HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1942-04-23, Page 7IThurticlay, April 23rd., 194a
4111.0.11.01..pomm,
.0 You might he the next
victim of fire-.fire that can
quickly destroy yonr home,
your business, your pro,.
petty, your whole life's
work, Let Pilot Insurance
accept the risk—ready and
quick to pay any just
claim. The cost is very low,
We write Pilot Insurance
to cover selected risks in
Automobile, Fire,Burglary,
Plate Glass, Pubs
He Liability
and other
general ,
insurance,
COSENS & BOOTH
Representing Windham
Conditio s ling Great Britain
.mwumm.u.umwasowoorowww0.001.94.00m.....
and Other Countries
As seen and written by
Hugh Templin, Editor of the Fergus News-Record,
04.240111.13.41191.0•411M0 .111.0111110041111.0111111
WINGHANI AOYANCVrINIES
. moral for Windsor and former mayor of that tits,* Cat,
.111avid Cron is pictured as he attended the Ontario legislature upon his
retail bout Vngland. Capt, Creli enlisted with thb Vsseg Scottish es a
private September, 1639, and was promoted tai lieutenant while in Eng'.
promoted to captain upon his return to Canada and ea-
ligno0, tho neVidY.onlebiliked OxfOrd regiment at WoOdstOck, Ont.
ATTENDS ONTARIO LEGISLATURE
Issued under authority Department of the Secretary of State, Ottawa.
such a manner. To set the machine accomplishments but probably the
Polls open from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
in each field.
That sounds •drastic, and Is drastic,
'.tactually, in practice, the system is
largely voluntary, because nearly all
farmers are willing and anxious to co.,
operate as a patriotic eltity. They pride
themselves that they still live in a
democratic country and because their
own neighbors are on the committees,
the plan works largely as a voluntary
co-operation. But to an outsider it
looks rather different, If a farmer
will not co-operate, the committee has
power to force hint to do so. If he.
is entirely incompetent to • produce
more, he may be taken from his farm.
A few rugged individuals have even
goiie to jail,
Essential Foods Come First
If the British farmer does not pro-
duce more, many people will go hun-
gry and some may starve, Therefore,
the committees concentrate on the
production of those foods which will
go farthest toward feeding as many
as 'possible, and they try to _cut out
waste of all kinds. • 'Wheat and po-
tato production seems to have soared.
Oats, are largely grown and alfalfa
seemed. to me to_ be the favorite crop.
The growing season last year was ex-
cellent, with a damp summer and a
long, sunny autumn. The second crop
of hay and alfalfa was excellent.
I saw strange objects in many of
the fields, which I took to be stacks
of hay or grain wound around with
what looked like tar paper and net-
ting. I learned that they were tem-
porary silos. Emphasis is being put
on ensilage as the best method of pro-
ducing the most cattle feed.
There are other makeshifts, A pro-
cess has been discovered for making
a pulpy feed out of straw on farms
with sufficient water supply. Straw
or chaff is cut up, soaked in caustic
soda solution and then washed for a
long time in running water, It takes
the place of turnips. School children
are paid to gather acorns to feed to
the pigs.
Quality of Farm Stock Improved
Live stock is controlled by the com-
mittees as thoroughly as field crops.
For instance, an attempt has been
made to weed out inferior cows, less-
ening the number, while keeping up
the milk•supply. Sheep are also c4n-
sidered essential, Hogs have been re-
duced drastically in numbers. They
used much imported feed. So did the
Chickens. Besides, it doesn't take so
long to build up their numbers ,again.
As a result, pork and eggs are very
scarce. All owners of poultry flocks
with more than 50 birds must sell
their eggs, to the Government. They
get a certain Wheat ration in return.
Those with less than 50 hens can dis-
pose of the eggs as they like. Many
town and village families keep a few
hens, or even a pig, feeding them the
scraps. Or a pig may be kept by a
"club," with'several neighbors provid-
ing scraps and having a share in the
hog.
The number of tractors in use in
England surprised me. Many of them
were made in Canada, In a country
where gasoline and fuel oil are decid-
edly scarce, I did not expect to see
so many tractors, but this was 'another
evidence of the desperate need of food,
Private cars hive almost disappeared
from the road but tractors are kept
going long hours.
There is one handicap which those
farmers close to airports or along the
main roads Suffer, which might not
be thought of by one who had not
seen their countryside. These fields
are full of traps for planes and some-
times for tanks as well. These are
of several types, but all take up space
and it must take time and trouble
.lriving around them in seeding, tilling
and harvesting operations.
Farmers observe the same black-
out regulations as 'people in towns
and cities. I am not sure that this is
compulsory, but it is the wise thing
to do, There are many instances in
earlier months where hostile pilots
have seen a gleam of light from a
farm and have dropped a bomb on the
chance that it might be a factory,
There have also been some instances
where farmers were attacked in day-
light raids and their stock machine-
gunned front the air,
Farmers Are Given Protection
In many ways, the British farmer is
probably better off than ever before,
His hired man is in the same position,
Prices of all kinds of farm produce
are set by the _Government. high en-
oegh to ensure a profit, And wages
of farm laborers are also set. When
I was in England in October, the time
was approaching when the •minimunt
farm wages would be set for 1942,
The hired men were asking for 50
shillings weekly, and seemed likely
to- get about 55 shillings, or - about
$18.00.
