HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-08-03, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 198S.
Opinion
The wish to die
In a world where usually businesses fight to their last breath
to stay alive, it was an intriguing twist to sit in ahearing of the
National Transportation Agency last week in Wingham and
listen to high-priced lawyers argue that their business,
Canadian National Railways, should be allowed to die, at least
for the Listowel to Wingham branch line.
In fact the most horrid situation facing Terrence Hall, the
lawyer for CN and the half-dozen or more high-priced CN
people seemed to be the prospect that CN might get new
business. When Premdor, the large Wingham doormaking
factory, said it was closing a cutting division at its Scarborough
plant and shifting the jobs toWingham, meaning up to 30 more
jobs for Wingham and 120 more carloads of business a year for
CN, the big buns went to work to try to prove that it wouldn’t
really happen, even suggesting that Premdor should shift the
jobs to Calgary instead since that would be closer to the source
of wood supplies in British Columbia.
When Peter Bowers, head of the Project reRail suggested he
had a customer willing to locate in the Brussels or Wingham
area who might bring 300 to500 cars a year of business if the CN
line was turned over to his regional rail service Ontario
Midwestern Rail Services, there was momentary panic at the
CN tables as heads got together and proposed questions to try
to ferret out who the possible customer might be.
The attitude that may have helped contribute to the light use
of CN facilities was shown in the questioning of Jack Hodgins of
Hodgins Buildall in Wingham who had organized a pooling
effort among lumber dealers to share shipments of BC lumber
by rail. Why, CN wanted to know, didn’t he also do something
about making sure the lumber he received by truck from
Northern Ontario came by rail as well? Didn’t he realize there
were railways in northern Ontario? Mr. Hodgins brought a
smile even to the face of E.J. O’Brien, the hearing chairman,
when he suggested that although it was the supplier, not the
buyer who determined which mode of transportation is used in
shipping lumber, perhaps CN could find more business for
itself if it were interested enough to go after the northern
Ontario lumber business. It might be able to save him money as
well by bringing in lumber cheaper than he pays for it by truck.
The hearings seemed to show that CN has made up its mind it
doesn’t want to operate rail lines and won’t make any effort to
change the economics of running the line for the better. While
most businesses go out and actively try to increase business,
the attitude of CN displayed to Mr. Hodgins, and the
communities along branch lines was “why haven’t you found
more business for us if you want to keep our rail line’’. While
good salesmen try to make each and every customers feel
important, CN in its efforts to prove there was no future for the
line, belittled the importance of its customers.
Granted this was an unusual situation as CN tried to prove
there was no hope for better times ahead, but it’s easy to get the
feeling that railways haven’t really done much to try to solve the
problems that have brought their service to such a poor state of
economic health. They haven’t looked for innovative ways,
such as Mr. Hodgins himself had, of marketing their service, or
of offering better service. They have decided that there is more,
and easier money to be made in selling or developing their vast
amounts of real estate than there is in running a railway.
The problem for communities along the rural lines is that
when the railways decide they don’t want to run the lines, we
have little alternative. Unless an innovative scheme such as the
Ontario Midwestern Rail proves feasible, it seems just a matter
of time before the railways get their way.
One small step
One could hopefully call it the bang heard round the world
when the Soviet Union exploded four missiles Monday to begin
the destruction of 1752 nuclear missiles on the Soviet side of the
arms limitation agreement signed between the USSR and the
United States.
It’s a small step for mankind on the road to sanity but against
it must be measured the fact that on both sides, those who don’t
agree with the search for peace will already be finding new ways
to get around the agreement by building up military strength in
other ways. The struggle for lasting peace goes on forever. No
one who cares can afford to relax.
The
Citizen.
P.O. Box 429,
BLYTH Ont.
NOM 1H0
Phone 523-4792
P.O. Box 152,
BRUSSELS, Ont.
NOG 1H0
Phone 887-9114
An old and new look at harvest
Mabel’s Grill
There are people who will tell
you that the important decisions in
town are made down at the town
hall. People in the know, however
know that the real debates, the
real wisdom reside down at
Mabel's Grill where the greatest
minds in the town [if not in the
country] gather for morningcoffee
break, otherwise known as the
Round Table Debating and Fili
bustering Society. Since not just
everyone can partake of these
deliberations we will report the
activities from time to time.
MONDAY: Tim O’Grady said he
was a little shocked when his kids
were going through the catalogue
and picked out what they wanted to
wear: clothes that had McDonald’s
restaurant symbols all over them.
“Bad enough they’ve got my kids
so brainwashed with their ads we
can’t drive by a McDonald’s
without having to go in,’’ Tim said,
* ‘but now I have to pay to advertise
their product some more.’’
* ‘This, ’ ’ said Julia Flint, looking
over at the reporter in the corner,
“could have serious implications.
You guys at the paper are always
charging us to carry our advertis
ing but here people are willing to
pay McDonald’s money to be
walking bill boards forthem. Could
I renegotiate my advertising con
tract?’’
Ward Black said that McDon
ald’s must be taking lessons from
Walt Disney. “It sure seemed like
pretty good business to me, ’ ’ Ward
said, “for Disney to get the
television networks to pay him to
provide a television show then he
sneaks in an advertisement at front
and back for his movies and
cartoons and Walt Disney World
and every few programs has a big
special celebrating something at
either Disneyland or Disney
World. No wonder the guy got so
rich so fast.”
TUESDAY: Hank Stokes said he
was downright shocked to see the
results of the survey that said that a
majority of people think the post
office is doing a good job. To listen
to people bellyache, Hank said, he
would have thought the ‘ ‘ no’ ’ votes
would have been about three times
as big as the people who thought
the post office was okay.
“Maybe the no votes were all
mailed in and got lost, ’ ’ Billie Bean
suggested.
WEDNESDAY: Tim was saying
this morning that there may be
wars at breakfast tables all across
the country if this strike at
Kellogg’s isn’t solved soon. “I
mean you could serve granola or
even porridge but when the kids
have been brainwashed on cartoon
shows for years with ads for snap
crackle and pop or Tony the Tiger,
how are you ever going to get them
to try something else if the supply
of cold cereal runs out”.
Hank said he thought as far as
hiskidswent, Kellogg’scouldkeep
putting out the boxes and just put
the free giveaways inside, the kids
would never notice the cereal was
missing.
THURSDAY: Tim told Ward it was
really comforting to know that the
guy the government named as new
ambassador to the United Nations
is the same guy who negotiated the
fishing treaty with the French off
the east coast. Since we almost
wenttowar with the French during
the negotiations it’s kind of
frightening to think what we could
do at the United Nations. Maybe
weshouldputarush order on those
submarines.
FRIDAY: Well said Billie Bean, he
has always heard that the people of
Ontario were just too goody-goody
but he never thought he’d have
Con tinned on page 17
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