| a 2A THE OSHAWA TIMES, Seturday, November 13, 1965 MOTORING By CHRIS DENNETT Automotive Writer Of The Oshawa Times IN THE BEGINNING there were just four tiny wheels shrouded by a strange, box-like structure. It had a stubby, rather aggressive front, and a flat, upright stern. The British Motor Corporation, whose fledgling it was, Gubbed it the Mini car. The name was apt. It was the smallest car anyone had ever seen. To top it off the. car did all kinds of things that ordinary cars wouldn't and shouldn't. One of them was to go round corners at speeds so horrifyingly fast that the driver would emerge with a cold sweat. It's beautifully engineered power plant, front wheel Grive, small wheels and low slung suspension all clubbed together to produce one of the most exciting forms of driving ever known to the enthusiast. Not surprisingly the car was an immediate success. ON THE RACING CIRCUITS the Minis proceeded to gobble up lap records right, left and centre. The drivers of big bore machinery suddenly found their rear view mifrors full.to overflowing with snapping Mini cars. As race cars they were exciting to watch. Like little terriers they cavorted around with smoking tires. Always hunting in packs they could safely handle most anything that came along. Thrilled to bits with their creation, BMC settled down to work on some variations on a theme. There was the Morris-Mini, the Austin Mini; then the Riley Elf and the Wolseley Hornet. Then came the Mini-Cooper. BMC handed over a body and engine to the English racing firm of John Cooper and told him to come up with a sporty Mini. The result was a smash success, popular all over the world for its giant killing abilities. From the Mini-Cooper grew the Cooper 'S'. The engine was bigger and better and it pent like the proverbial clappers. There were also Mini trucks, Mini pick-ups and Mini station wagons. There was even a strange thing (which BMC were not responsible for) called a Twinny Minny. This had an erigine in the front and another in the back. The whole ensembie, although an interesting exercise in engineering, didn't work too well and was hastily scrapped, THE BRITISH ARMY got interested in the Mini and BMC supplied them with Mini jeeps. From the Mini grew the Morris and Austin 1100's. The basic front wheel drive structure grew still further with pl addition to the BMC range of the Morris and Austin "Ss. Now BMC has come up with still another first -- the automatic Mini. BMC proudly announced it at the London Motor Show last month. It was an immediate success on that side of the Atlantic. Basically the new automatic combines the best of both worlds, A CENTRAL FLOOR mounted lever can be used to select either fully automatic or to make individual changes between any of the four forward gears. With the 2nd, $rd or 4th gears selected individually full engine braking can be obtained. On fully automatic operation, the gearbox makes use of four forward gears. A kickdown switch linked to the throttle allows instant changing down for overtaking. Thus, on the open road one can have fun with the Hear shifts. Once inte the city one can slip it ints aute- matic and listen to the radio. It is all so very simple. The new automatic should be available in Canada by next Spring. CONGRATULATIONS TO Dale Neil, Oshawa's most successful racing driver, who with his steady driving this year won. the Ontario Region Class 12 championship. This was his second win in a row of the class championship. Dale will be back next year. The Corvair will be back too, but stacked with a few more goodies. WITH EVERY NEW month jby Richard J. Gwyn. LIBRARY NEWS AND REVIEWS The following reviews were written by Miss Ruth Brook- ing, head of the adult circula- tion department, McLaughlin Public Library THE SHAPE OF SCANDAL; a study of government in crisis, The twenty-third of Novem- ber, 1964, was a memorable day in the political history of Can- ada, for on that Monday there erupted the winter scandals which rocked Ottawa and the country. Almost every govern- ment expects to encounter some unpleasant affair during its term of office, yet only five major scandals have occurred in Canadian politics, and all have involved' money, which surely provides food for thought. se ~The Canadian Pacific Rail- way Scandal of Sir John A. Macdonald's era in 1873 and the Customs Department Scan- dal of 1926 were forerunners of the bribery allegations and questionable furniture deals which came 'close to bringing down Prime Minister Pearson's physical size, it looms large in terms of political and historical importance. In it he searches for the answer to Canada's future, and mourns her passing as a sovereign state, Canada's future, the author found, was bound up with the pradoxical Jeader of the Con- servative Party, former Prime Minister of Canada, John G. Diefenbaker. Reviled by the rul- ing classes and intellectuals from 1960 to 1965, this same man led the Conservatives to an overwhelming victory in the 1957 election, which the writer feels. was "the Canadian peo- ple's last gasp of nationalism."' Whatever his shortcomings, on February 5, 