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ive and es split Lewis. somedy } Monte modern nat the yn, with n Norm ir show imulate lanets" R. S. McLAUGHLIN STEERED BUGGY a é LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR EARL ROWE, COL. McLAUGHLIN AT AUTO MUSEUM «++ Mr. Sam's Donation Helped Museum Reach Financial Objective, Remain Open QUIET 96TH. BIRTHDAY... Wheels In Mr. Sam's Head Since Five . Judgment Reserved By PAUL TISSINGTON Times' News Editor A five-year-old boy slipped into his father's wood shed one day and a wheel hanging from the ceiling fell on him. "And I have had wheels in my head ever since," says R. S. McLaughlin, responsible perhaps more than any other man for the establishment of a Canadian automobile indus- try Tt was 100 years ago that a emall family company started making its reputation as finest carriage manufactarer in Canada, Today, haying grown from buggies to limou- sines, the company--now General Motors of Canada Ltd..--is the largest automo- bile manufacturer in the country. The history of GM in Can- ada can be traced to 1867; to the quiet village of Enniskil- len & few miles north of Oshawa; to Mr. McLaughlin's talenteé woodcarving father Robert. But it was Samuel, the third son, who became the driving force in steering the buggy business into a motor car business. Mr. Sam, as he ts affection- ately called, is a big man, not tall, but broad and_ thick, Almost as old as Confedera- tion, he celebrated his. 96th birthday Friday -- and part of his day, as it was last year, was spent behind his desk in his GM office in Oshawa, 'BODY OF IRON' "A man with a voice of brass, a body of iron and a heart of gold," was the description given him by Canadian financier E. P. Tay- lor, at his 85th birthday party. Add to that a touch of humor, On his 94th birthday he told a reporter: "Nursie says she'll take me to 100. At that age I'd be a curiosity or a damn nuisance, I don't want to he either." Asked how he felt on his 95th birthday, he replied: "I'm ready to jump over the moon." $50,000 to re-establish. Sales He was born at Enniskillen where his father, called The Governor by his sons, had established a carriage com- pany after making sleighs, cutters and wagons on his farm at nearby Tyrone. With- in six years the business was expanding too fast for the two-s.orey factory and in 1876 the McLaughlin Carriage Works moved into a factory in Oshawa. Mr. McLaughlin said later he had "'no great urge" to go ste. into hie father's business. He considered becoming a hard- ware merchant, a lawyer and a draftsman, but The Gover- nor wanted him to learn the business and at 16 he became an apprentice. He started in the upholstery shop at $3 a week, his salary for three years, $2.50 of which he paid his father for board. Like any other apprentice he swept floors and did other menial jobs, BECAME DESIGNER After his apprenticeship, he set out to broaden his knowl- edge of the business and worked in several U.S. car- riage factories. In 1892, when he was 21, his father took him and his brother George into the business as partners. Aroather brother, Jack, studied pharmacy and later founded the Canada Dry Company. Seven years later, Mr. McLaughlin had become chief designer, as well as business manager, and had created 143 different designs for car- riages and sleighs, all of which were being produced. But, in December, 1899, dis- aster struck. Fire destroyed the McLaughlin plant, all of the designs, raw materials and partly-finished carriages. As business manager, he undertook to relocate the business temporarily in Gana- noyue, Ont. Production resumed within a month and 3,00¢ carriages were turned out within six months. By mid-summer, a new plant in Oshawa was opened. The town lent the McLaughlins 1908 McLAUGHLIN MOTOR CAR CO. PRODUCT eee On Display At Automotive Museum quickly soared to 25,000 vehi- cles a year and volume passed the million-dollar mark. It was about this time that Mr. McLaughlin became acquainted with the motor car. A friend asked him to design a top for his auto to keep out the rain. After going for a ride, he reported later, he had "ta new kind of wheels in the head." He investigated the busi- ness possibilities during