= Castlégar Ne October 12, 1986 Repairs to crumbling concrete costly OTTAWA (CP) — Next time you see a crumbling concrete curb, bridge. or parking garage, think of your wallet Sooner or later, repairs to those structures will prob- ably run into millions or hun dreds of millions of dollars in Canada, says Paddy Grattan Bellew of the National Re- search Council. In the concrete world, what is happening to them goes by the exotic name of alkali-aggregate reactions. That's a scientific way of saying that the mixture of cement and gravel stone used to make the concrete is self- destructing because of its chemical composition. It works like this. The basic or alkali cement reacts with minerals such as silica and carbonates in the gravel, forming what's called an alkali-siliea gel. That re- action causes swelling in the concrete and it starts to crack. Then water gets in, freezes and thaws and cracks the structure still more. salt to the recipe in winter. And salt ocean water attacks concrete abutments, break waters and other offshore compounds in ground waters, which are mixed with cement to make concrete, also add to this witehes’ brew. All this chemistry and physics of internal grumbling and crumbling drew Grattan Bellew and about 200 other experts from around the ium, and sodium and po TELEPHONE 365-5210 Biestory wilh eotgned So tes pan Out. world to Ottawa for five days tassium oxides attack some recently to discuss what can aggregates and cause crack be done. ing.” But except for the bill we'll FROST HURTS all have to pay sooner or But Rogers places the later, in general, says Grat- alkali problem a poor third on tan-Bellew, crumbling con- a list of things that destroy crete is “almost irrelevant to concrete. Frost and corrosion the average householder of reinforcing steel are lead- “For things like basement ing villains in this hard walls, | wouldn't be unduly world. worried” if the walls were Rubbing It on the made with “a moderately wounds doesn't help either. reactive agregate. “De-icing salt will also add “Driveways are‘ more alkalis to the concrete and likely to fall apart (than increase the rate of reaction,” walls) from things like salt says Rogers. going on them if you didn't “To combat the damage make good concrete.” caused by salt we have in SIDEWALK GROWS creased the cost of building But he wouldn't make an average structure by basement concrete from about eight per cent in real gravel of a type quarried dollars over the last few near Lancaster, Ont. In that years. This is done by using St. Lawrence Seaway town epoxy-coated reinforcing near the Quebec border, steel, more cement and using sidewalks built in 1978 were more concrete above the replaced last year after they steel. If you get steel deep had expanded about six centi: enough in the concrete you metres, pushing curbs into really reduce the instance of roadways. the problem.” That kind of problem keeps RAIN NO PROBLEM Chris Rogers, a petrographer He also dispels the notion (one who studies the chem- that acid rain is a major ical composition and forma- culprit affecting concrete. tion of rocks) with the Acid rain on buildings is Ontario Ministry of Trans- “not really a problem because portation and Communica- when it's raining it washes tions, busy identifying gravel off, so it cleans the building. quarries with particularly “The more serious element unsuitable rock. is small sulphate particles in Generally the problem is city air that lodge on the most acute from Sault Ste. building. They can be just a Marie, Ont., to the East couple of millimetres in a Coast, says Rogers. crack. Around that you can “In Western Canada they build a very high acidity, have much lower alkalis in much higher than you can the cement. Alkalis are sod- ever get in rainfall.” Aging changes hair By JUDY CREIGHTON The Canadian Press Aging changes the appear. ance and texture of hair, but that can be offset with proper care and diet. Between the ages of 50 and 60 the growth of hair declines sharply,” says Anne Karpati, a hair-care consult ant for Clairol Canada who travels around Canada teach ing cosmeticians and the public on new techniques and products. Even people who have oily hair will notice a dif ference” with time, she says, because we don't secrete as much oil as we get older.” Also, Karpati says, hair gets coarser as people age because the pigment glands’ production slows. Proper diet is important because the hair roots are alive and are “fed by the blood,” she explains. ‘Meals should include pro tein, vegetables, fruits and fish. Eat less red meat and cut out sweets.” Good ‘care begins with selecting a shampoo for your particular type of hair, Kar pati says, so if you have dry ; thinning hair really bothers a hair, buy a shampoo designed person, it’s wise to see a der for that. matologist.~ And too many people She also advises them to “overwork their hair with careful in selecting a hair excessive shampooing. Con- dresser. sequently, the oil never gets “Shop around for a good eyond the root section be- one. Your stylist should be cause it is shampooed out.” aware of your lifestyle and be Many also over-massage able to consult with you on | their hair “and attack it as if whether your hair should be they were scrubbing a floor.” colored, permed, cut and Karpati advises that you what style suits you shampoo into the roots and “Older women tend to pre. rinse with cool water — just fer short hair because it's once a week. easier to manage. But as the It's also wise to use a 60- face and body ages, they also second conditioner because, need a softer, more relaxed while the roots don't need it, style, not a tight, frizzy perm the middle and ends of the that makes the head appear hair do. smaller in contrast to the rest Then comb the hair gently of the body.” with a wide-tooth comb be Karpati cause “when hair is wet it is wrong with at its weakest state.” coloring hair that is turning At least once a month, grey, especially if gives you a using a strong conditioner, lift which should be left on the “If the hair is already hair for about 30 minutes. bleached or pre-lightened, a In addition, Karpati says person could go into a tint. that for older people who are But remember, the end re- concerned when their hair sult of any hair coloring de grows thinner, “a good pends on your natural color.” sees nothing ligtening or Mountainview Agencies Ltd. 