The Seaforth News, 1945-08-30, Page 2ATOMIC POWER AGE' WOULD BRING. DRASTIC
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES IN WORLD
!n xaelr."^:. ,.. ..... a e ,..�....ua. .an: :;..
This Canadian mine is one of the greatest sources of uranium in the world. Uranium is basic raw
material used in the new atomic bomb. It is found in pitchblende, which is also the source of
radium. These few buildings make up the plant of the El Dorado Mining and Smelting Co, taken
over by Canada to "guarantee a government supply of uranium."
By DR. FRANK THONE
Not even the sky will be the
limit to the ttorld-shaking efffeets
of atomic power, ii science can
harness this spectacular new dis-
covery to peacetime use.
If atonic power is technologi-
cally manageable, if atoms of the
more abundant elements (say sodi-
futit, :,r magnesium, or silicon) can
be put in a sufficiently unstable
state for practical use, and if the
econnnti:s of the whole procedure
can be kept right -sire up, then the
world we live in will be a fantastic
place indeed.
1 t•a can• take a, many flights of
fancy on your mental wings as
you like, Herr are just a few of
the i ossibilities:
Jet propulsion of aircraft, and
of ships and land vehicles as well,
could be euormousy simplified,
An atoutic jet -engine might con-
sist sitnply of a casing with a
"disintegrator" suspended in it.
On this, tvat.t 'night be 1 rutit-
ted to drip S; i;t into ox.•aen and
ltr.ir z ;en, tvbo Jt wouirl nnmedi-
atety mite as=te•sm,• this would
provide a light power -source cost-
ing almost nothing for fuel and
nothing for rubrication,
Space Ships Passible
Or, if one of the abundant and
cheap elements, like silicon front
common sand, could be persuaded
to split up and supply atomic
power. rocket -propelled space ships
could soon become realities, even
carrying human passengers, if
hardy enough individuals could be
found to man them—which would
tmdoubtediy be easy enough.
One or more of these jet or
rocket units could be secured to
ends of short crosspieces on a re-
volving shaft — and behold, you
have a simple but efficient reac-
tion -turbine, ready to run a big
electric gtnerator or to turn di-
rectly all the wheels in a factory.
Despite the warning in Presi-
dent Truman's first announce-
ment, in which he stated that ap-
plication of atomic power to the
tasks of peace must await a long
course of research and develop-
ment, speculation about its postwar
effects is inevitable.
Will there be no further need
for coal, or oil, or water power?
Are stacks based On these com-
modities and the utilities con-
suming them destined to hit bot -
tont and never come up again?
Will cheap power be so plentiful
that even Hottentots can own
whole batteries of milking ma-
chines? Will atomic power, in
short, bring on an earthly para-
dise after it has swiftly finished
its pree' nt job of raising concen-
trated hell?
No dogmatic, hard-and-fast an-
swers can be given as yet. We
just havett't facts enough. The
questions have to be met with
other questions. Here are two or
three:
How far are we from practical
application of atomic power for
purposes less violent, more con-
trolled, than bombings? If it al-
ways develops in such shattering,
blasting outbursts it may take a
long time to harness it,
Remember, one of the first at-
tempts at an internal combustion
engine was a Frenchman's inven-
tion, in which gunpowder was to
be the fuel Ie was n,st SUCCORS-
ful.
Atomic "Fuel"
It has been suggested that the
energy of atomic disintegration
be used indirectly, to avoid this
violence or action. Minute quan-
tities of an atomic "fuel" aright
be released at a time, in contact
with water, to generate steam.
That might work, or it might
"crack" the water into hydrogen
and oxygen, forming an explo-
sive mixture. There'll be no way
of knowing until it's tried. So
we conte hack to the President's
declaration that there will have
to be a lot of research first,
Is uranium, apparently the only
element used in the new bombs,
likely to be the sole source of
atomic power? If so, the question
may become pretty much an aca-
demic one, unless much larger bod-
ies of uraniutn ores can be dis-
covered. There isn't -enough uran-
ium in sight at present to power
the world's industries. It would be
like discovering that diamonds are
10;000 times better than coal as
fuel.