sev- eralstrips to the United States and, along with his brother, persuaded The Governor to enter the industry. In 1907 the McLaughlin Motor Car Co. was formed with Mr. Sam as president. He signed an agreement with William Durant, president of the Buick Co. in the U.S., to use the Buick engine in the Mc- Laughlin-designed car. The following year, 1908, McLaughlin-Buicks folled off assembly lines. "Quite a feat for a bunch of carriage-mak- ers who were cutting their teeth on automobiles," he wrote later. As he had done in the car- riage company, Mr. McLeughlin designéd the vehicles and continued to do so unti) all-metal bodies were introduced many years later. Mr McLaughlin's business genius was soon recognized by his colleagues in the United States and in 1910 he was invited into the General Motcrs Corp. as a director. ? The business prospered. But, by 1918 the Buick con- tract was due to expire and the mass-production Chevro- let company had become part of GM. Mr. McLaughlin saw that GM would scarcely ask him to continue making just one GM model. "There were hundreds, almost thousands of newly-formed car compa- nies in the U.S. failing and going by the board. I could see the inside of the cup and I knew what it meant." JOINED WITH GM So, in 1918, Mr. McLaughlin went to New York and joined his McLaughlin Motor Car Co. with GM. "There were many reasons for selling--personal, business and social. My wife and I had been blessed with five daugh- ters, but we had no son to carry on. George was anxious to retire. . On the busi- ness side there was the fact that if we decided to say. in the business, we would almost certainly have to make our own cars from the ground up. "Rqually important was the fact, that McLaughlin's had become by far the largest employer in Oshawa. My father always felt, and George and I had come to feel, that the business was as mich Oshawa's as it was ours. If Oshawa's motor industry became a GM opera- tion, expansion and employ- ment opportunities were assured. If we had to venture into making a car of our own in Canada, failure and unem- ployment might well result.'"' The GM directors attached one condition--that Mr. McLaughlin and his: brother stay on and run the business. Mr, McLaughlin became president of GM of Canada and George vice-president, a position he held until his retirement in 1924. GEARED FOR WAR Mr. McLaughlin continued as president until the end of the Second World War and plaved an important part in converting the plant into a huge producer of war mate- rials At the outbreak of war he wired the government offering the entire GM facili- ties in Canada, and in June, 1943. GM was the focal point of a celebration marking pro- duction of the 500,000th war vehicle produced by Canadian manufacturers. In addition to BUSINESS INTO AUTOMOTIVE GIANT Cc. D. HOWE, MINISTER OF DEFENCE PRODUCTION WATCHES MR. SAM e « e Celebration Marked Production Of 500,000 War Vehicles In 19438 ... SPENT AT HOME, OFFICE vehicles, guns, gun mounts, shells and bomber fuselages poured off GM assembly lines, Mr. McLaughlin added his characteristic light touch to the wer effort when he stored his automobile for the dura- tion and went to work each day in a horse and buggy. Shortly after the war, he asked to retire. GM persuad- ed him to remain .as.chair- 'myan of the board of the Cana-" dian subsidiaries--a position he continues to hold--and vice-president. and director of the U.£, corporation. GM in Oshawa has contin- ued to grow from the solid base constructed by Mr. McLaughlin, It has an annual production of about 300,000 vehicles and there are more than 18,500 persons on its annual payroll of $130,000,000. Total employment of GM in Canada is about 22,000. HORSES RAN WELL Bury as he was, Mr. McLaughlin found time for his hobbies and other inter- est; outside his business. In his younger days he was a bicycle enthusiast and often cycled from Oshawa to Tvronte and back--about 70 mijes--for a day's outing. As he grew older he turned to horses and racing yachts. Three of his horses, Horme- ter, 1934, Kingarvie, 1946 and Moldy, 1947, won the King's Plate. He disposed of his Parkwood stables in 1951 and the property now is the Netional Stud Farm by E, P. Taylor. He