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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1955-02-03, Page 9.o e BY MONROE JOHNSTON A moment before- southbound subway trains in.Toronto begin to burrow undefground, passengers will catch a glimpse of a massive red -brick building casting its shadow over the last open -cut see- tion. ection.This .is. the annex to a .build- ing that looks. out per place among the uninteresting ;structures that clutter up -the city's midtown area. From the front, it has the, lines of a 1VXexican ' hacienda: Its , red- tiled roof ._slopes down on arched windows shaded by 'green and tawny awnings. This is the dis- tinctive main store of the Canadian Tire Corporation, one of the supply_ stores. - _ The concentration of delivery and pick-up trucks at the outside loading platforms and the activity of the drivers bespeak urgency. It is the same inside this sprawling I building, where clerks • on roller skates—a sight that neyer fails to surprise visitors—retrieve the end- less demands of a car-Min`°ded gen- • eration. The loaded conveyor belts dispatching packages to the four corners of the world are rare- ly stili. - The exhilaration that pervades -. the main store of the Canadian 0,,,,g to*: o* i •gOV,?;fir: better. The 300 employees at ''he Tire Corporation carries . over 'to main' store' and the 120 dealers are' each of the 120 associate stores' joined in a business venture 'in that • display the well-known . tri- which each contributes to the 'best angle symbol that Canadians ident- .of his ability and each shares ac- ify with tested and proven quality. cording to his contribution. Few (Tht„ Canadian Tire Corporation : Store an North street, odeirieconcerns anywhere" have n oper- ation profit-sharing plans to match 'is an associate store of which• this one. Mr. "Nip" Whetstone is pro- System , f Profit -Sharing prieter,) The profit -s aring- plan began in Business has never been better days when profits were meagre, than it is in this 42nd .anniversary The real .growth of the company year of the Canadian Tire Corpor- dates from 1936 and the inaugur- atiofr. Indicative of its growth are. ation of the associate stores. At the more than 1,500applications that time, an unvwritten pact was on hand from young go=getters who made between ' management and 1 want to hitch their wagons to the employees that as. the • company ' rapidly - ascending star of this proted so would the employees. company. There are requests for This pact has paid real dividends -permission to establish d1ealer hips since the war. Not only is a in communities across Canada and straight "cash "laonus' gwartied` but '• a - even in lands across the seas. The large proportion of the profits' are chain of associate stores nosy set aside as employee shares, on girdles Eastern ,Canada from Fort hich .dividends equalling share - William, Ont., to Sydney, N,S. holders' dividends are' paid. In Many of the applications come effect, each employee is .also a hankering to do more than tinker from lads who have a genuine shareholder. Profit-sharing is only ' with the family automobile.' But includes complete health insurance undoubtedly, a few have comeone aspect of a benefit plan that - and pension plans paid for by the from. wqul'd-be Carnegies who have egmpany. For men, the pension heard ' the story of the Horatio be ins at 60; for women, at 55. 'Alders who started an.associate The generous• treatment accord - store with ccord-storeWith a capital of $600 and are ed its ennployees=there has never today -proprietors of an independ- been a layoff••= -i8 a fundamental ent business grossing more than reason for the company's prosper-- ity. Ask the veteran who started to work in the main store after 15 years in the navy. His service savings were little more than $300 but with the aid of a company loan he was able to ptit up a home that is worth $10,000 today. Or ask the quiet-spoken..Danish immigrant who arrived in Canada in depression days and, as he says, "slugged it out for 10 cents an hour."When he came to CTC in 1937, "he had $40 in his pocket. Today he' is a partner in the busi- ness.: ----actually operating an inde- pendent business :within"the...frame-. MORE POWER THAN EVER BEFORE—Yes, up to 50% more •amperage •onl- pui than original equipment. You can readily see that this surplus power means faster motor turnover