HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1923-03-29, Page 311 1
Climate and Character
By, Frc',l James, Ottawa.
Too long have Canadians, caught be-
tween pride in their country and s ie•
sire to be reasonably truthful, coanpro-
culled 1n their discussions, of the .Cana-
dian winter with that phrase—•"It's
cold, but you don't feel it." Now the
truth is, it is cold,, and you do feel it.
But the truth is, also, that instead of
being a hanc'cap to progress and de-
velapment, the sharp, bright, cold win -
tug of Canada.,ar'e among the greatest
sof her blessings. They may even, with
fairness, be described as national as-
sets.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the well
known Arctic explorer, inoidentally a
Canadian by birth, has raised the ques-
tion in his recent book, "The North-
ward Course of Empire," "What is a
good climate?" and has suggested that •
the same intelligence be applied to ap-
praisals of climate as of, say, food.
Now a good food is one which makes
the consumer strong, healthy and Hap-
py. It is a very perverted judgment
that would cla,s•sify as good those rich
and highly spiced concoctions which,
however agreeable they may be to the
palate, are destructive of the health
and the digestion. So of the climate.
A. good climate is one which makes a
man healthy, vigorous, energetic,
alive; which fires him with the desire
and, it may be, with the necessity, of
accomplishment; which does not lure
him to beds of ease and slothfulness,
but fires him with ambition to be "up
and doing, with a will for any fate;
still achieving, still pursuing"—such
a climate is a really goad climate, and
such a climate have we in Canada. I
repeat, it is one of our greatest na-
tional assets.
Critics Answered.
If it Is considered by critics of the
Canadian climate that it is, rather too
severe during the winter months, they
might remember that, like the good'
mother she is, she gives generous com-
pensation for any severity. Through-
out Canada, with the exception of cer-
lain territory adjacent to tbie coast of
British Columbia, the country for
about four months of the year is cover-
ed with a deep mantle of snow, and the
soil beneath and the inland waterways
are locked up tightly by frost. It is
well for Canada that these ,things are
so. Without the frost and the snow it
would not be the greet agricultural
country that it is; the value of the
forest resources would be lase; the
Canadians would not be an energetic !
and produativea people as they now
are. There is a country where nature ;
giy.ee a contribution of fifty per cent,'
and demands fifty per cent. 'human ef-
fort,
A*e-climates nature's
er ; and the - de-
slpendingiy
stationof
y latitudes the
Voetoeintegasaas Y , monly held that
:anada is a. country of almost perpet-
ual snow and ice. So far as Europe is
concerned, the war served to dispel
many of the erroneous ideas about
Canada. An invasion of more ,than
500,000 young men and women, of
splendid physique and of high moral
purpose, from a country with a limited
population carried a message of accu-
rate information about the land from
which they came.
portance of Canada in the affairs of
the world is destined to become still
greater and greater, for the path of
Progress and power still is moving
northward, Civilized supremacy seems
to be abandoning the warmer climates
for colder regions, and it seems not
unreasonable to suggest that in the;
logical sense of events, semen -Saes, will
eventually be centred in Canada, or at'
any rate in the northern thaif of the
continent of America. This is no idle
conclusion. In the year 3400 B,C. the
point of supremacy was in Upper
Egypt, when the mean temperature is
76 degrees. Four oenturies later it
was in Lower Egypt, where the mean
temperature is 70 .degrees. As. time
went on the path, of supremacy con-
tinued to ascend northward or cold-
ward, and in the first century, Anne
Domini, the centre of world power was
in Rome, which has a mean tempera-
ture of 60 degrees., We now find that
the point of supremacy is where the
mean temperature is between 48 and
50 degrees, or in the latitude of Lon-
don, Paris and New York. In the light
of this evidence it is not unreasonable
to assume that the Downing Street of
the not too distant future may be
Sparks Street, Ottawa, or Jasper Ave.,
Edmonton.
The Effect of Climate.
