The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1945, Blaðsíða 13

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
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returns for the next person. In govern-
ment offices the order of egress would
probably be by seniority in the Civil
Service, for so much depends on that
down here, so that the latest addition
to the staff stands a good chance of
a warming, if not a scorching, in case
of fire! Pity the poor Juniors!
During the war years temporary war
buildings have sprung up like great
mushrooms all over the city. They are
huge white structures with hundreds of
rooms and are quite comfortable to
work in, although in the summer they
have a tendency to heat up like a
turkish bath. These buildings have
guards and each employee must flash
a passcard showing a picture of him-
self, (which picture, let it be said, seldom
flatters the owner) to gain admittance
to the offices. Any outsider desiring
admittance has practically to prove that
he is not an enemy alien or a spy bent
on stealing state secrets.
Ottawa is divided into two parts by
the Rideau Canal; formerly the east
side or Lower Town was populated
mainly by the French and the west side
or Upper Town by the English. The
streets themselves are very narrow.
There are beautiful boulevards down-
town and the street cleaning department
does an excellent job. During the winter
when the snow is heaviest, the streets
are under constant attack by these
men who are armed with pick, axe and
shovel; they chop away regardless of
ice or toes! This has brought about an
inquiry from many pedestrians whether
they could be insured under a “loss of
toe” policy, at a small rate, because
they would feel safer walking down
the main thoroughfares. In the mornings
too, one often runs a hurdle race trying
to make a way down to the office and
escape the coal trucks parked on the
sidewalks pouring their loads into the
coal chutes right on the streets.
The Parliament Buildings, which are
situated in the heart of the city, over-
looking the river, are Ottawa’s focal
point. In the centre of the buildings is
the huge Peace Tower with a large
carillon often pealing out a mighty
stream of song which can be heard in
the downtown section. The clock in the
centre of the tower strikes out the time
at quarter hour intervals and harrased
citizens can judge how late they are
either by sight or ear.
In the Peace Tower is the beautiful
Memorial Chamber. This room is con-
structed of materials given to Canada
by the Allied Nations, and on the marble
walls, inscribed in gold, is Canada’s
story of the years 1914-1918. In the
centre of the room is the Altar of Re-
membrance and in the Tomb rests the
Book of Remembrance, within which the
names and ranks of all the dead—66,651
names have been inscribed. At eleven
o’clock each day, (the hour of Armistice)
the pages are turned so that through
the recurring year each name is visible
once in twelve months.
When the Parliament Buildings were
planned it was the intention that each
member should have an office. Con-
gestion of those buildings by various
departments moving in because of the
shortage of office space in other govern-
ment buildings has made it necessary
for the members to share offices. Usually
there are two or three members in each
office and they are of the same party
and preferably from the same province.
The prime minister and cabinet minis-
ters have their offices in the East and
West Blocks and during a session they
have offices in use continually in the
Parliament Buildings too. There is a
large restaurant upstairs in which mem-
bers may take their meals for a reason-
able sum and thus ensure themselves
of being on time for the next sitting
of the House! The prime minister, plump,
dapper, rosy cheeked Mr. MacKenzie
King has on occasion been seen walking
down the street carrying a box of choco-
lates just like any other citizen who
enjoys a bit of sweetness in a sour day.
The Archives, which house Canada’s
treasures, is one of the most interesting
spots to visit. The dress which Queen
Elizabeth wore when she waved to the
cheering throng from a balcony of the