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BEARDMORE CLOSING SEPT 12 329 could lose Coiun if tannery Town should avoid panictalk Theres a danger being negative Canada Packers isn a bad thing Coun cant find buyer By SANDY CAMPBELL Herald Staff If a buyer isnt found for Actons Tannery before Sept 12 there will be 329 employees without jobs Canada Packers Inc announced June 12 it is closing the tannery and consolidating its leather operations in Aurora Ontario The removal of Impart quotas on competition from abroad mens footwear the phasing out of produces leather for quotas on womens footwear and garment and footwear industry costly environmental controls Textiles and plastics are used more played a part In the decision said today hurting the traditional J Roberts Canada Packers leather goods Industry Group vicepresident As housing in Acton moved closer Only two or three Acton to the tannery dealing with en employees will get work at the Collis vironmental concerns became more Leather Plant in Aurora said Mur- difficult Mr Stewart said There is rav Stewart Canada Packers continuing pressure to reduce the relations manager There will odor from the plant he said plant workers and salaried There has been a tannery in acton workers foremen and office since lttM Canada Packers whowillhavetoflndjobs It In 1944 The equipment is up to A relocation committee will be dale but the building is costly to formed to help Beardmore operate and maintain Mr Stewart employees find work The commit- so tec will be made up of The tannery 11 from Manpower Canada On square feet and sits on 473 acres Ministry Canada There are other businesses on the Packers and social service groups in property paying rent lo Canada Mr Stewart said Packers that will be affected by the When Canada Packers Toronto close Mr Stewart said plant consolidated a relocation Canada Packers will be meeting committee was effective In finding with those businesses in the near jobs for employees Mr Stewart future to make arrangements Mr said Beardmore is making the an- Stewart said There is always nouncement of the closing now to possibility the plant will be sold ate employees plenty of notice he I hope it will be purchased Weve had no offers yet We are Operations at have chatting with a potential buyer Mr been for some time Stewart said Vicepresident Roberts said The Customers of Beardmore will be removal of quotas has increased supplied by the Collis Leather Plant Theres a danger being negative and jumping to rash conclusions Gerald The Acton councillor was ding to comments told to him by The Herald from some of his const I Regional government had do with Canada Packers decision he said Even if you find someone lo blame its no going lu change anything oun Itennic met with Buss Miller and fellow Acton Norm Elliott and Hick Bon net to lo discuss the Merchants fear slump in sales Acton merchants offered their opinions about the news of the Beard more tannery announcement Thursday The decision will have a very severe impact on the town said clothing store owner and developer Poul Nielsen He said that about BO per cent of Actons business on the main street comes from walk in local traffic With a potentially diminished payroll the town be sermuslj affected Mr Nielsen said If it closes you can bury the own said department store owner Mel 1 think a tot of businesses will close There will be a big effect Mr Because there arc already a number of commuters who buy their goods out of town Acton merchants are finding it harder to compete he said I think it a case for municipal government and 1 citizen group organize and do something to attract another industry he said Bill of Guardian Drugs said that people from will now be cautious in their spending habits and he suspects real estate mines will drop Now is the down point but there may be some light at the end of the tun if people can get together to replace the aging tannery Mr said A tot of young people will be out of work and thev have to travel now in find job said Joe Poiner of Acton Motors He feels the government is part blame and said he remembers when the Conservatives closed clown the production of the Arrow in 1958 When you come down to it Actons going to be ghost town if the going like that Mr said I dont blame Canada Packers have to do it most economical no in order to make money That the way works today said den eloper Bob Hilton From his view as a businessman the demise of the plant could provide opportunity to build more homes because there will be a new surplus of water he said Theunpleasanlsmcllwillalsobeellminaled he added He that there could be temporary glut of houses on the market and that people out of work panic and sell tneir homes A lot of people have been there for years The older ones what are going lo do he asks Labor force numbers tell a graphic story Numbers tell a graphic story About how local workforce will he hurt by the announced closure of the tannery According the 1984 Hal Ion In dustrial Directory Is the largest employer In Acton To tars ago It reported a total labor force of partlime and perma nent employees In comparison the rest of Ac ton here are only a total of other Jobs Hated In the Industrial directory The next largest Industrial employer In Acton It the finishing leather business at Frank Heller and Company Limited It employed IK people In 1984 ac cording to the directory Indusmln Limited 1 the third largest Industrial employer In Ac ton with GO workers while Superior Works employs people Acton Chamber to discuss Beardmore The announcement or Hie Beard more tannery closing will be on the agenda of the Acton Chamber of Commerce when meets Wednes day There will be a discussion about hut theres nothing the Chamber can do to reverse