Supremacy, to be maintained, • de-
mands virility and perseverance, quali-
ties which are not distinctive of a
country with an enervating climate.
Such climates are erroneously termed
good climates•. What we really mean
Is that they are good climates to loaf
in. We know, atter all, that when we
go to -a southern country in the winter
we go not to get virility, but to loaf.
"No climate can be considered good,
though bananas and yams may flour-
ish, if man decay," says Stefansson in
his latest book. "Human energy, men-
tal and physical, is developed to the
highest degree in the northern cli-
mates."
But winter is the greatest asset to
the Dominion because it has perhaps
more to do with the development of
the individual character of her people
than any other season of the year. It
is a time when they are compelled to
spend more time in their homes. The
hours of daylight are less and the op-
portunities for engaging in outdoor
sports are not so many as they are in
the spring, summer and early fall
.months. They have more time for in-
trospection and contemplation, more
time to spend around their own fire-
sides
iresides and in the sanctity of their
homes, where they may—and should—
gain a greater respec' for the eternal
verities.
A Swiss leu papal Forest.
In Switzerland, 67 per cent. of the
forest area is held under own er some
other form of communal ownership. -In
France, 23 per cent. of the forest area
is so held, and in Germany 16 per cent.
In Alsace-Lorraine nearly two-thirds
of the towns own communal forests.
Many •of the communal forests in
Europa"`have been under such owner-
ship, with continuous protection and
management -foe many generations, in
some cases for centuries. The city'
tenet of . Zurich, ,Switzerland, is a
•class•ie example. This forest, called
the Sihlwald, has an area of 2,580
acres (about four square miles). The
known history of this forest rune back
• Guadeloupe or Canada? to the year 853, since which time it
has been under some form of protee-
A rather curious incident was linked tion and management, and has con -
with that army. At the peace confer- tinned to supply forest products+ for the
ence of 1763, following the war with people. It became the property of the
France, England demanded from city in 1524. The records of the forest
France, as part of the price of victory,
the island of Guadelo•ipe. France ob-
jected to giving up Guadeloupe. be-
cause it contained rich sugar planta-
tions, and sugar was then regarded as
an indispensable product in about the
came- way as oil is regarded to -day.
England was• offered Canada, but the
English delegates to the Peace Con-
ference had no enthusiasm for such a
bargain. They did not want Canada.
They could see very little value in it.
True, there were some fish off the
banks of Newfoundland and some furs
inland, but on the whore they much
preferred the small island of Guade-
loupe, The French insisted upon re-
taining Guadeloupe but were willing to
give up Canada, perhaps for the very
reason that the English did not want
it. After a prolonged deadlock Eng-
land was persuaded to take Canada for
political rather than economic rea-
sonss. After the Peace Conference,
Voltaire, the famous French essayist
and philosopher, remarked that France
was well rid of her 15,000,000 acres of
snow, meaning, of course, Canada.
Time ,and Fate,
But time and fate produce rather
curious results. This, country that
England did not want has now become
the chief source of the supply of bread-
etuffe for the people of the British
Isles and a generous• contributor of a
variety of her .products, It is the
Second ,largest Wheat and oat produc-
leg oatintry in the world; and it offer%
as perhaps no other country offers, a
means of •escape from the crushing
conxp.ettitioe of England's own aver-
polpulattsCeeuntry. Froin the 15,000,•
000 acres of show half a million man
had the privilege of fighting IA France
ea ooturades !of Voa1tair,'e'8 eoUntrymesi
in tine'$ ce,ssful effort to defend it—
,nd •tete15,000,000 acres et es'Ww---
,
ism, an smy, th 't, no doubt, had g
(Ocurate,appreeiatioai of its )yro.
setat wortbi~ttf detiltiivate posfO cilli,
To-day'Gltad!lroupe is rarely hexad
of, 'but •Clanada 1'obins larger and 1ar er
e ainet the worlct'd eksal1ne, tied if hiss
trfnestAkba,geaken AA a guilts the 1m-
.5
show that in 1460 the appointment of
two foresters was authorized. It is in-
teresting to note the comparative an-
tiquity of forestry in Europe, in con-
trast with the youthfulness of his pro-
fession in America. Prof. R. S. Has -
mer, of tele Forestry Department, Cor-
nell University, records that the mill
in the Sihlwald employe 30 men, and
that 120 more are employed in the
forest itself, so that this small forest
alone comfortably supports a small
community by itself. A city woodyard
is maintained to supply 'citizens with
fuel. Under normal conditions a sub-
stantial profit is derived from the for-
est, which assists to reduce taxation,
• Wood is Indispensable.
