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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-06-08, Page 11The :general public is fed with both °the railways and t bus lines in this area of the pro ince, if the briefs presented at public hearing in Walkerton a any indication. A House of Co mons Committee on Trans and Communications sat Thursday to hear depositlo about the public transportati situation as a result of ma complaints since the Canadia Transportation Oommissi agreed to the stoppage of ra passenger services in the fall 1970. One of the early briefs was pr sented by Harvey Davis, warde of Bruce, who said that he spo for the 42,000 residents of th county. Afterenumerating th reasons why the public is di satisfied with the present situ tion, Mr. Davis said that it is no only the people -carrying fiel that the rail companies have, per mitted their services to de teriorate. He stated that th mortality rate in cattle shippe from the western provinces ha increased by 642 per cent in th pastyear, and blamed the apath of the rail workers for the situa tion. If the railways have been losin money and require governmen funds to subsidize their opera tions, said the warden, they are not really unique in Canada. He referred to the arts centre in Ottawa where Canadians have paid $50,000 for sculptures that appear to be the product of a de- mented mind. We seem to have plenty of money to assist other nations, he went on. The losses involved in the Western Ontario operations of the rail lines are hardly worth mentioning in com- parison with other public ex- penditures. The needs of senior citizensi, said Mr. Davis, are of paramount importance. Under present transport conditions it is difficult for an older person to get out of the area for medical treatment in a largercentre. We live in a com- puter age, he protested, and we should be able to solve problems of transportation without such tremendous sacrifice. - The warden referred to the re- construction of the Palmerston - Southampton line to serve Doug- las ouglas Pointconstruction and suggested that some sort of pas- senger service could be es- t . i ird " con a daily: 'rn. he v - re port on ns on ny ill of n kee e e a- a e s e Y g ies tro, 1iVail '..1bui$ q Deliberate Action Mr. Davis. expressed his con- viction, which was repeated many times during the day by other witnesses, that the railway had deliberately alioed passen- 'ger travelling conditions in de- llo pots and rolling stock to deterior- ate so that business would decline thus lend weight t6"the con: tention that, the service was un- economical: He further con- tended that if the railways are to be .granted cessation rights they have an obligation to reimburse the municipalities in -this area for the moneys which were originally contributed for their construes- 8 onstrue-8 tion. Alfred Hales, M.P., a com- mittee member, immediately re- turned to Mr. Davis' statement' on. cattle mortality when the - question, period opened. He wanted to know who pays for these losses. Mr. Davis replied thatthe' railways pay $100 for each animal lost due to negli;; gence, and he intimated that *, proof of ,negligence is an ex- tremely difficult matter and the• $100 is a bit of a joke at today's livestock pricers. Private insur- ance, said the witness, is expen sive and is bound tb becOMe pro, hibitive, given the increase in ani<ilnal losses. M. Hales asked whether •Mr: Davis believed the railway's equipment for, handling livestock is Adequate, i•."� t should be. in a museum," said the Bruce war, den. "It is totally obsolete." When he was asked about feed- ing facilities along the railway routes from the West, Mr. Davis replied °'that there are enough stopping points but that facilities are inadequate. He recounted a trip he had made from the west- ern provinces accompanying a shipment of cattle during cold weather. At Winnipeg the water troughs were frozen and when he attempted to protest to the rail- way stock tenders be was told to "get the hell out". At some points he said the animals are moved from one pen to another with so many delays that they are fre- quently reloaded without having been near feed or water. Need a Task Force Mr. Hales responded to these revelations with the declaration that a gmmons task force should be set up at once to fully investigate the conditions under which livestock is moved in this country. He even named the per- sonnel for such a body --a ship- per, a farme - der, a _rep- resentative of the railway and a per -son -from the Humane Society. Mr. Davis said that no electric heaters have ever been installed at the feeding points to keep water from freezing and added, "They use water troughs of the sort my grandfather had 50 years ago." Mr. Veenis of the CNR agreed that an over-all study of livestock shipping conditions would be advisable. - Mr. Davis was not able to supply total figures for cattle losses, other than the percentage referred to above, but offered to provide the totals to the com- mittees by mail. Marvin Howe asked Mr. Davis, "Do you believe adequate alter- nate passenger service has been provided'1", The reply was, "I do not." Mr. Howe: "lave you,. 