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It has come to light that during the recent barn fire at Elgin Mills, the \Richmond Hill volunteer Fire Brigade Was only five minutesl in reaching the blaze. At 2 am. on Sunday morning a call giving the location of the fire was received by the Chief; at 2.05 a.m. the truck had reached the blaze, a mile d'mtant from the fire hall â€"â€" a. pretty good record for any brigade and par- ticularly for a volunteer group. It is doubted whether it could be beaten. A recent experiment at the Liberal Office actually timed the brigade’s speed and it proved that in exactly two minutes from the time the flrebell at the public school was rung, the'fire truck passed by with a full co‘mblim‘ent of men.~ “A -_.1._ LL--- There seems to be a. surprisingly apparent lack of interest in the possi- bility of obtaining natural gas in this area on the part of municipal councils. In the past month, the councils of Markham and Vaughan Townships and the Village of Richmond Hill have all been approached by representatives of the Consumers Gas Co. regarding the establishment of franchises for gas service in this area. Both Markham and Vaughan have deferred decision without setting any definite date to co - sider the matter, while Richmond Hill council which was! approached last Mon- day also laid» over the matter until a later date. While caution in committ- ing a mun'cipality to obligations is cer- tainly m commendable, municipal bodies should be able to take steps to- wards a decision fairly soon, particul- arly when the question of gas in the community has been made lmown for some time now. ‘ .In‘ presenting the request for a franchise the Consumers' Gas Co. has inted out constantly that the instal- ation of natm‘al gas service will not cost municipalities anything. The fact that natural gas has been so suc- cessfully installed in many commun- ities in and around Toronto would seem to bear out this statement. Twanty years ago, the advent of natural gas in y, _ _,_, . Critics of the brigade are only those who are unfamiliar with the conditions which exist. To start with, there is never a. moment When the fire-phone is not within earshot of the person on duty while the mainstay of the brigade is a. group of public spirited men Who volunteer to man the truck for a small Prime Minister St. Laurent an- nounced recently the Government had appointed the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects which hod been forecast by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech in April. Chairman of the Commission will be Walter Lockhart Gordon, President of J. D. Woods & Gordon Limited, man- agement consultants. In establishing the Commission, the Committee of the Privy Council had before them a report from the Prime Minister stating that “it is desirable that the Canadian people should be more fully informed of the long-term economic prospects of Canada and that it is in the national interest to initiate, examine and publish studies of Cana- da’s economic potentialities including developments in productive capacity, the growth and distribution of popula- tion, the direction and nature of our in- ternal and external trade, progress in standards of living and expanding re- quirements for industrial and social capital.” These are broad terms of refer- ence and the report of the Royal Comâ€" mission should do much to map out the course of our great and growing coun- try in the years ahead. Without limit- ing the generality of the foregoing, the commission is charged with the res- ponsibility of studying and reporting upon (a) Developments in the supply of raw materials and energy sources; (b) The growth to be expected in the population of Canada and the changes in its distribution; (c) The prospects for growth and change in domestic and external markets for Canadian prod- ducts; (d) Trends in productivity and standards of living; and (e) Prospect- ive requirements for industrial and so- W. S. COOK, Editor THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, August 11, 1955 CONSUlT US FOR YOUR. . . JOB PRINTING REQUIREMENTS W An Independent Weekly: Established 1878 Subscription Rate $2.50 per year; to the United States $3.00; 5c Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association J: E. SMITH, M.P., Publisher Telephone TUrner 4-1261 "Authorized as second class mail, Post Ofiice Department, ins workmanship -â€" Reasonable Prices “The Liberal” - TU. 4-1261 Bouquet For The Firemen 1113132 Iihgral Economic Natural Gas remuneration. Then there is the fam- ily, on call, who mbst sacrifice many pleasures while on duty. In looking over the life of the volunteer fireman, we must also keep in mind that many times he is called from his bedto an-_ swer the alarm and often is the case where a. volunteer ruins his clothing because he feels it his duty to go im- mediately rather than stop to change to old clothes. A5 in the case of the proverbial “Old Fire Horse”, there is naturally some attraction to fires for these men to volunteer for this work, but, regard- less of the motives, it is fortunate that small