HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1943-09-30, Page 6E SEMFORTII NEWS
T,HURSPAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1043
l?Veol{1 Editor
tor ,Looks 1 million units is expected,'Peniciilin
M Ottawa
By Jim Greenblat
This column, which goes out. to far
and hindermost ruches of Canada,.
feels, it cannot over -emphasize the
appeal to the "small investor" to
think of the contribution he or she
i4 going to, or should make to the
forthcoming Fifth Victory Loan. Ev-
erywhere, in all, the towns and vill-
ages—they tell me at headquarters
here—great preparations are being
made by local committees to top lo-
cal objectives. You know the fellows
—your banker, your baker, your
• merchant, your school teacher, your
farm community leader, your ordin-
ary guy we -king behind the counter,
will be appealing to you to "Speed
Victory." The hundreds of releases
which go through this office from.
army,, navy and airforce, telling in
piecemeal of the epic of deeds,the
sacrifices of your boys over there
impels me to keep this subject "hot"
before you and to try and convey
the idea of the tremendous urgency
of sending your spare dollars to
strengthen muscles of our war ef-
fort.
e e *
Our producers in Canada will be a
fundamental of any post-war econ-
omics, national and international.
The coal ruiner, the farmer,, the fish-
erman, the fruit grower, have a job
ahead. This was pointed out in Ot-
tawa in speeches before clubs made
this week by a distinguished visitor,
'William Mebane, M.P., parliament-
ary secretary to the British Minister
of Food, Lord Woolton. He emphas-
ized that our task to produce food
stuffs will be one of the greatest
in history, because Europe right now
is in a "state of nutritional exhaus-
tion." He was sure our post war
problem would not be surpluses, but
maybe shortages in such things as
we produce in this country; meats,
dairy products, fats and oils. Anoth-
er interesting point he made—and I
must boil these down to space—that
out of every $10 worth of food
bought in Britain $9.50 is controlled.
Price stabilization is fundamental to
the British system of food control.
* * *
A former weekly newspaper pian,
now associate editor of publications
for the Boy Scouts Association of
Canada, Bert Mortlock, came to this
office the other day and mentioned a
little thing he'd like a "plug" on na-
tionally. That's "Apple Day" carried
out by the Scouts in communities
across the country at various dates
next month. A hundred thousand
strong, the Boy Scouts seek to raise
money for summer camp equipment
a hundred and one other activities.
It's not a little thing, but a big one.
These are the boys whom we'll de-
pend on to "Carry On, Canada"
when the still visionary days of peace
come; our future citizens, workers,
business men, statesmen. Sure, the
folks aren't going to turn the Scouts
down on Apple Day in any commun-
ity.
* * *
Items you may have missed: Total
of all grains marketed during the
1942-48 crop year was 486,823,292
bushels, an increase of 192,968,720
over the previous crop year. Christ-
mas trees supply will be short owing
to transportation and manpower ex-
igencies. Even the type of twine us-
ed for binding them is in short sup-
ply. Maybe folks will have to impro-
vise as in other things. Don't start
construction of a dwelling or other
project without a license, warns Mu-
nitions Minister Hows. Because of
the scarcity of materials a policy of
drastic curtailment is now in effect.
Present personnel of the Canadian
Navy, including some 3,700 Wrens,
is about 70,000 officers and men; it
was less than 2,000 when war be-
gan. A full blooded Mismac Indian,
Clarence Glod,e of Digby county,
was working on the new Tribal des-
troyer "Micmac" as a rivet heater.
The boat was launched on Sept. 18
at Halifax. Besides politicians Otta-
wa is beginning to be famous for
former world boxing champions;
the second to appear here in as many
weeks as a referee is Jack Sharkey.
Answering an urgent appeal nearly
600 Ottawa women, including some
grandmothers, registered here one
night in the registration of half-day
help for the Civil Service. The
RCAF has expanded from a person-
nel of 4,000 before the war to 200,-
000 now.
