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the examiner Thursday Feb 1979 Barries unofficial mayor makes wheels turn Early morning coffee for commuters Byrne makes and pours coffee from about am until am every day at the bus depot Truck drivers bus drivers and early morning risers all ap preciate it At am the coffee bar girls are in and they take over from Byrne For many of the commuters who show up at the station at that time Its their first human contact of the day Byrne tries to make it pleasant one Examiner Photo Government employee mahem and destruction cost Canadian taxpayers millions last year OTTAWA Cl1 Acts of de struction mayhem and outright fraud by government employees cost taxpayers $9614315 last year the public accounts for 1978 show Among other things civil ser vants soldiers and the RCMP wrecked more than $3 million worth of cars trucks boats and airplanes They caused floods damaged potato field destroyed bridge frightened cattle and set offa forest fire And they forced taxpayers to pick up the tab for claims from accidents with causes ranging THE QUIZ CANADA AND THE WORLD Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark told Israeli leaders that Canada CHOOSE ONE would would not help supply Israel with oil if normal oil supplies to that country were cut off Besides Israel Clark visited lapan India and on his recent 12day fournation tour bTurkey aChina True or False Premier Rene Levesque said he believes most Englishspeaking Quebecers will leave Quebec if the province achieves sovereignty Winifrid Potter recently withdrew as the Conservative Parliament from Quebecs Mount Royal riding That seat is currently held by Progressive Due to recent pay increase members of Parliament now earn yearly salaries of bS35700 a522400 newsname worldscope 10 points for each question answered correctly cJOrdan candidate for c$41300 newspicture 10 points it you answer this question correctly Ayatulla Khomeini prepared to return to lran his native country after 15 years in exile following the departure of Shah Mohammad Rela Pahlavi Khomeini who encouraged the recent unrest in lran leads that countrys Shiite Moslems who make up about percent of the population from slippery floors to lcaky batteries Payments for the 1078 finan cial year are down from Slit 35852 in 1977 They do not in cludc special payments to propriatcd property owners near the Mirabcl Quc airport who reccivcd 5913011471 last PART OF THIS NEWSPAPERS SEE THINK SCHOOL PROGRAM 345 b72 93 sportlight points tor each question answered correctly 10 points it you can Identity this person in the news As federal trade minister recently traveled to China where urged officials from Vietnam to citizens to be reunited in allow with their families Canada Who am matchwords points for each correct match 1exile 2exhaust 3oath 4ordeal Soutset YOUR SCORE 91 to 100 polnta TOP SCORE 01 to 90 points Excellent to 80 points Good 61 to 70 points Fair ti VEC lnc12979 aconsume use up btrial test cremove banish dstart beginning epromise pledge back injury suffered during recent bout in Detroit will sideline Canadian and Commonwealth CHOOSE ONE lightweight welterweight boxing champion Clyde Cray for the next several months Scott Cranham David Snively and lanet Nutter have helped make Canada the fourthranked nation in international competition aswimming bdiving Pittsburgh Steclcrs quarterback CHOOSE ONE Roger Staubach Terry Bradshaw passed for record 318 yards to lead the Steelers to 3531 Super Bowl victory over the Dallas Cowboys True or false The Steelers are the first National Football League team to win three Super Bowls Annemarie MoserProell of Austria has been setting records this winter defending her World Cup CHOOSE ONE downhill skiing speed skating title roundtable Family discussion no score What do you consider to be the real value of Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clarks rer ent world tour ycar 530607wa thc ycar bcforc and $11072244 in 1970 Last year public employees mainly SultlltlS RtMl officers and post ofticc drivcrs got in volvcd in traffic accidcnts that cost the govcrnmcnt 31511341 mdamagcclaims None of thc cars and trucks cgymnastir Answers on Page involved wcrc insured lhc goy crnmcnt says paying