We know the terrific ptwcr re-
leased by the new atomic bombs
— but we don't know a thing
about how they are developed .Tt
may very well turn out, when all
the 'facts are released, that more
power is required to extract the
uraniunt from the ore than the
bombs generate when they explode.
There may be a significant hint
to this effect in the fact that the
three big plants where the bombs
are made are all in areas where
hydro electric power is abundant
and cheap.
If it does cost more, in power,
to put the atomic "fuel" into usable
fens, then good-bye 'Utopia! Wars
are necessarily run on a datum -the -
expense basis, but in peace we
have to hatch our economics.
If ,atomic power docs become
practicable and freely obtainable, .
we can stop worrying about the
exhaustion of our oil fields, and
let the coal beds lie undisturbed
for as far ahead as we can foresee.
By the sante token, we shall have
to find new jobs for everyone in
these industries, or support them
on the proceeds of the new atotnic-
powered ones.
Political Weapon
.Since atomic power continues,
for the time being at least, to be
obtainable only from uranium,
there won't be so much of it.
Other fuels will continue in use,
but there will always be an un-
easy uncertainty about their fu-
ture. And we can doubtless ex-
pect fevered prospecting for new
bodies of uranium ore—"uranium
rushes" like the gold rushes of
the past.
Finally, as long as- atomic pow-
er remains on anything like its
present basis, a terrific instrument
of political and social control will
be held by the Federal Govern-.
ment. For, according to the official
announcements, all patents cover-
ing the processes and uses of the
material are assigned to the gov-
ernment, which has spent two bil-
lion dollars of taxpayers' stoney on
the project.
BURMA_STAI
CAMPAIGN RIBBONS FOR CANADIAN FORCES
ITALY STAIR
FRANCE AND
GERMANY STA '
PACIFIC STAIR
1939-45 STAR. AFRICA STAR DEFENCE MEDAL
These campaign ribbons have been officially authorized by His Majesty, covering service in Africa,
Italy, the Pacific, Burma, Northwest Europe, and Atlantic convoy routes. The ribbon for these camp-
aign "Stars" and for the Defence Medal, which is for non -operational service outside the Western
Hemisphere, is in short supply, but there should be sufficient by the end of November for those en-
titled to wear them. Most home -coming personnel have already been issued with ribbons denoting
service in Europeon theatres.
PREMIER'S LADY ROMPS WITH PET
Unawed by her husband's elevation to Prime Minister of England, Mrs. Clement R. Attlee plays with
the family dog on lawn at the family home at Stanmore, Middlesex: Looks like both the lady anti
'he pup have a strong grip on things.
ATI-ILONE TAKES SALUTE OF TROOPS MARKING V.I_DAY
2
�J e xpa it qia.
In the arch of the Peace Tower of the Parliament B uildings, Ottawa, Canadian's Governor-General, the
Earl of Athlone, takes the salute of Ottawa's official celebration of VJ-DAY when hundreds of service-
men and women marched past the reviewing stand. With his Excellency arePrimeMinister King and
Defence Minister McNaughton. In the lower picture, Maj, Gen. B. M. Hoffmeister, General Officer
Commanding the Canadian Army Pacific Force, spoke to all ranks at Brockville headquarters, thank-
ing them for their splendid co-operation.
GENERAL EISENHOWER WELCOMED TO MOSCOW
Marshal Gregory Zukov, left, and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, salute as the American
and Russian national anthems are played at Moscow airport, Generalissimo Statin invited Eisenhower
to review parade of 40,000 Soviet Athletes from• ato p Lenin's tomb. He is the first American accorded
such an honor,
DELIVERS NEWS
Swiss Charge d'Affaires Mack
•Grassli delivered the good tidings
that Japan had accepted surrender
ultimatum. He arrived at the office
of Secretary of State James Byrnes.
at 6:10 p.m., with a portfolio con-
taining the historic answer.
FIIS ORDEAL IS OVER
Surrender of Japan brings freedom again to one of the war's early
heroes—Lt, Gen. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, above. the man
who took up the fight where MacArthur leftoff,and held Bataan to
the end, the man who so inspired his troopsthat they changed the
name of Corregidor to ` Wainwright's Rock." Since he surrendered
Corregidor on May 6, 1942, he has been a- prisoner of the bps.