Page 85 - Part One of a Two-Part Story: We Worked for General Instruments

ISSUE : Issue 49

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1988/8/1

going to go down and have a meeting in Syd? ney. And we're going to see what's what." And that's the way it came. They came down and met with the I.E.L. people and they met with Mayor Urquhart and so on like that. I think the provincial government was G. I. Smith at the time. And he suggested Mr. Salzmann, who was the president, I believe, of I.E.L. Anyway, they said, "Okay, good. Sydney needs something like that." It wasn't totally the article that appeared in the Progress and Enterprise that I made available to the vice-president of manufac? turing. At that particular time the Auto Pact was a reality. And our parts were all for the automotive industry. The automobile manufacturing build-up in Canada was just really in its infancy at that period of time. GM was putting plants up here and Chrysler was putting plants up here and Ford was putting plants up here, and so on. This was one of the main reasons why we, as a supplier to the automotive industry, came down here. 'Cause we were supplying Philco Ford, and we were supplying Chrysler, and so on.... We were making the tuners for au? tomobile radios. So there were things big? ger than I.E.L. that helped bring General Instruments in here. (Am I correct that the tuners you were as? sembling here could have been done any? where?) Oh, yes. Oh, gosh, yes. Like that plant where--the two fellows who originally started this one down here, Charlie Kane as general manager and Chuck Norfolk as his engineer--those fellows were operat ing a plant that was in the middle of the cornfields down in Hoopston, Illinois. Joliet, Illinois, you were about 60 miles from Chicago. And you had all of your sup? pliers in the Chicago land area. Stamped parts, metal parts, bakelite parts, wire manufacturers--the whole works. So, even at 3:30 in the afternoon, if you found that you might get into trouble tomorrow morning with some part that you might be short of, you could call a fellow in Chicago and there it was at 7 o'clock in the morning. Now, when we came to Sydney, they didn't do business that way. I went first off to the Lunenburg Foundry, my hometown--I figured they could make parts for us. No, they didn't want to bother with that little stuff. I went to the Trenton plant down here. They didn't want to bother with that little stuff. Nobody here wanted to make this stuff. (By little stuff, you don't mean quantity.) I mean millions of pieces. (So there wasn't anything intrinsic to the manufacture of that item that said, "Sydney's the place to go.") No. In retrospect, it might have been the wrong place to go. In the plant that was making the product in TrAveAgef)Ci) We plan it all for you. 794-7251 158 QUEEN ST., NORTH SYDNEY f ACTA* IQRMAWAYINN4S The first choice for fine food and lodging on the Cabot Trail The Normaway is proud to be able to share a part of Cape Breton's culture. Enjoy traditional music by the fire side, nightly films on the area, a choice selection of Cape Breton books and records, arst and crafts workshop, traditional and contem? porary Cape Breton music or theatre most spring and fall weekends, as well as Elder Hostel travel learning programs. For more information write or phone: '. NORMAWAY INN 902-248-2987 Braemar Lets the Sun Shine In • THE LORD AND BURNHAM SOLARIUM THE ULTIMATE IN FAMIL Y LIVING LORD AND BURNHAM QUALITY SINCE 1856 MARGARET'S SPECIAL COOL DRINK Into a tall, large wine goblet put 3 ice cubes, 1 ounce of Martini & Rossi Dry White f'' Vermouth, and half an ounce of Lemon Barley Squash. Top it up with Sprite (Diet or Regular). Add 2 Maraschino cherrtes on a stick. And beat the heat! U Lonl&Burniiam; We're Not Just Kitchens and Bathrooms! KMART PLAZA W KMARTPLAZA _'' --*-- T' SYDNEY 539-5044 'Mvntmnt Kitchens Plus "the only name you need to h'now"

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