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Fa ata gh J 3 In 1959 it became known that a dozen babies had suffo- cated in the first half year, through contact with thin plas- tic film, mis-used by adults. This led to newspaper head- lines, and some almost hysteri- cal demands for government intervention, No official action was taken, but the Ontario Safety League and other agencies undertook 'a public information campaign should. never be used on cots, or left near play pens. Infant suffocation from this cause now is almost unknown. In the same year the whole continent was stirred by the news that a small section of the cranberry crop had become con- taminated in a way that might, Just might, affect the health of someone who ate a large quan- tity. Millions of housewives reacted at the stores. Man tends to have an irra- tional dread of the new, or the unusual hazard that is often right out of proportion to the real danger. Obviously, we -should take proper steps to face up to every newly-discov- ered hazard. But the wide- spread excitement over such "new" dangers with the seem- ing indifference to far greater perils -- such as mis-handled automobiles, which kills more _than 5,000 Canadians a year. Discovery senic in the bathroom closet would throw any parent into near-panic. Many otherwise responsible people, though, ha- bitually drive old cars without checking the exhaust system for leaks, even though it is known 'that carbon monoxide causes more deaths than any other poison. SE 'to explain why thin plastic of a bottle of ar- Dangers All Aculid Us Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, and the full list of vie- tims is never "known. Most known deaths from this cause oceur in parked cars, and closed garages. But it is suspected that many single-car crashes, and rear-end collisions, are the diYect result of drivers becom- ing impaired by CO leaking in- to the car, through a faulty ex- haust system. The danger rises sharply when cool weather sets in, and car windows go up. We should always guard against the possibility of pois- oning from uncommon sources. But let us also remember that poison is all around us in our daily lives, and the leading killer-poison gets ready to go to work every time we turn the starter switch. Plan Now! If you are now young. and healthy, you probably don't think much about how import- ant it will-be to you to have friends and activities in your later years. But 'you should think about your retirement years now, ac- cording to the federal health department pamphlet, "Plan- ning for the Later Years'. While you're still working you can do much to make sure your retirement years will be "happy "and interesting. Now, while you're working, 'it is easier than it will be later i Do You Remember? -- on td make friends -- both at work and through outside in- terests and hobbies. You should also strive to aceumulate -in- terests now, for it is the people who keep busy during their em- ployment years who soon find a full timetable after retire- ment, the pamphlet says. va XL Sey 50 YEARS AGO August 22nd, 1918 Courses in Agriculture and Household Sciences will be additional course at Port Perry High School, starting in September. Harvest crops are ex- ceptionally good in this vicinity this season. Mr. W. F. Walker, Man- chester, is erecting'a new "silo on his farm. Mr. Ralph Fitchett, Man. .chester has bought Caw- ker Bros. butcher business and opened up the store "in Port Perry. Mr. George Gerrow has sold his home to Mr. Allan Goode, and will move to . Toronto in October. 25 YEARS AGO August 26th, 1943 A complete new roof has been put on the Town Hall, credit is due Mr. Len Leahy for good work in levelling the roof base. Mrs. Clayton 'Love and Mrs. 'Arch. Anderson en- tertained at a shower in honour of Miss Mary Stone a popular bride-to-, be. The amalgamated con- gregations of the United Church at Scugog centre will celebrate the laying of the corner stone of the new church, 15 YEARS AGO August 20th, 1953 Mr. George Holmes, Chief Constable tendered his resignation and the council accepted it. Mean. time Provincial police will do the policing. Port Perry Legion Branch have made a dona- tion of $900.00 to the Hos- pital. 'Monty Cranfield, Oshawa set a new record at Port Perry. Yacht Club Mara- thon. 10 YEARS AGO August 21st, 1958 Mrs. Ralph Dusty is' " Dairy Princess for Ontario County and will take part in the contest for Dairy Queen at the C.N.E, The Annual Progressive Conservative Picnic was held at Greenwood Park. Mr. Ronald Wanamaker took as his bride Miss Leona Mae. Reynolds in Seagrave United Church. "the lot. BILL SMILEY Sugar and Spice OUR MASS MEDIA You know, that postal strike. wasn't all bad. - I know it was a great inconvenience ._ for some people, and meant a real financial loss for others. a R But there was a certain quiet Saisie tion in knowing that you didn't have to answer those urgent letters. There was relief in the thought that you wouldn't be getting three or four bills every day. And there was .positive pleasure in not being bombarded by advertising flyers and other third-class mail. In short, there was a slight hiatus in our daily scramble. Of course, the day of reck- ~ oning came, when all the hills came in one bundle, and there was no way of putting off writing those letters. But there was a little peace there for a while in at least one aspect of our bedevilled lives. It started me thinking about what would } happen if the entire communications sys- 'tem was tied up by strikes. Everything: telephone, television, radio, newspapers, Do you think we'd survive? I do. In fact, if the whole noisy, bother- . some business ground to a halt for a couple of months, we'd-probably all live a A couple of years longer. Those who would suffer most. would be the young and the old. Taking.away the squawk and thump of their transistors from the ears of teenagers would be like tearing a baby from its mother's breast. Robbing the elderly of their morning news and their evenings with the Beverly Hill- billies re-runs would be arrant cruelty. But I don't think the rest of us would suffer. I think we'd thrive and grow fat and calm and interested in real life, on a couple" of months of peace and quiet. Those who have been out of touch with "civilization," on a hunting or. fishing trip will know.what I mean. One simply does. not miss the ominous headlines, the grave news reports, and the assorted garbage contained in our mass media. In such conditions, a newspaper is for lighting a fire with; or cleaning a fish on. Hadio is completely unnecessary. Lack of telephones means that nobody can get at you with bad news. And sitting around a fire with friends is a lot more enriching "than sitting around one third-rate old ~ movies. : Indulging in the mass 'media, or sur- rendering to them, or allowing them to "rule your day, is merely laziness and habit, And the deeper you sink into the slough ~of words, the harder it is to break out. Some eople are addicted to the morn- ing paper. It's like the first cup of coffee or the first cigarette. They are surly and uneasy until they unfold it. And what do they get? Wars and rumors of. wars, strikes and rumors of strikes, a lengthy rehash and expansion of last night's TV news, pompus editorials stating the obvious, and assorted junk. Some never read a paper at all but de- pend on their news from the radio. The thing goes. all day long with a steady stream of commercials, semi-hysterical disc- (Continued on Page 11) PORT PERRY STAR COMPANY, LIMITED. Serving Port Perry, Brooklin ond Surrounding Areas P. HVIDSTEN, Publisher WM. T. HARRISON, Editor Member of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Member of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Published every Thursday by The Port Perry 'Star Co. Ltd.,, Port Perry, Ontario. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for : payment of postage in cash. Subscription Rates; In Canada $8.00 per yr. Elsewhere, $4.50 per year. Bingle Copy 10