PAGE 2, Monday, June 19, 1978. THE HERALD.

EDITORIAL

VIA — Rail Cana

Spending ten nights and ten days travelling
under the new CNR VIA-rail system: might not
make one an authority on the subject-but it is
sufficient to give one an insight into the com-
parative merits of travelling across Canada and
back by that method versus by air, and by one’s
own car, Spending several days and nights on
the bus, the latter part of May and early part of
June, also provided me with the opportunity of
comparing bus with VIA rail, plus the other two
modes. ot
_ For persons on limited incomes and a
restricted vacation budget, VIA- Rail, on the
CNR, is certainly attractive. For $275 it is (or
was, last month) possible to purchase a VIA-Rail
pass that entitles the purchaser to unlimited,
unrestricted travel on any of the CN trains for a
30-day period. No advanced booking is
necessary, either—but there is one catch to this.
On the main runs it is necessary to phone in or
check ahead of time to reserve ordinary ac-
commodation. A ticket is issued, for each such
trip--but there is no extra charge, however. —

For $275 each-$550—for the two of us—my wife
and I were able to cross Canada from Prince
Rupert and Terrace-to Montreal and Quebec
City, with stopovers which, in our case, included
Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal. At Montreal
we took an Amtrack train to New York., From
New York we bussed back (it was quicker) to
Montreal. Once more aboard VIA-Rail we went
to Quebec, then started westward, with a two day
VIA-Rail to Thunder Bay—bus to Winnipeg, and

LY

VIA Rail all the way ‘‘home’’. (The busses and
Amtrack were extra fare, of course, but 90
percent of our mileage was VIA Rail.)

So much for economy. Now — a word about
comfort.

Don’t let the glossy ads fool you into thinking
the much-touted “‘Day-Niters” (for which there
is an extra charge of about $65 per day) are
equivalent in comfort to: the old fashioned
Pullman berth, roomette, compartment, section
or bedroom! They are definitely not! For a few

-hours travel--a Day-Niter is quite alright. (in

any event, one can usually get up and walk to the
lounge car, and —when it is ‘‘on’’-to the ob-
servation car, cafeteria, or bar.) But when it
comes to getting down to sleep, in a comfortable
position, after a night’s struggle and after trying
every possible contortion this traveller arrived
at the conclusion the Day-Niter must have been
invented by the same committee that designed
the torture devices of the Spanish Inquisition!
After a couple of nights trying, we gave in and
forked up an extra $60 to get a good night’s rest in
the comparative comfort of a m,
Crossing Canada, the service was very
“uneven’’-as sometimes, was the surface.
Sometimes the CN car airconditioning worked—
sometimes it didn’t. Once the refrigeration
system set up a horrible scraping noise, when the

“propellor shaft broke. The air conditioning in

that car was then off for 8 of the hottest hours of
e trip.
One period of 8 or so hours, spent travelling

OTTAWA OFFBEAT 7 . by Richard.Jackson

Ottawa,- Quick now, can you think of a “big
name” among the English representatives in
Prime Minister Trudeau’s biggest-ever, -33-
member Cabinet? .

Seems almost unbelievable, but there are 19 of
them.

So go ahead, name one or two who you could
say are outstanding and command national
attention.

No trouble getting “big names” on the French
side of the Cabinet. .

The biggest, Pierre Trudeau, of course--so big
he dwarfs everyone in Cabinet except perhaps
Finance Minister Jean Chretien who, making his
name as Parliament's “street fighter,” swiftly is
becoming the federal folk hero of Quebec.

In one respect, Jean Chretien measures up .

with Trudeau, shoulder to shoulder, as one of the

two men available who are capable of staring .

down .Separatist Quebec Premier Ren
Levesque.

But after Trudeau and Chretien, who in the -

French side of the Cabinet is major league in
national recognition and influence? ;

Minister of State for Federal-Provincial
Relations Mare Lalonde?

Hardly. Not in that particular portfolio of
relatively inactive obscurity. If Marc Lalonde
has any claim to national standing it has to be as
Trudeau's designated party organizational boss
in Quebec, the real and present symbol.to the
Quebecois of “French Power’ in English
Canada. ;

Fisheries and Environment Minister Romeo
Leblanc? .