towns like Richmond Hill have such conscientious volunteers. We often wonder if the critics would be willing to junip out of ‘bed in the middle of the night in mid-winter and possibly stay up until the dawn fighting ’fires We!) at any price. ' 7 Just remember, the next time you” meet one of the R.H.F.D. men, they’re mighty fine fellows. the district would have been hailed as a progressive step; now, however, with progress coming in leaps and bounds in the Toronto area, it seems to be receiv- ed with little real enthusiasm. v" .v---. Most municipalities in the Toronto area are doing their utmost to encour- age industry to settle in the suburbs and are making considerable concessâ€" ions to gain this important industrial assessment which offsets residential costs. The majority of services such as water, sewers and hard-top roads which are used as inducements for in- dustry are of a very costly nature and result in increased taxes. 0n the other hand, natural gas supplied, serviced and installed by a private company is an additional service to offer prospec~ tive industries and yet does not cost the taxpayer anything. Although natural gas is far from the answer to the many problems of industry, it is an essential service which is to be found in every progressâ€" ive expanding community. - In looking to future development in terms of both expansion-and taxation, services which do not represent a drain on the tax doll- ar are particularly worthy of consider- ation. The establishing of as many as possible services now will to a great ex- tent gauge the way in which the Rich- mond Hill area will handle future ex- pansion. cial gapital. ' The appointment of this Commis- sion has, generally speaking, been hail- ed as highly desirable and the personnel of the Committee is recognized as be- ing of such stature that the report will 3e awaited with interest by all Cana- lans. This is a particularly propitious time to undertake an enquiry of this nature. Canada has undergone a per- iod of growth and development of . al- most boom proportions, particularly during and since World War II. The pause in the pace of Canada’s expan- sion during 1954 has raised some ques- tions which needed to be answered. The basic question on which Can- adians want to be re-assured seems to be this: Can this country continue to lean as heavily as it now does on ex- tractive industries and go on finding employment for its rapidly increasing population? Reliance on.the extractive industries means heavy dependence on foreign markets and suggests a second question: Must Canada remain depend- ent on exports for its prosperity, or can it gradually grow into a more self-con- tained economy? ~ The expansion of the service indus- tries has been the main balance to un- employment, but it would seem Canad- ians want to see some of the prosperity generated by the successful operation of new mines and smelters, and oil wells "shared" by the secondary manufactur- ing industries. \ Ways and means of achieving this desirable goal will be high on the list of matters coming within the purview of the Royal Commission. It is sincerely hoped the results of the enquiry will point the way to a solution of problems which have appeared consequent upon our growth and deveIOpment. ‘rospects 'ALVERNA SMITH, Associate Editor $3.00; 5c single copy Ottawa” lusuun‘ UDIT :UREAU ncuunoks Editorial Comment Modern amusements may seem rough and callous but no sensible person would deny there has been a steady im- provement, a sense of‘falr play- and rising moral stand- ards. Lou'is Blake Dufi points out that little more than a century ago in Canada public execu- ions were accepted as necess- ary to combat lawlessness, and for what we wouki consider minor offences. Between 1931 and 1935 there were 84 lynch- ings in the United States, and in many cases on circumstan- tial evidence. The last public hanging in Canada was in 0t- tawa on February 11, 1869. The Colosseum of ancient Rome was a vast ampitheatre holding 80,000 spectators It. was the scene of contests and combats and although the glad- iatoriai shows were cruel and brutal affairs the people liked them and each year hundreds, probably thousands of men were slain. In the earliest days the combatants were criminals who had already been condemned to death, but were given a chance to fight for their lives. Later they were often men whose views on pol- itical affairs had brought them into disfavour. THE LAST COMBAT It has often been- said that you can tell a man's character by what he laughs at, and that is true of nations as Well as in- dividuals. We don't have to go far back in British history to find that public hangings were spectacles for public am- usement. As late as 1833 a crowd estimated at 50,000 saw a child hanged in Tyburn, Lon- dpn, for the theft of a few pen- mes. One afternoon early in the Fifth' Century, the Emperor Honorius won a victory over the. Goths. He had entered Rome amid much cheering and extravagant applause. Sports and games in the Colosseum were to be‘ climaxed by a gladiatorial ‘ combat and the vast building was packed with a crowd