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Our fire fighters deserve much in the way of credit for the job they‘ve been doing for this city. But without our support they will only be fighting fires â€" not preventing them! Every householder, apartment dweller, merâ€" chant and property owner should be thinking about fire prevention for not one but 52 weeks of every year! By reducing the hazards which cause fires we are in fact saving lives. Last year there were 24,721 fires reported in Ontario. A total of 212 people died and more than $214 million dollars worth of property was destroyed. The sad part of the story is that both could be drastically reduced. So think twice about deâ€" fective heating equipment and wiring. Think twice about putting in higher ampaged fuses. Think twice about stacking papers or rubâ€" bish. And think about the risk involved! Fire prevention week was established in 1922 when Canadians began to realize loss of life and property were mounting dramatically. Since then, for seven days each year people think about prevention. They think about the safety of their homes and businesses. They think about their loved ones. Or at least they should ! _ According to recent statistics, released by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, nine out of every ten fires in Ontario could be prevented. Think about that. Nine out of every ten! Published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Record Ltd. 225 Fairway Rd., Kitâ€" chener. Ontario. Address correspondence to Waterloo Square. Waterloo. Ont. Telephone 744â€"6364. It now seems ludicrous that only four months ago the city and the local professional fire fightâ€" ers association were engaged in a headâ€"toâ€"head dispute over contract negotiations. At that time there appeared to be grumblings over awardâ€" ing any substantial benefits to the men who so often risk personal injury to keep our city from ruin. Today that may be stale as far as news is concerned but last week proved the few dollars and fringe benefits awarded have gone a long, long way. No one really believes fire can happen to them â€" until it does. But by then it‘s too late. Next week is fire prevention week. And obviousâ€" ly prevention is the key to a good fire departâ€" ment. Without their swift and decisive action the situation last Monday could have been catasâ€" trophic. Three fires were reported to the Waterâ€" loo department within three hours. Damage caused by the fires was kept to a minimum and no one was injured. These two facts speak for themselves. 4 Waterioo Chronicie, Wednesday, October 2, 1974 The recent wake of fires in the City of Waterâ€" loo serves to point out just how valuable our fire fighters are to us. Think about i Wateriloo Chronicle In Canada: one year $8: in United States and Foreign countries: one year $10 Viewpoint SUBSCRIPTION RATES Editor: Dop McCurdy ESTABLISHED 1854 it‘ At our September executive meeting we spent some time discussing the role of the Association and concluded it lay on a middle path between extremes. As we become more knowledgeable about the workings of city hall it has become The downtown residents obviously hold a wide assortment of opinions on what the role of their association should be. Some feel we have not been nearly radical enough. Some feel we should limit our involvement to important issues so that we "don‘t become known as the group that objects to everything"". Others expressed apathy, tired of filling out questionnaires which they felt did nothing except try to disâ€" gqlze the fact that decisions were made regardless of their wishes. In our questionnaire last, spring we asked what issues you felt the group should be involved with in the future. Your answers were diverse. They involved such practical conâ€" cerns as bus benches, tree replacement and police speed checks on residential streets, as well as more abstract roles such as working towards a closer involvement with the reâ€" gional government in order to maintain local control in reâ€" gional policies. Can a residents‘ group survive without a gutsy issue to work with? Should we look for causes to keep the Downtown Residents‘ Association identity intact? Comment The Huether hotel was downtown located next door to the Lion Brewery. It had pleasant outside verandahs most like those so well known in Europe and boasted a handsome bar and wine room. The Huether dining room was touted as one of the best in the area and there were thirty bedrooms available along with amâ€" ple bath facilities. There was a special guest _ The Market House was probably the best known for its bar and dining room. It was loâ€" cated at the corner of Albert and Princess Streets and was a favorite watering place for vendors and buyers alike who had attended the Waterloo market, just across the street where the library now stands, on a Saturday morning. . Submitted by Rosemary Rowe Waterloo Downtown Residents Association By Bill Moyer The town of Waterloo boasted some outâ€" standing hostelries in the period just after the turn of the century (1900â€"1910). There was the Hotel Huether, the Lewis Hotel and the Marâ€" ket House and they all were considered highâ€" lights for both travellers and local citizens. * prNMeeve | _ gaah es € c t f {(: L % . | gfi * O# t Py {L h | meer sure en \?fi‘\ f * ';‘ SWIM.’ m â€"â€"Aully me®sS MAE CRA ._k TT §fi !!!!!!!!!!'H’-"! j\\§-< e â€"â€"â€" ns s 7 ¢u i 95. Yesterday revisited Role of the association As you will recall, one part of our questionnaire was an attempt to find out how closely downtown residents relatâ€" ed to their elected representatives. We asked who you would call at city hall if you had a problem, and we were appalled by the negative results of our findings. From this challenge arose our main Fall project, namely to sponsor meetings at which the candidates for office and the voters can talk together. Details have not yet been made final but we plan to have two meetings, one for mayoralty candidates and one for aldermanic and board of education candidates. What‘s happened to the postcards for the secondary plan? Only 23 per cent of the 5,512 individual cards were returned, however looking at properties rather than households, the fig'ures look better, with a 44 per cent return on the proâ€" perties involved. Mr. Smith reports there was a strong reâ€" sponse from the established single family areas of the downâ€" town, especially from the west and east. After the data is processed, neighbourhood meetings will be set up by the planners. increasingly clear that most issues are seldom as straightâ€" forward as they appear. We are fortunate in Waterloo to have in Richard Danziger a chief planner who is both approachable and sympathetic to many of our concerns. He is not, however, autonomous. As has been pointed out in council so often over the past 18 months, many of the planning decisions are, in the last analysis, political decisions. All of the hotels, ofâ€" vourse, offered livery service and carriages were available to and from the railway station. Until the advent of the Waterloo Motor Inn, Kitchener had taken the hotel business away from Waterloo. Theâ€" Lewis Hotel (located where the Waterâ€" loo Hotel stands now at Erb and King) was said to have few rivals in the province. It was finished throughout with quarterâ€"cut oak, had 30 bedrooms and two parlours. The dining room was renowned for service and ‘cuisine, while the bar was stocked with choice imported and domestic wines and liquors. f The Lewis Hotel was being recommended at the time by the Ontario Wheelman‘s Associaâ€" tion, something akin to our present day Automoâ€" bile Association. Diary and This Unique Heritage. room for travellers to receive friends and busiâ€" ness associates. It was called a "visitor‘s parâ€" lour‘‘. This column will be a regular feature in the Waterloo Chronicle. Mr. Moyer is the author of Waterloo County