Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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THE ASHBURIAN 25 A VISIT T0 THE HOUSE OF CCDMMDNS N Tuesday, january 26, a group composed of about fifteen Senior boys was very fortunate in being able to attend the evening session of the House of Commons. We left the school at 7.30 and were comfortably seated in the gallery of the House by 8.15. The subject that was being debated was the raise in salaries of all XI.P.'s and Senators. XYe arrived at a good point during the debate, as we heard the main arguments of both sides, and saw the bill passed before 10.00 o'clock, when the House adjourned. The Prime Minister had supported the bill earlier and when we arrived Hon. D. Fulton, P.C. member for Kamloops. was giving a long dissertation on its weak points. Xlr. Drew said he favoured the principle of increased indemnities, but suggested that the Government first submit the matter to a Royal Commission. Then Liberal F. Pouliot said in an amusing speech that he could not discover from Mr. Drew's words whether he was for or against the passing of the bill, and he suggested that Mr. Drew's head should be made of glass. C. Gillis, C.C.F. member for Cape Breton South, summed up the main point in favour of the increased salaries. He pointed out that members have to keep up two residences, do a great deal of travelling, and perform all the necessarily expensive duties that are expected of any M.P. He said that the high cost of living had hit members very hard, and moreover that he did not think that the people of Canada wanted their members to live in cheap rooming-houses. Towards the end of the debate things were becoming pretty stormy, and the Speaker of the House had to call for order on several occasions. Finally, Hon. Louis St. Laurent asked for a vote. Xlr. Drew put in his last appeal, but in vain. The bill was given first reading. Those who voted in favour of the bill all stood up and were counted-they numbered 130. The same procedure was repeated for the 37 members who were against the bill. As we left the Parliament Buildings, we felt that the trip had been well worth while, for we had learned a great deal of the legis- lative procedure of Canada. L ffl

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24 THE ASI-IBURIAN apparatus was not operating at that time, and we were able to examine it on the spot. VV e also saw the control room from where it is operated when in use. This visit proved to be one of the highlights of the tour, and we could quite willingly have spent more time there. Leaving the Radiation Laboratory we journeyed to the Medical Museum which also proved very interesting. Here we found parts of the human body pickled, and various cross sections done. This proved to be of great help in our Zoology classes. We then visited the famous Osler Library. This library contains books of great value such as: De Humani Corporis F abrica written in 1514 by Vesalius. Another thing of interest was a degree diploma issued to a student from the University of Padua. Among the other very ancient books figured: Assyrian writings on baked cuniform tablets giving prescriptions for eye troubles dating from 700 B.C., and an Arabic Book 112561 written by Algafici, a Moorish Physician giving cures by herbs. XYe left the Medical build- ings and then travelled to the Redpath Museum. This is made up of exhibits of History, notably the 1812 XVar, Ethnology, Zoology, Botany, and Geology and proved fascinating once more. This visit to McGill had run the gamut and was very educative. After a hurried lunch in town where some people gorged them- selves, we were picked up at the VVindsor Hotel in cars, and taken to the Canadian Aviation Electronics Company. First we saw the Dumont Television Plant, and although not in operation, We were able to see the assembly lines, and at least get some idea as to television manu- facture. 1Ve then drove to the new Plant and had a quick gander through it. This is a large modern plant and Group Captain K. R. Patrick, one of our parents, explained with a model of the plant, the operations which were taking place and those which would take place on its completion. VVe were then shown the drafting department, and the places where they manufacture the fire control for the new Cana- dian Hghter planes. The C.A.E. also does radar work. After this short visit we left to hurry to catch trains or be off to our relatives who had seen us so little. And thus ended the 153-'54 Science Trip. I feel quite confident in saying that I am sure that everybody participating enjoyed it to its fullest extent. On behalf of the Science Trippers, I would like to thank everyone who helped to make the trip so successful, names too numer- ous to mention, and particularly to our Genial Science master, Mr. Sibley, without whose efforts. the trip would still be a dream. The members of this year's group included:- Mr. Sibley, G. P. jackson, G. XVatson, M. Hogben, D. Hore, L. Hart, R. Turcotte, H. Short, R. Unwin, P. NValker, S. Mclnnes and your reporter, George Verhaegen.

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26 THE ASHBURIAN THE R.C.M.P. TRIP N a cold night of january, a small enthusiastic group of Senior School boys walked over to the R.C.NI.P. barracks to listen to talks on the activities of the several departments of the Criminal Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. VVe were welcomed by Stal? Sergeant Sutherland in the chemical building, where we were made to feel quite at home. The heads of the three main departments-the ballistics, hand- writing, and chemical department, explained in detail how these groups work together to uphold the traditions of the R.C.M.P. The whole lecture was well illustrated with slide Elms. The head of the ballistics department showed us how weapons used in a crime can be identified. This is done by comparing the marks made on a bullet at the scene of the crime, with the marks made on a bullet shot from the suspect gun in the laboratory. Next the chief of the chemical department explained how, in the laboratory, a sample of dirt, for instance, taken from the suspect's shoes, can be compared chemically with a sample of dirt taken from the scene of the crime. Also, blood tests can be taken from those involved in an automobile accident to see if it is a case of drunken driving. To close the occasion, the head of the handwriting department demonstrated with slides how forgeries can be identified, just by comparing the size and shape of the characters in the genuine piece of writing with those in the suspected one. He also explained how changes in cheques or documents can be detected by differences in colours of ink, differences in the chemical compositions of the ink, and even eradication stains on the paper. At the end of the evening everyone departed with the feeling that they had greatly enjoyed an experience which was not only educational but also highly entertaining. 5