Farmers' sons, if not entirely ex-
empted front conscription, enjoy the
saute standing as mUnition workers,
Farm help is scarce, of course, Due-
in; the harvest months' last fall, many
experienced farmers, now with the
Canadian Army in England,- were sent
to farms near their camps to help out,
They did a good job. Out farmer re-
-ports that they were far better than
ally hired help he could get 'in MS
*Mil country, working far longer liotteS
ungrudgingly.
One of the Women's Auxiliary units
in Britain is the Women's Land Army,
It is not as popular as some of the
other branches of the service, possibly
because the khaki uniform does not
look as well as the Air Force or the
Women's Royal Naval Services. Their
jobs may lack some of the glamour,
too. But there is no doubt about their
usefulness. I suppose that is. some
cases they take the place of hired men,
but those I saw seemed to be working
in threshing gangs, going from farm
to farm in groups.
There is some grouching and com-
plaining, of course. We heard one
poultry farmer say that he was almost
out of business, in spite of the scarcity
of eggs. He could not get enough.
feed for his rather large flock. And
he, didn't think the distribution of eggs
was well carried. out, some of them
going bad, In other cases, the county
committees evidently guess wrong, As
so often happens with farm produce,
an article that is scarce one year will
be overgrown the• nest, In the spring
Of 1941, onions were seldom to be had
at any price, Last fall, there were too
many onions and a danger that some
would rot,
Vegetables were plentiful and they
helped fill out many a meal in Brit-
aaie in the, past few months. Literally
millions of persons were growing
vegetables in their- private gardens or
"allotments," They had sacrificed
many of their flowers, though nearly
every garden still had roses, and the
blooms in September and even in Oc-
tober must have cheered many Eng-
lish eyes, as they did those of a Can-
adian visitor.
About the time I left England,
Prime Minister Churchill wrote to a
mass meeting of farmers and farm
workers1
You Roll Them DefferWith
OGDENSTI
CIGARETTE TOBACCO
"Never before have farmers and
farm workers carried such a heavy
responsibility as you do in this strug-
gle. Never before have you respond-
ed to the country's call as you have
done in the last two years. It is due
in no small measure to the efforts you
have made, in spite of many difficul-
ties, •that we find ourselves today in
a better position on the food front
than at any previous time since the
war started".
BANKER'S HOBBY IS
AID TO WAR EFFORT
(Continued from page one)
knowledge of fine tools and an inven-
tive mind, MiP. Massey has all these
attributes with the result that to-day
he is making screws, bushings and
other precision parts that are used as
replacements on the magnetos anti ig-
nition systems of English planes used
in this country.
One must not have She idea that
this development was easy going. It
was anything but that, Hours, days,
yes years of painstaking effort and
study was required, There were many
disappointments and he Was confront-
ed almost daily with new and per-
plexing problems.
To carry on this hobby in the man-
ner he desired, Mr, Massey discovered
that he required -some English dies
(metric measurment) so he had his
father purchase theM for hint, His
father is an architect in the Old Land.
These dies are now ,one of his most
valued possessions as they are neces-
sary for the manufacture of a acne of
the parts that he has been called upon
to make.
His work shop, in the basement of
his home, has the following equipment,
lathe, drill, grinder, jig saw, sander or
polisher. Each machine is powered
by a separate motor. Last Friday
when we had the priviledge of exam-
Ming his work shop the lathe was set
for the manufacture or brass bushings,
The attachments for this lathe were
made by Mr. Massey and very many
articles can be produced by this
machine that arc not usually made in
and make special equipment to manu-
facture tthe bushings was a two weeks
job but now his little :'four year old
daughter could carry out the operation.
The drill he made himself but to
mention all the parts and portion of
equipment he haS designed and made
himself would make too long a list
to name here. But this'portion of the
work is Mr. Massey's chief delight.
When he needs a part or some special
set up he goes to work and makes
what ever is necessary.
Doing model work prepared him for
other activities. The war created a
scarcity of parts for foreign made
cameras. Mr. Massey turned to this
work and firms that required such
parts gave hint snore than he could
find time for. I)uring his long years
of hobbying Mr. Massey has .found
time for electro plating, photography,
study of chemistry and things associa-
ted with them.
The hobby of model engineering is
most exacting anti all work is done
with the precision of a master or the
models will not work. One example
of his handicraft we will attempt to
describe with the hope that we do his
work some justice and also give our
readers a better idea of the care that
has to be taken with this work. His
model boat interested me in particular
so we will talk about it. This wooden
craft is about 3 feet long and has a
beam of about 15 inches, It is pow-.
ered with a small two cylinder steam
engine that will produce power suf-
ficient to drive the boat as a hydro-
plane. It is from similar models that
master speed boats are developed. Mr.
