125 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 11, 1884

• A public meeting was held last Friday evening in Dundalk to discuss the question of having Proton township annexed to the County of Dufferin. Many good reasons were advanced for the proposed step. The meeting decided in favour and a committee was appointed to wait upon County Council at its next session to have the scheme consummated.

• The CPR's new timetable, which took effect Monday, calls for the mail train from Toronto to leave at 7:20 a.m. and reach Orangeville at 9:50, Shelburne at 10:45 and Owen Sound at 1:00 p.m. The express leaves Toronto at 4:40 p.m. reaching Orangeville at 7:05, Shelburne at 8:03 and Owen Sound at 10:20 p.m. The mixed train leaves Charleston at 11:45 a.m., reaching Owen Sound at 7:15 p.m. Southbound trains leave Owen Sound at 5:20 a.m., 6:30 and 3:10 p.m. The express reaches Toronto at 10:45 a.m., while the mixed train reaches Charleston at 1:30 p.m., and the evening express arrives in Toronto at 8:35 p.m.

• About 125 members of the British Association passed up the CPR last Saturday. They are making a trip to the Rockies.

100 YEARS AGO Thursday, September 9, 1909

• Avery handsome memorial window was placed in St. Mark's Church, Orangeville, on Monday, by James Hewitt, in honour and memory of his late wife, who died about two months ago. The window is extremely heavy, cost in the neighbourhood of $200 and is being placed in the rear end of the edifice.

• The Superior Portland Cement Co, is building an additional slurry tank. When it is ready for use the management expects to lay off its marl train on Sunday. Heretofore it has been necessary to keep the train running every day of the week. A belt conveyor has also been installed for the purpose of carrying clay to the wash mills. The clay was formerly transferred by men and wheelbarrows.

• A quartet of Shelburne young men undertook to do some gambling in the rear of a building on Owen Sound Street a week ago Sunday. Whether the stakes were large or small we don't know, but anyway proceedings were taken against them. The case did not get as far as the time scheduled for appearance in court before Police Magistrate George Rutherford, for the young men pleaded guilty and threw themselves on the clemency of the court. The Magistrate imposed a fine $4.00 and costs on each member of the quartet. Sunday gambling doesn't pay.

• Wednesday afternoon of last week the west wing of the parliament building in Toronto was discovered to be on fire. It was not until after 4:00 p.m. the fire was got under control. The loss is estimated at between $500,000 and $700,000.

75 YEARS AGO Wednesday, September 13, 1934

• Legislation designed to relieve municipalities of highway taxation levies and free counties from paying 20% of capital and maintenance costs on highways was announced last week by Premier Mitchell Hepburn. Under this legislation the entire cost of provincial highway construction will be borne by the government.

• A Toronto daily the other day carried excellent photographs of Neil McCormick and Charles Dyer of Hillsburgh, successful old-time fiddlers at the CNE. Now 77, Mr. McCormick won the medal and first prize in the 75 and over class and Mr. Dyer won first in the class 65 to 75 years.

• Principal J. H. Short and his teaching staff at Shelburne High School have a large contract on their hands at present. The enrolment at the beginning of this week was 151 students, 57 of which are in Form I. This is an unprecedented attendance and has made the addition of another teacher imperative. We understand the Form will be divided into two parts when the extra teacher is secured. Principal Short asked us Tuesday to announce that it will help greatly if all prospective students who have not yet registered do so at once.

50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, September 9, 1959

• Attendance at Grand Valley District High School reached a record high when 124 pupils registered on Tuesday of last week.

• At a special meeting of Orangeville Council a motion was adopted by a vote of 4-3 to rescind the parking meter bylaw that was recently passed. As a result, action on installing the meters has been held up pending further discussion between council and the retail merchants.

25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, September 12, 1984

• Last week's federal election resulted in a Conservative landslide even greater than the Diefenbaker sweep in 1958. The Liberals have their lowest number of MPs in history, with 40 of the 282 seats. In Wellington-Dufferin-Simcoe, incumbent Perrin Beatty won all 207 polls, garnering 30,813 votes, to 7,652 for Liberal John Green and 6,650 for Sandy Young of the NDP.