an avid fisherman, owns one of the largeSt private collec- tions of Canadian art. The Art Gallery of Ontario in MR. SAM LIGHTS PIPE ON 96th BIRTHDAY Toronto will receive the col- lection. He has donated several mil- lion Collars to charitable causes. He has always taken a keen interest in Oshawa affains--he served as a coun- ciller in 1897--and has donated' a variety of facilities including the Public Library and | | | Judgment was reserved by the|three feet ran off an embank-, Answering Mr: Thompson, he rom|said Mr. Martin's home was Dhe Oshawa Times OSHAWA, ONTARIO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1967 By Municipal Board McLaughlin | Ontario Municipal Board, sitting| ment separating the house f Camp |in city hall yesterday, in an ap- Samac, a beautiful 160-acre | peal against a, decision of, the boy scout camp. Hig 'benevolent activities | Roy Stanley. M » 317 are not confined to Oshawa. In 1951 he endowed a founda- tion with several million dol- lars to provide adequate finarcial assistance to gradu- ates from medical schools to '1, \his neighbor, James derson. built before the bylaw came , AR result ofthe incline, rain| into operation. isi to collect om Mr. Hender-' Mr. Thompson said levelling fen-\son's property 'in wet' weather.|the embankment or removal of dale Avenue, appealed against aland the bank was also heavily! weeds could have no effect on ruling of the committee dated|/weeded. If Mr, Martin was al-}; appeal because the bylaw June 21, refusing him a varia-/lowed to erect the garage, tion under zoning bylaw 3415 so, would level off the embankment!Act, and the only grounds on that he could build an attached/and clear the weeds, which|which an appeal was' framed under the Planning could be garage to his house with an in-| would be of benefit to the neigh-|granted would be on planning complete or improve their {Sufficient sideyard of three feet education. RECEIVED RANK He has also donated the $2,000.000 McLaughlin Plane- tarium, scheduled for comple- tion in 1968, to be part of the in /Mr. Martin, said the excess of|the garage, Mr. Berg said. Royal Ontario Museum Toronto. Upon his retirement as hon- orary colonel of the Ontario Tank Regiment, whose head- quarters are in Oshawa, he was granted by the govern- men' the permanent rank of honorary colonel, the fifth to receive the rank since 1936. In July this year, he was one of the first 35 Canadians appointed Companion of the Order of Canada. Throughout his career Mr McLaughlin acknowledged the support and' affection of his wife who died in 1958. She devoted her efforts to human- itarian work, to her church and to her five daughters, Two daughters, Isabel and Eleanor (Mrs. .C, Churchill Mann), live in.Toronto, Hilda (Mrs. J. B. Pangman) lives in Magog, Que. The two other daughters are deceased, «++ Part Of His Day Spent At GM Office | veiled at the site! ety will be unvelled © | struction on the Newcastle Fish) «qf this appeal is allowed, = 1$75,000 for a |The bylaw requires a six-foot |sideyard in an R-14 zone. | Lawrence Berg, solicitor of bor's property. | principles: Neighbors south of Mr. Mar-| Mr. Henderson, 369 Glendale tin would also benefit, becauseé/Avenue, said he opposed the W. H. J. Thompson, QC, char- at the moment, the beam from) yariation because it would affect man, said a written decision/his headlights penetrated their/the light and ventilation on the would be given "'in due course."'| windows at night when he en-|west side of his home if the tered his driveway, and thisigarage were erected. Greer and Kelly, appearing for|would be eliminated by use of! He said he had only built his house where it was because of the protection afforded by the bylaw. When he said his home Founder's Granddaughter |: i 'sry. then in effect, Mr. Berg with- drew his earlier statement that To Unveil Fishery Plaque is. §,.7sei"ice" NEWCASTLE (Staff) -- A! historical plaque commemora- ting the Newcastle Fish Hatch- of the old hatchery at the junc- department of public records and archives. Samuel Wilmot began con- Another neighbor, John Pate terson, of 383 Glendale Avenue, said when he moved in, the by- |law definitely stipulated a six- |foot sideyard. tion of Highways 2 and 