The main sticking point of Justice Minister Allan Rock’s proposal calls for the registration of all firearms which includes all hunting rifles and shotguns.

Anti-gun control activists claim this is too costly, will waste valuable police resouces required to administer the vast registration and will do nothing to reduce crime.

While many hunters are upset with the section of legislation dealing with the registration of all firearms, gunshop owners, like Bob Pringle of Allumettes Island, fear other parts of the proposed legislation will put them out of business.

Ice Fishing: Two trucks went through the ice at Beechgrove Saturday afternoon. It was an all day event Sunday to fish the trucks out. A channel had to be cut from shore to where the trucks sank, about 700 ft from shore and a timberjack from Quyon was used to pull the trucks out. About 4 p.m. on Sunday the last truck was dragged out of the icy waters.

Dec. 24, 1969

50 Years Ago

Christmas concert starlets: Jane Bowie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bowie of Shawville, was the outstanding start of the elementary school Christmas Concert which took place last Wednesday evening. Portraying the leading role in a little play “The Christmas Rose”, Jane demonstrated unusual talent in acting suported by two other competent young actresses, Ronda Draper and Anne Stevens. The play was just one small part of a well attended extravaganza of singing, acting and dancing put on by the children and their imaginative teachers.

The three school choirs, under the direction of Mrs. James Horner, carried the evening with a great variety of music including voice and flutophone numbers.

Mrs. Imison’s class gave two playlets and a demonstration of musical drill by the girls followed by an unreasonable faccsimile done by the boys wearing wigs and lady’s clothing.

The entire concert was made particularly interesting by the announcements which were made by a large number of the school children All the singing was accompanied by Mrs. Horner at the piano.

Pensions now to 65’s and over: As of Jan. 1, 1970, the minimum age of a retirment pension under the Quebec Pension Plan will be lowered from 66 to 65. It is estimated that about 25,000 contributors will apply for this pension next year.

Disability pensions will also begin in 1970. This will complete the step by step application of the plan that began in 1965.

The Pension Board now pays a death benefit as well as pensions to retired persons, widows, disabled widowers and orphans.

Jan. 4, 1945

75 Years Ago

Local News: Q.M.S. Douglas McDowell has returned to Camp Bordon after spending the Christmas holiday at the home of his parents Mr. and Mrs. Austin McDowell.

Public notice: Given by Harland C. Roward, President of the Election that a meeting for the will be held at Hyne’s Hall on 10 Jan. 1945 for the purpose of then and there electing a mayor for the municpality of Shawville.

A trio of Canadian soldiers in Holland brewed themselves a spot of Salada tea just back of the front line using an old steel helmet for a tea kettle.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill informed the House of Commons recently that the Allies were making plans to see that Germany could not carry out secret experiments to develop long-range weapons.

Lined up for home: A number of lads lined up at the leave depot in Italy are scheduled for a 30-day Christmas leave to Canada. They have been overseas since 1939.

A Canadian soldier, Pte. J.S.P. Bowen of Manitoba, one of the first Canadians to wade ashore in the assault upon Sicily on July 10, 1943, was granted a 30-day Christmas leave to Canada and bade farewell to a little Italian six-year-old friend in a village not far behind the front lines in Italy. “Keep your chin up, Sonny,” he said.

A Canadian Wives’ Bureau has been established for the British wives who have married Canadian service personel overseas and are in London.

Strengthening its naval power in the Far East to lend a hand to U.S. fleets opereating agains the Japs, Great Britain has named Admiral Sir Bruce A. Fraser as commander-in-chief of new British Pacific Fleet.

Dec. 24, 1919

100 Years Ago

Local News: A letter from R.T. Clarke, South Buckley, B.C. says the weather out there has been very severe, but with lots of feed for the cattle, things are O.K.

Whilst consumers are still paying top notch prices for pork, bacon, hams, etc., the producer claims that the price of live hogs has dropped so low that they cannot any longer raise them at a profit on account of the high cost of feed and it is said that many farmers will go out of pig-raising until conditions improve.

The Shawville rink has re-opened for the winter and the young people are dividing their attention between the pleasure it affords and the “movies”.

The Women’s Auxiliary of St. George’s Church, Thorne Centre, held a sale of fancy work and served ice cream on Saturday afternoon at Mr. and Mrs. Bretzlaff’s, Ladysmith and are thankful to all who contributed in any way in making the event a success.

Owing to the smallpox epidemic in Ontario, people belonging to that province or those coming from the United States through Ontario will not be allowed to enter Montreal without showing to the satisfaction of the authorities that they have been successfully vaccinated within the past seven years.

Dec. 27, 1894

125 Years Ago

Missing from our files

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