Massey designed and constructed this
engine. The tiny cylinders are about
U" in length and about g,i" in width.
The engine is thoroughly complete
with oil system, water pump and all
the other necessary gadgets to make
eit operate efficiently, He has of
course made many other interesting
articles, He developed and made an
enlarger that met with the approval of,
some of the leading photographic
equipment firms, One could continue.
ea relate and list many other of his
above will suffice to give a general
idea.
On the radio program "Hobby
Lobby" some unusual and practically
hobbies are discussed but we' are sure
that very few. of them have proved
more interesting or useful than the one
we have just told you about. Mr.
Massey,s most urgent need is a bench
lathe and any reader who knows where
such a tool could be procured please
strop us a' line.
MORRIS COUNCIL
Morris Council tact on Monday,
April 13th, with all the members pres-
ent, The Reeve presided.
The minutes of the last meeting
were read and adopted on motion of
C. Wheeler %nil H. 'Johnston.
Moved by C. R. Coultes, seconded,
by C. Wheeler that the Clerk write.
to Dr. MeMlister explaining that we
feel that the family" of John Haste is
capable of looking after their own
parents. Carried.
Moved by C. R. Coultes, seconded,
by Jas. Michie that jos. Smith be re-
hired to run the grader at 40 cents per
hour. Carried,
Harry Vs'otesman's tender for crash-
big, hauling and supplying gravel at
40 cents per .yd. was accepted by the
Council. This was the lowest tender.
The Council agreed to discentinue
Mrs. Nellie Logan's relief and give
Fred Logan $15.00 after care for one-
month,
The Court of Revision will open
next meeting,
Moved by Harvey Johnston, second.,
ed by C Coultes that the meeting
adjourn to meet again on May
194, Carried.
The following accounts Were paid:
Municipal World (supplies). 85c;
Comity of thron (snowploughing)
$5.00; Ont. tfospital Woodstock (In-
digent fee) $45.50; Advance-Times
(advertising) $1,50; Gen. Hospital
Stratford (Indigent fee) $15.00; jag.
McFadzeait(premium on bonds) $34-.
CO Mrs. Geo. Gross (relief) $15.00*
:Fred Logan. (aftercare) $15:00.
Geo. C Martin, Cloth,
Agriculture Carried On
Bravely In Wartime
Britain Under Difficulties
This is the 14th in a series of
;articles on conditions in Wartime
Britain and parts of Europe, written
for the weekly newspapers of Can-
ada by their own representative,
Hugh Templin, of the Fergus News-
Record.
•
No doubt many readers of Canadian
-weekly newspapers would like to know
;something of agriculture in wartime
Britain, and how the farmer fares.
'Travelling with a group of editors of
city papers, I had not as much oppor-
tunity to study farming conditions as
I would have liked, but I was able to
pick up a good deal of information in
trips outside- London.
The farmers in Britain fill just as
important place as the soldiers or
-the munition workers. One hears that
said sometimes of 'Canadian farmers,
but while there may be some doubt in
Canada, there is none in England and
Scotland.
Before the war, more than half the
food consumed in Britain was import-
ed, either from Denmark and other
European countries, or from Canada
and Other places across the oceans.
Not only that, but some of the fodder
for animals was imported and a large
part of the 'chicken and hog feed.
The people of *Britain must eat. All
imports from Europe have been cut
off, except occasional shipments of
ora'nges from Spain and Portugal.
All imported food must be brought
from Canada or farther away. That
oosts money and lives. Shipping space
-is precious, It cannot be used for
animal foods or bulky articles such as
packaged breakfast cereals. And every
ton of extra food that can be produc-
ed in Britain is desperately needed.
Cost has become a secondary consid-
eration.
Farmers Told What To Raise
A few months before the war actual-
ly started, a bonus of some $8.00 an
acre was offered to farmers for every
acre of new land brought under cultiv-
ation,
A Canadian, travelling in England
for the first time, gets the idea that
every acre of land is in use. There
are no unsightly fence-corners. For
that matter, there are few fences.
Evidently wood and fencing materials
are scarce and so hedges are used.
Most fields are smaller than in this
country and the farms all look neat
and tidy. But evidently, there was
much waste land, not only on large
estates but on small farms Swampy
pieces have been drained; meadows
that were in grass for hundreds of
years have been turned over by the
plow and actually Millions of acres of
extra land are bultivated.
What the farmer grows on his land
in wartime is not left to his judge-
ment. Every country has its War Ag-
ricultural Committee, and these, in
turn, appoint committee in all districts,
These committees are not made up of
politicians, but of working farmers,
land oWners and farm workers. The
agricultural colleges have been closed,
and professors and other experts serve
as full-time advisers on these commit-
tees.
Every farmer is interviewed every
year or oftener. He is told what he
must grow. The committee may even
go as far as to give him a plan of
his fields, telling him what to plant