25 Years Ago May 13, 1998
Stone Container announces merger: Stone Container Corporation, owners of the Portage du Fort pulp mill, announced yesterday it will merge with Jefferson Smurfit Corporation to create a paper-based packaging provide with annual sales exceeding $8 billion.
It is not clear what this merger will mean for the Portage mill which employs 350 people. Last October, in a bid to reduce its $1.5 billion debt, Stone Container put the portage mill up for sale. It is not certain whether the mill is still on the block. According to the mill’s general manager Tom Gray, the merger will have “no immediate effect on Pontiac. It’s business as usual.”
Step to it: Paulette Gauthier of Paulette’s School of Fiddle and Step Dance, danced with Le Belles Petites Princesses de Fort Coulonge, Shanatelle Lacroix, Natalie Duval and Marie-Claude Levesque at the 12th annual Fiddle and Step Dance Recital Friday at the Bryson Theatre. More than 100 people enjoyed the 30 performances.
Jeremy Lasalle and Kaylie Dufault fired up the fiddles at the recital to the delight of the audience. Eric Fortin and Anastasia Urbaitis also performed for the appreciative audience at the recital.
50 Years Ago May 16, 1973
Jennifer Davies is “Centennial Baby”, prizes for all entries in Shawville contest: Saturday was beautiful baby day in Shawville as forty-nine wonderful infants and about a hundred parents and grandparents attended the Centennial Baby Contest in the Anglican Hall.
All entries were residents of Pontiac County and the contest was held in two sections, one for Shawville babies and one for out of town babies.
In each section, the winners were presented with “Prince” and “Princess” sashes and the overall winner was declared the “Shawville Centennial Baby” and presented with a special rosette. This winner turned out to be Jennifer, the daughter of Muriel and Terry Davies who was also the winner in the section for Shawville girls one to ten months.
The other Shawville winners were boy, one to ten months, Mark, son of Barney Richardson; girl 11 to 24 months, Nancy, daughter of Bill Kearnan; boy 11 to 24 months Herbert, son of Clare Strutt.
Hockey closing banquet and trophy presentation: The minor hockey season came to a close on Thursday when the second banquet was held at the United Church Hall. Ninety-five Pee Wees, Bantams, Midgets and Atom All Stars with their coaches and wives as well as Mosquito and Atom coaches sat down to a delicious meal served by the ladies of the church.
Rev. Macintosh asked the blessing and during the meal, Ron Ross thanked the ladies for their lovely hot turkey dinner. Following the meal, Edward Tanner presented various trophies.
The Shawville Centennial Midget Tournament Consolation Trophy was accepted by Randy Powell and Rodney Trudeau. This team, coached by Albert Armstrong, also received crests for Consolation winners at the Carleton Place Midget Tournament.
75 Years Ago June 3, 1948
Local news: Ross Young People’s Union presented their play “Nobody but Nancy” on Thursday night in the local theatre with a fair-sized audience and the play was much enjoyed by those present. The play was a three-act face comedy with Miss Doris Bulmer in the title role playing a star part. Others in the cast included Lillybelle Bilson, Norma Hawthorne, Phyllis Bulmer, Reta Hawthorne, Eleanor Pettigrew, Stanley Black, Roy Dittburner, Basil Bulmer and Delmar Currie.
As in the past, the Quebec Forestry Association will grant this year, two grand prizes to the winners of maple grove and farm woodlots contests.
The May meeting of the Women’s Missionary Society was held in the Sunday School room of the United Church on Friday evening with the president, Mrs. M. Langford presiding and Mrs. Asa Smart as secretary.
At a recent business meeting at St. Stephen’s Church here, it was decided to have the annual Church and Cemetery Bee on June 9th, instead of May 24th as of other years. This meeting was quite successful and with a good attendance.
Several L.O.L. 67 members attended Grand Lodge held at Pine Lodge, Bristol, recently.