0t'. one you know been questionotl: about rail service (by ,a,n otfi►clai inquiry)?" Mr. Davis' sonnally, no. And I dpljbt that anyone else has." It was disclosed that 'an offs, a of the Canadian Transpoa't Com- mission is reported to have .held. hearings in the area. The ielef was expressed that it must hauo been bus company employees , talked to. sincelhe CTC indicated recently they had ascertained that transport facilities in this: area are adequate. Iioesn't Want Congestion. Asked about the probabilities of large-scale industrial growth with the development of the Douglas Point power site, Mr. Davis was less than enthusiastic about the prospect. "We want to keep this county clean," he said, "If industrial growth means pollution—then we will be happy to keep it the way it is." �I Owen nd Speaks Robert Ruta erford, mayor of the City of Owen Sound, R. M. Campbell, Owen Sound business- man and representative of the Chamber of Commerce there and Reeve Inglis, a former warden of Grey County presented the briefs from that area. Mr. Rutherford spoke of the promises which had been made when passenger service was abandoned and said that the promises bad never been ful- filled. In Mr. ,utherford's opin- ion the lack of travel facilities is self-defeating as far as govern- ments are concerned. The federal government, for in -t..X las opened such attract the national arts centre ui Ottawa; the provincial government has opened Ontario Place—but only those people who have cars can get out of this area to enjoy these showplaces, despite the fact that their taxes help pay for therm. Health services and leisure time activities are similarly affected, he said. Even those who drive their own cars are subject to the hazards of weather in winter as, indeed, are the bus services. The mayor concluded with the statement that too much time has already been expended in studies and surveys. The time has come, he said, for action. Robert M. Campbell presented a brief prepared on behalf of the Owen Sound Chamber of Com- merce, the Owen Sound Labor Council. the Wiarton Chamber and an extensive list of servi clubs in the northern sector. He struck a responsive note the audience when he said, "Th principle to be served here is no what's best for the railways ---b rather what is best for people. Freight profi , he said, should be used tit. benef t people -by way of continued assenger services even though that particular serv- ice is not, in itself, profitable, "Transportatipn," avowed Mr. Campbell, "is every bit as vital as hospitalization and welfare." Owes a Debt Mr. Campbell introduced a new thought to the proceedings when he listed in detail the contribu- tions made by the municipalities in Western Ontario for the con- struction of the rail lines whic were later to become parts of th Canadian National system. Thes municipal funds totalled about a million dollar's at that time. The witness had done his homework and he reported to the committee that if the original million had been invested at eight percent in 1875 and compounded annually since that time it would now amount to $$00 million. In return for the use of this money the rail- ways had guaranteed to provide service—not until "some rainy Friday in 1970, but in per- petuity." Mr. Campbell proposed that if ,th guaranteed service is to be ,withheld, the money should be re- , turned to the contributors. (Percy Noble, committee mem- ber, referred to _ the $800 million and said that losses of $750,000 a year as -Claimed by the railway, could be offsetfor the next 800; years by the original investment: It was, at least, a novel approach to transport financing.) •Mr. Noble asked Mayor Ruth- erford whether or not industries in Owen Sound had approached him with requests for better rail service. The mayor said that they had not, because they have been carrying out independent studies on the problem. ailway representative grilled by c�mrnittee R. N. Veenis, London area manager for Canadian National Railways, was under fire for al- most two hours last Thursday morning at public • hearings in Walkerton. The hearings were caped by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Trans- port and Communications, in- quiring