Could be. For he has a special leverage as
Trudeau's former affably able press secretary
and currently the unquestioned Liberal overseer
and power broker in New Brunswick and the

Straight from the man’s mouth has come the ©

answer-a concession from Minister of State for
Small Business Anthony Abbott that there really
isn't anyone. oo

“I'm prepared te concede that as a
possibility,” he admitted lamely the other day
when asked if it might not be true that Prime
Minister Trudeau has “‘reason to be disappointed
in his English'speaking ministers.”

He used the phrase “lacklustre personalities”
in speaking of them.

Not exactly nonentities, but certainly not
movers or shakers, whose lack of national
visibility in the sense of high political profile and
of cabinet clout “bother” and even upset a lot of
people in English Canada.

It could be one of the factors—perhaps the most
pervasive—resulting in the English majority

being “encouraged” and even expected:in the |.
name.of national unity to learn and speak the |:

language of the French minority. *
Run down th list~if you can-of the English
ministers. .
Allan MacEachen? He's been around since

1953 and is Deputy Prime Minister. and Privy |:

Council President, but he has no “coattails”
even in his own Maritimes and doesn’t always
find it easy himself to win re-election.

Justice Minister Ron Basford? He's quitting.

, Yona Campagnolo, of Fitness and Amateur
Sport? An attractive woman, but what kind of a
portfolio is that?

Agriculture Minister Gene Whelan? The
consumers of Urban Canada--where -th
majority of voters live--detest him and his
marketing boards controlling production and
raising. prices. .

Trade Minister Jack Horner? Ask the
Albertans who know him best as a Conservative,
and now, as the Quebec Pequistes would put it, a

4

from Sioux Lookout to Neepon (near Thunder
Bay) was like stepping back into early Canadian
history. The cars were over a half-century old—
both of them and hitched on to a freight train.
The only other passengers were a party of un-
shaven tourists from Texas, Arkansas and
Georgia out to doa spot of fishing at Kakkabekka
Falls, Their “sports equipment” occupied about
half an Express car, and included canoes and
outboards as well as numerous coolers to store
their anticipated catch. ;

Neepon was the end of the line, past
Kakkabekka Falls. There, an Atco trailer with a
telephone served asastation. The telephone was
to enable passengers to phone a cab. The
“station agent’? was a man with a key who
unlocked the trailer to allow passengers (with
change) to use the pay phone to cail the cab.
After which, the trailer was locked until the next
train. Instead of a watch and a train schedule,
the “agent” used a calendar and--so were we
told, a sun dial! °

Hazards en route? Oh yes, the toilets! After
waiting one half hour, two youths emerged to let |
me in, whereupon I almost got a high on some.
very powerful “grass” they had been smoking in
the tiny ‘‘gents”. The busier the train—the worse ,
condition the toilets. No improvements in that
department appear to have been made in well
over a half century. And--shocking this seemed -
to me-the contents of the toilet are still deposited
directly on the railroad track beneath the train.
One shudders to think of the tens of thousands of

5s So aH

LETTERS

‘rhe Mayor, residential nelghbourhood
e - ot : with only 60-70 families
Dear Sirs: residing within a 4% mile

da’s passenger train’s last stand —

miles of human polluted trackage across Canada

to East and South to North! —
Wood? Meals are no longer included in First

‘Class train fares. Generally, though, the price

was not exorbitant. The menu was unchanging--
the whole 3 weeks of our trip-with about three

_choices-Stew, Turkey, Roast Beef, or Fish. The

plates were plastic, the vegetables discoloured,
and the mashed potatoes were made from
“instant” powdered spuds. Service was fair.
The CN now has women employees working in its
dining and cafeterea cars—though most em-
ployees appear to be male old timers, deter-
minedly waiting out their full service before
retirement. oo,

To sum up. The new" VIA Rail idea is a last
ditch stand to save the passenger service on
trains from extinction. As such--that is good. It
is still too soon to say whether it will succeed or
not. Nearly all the passenger equipment is
antiquated--average age around 40 years,

. several crew members told us, (who appeared to

‘have that many years service: themselves) '
Replacement. will. be extremely expensive—
running into the billions of dollars. Until rolling

‘stock is replaced, determined users will have to

expect frequent inconveniences and annoyances.

