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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1948-1-14, Page 2Modern World Is Balanced On Steel 1n peace or war, steel is King. Civilization has gone forward with the use of tools and machines. Steel is not the only metal that is of utmost importance, but other metals probably could not be min- ed, manufactured, or used without its coming into action one way or another, says a writer in the Christian Science Monitor. Steel is everywhere and is used by everyone. How would we get to work tomorrow morning without steel? What office building would be operating without it? Would there be an office building? Where would you have your lunch and who could prepare it without steel? If we could get home without an automobile, train, trolley car, or bus, bow much of a home would there be to live ill? \Vhat about the stove? The refrigerator? The bathroom? The heater? The water pipes? The lawn mower? The snow shovel? .And how could you use the telephone to shout for help, and how could help get to you? Sort of a hopeless feeling, isn't it? i 5 a But there is steel. And if iron ore runs short there will be other methods of getting it. Already there is a $777,000,000 project under development for producing high- grade iron concentrate from tacon- ite. This is a rock formation with low iron content abounding in Min-' nesota. The extraction of tacon- ite virtualy amounts to quarrying, containing 25 to 42 per cent iron. According to some geologists, un- der the Mesabi range are some 00,- 000,000,000 tons of taconite. The average small house contains about 4,000 pounds of steel, and if iron was counted it would amount to about 8,000 potuls, A steel hone is something to marvel at. Ceilings are smooth and walls cent crack or settle, ester! - ors require little attention for 50 years. it is about 15 times stronger than wood. Would you like to move a wall? Make a room smaller or larger? Then get out the monkey wrench. The house is also incombustible. This means lower insurance rates. Rats are out, nothing to gnaw. And there is no room for termites, which the Department of Agricul- ture estimates do $45,000,00Q worth of damage every year to wooden structures. Steel' can be printed to look like wood, it can be treated to look like plaster, and wooden veneers can be applied. There are numerous pleas- ing patterns for house exteriors as well as for interior surfaces. * >! 1' Not counting the pots, kettles, and tools that we use, the average individual spends at least a third of his life on steel wire in the form of mattresses, springs, stuffed fur- niture, and the automobile and train. And don't forget the bird cages, bobby pins, paper clips, knit- ting needles, and coat hangers. '1 his listing could go on and on, but just for the record it is esti- mated that there are 150,000 uses for steel wire. Have pot' read about the colonial days when hours and days were spent making a few nails by hand, and old buildings would be burned to salvage the precious nails? Well. today a single machine can make 000 nails a minute. The master of spinning, Mr, Spider, has been thwarted by the genius of man, who can now draw a wire until it is five times fuer than a hair front a person's head. Did your supper come out of a can last night? Well, if it did, the can was probably one of 20,000,- 000,000 made last year and it cost about two cents. The Second Great \Var spelled the meaning of steel as it has never been spelled before, uncle Sam got on the job and, when the chips were down, produced twice as Hutch as the three Axis powers combined. This steel not only went into guns, but barracks, bridges, landing fields, docks, trucks, ships, bombs—the list is endless, If you want to know where au- tomobiles went during the struggle, look at the Missouri or battleships of its kind. To build a ship of this size calls for as many tons of steel ingots and castings as are required to make approximately 71,000 cars. All over tilt world, warplanes landed on steel mats; steel lusts made cities in the jungles, deserts, and mountains, The greatest need during the tear was for steel plate that went into a two -ocean navy, land tanks, locomotives, and vani- 6ns types of machinery, The steel industry is constantly on the job with research Railroads are ever demanding improved stain- less-steel streamliners and with penthouses. Hairsprings for wat- ches must resist