into public transportation facilities in this area of Western Ontario, After many years of seeking to give up its passenger services, the Canadian National and Cana- dian Pacific received approval for the move from the Canadian Transport. Commission in No- vember, 1970. As a result, pas- senger service was d�' ontinued on the CN lines from Palmerston to Kincardine through Wingham r and Listowel ; Palmerston to t Southampton; Stratford oto h -,Goderich—and Palmerston to gfii,44Y „well as.the CP S Mr. Veenis said, "We ha made arrangements for alter tive services," but failed to sp them out in clear terms. "Do you agree," asked Mr. M Kinley, "that it will be extreme difficult to, get passenger bu ness back since it has be abandoned?" Mr. Veenis sa "No,"and went on to point o that passenger service ve. na- ell c- ly si- en rut has dian .,National- is making money ger service, Mr. Veenis replied, "If possible." Bores In Ross Whicher, the M.P. from Wiarton, pulled no punches in his attack on the railways. He pointed out that the largest con- struction project in Canada is' under way at Douglas Point and that there is no doubt the Cana - proved uneconomic and loss were in the neighborhood $750,000 for the Western Ontar area each year. out of the heavy freight business- 01` required for .completion of the io hydro and heavy water plants. He couid see no reason why some Of the profits realized from freight ut business could not be used, to y balance passenger losses—"to es help people,"as he put it.' d. st • Mr. Whither also referred to is the profitable department oper- s_ ated by the railway in 'the corn- y munications field and said this p money could also be channeled to balance passenger service losses. e 4'Or third•of all 'the -food pro- s �T�ana a, . Wh'- s ' cher h Mr. McKinley then asked alio he disposition of railwa properties in the communiti where they are being abandone 'Will they be sold to the highe bidder?" he asked. Mr. Veen eferred to the Town of Harri on, where the railway propert ad been turned over to a grou erving the senior citizens. Percy Noble,: M.H., one .of''tb ezr Sound, c Public protest has been mount- w ing since the severance, with the s result that a committee of the d House was appointed to study the li situation. , Answers Missing u Mr. "Veenis' testimony fit the c opening of'Thursday's hearings g failed to convince either mem- bers of the public or of the com- S mittee that the railways have 'F been deeply concerned about the el public interest. * is Robert McKinley, 'M.P., Huron, t9 an acting member of the com- g mittee,`asked for information on m the breakdown of the railway's ex losses which would give a true to picture of the economies in- volved. He said that the com- Pa mittee should be informed about th possible profits on freight and ex- ce press in this area as well as th losses claimed for the operation ra of passenger service. w Failing to get a conclusive an- ge swer Mr. McKinley said the in- ba formation' would have to be ob- lin tained from 'the Canadian Trans- M port Commission. The federal tru member then referred to the lik closing of railway stations at many points and asked, "What is wh the next Ste ?" 1 • ommittee members, aske hether the CN had upgraded it ervices before or after with rawal from the Western Ontari nes. Mr. Veenis said it was be ore that date, and referred to th se of rail liners as a more "effi ient means. of moving. passen d duced' C d "'said NI'r r "is grown in Ontario, mut - of it in the area affected by the o rail severances, yet this is the part of the country-, the railway e has chosen to abandon." p - "Sir John A. Macdonald built - two railways with no money and no machinery," Mr. Whicher ob- - served, "and all you fellows want . , to do is tear everything up." e (Clapping. Chairman; "No ap- , 1 plause, please."),,, . s But the Member from Bruce 1 wasn't through. "I'll bet you fel- lows had a big party when the CTC said you can quit." He com- - ` pleted his remarks with the avowal that the railways should 'be showing leadership rather t than walking out on 'a developing nation. . • What Alternative? Another of the committee a members wanted to know about the railways' disposition of their k obligation to handle passsengers t in this area. "Who took the re- sponsibility for providing passen- t ger service when the railways w were let out?" he asked. Mr. Veenis replied that "he f thought" the CTC had said there o would be alternative -services c available. advantage ers. Mr. Noble said that the Grey imcoe area has no rail service or the young people and th derly who cannot drive, trave most difficult. Bus service i tally inadequate. The federa