for quicker starts. The new "HI -CAPACITY" is --'factory fresh" to-eliminaie_stale_Jiattexy power__loss, aging and ,gre- mature failure which can occur when a supplier has a small turnover: GET BONUS POIVEH AND LONGER LIFE—In addition to 50% more power, the new "HI -CAPACITY" MOR -POWER ARMOR -GLASS is 'built to outlast 4 ordinary batteries. Yet this amazing new battery costs you less than you would ordittariibrexpect to pay for the standard original:• equipment /Iahlitp replacement elseWhere. SAVE SAFELY—AT CANADIAN TIRE. 18 -Month Guarantee MOR -POWER Heavy Duty 39 PLATES DREG. LIST $16.95 Q.95 and Your Old Batt. Equal or better than Original equip- ment -96 amp. capacity. Dependable power -packed, 'performance for all normal driving and lighting needs. Fits most popular cars. Fits Ford products -1951-54; 51 h plates, 105, amp. capacity. Reg. list $20.50. SAVE $10.55. (With your old battery) 9.95 Ford 1950 and earlier , .. 11.30 4 -Year Guarantee MOR -!POWER . Hi -Water Armor -Glass 51 I PLATES REG. LIST $30.25 .95 and Your Old Batt', 120-ar4,; capacity—Extra power for esti electrical equipment., More plata per cell to give instant action start\ - ing with ample power reserve. Fits most popular cars. _ Fits Ford products -1951-54; 51 plates; 120 -amp. capacity. Reg. list $23.95. 'SAVE $11.30. (With your old battery) 12.65 Ford 1950 and earlier 13.95 4 -Year Guarantee MOR -POWER Hi -Capacity Armor -Glass • ,95 and Your Old Batt: 3 terries normal reserve—Triple eIep- trolyte' reserve makes the HI -WATER outlast any battery you have ever - used. 135 -amp. capacity, Fits most ,papulas oars. Fits Ford products -1951-54; 51. plates; 120 amp, capacity., Reg. list $26.95. 'SAVE $12,00. (With old battery) For extra high capacity requirements —Up to 50% more power capacity far faster motor turPiover and longer full load output in zero weather. 150 -amp. capacity. Fits most popular Cars. Fits For4 "products --•1951-54; 51 plates)$26+ 95. 13 SAVE $11 00Fty (With . of dst , battery) 15.95 Ford 1950 dna eorllor -16.95 NOJF--Add Sac to above prlces far installation or ,,dellvory. work and .on the same premises as the company: • These mets, and dozens like them, 'ar'e company boosters. The zeal with which they throw themselves into the business makes it pretty rough on competitors. As ond''U.S automotive executive testifies, "No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't provide merchandise and service at prices to challenge 'Can- adian Tire's." " The man who became president, John William Billes, first entered the •business in 1913 as a. "car. crazy" youth. He . could see its latent potentialities but his em- ployer couldn't and the youth quit the firm in 1916 for war service. His wartime stint over, he knocked around gaining mechanical experi- ence that stood him in' good stead when an unexpected opportl.hlity came his way in 1921. He learned his old firm, the Hamilton Garage, was up for sale at a very good price, Quickly. he . Ma-de—his—de- cision -d.e-- cision and a new name came into the automotive field. Not the most unimportant of his subsequent decisions . was that which brought his younger brother, Alfred, into the company in 1922. Both had been active church work- ers in All Saints' Anglican Church, Toronto; J. W. had.,been a' choir boy ._ and A. J. , 'a- Sunday . school teacher. When this combination came together in a business enter- prise, it constituted a formidable partnership. A. J. brought into the ' business the cumulative ex- perience gained in a bank, an eye for detail and an enthusiasm which complemented the' distinct execu- tive abilities of his older brother. Brotherly partnerships can be disastrous. The compatibility of the Billes brothers comes from their unlikeness. The older bro- ther—quiet, diffident and method- ical'—handles office and executive Placements and oversees the many tests to which his company's wares are subjected. From his ."Cubby hole" off the, main floor, A. J. shoots down troubles as they arise, The mechanical carriers that tote, merchandise' here and there in the vast reaches of the building were his brain -children. The first CTC store was located at Gould and Yonge Sts., Toronto. t Later moves brought the business to Isabella and Yonge Sts., but within a dozen years .it was again crying for air and the two brothers started a search for larger quart- f ers. They