HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1943-12-30, Page 6CANADIAN SOLDIER ON GUANO
A. hole blasted in a hill -top wall in Italy gives this Canadian
soldier a vantage point from whieh to observe airy enemy movements
while men of his unit move into at new position.
THE WAR • WEEK -- Commentary on Current Events
Four War Criminals Pay Price
Of Crimes Against Russian People
On the morning of December
19, under a gray winter sky, the
sentence of a military tribunal
was executed on three German war
criminals and a Russian traitor.
The gallows at Kharkov, where
these four men have been Banged
after conviction of war crimes
against the Russian people, throws
a dark shadow across any hopes
Nazi war criminals may have
entertained as to their future, says
the Christian Science b'Ionitor. The
mills of the gods are grinding as
fine as ever, but not so slowly.
For war criminals who had
'xunted on a repetition of history
to save them from justice, Khar-
kov is a grim spectacle indeed.
it alters the usual concept of war -
guilt trials which envisaged these
as an exclusively postwar func-
tion.
To Avoid Post -War Conditions
Trials and executions like this
at Kharkov lessen the possibility
Of war criminals' escaping because
of a general postwar reaction
among the peoples: a let -down
from war tensions, a willingness
to let bygones be bygones, an
eagerness to forget the war, or
apathy in the face of so great and
Protracted an agony as the trial
and executions of thousands of
human beings.
The dispatch with whieh the
Russians have punished persons
convicted of atrocities is inspired
fa part by determination to avoid
some of the postwar conditions
which might militate against re-
tribution. The Russians can re-
member as well as anyone the
Allied promises to punish the
criminals of World War One, the
strange aftermath in which the
(German authorities and peoples
}Dined in declaring that program
of punishment to be merely a
frenzy of hatred against Germany
and the sequel in which only the
merest hendiful were convicted.
Moreover, the Russians seem
Intent upon establishing a direct
eomiection between the crines
nom/lifted on the field and the
Policies of the Nazi regime. This
wonld help tc explain the other-
wise curiously detailed and dra-
matin confessions obtained from
those convicted, reminiscent hi
some respnets of confeasinns which
appeared in the Mass trials some
gears ago.
Precedents Set
Tlino statements show the con-
-slated as innnedia1r. agents of
:atrocities approved and even dir-
ectly ordered from above. The
Kharkov rse:taions thus scetn
9ntcmderi lo set precedents for
doling with war criminals: their
trials need not await the end of
Site war, and the execution of those
"directly involved will not absolve
others whose responsibility may
seem less direct hut whose policies
dictated brutal methods of war -
,'.are against ionoc,ist populations.
Whether they restrain further
1nntalIties or nal, the hangings
et Kharkov will be grimly noted
not only among Nazi officers on
the fl;ghling fiou s but by their
superiors in Berlin.
"First Realization"
The alrisrnw Newt declared that
the Kharkov nar erhainals' trial
was "the first raa!izaticn" of the
statement by Prosldr•ut. Ioo evelt,
-Prince Minister 'Winston Claire -
:ail and Premier Joseph Stabil ba
war criminals, and added that it
"1:i siguific rt fit that it 15 the
'.nidal act in the Judgement that
via be lnrrid in i.he c•onntrles of
5kheaulnd Europe.'.
iT1<a "long aim of the freedom
-
loving peoples will pursue those
guilty to the ends of the earth,"
it oontiuued, and "will deliver
them to be places where they com-
mitted their crimes; they will be
tried according to the laws of the
countries whose citizens fell vie
rim to the Hitlerite terror."
"Irrefutable documents leave no
doubt that all these crimes were
and are being committed by the
Hitlerites at direct instructions ot
the German Government and the
High Command of the German
Arany," the Moscow News editorial
declared.
SCOUTING .. .
His Excellency the Governor-
General, Chiet Scout for Canada
has approved of the week of Feb-
ruary 20-20 as Boy Scout Week
in Canada.
* * *
Boy Scout leaders in Windsor,
Ontario, have prepared a brief
suggesting means of overcoming
the increase in juvenile delin-
quency in Ontario.
* . * *
Six hundred and fifty Boy Scout
Ieaders in Toronto have enlisted
since the outbreak of war. Thirty
of these have been killed, a num-
ber have been decorated, and 12
per cent have earned commissions.
* * •
It has been revealed that the
first British pilot to drop an 8,000
lb. bomb on enemy territory was
Rover Scout Peter Merrell, D.F.
M., who was posthumously award-
ed the D.F.C.
* * -
For more than 20 years of ser-
vice to the Boy Scout Movement,
Louie L. Lang of Kitchener, Ont.,
President of the Mutual Lite As-
surance Co., a former President
of the Canadian Manufacturers'
Assn., and a director of the Can-
adian Pacific Railway has been
awarded the Silver Wolt by the
Governor-General
* * *
Gilt Crosses for Gallantry have
been awarded by the Governor-
General to Scout Herbert Held-
man of the 1st Oakville, Ont.