magnetization, temperature changes and rust. Small watches require wire springs one fifth the thickness of a Im- ran hair. Steel is King of the metals. It accounts for over 00 per cent of the production of all metals com- bined. Leaps At The Idea—Helen Hatfield, aquamaicl, attractively demonstrates a feature of 1943 that a lot of gals are thinking about—it's Leap Year I Tractor Drivers Face Many PerriIs hi Frozen North Under the flickering northern tights, the caravan of the snows moves steadily forward on its path across the frozen Iakes twisting along forest trails. The gleaning headlights of a red or yellow tractor search not the way around the bends of the portage roads, seeming something more than mere machines, Lyn Har- rington writes in The Chrisian Science Monitor. Behind them its serried ranks come the sleighs, their runners squeaking over the frosty snow, or slipping along noiselessly over "sugar -snow." A series of tractors, each pulling lbs own group of sleighs, lurches and pitches through the night and all the long day. They carry tons of pro- visions, oil, kerosene, plaid w'nd- breakers, and dressed lumber into the distant posts of the Hudson's Bay Company, to the northern missions, to free-traders and to the Depart- ment of Indian Affairs. Leave Barrels Throughout the north of Canada tractors have taken over the frei ing job, formerly done by horse- power. In those days freight swings carried as much food for the horses as pay load. Today they carry fuel oil, leaving caches of steel ba••rels here and there along the route. The massive tractors transport infinitely more than horses could. Anil though the costs of such transportation are high, they are still considerably less than freighting by air. Tractor trains am one of the most important features of the pioneer life still being led in many parts of the cotmtry. 'Many tractor swings launch out into the wilderness, breaking their own trails as they go. Steadily they plow their way out across the fields of ice and snow and shish which are the numerous lakes of the north. They may carry in food and goods, or may travel in light, return- ing with loads of mining concen- trates, furs, pulpwood or frozen fish for the markets of the world. December to April The season is brief, usually front 'raid -December until breakup in April, when the lakes are unsafe for travel- ing. But during that time of severe weather the life is perilous and hard. At any moment the ice may give way without warning, and the tractor drop straight down through the sur- face, hauling the sleighs after it. The no-thern lakes are not to he trifled with. Perhaps the most dangerous job is that of the driver of the snowplow. He must be able to recognize clanger signals, -a threadlike crack in the snow which means an opening in the ice five feet below. He must recog- nize an air hole long before he ap- proaches it, and give it a wide berth, not only for himself but for Itis com- panions who come later. He must keep his directions firmly in mind, so that in a blizzard he does not find himself driving toward the open mouth of a river where the ice is Ihin. Lakes Beat Roads The lakes provide the hest roads in the north country, since they arc flat. At the right season of the year they are strongly enough frozen to bear tremendous weights of machines and heavily laden sleighs Large lakes are by all odds the safest. There the strong wind plows the show away and the ice forms thick. Muskeg lakes are most dangerous for the brackish water does not freeze pro- perly, Inst makes slush ice. Often a road has to be etit around some of these lakes. And sometimes the lakes must be risked, since a road can be even more risky. Roads can- not be made over rocky country or over muskeg, for the muskeg road which rises and falls with the passing weight of a tractor can swallow that tractor with almost as little warning as the ice itself. Tractor freighting has little fun attached to it. It is a life of eight hours' driving, then eight hours of sleeping, and hack to the job again. Day and night the tractors rumble on their broad treads through sin- 0ettled wilderness. From the begin- ning of the season until spring break- up silences them, the machines are never shut off. The beat of their powerful engines throbs through the air, a stew song of the north. OUT OUR WAY By J: R. Williams NO,:1 AIN'T BOTHERIN' HIM WITH PRACTICIN' COWBOY ROPIN' AGIN-- 1'M MAKIN' DOUGHNUTS AM' THEY STRETCH $E FORE I KIN OIT TO et, --.,71"', TH' STOVE AN' ME Vet, - I .1 - GOT HISSELF CAUGHT (�'l4; .,) IN ONE OF 'EM,' .Uc• ;1, WELL, CUT OUT TH' DOUGHNUT MAK IN' AN' GO To Rom).