found them in a pro- moter's folly. At Davenport andYonge, a stock -promoting concern had built a veritable Casa Lorna, home of what was to be Canada's first supermarket:But the city wasn't ready for a supermarket and the scheme collapsed. The build- ing stood empty for many years until it reopened as the modern home of the Canadian Tire Corpor- ation. , Since the war, the company has further expanded and to the 120,000 square feet of floor Spare,) in the main store has been add'e'd the 87,000 square feet of the form- , er Canada - Bread building on Avenue Rd. , An out-of-town site has been secured for future ex- pansion. The additional space u'has not' come a Moment too soon. Check and Double-check Early Canadian Tire sales„were confined to the Toronto -area. It was J. W. who brought it into the mail order business. Riding the "milk run” to Guelph one' day, he..., noted, with some curiosity,• the number of parcels dropped at ever' stop. They were mail order de- liveries from department stores. Deciding it was worth a try, he had his first catalogue on the presses within a few Months. Twenty thousand catalogues — "bent cards', is how one ainp loyee described them—were printed and posted, to selected names in south- western Ontario. To garnish its appeal, a road map, a rare object in those days, was tacked to the back. The folder outlined the store's stock -in -trade .. . tires, batteries and repair kits. It prov-• ed pleasing, and, drders began ar- riving hi, every post. Today nearly 2,060,000 catalogues are sent out annually: Tires , arra. batteries are stili the Mainstays of the business. Buying'" direct front leadinga' itadian fac- tories, the company is able to offer, substant'i'al savings- on, tires of oyria1c. "Save safely" was the edttxpatly*s first motto and itµliolds Portrait photos are staging a comeback, and home decorators are pointing out the important part photos p.m),p.m),play in making your home more beautiful and more friendly. This ordinary staircase 'wall becomes a centre of interest with. its handsome display of portrait photographs. Note the arrangement of a variety of frames which combine to make a lovely composition, The wide 'velvet ribbon, suspended from a brass curtain ring, adds a touch of elegance.with its cluster of small photographs. Through crackling, hissingsleet and Snow, maintenance men battle unceasingly to keep Hydro power flowing. When fire strikes ... accidents occur ... wires fall --emergency crews speed to the scene to repair damage and 'protect lives. true today. The company, stands behind every tire sold and is cer- tain it is of superior value since all tires are insured against glass cuts accidents and blowouts. In line with company policy every article of merchandise has undergone rigid laboratory testing before being placed on the market. The company's seal -tested, proven quality must measure up to top- quality specifications before the seal can go on,. And even .when merchandise has earned the right to a seal, it will be checked and double-checked in order to keep up the standard: Canadian Tiro has been built on the premise that the customer gets equal orbetter than original equipment at sub- stantial savings. 7L Lifelong Loyalties While the company plans to okay the establishment „of 80 more dealerships in the next eight to 10 yearsand is_already_ casting about for suitable men, it is deliberately holding back any 'push into West- ern Canada until all gains in the east have been, consolidated. All dealers have been" more than sue- -cessful to date and the company wants to keep it that way. In addition, they can assure cus- tomers. that any article purchased ca n _be ...exchanged ..at_ atl...a„S$O late store in. any 'other town or city, -But whiffle the executives, main stare employees and dealers can all take a bow for their contribution to the company's success, each knows that an advance that has been made is due to the customer. Canadian Tire's customers are a race apart. They form an early loyalty and the records show that few sever the ties, Many a lad who bought a bell for his bike, at Canadian Tire a few years ago •is today patronizing the company for car parts, ,sporting goods and tools of every description. As a result, CTC goes to great pains to assure the customer of an efficient and friendly reception. At the matin store in Toronto, two acres of land