frantically excited. Chariot races in which young Greeks drove magnificent hor- ses opened the proceedings. Later. groups of negroes with spears and swords fought ag- ainst ravenous lions. Some men lost their lives but in the end every lion lay in a pool of blood. The ghastly scenes seemed to satisfy some lust for blood on the part of the spec- Excerpt: from the file: of The Liberal ' Home pnper of the Richmond Hill district shoe “78 Dr. Routley of Maple ported a hollyhock, : pink specimen in his to be 11 ft. 6 inches hi1 Milton Savage reports 1 the double variety whi' AUGUST 12, 1926 About '75 descendants of the late Christopher Heise gather- ed at the old homestead, now the home of Orla L. Heise for a family reunion. Rev. Alvin Winger led the devotional ex- ercises. ‘ sure 8 ft. 8 however. inches. : _Dr.. ‘ Boutle‘ One of Canada‘s most valu- able crops and one which is free for the taking is again on the market. Blueberries are being picked and marketed now for a good prige. All across Canada's near- north, berry pickers can be seen among the rocks gather- ing this uncultivated fruit which commands top price at every grocery store. While the holiday-picker is quite com- mon there are many who make a good summer salary during the blueberry season. In the Gravenhurst district whole families may be seen quickly filling their baskets which when sold will reap them a good profit. And while there are some who feel that blue- berry plcking is a waste of time. particularly during hol- idays. there are others who can't resist going to their fav- ourite patch as soon as they reach the cottage, As far as wild fruit is con- cerned, there is probably no other fruit which commands the same high price as blue- berries and yet the funny thing is they are free for the picking. “Way Back When "He looks like Grandpa laughing at one of ypur jokes." JOSEPHINE 848° >Among the spectators was a Christian monk named Tele- machus. He had watched the proceedings with feelings of terror and disgust. Even the slaughter of savage lions had moved him with pity for he knew it was an unequal com- bat. The sight of men goaded on to slay others with whom they had no quarrel was too much for him. Righteous in- dignation against the rulers, and deep sympathy for the suf- fering possessed him. He look- ed at the vast multitude“, crazed with the lust for blood; they seemed to be turned into ani-« mals. It was more than he could stand. Pushing aside those near him, Telemachus swiftlyi climb- ed the wall separating the spec- tators from the arena, plunged among the fighters and ordered them, in the name of God, to stop. tators and as each animal fell there was a burst of wild chee ring. When the mounting enthus- iasm reached fever heat two parties of gladiators entered the arena and prepared for battle. As men fell before the swords of their opponents the people, now more excited than ever, goaded on their favour- ites. urging them to slay their rivals. For a minute. the spectators were stunned into silence, then, like wild beasts, robbed of their prey. they gave vent to their anger. Telemachus stood his ground and told them of the sin they ware committing. It was of no avail. Stones fell- ed him to the ground where soon his lifeless body lay in view of all. The incident did not end there. As the excitement died down the people knew that they had murdered a good man and a true servant of God. For days the chief conversation in Rome was not the courage of gladiators but the story of an unknown monk, braver than them all. Honorious ordered the fights to cease. It was the last gladiatorial contest in an- cient Rome. The regular August meeting of the Board of Education was held last Monday with chair- man Duncan presldlng and the following members present: Harry Endean, Geo. Gee, Frank Atkinson, and Secretary Coo- per. Tribute was paid Mr. Wade for the splendid condition of the grounds around the two public achools. A Dr. Routley of Maple has re. ported a hollyhock, a single pink specimen in his garden, to be 11 ft. 6 inches high. Mrs. Milton Savage reports many of the double variety which mea- sure 8 ft. 8 mches. So far, however. Dr. Routley holds the record for this season. At the regular meeting of council, with Reeve Lunau in the chair, it was disclosed that building permits to the am- ount of $10,850 were reported since the first of the year. Councillor Herrington suggest- ed that the grass in the park be cut as the shrubs put out by the Horticultural Society were “wasting their sweetness on the desert air" so to speak. as they could be reached only through the long grass. Coun- cillor Greene criticized the use of the small grader on the streets at this time as he said it was without effect and a waste of money. Richmond Hill boys defeated the leading Newtonbrook boys Tuesday evening in a league game by a score of 10-8. Teddy Bennett pitched for the win. nets and held the "Brooks" to three hits and three runs in the first four innings. Our quotation today is by Tertrillian: "The blood of the Martyrs {s the seed of the Church." 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