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WH1TBiY FPUE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 19890 PAGE 5 Lucas Letterpress stands on the arrivai platform of the S.T. Stowick Turnip Waxing Plant, watching turnips roll down a ramp. 'rMarelous, eh?" shouts Mel Hawg, the plant manager. Lucas nods, excitedly. " See, they corne off that truck," continues Hawg, "and roll down the chute into the cellar." "And then what?" asks Lucas, stifing a yawn. "Had a beer at lunch. Always does that. Makes me wanta nan."8 Mel Hfawg does flot drink beer at lunch. He does not drink beer any time. At lunch Urne he goes home to sweep the sidewalk and dust the garag. .Ordinarily Lucas wouldflot be here. But hie is preparing copy for the annual Proeperity Edition of The Fiat Tail, of which hie is editor and prop. Hie follows Hawg's gesture and they retreat into the musky dark sterage cellar. "We store them ail winter, right here," Hawg Baya, pointing te, the long row of storage bina, each capable of holding several truck loads. In front cf the bina runs a conveyor belt. 'The conveyor beit carrnes the turnips upstairs te our trimniing and washing room. Corne along." The tour continues. "HIere," says Hawg, "our tearn of experts carefuily examine each cf the vegetables, trims the tops and roots and sends it along the bet into the- washing tank. Frorn the washing tank it continues overhead until it reaches the proper drying bm3, where it is durnped." 'To dry."f "Correct." Lucas can scarce contain birnself. "Tell me," he says, "about the waing part." 61 Hawg now is in bis elernent. "Waxing," he says, WITH OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan becorning eloquent, "rnay be thought of as bath a preservative and as a cosmetic, helping te deliver te the consumer a cleanly washed edible food product." "Se how's it work?" 'Turnips dried from washing are released from the sloped floor cf the drying bin ente this second conveyor belt, wbich carestÉhem into this waing mnachine, or waxer, as we calI it. The turnips are submerged here for thirty seconds and are delivered into the final chute, where they are loaded inte, fifty pound bags for shipment." 'Keen process." 'Well, we're quite.proud cf it," Hawg says. I can see," says Lucas, shutting bis notebook fiippantly. "Well, I've got enough. h'l be running along." "Glad I could help." Lucas slips toward the door, then strains as though making idie conversation. "0f course, I heur you handled a special project a couple of days ago." 'You mean Mayor Johnny Cannuck! Sure, sure, anything for a good old poitical friend." It must have been quite a job," asks Lucas. 'Thàke most complex we've ever dene,"- says Hawg. "How'd you do it?" Hawg shifts bis shoulders, one at a tirne. "Well, when Mayor Johnny came in and explained that Madamne Toosoe wanted him cast in wax, we were sure we could handle it. I mean, a turnip's a tri "Must have taken sorne special arrangements," Lucas prompts. "That's what we thought. But you4 gotta hand it te that mayor, he's one straight guy. 'No,' he said, « I don't want any special treatment,' Se we says, great, let'sget te it."i "Prom the beginning?" "Well, we didn't store hlm in the root ceilar, if that's whatyou!re asldng. And ne, we didn't trim and wash him. Blut he did position binself on the waxer belt just right and got plunked right inte the waxer. First trne was tricky, but we repeated it six, seven trnes, each Urne adding a lhyer. 0f course, we practiced first on a turnip te see that it worked." "Cail it R&D."* "Oh, sure. I mean, every once i a while we get a turnip caught in the waxer and before long it cooks dlean through. We didn't want that te happen te our mayor. But we did want te build up a nice thick waxer layer. And we did. Looks good." "How'd you get hlm eut?" Hawg scratches bis head. "Good question. Wre sul working on it. Like te see hlm?"« Lucas shrugs. 'd be worth it te see hlm shut up, but I've no Urne." "Itfs no trouble. We've got him in our reffrgerator room right here. We're keeping hlm until adae Toosoe's sends a truck te pick hlm up. I sure hope they know how te get him eut." Lucas waves at the door. '"Well, if they don't, let me know, lil I corne over and take a picture. That's a story that might even make page one of our regular paper." Council rejects median, places lights at Kathleen A recommendatien by ceuncil- lor Marcel Brunelle to place a median on Dundas St . E. at Kathleen to prevent left hand turns is "ludicrous and ridicu- lous,'" according to councillor Joe Bugelli. Bugelli called instead, for lights to be placed at the inter- section, which he said would better control the flow of traffic. Council agreed, and turned down the median, voting in favor of lights, but flot before council- lor Brunelle argued his point. "The danger there is left hand turns. If we put lights in there it will create more problems," said Brunelle who added that Dundas St. has s0 many lights that bet- ween Thickson and Kendalwood is the only stretch of road where cars begin te spread eut. But council would not accept that argument, even after Brunelle suggested the Town put the median in for one year, at a ceat of $30,000, and if it doesn't work, replace it with lights. "I'm not in faver of spending $30,000 for a year," said council. 1er Joe Drumrn who asked fire chief Ed Crouch whether he pre- ferred a median or lights at the intersection. Crouch replied he preferred the lights, neting that they pro- vide fer a more efficient ope- ration. "A median weuld be a barrier te us," said Crouch. Bugelli noted that the Tewn had remeved a median frem that same area twe years age and put in a left hand turn lane at a cost of $150,000O "and now we are saying put it back. That is ludicr- eus.,' Brunelle noted hewever, that two years ago the median was simply bumps in the road while the median he was prepesing was a physical barrier. Council voted for the instaîl- ment of lights at the intersection at a cost cf $45,000. Ceuncillers Brunelle and Den- nis Fox voted against the lights. The Tewn opened Kathleen ente Dundas St. E. last year but has kept it barricaded until it decided the best means cf con- trolling traffic at the intersec- tion. Corecion In an article about 'The Satanic Verses' in last week's editien, Georgina Middleten was incorrectly queted as stating "If I had a good Muslim custemer, I weuldn't carry it." In fact,sh stated that she hasnt had any customers from the Muslim cer- munity at her bookstore. The Free Press regrets the errer. The Passion Play 1990 Oberammergau, Alpine Europe & Danube Cruise Group Departure July 13 [o 29, 1990 Book Now To Avoid Disappointment Join Rev. Marshall& Grace Jess of Oshawa Escorted by Horizon Hoidays Russell TrayeZ Cail 668-5000 For Details 126 Brock St. S., Whitby i