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ny Cr NER STS SR Co Cy Smee, SmaI I -» - - Ss "rd 2 oa a SP DITORIAL PINION Safe Driving Week Canada's longest-running national safety campaign, Safe Driving Week, is again being held from December 1 to 7. Support for this campaign . comes from all levels of government, business, industry and organizations concerned with safety. Governor-General Roland Michener, Honorary Patron of the Canada Safety Council, has endorsed the campaign again this year and has issued a message in which he says that the campaign is "'an attempt to alert Canadians to the seriousness of traffic accidents. Last year, approximately 5,400 people were killed and close to 200,000 were injured in nearly 500,000 reported traffic accidents. These are cold statistics. almost incredible bereavement, suffering and loss, when one considers that much of it is avoidable.' Mr. Michener urged all Canadians "to be careful and considerate whether walking or driving, not only during Safe Driving Week but throughout the year." The Governor-General will sign certificates for those cities with a population of 40,000 or more that go through Safe Driving Week without a fatality. Last year 33 cities received certificates. ordee J. Legge, Q.C., President of the Canada Safety Council, said in his Safe Driving Week message that "while a concerted effort is made for this one week period to focus attention on this subject, the Council believes that pointing up effective countermeasures has a long-term benefit resulting in a better understanding of defensive driving on a year-round basis." Mr. Legge asked all Canadians to participate in the campaign, saying that, "if all concerned people . were to support Safe Driving Week . . . (they could) help to bring about a greater awareness of the effective countermeasures contained in the campaign materials." x Last year there were 68 fatalities during Safe Driving Week -- a significant decrease from the weekly average of 104 for the rest of December, b ut it is still only one week out of 52. A concerted effort will have to be made if we are to reduce the toll that on average, shows 100 Canadians being killed in eagh of the other 51 weeks. Another 3,000 people are injured in the more than .10,000 accidents each week. We must strive to m ake every week Safe Driving Week. It can be done if all drivers drive defensively and if each of us "understands the hazards, knows the defense, and acts in time." "Mark your X in the circle when you VOTE .on Monday, December 4th/72 In human terms they mean ' PORT PERRY STAR Company Limited Serving Port Perry, Reach, Scugog and Cartwright Townships P. HVIDSTEN, Publisher WM. T. HARRISON, J. PETER HVIDSTEN, Plant Manager - Advertising Manager Member of the C dian C ity N paper Association Member of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Published every Wednesday 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 8 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Bon T ACCELERATE SUDDENLY ON 1CY OR SNOWY SURFACES. DON'T MAKE SUDDEN STEERING CHANGES! \ ONTARIO SAFETY LEAGUE "SIGNS SHOW THE LEGAL LMIT-- In co-operation with BP Oil limited SAFE DRIVING WEEK: DECEMBER 1-7 MILEY UGAR BILL AND Srice SWUIRRELS, RATS AND CATS -- HUMBUG! Squirrels i in the attic and a cat at the door. Winter is on its way. Yep, the squirrels, after about five years of exile, have managed to chew their way back into the attic, and are happily holding their regular family quarrels, wakes, weddings, bowling games and foot-races right overhead. There probably aren't more than three or four hundred of them, to judge from the commotion. And I'm helpless. Once they get .in, you might as well wait until spring, when they emerge and you can whack up some tin patches over their entries. I like to have black squirrels around the place, but not in the place. They're cute and picturesque hopping about on the lawn, picking up acorn in their dainty mitts and swivelling their little bright, beady eyes about as they'chew. But when you can't see them, and all you can do is hear, they're not so cute. The only picture of them I have in winter is of a couple of young buck squirrels gnawing away on the insulation covering my wiring, - and chatting: "Hey, Jack, this is better than that hole in the oak we lived in last winter. Right?" "Right, George. It was kinda crowded with the eighty-four of us. And no central heating except our own. And down to an acorn a day by February. This is great. Lots of room for jogging to keep in shape. Lots of heat. And -- mmmmm -- I love that electrician's tape." They remind me of a rat who took over nocturnally in our room in prison camp barracks in the winter of '44 - 45. One single, lousy rat had eighteen grown men in a state of nightly alarums and excursions. At first, he'd wake somebody up with his gnawing. It was-a cross between the soun of a chain saw and that of a snowmobile. It was a welcome diversion, in the beginning. Sort of company, as though somebody cared. We named him Packy and talked about him rather fondly. For a while. But then the nerves started to wear thin. There's something nerve-wracking about a huge rat chomping away right in your ear, as it seemed. It got to the point where nobody could go to sleep. We'd