Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.1967, Blaðsíða 17

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.1967, Blaðsíða 17
LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 1. JÚNÍ 1967 17 city’s 325th anniversary falls in 1967. The Soviet Union, hcwever, was awarded the permit. The new mayor, Jean Drapeau, made many trips to Paris during this crucial period and when the Soviet Union relinquished its right to the fair in 1962, he was on the spot to seize the opportunity for Canada. Hosting a world exhibition involves tremendous financial responsibility, though each participating nation builds its own pavilion and assumes the expense of transporting and arranging its exhibits. Canada pays 5P percent of the cost, the province of Quebec 37%, the city of Montreal 12% percent. The city also provides the site. Characteristically, Jean Drapeau does not appear to have consulted many concerning the site. Undoubtedly many a speculator had his ears to the ground for rumors of the fair’s proposed locale. But Drapeau kept his own counsel until his plans were approved by the federal government. Then it was announced that Expo 67 would be held in the St. Lawrence River on a small island owned by the city and used as an amusement park. Lying close to the harbor, it is called Ue Ste. Helene, so named by Champlain in honor of his wife. But the island was small with a grove of trees in the centre, so it was lengthened at both ends to twice its former size. And to the south of it a new island was created. It is nearly the size of Ile Ste. Helene and has been named Ile Notre Dame. Before this construction took place, a dyke was built in front of the ship harbor and named Mackay Pier. It is of a size that accommo- dates many new buildings, some of them to rernain there permanently. These places are all connected by bridges and underground systems. Constructing the Expo site was a colossal undertaking; stones and earth from excavations when building the Montreal underground railroad were used in the con- struction. It is claimed that construetion of the islands was less costly than would have been the case had comparable space been purchased within the city. And this promises to be the most unique and beautiful ex- position site ever. Jean Drapeau knew what he was about. EXPO 67 A small item about Expo 67 in a recent issue of Newsweek magazine notes that the executive board of this fair learned much from mistakes made in the handling of the New York World Fair of 1964—65. It is recalled that the New York planner ignored the Bureau of International Exposition as an obscure three-man board housed in poor quarters in Paris. Mayor Drapeau on the other hand, recognized the power and influence of BIE, accorded it due respect and sought its sanction for a world exposition in Canada. BIE issued permission for Expo 67 over its seals and signatures. It was the first time in its history that the bureau granted its un- reserved recommendation to an exposition in North America, and the Newsweek article points to this as an important inducement to the 70 nations taking part in Expo 67. Only seven foreign nations were represented at the New York fair. It soon became clear to us, the editors who visited the Expo site on Oct. 17, that if all goes well, many contributing factors will combine to make the world exposition in Montreal the greatest, most imaginative and broadest in scope of all similar expositions that have so far taken place in the world. We were first directed to the huge Administration and Press Pavilion Auditorium on Mackay Pier, where we were received by members of the Expo executive. Mr. R. F. Shaw, assistant chairman and other members of the committee addressed us and explained the nature of the exposition. The site is comprised of 1,000 acres on the two is- lands, Ste. Helene and Notre Dame. Additional build- ings have been erected on Mackay Pier and in Montreal to accommodate various entertainments in connection with Expo. Use is also being made of the St. Lawrence in preparation for an expected attendance of 35 million guests. After the midday meal we were informed that the chief executive of Expo would speak a few words. This was unexpected, but here was a man who next to Mayor Drapeau, can claim credit for inspiring the high enthusiasm and widespread participation in the exposi- tion. A powerful personality, Commissioner General Pierre Dupuy spoke with fire and conviction for an hour without notes, and completely captured his audi- ence. He is a former Canadian ambassador to France and dean of the Diplomatic Corps of Canada. Mr. Dupuy has visited 105 nations during the last three years and interviewed their rulers. At the outset he expected that participation in Expo would not ex- ceed 30 nations. Now there are 70 and their number may still increase. This strong support from the nations of the world, Mr. Dupuy said, was tangible testimony to the respect and good will Canada had earned by her traditional role as a power for peace. It was also to focus international interest on the ideal of world harmony that the commissioner general has stressed that this exposition must be something far more than an indus- trial fair. Its greater function will be to introduce the Ingibjörg Jónsson, editor of Lögberg Heimskringla. On the office wall is a picture of her late husband, Einar Páll Jónsson, poet and edilor of Lögberg, and the stan- dard of the Icelandic National League. nations to each other through their history, civilization, culture and achievements. As said before, the French are an imaginative people with strong artistic tenden- cies. The theme of Expo 67 — “Man and his World”, seeks to reveal man as the creator, the explorer and producer. This definition was meant to stir the imagina- tion of participating nations and encourage exhibits in tune with theme. Music is the universal language, remarks Mr. Dupuy, with joy radiating from his face, for he has made pro- visions for a major World Festival, to take place mainly in Place des Arts in the heart of Montreal. It includes Salle Wilfred Pelltier (formerly La Grande Salle), famous for its superior accoustics, and with a capacity for an audience of 3000. Two new theatres are under construction, one seating 1300, the other 800. These theatres and auditoriums are all on lease to Expo for 6 months, and an additional theatre has been built on Mackay Pier at the entrance to Expo. The many famous opera companies to be featured in- clude La Scala of Milan, Vienna State Opera, which will be visiting the Western Hemisphere for the first time. World renowned artists of the theatre, orchestras and vocalists will also represent the performing arts of a number of countries. Mr. Dupuy and his colleagues travelled to many parts of the world while contracting with artists to participate in Expo, and with their governments, which have undertaken to pay their travelling expenses both ways with Expo providing food and lodging, as well as some remuneration for their professional contribution. An