#cpr angus shops

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"Angus Shops Strikers Back," Montreal Star. July 27, 1943. Page 3. --- Return on Promise To Consider Demands ---- Nearly all of the 1,600 striking machinists, day laborers and helpers of the Canadian Pacific Angus Shops returned to their jobs today on a promise made to them by company and union officials that their demands for an increase in the basic wage rate and a week's holiday with pay would receive "prompt consideration" as soon as they had returned to work.

Decision to return to work was reached at a mass meeting of union officials and workers at l'Assistance Publique Hall last night. At an early hour this morning, "practically all" the men had returned to their jobs, a company official stated.

The workers struck last Thursday, causing the layoff by the company of 6,000 skilled workers. Employes, now receiving 38 cents an hour basic wages as well as nine cents an hour cost of living bonus, ask that hourly basic rates be raised to 50 cents.

Acting as spokesman for the hundreds of workers at the meeting last night, Vincent Cabane urged the men to "show common sense" and return to their jobs. A day laborer himself, Cabane told his audience that the C.P.R. Local Federation, Division 4, A.F. of L., would back the workers in making their demands.

A letter from the, Federation promising the men support was read to last night's audience. The letter promises that "this local federation will back them (the laborers) up in their demands." The letter is signed by J. Cleasby, president, and J. F. Graham, secretary of the A. F. of L. Federation.

[thecomicsnexus]

UNCANNY X-MEN #122-124 JUNE - AUGUST 1979 BY CHRIS CLAREMONT, JOHN BYRNE, TERRY AUSTIN AND GLYNIS WEIN

SYNOPSIS (FROM MARVEL DATABASE)

Back at the X-Mansion after a long absence, Cyclops has Colossus run a strength test in the Danger Room, finding that the Russian mutant has not been performing at his peak strength after a series of defeats have diminished his confidence. When he proves unable to force back some crushing walls with his strength, Wolverine decides to force him to do it by damaging the Danger Room's safety controls and putting himself at risk. This forces Colossus to get past his insecurities and use his full strength to prevent Wolverine from being crushed. Cyclops then leaves Wolverine to do repairs on the Danger Room. Leaving, Cyclops would run into Colleen wing who would ask Cyclops if he'd like to go out on a date. Glad to have a day off after their battle with the Living Monolith Cyclops agrees to go. He first checks on Nightcrawler and Banshee who are working in the hanger getting the Blackbird back in operational order. As Scott leaves to prepare for his date, he wonders where the Professor could have gone while they were missing in action.

At that moment in deep space, Charles Xavier tries to get used to living on the Shi'ar throneworld where celebrations of Lilandra's ascension to the throne has met with much fanfare. While in Scottland, Jean Grey continues her extended vacation in the area. On her way back to Muir Island after a day of shopping she runs into a man named Jason Wyngarde who helps her with her packages and sees her on her way. When she joins Moira and the others on her boat, they ignore the fact that sailors are looking for boat renter Angus MacWinter. As they leave Wyngarde watches as they leave and is convinced that he will make Jean Grey fall in love with him. As he stands in his light, his shadow is much different than his body.

Back in New York, Cyclops and Colleen are on their date and Scott decides that they should talk about their abrupt relationship. While elsewhere, Wolverine drops Storm off in the Harlen neighborhood where she was born. Driving back through the city, Logan spots Mariko Yashida entering the Japanese embassy and stops to try to get in and is refused at the door. Ororo meanwhile is walking through her old neighborhood and notices that it has become even more of a slum than she remembers. Entering the old apartment building where her parents used to live, Storm is surprised to find that it is become another abandoned tenement that has become a shooting gallery for junkies. When the junkies attempt to rob her, she uses her weather powers to keep them at bay, but when one tries to get the jump on her, she is saved by Power Man and Misty Knight who happened to see her on the street and went to make sure she wouldn't get into any trouble. Scott and Colleen Wing part company, Colleen returning to the city to handle her detective work, but before leaving she leaves Scott with a key to her apartment and an invite to come anytime.

Lastly, aboard a private aircraft owned by the novelty assassin known as Arcade, the Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy are on board seeking to hire Arcade to assassinate the X-Men. Loving the possible challenge, Arcade tells the two men that he will take the job and that the X-Men are as good as dead.

