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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2,1977, PAGE 7 Brian Winter's H istorical Whitby WHITBY IN 1914 Many readers of this column are new residents in Whitby, who were likely attracted to this community by its srnall-town charm. As early as 1914, Whitby was trying to attract residents from Toronto, and promoted the town in a little booklet entitled: "Whitby, The Best Residential Town Near Toronto". A copy of this rare book of pictures and a somewhat quaint description of the town is in the Whitby Historical Society Archives. What was Whitby like in 1914, in'the tranquil months before the First World War changed the tide of history? The following excerpts from the town's promotion book give some ideas. "Whitby, the County Town of the County of Ontario, having a population of about 2,500, is pleasantly situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, 28 miles north-east of Toronto, the town fronting on Whitby Harbor and Lake Ontario, and extending back over two miles from the lake, with the Kingston Road, the great highway from the East to Toronto, crossing the northerly part of the town", says the opening paragraph. "There are half-a-dozen trains each way from morning till evening on the main line of£the Grand Trunk Railway (now CNR) between Toronto and Montreal, a double-track road. A branch of the Grand Trunk Railway runs north from Whitby to Port Perry, Lindsay and Orillia. The new Lake Shore line of the Canadian Pacific Railway has just been opened for traffic with two trains each way. "The new Ontario Government Commission will soon take charge of the Kingston Road (Highway 2) and a magnificent highway will then be available from Toronto to Whitby and farther east. "Nearly all the dwellings are detached, with large lawns and wellkept gardens, while upon the streets large shade trees. almost meeting over the roadway afford charming vistas and pleasant shady walks. The main roads of the town are gravelled, and upon nearly all the streets are permanent granolithic sidewalks. "The waterworks, owned by the municipality and managed by the Town Water and Light Commissioners, suppîy excellent water drawn from Lake Ontario and filtered through sand and gravel. A large standpîpe at the highest point in the town provides an excellent water pressure at all times, while a volunteer fire brigade with modern equipment and zealous firemen affords good protection from fire. "A system of sanitary sewers has been designed by T. Aird Murray, C.E., and is expected to be installed at an early date, the proposed systerm having been approved by the electors and by the Provincial Board of Health. "Whitby Harbor is one of the best on Lake Ontario, the Dominion Government having recently deepened it and is now constructing concrete wharves. "There is excellent boating in the Harbor and on Lake Ontario and Toronto yachtsmen frequently sail to Whitby, the run past the Scarborough Bluffs being very picturesque. "Heydenshore Park, east of the Harbor is a popular summer resort and a number of comfortable cottages have been erected. Pleasant dances and other entertainments are given at the Casino in the Park. "During the winter, there are numerous entertainrments in the fine hall in the Municipal Building, sometimes a lecture, frequently a concert and an occasional ball. "Whitby has good hotels, excellent stores, a fine new Post Office, and Custom House, two banks, a first-class photographer, a well-furnished tea room, moving picture theatres, restaurant, billiard parlor and bowling alley, also a good weekly newspaper, the 'Gazette and Chronicle". "For commercial travellers and all desiring to live near Toronto, the Town of Whitby is an ideal location affording first-class railway connections to the husband, pleasant society to the wife, good education and sports to the children and cheap living to the whole family. "The local Board of Health report the health conditions in Whitby to be first-class". The above is only a small portion of the description offered of Whitby as a pleasant residential town in 1914. The accompanying photograph, printed in the 1914 Whitby brochure, was taken from the top of the standpipe, located on Euclid Street, and faces south east. At left is the steeple of All Saints' Church, and at right, the steeple of the Methodist Tabernacle (now St. Mark's United Church). As a sign of the changing times, it may be noted that the house at the lower right was demolished list month to make way for a commercial development, and the trees which filI most of the picture are gone. Corridor Capers It's that time of the week again when I must take pen in hand and write the weekly colurmn. Last week, I received a little pamphlet that asked if we were happy with our water and sewer bills. It went on to inform residents of a pending meeting at Hutchison School on Sunday evening. Not hav- ing municipal services, I personally do not receive a billing, -however, I had several calls this week from area residents concerning their sewer charges, so I attended the meeting. Joe Drumm chaired the gathering of irate clans. Joe had an extremely difficult task, but I'm sure no one could have handled it better. Some 350 plus ratepayers were there trying to determine reasons for their exorbitant bills. Also attending were two regional councillors, Gerry Emm and Joy Thompson, local councillor for the west ward Bob Attersley and Durham West Provincial representative Charles Godfrey. My impression of the meeting was a 'pass the buck' evening. The blame was passed to the local government, then to region, on to the Province and around it went, but the costs landed right back in the pocket of the taxpayers. However, many questions were raised and answers were promised by this Sunday. There will be a