The Brussels Post, 1979-08-22, Page 2The Maitland
MUM if
ONTAA 10
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1979
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
By McLean Bros., Publishers Limited
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Pat-Langlois - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $10.00 a Year.
Others 520.00 a Year. Single Copies 25 cents each.
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Behind the scenes
Brussels Post Post The inevitable vacation
by Keith Roulston
Woodstock and "me"
In these times of the so-called "me" generation, it is reassuring to
know a disaster like the recent tornado which struck the Woodstock
area can still bring us together to assist our neighbours.
A crisis like the tornado forms a bond between a man and his
neighbours, even though they may live miles away, and stirs the old
co-operative spirit needed to get the job done.
A team effort was put forth this past week when members of the
Optimists Club and other Brussels area residents went to help out with
the massive cleanup effort in Oxford County. Also, people have
contributed to the tornado relief effort by donating money at the banks
and at the Lions Club elimination draw. To date, a total of $783 has
been raised, which will be matched by the provinicial government.
Sometimes we hear complaints that helping out the other guy in
times of need just isn't done anymore. Critics only have to look at
Brussels and other communities that have sent aid to Oxford County to
know that the "me first" philosophy hasn't overtaken all of society yet.
Concern for our fellow man is still a very important part of Canadian
life.
To the editor:
How time flies! Already we're nearing the
end of another summer.
At this time we would like to extend a
sincere "Thank You" for using the
services of the Canada Employment Centre
far Students.
The wort that you were able to provide
ibr the many high school and post-second-
ssy students we had on file will help cut
educatiocal costs for many in the fall . For
most students the lobs you provided gave
them encouragement and the incentive to
use their time constructively.
The Student Offices will be operating
again from February to September in 1980.
We invite you to continue to make use of
our services at that time. In the meantime,
the regular Employment Centre is avail-
able to help you with your student
manpower needs.
Thank you for your support.
Yours very truly
Susan H. Freeman
Student Placement Counsellor
Summer is not the time for a summer
vacation around our household. There's an
old house that needs constant attention so
it won't fall down. There are several acres
of weeds interspersed with a few vegeta-
bles struggling to survive. There's a
theatre that always seems to occupy more
time than I should let it.
Summer vacations in our family usually
end up being rather brief, much as they are
needed. So when friends offered the
opportunity to get away for a few days on a
boat cruise up north it sounded like a great
idea: a vacation that would be short but
entirely different from the usual routine.
We should have remembered our track
record with vacations. The last time we
took the whole family to a relative's cottage
it rained all week. Three small children
inside a small cottage for a week in the rain
is not anybody's idea of a relaxing time.
Our luck hadn't changed. The closer we got
to the place where we were going to dock
the boat the cicserclouds crowded together.
By the time the boat was in the water it was
overcast. Late in the day it was raining It
rained sporadically all night long, all the
next day and a good portion of the third
day, about until we were in sight of the
ramp to take the boat out of the water
again.
In between we did relatively little of the
cruising that had been planned. A trip to
Georgian Bay was abandoned. Even the
huge ferry boat wasn't braving the
treacherous Bay. The inland waterways of
the Trent-Severn canal system were much
more peaceful, however, and we managed
to see a fair stretch of the upper end of the
system.
If there's an energy crisis they certainly
haven't heard about it up there. The
waterway is populated with boats that
measure more gallons per mile than miles
per gallon. During, the time we were there
we saw very few American vessels but
Canadians certainly didn't seem too
worried about a lack or cost of energy,
Neither are hard times very much in
evidence in tourist country. Besides the
boats that often cost as much as a house
there were miles upon miles of cottages,
second residences that would look like
dream palaces to people in many parts of
the world. The shores of the canals and
lakes were lined almost without interrup-
tion with cottages. Multiply what we saw
by hundreds of lakes in the cottage
country north of Toronto and the invest-
ment in these part-time homes is mind-bog.
Wig..
Among the most impressive things along
the way was the fantastic system of locks
that allows the boats to go from one lake
system to another of different water
heights. It's amazing to watch how quickly
the system allows boats to be lifted forty or
fifty feet in the air to emerge on a new body
of water. Perhaps most impressive of all is
the new marine railway at Big Chute. It's a
huge beast of a machine that can carry four
large cruisers or houseboats or a larger
number of small boats at a time. They
simply float onto the machine, the car lifts
them from the water using the power of
huge winches and takes the boats up (or
down) the hill to the next body at water.
Sitting on board your boat during the trip is
better than any ride the C.N.E. has to
offer. When out of the water the railway
carrier is 15 or 20 feet in the air and
watching the ground disappear below as
you climb the hill does amazing things to
your stomach.
Just as amazing however is the cost.
Lord knows (and perhaps the Auditor
General) how much it costs the Canadian
taxpayer to operate that system each year.
The new marine railway must have cost
millions to build. It takes a half dozen
people to run. Each of the locks had a crew
of three or four. Yet the boaters using the
system could buy lock passes for three
dollars a day or nine dollars for six days. It
doesn't take a mathematical genius to see
the system isn't going to make a profit. Yet
it is maintained to help people vacation on
their boats costing from $10,000.00 to
$60,00.00 or more. The irony to me is that
many of the people who were on those
boats are from the upper middle class that
complains about too much government
taxation taking away from private initiative,
Also giving some cause for thought
along the way was the number of power
dams we passed at these locks. One at
Swift Rapids we noticed had been built in
1917. It's power output by today's
standards is miniscule but it's still
running, providing power every day to help
keep the city of Orillia lit up more than 60
years after it was built. That must be pretty
cheap power over the years. When one
compares it to the huge nuclear stations
built at a cost of billions which will use
millions of dollars worth of uranium a year
which will be worn out in less than the
number of years this plant: has been
pumping out power already (unless, of
course, there is a horrible accident to
shorten its life find the lives of humans who
live in the area) they can see that the days
when we could liitrtiesS water poWer to
provide electricity really were the good old
days.
Thank you