art museum is to be built, where a collection by 150 of the world’s most famous painters will be shown. This will be a permanent structure, to the lasting profit and pleasure of the citizens of Montreal. It will almost certainly become the home of the select and the best — probably by French-Canadian painters — in time to come. One remark of Mr. Dupuy’s stays with me — that music and all the arts were man’s refuge from the material and mundane in the everyday way of life. It seems certain that he is playing an important role in lifting the Canadian world exposition to a higher plane tlian that reached by similar fairs elsewhere. But our bus had arrived, the alotted time was up and speed was in order for further explorations. An enormous stadium with 25,000 seats surrounds a huge sports arena on other side of Mackay Pier, and this has already been put to use for football and other sports. In this arena a variety of athletic events will be performed by champions from near and far, including the victors in the Pan American games at Winnipeg next summer. There is parking space for 12,000 motor vehicles near the Expo stadium, and another parking ground south of the St. Lawrence River. Vehicles are not allowed on the Expo site. Visitors walk over the bridges or travel by the underground, but once they have purchased entrance tickets, they are entitled to free transportation all over the site by Expo Express or Minirail. Our bus was one of the last permitted to drive over the site. As we left Mackay Pier en route to the islands, a strange multi-residence building arrested our attention. This was Habitat 67. This is a cluster of 158 houses stack- one on top of the other, so that the entire structure forms a sort of pyramid. The houses vary from a one- bedroom to 4-bedroom size. Sufficiently isolated from one another to provide family privacy, each has a plot of earth for a small garden, plenty of fresh air and sun- light. An architect from Israel designed this remarkable building. If it proves practical, this style of arohitecture may become the future solution to the housing problems that beset large cities. Habitat 67 is another permanent structure, and all its units have already been leased, with possession to be taken during or after the exposi- tion. Now we crossed to Ile Ste. Helene over Concordia Bridge, another titan of achievement. So constructed as to make needless the support of pillars, this structure defies understanding and description by me. The bridge was opened in 1965, one of three of its kind on this continent. A man-made enlargement of the island forms its westmost point. This is an outdoor auditorium or park " with raised seats, designed for the observation of na- tional holidays, and it is hoped that heads of state will represent their nations at these gala events. The five Scandinavians countries share a pavilion near this outdoor auditorium. I will describe this im- pressive structure with its clean lines later, for I had a better look at it on our return to Montreal. There are 50 pavilions, with many of the smaller nations grouped to share accommodation. These have been built on both the islands — the largest ones by Canada, the United States and the Soviet Union. China is unfortunately not represented. The Canadian pavilion, on Ile Notre Dame, is de- signed as an inverted pyramid and has been named Katimavik, an appropriate Eskimo word meaning Meet- ing Place. This focal point is surrounded by the pro- vincial pavilions. Achievements in space form the central themes of the American and Soviet Union’s pavilions. The U.S.A. pavilion is shaped like a giant sphere with a circum- ference of 200 feet, constructed of glass and plastic. It is nearly transparent and reflects the colors of the spectrum. It stands on the south coast of Ue Ste. Helene, opposite the U.S.S.R. pavilion on the north coast of Ile Notre Dame — an even larger structure, built at a cost of nearly 15 million. It resembles a shanty shape but the roof is concave. Soviet space men will be in attendance there, and visitors will touch their feet to surface not unlike that on the moon. The water between the two pavilions of these two great powers has been bridged — an ingenious gesture. The man-made eastern enlargement of Ue Ste. Helene has been named Ronde, and designated as a public park, chiefly for families, young people and children. Model- led after Disneyland and Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, the park contains a lake with small sailing ships. There is a large marina with space for 250 pleasure boats. Canals between the pavilions on Ue Notre Dame will be filled with water for navigation by gondolas and small craft to transport those who wish to their destina- tions. There were more things to see than I can attempt to describe. Everywhere were crews of workmen digging, building, moulding and completing. Yet this tremendous activity and achievement is but a promise of what is to come when this showcase of human civilization and achievement comes out officially clothed for summer in grass, trees and flowers, which have taken root else- where and are awaiting transplantation on Expo site. This great world exposition, the triumphant high point of Canada’s Centennial Celebrations, begins April 28 and ends in October, 1967. MANIC 5 As readers are aware, one of the first actions of the Lesage Liberal Party after taking over the Quebec government in 1960, was to nationalize electric power. Other provinces, including Manitoba and Ontario, had set precedents in this field of public ownership decades earlier. In Quebec this intiative sparked wide spread enthusiasm for power projects and general electrifica- tion in the province. On Tuesday, October 18, we were taken to the largest power dam currently under con- struction — Manic 5. We were roused at 6 in the morning and after a hasty breakfast left Queen’s Hotel, which in recent years has slipped slightly from its venerable position as the city’s most elite hotel. After a 15-mile drive to Dorval Air- port, we boarded a Nordair plane, courtesy of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. Four guides accompanied us on the flight. We were flown 500 miles into the wilds of Quebec, and as human habitation beside the rivers disappeared, massive, evergreen forests stretched to the edge of the horizon, jewelled at intervals with the sparkle of lakes and rivers through the almost opaque thickness of the forests. After about two hours we began to descend to- ward a field which looked as if the woods had been scraped away — right down to the basic rock, in places. We had reached the Manic 5 dam — the largest concrete dam in the world. We touched down on a small airstrip a good distance from the dam, and were met by offi- cials of the project, who drove with us to dormitories near the power project. Though neat and clean, these buildings are unpainted, as is the case with other structures on the location, for they are to be demolished

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