Page 15 - Dr. Austin MacDonald: How We Got the Hospital Down North

ISSUE : Issue 40

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1985/8/1

the park. They had about 5 or 6 wardens al? together, I guess. But he was the one that went broke in his company. But he went broke the same reason MacLeod did--they gave the business away, to save the people that were dependent on them. And he couldn't do much better than that. (No, and that's very rarely the way you hear talk about the merchant, isn't it?) That's right. Well, the older fishermen down there, they all knew that this hap? pened, they all knew how they survived the Depression, and they all knew why the busi? nessmen couldn't survive the Depression. So, somehow or other--I don't know just what the political implications were--Mac? Leods survived the*Depression and Buchan? ans didn't. But anyway, the system was pretty good, as .far as I was concerned. Because as a new doctor, it was nice to know that every? thing you did, you were going to get paid for it. We didn't see anything like that any more, after they gave up the feudal business, until M.S.I, came in here. (After the war....) I'd bill them, and they'd pay me directly. They were very hon? est people. Most of them paid. In the win? ter they had no earnings, you see. As soon as they started getting paid for their lob? sters, or their early cod-fishing, or what? ever they did in the spring, every evening there'd be some of them come in. "Doctor, I owe you so much money." Have the cash there, pay it off. They were square with me, just like they used to be with Mac? Leods, see. They might not pay me any more money until the next year. And there was another thing, too. They were all fishermen. And in the summertime, all injuries were looked after by the Sick Mariners' Service, which was a form of in- Prescription Now O Locations in Cape Breton uo Serve You CAPE BRETON SHOPPING PLAZA 564-8151> MAYFLOWER MALL 539-5080 Operated by Hanson Drugs Ltd. The old Buchanan home: the Cottage Hospital surance, which covered any crew man for any injury or illness that occured in his line of duty. So, a lot of that I got paid for through this government service. So, all in all, I had no quarrel about the a- mount of money I made, I made far more than I needed. Some would pay in lobsters. I had a trip with a horse and sleigh one night. On the road all night, anyhow. And in the house 1 good reasons to buy league debentures Profitable Debentures offer a high rate of interest. Safe investment League Savings Debentures are protected by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation for amounts up to sixty thousand dollars. Guaranteed Return The pri nci pal and i nterest are guaranteed' upfront. Flexible ' Debentures can be short or long term with interest paid monthly, semi-annually or annually. Interest payments deposited with a Credit Union qualify for a special bonus. Authorized Trustee Investment ' League Savings debentures are recognized provincially and meet the requirements of a trustee investment. League Savings 8 Mortgage P.O. Box 668, Sydney, Nova Scotia BIP 6H7 539-8222 (15)

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