page 2 the tribune thursday april 30 1970 i too smal stouffvilles 30000 firehall erected only four years ago is too small this as we understand it is the fin dings of the ontario fire marshals department following a survey con ducted here in the spring the cost of bringing the building and equipment up to the standard as recommended has been estimated by reeve ken laushway at over 70000 it seems rather strange that a ser vice improved so recently should become impractical so soon we speak of course of the hall itself built in 1966 to department specifications if it is inadequate now it was also so soon inadequate then because the area served by the stouffville brigade has been quite drastically reduced except in emergencies we no longer go into pickering township at all and a sizeable chunk of markham township property comes under the protection of units based in unionville there must be an explanation something the fire marshals office knows that stouffville council doesnt like a larger brigade to serve a larger area within the new region of york perhaps just perhaps well all be a little wiser on this and other queens park secrets when darcy mckeough throws new light on the subject may 6 what makes a community what makes a community ball and hockey teams bingo and euchre parties service club activities home and school meetings church socials skating carnivals or you name it and likely or not it all plays a very important part in the life of a community like stouffville but through the years ten to be exact no single program has done more to re kindle that friendly feeling of com munity spirit than music mania it all started back in 1960 and has become an annual institution here music mania is a show difficult to describe for when you do you in variably find yourself comparing one year with another this is unfair for its hard to improve on excellence if success must be measured however we feel that audience reaction provides one sample of acceptance in our opinion no show has been better received than the one just concluded while we are not a part of it nor are we aware of the amount of work in it we can only hope and trust that its promoters will always continue it for music mania is the lifeblood of this community may it never end walkathons play a part last year walkathons held throughout this area and elsewhere raised thousands of dollars for many worthwhile programs and projects it would appear that this kind of participatory incentive for raising funds was no oneyear fad similar ventures are planned for this spring and summer including miles for millions may 2 and the walk of ages may 23 the latter is in aid of union villa a new two million dollar home for senior citizens now under construction at unionville marathon walks are in our opinion togetherness in its finest form for those who cannot afford to walk can possibly afford to sponsor someone who can in this way everyone plays a part within the next two or three months residents as well as business people will undoubtedly be approached by in terested walkers seeking sponsors if in your opinion the project deserves support then pledge some small contribution ten cents a mile may- riot seeni tike much but ten sponsors times ten can add up to a lot anxious for answers marijuana is it alright or all wrong while the public in general including men in the medical profession continue to debate this question some answers are now available preliminary findings of a us government agency the national institute of mental health says marijuana does not necessarily lead to heroin addiction but its a dangerous drug and strong preparations might produce brain damage the longawaited threeyear com mittee report also concluded that marijuana traffic is at least an 850000000ayear business that is leading increasing numbers of young americans into tragic lives todays stiff penalties threaten respect for the law in general and should be reduced it suggested a maximum oneweek jail sentence for firstoffence marijuana possession during this period the violator would be required to take a drugabuse education course y v e ditoi rs mailj dear sir may 10 to 17 has been set aside as nursing home week in these homes there are many old folk who often voice this wish if only someone would visit me just for myself quite often those voicing this are ones who have outlived their family and friends and are feeling very lonely only folk who have experienced loneliness know how it can take from one the desire to go on living a verse from an old poem puts it this way seldom can a heart be lonely if it seek a lonlier still self forgetting seeking only emptier cups with love to fill many folk are lonely in this day of rush some getting on in years and feeling them selves forgotten if such people with time on their hands and strength to do a bit of shutin work would care to take a few of these old folk in nursing homes to visit they will find it rewarding work recently an old lady in one of the nursing homes said to a regular visitor we get grand care in here and this home is lovely but i have a lonely feeling most of the time when the visitor replied well now i come to see you i often come twice every week the old lady said oh yes dear but you have so many to visit you dont have time to sit and talk but its grand just to have you come the son of god must have thought this visitation work was very important because he speaks about it in matthew 25th chapter visiting the sick and others who need comfort are mentioned here to those who will heed his words christ says inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ye have done it unto me mrs sara shields stouffville wht wtiiunt established 1838 c h nolan publisher jim thomas editor noel edey advertising published every thursday by inland publishing co limited at st main st stouftviile ont tel 6io2101 slnrle copies i5c subscriptions 500 per year in canada 750 elsewhere member of audit bureau of circulation canadian weekly newspapers association and ontario weekly newspapers association second class mail registration number 0s96 no major or even minor theme this week just a few observations perhaps the most important to me is that my daughter has turned over a new leaf or perhaps its just an old stone she is studying hard for two music exams and actually has a job parttime she has learned in a remarkably brief period that bread as the kids call it is fairly important when it comes to eating and keeping a roof over ones head she has learned that jobs are mighty scarce when your only experience is playing the organ in a church one summer she has learned that a grade 13 certificate and one term at college has as much use as a third leg she came home on the weekend with her danged cat and kitten and clamoured for meat real meat shes sick to death of hamburger and bologna and drooled over a steak in her honor but shes a criminal she went back to the city with her kitten stuffed under her dear sir i would like to reply to your correspondent of last week why she asks did i not state in my previous letter that i am a teacher the answer is simple i am not i happen to be a parent who is in terested in progressive education angela leach stouffville rr4 