Troop for the rescue of a boy who
had fallen from the pier at Oak-
ville, and to Patrol Leader Al-
bert John Lee, 15, of the 70th
Toronto Troop for rescuing a boy
who had fallen into the Grenadier
Pond.
Let's back Canada by living
like Canadians. Canadians are
honest, unselfish, neighborly,
dean, free and united. Are we?
All of the time?
OTTAWA REPORTS
That Canadian Ministers To
United Slates; Russia,, China,
Braxnl Have Boon Eievated
To The Rank of Ambassadors. •
In the elevation of Cauedian„
!Ministers to the United States,1
Russia, China and Brazil to the .�
rank of Ambassadors Canada Is
taking steps designed to guard
her interests. in a post war world
where even the most widely sop-
arated nations will be "neighbors",
at a distance 05 a mere couple of
days air travel
The guarding of Canada's In.
teresta means much more thau
the mere protection of her ecou-
omio concerns or the preserve -
tion et her rights to this or that
item oe commercial Value. It
means also the creation ot under-
standing, so tar as possible, of
the Canadian people, their peal-
thin
eartion in the British Commonwealth
oe Nations, their manner of liv-
ing, their liking for fair play and
their peace -loving nature as well
as their wartime accomplishments
in the- commercial sphere, Of
course it means as well the dis-
semination of knowledge of what
Canada can produce from her soil
and from her factories, and that
she is prepared to trade with the
world on a fair basis and with
integrity and justice.
* e •
If one wants to consider the
advisability of Canada taking
steps to present her viewpoint
with full dignity abroad one has
only to ponder on the extent to
which international lack of under-
standing of other peoples point
of view has been responsible for
friction and strife and stalemate
among the peoples of the world,
in the past. International goodwill
is almost inevitably pared with
understanding and appreciation.
It was perfectly natural that
Canada's first embassy should be
created in the capital of her pow-
erful and peaceloving neighbor.
the United States of America. It
is apparent that the importance
of Auglo Saxon understanding
rests to no small degree upon the
continuance for all time of the
goodwill which has marked Can-
adian -American relations.
That embassies should follow
quickly iu Russia and China Is
also no surprise, and the eleva-
tion of our Brazilian legation to
the rank of an Embassy only un-
derlines the amazing speed with
which Canadian friendship with
the Latin Americas is being ce-
Pleated. Canada's friendly interest
in the Latin Americas has Increas-
ed enormously since the outbreak
of war and links of understand-
ing are being forged which are
important to the future.
* * *
One of the most striking tea -
turas of the year at Ottawa has
been the constant stream of Lat-
in American visitors coming to
gain at first hand a better knowl-
edge of the people of this Domin-
ion. The Wartime Information
Board Department, dealing with
Latin American relations, reports
that no fewer than seventy Chil-
eans alone have officially visited
Ottawa in various capacities dur-
ing the past year. One group same
to study our Royal Canadian
Mounted Police System; others to
note our war effort; others cane
in important capacities to ex-
change goodwill and promote mu-
tual understanding.
The extension of Canadian rep-
resentation throughout the na-
tions of the world means, not that
Canada is lessening or weakening
her ties with the great Common-
wealth of which site is a part.
Canada already has assumed a
leading role in the settlement of
postwar problems, notably food
relief, and las to "grow up" ac-
cordingly.
Ten -Week Town
In ten weeks a small group of
officers of the Royal Engineers
have transformed 200 acres of
cornfields, pastures, trees and
hedges into a eget supply depot
for the American Army in Bri-
tain. "Ten -week town" is now
a vast conglomeration of tower-
ing tarred sheds set in a network
of concrete roads. There are 14
miles of railways azul seven miles
of roads. In peacetime this work
would have taken upwards of a
year to complete.
✓ OICE
of IHE
P RESS
LOSING ITS FRANCHISE
Over most of Europe there aro
neither elections nor voting. The
people have no say as to who gov-
ern theta, or how. It is their lot
to obey orders froin higher-up—
or else, But, given the opportun-
ity whieh is ours, to vote freely
Mid by secret ballot, would 00
per cent. of them stay at home?
Wo think not.
Like good health, the franchise
is never so highly regarded as
when it is lost,
—Fort Erie Times -Review.
AN OLD GERMAN CUSTOM
Nazi troops displayed a white
Slag, then shot down a Canadian
platoon that carne to take the
enemy prisoner.
It was not Hitler who did that,
it was German soldiers: They
were repeating an old German
custom. They were proving the
axiom that the German people
cannot be trusted.
Windsor Star,
OLSO BABY EUMANe
A scientist informs us that baby
goldfishes are so unlike their par-
ents that they are often mistaken
for another species. Baby humans,
too, professor, and fortunately.
—Ottawa Citizen.
X FOR EXIT
We are amused to hear a bunch
of British kids making new use
of the R.A,F. designation for
bombers. They greet each other
thusly: "Here cones old B for
Bill," and shouts of "Hi, there,
le for Percy."