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By ALEX BINKLEY Canadian Press HULL® Que. — It has been called a hack and a crummy and has always come in last. But for the next few months the railway caboose will be first in line as the Canadian Trans Commission begins public hearings on a bid by CN Rail and CP Rail to replace the caboose with a black box. The railways contend that higher-quality freight cars and improved technology for detecting equipment failures and other breakdowns which could cause derailments have made the caboose as obsolete as the steam locomotive. The railways say that operating caboose-less trains could save $60 million a year. Workers wouldn't be laid off because all of the train crew could ride in the locomotive cab. The United Transporation Union, which represents 7,500 conductors and trainmen on CN and CP Rail, has launched a cross-Canada campaign to save the caboose. It says the caboose is a vital safety feature because the conductor can spot trouble on the train or tracks that machines cannot. The hearings which began Oct. 6 will run for about three weeks in Hull, mainly to hear evidence from CN, CP Rail and the union. The schedule for the cross-country hearings is Moncton on Nov. 3, Montreal on Nov. 5, Winnipeg on Nov. 12, Toronto on Nov. 17, Vancouver on Nov. 20, Edmonton on Nov. 24 and Moose Jaw, Sask., on Nov. 26. The caboose first began appearing on North American railways in the mid-1880s, designed as a crew shelter and tool and supply depot. In Canada it was often. called a van as it is in England. It was also known to railroaders as a hack and a crummy UNDERGONE CHANGES Cabooses have changed greatly since they first appeared. In the mid-1960s, CN and CP Rail began replacing their venerable wooden cabooses with the steel vans they now use. CN’s are red and black, CP Rail's yellow and black. Several railway accidents this year, including 23 fatalities in a February collision between a CN freight and a Via passenger train near Hinton, Alta., has made rail safety a hot topic. The man in charge of the hearings will be Jack Walter, a former railway engineer and. head of the transport commission's railway transport committee. Walter says he intends to stick to the role of the caboose in the safe operation of trains and not let the hearings become a wide-ranging inquiry into rail safety A debate about the importance of the caboose in rail safety has been raging for two years since the railways first sought permission to replace the caboose with a box, called an end-of-train information or ETIS, fastened to the rear coupler of the last car in a freight train. The box can tell the engineer whether the train's brakes are working and if his train is still together. The railways are also trying to perfect the ETIS's ability to apply the train's brakes in an emergency situation. The railways now are required to couple a caboose on every freight train that carries a conductor. American railways were allowed to discontinue using cabooses several years ago. The railway committee has overseen four different tests of the ETIS and the functions of a caboose crew and will conduct tests of the ability of the box to apply the train brakes in an emergency situation. To the untrained observer, those tests don't appear to be conclusive but Walter expects both sides will make extensive use of them during the hearings. Walter said it is unlikely the commission will reach a decision before next year Canadian tax system called unwieldy mess Editor's note: This, the second in a series on proposed tax changes to the Canadian tox system, outlines the system's history By ALAN BASS Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canada's taxation system is the product of 119 years of quick-fix tinkering, federal-provincial bickering and political expediency At Confederation, the taxation system was the essence of simplicity. But that changed as society and the economy became increasingly complex and the government grew ever more thirsty for cash Finance minister after finance minister has rewritten, revoked, rejigged, revised and generally fiddled around with tax laws — piling up the changes helter-skelter until the system grew so unwieldy that even tax lawyers complained it_ was incomprehensible. Canada’s current Tax Act consists of 3,000 pages of laws and regulations. It’s a fat book, even written on onion-skin paper. Earlier this year, a Commons committee took a look at the current tax law and proclaimed it, quite simply, “ mess.” For the first 50 years or so of Canada’s existence. the federal tax system was extremely straightforward. Almost all federal government revenues came from customs tariffs and excise duties. The federal government levied no personal or corporate income taxes. SIMPLE NEEDS However, the government's needs were also simple. In 1874, the federal government spent about $20 million. By 1913, it spent about $118 million. Today, by comparsion, federal spending exceeds $100 billion. It was during the First World War — which tripled federal government spending that the tax system started to take on a modern look. To raise cash for the war effort new taxes were introduced, including corporate taxes, sales taxes and personal income taxes. Surprisingly. it was largely popular pressure that led the government to impose personal income taxes. The war was exacting a heavy toll on Canada’s youth and many Canadians demanded that non-combatants be forced to sacrifice something through “conscription of wealth.” At the time, income taxes were supposed to be a temporary measure. After the war, the federal government did reduce sales taxes, corporate taxes and personal income taxes, but it didn’t eliminate them Then came the Depression, which put an immense strain on government resources A swift decline in imports slashed tariff and excise revenues while a desperate army of unemployed put new demands on government spending. Through the ‘30s, corporate taxes, personal income taxes and sales taxes were raised again and again The Depression also brought into sharp focus the inherent constitutional instability