The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

iar t tiik thibune thutxl jjhujia 18 vsta wke htrone established 1s88 i h nolan publisher jim thomas editor published every thursdav by inland publishing co limited ai 54 main si stoufiville onl tol 6102101 single copies 15c subscriptions 500 per year in canada 900 elsewhere member of audit bureau of circulation canadian weekly newspapers association and ontario weekly newspapers association second class mail registration number 0896 eititrial a new predator by alec smith extension biologist dept of lands and forests in recent weeks there has been a flurry of deaths and injuries resulting from what appears to be the careless use of snowmobiles wildlife that shares its home with these mechanical wonders is also suffering death and injury and this will increase as the long cold winter months continue we would like to remind the public that sec 19 2 the game and fish act 196162 reads no person shall use a vehicle or vessel for the purpose of chasing pur suing worrying molesting killing in juring or destroying any animal or bird regardless of this section some snowmobilers insist on molesting wildlife the jack rabbit or european hare in its open country habitat and his speed has recently been pitted against the stability and speed of these machines the loser is all too often the hare perhaps some of these snowmobilers could be placed on a railway track with a coast to coast dayliner bearing down on them then be asked to build up speed and move ahead of the train as the locomotive passes over one the engineer could look back and say ah hell be alright his furs just ruffled a little to those who insist on driving deer out of their wintering areas or yards just to get a better or closer look look hard if the deer after years of such harrassment suddenly disappear or vanish you could be partly to blame youll need that closer look to be able to tell your grandchildren exactly what these animals looked like we again beg snowmobilers to enjoy the recreational opportunity these machines provide but do not abuse our deer pheasants rabbits or wildlife in general you may regret it what age responsibility a judges distaste for registering a conviction against a 20 year old youth on a charge of drinking while under age was clearly pointed out in provincial court at richmond hill recently and no wonder the young man was old enough to hold a drivers licence he was old enough to serve in any branch of the canadian armed forces he was married for all these capabilities in the eyes of present liquor laws he was still too young to consume any quantity of alcohol whatsoever ridiculous if 21 is considered the age of respon sibility then perhaps other laws should conform accordingly like 21 to drive 21 to marry and 21 to vote but no this is 1971 and while many laws have updated in step with the times ontarios liquor laws have not and theyre being flouted every day of every week now to the point where even the conscience of our courts has begun to waver in our opinion a man is a man at 18 and this in more ways than merely marking a ballot or raising a family unfair tactics on saturday morning a car was parked at the highway entrance to the stouffville shopping plaza on the windshield was placed a sign that read in bold black print on strike shop elsewhere below in smaller print was the name of the union branch and the location of its complaint the success of the strike is presently subject to debate but it goes without saying that if a p business is reduced so likewise is business in other adjacent stores but to placard the very entrance to the centre and suggest the public shop elsewhere is in our opinion going a step too far and the other merchants in nocent victims in this squabble are soft if they allow this kind of practice to continue editors mail dear sir the content of your recent editorial entitled the snowmobile monster brings reaction from me with the number of machines and their speed and power increasing year by year some sort nf control over their operation must be imposed if they are not to become a so- called menace to society in my opinion they should now be banned from all roads i am impressed by statistics with regard to the number of deaths each winter not only impressed but depressed a great deal of damage is done to fields and parks by uncontrolled use of snow mobiles young trees and saplings are broken down wildlife is frightened by the noise and the compacting of the snow into ice interferes with spring growth and creates unnatural runoff and un necessary erosion gokarts dragstrips and race tracks all have their special areas why not snowmobiles also in my opinion there is now a place for the snow machine in govern mentcontrolled parks or forests where the whole motive is peace and quiet let the snowmobiler have his fun but in the proper locations adam johnstone rri stouffville dear sir regarding the mention of siloam in a recent tribune editorial for your information the population of greater siloam is 58 people 7 horses 12 dogs 8 cats 4 budgies 4 rabbits and a flock of chickens not to mention the suburban areas we have our own plaza church professional financial aid and the community centre the reason there has been no mass protest as it was aptly referred to is that the residents of siloam have not been brothered as yet but if a situation does arise where snow scooters are driving across our lawns at 200 am or generally cause drastic changes in our rural serenity you may rest assured that we will raise proper in closing i would like to point out that a mass protest was made against the plans for a drag strip so keep in mind that we have the capabilities but so far lack the instigation the mayor 0utme45t aa trpop wtwrflkal tender loving care for snowmobilers by bill smiley even a winter sourpuss like me cannot but be affected when we hit one of those rare and perfect winter days today is one of them snapping twelve degrees sun grinning down like an old yellow lecher as fresh snow lifts virginal bluewhite pleading hands sky as cold and blue as mr bensons heart ugly fallendown fence in back yard has vanished until spring picnic table is a loaf of white bread rising big spruce by the garage holds with dignity in sagging bluegreen arms the big lumps of heavy white cotton in the country evergreens are startling black clumps of contrast ancient rail fences with jaunty snowcapped posts run their erratic charm through the bluish drifts so do the snowshoers skiers whizz down like gulls swooping for scraps and the damned snowmobiles grunt and bellow about like bulls in a chaste china shop there i knew something would spoil it dont worry i wont go into a diatribe about the stinking