dear mr thomas the directors of the stouffville skating club wish to express their sincere thanks to you for the coverage afforded the recent carnival audrey ward secretary jacket i believe its against the law to transport animals on buses however shes a clever criminal and may go a long way she gave the kid a quarter of a sleeping tablet inmilk so he wouldnt yowl for his mama and alert the bus driver weve been left with the mother cat an unexpected treat like a hair in your meat pie we agree that kim will be fired on the first day of her new job her function is to stock shelves in one of those cutrate stores and since she was three her greatest attribute has been knocking over her milk dropping full bottles of any liquid and smashing cups and saucers while doing the dishes its not lack of coordination she can play a beethoven sonata oh well well see thats one thing off my chest the next one is not so pleasant i share with most canadian citizens a sickening disgust at the attitude of most members of parliament toward their own financial security at present with their 18000 a year six of it taxfree and various otherperks postage travel secretarial help etc theyre grossing about 20000 as mp barry mather recently pointed out this is not wealth far from it these days and i think they should give themselves a reasonable increase consistent with the cost of living and tax increases but the proposed pension plan stinks to high heaven oppose it with every means within your power the old pension scheme was rotten and many men who had given most of their lives to public service wound up in poverty but the new one is rotten in the opposite sense dont let them pass it another item which has me pretty by bill smiley disturbed is that the telegram news syndicate which circulates this column wants an uptodate picture of yours truly who first came up with this in famous idea i dont know but vile and vicious are the words that first come to mind itll cost me a fortune ill have to buy a wig ill have to have my remaining molars painted white ill have to pay a photographer to touch the whole thing up and ill still look like a veteran of the boer war my wife disagrees she says my fine bone structure will always come through yeah just like a deaths head however i aint ascared the grog blossoms wont show in black and white i can have my eyes debagged which is expensive but works my roman nose is intact and perhaps a side shot with the jowls taped up behind my ears might convince some people of something or other maybe they could take the shot from the waist up and show the needleholes where i had my cortisone shots it would certainly be better than one from the waist down i have bowlegs and gout in my right big toe anyway youll be seeing it take a good snort or a tranquilizer before it comes out ill be right there with you but what the heck we all have troubles if nobodys were greater than mine it wouldnt be a bad world cope with your own troubles and dont let them drag you down look at the world troubles and if you personally can do something about them do it otherwise dont let them drag you down its a long road that has no tur ning youll be a long time dead and spring is here rejoice i portraits from the past i four beautiful canada gccse show no sign of fear on township this rather rare sight was caught by tribune the bird sanctuary owned by dr allan secord uxbrldge editor jas thomas the jcar 1951 ive joined the bicycle brigade hy jim thomas on saturday afternoon the fire siren sounded and i was off like the wind on my bicycle curious bystanders obviously unaccustomed to such a sight pointed and laughed as i catapulted the curb and came to a sliding stop beside a nearby tree i pretended not to notice their stares i even closed my ears to un complimentary remarks more important to me at least was the record 3block travelling time from the office to the hall fiftyfive seconds to be exact i even beat the chief while my speedy little twowheeler is one solution to stouffvilles traffic problem its use when it comes to chasing fire trucks is quite limited for instance if a barn was burning at goodwood the brigade would be on its way back by the time i reached the suburbs of garibaldi its rather frustrating for a newsman to be caught going when he should be coming why a bicycle in the first place you ask it all started quite by accident in the bathroom of all places i stepped on the scales and the needle swung around to 152 hey i called out to my wife theres something wrong with this thing i havent weighed a pound over 135 in my whole life she pointed to a very slight inflation around my middle theres your trouble she said too many chocolate bars with a birthday approaching the most practical gift was obvious it arrived april 9 its my first brand new bike the other i once owned was a hand-me- down you know the kind no fenders missing spokes loose chain and bald tires by the end of grade 13 it had disintegrated completely although i really hate to brag this ones a- real beaut mind you its not equipped with such luxury items as monkey bars or a banana seat but the uncluttered style seems to suit my age classification well and for all those who keep insisting they dont build em like they used to i strongly disagree for instance this standard ccm has such items as finger contoured handle grips nonslip rubber pedals norust chrome rims dirtresistant chain guard and a magic- mirror finish all at no extra cost and the price just 5395 plus tax as far back as thirty years ago they were only a few dollars less if forced to register one single com plaint with my newfound toy it would have to be the seat its shaped like a blacksmiths anvil and every bit as hard the only answer is to insert a sponge inside my pants while appearances on main street have been infrequent only once so far my favorite scenic route is through the ponderosa there the bicycle is an accepted form of transportation in fact every child from toddler up seems to have one while a few of the greeneyed over forty group may stop point and stare the truth is the bicycle brigade is growing in numbers just look around you mothers and fathers everywhere are literally pedalling off the pounds and having fun doing it too and talk about your generation gap theres no easier way to close it i know for theres hardly a night goes by that susan and i dont go for a spin around the block shes every bit as excited about this fatherdaughter together ness as i am but the happy relationship this bir thday bike has brought to our little family circle could well be the ruination of us all mywife suggests that as long as im willing to ride she wants to drive thats fine but our new garage was not built with such a thing in mind with only six inches to spare on either side shell never make it much cheaper to be sure a iran- sectomylike cutting off the crossbar callit spring fever on monday afternoon constable harry davis stouffville police department was called to albert street south where a man was reported lying on the ground in a vacant field the officer found him a gentleman about fifty no home no job and ob viously no worries he said he was just passing through and decided to take a rest it must be spring