overnment, he said; subsidizes any services to Canadians, •for ample, the arts centre in Ot wa. Thousands of •Canadians who will never see the centre are ying for its upkeep. It is logical at transport services'should .re- ive the same support. A question' addressed to the ilway representatives asked hether it was true that passen- rs have been forced, to ride in ggage compartments on those es which are still operating. r. Veenis admitted . this was e, "but the railway doesn't e answer to the question of ether 'or not there will be ther abandonments of passen= . ur "Then responsibility must rest with the Canadian;, Transport ,Commission," said the- commis- sion member. Mr. Turner (chairman) : "If you remove passenger services it is obvious that most of the costs of the operation . remain un- changed." (He was referring to the capital costs of lines and equipment.) Mr. Veenis: "Agreed." Another committee member: "Does the railwayhave enough equipment to handle passenger services if they are ordered to re- store there?" Mr. Veenis: "I don't know." Another questioner wantedto knowhal information services are available to the public about main line schedules 'which are still- operating. Mr: Veenis said that a Zenith number is provided for those who wish to call in to a central information point. "t One of the coinmitted'nlerubers asked whether or not cost figures for the period immediately prior to the abandonment of passenger services could be supplied to -the committee -by the, railway. Mr. Veenis replied that would be a "policy decision" to be deter- mined by his superior and he was not sure the information would be available to the public. - Marvin Howe, M.P., who until recently represented this area for the federal riding of Wellington - Huron, took up the questioning. He asked the railway representa- tive if he had looked up records as far back as 1960 when applica- tions were made for discon- tinuance of passenger services in his tree. At that time, said Mr. Howe, a group of Members had discussed the matter with the minister of transport and the pplication had been withdrawn. Mr.' Veenis apparently had no nowledge of the procedures aken at that time. - Mr. Howe added the •informa- ion that new applications for ithdrawal of services had been made possible by changes in the ederal act, covering railway perations, of which the railway - ompanies had taken immediate Railways.. .. Bus.. Companies Mr. Noble, who represents North Grey area in the Co mons, said that he had recei many letters himself, compla ing about inadequate servi Studying the times involved had come to the conclusion one bus route achieves an a age travelling speed of• only miles an hour from Owen Soun to Toronto. The general averag he said, does not exceed 35.mi1 an hour. ce Marvin Howe posed a questi to a later witness in regard to th in condition in which unused ra e way properties are being mai t tained. He said that the last tim ut he saw the Southampton statio the Saltzman replied that the CIV m� did not have the power or red authority to accept any •sort of in - es. ppromise�, from the bus companies he aboutalternate travel facilities, that because rile CTC,had no•power t° . ver- enforce them, `ht s, he said, the 24 responsibility falls squarely upon d the federal government. es Roy Kennedy, 77; a member of the senior citizens organization in Chesley, submitted one of the on most tellingbriefs when he de - e scribed how difficult it is for an de- ft elderly person to travel beyond n- his own community. He de - e scribed their situation as. "house arrest" in one's own town, ,I property it was overgrown wi Douglas Middleton present the main 'brief for the Town o Chesley, which has no transpo services of any kind. Hp said th town has made repeated effor to secure some form of service without success. Mr. Middleto said that no miles of paid laid fare plus bus lare from Owe Sound is required to reach Toron to from Chesley. In answer to a question from h Committee member Skoberg, e Mr. Middleton said the number of e senior citizens in Chesley is from 500 to 600 out of a total population of about 1,900. Mr. Skoberg's reSponse to the problem of so many elderly people unable to get out of their town on public transit was, "Danin disgraceful situation!" Max Saltzman, M.P., another of the committee members, elic- ited that the Town of Chesley has been an organized commtmity since the year 1885.. He asked Mr. Middleton whether in his opinion the town would have grown to its present size without rail service. The ansvver was "No." th RoyMurphy, .Salting, for the 'own of Hamster), advocated the ed implementation of interlocking .. f rail and bus services