth- er from the details of the budget the over-all picture reflected by the Finance Minister’s presentations must have in- spired genuine pride in the hearts of all Canadians. Few if any countries in the world could present a budget comparable to that presented to Canadians this week. The figures of the budget indicate that public administration in a growing country costs a-lot of money. In De- cember last, the Government of Canada paid out in wages and salaries alone $79,192,676 â€"â€" or eighty million dollars in round figures. This is exclusive of pay to the members of the armed forces, and does not include overtime pay or wage increases in the month reported upon urv... That is crowding a billion dollars a year for the civilian payroll of the Dom- inion Government and the trend would appear to be upward. e» - .. . .. . “A L_ carry... vv v- .. Figures of that magnitude get be- yond human comprehension entirely in a country with something like fifteen millions of population. .‘I :1: _.-VV, It was not until 1906 that the total receipts of the Dominion Government reached the eighty millions mark, and two more years were to pass before the one hundred million mark was reached. In other words, we'are distributing in annual Federal Government payroll alone in 1954 ten times as much as it took to nun the whole country and all Local government in Canada is, by and large, a fairly well-established polit- ical institution. The incorporation of a new municipal unit no longer evokes widespread interest. The single excep- tion to this general statement is provid- ed by the comparatively recent and rap- id development of local government un- ite in the' Province of Newfoundland. Until 1938 the only incorporated municipality in the Province was the capital city of St. John’s. In that year the second municipality was incorpor- ated, the third in 1942, the fourth in 1943. From 1945 to 1952 over thirty additional municipalities were estab- lished. In the absence of organized munici- palities the provision of municipal ser- vices had largely become the responsi- bility of the Provincial Government. Newfoundland’s history, geography, and the fact that the bulk of its popula- tion was scattered through a large num' ber of small settlements, provides a par- tial explanation for the somewhat late development of municipal institutions. The impetus for the expansion and development of municipal government in recent years has been provided partly by the shift in the character of settle- ment brought about by changing econ- omic conditions, i. e., population growth in some areas. As a result it has .be- come increasingly difficult for the Pro- vincial Government to administer muni- Accidents around the home can cause injury, death and expense unless adequate safety measures are taken, warns the All Canada Insurance Federa- tion Insurance experts report that care- lessness is the chief cause of accidents in the area right around the home. Whether the injury is to family, \‘isit- orshor a passerby, the property owner is legally liable for the damages. Officials of the Federation, which represents more than 200 fire, automo- bile and casualty insurance companies, recommend a general home cleanup as the best safeguard against accidents, with the following suggestions: "1. Hafivreirottz’n 0er broken porches, steps and railings fixed. 2. Never leave toys, garden tools, W An Independent Weekly: Established 1878 Subscription Rate $2.50 per year; to the United States $3.00; 5c Single Copy > Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association J. E. SMITH, M.P., Publisher AMI mm" ALVERNA SMITH, Associate Editor PERRY’S': PHARMACY Municipal Government In Newfoundland “Authorized as second Keep The Wheels Turning 7113b: liberal Safety In MAPLE KING Telephone TUrner 4-1261 11] class mail, Post Ofiice Department, Ottawa” The Home its Federal services for a twelve-month in the years leading up to the First Great War. This is not to suggest that any part of today's Federal payroll is wasted money; it is merely a recognition of what used to be and what is now, an examination of figures which make ex- penditures of other times look like mere “chicken feed” by comparison. And no doubt if one took the troubâ€" le to refer back to the parliamentary debates of that older era, they would be “and to contain opposition charges of “waste and extravagance" in the nublic service. Eighty millions a month . . . . . $960,000,000 a year . . . . . that is a fabulous figure in any language. But it is money distributed in every part of the country. And that is the function of money, to be kept in circulation. Money hidden away in the “old sock” or under a brick of the