* * *
One of the greatest of all discov-
eries in bactoria killing drugs, pen-
icillin, a miracle for war wounds,
and which will also be invaluable in
peacetime, is to be produced in Tor'-
onto and Montreal in Dominion Gov-
ernment financed plants, employing
250 men and women, The initial
contract is for 26 billion units larg-
est single order for medical supplies
placed by Munitions department.
The plants will be in operation by
February, 1944, and by mid-April a
weekly average production of 500
has certain qualities superior to sulfa
drugs. It 1$ produced through growth
of a mould, similar to -that you'll find
on cheese, When your hear of bil-
lions of units, 'don't think there will
be enough right away to serve all
Humanity, I em told that in, difficult
cases it takes between two and three
million units of penicillin, so figure:
it out that way,
,0 *
As one keeps coming across facts
and figures on Canada's part in the
United Nations war effort one has to
look past the, word "government" to
that of "people" to realize the gig-
antic collective jobbeing done. Just
imagine the men and women hours
in the terse 'statement that snore
than 36 per cent. of the motorized
equipment used throughout the en-
tire Middle East was of Canadian
make; also 50 per cent. of the load
carrying vehicles used by General
Montgomery's 8th Army in North.
Africa, Its hard to realize that our
1943 production of scientific instru-
ments for war purposes totalled 250
million dollars. We have 1,110,000
workers engaged in munitions work
turning out 55- million dollars worth
a week. Since the war started • the
Dominion has expended on war con-
struction and ;production 6 4 billion
dollars. 'Why, Canada has built two
of the largest 'blast furnaces in the
British Empire, this summer turning
out pig iron at the rate of two and
a half million tons a year.
Getting less publicity than the
Navy, Army or Air Force, but never-
theless worthy of the highest praise
and respect of the people are Cana-
da's Merchant Seamen. They are a
numerous lot too, judging by the
fact that 40,500 are certified to date
in the central registry in Ottawa.
Casualties from merchant ships of
Canadian registry alone; 600 miss-
ing and presumed dead; 147 captur-
ed by the enemy and now prisoners
of war.
* * *
Interesting note to farmers: A
ton of timothy hay contains about 18
pounds of nitrogen, 61/2 pounds of
phosphoric acid, and around 30 lbs.
of potash. This is rather more than
would be returned to the land by a
ton of ordinary green farmyard ma-
nure. If no fertilizers were applied,
continuous crops of timothy would
rapidly deplete the soil, the same is
true in a general. way of other
grasses, the Department of Agricul-
ture states.
Why Post Merles,
The origin of the word "POST" is
veiled in the mists of antiquity. It
may be of ancient military origin,
Public notices,as proclaimed by mil-
itary occupation were nailed to a
post, set up in a public place. Hence
the writing in Hebrew, Greek, and
Latin, which Pilate had his soldiers
nail at the top of the post, of the
Cross of Crucifixion, "outside the
city walls,"
To "Post a notice," was literally
to attach a notice to a post. The en-
campment of soldiers was beside
such a post, and frequently a guard
was stationed beside the post, to ex-
plain the notice (for few could read)
and perhaps also to prevent it's be-
ing torn down,
Camps of soldiers at these "posts"
would wait to receive written orders
or other messages from headquart-
ers, and as the king's business al-
ways required haste, the carriers
hastened from "post to post" at such
an urgent speed that it was soon
described as "post haste."
Why Peet -Office
Subsequently, shelters were built
at these stopping places which .be;
came fixed locations, and it is easily
understood that the building ocoup-
ied by a military "officer" would be
called an 'office. This would relate
the words "post-offiee," and as such
they have come down to us.
But for many centuries the post
office, or office at the post, was for
military purposes only, In early
Christian times, buildings were er-
ected at various places in which to.
shelter converts, and such institu-
tions were more or less related under
a central head or management. Also
with the increase in, learning, stud-
ents had to live far from home, and
in consequence messengers had to
travel bearing letters, or messages,
from home or headquarters, and in
due course carry replies in return.
letThters.is made it necessary for private
persons to undertake the carrying of
Why "Letters"?
