Cape Breton's Magazine

When I (finally) went to Hali fax and saw Dr. Allen Currie, the first question he said to me, "Frank, what butcher oper- Left: pouring ated on you?" And he took my leg off in Halifax in October 1954, and I was back on the Open Hearth furnaces in May of 1955. Seven months and 20 days after he took the leg off, I was back on my own job. And I (had) spent 19 months going back and forth to this emergency hospital for those fool? ish operations. They even flew doctors in from Montreal to do the job. (That's the steel company.) The steel company. Just that meat chart. So there's horror stories of compensation. I went through two-and-a-half years off work, with a wife and 5 kids. I had just bought a house, just got into my home. I got in the hole about $6000. Thanks to a Year 'Round Christmas Shop Le ,Brignolet k 4' FINE GIFTS > a test. Right: Tom Smith ar'; *Jurph/ (goggles) In 1958. good grocery man that carried me. Compen? sation then was $37 a week. So you can figure what $37 would go. Paying a mort? gage and feeding a family. And when I went back to work, I had to go down to the credit union where I have some good friends, and I borrowed $6000 to pay off my bills. The first thing I did, paid off all my bills. Then it took me about 8 years to pay off the $6000. This is all compensation. (You mean the results of the way compensation works.) That's the way it works. Even today, it's very unfair. The old awards, they don*t give you anything. I got a raise the other day in my compen? sation: I got $9.63 a month. And as far as ' I'm concerned, they could have shoved it.... What the hell is 9 more dollars good to me now, at my age? (I see. When you needed it....) If they had given it to me when I needed it, yeah. When I had a mortgage and a family. Maritime and Canadian Handcrafts and Souvenirs Folk Art and Country Gifts Quality Brass and Imported Gifts Kitchen and Bath Shop 15 PRINCE STREET SYDNEY BIP 5J4 539-7338 (Yes, I understand. Well, I want to know....) Let's get into the steel! (Tell me about your work.) I started in the Open Hearth in 1935 as a third helper on Number 3 furnace with Danny Yakimchuk. Now you may see a name in the paper now, Danny Ya? kimchuk, head of the pensioners' union. Well, that's that fellow's father that I worked with. Danny Yakimchuk. He was a first helper. He was a melter. They were Funeral Home (In Business Since 1908) Three Generations of Service J. Michael Curry - Mgr. 140 Main Street - Glace Bay Phone 849-7617 AMBULANCE SERVICE 849-2222