Like we did, having to travel the last couple of
hundred miles ‘Via’ decrepit bus, because of a
derailment on the track that had just been
rebuilt following an earlier derailment. Still it is
ONE way to see Canada. And it is different-
quite! ;

oe ee
~*~

THEY COMPHLATED My
HWE DAYS CATCH
ASCOT NAD Pwo tae

ry

ot.
a Throw it back in: They just caught abiggeroneinthe SkeenaRivert ¢

Resident opposed to neighbourhood pub

cured in clouds of dust
resulting ‘in a safety
problem) although it is often

where alcoholic beverages
are served) could be

_ Acadian regions of Atlantic Canada.
So that’s Trudeau and three others, Chretien,
Lalonde and Leblanc on the French side.
But who of the English ministers speaks for the
rest of Canada-beyond-Quebec, now that John
Turner and Donald Macdonald are gone?

Fiscal giants battle in -
power struggle at Argus.

TOHONTO (CP) —
Toronto industrialist Conrad
M, Black, who has been
moving into a strategic
position to control giant
Argus Corp. Lid., says his
move is “not an obscene
grab for Caeaarian
authority,”

It is a “collective decision
by six or eight reaponsible
adults” to correct a situation
that wasn’t working, he said
in an interview Thursday.

Black, 33, and his brother
Montegu Black aye exer-
cising their rights under a
complicated sale procedure
to acquire controlling in-
terest in Ravelston Corp.
Lid., which in turn has
voting control of Argus,

Argus, an investment
company. whose diverse
interests span super:
markets, broadcasting, pulp
and paper, mining and farm
equipment, has been under
the chairmanship of Max-
well Meighen, 70, since the
death this spring of Johr: A.
(Bud) McDougald.

Black, chairman of .a
number of companies in-
cluding Sterling Newspapers
Ltd. and Dominion Malting
Ltd., and his brother have a
22,.4-per-cent interest in
Ravelston through Western

Dominion Investment Co,

Ltd.

The remaining Kavelston
shareholders are the
executors and trustees of
McDougald’s estate with 23.6
per cent; W.E.P. ° In:
vestments Ltd, acting for
the estate of the late Col. W.
Eric Phillips, 23.6 per cent:
A.Bruce. Matthews, current
Argus president, 3.9 per
cent; and Canadian General
Investments Ltd. 26.5 per
cent,
DISCLOSED HIS MOVE

Black’s move was
disclosed this week in a
letter to shareholders of
Canadian General In-
vestments Lid., an in-
vestment company headed
by Meighen and holding a
26.5-per-cent interest in
Ravelston.

Melghen told the
shareholders the company
was being forced to sell the
key Ravelston holdings to
the Blacks unver terms of a
compulsory sale procedure
which had been part of the
original agreement on which
Ravelston was formed in
1968, :

The procedure means that
if three shareholders agree
that a fourth should sell
some or all of its holdings,
the fourth must sell to the
other three within six
months, ‘

The Blacks exercised their

“vendu.””

John Munro, Alastair Gillespie, Barney
Danson, Norm Cafik, John Roberts?
Who are they, and really how much do you

care?

righia May 16 and Conrad
Black said they were backed
by the signatures of Mrs.
McDougald and = Mrs.

ps. :
Completion of the com-

pulsory sale agreement
could give the Blacks 43.9
per cent of Ravelston.

Also last month, the Black
brothers bought 186,000
shares
slightly less than 25 per
cent— of Crown Trust Co,
FINDS IT AMAZING

“I’m aware of the ten-
dency to sensationalize
events surrounding the
companies {(Ravelston and
Argus), but am puzzled and
amazed about the latest
speculatioz,”’ Black said,
referring to a report that
Mrs, McDougald and Mrs.
Phillips were not aware of
what thelr support of the
Blacks’ move would mean.

“Any suggestion that 1
would hoodwink two
bereaved septogenarian
widows is patently ridic-
ulous,”? Black said.

Spokesmen for Mrs.
McDougald and == Mrs.
Phillips also said the women

were aware of the con-
sequences of thelr alliance
with the Blacks,

Black said he and his
brother plan to invite other
participants into the

Ravelston company and
ensure that control of the
company remains with the
MeDougald and Phillips

” estates, :
‘We have asked Nelson —

Davis {am Argus director
and friend of the founders)
to join us as a shareholder,”
Black said, adding that
Frekrik Eaton, president of
Eaton's of Canada Ltd, and
Argus director H.R.N. Jack-
man also would be invited.