lie there, nerves strumming, waiting for Packy's evening performance to begin, each of us clutching a weapon, a boot or a bedboard. The little devil seemed to know that he had us right where he wanted us. One night he'd start right after lights-out, and suddenly stop, just when we thought we'd located him. Next night, he'd lie there chuckling - and we'd have sworn we could hear the chuckle - keeping us in suspense until it was almost unbearable. Then he'd give a couple of zrooms. And stop. In a few minutes he'd start - again, gnawing steadily and contemputuously. At last, somebody's nerves would break. there'd be the flare of a match and eighteen of us would leap out of our bunks, flailing at the spot we were sure he was in. He never was, and it's a wonder somebody wasn't killed in the confusion. Because we all had a different spot. Well, that's enough about squirrels and rats. But I know exactly why people use the term "Squirrelly" as a synonym for being a bit mental. The other manifestation of winter horrors I mentioned was our cat. In summer, she's lean and tawny, a tigress prowling her domain, stalking bumblebees and butter- flies and birds. And she's outside, day and night. 'A lovely cat. As soon as the first wind comes out of the north, she turns into Mr. Hyde. She hangs on the screen door {howling pitiably. She has ruined three screen doors. Does she want love, affection, admira- tion? No. She wants in. And once in, she wants grub. I have never kicked an animal, but when that pig of a cat lurches in like a hyena scenting a fresh kill and starts rubbing against my legs when I'm trying to rattle up some breakfast for myself, there's a grave temptation to turf her right into the kitchen sink. She's an unlovely cat. Fat and demanding, like some wives. And she thinks I'm her husband. Apparently my un-love affair with cats has been mentioned before, because I have here a letter to the Listowel Banner from Rita, Dodkins, 11. I'll quote parts. "Cars are very useful in many different ways than 'putting them on a calendar'. They provide lots of company for old and lonely people who cannot have dogs because they can't give them the right exercise. They pamper and pet their cats bécause they enjoy it." "I think this is far from turning them into 'bloated, contemptuous parasites' as Mr. Smiley said. They look so sweet when they sleep on your best chair. When they rub your legs I think they are trying to show love. Our cats always tried to show love. I used to have one but now I'm getting one next spring." Rita, you might get one long before next spring. 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, Nov. 30, 1922 Mr. John Roach declined the position, of caretaker at the Port Perry Skating Rink for another winter. It was decided to engage Mr. Art- hur Crozier, Mr. Roach's former assistant. Mr. Cro- zier promised '"'to give us first class skating and curl- ing ice as soon as weather permits." The Star announced the advent of a new automotive device; '"'Indignant .pedest- rians may now experience a slight satisfaction in auto- matically "killing" the eng- ine of a motor car which has rudely given them unsought impetus 'when crossing the street." The device, fastened on a front bumper, would kill the engine (not the pedes- trian) on contact. Brock Bros. & Co., a village department store, . offered ladies' felt slippers at $1.20 a pair, ladies' sude gloves in black and grey at $.85 pair and childrens' wool suits in brown, gray, and red with matching caps at $3.50 each. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, Nov. 27, 1947 Port Perry High School held its annual Commence- ment Exercises. The school hall was filled to capacity. Mr. J. L. Crane, school principal, presided at the ceremony. Rev. G. Keith McMillan of Toronto (a former student of Port Perry High School)' was guest speaker.. He was introduced by Mr. S. Cawker, a former fellow-student. The speak- er's address was an inspring challenge to live "the Good Life'" at Home, at Work, and in Pleasure as the only way to secure lasting happiness and to achieve the highest purposes in life. 15 YEARS AGO Port Perry youths made a good showing at the Royal Winter Fair. Neil McLeod received Championship for his Hereford steer. Ross Bailey's steer was a finalist in Aberdeen Angus division. Morley Davidson's hneifer showed well in the Sr. Holstein Competition. Miss Donna Samells, Port Perry, was chosen to be one of the fourteen 4 - H Club members to represent Ont- ario at the 26th National 4-H Club Week. The . national enrollment was 73,482. Brian Taylor, voted the best all-round student in Grade XII at Port Perry High School, received the Dymond Scholarship, pre- sented to him by Dr. M. B. Dymond. "10 YEARS AGO Thursday, Nov. 29, 1962 In regards to the upcoming 1962 municipal elections, a Star editorial said; "The truth of the matter is that people don't vote, or get out and vote as they should because they are unwilling to accept any real responsib- ility as citizens for the right conduct of the government." The Women's Hospital- Auxiliary completed its 10th year of service to the Community Hospital with the following executive; President Mrs. M. Dymond, Vice President Mrs. L. 'Martyn, Secretary Mrs. B. Wanamaker and Treasurer Mrs. D. Crozier.