accidcnt claims is cheaper than paying insurance premiums Damage payments resulting from car and truck accidciils arc up sharply from 1077 whcn civil servants wrecked $037000 worth of vehicles But total 1978 vchiclc ac cidcnt payments arc lcss than thc tab taxpaych pickcd up for onc accidcnt involving anadian Forccs plaiic and an Nordair Ltd lZIcctra lhc govcrnmcnt spent $13217ilti to scttlr with the company laymcnts fall under scvcral categories First there arc ex gratia paymcnts madc by thc government as an act of lxncvolcncc in thc public 111 tcrcsl even though thcrc is no liability apc llrcton Mariiic Farming Ltd for instancc rcccivcd $023922 because tlic cn viroiimcnt department ordcrcd millions of fiiigcrling fish killcd bccausc of an outbrcak of cntcric rcdmouth distast And scvcral anadian maiiu lacturcrs split $300400 com xiisation for anadas 1074 do cision to stop exports of nuclcar material and equipment to In din llyports wcrc stopped bt causc India hrokc agrccnicnts and uscd tnnadian tcchiiology to hclp it cplodc iiuclcai lxrllili limac claims makc up thc largcst callgory in lllt public accounts docnmcnt mori than fiyc ciiitiiiictcrs thick that givcs short dcscriptions of thc hundreds of claims in scntcnccs of tiny print llamagis costs includc such things as Thc $1392 paid to Air aftcr ciivironmcnt department cmployccs shippcd liattcry on regular 70 flight that lcakcd acid in the aitplatics hold Mlhc $81K damagc to po tato field that followed anadian lorccs airplanc crash lhc $19m paid to St in ccnt Ont township for woodcn bridgc sayagcd by troops during military cx crcisc lhc$11001 paid to thc prov incc of lbcrta for cx tingiiishing fortst firc causcd by crash of aircraft lhc $5000 paid to farmcr who lost tour calvcs trightcncd by low flying tanadian lorccs plants Japan considering moving Tokyo due to overcrowding TOKYO IAI lhc lapa ticsc arc thinking scriously of moving the capital of tlic coun try out of Tokyo It would takc $20 billion at least lodoso Wc havc to do somcthing said lokugo Sakai of tlic Japan National Land Agency and head of thc group studying thc qucstion lhc population of Tokyo metropolitan area is now 27 million people By the ycar 21m it will be 113 million number of city scrviccs arc saturated including Willtl cncrgy housing wastc disposal Living conditions arc gctting vorsc lhc licayy concentration of pcoplc and industrics mcans tlic arca is vulnerable to natural disasters especially an cart hquakc The government has sct asidc $500000 to begin apital Reorganization Plan for Tokyo in the 21st cntury IAKII Ill YEARS The study will takc at least five years Sakai said It will take five years after that to plan implementation of what we decide on Then we will carry it out probably in tlic 21st century Sakai said the capital projch is part of the third dcvclopmciit plan for Tokyo in 20 years lhc first he said was failure In 1958 the govcrnmciil dc cidcd to try to do somctliing about the rapid unorganitcd growth of the Tokyo arca which at that time had popti lat ion approaching 16 million llii first llclopincnl plan sought to rcslrict thc con ctiitialion ol pcoplc and in lustrics in thc city propcr and to scl up salcllitc citics outside 30 klltlllltllt circlc whcrc industrics could bc cstabltslittl lhc plan also includcd kilomctrc Hllt grccii hclt aroundlokyo lhc satcllitc citics grow btit as bedroom suburbs not mdus trial ccntrcs lhat thrcw big gci burdcn on transportation facilitics into and 0111 of thc capital NO tiRlllIV RIIIJ In addition cpansioii camc so last that thc giccn litll got swallowcd bcforc it was cvcr cstablisllcd In 100 tlic goycriimcnt junkcd tlic first dcvclopmcnt plan and tricd again lhc new plan tried to encouragc grccn arcas instcad of grccu bclt and mined the saltllitc citics cvcn farthcr otit lhat plan didnt farc well either as growth continued too rapidly although Sakai said it couldnt bc termed failurc One part of thc sccond plan was kind of pilot projcct for thc capital movc involving thc translcr of 43 govcriiincnt rc scarch centres to lsukuba small city just north of Tokyo About 13000 of thc ccntrcs 13000 cmployccs havc moved to lsukuba and the rest will go this year Sakai said the trans for of the ccntrcs cvcntually will