fireplace is quite as useless as the gold boarded in Fort Knox, which, as Sir Winston Churchill has said, “might just as well be in the virgin rock”. ‘ ‘ 1' 7A.. LL_L A‘- v--. No sensible person believes that governments should throw money about with reckless abandon, but the idea that money spent is money wasted is just about the most fallacious economic doc- trine possible to be imagined. We should not, therefore, be horrified at a public payroll of the magnitude indicated; rather, we should remember that this money, and a great deal more along with it, flows from the Federal treasury as part of the blood-stream of trade and commerce and industry, without which no nation‘could endure. cipal services directly to larger popula- tion centres. The expansion and in- creasing cost of these ervices has made it necessary to provide for their finan- cing through local taxation, principally property taxes which had hitherto been little used in Newfoundland. The recent and rapid organization of municipal government in Newfound- land has been accomplished in the face of not a few difficulties. In many cases newly elected councils, facing the res- ponsibilities of civic office for the first time, have had to meet urgent demands for basic municipal services with the limited finances provided by new and relatively undeveloped tax sources. Add- ed to this is the real difficulty provided by the absence of a tradition of local government which would enable the cit- izens to understand the objectives and functions of municipal government. Despite these obstacles, residents of the newly incorporated municipalities have responded to the challenges pres- ented by the-establishment of munici- pal institutions. Ordinary citizens have come forward in sufficient numbers to assume the responsibilities of civic of- fice for the first time. They have accept- ed the obiigations imposed by local self- government with enthusiasm and a will- ingness to face problems realistically. In their efforts to discharge ,these new responsibilities they can be assured of the support and continuing interest of the whole of municipal Canada. or snow shovels where people might fall Over them. work should be fixed. 4. Old, broken garden furniture should be discarded, or properly fixed. 5. Clear away broken glass, bricks, nails, and other dangerous debris. 6. See that ladders are safely prop- 8. Check roofs and walls to see that there is no danger of falling snow, ic- icles, bricks, or masonry. - rm. 7. Holes in lawns are dangerous and should be filled in or adequately mark- ed. 9. Rotten or broken tree branches that might fall should be removed. 10. Check for nails sticking out of garages and sheds. Broken sidewalks and cement ‘0 DOT He Started At The Top Alexander Bruce pused for this picture beside his company‘s first switchboard. which served ten lines. The company now serves 2,000 telephones. Alexander Bruce. for half a’ century President and a Director of the Bethesda and Stoufiville Telephone Company, is a m05t unusual personality. Bright. rosy- cheeked, with thick snow-white hair creeping into his collar, the old gentleman reminded me of Lloyd George. And I doubt if that fiery Welsh leader ever tackled any of the many problems that confronted him as Prime Minister with more enthusiasm and verve than Mr. Bruce displayed in dis- cussing his favourite ‘subject â€"â€" the development of the telephone in Stoufiville and its‘vlclnity. - Adventures in telephony by the Jolly Miller of Markham Township, who has been President of the Bethesda and Stouff ville Telephone Company for 50 years Being President of a telephone company “ that owns 2.000 tele- phones is a part-time job. Mr. Bruce’s main occupation is oper- ating the mill his father ran be- fore him. And I doubt that the jolly miller who lived beside the River Dee had a keener zest for living than has this blithe miller of Markham Township: It was Reg Manewell. Commer- cial Supervisor â€"â€" Independent Company Inspections and Train- ing. who drew Mr. Bruce’s out- standing record to our attention. He and I had lunch with Mr. Bruce and Thomas Rae. Secretary of the B. & S. Company. on the eve of Mr. Bruce’s 85th birthday. This is a‘brief account of the tele- phone growth and development in and around Bethesda and Stouvaille as told by Mr. Bruce. Alexander Bruce was four months short of his eighth birth- day when his father excitedly read to the family the sensation- al announcement of Alexander Graham Bell‘s successful experi- men with telephony‘ at Brantford. Two years later, in September. 