BTW, if you do decide to replace the brake pads, I'll recommend two that have worked well for me:
Kool Stop Eagle 2 (formerly Eagle Claw and sometimes still advertised that way). Outstanding pads, and easy to set up for toe-in to prevent squealing. I've use those on my Univega's canti brakes for about 3 years.
Unfortunately the thick Eagle 2 pads didn't permit enough clearance on the fork to drop the front tire. So I switched the front to Jagwire thinline, long, curved pads. Also excellent and inexpensive. The black pad material brakes as well as the salmon Kool Stops. Only tricky bit is the toe-in. I use zip ties to set the spacing for toe-in. After a little practice it was easy. I think Jagwire calls these pads their Mountain Sport Canti 70mm pads. They're longer than usual for more braking surface, curved to match the rims so there's no risk of the longer pads rubbing the tires, and thin enough to clear any wheel/fork.