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6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, August 8, 1990 ed pri <Ne The Port Perry Star 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO PHONE 985-7383 FAX 985-3708 The Port Perry Star is authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, for cash payment of postage. Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: In Canada $20.00 peryear Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50¢ EDITORIAL Publisher - J. Peter Hvidsten Editor - John B. McClelland News/Features - Julia Ashton News/Features - Kelly Storry PRODUCTION Annabell Harrison Trudy Empringham Darlene Hlozan BUSINESS OFFICE Office Manager - Gayle Stapley Accounting - Judy Ashby Billing Department - Louise Hope ADVERTISING Advertising Co-ordinator - Valerie Ellis Advertising Sales Representative - Anna Gouldburn Retail Sales.- Kathy Dudley, Linda Ruhl, Tracy O'Neil Member of the } Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd. Port Perry, Ontario Editorial Comment GUN CONTROL The crud-crusted low life that inhabits the inner cities these days must love Brian Ashton. - Mr. Ashton is a member of council for Metro Toronto, and last week he made a proposal calling for a ban on all hand- guns in Canada. He's not exactly breaking new ground here. Hardly a week goes by where somebody doesn't stand up in Canada and scream "ban the hand-guns." For justification, they point to an ever-increasing crime rate (much of it drug-related) break-ins at gun shops and the homes of collectors, and what appears to be larger and more lethal weapons falling into the hands of the criminal element. To be sure, certain parts of the inner cities are turing into battlefields with gunfire the norm, rather than the exception; and major city-police forces say they are shocked at the type of weapons their officers have to face (heavy calibre mag- puns, auto and semi-automatic rifles, even Uzis, to name a ew) But what Ashton and others seem to over-look, or don't understand, is that a ban on hand-guns is not going to rid plac- es like Toronto of the menace guns create. Does he really think that the drug pushers, the hold-up artists, members of extortion gangs, and all the other assorted scum who "pack hardware" are going to walk smiling into the nearest cop shop and turn over their weapons? Give us a break. A total ban on hand-guns would result in one thing: the trampling of the rights of thousands of law- abiding men and women to own hand-guns for legitimate rea- sons: collecting, target shooting and hunting. Ashton is quoted in a Toronto newspaper article as saying "I don't have the desire in my genes to go down into the base- ment and fondle a .357 magnum." If the quote is accurate and if Ashton is referring to law abiding gun owners, what an insult he has delivered. The sug- gestion is that they get some kind of perverse pleasure from physically fondling a gun. He's been watching too many Ram- bo movies or too much American television. If Ashton and others want to lobby for ways to make the cities (and towns and villages) safer, he need go no farther than demanding a change in the way our legal system treats those who use guns for criminal reasons. Plea bargains take the teeth (such as they are) out of sen- tences, judges sometimes impose less than the maximum for weapons-related crimes, early parole makes a five year sen- tence a joke, and conditions in our prisons for the hardened criminal are so cushy that a stay there is hardly something to be feared. Cops are losing the gun wars because they are reluctant to even draw their own weapons in a confrontation, let alone use them, for fear of being hauled into court themselves to face charges, or in front of some "citizens committee," made up of people who have never stared down the barrel of a .44 wielded by some wild-eyed maniac in a dark alley in the mid- dle of the night. Guns are a fact of life among many criminals these days because the drug trade is so lucrative, they will do anything to protect their markets, and that includes the murder of anyone who gets in their way. And, there is no doubt, a hand-gun is an efficient killing instrument, if used for that purpose, far better than a knife, a club, or a pair of fists. Of course, there are more guns in the possession of crimi- nals these days. There are more criminals. Taking hand-guns away from law-abiding citizens won't alter that fact. The war against guns can be waged on several fronts. Toughen up the prison terms with long sentences and no early parole. A ten year minimum might be a starting point. Toughen up the drug laws to the point where it simply isn't worth the risk no matter how lucrative the profits might be, and make sure.the courts impose the maximum. Of course the easiest way to rid the country of drug-related violence would be for the state to legalize the stuff, and control its use that way. As for the the law-abiding gun owners whose rights we Turn to Page 10 + Not In My Back Sard Random ANNIVERSARY The Port Perry Star will begin to celebrate a a historic milestone later this year, as it commenc- es its125th year of service fo this community, and we will be celebrating the occasion through- out 1991 with many special events. One of the most important of these will be a special 125th Anniversary issue of the newspa- per, which will include dozens of photographs and much of the history of this community over the past century and a quarter. We are beginning to compile some of the material that will be used in this issue, and ask that our readers become a part of this process by contributing old photos, historical sketches etc., which may be of interest. The special issue is tentatively scheduled to be published on August 14, 1991, the date which coincides closest to the publication of the first issue on August 16, 1866. While realizing that a year is a long time to plan and co-ordinate this issue, there is much work to be done, and it will pass quickly. We are looking for "good" photographs of streetscapes, township councils, steamships on Lake Scugog, railway photos, hotels, schools, groups along with some information about the photo. Any pictures being submitted without in- formation, as to the date they were taken, or the names of the people are not of much use. We're sure that many of our long-time resi- dents or their families have pictures packed carefully away in cardboard boxes and trunks in the attic or cellar of their homes. We urge you to dig them out and stop by the Star office. We'd love to see your wonderful photographic treas- ures from the past. Readers of our special supplement printed two years ago, about the history of Port Perry's newspapers, may remember an appeal for much needed information about four former publishers of this paper, and it's for-runner, the Port Perry Standard. To date, although | made phone calls to var- ious locations throughout the province, | have had little success in obtaining information about these elusive gentlemen, namely Mr. James Baird and Mr. Edward Oliver of the Ontario Ob- server; and Mr. S.M. Newton and Mrs. W. H. Ohne of the Port Perry Standard and Port Perry tar. The little information that has been re- searched since the printing of our special issue in 1988 indicates S.M. Newton purchased a newspaper called the Kingston News, and his brother Geo. H. Newton became the publisher of the North Bay Dispatch, both in the early 1900's. Very little else is know about these ear- ly publishers. An article in the 1907 issue of the Port Perry Star informs the readers that Mr. W. H. Cline, the owner and publisher of the Port Perry Star/Standard was selling the paper and return- ing to the work of the ministry in the vicinity of Buffalo, New York. We desperately would like to learn more about these early pioneers of the newspaper business in Port Perry and would ask anyone who has any photos, or information about these men to give me a call. Local businesses will also be given the op- portunity to participate in this historic issue of the paper. Some of our older family businesses, dating back close to a century, will be featured in stories, while newer businesses will be urged to become a part of the issue with advertise- ments. These non-commercial advertisements could include photographs of the owners or staff, dates and a brief history of the business, etc. The presence of their business as a part of this community, will be recorded for future gen- erations and historians to see in this special an- niversary issue. Early in 1991, the Star will take a major step when it moves from its present location on Queen Street into a new building which is cur- fonty being constructed on Mary Street (behind the Post Office). Having been located at 235 Queen Street for most of this century, it will indeed seem strange to leave this shell which (throughout many reno- vations) has been home for so many years. We'll keep you posted as the new building progresses. But for now we need your help to make this a very special anniversary. Please get involved and bring in your pictures today.