44 'e would have stayed around
to hear more, but "M for Mabel"
passed by.—Stars and Stripes.
S1-1ORTENING LIFE •
Man is that foolish creature
who shortens his life by working
hard to acquire things that fur-
ther shorten his life.
—Kitchener Record.
The Beek Shelf
Our Old Home Town
By F. H. Dobbin
Many of these reminiscences
will be familiar to old timers, and
many more will want to see old
Ontario through the eyes of our
hardy forbears. What did the well- ,
dressed woman of a hundred years
ago wear in Peterborough? How
slid they fight fires iu those days?
What about the small city or-
chestra?
The reader will find, in this col-
lection of Mr. Dobbin's articles,
not only the full flavour of an
age that has passed away, but
also a witty commentary on the
foibles and fashions of early 00-,
tario folk. He will read in this
fascinating book how the early
elections were held in Peterbor-
ough, how whiskey sold at a shill-
ing a gallon, and was guaranteed
free from beadaohes, the story of
Red Fife wheat, descriptions of
Municipal housekeeping a century
ago, of these and of many mat-
ton.
attors.
A foreword is written by Mr.
T. H. Theohald, of The Peter-
borough Examiner.
Our Old Home Town . . . By
F. H. Dobbin . J. M. Dent and
Sons . , . Price $3.00.
A Million -Dollar
Cape Of Feathers
The most expensive garment in
all the world is a cape made of
feathers, which was worn by King
Kamehameha the Great, of
Hawaii, writes Juliette Lane in
"Our Dumb Animals." The gar-
ment is valued at, and insured
for $1,000,000.
This remarkable cape is price-
less beyond merely monetary
value because it is made of tiny,
golden feathers no larger than a
child's fingernail, gathered over
a long period of time front the
wings of the 'Hawaiian Mamo, a
hirci which has been extinct since
1070.
As only two of these tiny
feathers were taken from the
REG'L,AR FELLERS—Over the Top
HERE'S WHERE '•
I FIST ONE i
OVER ON PUD
WITH THIS NEW ,
o BEANSHOOTER ; l
R ng Out the Old,
Ring in the New
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
Tlie flying cloud,, the .frosty light;
The year is dying in the, night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let hien die. w -
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring,• happy bells, across the snows
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true,
Ring out the grief that saps the mind, 0.
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind, c�
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
Willi sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the cafe, the sin,
a The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood, .
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common lave of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant Clan and free, .,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the; land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
—Lord Tennyson.
wings of each bird, it was neces-
sary to ob'taii. feathers from
countless thousands of the birds
in order to assemble this single'"
garment. Moreover, we are in-
formed that over 100 years of
labor.were required and that the
completed feather cape repre-
sents the highest devlopnieut.in
native Hawaiian art.
The plumage of the Mauro was
at one time equivalent to gold
currency in the Hawaiian Iolanda
and it represented the country's
greatest treasure.
The garment is preserved at
the Bernice P. Bishop Museum
in Honolulu.
Diphtheria -Free
It was 18 years ago on Nov.'
18 that Brantford recorded its
last case of diphtheria. This re-
markable record, which is actually
without •parallel in Canada, or.
anywhere else, es far as is known,
with regard to communities of
this size, has been made possible
by toxoid.
Brantford was among the first
cities in Canada to institute a
thoroughgoing diphtheria -preven-
tion policy, a fact for whieh its
medical officer of health and suc-
cessive health boards and conn*
ails deserve grateful credit.
Big Growth Seen
For Dried Foods
The preservation and conden-
sation of food will have a tre-
mendous postwar growth, en-
hanced by the food needs of cur-
rently Axis -occupied countries,
said W. Smallwood of the Cana-
dian General Metric Company in
a recent address in Toronto be-
fore the Electric Club. Authori-
ties estimate that the food enter-
gency will continue for 10 years
after the war, and dehydration
will play an important part, he
declared.
Dehydrated vegetables in 1942
increased in volume four times
over 1941, said the speaker, add-
ing that in 1948 a 10 -fold in-
crease is scheduled over 1942. He
explained that .in North America
this will mean nearly 2,000,000,-
000 pounds.
Refrigeration solved the prob-
lem of feeding the Allied troops
in invasion orf North Africa and
Italy in advance on this side of
the Atlantic, Mr. Smallwood
pointed out when small cold stor-
age rooms were individually
constructed, filled with frozen
food, and then put bodily ,aboard
ship, the mechanism in each unit
kept the food in that condition
TE' SPO TING 'MING 11
RV Ce9Afd .2RMSTRE,P1 a
"1 figured I'd learn to use one first!"
iiIAt•'S FUNNY: NOT A SOUL
AROUND! I COULD A SWORN
latleH AD WAS SOMEWHERE
MIXED UP IN THIS , .... "
GENE BYRNES