to facilitate rt . passenger traffic. He also ex - e pressed the opinion that the rail • - ts ',ways sought to discourage pas- senger business by downgrading n the quality of service rendered, He referred to travel on dayliners n which were filled to more than _ capacity so that overflow passen- gers had • placed in the Mr. Saltzman said it was an act of irresponsibility to abandon rail service to the community with no guarantee that an alternative methodof travel would be avail- able to the residents. Mr. Noble pointed out that the situation in Chesley makes it very plain why people are mov- ing from the smaller places to the cities. Who wants to be isolated in one, community, he asked. Mr. Middleton had questions of. his own. He asked' the com- mittee members 'who should be held responsible for the break- down of- travel facilities. Mr. • MURRAY GAUNT, M.P.P. (HURON—BRUCE) baggage com $ artment. At no time, however, did the railway add extra cars, or even put seats in the baggage space—long after the time when the lines were no longer using that space for baggage or express. Mr. Murphy also spoke of a distinct deteriora- tion in the freight service since the , removal of local agents and pointed out that expensive freight cars often sit for days on a local siding because no one directs train crews to pick them' up after they have been unloaded Hanover Brief Rev: Swan, mayor of the Town of Hanover, was chiefly con- cerned aboukthe deterioration in freight service. In his community industry is an all-important factor and with the departure of a local agent of •the railway it is much ' more difficult to arrange the movement of rnerchanlise, materials and manufactured goods. , Ontario, he said, is a growing province, but since extension to the south and west is prohibited by the proximity' of the Great Lakes, the Western Ontario area is the most likely direction in which developments will- take 'place. Without rail service, die - said, that growth will be seriously hampered. a Report from Queen's Park The Federal Government's standing committee on transport and communications held hear- ings in our area -last week, and I presented a brief to the Commit- tee, pointing out the need for res- toration toration of passenger rail ser- vice. When service was discontinu- ed, it was stated that an alterna- tive 'bus service existed, and I drew the Committee's attention to the fact that the bus service provided was very unsatisfactory indeed. I also pointed out the high - percentage of ,people over 65 in the area who have no other way to travel other than by. means of public transportation, and that in some cases these people are be ing forced to move from . their homes to larger metropolitan centres to be close to the neces- sary medical, hospital and other facilties I stressed the serious- ness of the situation regarding g public transportation,- and ex- recommendation would be before • pressed the hope that the Com- the` House of Commons before mittee would recommend rein- Parliament adjourns this sum - statement of services discontinu- mer. ed in the last two years, pending a The auditing team investigat- full investigation into passenger ing the Provincial Auditor's service needs. Department. continues to report Hugh Edighoffer (Liberal, to the public accounts committee Perth) presented a brief recom- of. the Legislature, and has . mending restoration of service to requested the assistance of the a hearing of the standing com- Ontario Provincial Police to mittee at Stratford earlier in the carry out their investigations. week. Donald Deacon, Liberal Mem- Charles Turner (M.P. for Lon- ber of the Committee, says he don East) who is acting chairman will demand that Solicitor -Gen - of the Committee stated, follow- eral John Yaremko order a police ing the hearings, that in his opin- • investigation because "it's im- ion full railway passenger rv- possible for the Committee to ice should be restored . really get to the root of this Winghani, Goderich, Walkerton, spending and the police have the Owen. Sound and Palmerston powers and facilities to make a areas by this fall. He said he more extensive investigation." expected his Committee to At this point in the investigation, recommend the restoration of the the auditing team has discovered service cut off by C.N. and C.P.R. some $35,000 improperly charged Y seven m rn ry rst stries. late in 1970, and he this felt t s b ........................... Beth smell something less than sweet By Barry Wenger Ontario's transportation companies— Canadian National Railways, Canadian Pa- cific Railways and the bus eOmpanies which operate under franchise protection in this section of the province