The Amazing Spider-Man is swinging through New York's Greenwich Village, lamenting over his personal finances and fretting about his date with Cissy Ironwood when he recognizes Colleen Wing and Scott Summers and stops in to say hello before continuing on their way. Scott and Colleen are unaware that they are being watched by one of Arcade's minions, Mr. Chambers, who uses a specially rigged garbage truck to capture them. Overhearing this, Spider-Man recognizes the noise and realizes Arcade must be after his friends and arrives too late to stop the kidnapping. Considering the fact that the Arcade might be after the X-Men, Spider-Man decides to try to get in touch with them.

The Wall-Crawler's hunch proves to be true, as Nightcrawler, Colossus and their dates Amanda Sefton and Betsy Wilford are all gassed and taken prisoner by Miss Locke. When Wolverine ends another date with Mariko Yoshida, he too is captured by Mr. Chambers. While Arcade takes care of Banshee and Storm personally by breaking into the X-Mansion and taking them out with tranquilizer darts. When Spider-Man calls into the school, Arcade answers the phone and tells Spidey that he's too late to warn his friends, angering the Wall-Crawler so badly, he smashes the phone booth he's in.

When the X-Men come around they find themselves in uniform and placed in giant glass pinballs. Arcade introduces himself and sends them off through his gigantic booby-trapped pinball machine. After bouncing off a number of electrified bumpers, each ball goes down a separate slot sending each X-Man into a different room. Cyclops lands in a room where he has to make a choice between three doors, with only one leading to safety. In order to force him to make a decision a moving wall threatens to crush him. Colossus ends up in a room where he is confronted by a robot disguised as a KGB agent named Alexi Vazhin who begins interrogating Colossus over his loyalty to Russia while powerful hypnotic lights confuse him. Wolverine ends up in a hall of mirrors that create distorted robotic duplicates of him to battle. Nightcrawler is trapped in a room where remote control cars chase after him with cutting buzz saws. Banshee, still unable to use his mutant powers, has to make it through a holographic simulation of a World War II battle, where some of the model jets are real. Lastly Storm finds herself trapped in a dark room that is filling with water. With her claustrophobia setting in she tries to blast her way trough the roof with a lightning bolt onto to have it reflected back at her.

Cyclops meanwhile decides not to choose any of the doors and instead blasts through one of the walls with his optic blast. This clears a passage into the hall of mirrors, damaging the replicating mirrors. After helping Wolverine dispatch of the last of them, the two X-Men head for the exit door only to be attacked by Colossus who has been brainwashed into thinking that he is a Russian loyalist called the Proletarian. From Arcade's control room, Colleen, Amanda, and Betsy, restrained in present shaped harnesses can only watch helplessly from the control monitor. Arcade howls with laughter that with Colossus under his control, the X-Men are finished.

Captured by Arcade, the X-Men have been forced to fight their way through his Murderworld. As Cyclops and Wolverine face off against their comrade Colossus, who has been brainwashed into thinking he is the "Proletarian", a Russian loyalist, Arcade hows with laughter from his control room. With him are his prisoners Amanda Sefton, Colleen Wing, and Betsy Willford. When Colleen demands to know who he is, Arcade explains to the women that he was just one of the idle rich of Beverly Hills until his father cut off his money, prompting him to murder his father. Finding a knack for killing, the boy who would become Arcade used his family fortune to construct his Murderworld theme park and hire himself up as an assassin. He recounts how he was previously hired by the Maggia to try and eliminate Spider-Man and Captain Britain, and then later hired by Black Tom and Juggernaut to eliminate the X-Men. With his life story explained, he returns his attention to the monitor.

In one room, the battle between Colussus, Wolverine and Cyclops continues. The brain washed X-Man manages to knock both of his comrades through different revolving doors. In one room, Storm tries desperately to get out of a room that is rapidly filling with water, struggling to keep her claustrophobia in check while trying to find an escape route. Cyclops ends up landing in the room where Nightcrawler struggles to avoid being cut by a number of bumper cars lined with razor blades. When Cyclops arrives all the cars pop out at once to strike. While Wolverine ends up in the holographic simulation of that Banshee is caught in. When Wolverine's senses allow him to find a wall, he attempts to cut through it. Arcade, having had this done when he was trying to kill Spider-Man and Captain Britain has a surprise waiting for the two mutants: robot duplicates of the Hulk and Magneto. While Storm decides to find an escape under the water. Doffing her cape and boots she swims down and finds a grate that might lead to a way out and desperately travels through hoping that she can find an exit before she runs out of breath.

