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A second maybe is that it may remind readers of they vital role: plaved in Canadian culture by those intrepid people who started up a newspaper in any hamlet with more than two hundred people, 30 horses, and a few pigs, in the last century. as Canada grew from a few eastern strongholds into a vast country. stretching from sea to sea â€" THIS columm is dedicated to The Mac Leod Gazette, and whether it will get there in time for the 100th anniversary of the paper depends on such slippery things as MacEachen, Trudeau, our dismal postal services, and â€" inevitably. the Lord Have you read the MacLkeod Gazette" Nor have 1. But it will be the first newspaper in the Province of Alberta to reach this milestone. Mavybe it will remind my readers of how young this country really is. Right on the heels of the first settlers farmers, adventurers,. lawmen, came some crazy man with a couple of galleys of iype and some newsprint, as the CPR wormed and struggled and gasped its war across this incredible continent So that only eight years after| Fort Macleod was founded, as a North West Mounted â€" Police: post. the Gazette: was inaugurated. k was printed a page at a time on a Gordon job press propelied by the foot _ First edition appeared on July ist 1882 In January of 1981, council received the final report in the downtown study conducted by Toronto consultants Woods Gordon. Eighteen months later, Waterloo can look back and see that recommendations from that $80,000 study are being implemented for the betterment of our community. Good â€"things areâ€" happening in Wiaterioo in regard to future development, thanks to the initiative shown by city politicians and other civil servants Among its achievements, the CDC has brought about the much needed improvements to the CN rail tracks which run through Waterioo Square. Construction on this project began last week. The committee has opened an important line of communication with the Uptown Waterloo Rusiness Improvement Area Board of Management (BIA), a groupeof core merchants and business people. The CDC and BIA held their first joint meeting last week to brainstorm ways in which the core groups can improve uptown In addition to setting up the CDC,. city council has also followed through on the Woods Gordon recommendation that a city business development director be hired. This week, aldermen approved the hiring of G.B. (Gerry) O‘Neil for that position. One recommendation contained in the report was that a Civic Development Committee (CDC) be formed to advise council on ways in which the city core can be revitalized. Wateriooe CDC held its first meeting last October, and since then a dedicated group of people has been meeting regularly to diseuss and recommend ways to strengthen uptown Waterioo. O‘Neil will work with the Waterloo Development Committee in promaoting industrial and commercial development in Waterioo‘s core, as well as throughout the city. Oftentimes, bureaucrats are chastised for their delaying tacties which result in inaction. But Waterioo‘s officials have acted quickly on the Woods Gordon report, taking the initiative to implement plans which will mean continued growth and stability for Waterloo. Second Class Marl Kegistration Number As well, the CDC commissioned a study by Wilfrid Laurier business students, into uptown shopping trends among Waterioo‘s university students. This study contains some valuable, positive suggestions for boosting uptown. PAGt 8 _ WATEHLOO CHRONICLE WEDNESDAY juLY 7. 1982 dn 1881. the Gazette went to four pages Taking the initiative The Maclkeod Gazette pubtished every Wednesday by Fairway Press a division of Kitchenerâ€"Waterioo Record Ltd . owner 225 Fairway Rd4.S., Kitchener,. Ont Wateriad Ghromcle office ts ios atedt cr cpposite Waterloo squar: )’mn.m‘, w ts Munday to Prday 4 00 a m oo = OC poa address correspongdence hing St South â€" Waterbop Ont MAU One of the upstarts that challenged the Gazette emblazoned on its masthead: ‘"With Malice Towards All and Charity to None. It followed its principles. and the local residents ate up the hot items, the gossip,. the seâ€"called juicy stuff and the court news. Hmmmâ€" Folks haven‘t changed much Read the Toronto Sun late ",‘D U haven‘t space here to record the lustory of the Gazette. but the battle with interlopers wen(t on for years I know all about it in my boyvhood,. there were two papers in my home town. and they went after each other hammer and tongs In the small town where | was a week!s editor. we were several times threatened The necessary equipment was brought to Bentin by river steamer, thence by bull team to MacLeod. Power to turn the press was suppled by Indian braves from a nearby reserve, who took turns at the handle. It took a dozen natives to crank out an edition. Like every other smalltown newspaper, the Gazette was constantly challenged by apposition. _ This â€" was anâ€" occupational hazard in those days. Even the tiniest village had a least two. newspapers, usualiy political opposites. who stammed and blasted each other with a colour and variety of libel that today would have them tied up in lawsuits for yvears. In 42 yvears there were 10 different names for the residents of Fort Mackeod to look for on the news stands. Publisher Manager Editor Tiz established 1854 to Watrgtoo offic« telephone Xs6 2330 Paul Winkbe: Bill Karges Karla Wheeter Weaterl Bports purld In the town J live in now, the weekl1 paper. once an outstanding one, had slid downhill, and was given lively opposition by a bright new paper. and almost went down the drain, but was saved by being bought by a big syndicate, with money to take the losses, hire new peopie. and buy new equipment. They‘re still battling it out. but they don‘t dare attack each other as the oldâ€"timers did. because of the libel laws. Pity. It makes lively reading when one editor calls his counterpart a cretin, and the latter responds that the former is probably a child molester. undoubtedly a crook, and absolutely a political pawn Today‘s community newspapers, while they produce a much slicker, and better informed prodfict. can be seanned pretts quickly There are none of those tantaliz ing little innuendoes that used to appear such as "Jack Spry is living up to his name while his wife is visiting her mother He is spending quite an amount of time on Scott St., condoling the late widow of his old friend Capt Tom Cat ~ But today‘s communmty papers are still doing what they have done for years Thea give â€" fairly â€" thoroughiy the local news though they still for the most part, avoid treading on the toes of the big advertis with opposition, but always managed to stave it off. But at any time. any guy who was a printer and had 40 dollars in his pocket, and could buy an old press on credit, was a potential rival. BILL SMILEY At any rate, the Fort Macheod Gazette must be a good paper. for it has won awards for Best Front Page, Best All Round Paper. Best Editorial Page. Best Sports Photo, and so on They support local activities. from tke drama group to the Legion, to the service clubs, to the Chamber of Commerce, to the good of the whole town I expect the Gazette has changed with the times. bu( J won‘t knowsuntil I get a free subscription for writing this column, from editor manager Jack Murphy They supply a running history of their community, even though they remove the warts. ( The Chromicte is proud of its tradition of accuracy and fair play. but we do acknowledge room for human error We welcome complamts or ceriticasm of news, opimens or advertising and hope we ean oresolve ar} complaints our sehves â€" Complaints that cn‘t becre solved should be addressed to the Ohtarie Press Commeil, db Slater 8t Sutte 708. Offawa. Ont KITP alf% Press Council