lakc 200000 pcoplc to thc arta Hy SHEILA 00 Tell you secret The real ac tion in Barrie doesnt go on at city hall where the politicians meet lts down at the bus sta tion on Maple Street where Byrne the unofficial mayor of Barrie has been making the wheels turn for close to 40 years His real namc is James Vin ccnt Byriic But nobody cvcr calls him anything but llcs thc Kingpin of thc Gray Yoach operation in this city the man who runs 20th ccntury transixirtation plant with thr cfficicncy of an airport whilc rctaining thc flavor of coiin try store And if thc old fashion cd pol bcllicd stovc isnt cxaclr ly in cvidcncc its spirit still is This is the placc whcrc pcoplc comc who arent cvcn going anywhcrc lhcy drop 11 just to visit chat up lhc ncws complain about thc wcathci and go away fccling bcttct llcs cvcrylxxlys fricnd Morc than 30 busts day each capablc of carrying 30 passcngcrs pass through thc Barric bus tcrniinal As agcnt managcr its rcspon sibility to scc that thcy gct to thc right placc at thc right timc Its an awcsomc rcspon sibilily hectic most of thc timc but one that managcs without cvcr gcttmg his tcathcrs rufflcd llc can gtt you on bus to just about any platc in North Amcrica illl ll If RlY To inch at his cry bcst youvc got to get upcnrly in thc morning llcs up and away from his todrmgton Strch homc in thc wcc hours wintcr and summcr and down at the station hcforc thc light liriaks lhcrcs girl who comcs on duty at scvin to tcnd thc snack bar but alrcady has thc coffcc on for thc first group of commutcrs who arrivc slccpy and frocn long bcforc this lhc commuters arc hardy hrtcd intrcpid souls who bravc white outs and icy roads daily to gct to their Jobs in Toronto lhcy min with ins or lim or Sam whocvcr is driving sccurc in NW knowlctlgc that thcyll gct thcrc in lllllt sailing along Highway 100 in onc of tray oachs big battlc ship likc buscs For many of thc commutcrs thcir sight of is probably the first contact with human soul that day It couldnt be lict tcr llc is unfailingly chccrful grccling thcm warmly by namc fccding thcm coffcc answcring thc phoncs sclling tickcts and disiwiising thc mor ningncws LOVES NE loves ncws llc rcads thc ncwspapcis and listcns to thc radio avidly And whilc you arc still gctting tlic slccpy dust pried out of your cycs If you are commutcr you may have cup of coffcc shovcd in your paw and at the samc timc Icarii cxactly what city council licrrc or loc in Ottawa havc bccn up to thc night bcforc If as rarcly happcns tht morning bus from lrillia cant maki it through will rout out standby driycr from his bed in thc liayshorc Motor llotcl and rcy up bus himsclf inst to gct thc commutcrs through llcs bccn known on morc than onc occasion if tlic highways arc closed to pack tbcm all ttl to llll tram sta tion Born in Sclircilicr Northcin uWhmumm MTV ntario came with his parents to Barrie when only yearandahalf old Educated at St Marys separate school and Barrie Collegiate he began his 37year career with tray oach running out of Barrie to Toronto Huntsville North Bay you namc it thn thc company appointed him agcntmanagcr in 1942 his terminal office was small building on Tollicr Street wlwic Tonys is now The war was on Borden was booming and he recalls that buses were in such demand that they were constantly lined up on ollicr Strcct much to the chagrin of otlicr motorists who found them nuisance to traffic LOTS Ol FIGHTS There were lots of wild and spiritcd lights went on in those days he recalled recently with chuckle But the coun cil was on our sidc and let us stay Anothcr rcmcmbcrcd incir dcnt which evoked dccp laugh was thc time customer at the lunch counter who couldnt spcak English approached The girl gavc him two doughnuts lhc man walked away and aiiotlicr customer who had undcrstoixl what thc man wanltd burst into laughtcr lhat fcllas going to have time gclting thosc doughnuts into thc coin box of the toilet hc rcmarkcd Wcatlicr of coursc is thc bane of bus mans cxistcncc thc constant cncmy against which ctcrnal vigilancc must be wagcd Yet while other modcs of transportation such as cars and planes are ground ed thc buscs nearly always get through lluring heavy snow storm in Barrie the highways may be closed for several hours btit usually at somc