� 'le tor"was originally a con-
ventional
Or unnatural)' mark to
express or represent a sound. At a
time when very few people could
read, anyone could recognise a spec-
ially designed mark as a letter; and
a row of them making words, were
of course nothing but the plural,
"letters.". So the marks which were
"letters" introduced the use of a
collection of them being called "a
letter."
Why ""Mails" ?
In this our introiluetory article to
Post marks :in general, and Canadian
in particular, we will conclude by
eleering up the origin of another
word which has been applied to
something entirely different to its
original usage,
As alreadymentioned, letters
Were originaly orders of a military
nature. In later years as warfare be-
came more dangerous, soldiers wore
parts of their clothing made of met-
al, These metal suits were called
coats of mail, l!,ven gloves were cov-
ered with pieces of metal, and the
mailed fist" is a term still used to
describe hard, cruel treatment.
The soldiers thus clothed and car-,
rying.these letters were nailed
men," and one was "the mailed
man," which repeated quiekly 'be
came the "mail man." Now, ^ not
only is the man from "the post." the
",post man," bub also that which he
carries is "the mail."
Send us the names of your visitors.'
Regulations to Protect
Potato Crop
Regulations have been passed un-
der the Plant Disease Act of Ontario
respecting bacterial ring rot in pota-
toes. The new regulations will be
administered by the Fruit Branch,
Ontario Department of Agriculture,
while inspection will be carried on
by members of the Crops, Seeds and
Weeds Branch of the same depart-
ment.
The disease was first reported in
Ontario during the growing season
of 1938. A recent survey showed
several cases of infection in the Pro-
vince and growers, dealers and de-
partment officials;felt regulations
necessary to stamout this disease
and safeguard the potato -growing
industry of Ontario.
With these important considera-
tions in mind the new regulations
state that if bacterial ring rot is •
found on any farm or in any ware-
house, storage or processing plant,
it will be necessary for those directly
in charge to dispose of all potatoes '
on such lands or premises as the
Director may prescribe. It will fur-'
ther be necessary to disinfect such
premises and all equipment pertain-
ing thereto, including machinery,'
bags and containers in such manners
and with such disinfectant as the ;
director may prescribe. When any
potato machinery or other potato
equipment, except sprayers and dus-
ters, has been moved from one farm
to another, such machinery shall not;
be used in production, planting, cul 1
tivation or harvesting of potatoes
until the machinery or equipment
has been thoroughly disinfected. I
Efforts are being made to impress
upon all grower's and dealers the
seriousness of this comparatively
new disease in the Province. It is
hoped that spread and development
will be curtailed by means of prey-'
entive and sanitary methods, A farm
to farm survey in specialized potato
growing areas is now under way to ;
ascertain the extent and prevalence
of the disease. To date this season
several cases have been located, re-
sulting in loss amounting- to thous-
ands of dollars to growers,
Further particulars may be secur-
ed from county agricultural repres-
entatives, Suspicious or affected
plants or tubers should be sent to.
the plant pathologist, Central gaper.
hire/ital. Farm, dttawa, for identifica-
tion, and the Ontario Department of
Agriculture should be notified of any
outbreak of the disease. ,
Big Fleet of New Locomotives for War Duty
HcAVIER wartime freight and pas -
senger traffic on lines of the Can-
adian National Railways calls for
more power and R. C. Vaughan,
Chairman and President of the
National System, has welcomed the
delivery of the first of 30 powerful
6,200 class, Northern Type, locomo-
tives. This new 6235 is already in
service carrying war freight needed
by the armed services, and as each
succeeding engine is receivedit will,
be promptly broken in for war duty.
These locomotives are really "mon-
sters," being 94 feet 9%inches overall
and weigh 677,890 pounds in working
Order. They carry 11,600 gallons of
water and 18 tons of coal. A feature
of these engines is a wartime substi-
tution of steel plate bells manufac-
tured in the company's Montreal
shops, for the traditional bronze bell,
the bronze being required for war
needs. -Mr. Vaughan, inspecting the
first of new engines, sat in the driver's
seat as F. •G. Pike, the driver, ex-
plained the use of the instruments,
counter
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The Seaforth News
SEAFORTH, ONTARIO,