of Canada’s taxation system — in which provincial and municipal governments also have some taxation powers to fund their spending responsibilities. Public welfare, for example, was a provincial respon sibility. Although the federal government helped pay relief costs during the Depression, the provinces also levied higher taxes to meet the extraordinary demands they faced Asa Canadian Tax Foundation study puts it: “The unco ordinated efforts of all governments to maintain solvency reduced the tax system to chaos.” In 1937, the federal government appointed the landmark Rowell-Sirois royal commission to investigate federal-provincial relations, including the tax chaos Although the Constitution gave the provinces an explicit right to levy direct taxes, the Rowell-Sirois report urged that all taxation of personal and corporate income be turned over to the federal government In return, the provinces were to get federal grants signed not only to for lost tax revenue but also to reduce regional inequalities. The two levels of government had barely started to bicker about the idea when the Second World War broke out. Again, government finances were strained to the breaking point. Federal expenditures rose from about $512 million in 1939 to $5.6 billion in 1944, 90 per cent of which went directly to the war effort. The provinces agreed, as a temporary war measure, (0 give the federal government full power over corporate and personal income taxes. Canadians were hit with massive tax hikes. Realizing that few taxpayers could pay their swelling income tax bill in one lump sum, the government began deducting taxes directly from paycheques. After the war, federal and provincial resumed bickering over the proper division of powers. For the next 15 years, federal-provincial dominated the taxation agenda. Variations of a Rowell-Sirois theme — federal taxation with equalization and special program grants to the provinces — were tried through a series of five-year agreements The division of powers issue was mostly resolved by 1962, although haggling over details continues to this day All provinces except Quebec agreed to let the federal government collect personal and corporate income taxes and then rebate the provincial share. The provinces were also allowed to levy additional taxes tWrough the federal collection system. politicians axation wrangling basic CABOOSE OBSOLETE? . . CN Rail and CP Rail ~~ they could save $60 million a year by operating caboose-less trains, but railway unions oppose the move, saying it will make trains less safe. | Coston sProte its public before the new year. Council also agreed with Rogers’ proposal to ask the i in B.C. Thi i LOWER RATES DOESN'T MEAN LOWER TAXES Editor's note: This is the third in a series on changes proposed for the Canadian tax system and how the changes will affect individuals and businesses By MADELAINE DROHAN Canadian Press OTTAWA — Lower tax rates do not necessarily mean lower taxes, as many Canadians will find out if the tax reforms now being contemplated come to pass. So if you're looking for a lower tax bill when the system is reformed, don't hold your breath. What you might get is a simplified form, a more understandable tax system and fewer complicated exceptions to puzzle over By themselves, lower tax rates would produce lower taxes. But Finance Minister Michael Wilson plans to follow the lead set by the Americans and couple the rate reduction with fewer exemptions. On top of that, he wants to broaden the federal sales tax, a revenue souce the Americans don’t have. What this means is that most taxpayers will gain in the rate cut only to lose in the exemption chop, leaving them approximately where they were before on the income tax side. When changes to the sales tax are brought in, the average taxpayer's total bill may be higher At least that’s what some tax experts surmise from the sketchy details the finance minister has released to date. “The hope would be to make your new tax bill as close to your old tax bill as possible.” says economist Michael Walker of the Fraser Institute in Vancouver. “If you could accomplish that, it would be wonderful because then you would have almost no political opposition to the package.” The big question in all of this is what Wilson will do to the federal manufacturers’ sales tax, nominally paid by businesses but usually passed on to the through higher prices. It's a hidden tax, in that it doesn't show up on the slip at the cash register paying it The finance minister wants to take the existing tax, which applies to a narrow range of manufactured goods, and broaden the base to include other goods and services, changing the name in the process to the business tansfer tax consumer But that doesn't mean you aren't By applying it to a wider range of products the government can lower the overall rate but still raise the same amount of revenue as before. A M8 MICHAEL WILSON tollowing Americans What some tax experts fear is that a federa government keen on reducing its deficit might take advantage of the tax's hidden nature to raise even more money. Already in his first two budgets. Wilson raised the sales tax rate and included some items that weren't covered before. Revenues from the sales tax rose to $9.4 billion in the fiseal year which ended March 31 from $7.6 billion the Over the same period nes from previous year reve personal income taxes rose to $33 billion from $29 billion and corporate income tax revenues slipped to $9.2 billion from $9.4 billion There's a great temptation for the government to take it (more revenues) from the commodity tax sector because it's hidden,” says William Strain the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants “You build it into a business corporations pay it, but it's passed along to the consumer a member of transfer tax, and in the form of higher prices “The individual man on the street at he is paying, what's coming out of his really doesn't focus on w pocket, whereas he does if you nail him on his tax return every April Not everyone feels that way “L think the notion of the government grabbing all this money is perhaps a bit overdon. in some quarters says Allan Maslove, director of the school of administration at Carleton University public