Cyclops manages to dispatch the razor-cars and blasts a hole in the wall that leads to an access tunnel. He sends Nightcrawler off on his own to try and find the control room while he blasts his way into another room. This is the room where Wolverine and Banshee are fighting the Hulk and Magneto robots. As Cyclops lends Wolverine and Banshee a helping hand, Nightcrawler gets the drop on Arcade, Miss Locke and Mr. Chambers. Taking Miss Locke's machine gun, Nightcrawler blasts the controls to Murderworld before being brought down by knock out gas.

As Cyclops and the others finish fighting off the robots, a panel in the wall opens dumping out water and Storm into the room. Cyclops manages to revive Storm using CPR when Colossus enters the room. Still under the influence of his brainwashing, Colossus knocks aside Wolverine and Banshee and then begins to choke out Storm and Cyclops. Storm however manages to appeal to Colossus, making him snap out of his brainwashing. With the battle lost, Arcade decides to let the X-Men live and pushes a button that ejects the X-Men and their friends out of Murderworld into an abandoned amusement park. Rescuing their friends, they find Arcade has left a note with Nightcrawler telling the X-Men that they won the first round, but he'll get them next time. Although Wolverine wants to go back, Cyclops advises against it and the team decides to return home to recuperate from their battle.

REVIEW

I have to admit that Arcade looks too goofy to be taken seriously (kind of like what happened with the mad mod). But in essence, this story is not that different from modern horror movies where characters are doomed whether they can overcome a challenge or not. One would say he is also pretty smart to avoid being captured thus far, but yet again, he had all the X-men unconscious. He could have killed them then and there. But he finds that boring. That is more in line with the Riddler.

We also get to explore Piotr and Ororo in this arc, and that creepy romance between Scott and Colleen. It’s not meant to be Colleen, the next Iron Fist writer will make you go away from this title. Sorry.

The art looks so iconic, it’s hypnotic.

I give this story a score of 8

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“MURDER SUSPECT FOUND DROWNED,” Montreal Star. October 2, 1930. Page 3 & 41. ---- Wife Dies From Beating ---- Letter Tells of Trouble ---- Her skull fractured, evidently by blows from a beer bottle which was found broken nearby, Ms. John Charbonneau, 27 years of age, was found In her apartment in St. Bernard House, 104 Stanley street. in dying condition at sight. She was removed to the General Hospital where she died at 1 o'clock this morning. Twelve hours earlier the body of her husband was found in the Lachine canal, about 300 feet from Black's bridge,

When found, Mrs. Charbonneau was lying on her bed, scantily clad, the pieces of the bottle, broken by the violence of the blows showered on her, lying on the bed beside her. The couple had been married only eight weeks. 

Charles Shears, brother at the dead. woman made the tragic discovery last night. He called at the apartment and found the front door locked. He gained entrance through the rear door and found his sister, lying. He had been aware, he told police, that there had been trouble between sister and her husband. beginning some time ago. 

LETTER FOUND Detectives Prysky Therrien and Francoeur, and Sergeant Ennis of No. 6 station, who were assigned to investigate the case, found a letter, believed to have been written by the husband. According to morgue authorities, the letter hints at domestic trouble, and is thought to suggest the reason for the double tragedy. On the hack of the paper were the words, "You will find the money in the cup board.”

On the reverse side, the writer detailed some of the causes of the estrangement between himself and his wife, mentioning his wife's family as one cause, it is said. 

Investigation revealed the fact that the couple lived for a short time after their marriage with A. Archambault, 1412 Sanguinet street

Interviewed this morning Mr. Archambault stated that he had known the couple, and that Charbonneau had been a roomer in his house for six months before the marriage. 

"He was not a drinking man, and was always quiet in manner," he told police. “His health was good, although he had a sore right arm which prevented him doing hard labor. He used to work in the Angus shop of the CPR. but lately he got a job as a night watchman.”

WIFE FROM ENGLAND. “His wife, who was a Miss Simpson, came to Montreal from England, and lived here until they were married while the R-100 was here. Miss Simpson had been here about three weeks when they were married and went to live in the west end of the city." 

They had left some of their belongings behind when they moved, he said. When informed of the note mentioning money left in a cupboard, he informed the police that he had a cupboard in which Charbonneau had kept some of his personal belongings.