the decision said President Reg Its a corporate deci sion he said Nevertheless the Chamber hopes a buyer or a user for the facility can be found he said The Chamber has not been meeting with any politicians about the plant closing he said The group works with different levels of government on a regular basis trying bring more development to town he said In was the lop employer Tor both Georgetown and Acton Canada Inc had employees In 19K4 while Smith and Stone had workers The directory is two years old and there have been many changes In hiring since then The above stall sties are only meant as a guide for comparison purposes The directory Is put out by llalton Heglon Canada Packers Naturally theres a certain amount of concern but its prelly early to be making predictions of what will happen I think it unrealistic for com about the town turning into a ghost town Thats panic talk I don think we need to talk like that he Mayor Miller has already been touch with the to alert social agencies and to make sure any available jobs in will be open to workers Attempt are being made by the Region to talk to industry about locating in and that ongoing process he said People might hove to find work in llalton hut bad thing Coun said The councilor said he reacted lo the news of the closing as there was a death of an 111 member of the family He said there was shock surprise and anxiety although rumors about the plant future had been circulating for years People should try to seek con struct I ends rather than self- demoralizing ends Acton will sur vive in spite of caution against negative feel ings It will require energy op tlmism and hard work People wont turn into poverty stricken paupers h h a s the 1980s The and Company tower has long been a port quota an old building with poor energy efficiency landmark for Acton residents Set on acres the pro- and pollution concern all contributed to the opera has been used as a lannerv since 1S44 Tough lionsdemlse Herald photo times in leather goods Industry new materials Region to help workers Tannery was once largest in the British Empire The following Is a history or the tannery extracted from an account by local historian and regional councillor John McDonald The article Is from the book Hal ion Sketches a series of historical ac counts by Mr McDonald published In I9T6 by Dills Printing and Publishing Company Ltd By Mcdonald Herald Special Bcardmore and Co which has always been Actons major industry was founded In 1644 at Hamilton by George and his younger brother Joseph Both men learned the tanning business In England in a plant near Liverpool In partnership they built the first stone tannery in at Hamilton in IBM A few years later Joseph morc died and after a serious fire in the tannery in in which all stock was lost elder brother George moved to Toronto where he engaged in business as a leather merchants He did not undertake production on on a scale in little plant on the Grand River until he acquired a plant in He continued pro duction operations in until 1R65 when he purchased a tannery in Acton The first tannery on the site of ihe present facilities was built in 142 by Abraham Nclles who was succeeded by Edward and Henry Smith who increased capacity of tannery This concern was bought In IBS by Coleman and In tyre of who built a large addition to the old building and confined their operations exclusively to the manufacture of sole leather from Spanish hides During heir owner ship the building was burned down and re- built It afterwords became property of McGloshen and who car ried on business for several years then aid to Sessions Toby and Co After lying idle a considerable length of time the entire property was purchased by George Beard more In June 1B65 Mr placed the buildings in a thorough state of repair and equipped them with the most modern tanning machinery of the time In the buildings were by fire and through Bcardmores deter mination were rebuilt and business was as usual one year The in surance of covered only a small portion of the loss This time the buildings were of stone An expansion to firm was made in the when a small wooden plant was purchased also in Acton which had previously been used for producing cordovan leather The purpose of this addition was to turn It to the manufac ture of harness leather In Ihe nineties and Company saw an opening for further development and branched out into the production of belting leather in the same plant In IBS3 George L died and the business was earned on by his four sons The eldest son WD entered the business with his rather al the early age of years and worked his way up until in 1B70 he was admitted into part nership a young man In May 1915 he died and brother George became the senior part The main tanneries of Acton have a combined floor space of nearly million square The Companys farm and employees houses covered an area of over acres Due to the depression and the need to end any duplication of ser vices the Toronto offices of more and Company on Front Street we consolidated with the Acton of fices In November A small sales office- remained In the city and Co have always been very community conscious and made provision for the welfare of their employees This relationship has always been a com tradition but I cannot help note that a strike in April 1900 was held for two weeks after wages were reduced from per day St due to poor economic conditions At one Acton could certain 1 have been considered a Bcard Company town As one scheme lo reduce employees living expenses and Co built homes far their workers and rented them for Jo K per month Sixty houses were built and rented by during early 1 The residence known as Beverly House was located corner of Church and Maria Streets and is now