1878, a travelling showman ap- peared in the district and thrilled his audience by making it poss- ible for them to talk and listen to voices over a wire. Among a col- lection of gadgets that included a primitive gramophone- and a battery arrangement for shocking the customers, the showman had two or three transmitter-receiv- ers set up in the Bethesda school house and connected by some 50 feet of wire to an instrument out- side. The showman’s son was sent outside to carry on a conver- sation with those members of the audience whose curiosity gave them courage enough to try. A In 1880 young Alexander went with his father to Newmarket. While they were in a store there. the merchant had occasion to talk to Aurora three miles away. He invited Alex's dad to try. This was the talk of the Bruce home for several days. Stouflvllle’s first telephone ex- change was opened in the late fall of 1884. The small Gllliland switchboard was installed in Coul- son and Freel’s drug store on Main Street. Telephone service was provided fron) 8 am. to 8 p. 12 noon and 2 pm. to 4 pm. on holidays. In 1914 the Bethesda and Stouffville Telephone Com- pany became agent for the Bell Telephone Company's business in Stoufiville. in: V013 Week days, from 2 to 4 pm. on Sundays aAnd from 1_0 am. to The Bethesda and Stouffville Telephone Company had its orig- in in a meeting which took place in the Bethesda schoolhouse on January 2, 1904. The six men who took part wanted to establish a service primarily for farmers and others who lived in rural districts. It was the feeling of that little group that they should have a minimum of 12 subscribers before building a line. They were con- fident that the could obtain the required num er. and the Sec- retary was authorized to buy 400 poles at 25 cents each on the stump. Before August there were 20 subscribers and by the year's end there were 25. It was resolv- ed not to accept any more for the time being. Each member of the newly formed association was required to pay $10. Later an assessment of $50 was made and eventually the total was brought to $100. Each subscriber had the respon- sibility of keeping his own tele- phone in repair.‘ With Alexander Bruce at that first meeting were: David Heise. storekeeper and postmaster, at Bethesda. who was the main- Spring behind the plan; George A. Brodie. a first-class farmer; Robert Miller. stock breeder and importer; P. P. Steele; and W. C. Renfrew. Robert Miller was el- ected Chairman of the association, and David Heise Secretary-Treas- urer and Superintendent of Con- struction. At the first annual meeting, Mr. Bruce was elected President. Thus he is in his 50th year as President and his 5lst as a Director. There were some who wanted a telephone but were unwilling to risk unlimited liability. Accord- ingly it was agreed by the mem- lbers that in addition to selling also rent telephones. Dr. Ira Freel was the first to rent a telephone. The agreed price was $15 a year. and Dr. Free! paid five years In advance in order to assist the young a§sociation over its finan- cial hurdle. As there was no money with which to extend the line, renters were asked to pay $20 in advance and a sum sufficient to extend the line to their own premises. This money was taken as an ad- vance on the yearly rental. Dr. Freel‘s brother and Isaac Pike, the Bethesda school-teacher, soon signed up on that basis. The little 10-line switchboard was installed in Ratcllff's-grocery store. At first there was no rec- ognized operator. Whoever hapâ€" pened m be around madé the con- nections. No one in the Association knew too much about telephony and some errors were made. Even after the enterprise was underway for a few years, they were still working by trial and error. When the first cable was constructed in 1909, they were told it was not necessary to suspend it on poles but simply to bury it in the ground. No one mentioned the need for protection against light- ning, and the first storm saw the cable hopelessly ripped apart. \ruv-v ..vr-..,-_.,_, That first line was also badly overloaded. No one had heard of balance and various types of tele- phones were installed. If the at- mospheric conditions were not right one could ring his head off without causing any sound what- ever on the called telephone. It became the practice to call a per- son situated halfway and ask him to ring the person wanted. By the Spring of 1905 the ser- vice was just about hopeless. To relieve the overloaded line, the area was divided into two sec- tions. It was decided to place crossarms on the existing poles to carry additional wire. "a hv Van .J u...â€" ......... However. it was evident that there would be a continued de- mand for telephones. Because of the need for further financing and to avoid the spectre of un- limited liability hanging over their heads ,the members of the association decided to incorpor- ate. A charter was obtained and the transfer to the incorporated company was made September 18. 