How indispensable wood is we sel-
dom stop to think. You cannot pro-
duce, transport er consume anything
without wood: You cannot eat food,
wear clothes nor live inhouses with-
out the help of the forest. Half the
wood consumed in America is used on
farms to produce our food. Without it
our food would, not be produced, One-
fifth of all the lumber we consume
goes into packages necessary in the
transportation :of food ,and goods. Even
a ,concrete house cannot be built with-
out wood.
IE.IN ANY
OOt UP A
"Gerrvtsny Is occupied
to pay her war' debts."
"Weil, We either that
copied if she doesn't.'
Every_ mean t ethsearte h iineeel&.
b�ocike a.4 ela0er ai'ef but Coble;
the wioaik is Oi se,-=Wat>ater"
i!
—AND THE WORST IS YET TO COME
easieseeial
Recreational Uses of Forest
Reserves.
It is natural that people should de-
sire to make use of the forest reserves
far recreational purposes', and, under
proper supervision and regulation, this
is desirable from the foresteadminis-
trator's' standpoint. People who spend
their holidays in. the woods, whether•
simply in camping or in hunting and
fishing, get a good idea of the value of
forest resources and thus become ac
tine agents for forest protection.. In
desirable locations along the shores of
lakes. in different forest reserves plots
are leased to citizens on condition, that
they erect suitable houses and keep
their surroundings in good order. The
number of thee cottages iso steadily in-
creasing, although progress in this're-
spect has, not been so rapid of late ow -
ing to the businese depression. Fish-
ing is one of the great attractions for
'tourists and cottages's, and the policy
of the Forestry Branch is to maintain
good fishing, by stocking the lakes
with fish fry, when necessary, and by
restricting the method of taking fish
to angling, The efforts in this direc-
tion are meeting with success; and in
the matter of Belt and game protection
the Forestry Branch acts' in so -opera-
tion with the Dominion fishery auth-
orities on the one hand, and the vari-
ous provincial game wardens, on the
other.—Annual Report, Director of
Forestry, Ottawa.
Corn Exposition.
Ecuador will hold a corn exposition,
with numerous prizes, open to growers
of all the Americas, at Quito, next
October.
Neglected Genus.
If you are the genius you think you
are, don't be worried about being neg-
lected, my .fi`^lead. Everybody is, look-
ing fear geeins—•that ire; the genius that
accomplishes things, the genius that
gets things, done, that puts• plane
through. `here's a sign up at the en-
tranoe of every vocation in the world
for such a genius as you think you are.
So don't worry about being unrecog-
nized, the whole world islooking for
you.
You know what Emerson says,—"If
a man can write a better book, preach
a better sermon, or make a better
mousetrap tern his neighbor, though
he build his house in the woods, the
world will make a beaten path to his
door." If you have :the genius to pro-
vide people with some new thing that
will add to their welfare, their com-
fort or enjoyment, you won't need to
tell anybody about your genius, your
work will speak for you; it will be
your best advertisement.
It is• said that Henry Ford usually
has an advance sale on every car he
can turn out, He doesn't have to ad-
vertise as other car manufacturers do,
he only has to meet the great demand. I
Now, if you have anything the world
wants, you want have to try all sorts
of schemes and ingenious plans to let
people know about it, It will adver-
tise itself, as the Ford car has done
everywhere. Bat if you only put out
something that very few people want,
and those people are scattered over
the earth, you will have to do some
very, ingenious advertising to make it
known, and even then you will not
make much of a living or much of a
success out of it.