things i consider them beneath my dignity i wouldnt ban them if i had the power theyre a wonderful machine for farmers trappers and others who need to get places they couldnt before some of the kids at our school who live on islands way out in the bay cross the ice on the things catch the school bus drive forty minutes to school then make the return journey in the afternoon you cant knock that and theyre fine for recreation too if theyre used with some sense but theres the rub as a cabinet minister remarked recently on the subject you cant legislate against stupidity and some of the most stupid people i know own snowmobiles not you gentle reader not you you dont go flying solo after an hours instruction and you have to pass a fairly stiff test nowadays to get a car drivers license but it seems that any nyurp of a kid or adult who can get one of the things started and not necessarily stopped is free to go out and commit mayhem or suicide when i see some kid belting along at full throttle on an icy road or trying to pass a car on the right i shudder and when i see mature middleaged people attempting climbs and jumps and crossing thin ice that even an intelligent ape would shy at i shake my head sadly it seems that every third person you meet has a twisted ankle or a sprained shoulder or a bent bum then there are the gangs the only difference between a motorcycle gang and a snowmobile gang is the speed and the time of year both are likely to be halfstoned and both are prone to van dalism and indifferent to the feelings of others theres only one thing more boring and annoying than the abuses of the things and that is the constant conversation about them at practically any gathering of people anywhere in midwinter boring its enough to make the mind boggle one used to go to a party and have a party one used to curl and sit around afterwards discussing the game one used to sit in the teachers staff room with a group of fairly intelligent people and talk about cabbages and kings and sealing wax and things now all you hear is a melange of carburetots and tracks and horsepowers and feats of derringdo most of the latter gaining in each interminable repetition i know they wonder why i dont eat lunch in the staffroom any more but id rather sit in the cafeteria with 400 noisy students than sit in the staffroom with twelve or fourteen snowmobilers bellowing at each other each trying to top the others story i told you i wasnt going to write a diatribe and i wont the car started this morning classes went well my wifes in a decent mood and my daughter got 88 and 90 on two essays and it was a beautiful day before that silver lining turned into a black cloud everybody loves a parade they do now and they did in the year 1910 this procession is on main street in stouffville although the occasion is not known on the immediate right is the present tribune office next to daleys hall now the post i office i sunshine across the counter by jim thomas the other day a chap came in to pay a bill something like 150 for a classified ad instead of stopping at the front counter he stomped right through to where i was working or trying to work mind you this is nothing new the truth is my socalled office is monday through friday very much like grand central station while pedestrian traffic can be a bit distracting at times i really dont care after all what good is any weekly newspaper editor if he cant spare a minute to speak to his friends but this particular gentleman caught me completely by surprise i looked up from the keyboard and there he was just standing there his introductory remarks also threw me a little got troubles he said you look kinda sour i assured him that every tuesday is problem day particularly when youre j doing stories that should have been completed on monday i didnt tell him that four of the five kids were home sick with the flu that the fifth had pierced his hockey stick through the rec room ceiling and brownie the childrens pet rabbit had just torn the last of the protective tinfoil material from the bottom of the basement water heater whats the use i thought to myself the guys probably got enough problems of his own without wanting to hear mine later that same afternoon while on the way home i had occasion to stop off at walkers cleaners in the stouffville plaza almost like magic my tuesday burden of troubles disappeared for across the counter was the sunshiniest face i had ever seen her radiance lit up the entire room it was obvious she didnt know my name but i was deter mined to learn hers that night with my wifes permission i made enquiries and on saturday i gave her a call at first she was hesitant taking me i suppose for some philanderer with ulterior motives i was successful in assuring her that such was not the case miss sunshine by way of a less for mal introduction is linda hill shes 20 single and resides at tenth line north in stouffville born in toronto one of a family of six she has no desire to either work or live in a the big city its too cold she said meaning the people there were hard to get to know for a time linda worked at lehmans shoes on main street and then one af- ternoon tragedy struck she was in volved in a serious accident while tobogganning on a hill near island lake and suffered a broken back she was confined to bed for several weeks but now is completely well linda is typical of most teen and twenty girls she enjoys sewing skating and dancing but theres a difference the glow she displays on the outside is by no means shallow or superficial it comes right from her heart for linda is a dedicated jehovahs witness shes proud of it she loves to talk about it she radiates it linda spends much of her spare time on the local mission field talking with as many people as possible she terms it a fulfillment of prophecy while the personal approach may irritate some folk linda claims the reception in stouffville is much more friendly than in toronto on occasions she said if the weather is cold shes often been invited in for a cup of coffee last year she attended the jehovahs witness con vention at woodbine and was one of 57000 at the international assembly in atlanta georgia the doortodoor campaign is carried out on a strictly voluntary basis referred to by linda as a way of life her ultimate goal is to gain recognition as a pioneer this means completing one hundred calls per month talk about ambition admittedly i was impressed im pressed with what i saw impressed with what i heard a living example of religion far removed from the four walls of a church sunshine across the counter and while im still not quite prepared to relinquish my firm presbyterian faith one things for sure ive got the best pressed pants in town