1905. xauu. Following the incorporation of the company, stock was sold to anyone who would buy it. The members for their original invest- ments of $100 each received four of the shares. which had a par value of $25. There was a total of 31 members in the association when it was taken over. A 50-line switchboard was or- dered for the Spring of 1906. When it was installed, Belle Raz- clifi. a daughter of one of the grocers, \_vas hired as Operator. 7 7‘»â€"â€"_‘_- .‘l-Lb A -.. g, . __,, While f'rB'm thebeginfiing night service of a sort had been given, it was far from perfect. u. V'uu -... -._._. (V Finally in 1911 it was decided that better night service was nec- essary and Thomas B. Rae was engaged as Night Operator. He is now Secretary-Treasurer of the company. .--_ .. 1'- “1,14- .u .0... ,e_, ,, and Stouf’fville Company invited four other telephone systems to meet with it to discuss boundaries and other matters of common in- terest. The systems included the Markham and Pickering Tel- ephone Company« the Neilson (Scarborough) Telephone Assoc- iation. the Brodie (Claremont) Telephone System, and the Cen- tral Telephone Association. All accepted the invitation and at the meeting the five groups formed themselves into the York and On- tario Telephone Union. Alexand- er Bruce was elected President, with A. F. Wilson of the Mark- ham and Pickering Company as secretary. It was an invitation issued by this York and Ontario Telephone Union to all known telephone groups to meet in Toronto that re- sulted in the formation of the Canadian Independent Telephone Association, which held its first gathering in Toronto City Hall. Truly it would seem that this jolly miller, who incidentally. still lives in the house in which he was born, has had an interesting telephone career. â€" R.H.S. Reproduced by kind permission of the “Blue Bell” i‘fi'ifié'year 1905 the Be_the_$d§ “THE LIBERAL” For Job P rinting TELEPHONE TU. 4-1261 AT THE RIGHT PRICE CONSULT York Holstein Club Hear Talk On North Dr. Robertson described the far north as a truly desolate barren waste and excellent coloured slides of the terrain and its Es- kimo population supported this statement. The Eskimo, he des- cribed as incapable of lying. though in some respects he is am- oral. As a dentist, Dr. Robert- son regrettpd that his greatest amount of work existed where the Eskimo had adopted some of the white man's food habits. Over 300 persons enjoyed the York County Holstein Club an- nual banquet held recently in the Markham United Church hall. The special speaker of the even- ing, introduced by Harold Clapp of Concord. was Dr. R. N. Robert- son. Cobourg dentist. Guernsey breeder and Arctic traveller. Dr. Robertson has travelled on the Government Supply ship, C. D. Howe, which makes annual stops at the various posts beyond the Arctic circle. Also featured during the evenâ€" ing was the Unionville Junior Farmers' Quartette and sing-song ably led by Rev. Beatty of Aginâ€" court United Church. Mr. Bruce Watson of Woodbridge, President of the York Holstein Club, was chairman of the evening. A spec- ial vote of thanks was tendered to Mr, S. B. Watson. Markham. the chairman of the banquet commit- tee for his fine work in the organ- ization of the banquet. Man required for maintenance department, Village of Richmond Hill. Applications will be re- ceived up to Monday, Aprll 19, 1954. For further particulars. contact the Clerk at the Municipal Hall. Applications For Position of Assessor Applications clearly marked as to contents will be received by the undersigned up to Monday, April 19. 1954, for th eposition of as- seSsor for the Village of Rich- mond Hill. For further particul- ars contact the Clerk at the Municipal Hall. Any application not necessar- ily accepted. RUSSELL LYNETT, Clerk, Village of Richmond Hill FOR YOUR OLD GARBAGE CAN | PENME? ’J‘MEL! Sold Only At Buchanan’s Appliance TU. 4-3331 CALOIATOI $10.00 461 no u mmmmwm RUSSELL LYNETT. Clerk Village of Richmond Hill VILLAGE OF RICHMOND HILL WANTED DROP n .. . men n .A Gagging)» FOR JUST pic-Hid)": hamdody "PROV!!! Telephone TUrner 4-1212 n; Richmond Wednesday & Thursday â€" April 14 & 15 ADVENTURE sroms 1H: )1 Friday & Saturday - Hi: M-mm-mm-m m-msmmm um. Monday & Tuesday â€" April 12 & 13 Please note last complete show Wed., Thurs., April 14 & 15, 8.30 pm. I GERALD MOHR - LON CHANEY - m .u M 005‘ u SIDNEY SAW 0 mm THE“! 601' A BRAND IIIW IAIY‘ A SECOND HAND (AR THEATRE plus m I! ‘ $4001 and Screen", 9 EDWARD SMALL . luau m- UNITED ARTISTS I611 SEAS! on "~ Fl UNIVENL-IIIEQIITIDML MAT No. 204