— You' LL BOTHER HIM LESS: A Ruled All By .ANN BIAlLlLIS "T]11T, sergeant," Gilson insisted, s� last night at midnight I was home in bed, He—" pointing to a pompons indit idual sitting near, "Ile Didn't see the at that hour, IIe couldn't, unless he was tap in my room." The outer sneered, "Yeah," he said, "you were home in bed. Your ghost, 1 suppose, was walking about at mid- night." The sergeant raised his h:uul for silence, 1Ie had known Frank Gil- son, who he was questioning with regard to a burglary of the night be- fore, as a quiet family man, employ- ed as a mill accountant for a number of years, and always honest and trust- worthy. IIs was loath to believe that Gilson had now turned to burglary, breaking into a hardware store, cracking the safe and robbing it of $2,000, The Drills, lsott'cver., had been closed for nearly sir month, and Gilson may have b?cts driven to theft through need. Its had a family to pro✓'dc for. Although Howard Crossley, the pompous one who claimed to have seen Gilson fleeing from the vicinity of the store at midnight, was a new- comer to the town, yet he was re- spected by all who know hint. The sergeant knitted his brows, 1t was a case of mistaken identity Ise felt sure. 'Maybe," Gilson spoke up, "May- be he robbed the safe himself." "What!" Crossley shouted. "How dare you intimate that 1 would do such a thing?" "Why did you say that?" the ser- geant asked Gilson. "V\'ell," Gilson replied slowly, "one day last week 1 saw hips ex- amining the back windows of the store. He noticed, too, that I was watching him. That is why he is now accusing me. It was through the back windows you say the bur- glars got in," Crossley sprang to Hs feet. "You lie," he cried hoarsley, "you never saw one -near the windows." THE sergeant told him to be quiet. Crossley apologized. "Novv the man you saw near the store," the sergeant asked Crossley, "you are sure was Gilson? Perhaps you made a mistake." "I made no mistakes," Crossley replied firinly. "It was he." Deanna Sings In Seven Languages Although she doesn't speak any foreign language, Deanna Durbin has sung in seven languages while making multi-lingual versions of her pictures during her ten-year screen career. In her recent film, "I'll Be Yours," in which she re- turns to singing parts, Deanna had to sing in English, Spanish and German. Her method of learning a foreign language song is to have the lyrics spelled out phonetically. Then, with the aid of music, she learns the correct pronunciations very quickly. "But" site says, "if it weren't for the English version. I shouldn't have the faintest idea what I was singing about." Listed in the order of difficulty she exepericnced in learning them, the languages in which she has sung to date are Chinese, Russian, German, French, Latin, Italian and Spanish. "English is not a good singing language because it has so many hard sounds," Deanna de- clares, 1 always have trouble learn- ing to sing "English lyrics cor- rectly." Not a Marked Copy The newlyweds were giving their first turkey dinner. Since her husband was a novice at carving Mrs. Newlywed insisted on his learning to carve frons her new cook book, lest he display his ig- norance before the guests, The turkey was later placed be- fore the inexperienced host, who was plainly at a loss to know !sow to begin. "Go on, dear, carve it. You know exactly how to do it," whispered the loyal young wife. Of course I do, but I can't find any of the clotted lines," cause back the troubled answer, "Tell us again just how yntt came to Le there at the time, and saw Gil- son corning away." "As I said before," he began, '4 had Leen at my office all evening. 