115,|/Hatchery in 1866, with an or-|what is to stop other people on Sept. 13. |der-in-council permitting him to) from doing the same thing?" he In a ceremony sponsored by | the township of Clarke, Miss} Olive Thorne, a granddaughter of the hatchery's founder, Sam-) uel Wilmot, will unveil the plaque. Several civic and gov-| ernment officials have been in-| vited to the ceremony. The) plaque is one of several being | set aside a creek on his prop- erty for the artificial and na- tural breeding of salmon. In 1867, the Canadian government financed the construction of per- manent buildings, which in the next 50 years produced more than 155,000,000 fish of differ- ent varieties. In 1914, the hat- asked. "If I have to comply, I think everybody else should." O'Neill Graduate Wins Fellowship erected in the province by the cheries ceased operation, due to| Douglas Yonson, 17, son of City Permits On Upswing Total building permits issued by the public works department) for August of $3,380,598 is the) largest figure this year, but is! nearly $2,000,000 less than the August 1966 figure. The biggest permit was for the city hall addition, amounting} to $2,465,000, but five other large items also figure in the return. Another city project, the pub-; lic arena on Nonquon Road, ac-| counted for $168,000, and a ware- house on Wilson Road South, being built for K. W. Steel Co.} Ltd., Toronto, budgeted at $100,-| 000. Two others were $85,000 for an addition to the school on Simcoe Street South on behalf of the board of education, and) restaurant on King Street West, owned by Manos Ltd. Private home building was at a lower level than the previous two months. Fifteen homes were priced at $267,000, seven of them single) family dwellings, seven semi-} detached units being erected by| Building Associates on Russett| Avenue, and one duplex. | General. Motors of Canada| was granted four permits total-| ling $91,000 for alterations and additions to factories on Park Road South. ~ the drastic decrease of sal- mon in the stream. Wednesday's ceremony will gebing at 2:15 p.m., with Reeve R. A. Foster of Clarke Town- ship as chairman. . Retail Courses Response 'Nil' Response to the Oshawa Chamber of Commerce's ten- week courses in retail manage- ment and. marketing for serv- ice businessess has been des- cribed as '"'nil" by Jack Mann, manager of the Chamber. The courses were to be put on by the Ontario Department of Education and would cost $35 each "We don't know whether its the choice of courses we're of- fering or whether it's that people are just too busy with other things at the present time," Mr. Mann said. The chamber had hoped to get the courses under way as soon as possible so that they could be completed by Christ- mas Mr. Mann said the matter would be discussed later in the month, at the meeting of the education committee, and if no more response is received, "'it may be postponed until the spring."' However, he added the Cham- ber of Commerce is still eager to hear from anyone wanting Ito take the courses. \Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Yon- son, 1052 Hortop Street, a gradu» jate of O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute, has been jawarded the Rene Descartes ;Mathematics Fellowship, Type B, value of $2,400. This is awarded on the basis jof his recent grade 13 results | (36.6%) and achievement in | Junior-and Senior Mathematics | contests sponsored jointly by the Mathematical Association of America, the Society of Actu- aries and the University of Waterloo. U.K. Postage 'On Sale In US. LONDON (CP)--Canadian and. U.S. stamp collectors now can buy British postage stamps direct from New York. Official title of the new agen- cy is the British Post Office |Philatelic Distributors. It is sit. uated in the New York office of Stanley Gibbons, the British stamp dealer recently appoint- ed philatelic distributor for the |British post office in the United States and Canada. The agency plans a publicity campaign in North America to promote sales of British stamps, already a useful dollar earner. Since the post office began special' ¢ ative stamps in a big way four years ago, profits from collectors alone have risen to an estimate ed $1,500,000 a year,