follow-up meeting at the same place on Sunday March 6th, 8:00 o'clock. By the way, whoever organized the meeting, school boards grant 4 nights per vear free of charge to area I FARM BUILDINGS HORSE BARNS Featuring complete turnkey operation - Design - Material - Erection. Standard size designs available at catalogue prices and custom designs to facilitate your individual require- ments, one or two stories. Metal cladding is available in various gauges and profiles, your choice of galvanized or acrylic colour coated metal. POULTRY MITCHELL BROTHERS Building Supplies Ltd. Brooklin, 655-4991 grouops,wishing to hold such meetings. I went home and checked our '75 and '76 municipal tax bills. Sure enough the sewer charge was taken off our municipal taxes. Our municipal and regional tax was $74.37 less in 1976 than 1975. However, our school tax increased by $53.13. Maybe we should also have an explanation from the school board. With sewer and water you pay only for the amount you use, and, as in some cases, no service, no charge. Everyone pays school tax even though you may not have anyone attending school. The whole meeting seemed to reflect the troubled area was in the method of billing. The regional rate was established in August. The first bill received for sewers was November and the second bill in February. My calculations indicate that close to a year's sewer charge was passed on to the unwary taxpayer in a matter of three months. Obviously a few mistakes were made as some bills were enormous. People in the Corridor area, that, as yet, do not have sewers, were charged in Noveniber. Some of these people paid the sewer charge. They will be reimbursed. Those that deleted it from their vater bill were charged again in February with'interest'added to their bill. This however, will be rectified, so do not pay your sewer charges if you are minus sewers. The bill also states that customers in arrears are liable to disconnection of service without further notice. Not to worry, how could the Region disconnect a non-existent sewer? The Corridor residents have paid for sewers for 8 or 9 vears. They have paid their Borrow money to save money That "bargain buy" home won't stay at that price forever. Get it now with a lower cost V & G mort- gage. Money for heat saving insulation or for additional space in your home, get it where the terms are custom built to suit your purse and your convenience. Member Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation VIAandGREY TRUST COMPANY SINCE 1889 KEITH LAWES 3M DuINdset. W. Whiy way for the service they need, but the Town has installed pipes to service a much larger population that may eventually be here. So much for water and sewer bills. Tune in this Sunday at Hutchison School to hear the explanations. Will Dr. Godfrey squeese the money from Queen's Park? Will Regional staff correct the billing errors? Will our Regional and Local Councillors come up with the right answers? Will the taxpayers from the Town of Whitby be required to pay monstrous sewer charges. The Town of Whitby is currently considering three (3) Draft Plans of subdivision within environmental area No. 24. The plans are Forster and Dorvis locatedadjacent to the Bell subdivision, behind Applewood Cres., and B. H. Strong that will be located in the Kendalwood Area, between Northview and Broadview. The Public meeting will be on Monday, March 7th at 7:15 p.m. in the Town Meeting Hall of the Municipal Building. Plan to attend if you wish to see what is planned for your area. Congratulations to Tracy Rogers who is the winner of the 'Fire Safety Poster Award' for grade 5 girls in the Town of Whitby. Tracy is a student in Dr. Robert Thornton School. That's it for now. Have a good week. M. McEachern. STOP BEDWETTING When will my child stop wetting the bed ranks high on the questions most often asked of the family physician. If this condition is ignored it can result in deterioration of a child's character, personality and educational achievement. The enuretus Consultant to the Mayo Clinic reports in his many syndicated newspaper articles on bedwetting that not all patients are children and that army physicians show that a sùrprising amount of young soldiers are still bedwetters and have never outgrown the habit. Cures in the words of one Ottawa psychologist are as many as the doctors consulted. Drugs are widely used but more often that not relief is only temporary he said. The United Enuretic Centre has provided a permanent correction for over 5,000 children and adults across Canada who suffered f rom this embarrassing problem. This entirely new method developed after years of research provides almost instant relief and a dry bed after only two or three weeks by a simple procedure applied in the home by the parents without the use of drugs, shocks, tears or discomfort. Because of the extremely high success ratio achieved by this method, a pilot project was begun by the United Enuretic Centre for the British Columbian Government to assist foster children in that province. The Ottawa Journal reported that a University of Ottawa child psychologist said that the sleep research technique as used by U.E.S.C. was quite acceptable. Recommended and used by doctors for their own children. Concerned parents send for this free and confidential information to U.E.S.C. Box 1034 Stn. C. Scarborough, Ontario. NAME.............................................. ADD R ESS...................................................... CITY ........................................................ - PH O N E .............................................. ...... CH I LD 'S A G E................................................. UNITED ENURETIC SERVICE CENTRE MAIL THIS TODAY You may save your child years oimisery MEMBER OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU TORONTO