Make heart, my friend. There are I
no neglected geniuses, to -day. If you
have anything it wants, even though
you try to hide yourself, the world will
find you out and make a beaten path
to your door. -0. S. Marden.
Knew He d Get Caught,
Doctor—"Your husband has hook-
worm, madam."
Wifie—"The Boor fish! I knew he'd
get caught!"
Canada's Mineral Production
of last Year
Despite the depressing conditions Canadian coal exported amounted to
which prevailed in the Canadian min- 1,821,000 tons for the year, comprising
ing industry during the later part of about 1,000,000 tons from the Western
1921, both production and value of Provinces and the balance from the
practically all minerals during 1922 Maritimes. In addition 4,000,000 tons
show an increase over the:preceding
year. According to a preliminary re- vincral trade during the year, about
port issued by the Federal Bureau of 2,443,000 tons of which was bitumin-
Statistios, the output in 1922 was ous, the balance being mostly lignite.
valued at $180,622,000 as compared In New Brunswick the Minto coal
with $174,315,653 in 1921, an increase field .saw an increased production of
of $6,306,847. Of the total value, 65,241 tons, during the last six months
metals• accounted for $61,731,000, as of 1922, an increase of 51% over the
compared with $49,343,232 in the pre- similar period of 1921.
ceding year; fuels and other non- Silver Increases.
metallic dropped $4,000,000 to a total
of $83,891,000; and the production of
structural and clay products has been
estimated at the same valuation as in
A Plain Talk.
Many people seem to think
that esteem, •wines 1n some inys-
terious way;. that they cannot do
very much In .the way of bring-
ing' it about; that it is largely a
question of luck, of just happen-•
this to be in the right place at
the right time, of having pull, or
influence, or outside capital.
The real truth is that these
peo2ile haven't the grit to try,
They /are cursed with inertia;
they are lazy; they are not will-
ing to Bustle; they are not will-
ing to pay the price for success,
Multitudes go pinching along
all their lives in mediocrity,
pointing envious, fingers at those
who by industry and effort have
won advancement and crying
"Lucky dog!" "It's better to be
born lucky than rich.'
It isn't luck, but grit that con-
trols success. The man or wo-
man who forms the habit of wait-
ing for something to turn up
never succeeds.
No Soup or Pie, Thauk, You.
Life in th•e Russian armies today
seems almost to be safer on the firing
line than behind it. That at any rate
is •tb,e impression you get from read.
ing Mr. Ferdinand Ossendowski's :ac•
count of the activities of the anti -Bol.
shevist general Baron Ungern, the
"bloody baron."
I was at Urge, says Mr. Os•sendow
ski, when one evening I was invited to
the quarters of the chief of staff of the
Russian military of the region. There
I met many intelligent °Meer% and we
were chatting animatedly when sud-
denly Sepailov, one of Baron Ungern's
colonels, entered, singing to himself:
The fellow was said to be mad, and
dark, terrifying tales were current
about him. The other guests at once
became silent and under various .pre-
texts slipped out one by one. Sepailov
handed the chief of staff some paperss,
and then said to us, "I shall send you
for supper a splendid fish pie and some
hot tomato soup."
As he went out the chief of staff
clasped his .bead in desperation. "With
such scum of the earth we are now
forced to work after this revolution!"
A few minutes later a soldier from
Sepailov brought us the fish pie and a
tureen of soup. When the man had
gone the chief of stab sat listening un-
til the sound of steps had ceased.