1963, Mr. Diefen- baker had the courage to' af- firm his belief in Canadian sovereignty, and brought the full weight of the American government against himself. As an example of the power of the American Empire, the Liberals were given the advice of the Kennedys' own election expert, Louis Harris: and in the elec- tion of 1968 American officials Liberal government just one year ago. According to the experienced | journalist, Richard Gwyn, the importance of a scandal is the | shape it assumesy and that} shape is built by the reasons | for its occurrence and the man- | ner in which it is handled by | those in authority. The $20,000 | bribery offer to Pierre Lamon- tagne on behalf of Lucien Rivard, the suspected narcotics smuggler, which involved aides in the Departments of Justice and Immigration and the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Secre- tary was a serious charge in itself. The author feels that the | effects of the scandals and the | recommendations of the Dorion Inquiry were more far reach- ing in the loss of confidence in | the Liberal government and in| Prime Minister Pearson. It} appeared that the Prime Min- | ister and Justice Minister Fav- reau had lacked the ability to make 'harsh decisions" and ruthlessly remove any subordin- ate whose conduct was not above reproach. Although the winter scandals had a limited political impact and were later leavened by the comic-opera quality of Rivard's escape from the Bordeux jail, one truth cannot be _ rational- ized away -- the scandals should not have happened at all. The author has gathered the~events of the past year into an ab- sorbing book, which should in- terest every Canadian who is concerned about the governing of his country. by George Grant. Although Dr. Grant's lament month GM sets a new Canadian sales record. + i cd , | BLECTROHOME AN ALL-CANADIAN COMPANY selling a total of 24,433 cars and trucks compared with 19,300 for the same month a year ago. BURNS When you select Electro- home you receive the finest in All-Conadian craftsman- ship ! -- Every Electrohome STEREO -- TV -- COLOR SET feotures carefully hand- C.D.T.A. wired circuitry ond hond- SCHOOL OF DANCING a Ge oe sy rt | = pn RS De $339.50 @ TEENAGE | CLASSES | K. of C. 728-7902 Bldgs. 184 Bond West @ YOUR COLOR TV STORE e JAZZ 7 ewe | PARKWAY "KEEP FIT" TELEVISION FULL YEAR PARTS end SERVICE WARRANTY 918 SIMCOE ST. N. "We Service What We Sell . . . Ourselves" 723-3043 LAMENT FOR A NATION, | for his native land is small in followed Howard Green to his political meetings. Dr. Grant believes that in the twenty years before 1957 the Liberal Party pursued policies which inexorably will lead to the disappearance of Canada and its absorption by the Amer- ican republic. The Liberal pol- icy under C. D. Howe pro- duced "a branch-plant society of American capitalism" with a branch-plant O'Keefe Centre culture as a symbol of Can- ada. Such men as E. P. Taylor, who was quoted in 1963 as say- ing 'Canadian nationalism! How old-fashioned can you get?" made. up the ruling class. Dr. Grant, a respected writer and teacher, takes an extremely pessimistic. view of Canada's chances for survival as a sove- reign nation and leaves un- answered the ultimate question as to whether it is good that Canada should disappear to form a universal homogeneous state. Basing his beliefs on itradition rather than _philoso- iphy, he holds forth the hope 'that any changes that may come will take place within an eternal order unaffected by such changes. Canadians who take their independence --_ for granted will be jolted by the ideas put forth by Dr. Grant in Lament for a Nation but I hope that they -willtake-_a more optimistic view of Can- Canadian Writers Probe Problems Of Politicians ada's future than does the author. The File on Devlin, by Catherine Gaskin The Garden of the Moon, by Pierre Boulle The Honey Badger, by Robert Ruark Lost Empires, by J. B. Priestly The Strode Venturer, by Ralph Hammond-Innes GENERAL Canada; the Uneasy Neighbor, by Gerald Clark Canada's Nuclear Story, by Wilfrid Eggleston The House of Elrig, by Gavin Maxwell : O Canada, by Edmund Wilson Roy Thomson of Fleet Street, by Russell Braddon NEWS Mrs. Roman Storoshchuck was appointed to the Adult Staff October 1..Mrs. Storoshchuck has her master's degree in Economics and Business Admin- istration from the University of Vienna. On display in the main lobby- is an attractive exhibit of Ojibwa crafts from the Curve Lake Indian Reserve. The Clerical Section of the Ontario Library Association held its annual fall workshop at the McLaughlin Library on Wed- nesday, November 10. - The library is opening Young Canada's Book Week November 15 with an Art Exhibition in the Auditorium. All entries have been based on a book read by the young exhibitor and will be judged by members of the Uni- versity Women's Club. SLOT RAGING All populer mekes end models, of cars in stock. We also heve eveiloble recing fecilities with very reeson- able retes, Pollard's Hobby 723-9532 Live Music Has Got To Be BEST! Shandells Wally and the Vi-Counts the ae ae = the ; Rivieras CONTACT 728.9664