point bus will bull it through ust as soon as the allclear is signallcd Two years ago when severe storm in latc January had the 1l sockcd in couple were trying to make it to Toronto ln tcrnational airport for their first trip cvcr to Florida lhcy hcld chartcr class tickcts which mcant no show no go latcr lhc highways wcrc im passable The terminal was tecming with passcngcrs shoulder to shouldcrstcaming with wet coats and anxiety lcrmmal staff in touch with Toronto hcad officc the depart inciit of transport the policc and all news media wcrc disraught with cnqtiirics Nothing could move The couple crawled in taxi back to their cast cnd homc convinced that the trip was off and thcir tickets would be lorfcit THE PHONE RAN About 530 pm whcn they had given up all hope the phone rang it was friendly voice from tho terminal telling them that iray oach was going to try and get bus down Highway 11 if they wanted to take thc chance and ride along ltack to the terminal went the couple down the snow packed road in black dark thc bus driver inching his way into thc still blinding flurrics Thcy ar rivcd at York Mills station only to find Toronto btiscs to thc air port had given up and quit run mng tam got them to the airport wlicrc thcy wcrc told the flight had bccn cancelled Hut bccausc thc iray oach from Ticket to ride Barrie had got them through the couples ticket was honored they were put up at hotel at the airlines expense and flew to Miamithc nextmorning Thats the kind of friendly helpful caring about people that other bigger centres may have lost but Barrie terminal retains But what of the other facets of When he is not down at the terminal on Maple strect which opened with great fan fare in 1936 with all the brass up from Toronto and all dressed up in suit and tie where does he go and what does he do Well hesa grcat curler Lots of times hcs over at thccurling rink llestill likes to skate llcs interested in his community and even served term as alderman way back in 104647 when lleber Smith was mayor He used to play hockey as defence man His friend Kcn Walls wrote in The Barrie Ex aminer some years ago that playing hockey with was like getting hit with bus on two skates hanccs arc though that if you cant find down at the bus station these days hell be at homc with his wifc the former Zita Reardon of irilha The couple have one son Roger Byrne now general manager of the terminal who is assisted by his wife Elilabcth who works along with her husband two days week LOVES TO RELAX enjoys nothing better than to relax in big chair in the living room of his home overlooking the bay while Zita plays his favourite song Dan ny Boy on the organ Shes an accomplished musician whose rendition of that old favourite evokes sentimental reaction front of visit he had to Ireland last fall llcs travelled all over Europe but will tell you that lrcland is the place he liked best becausc of its bcautiful scenery and hSpil£1llp0pl Hes nursing brokcn toe these days Bumped into floor humidifier Its not keeping him home though Hes still down at thc terminal with thc crack of dawn hobbling between the coffee machine and the ticket lftCt cracking jokes tclling stories getting the show on the road The only time was ever laid out flat was couplc of years ago when he had to go in to hospital for an operation Mrs Byrne says it was ter riblc time for her because she couldnt get to see There were between 33 and 50 people day crowding into his room and hospital corridors bringing gctrwcll wishes The hospital officials finally had to move him to another floor and declare him incommunicado lhcy stopped counting the cards has special friend littlc chum who loscs no op portunity to go the terminal with him its his tlirccycaigtold grandson Kcvin the third generation of Byrncs to love buscs Aftcr Roger hes stan ding by in the wings waiting to come on But not for long time yct has no thought it rct ircmcnt lovc it hc says his eyes sparkling cant wait to get down there in the morning and sec whats doing ltctirc Never James Vincent Byrne is the man you buy your tickets from no matter where you go in Ontario if you travel by bus its an awesome and hectic respon sibility he says but still Its better than retirement Examiner Photo 33 Si