Ad: We wish to announce the opening of a Ladies Apparel Shop in conjunction with our Beauty Shop. We intend to carry a line of dresses, sweaters, blouses, lingerie and stockings in the newest styles and colours. Hayes Beauty Shop.
100 Years Ago May 17, 1923
Local news: A meeting will be held in Hynes’ Hall Friday evening for the purpose of re-organizing, if possible, the Shawville Citizen’s Band. All who are interested in band music and the welfare of a band are cordially invited to attend. All members who have instruments belonging to the band will turn them in at this meeting in order that we may take stock and see that they are in good repair before starting again. A good attendance is requested.
Mr. John A. Rennick is erecting a new frame dwelling house on the lot east of his residence on Main Street.
A couple of our young townsmen attended the party in the town hall at Fort Coulonge on Friday evening, and report the event as being a very enjoyable one.
Several members of the Lake Dumont Hunt Club spent a few days at their club house last week, on a trout fishing expedition but unfavourable weather marred the contemplated delights of the expedition. They were a little early for a successful catch.
The King and Queen of the British Empire are visiting in Italy these days and reports have it that climatic and other conditions have not been agreeing very well with His Majesty.
The political “dogs of war” have been unleashed in Ontario, the Legislature having been dissolved by request of the Drury government and elections fixed for the 25th of June. The campaign promises to be a hot one.
The annual budget speech of the Canadian Minister of Finance which has been expected for several weeks and regarding which there has been much speculation as to the proposals it would contain was delivered in the House of Commons last Friday by Hon. W.S. Fielding.
The National City bank of New York, after analyzing the census figures for 1920, declares that for the first time in the history of that country, there are more people working in factories than on farms. Fifty years ago there were more than twice as many country workers as city workers. This not only means that the farmer has a bigger market for his product but that he is a greater buyer of manufactured goods because an increasingly large proportion of the factory hands are making things for the comfort and convenience of people in the country.
125 Years Ago May 19, 1898
Local news: Shawville was visited by a terrific thunderstorm on Wednesday evening. No damage was done, however, although some pretty large hail fell.
Our local bakers, in consequence of the heavy rise in flour, raised the price of bread to 28 cents a pan last week.
Mr. Bailey, late electrician for the Pontiac Telephone Company and Mr. Nolan, contractor of Ottawa, are seeking a franchise from this village to supply the town with water and electric light. We understand they will lay their scheme before the council at its next meeting.
Most of the farmers in Greermount have finished putting in their crops. Some of the most energetic ones finished early last week.
Mr. Ratte, boat liverymen of Ottawa, has entered an action against the several parties who have continued to deposit sawdust in the Ottawa River, since the law prohibiting them from doing so has come into effect.
Mr. G.F. Hodgins and Mr. Thos. H. Brownlee, head miller for H.S. Dowd, purchased a car of wheat in their neighbourhood on Wednesday last, Mr. Hodgins shipped the car to Quyon on Monday morning. It is said to have been the first shipment of wheat made from here.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier has promised to meet the Quebec farmers who have been petitioning for a reduction in the country’s expenditures and taxation, some time after this session. The efforts put forth by our federal member, Mr. Poupore to have adjusted the long-standing claims of a number of our farmers along the Ottawa River for damages caused by raising of the water from the construction of the Calumet and Rocher Fendu dams, we are sure will meet with the full approbation and hearty thanks of the parties concerned.
A dispatch to the Liberel from Manilla dated May 9 and sent by a special steamer to Hong Kong says: “The arsenal has surrendered and Cavite has been evacuated by our troops. The Spanish losses were 300 men killed and six hundred men wounded.”
“The enemy suffered considerably, including an officer killed on the Olympia. The Baltimore was damaged. Our shells did not burst, as did all the enemy’s shells.”
“Admiral Dewey has had a long conference with the foreign consuls. A consultative assembly is discussing the horrible situation created by hunger and misery.”