the site of Diplomat apartments This was representative of the kindness of Col A O T Bcardmore who served on Acton Council for a period of time In the Legion purchased its former building on Main Street directly across form Ihe Dominion Hotel It is ironic that on the last day of Its one hundredth year and Co was purchased by a large meat packing company On December 1944 Canada Packers bought the assctsof and Co During 1959 and the use of new synthetic materials as a substitute for hemlock bark forced another Canada Packers holding firm since to close its operations In Upwards of employees and their families from Anglo Canadian Tanners wefe relocated to Acton as each depart closed and Co is not only one of the largest tanneries in Canada but is reputed lo have been tannery in the British Em pire The legions Business Develop ment Officer Brent Kearse says more Jobs are opening up in Halton which could help the employment situation in Acton Mr has been reacting t the announcement by talking to a variety of government departments looking for ways to help the workers at the tannery Magna International In Milton is one industry requiring help along with some other plants in hesaid There are rctralning programs offered with federal and provincial funding including a Sheridan Col lege program Mr said The provincial Ministry of Industry Technology and Trade is willing to put a seminar in place he said His department is also contacting other ministries to see what can be done to attract a new industry to the site For example opportunities for rezoning the proper or going after from the labor force possibilities There were two inquiries last year from leather based Industrialists and one was from a show manufac but there are no guarantees Of the smaller industries sub leasing to given to December before being asked lo vacate the premises he said Region is hoping to keep their business within the region Of the businesses renting from the square footage totals he said is the second largest tax contributor in to William Georgetown The tannery is also the largest industry in In terms of number of people employed Using a formula to calculate the ripple effect of lost or new ones created Mr Kearse figures that up to jobs could be affected by the workers who will be out of work 12 In the past the Ontario govern ment has allowed some economical ly depressed areas lo offer incentive packages to new Industry This could be allowed in Acton although il will be Interesting to see if they lump Acton in with Georgetown which wouldnt help the situation He stressed that Chairman Peter and Kills Mayor Miller were very much behind his department doing everything possible Meanwhile MP for Acton Otto Jelinek wants to know if closure is because of federal Import duties which were lifted last November his press secretary Marilyn said Mr Jcli nek has asked Interna Trade Minister James Kellcher to do a study to see if quotas were the main McCrea said The first step is lo verify if the plant closure is because of quotas Mr wants to see what the study shows Ms McCrea said Depending on Ihe circumstances there may be options Mr Kelleher can offer to help compensate for the loss of the plant Ms McCrea Older ones will suffer the most Workers at the Beardmore plant in Acton are more shocked than angry the decision close the tannery Sept 12 Many who talked to The Herald Friday havent had a chance to con Ihe long term affects of the shutdown But there was a general feeling that It was only a matter of time before the plant would be clos Most people were expecting it the closure after the government took off quotas last November said employee Chris The older ones are going lo hurt the most I might go back to school he said Its hard to start from the beginning with a new company for no more money plus paying extra for gas and upkeep or a car Mr said You can only blame the govern ment plus the age of the plant Its not energy efficient ho salt Fred Andrews has worked at for years In fact anniversary of when he started will be the date the plant doses If a buyer Isnt found Sept I dont know what you call It but you sure heck dont call luck he He said many of his fellow workers are upset and in a daze especially the older ones Everyone Is hoping Canada Packers can find a buyer during the next three months he said possible you never know Mr Andrews said Both Mr Andrews and Hurry Looycnga a bit surprised the company made their announcement since the sole leather department as very busy orders thought theyd keep it open because its the only one plant in Northern America that docs sole leather Mr said Bad management government and cheap imports from Argentina are to blame for the companys Mr A father of two children he said he will look everywhere for a Job Some of his young friends have Just bought houses he said He knows of some coworkers from Newfoundland who have told him theyll head back home to their Maritime home pro vince after Sept Ben is waiting lo hear more from the government about changes in the pension plan so he can take an early retirement When youre over GO places dont want you John Okruh has finished years of working for He said he doesnt care what happens because this is his retirement year He Is sympathetic towards the younger workers though and he said Acton could into a ghost The people who arc going to be hurt Ihe mosl arc the families where bath the husband and wife work at the plant said Mr Some have big expensive mortgages keep up Mr blames the government quotas the expense o keep up ag ing plant and environmental pressures he said the plant has been fined twice for pollution for why is closing The front gates of the tanning plant may close for good Sept 12 If buyer cannot be round for the operation