10 was nearly midnight when 1 left. I walked down Main street, intending to go to the restaurant. "At the corner of Main and Pine streets, where the store is, I turned into fine. The restaurant where I usually lunch at the other end. When about in the middle of the block I noticed a man slinking close to the building, occasionally looking back- wards over his shoulder. When he caught sight of me he jerked his arm tip and pulled his hat down over the side of his face, the side closest to me — the right side. I bad already recognized hint, though. It was Gil- son." "What did you do after that?" the sergeant asked. Crossley continued, "Front - the man's action I suspected that some- thing was wrong and -started to hunt for the constable." "You positively identify Gilson as the person you son-?" "I do. I saw his face clearly be- fore he pulled his hat down." All tate acdsile Crossley was speak- ing, Gilson was listening attentively. "1'ou soy," lie asked finally, "that I pulled ary hat dotr,s over tsq, fore and ran back? lloto could I sec where to rens with my fa,e covered?" "I didn't say you covered your Whole face," Crossley snapped. "1 saicl the right side. Your left cyc was open and I guess you could see with that,,, "What arc you laughting at, Gil - 0001" the sergeant broke 10. "1.'n- lcs you call prove where you were last night, it may go hard with you." Gilson made no reply but tools off his spectacles :mel willed them care- fully. Suddenly he pulled bis left eye out of its socket and handed it to the sergenat. The eye was glass. ',Be was slinking elose to the building.* Drivers Warned Fall and Winter "Danger" Periods Of the Otis persons killed in traffic accidents in Ontario in 1040, more than one-third lost their lives in the Last three 'antis of the year, according to a survey made by the • Ontario Department of Highways. ]Jrban accidents in Ontario • start upward in autumn and rise until after the year-end. The last quarter of the year is the worst period for traffic accidents in the cities rod towns. ,lfotorists and pedestrians are urged to use every precaution to meet the extra traf- fic hazards imposed by the fall and winter months. Though there is les: travel in the last quarter of the year than in the summer months, this condition is offset by bad weather and poor visi- bility, Darkness conies sooner and the rush hour finds thousands of employees homeward bound in the twilight. Slippery streets caused by frost, ice, rain or fog are addi- tional hazards, and the first freeze-up in Ontario each year al- ways results in a sharp increase in accid rats. Training of homing pigeons starts when they are about four weeks old. BANK DA General Statement, 29th November, 1947 ASSETS Notes of and deposits with Bank of Canada Other cash and bank balances Notes of and cheques on other banks Government and other public securities Other bonds, debentures and stocks, Call and short loans fully secured Commercial loans in Canada Loans to provincial governments ',Dans to cities, towns, municipalities and sohool districts Commernial loans—foreign Bank premises - Liabilities of customers under acceptances and letters of credit Other assets $ 162,276,927,93 169,001,082.93 70,779,865.93 875,847,469.18 116,509,788.71 42,512,791,49 $1,436,927,926.17 435,872,162.46 4,331,251.20 8,117,482,00 118,717,442.19 10,631,002.53 72,190,306.81 6,853,645.25 Total Assets .. , , . , $2,093,641,218.61 LIABILITIES Notes in circulation $ 4,760,709,72 Dominion and provincial government deposits 88,980,316.16 Other deposits . 1,845,205,532.97 Acceptances and letters of credit outstanding 72,190,306.81 Other Iiabilities 3,095,547.02 Capital 35,000,000.00 Reserve fund 40,000,000.00 Unpaid dividends 934,559.38 Balance of Profit and Loss Account 3,474,246.55 Total Liabilities $2,093,641,218.61 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT Profits for the year ended 29th November, 1947, before Dominion and Pro- vincial Government taxes, but after contributions to Staff Pension Fund, and after appropriations to Contingency Reserves, out of which Beservea provision for all bad and doubtful debts has been made Less provision for Dominion and Provincial Government taxes $2,850,000;00 Less provision for depreciation of Bank Premises 892,687.01 Dividends: No. 238 at. 8% per annum - $700,000.00 No. 239 at 8% per annum 700,000.00 100. 240 at 8% per annum - 700,000.00 No. 241 at 10% per annum 875,000,00 $8,724,519.48 3,74687,01 $4,981,832,47 Amount carried forward $2,006,832.47 Balance of Profit and Loss Account, 30th November, 1946 1,467,424,08 Balance of Profit and Loss Account, 29th November, 1947 $3,474,246.55 I 2,975,000,00 SYDNEY G. DOBSON, JAMES MUIB, General Manager President LITTLE k REGGIE WILL YOU i. FORGET ABOUT BASEBALL AND GO TO BED 1TOSAYYOUfifiLESS AND O0t T FORGET d ! D BLESS MY MA ... MY PA0Ilb b A r --.PRAYERS 84ES5THE TEAM.._ 0 y� y; n it ,��a IIVp / ^�� RAN! RAN! RAH! cis i tillIIll e I III \/ � ''')LI b '� 1'' tf7" . 1 i:11101 ll , 1 0