Page 96 - William H. "Bull" Marah - Still Fighting

ISSUE : Issue 72

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1997/6/1

compassionate pre-retirement leave. So, from when I was there, from 1966 to 1980, there was never a man laid off.... (You told me--it knocked me over when you told me. You said, not only was nobody laid off, but there were a lot more work? ing than were necessary.) Yeah. They were hid everywhere! (How do you mean they were hid everywhere?) Just what I said. They were hiding them. (How do you hide a work? er?) Oh, that's easy. You get a job here, you might have three fellows doing one job. We had a thousand men over-force. They're running the industry now, produc? ing the same amount of coal and everything else--they're a thousand men less. (And it's not that people were lazy, so much as you were just seeing to it that there were more men on every job.) That's right. (To keep men working.) That's right. Well, they couldn't do it any other way. So we did it ourselves. Now, here's my point. So it cost them, we'll say it cost them 30 million dollars, to have a thousand men extra working. Okay. They save 15 million on unemployment insurance. They save 15 million on these so-called "bridge benefits" that they had. Remember those bridge benefits? Shifting fellows all over the place. Ten weeks work here and all this (bull). They saved 15 million dollars on that. There's 30 mil? lion. They (wouldn't) get the coal--the extra coal that these fellows could produce. These fellows were paying in? come tax. They were making the 30 million (back). Now when we were getting unemployment in? surance, you didn't make enough to pay income tax. But when you got your full wages, you made enough and you paid in? come tax. (And, as you say, they spend their money.) Oh, all of it!(Gov? ernment) got it all back anyway! (And there weren't the social costs.) Ah, now you're getting somewhere. So it wasn't a bad deal, was it? Our thanks to Carl Turner, who long ago encouraged us to talk with Bill Marsh, and gave excellent guidance along the way. For photos, thanks to Bill's daughter Brenda MacMuliln and her daughter Brandie; and to Bill's brother Karl iVIarsh • and, as always, to Kate Currie of the Beaton institute, University College of Cape Breton; and to Ian Macintosh and staff at the McConnell Public Library, Sydney. i ORDER ='MABOU WREATHS Created by Hand in the Highlands ofMahoUy Cape Breton THE HIGHLANDER The tips of this balsam fir wreath are freshly cut and made by the local people of Mabou and area. Locally gathered cones are tipped with frost and accented with a hand tied, tartan bow. Approx. 24" Diameter. $29.95 PLUS WREATH SHIPPING THE CAPE BRETONER Pictured left, similar to THE HIGHLANDER, with the same high quality, lasting construction but with a lovely, specially woven Cape Breton Tartan ribbon. $39.95 PLUS WREATH SHIPPING If you can't make it home, whatever the season • order the pride of the Highlands and bring a little of home to your home away. Order before December 15th and we Guarantee Delivery anywhere in Canada or United States (except Hawaii & Alaska). To Order-Year after Year-Call Toll Free: 1-800-565-5140 96

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