have been set apart for customer parking. Every as- sociate store has more than ade- quate parking facilities. prac- ice Tire makes it a to buy Canadian where pos- sible. It can't always be done, but whether they are " Canadian car parts, reels ocutlery from France, fishing tackle, auto or bicycle parts rom Britain, rugs from Italy, sporting goods from India or knives and compasses from Swed- en, they must meet the stiff re- quirements laid down with regarl to price and quality. In order to improve its standards and patron- ize the home market, Canadian Tire has encouraged . Canadian firms to get into fields formerly monopolized by foreign industries. It will continue to blueprint the, way. One Toronto metal work firm is now turning out fishing nets that excel` those of British com- petitors o,n the counts of price and workmanship, thanks to the Can- addan Tire Corp. The famed service department of the company is providing car - owners in the Toronto area with an inspection and repair.• service second to none. Its machine shop and armature -generator shop are manned by trained mechanics and equipped with the latest machines. "Here we give the customer some- thing he can't get any place else," the foreman pointed out. "He can see for himself what the trouble is. Accurate testing devices show him whether the job is necessary or not. Our shop never takes arma- tunes or generators apart for the sake of today's profit." A Regular Mr. Fixit Canadian Tire has discovered the Canadian male has become& regu- lar....Mr. Eixit. To- satisfy this ..trait. and give' it greater encouragement, the company' 'provides tens of thousands of free instruction sheets annually, covering almost every type of repair job. The tools required are provided for a ' low-cost • rental. Simplicity is. the key word in these instructions and mazy a" -Ear-owner has - become a "handy -Andy" overnight. One of 100 that could be given by any clerk is the following ex- ample: An excited, office •manager telephoned demanding an immedi- ate brake job. The brake lining specialist was on holidays, so' the prospective customer was asked to come down and look over Canadian Tire's "Fix It Yourself" program. The entire job was done for "$8.50. Normally he would have paid. any- where from $25 to $40 for it. :With successes like this right dawn the line, it is not surmising that h t the Canadian Tire Corp. is going ahead like a house 'afire. The subway line that runs past its, back door is a sure sign that. Toronto has reached the big time, At' that, the Queen City is some years behind this'' adventure in partnership. Every minute of every day in the year, your Hydro service is maintained and guarded by the vigilance of the men and women who serve the public, in the employ of Goderich P.U.C, �•. Because they are o'n the job, you and your wives and kiddies can continue to enjoy the' con'f+ its of an electric •:I service unsurpassed anywhere. •Commtssion: ' erg� Yt} Our own exhaustive field tests have proved beyond the shadow ofa doubt that the great 1955 Philco Custom -Styled TV will out -perform all other sets in this area. ��r " ""'��• w JACXP.OT OF $44.00 for full house in 54 calls. If 'not won on Saturday, value of `jackpot and also number of calls will be raised each week until it is won. .15 GAMES $1.00 $15 CASH. ,RIZ k 1 SPECIALS --Share the Wealth JACKPOT WILL Bi PL.yi`ED FOR 4 TINGES Jackpot - 25c or ,,,s!for $LOO 'Regular extra *de 25e DOOR PRI --$1, • $3, $2 Door ,open ;fit 1.45 p.m. 1st ga a staff is at 8.30 p.m. PHILCO '2126' With no reservations, the f nett TV set ever guilt I y • ES, this great 1955 Philco is the all time distance championof the industry ... unmatched at any price for sensitivity, freerlci"tn from interference and picture stability:' Even under the most ad- verse conditions it has proved it will bring in better reception from more stations than any set on the market today. Compare now!. * Power -Proved Custom Chassis —Unmatched anywhere * 21 -inch Aluminized Picture Tube *'Exclusive Finger Tip Tuning—No groping, No grappling, No guessing * Phonorama Acoustic Lens—PM sound with corieort hail realism * UHF -VHF Built -In Aerial --In 9 out "-of 10 location's just plug in and ploy * Automatic Built 1n Range Finder—. Adjusts for peak performance on weak, strong or In-between stations trCustom-Stye d ;`#Ihethogariy or �Wainut i rlistl `.