are not very popular hereabouts. In the two years since the railways were granted permission by the Canadian Trans- port Commission to cut off passenger serv- ices discontent has been growing month by month, It found verbal outlet Oefore the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport and Communicatidns in Walker- ton last Thursday. After an entire day of testimony there can be little doubt remaining about the in- adequacy of public transport facilities in this area. Most towns are badly served—and some, like Chesley, are not served at aII. The two railways were represented by a lone official—if indeed he was representing CPRo in any way at all. When the questions became pointed and sticky he simply did not have the answers. When charges were. levelled that CN was concerned only .with profits and very little with people he pre- sented little or no argument to the contrary. The present dismal,s,iluation in public transport is the result of an all -too familiar pattern of buck -passing. The Canadian Transport Commission permitted the rail- ways to step .out of their responsibility to handle passenger traffic with the excuse that the existing bus tines could fill the need. The bus" lines promised not only to supply a parallel service, but to greatly improve it once they had a clear field. The CTC, as it develops, was entirely out of order in accepting any sort of promises from the bus lines, over which it had, in fact, no authority. As a matter of record, the bus lines have totally failed to provide any sort of improvement in their services .and do not ap- proach even the meagre standards which were maintained by the railways in the lat- ter years of their passenger trade. The most pertinent question raised at the hearing was, "Who is responsible?" There is only one acceptable answer to that question. The government of Canada is responsible. Over ,long years we Canadians have tended to disassociate the Canadian National Railways from government. It has operated as an independent entity and most of us think' of it in terms of independent business. We are totally in .error, of course. Canadian National Railways is a group- ing of smaller rail lines which faced bank- ruptcy, or at best, very trying times in the 1920's. The government of Canada, recogniz- ing the vital need for functioning railways in a country so widespread and sparsely popu- lated as ours, bailed the smaller lines out and formed the national railway system. Neither at that time nor at any time since then was there any sign that the railways would show a handsome profit. The govern- ment had decided to pay the bill for a neces- .... ':V:':•:•:'::•��•'�� •.\:i:•!iii•i':•:ii:Yi .':•iii•':''.•: ti}.::... sary service. The subsidized position of the_railways is in no way unique in the Canadian scene. One has but to recall the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which costs Canadian taxpayers well over $150 million each year; the Na- tional Art Gallery; and across the street from it in Ottawa the National Centre for the Performing Arts, which ran into several mil- lions over estimate in construction alone; the National Film Board, with a budget which we haven't•even heard mentioned in some years. We should also give thought to the pro- testations of -the government's auditor who had to scream to high heaven before the gov- ernment could be prevailed upon to let him have a free hand in his reports to the House of Commons—reports which, of course, point out the waste of public money that free spenders in public office take so lightly. 4k - LL The hard facts Of the railway problem are that our own employees—the officials of .......:•r:•........... }?}..... .: �' . ?�. G7ti' :1{}t1}�tjl;ti:.} t�{C? `:;:}�?7v}'�}�t CNR—are telling us just where and how we are obliged to sacrifice services which we are prepared to pay for.' The Canadian Na- tional Railway is the property of the people of Canada—not the asset of a group of highly - paid directors in Montreal. When it becomes plain beyond any doubt that the owners are prepared to pony up for the losses in order to continue 'passenger services the directors employed by we, the owners, would do well to do what they are told. The comrnittee which heard representa- tions from the public last week is not the CTC—it is an alI•party committee of the House of Commons, charged with the re- sponsibility of reporting to the House on the wishes of the residents of this area—one "of the most important rural -urban sectors in the entire Dominion. -t is their duty to tell it as they heard it, and to demand immediate action to rectify the grave abdication of trust of which the railways have been guilty.