Davis, whose business
interests include N.M, Davis
Corp. ;Ltd., Crown Trust,
Crush International Ltd, and
Falconbridge Nickel Mines
Ltd., said in an interview
from Ireland he agrees with
everything “that the Black
boys have done,” ‘

BECOME MORE ACTIVE

"It looks to me like there is
going to be a rearrangement
of Argus control and it may
be that I shall be taking a
more active role ‘in the
company.

“These people (Meighen
group) have been taking the
top jobs in Argus. and
bypassing the Black boys
and the lwo ladles.,

‘According to the original
Ravelston agreement, they
can kick anybody oult—and
that's exactly what they
(Blacks) have done.”

I wish to thank you very
much for the opportunity
given me during the June
12th, 1978 Council meeting to
express my opinion with
respect to the proposed pub
development on Halliwell
Avenue, and also to
apologize for anything which
I might have said in the
“heat of the moment” on this
issue, which is in part an
emotional one, which might

. have bean misconstrued by

yourself and others. I reside
within 4% mile of the
propused pub development
(L,4.B.: policy -is that. 60
percent of residents within 4%
mile radius must approve),
am not in favour of it and
know of many neighbours
(who also reside within the
44 mile) who share this view.

lam concerned that events

might be. proceeding more -

quickly than is reasonable
under the circumstances’
with the result that a
development might occur
which is contrary to the
wishes of a majority of
residents within the % ‘mile

radius.
I consider that the elected

members of our local ~

Government have a
responsibility to all residents
and property owners within
the boundaries of the District
and that this responsibility
extends to taking every
action possible to make sure
all residents within the %
mile radius are polled in
order that their views be
obtained by Council, prior to
Council providing its ap-
proval. .L.A.B, approval
would normally be saught by
the developer after this, In
other words, I do not think
that Council should rely on
the L.A.B, to enforce this
requirement but should take
the necessary steps to satisfy
itself before providing its
own approval (L.A.B. of
course requires Council
approval prior to granting its
own approval). -

A drinking establishment
in what is essentially a rural

‘across the street.

radius obviously must look
farther afield than this for its
customera, which in my view
removes itfrom the category
of a’ neighbourhood service
(which is my understanding
of what a neighbourhood pub
should be) and ‘introduces
numerous adverse

ramifications for those
residents in the effected
area. I would have though
that those District em-
ployees and elected officials
who were familiar with the
proposal prior to the Council
meeting should have an-
ticipated substantial op-
position from area residents,
and moved to determine
their opinions prior to
proceeding further. I was
therefore astounded to learn

from some members of the ‘

Planning Committee (whose
members of course include
Councillors) during the
afternoon of June 12th, 1976
that the matter of a nelgh-
bourhood pub wes to be
brought. before Council for
the first time that evening,
with immediate Council
appoval anticipated.

As I am sure you are now
aware -(after having ap.
proximately 25 concerned
persons attend the June 12th,
1978 Council meeting as a
result of hearing of the
situation only hours earlier)
opinion among the 69-70
families effected (within the
% mile radius of the
proposed development) is
largely adverse with many
extreme positions likely to
be in evidence, particularly
as an Elementary School,
Church, and Children's

.Recelving Home are located

very close by and property
for future school develop-
ment is located directly
Ad-
ditionally, the gravel road on
which the proposed
development would be
located is a hazard at the
present time, in part because
it is extremely dusty
(children going to the school,.-
for instance, are often ob-'

wed by through traffic as a
shortcut and this traffic
commonly exceeds the speed
limit. Periodic attempts by
area residents to have the
speed limit enforced and the
road upgraded to handle this -
trafiic meet with very little
success, 4
Insofar as I am personally
concerned, I wish to advise
that I would be prepared to
review my objection to the
development if Its *
recreational aspects (out-
side the immediate area

reasonably expected to be a
major.contributor to revenue
-and earnings (and of course,
the pub itself should not'open
until the recreational
aspects are completed),
thereby making it something
more than simply a drinking
establishment. As presently
constituted, however, the
recreational aspects de not,
‘in my opinion, constitute
more than — “window
dressing”.

Yours truly,
C.R. Cousins

NEWS IN BRIEF

GAYS MAY WED

LONDON <(CP)  —
Homosexuals in Britain will
soon be able to go through
marriage-type ceremonies
in church, The services are
being planned by the’
American Metropolitan
Community Church, which
was recently founded In
Britain and has a largely
homosexual _ membership.

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IN

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Susan Shaw, a top nude,
model, was fully clothed in
the newspaper, “We had no
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