The key, he said, was in Charbonneau's possession.

The inquest will be held tomorrow morning, having been postponed at the request of police.

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“New Tank Comes Off Line,” Porcupine Advance (Timmins). December 4, 1941. Section 2, page 8. ---- Another Canadian tank is shown as it receives its finishing touches in a Montreal factory. Canada has undertaken to produce 100 tanks for Russia before the end of the year, in addition to fulfilling the needs of its own forces.

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“Angus Shops Craftsmen Celebrate 100th Tank,” The Porcupine Advance (Timmins). November 20, 1941. Page 6. ---- It was a proud moment for employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus shops at Montreal when the 100th army tank rolled off the shops assembly line to take its place with others in the British armed forces. The important production milestone was marked by a gala ceremony during which Tank No. 100, gaily bedecked with flags and placards, was paraded down the shops midway to te strains of the employees’ brass band.

Cheering throngs of shopmen lined the broad runway as the tank-of-honor rumbled by symbolizing the stepped up tempo of production since the first Canadian-built tank was released from the big plant early in the summer. Large placards affixed to the tanks’ khaki sides indicated the determination of the employes who staged the ceremony on their own initiative, to do all in their power to contribute to victory.

As the procession drew up before the tank shops where other finished tanks stood in a grim line, the band played ‘O Canada’ and the National Anthem, and this was followed by lusty cheers as the Angus workers surveyed their handiwork. Many of the tank’s 99 Angus-built predecessor are already in service with the armed forces, and as the above placard says: ‘Hundreds more will follow quickly.

The ceremony recalled the message of D. C. Coleman, vice-president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, when the first tank was produced at Angus shops. On that occasion Mr. Coleman remarked: ‘This machine is the child of sweat and tears. It will be followed by hundreds and thousands of others to help the Empire to its victory.’

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“Canadian Tanks Start For Russia,” Toronto Star. December 13, 1941. Page 36. ----- Stern proof of Canada’s determination to aid Russia are these 20-ton infantry tanks, soon to aid the Soviet army in its rout of the Nazi invaders. One hundred of these iron-clad monsters are being shipped to Russia from the Angus shops in Montreal. More than 3,500 men are working constantly to increase the flow of these machines from the plant’s assembly lines.

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“C.N.R. Lays Off 800 Men in Shops Here,” Montreal Star. April 8, 1932. Page 3. ---- Railway Reduces Staffs By 3000 Throughout Country  --- Eight hundred men employed in the Point St. Charles shops of the Canadian National Railways were laid off last night following the expiration of notice given curlier in the week that the amount of repair work was such that considerable reductions had to be made in the shops throughout the system.

About 3000 men from Moncton to the Pacific coast were also laid off under the notice, the Central region from Riviere du Loup to Fort William being the worst sufferer as 1700 men were laid off. In the Western territory, it was figured that 1500 men would be cut, but an announcement from Winnipeg stated that, owing to local complications, the shops there had not been closed and so the number actually discharged last night is less than that. Nine hundred men have been laid off throughout the system since February 15 so that up to date this year between 4000 and 5000 men employed in the CNR shops have lost their jobs.

In the Eastern section from Riviere du Loup to Halifax, the lay-off has been very small only about 80 or 100 of the 1200 men engaged in repair work being dispensed with.

PHILOSOPHICAL ATTITUDE Union officials staled this morning that they had been informed by the railway management that too many men were being kept on the payroll for the amount of work that had to he done and the men realised what the railways were up against at this time and accepted the lay-off in a philosophical spirit, in the hope that either through negotiation or improvement in conditions the time they would be out will be short.

In the main shops the men have been working under an arrangement of four days a week or 32 hours for April and May but in the running shops, the men claim there have been sufficient lay-offs to warrant their maintaining a 40 hour week and this is causing some dissatisfaction inasmuch as if the running shops were on a 32 hour basis, it would mean the employment of something like 2000 additional men who are without work. They feel that working hours should be evened up and that in the suburban points in Ontario and Quebec where they do light repairs they should be on the same basis as the main shops and prevent lay-offs by cutting their hours.

The employees of the CPR Angus shops which had been closed from before Easter went back to work on Wednesday under an arrangement for 15 days work a month and on both railways. It is stated that negotiations are likely to be made to arrange for change of shifts so that former employes may get something to do.