Then, "He is Sepailov's executioner,"
he whispered and to my amazement
ben pohe son ew thgou
beside the brazier , Aup efmomrentnds
later,gagoingto outurt.of. ,.y ; ta, e he rt, oil
the pie ove.•a a ^. ; se,
Sepailov's f
...\
be tasty, it i
e,xplaine�d., ,<
„,41)t yDis
.Sny T?ouse
asleep, met
dustry also benefited by the new rate , My friends t
schedule on silver -lead -zinc ores, un- !" b , y s e,and
thanked. tlie�+.,,,� a9I wasvp--' :j4
der which the mine operator will be I "What is. the ntat're.i :•.-;e "u:" ;
enabled to market zinc ores, and con- "After your departure,''. explained
centrates and receive payment for a Inv host. "a soldier came from Sepal..
fi
of Canadian coal moved in interpro- considerable portion of the precious lov and took your luggage; he said
that you ,bad sent for it."
I at once understood the danger. Se-
pailov could place anything that he
wanted to in my luggage and after-
wards could accuse me. I stared at
once for Sepailov's, where the same
soldier who had brought the supper to
us met me. Sepailov received • ee im-
mediately. In answer to my protest
he said that taking my luggage was
a mistake and, asking me to wait for
a moment, went out.
I waited five, ten, fifteen minutes,
but no one came. I knocked on the
doer, but no one answered me, . Then
I decided to go to Barn Ungern; but
the door was locked. I tried the other
door and found that that also was lock-
ed. I had been trapped! I was just
going to whistle, when I noticed 'a
telephone on the wall and called up -
Baron Ungern.
In a few minutes he appeared; Se-
pailov was with him. "Wive does this
mean?" the baron asked Sepailov in a -
severe, threatening voice and, without
waiting for an answer, struck Mini a
blow with his tashur that rent him to
the floor,
We went out, and the general order-
ed my luggage. Then he took me to his
own pieta. "Live here now," he said.
Could but Wouldn't.
A Glasgow merchant recently puri
chased a fifteenth -century Highland
; castle, at one time the property of a
The asbestos industry in Quebea
Scottish earl.
Lead made an excellent showing dna passed through a particularly trying i He was showing an old acquaintance
ing the year, production totalling 9S; period 111 1922, and it was not until the over his new home, and in ,course of
736,000,. p;aunds, valued at $6,141,000, as latter part of that year that the in- time they arrived in bhs banquet hall,
+a•gelesit; 66;679,000 pounds, worth $3,- dustry began to take on a brighter out`; "This," he said, "is the largest ban -
828 Qd0; in the preceding twelve-month look, In spite of the adverse condi quet hall in Scotland. I can seat one
period, an increase in value and pro- tions production amounted to approxi- hundred and eighty guests to diner."
duction of approximately forty-five per mately 139,000 tons of all grades, : He paused, and then added, fervently,
Cent. The new rate schedule of the valued at $5,200,000, a:s against 92,761 "Heaven forbid!"
Canadian Consolidated enabled many tons, valued at $4,906,230 in 1921, It
sniall,minee produoin.g silver -lead -zinc
ores to re -open ,on -a paying basis•. The featuring companies., both British and
Trail came ter showed en increased ant- American, • hove announced their in-
put.duri'ng he year, the receipts dui- tention of erecting plants in Quebec
ing the last few months of 1922 being for the manufacture of the finished
ire excess of tJtq,t�ecords fol'. any lire-' products. The reduction of provincial
viou0• period le the company's history; royalties on asbestos, both produced
small gtiantity of lead was produced and cold, will undoubtedly stimulate
at Notre Dante .des Anges,.,, Quebec, the Industry, and the situation at the
wl,1le; the. Caletta Smel'�ter, hi Ontario, present time Is more encouraging than -'
i t s
f o cad about the same quantity as at anyother period during the past
rP
iii 21. two years, e
Zing IpgreaSes.,.
Silver production totalled 15,762,000
ounces•, valued at $10,633,500, being an
increase of more than 2,000,000 ounces,
1921, namely, $35,000;000., The. value over 1921. Production was chiefly con -
of the ten principal products, in order fined to Ontario, British Columbia, and
of value, were as follows—Coal, $fiS,- the Yukon, although a small amount
Que-
349,500; gold, $25,110,500; silver, $10,- was accounted for by Manitoba, ac -
638,500; nickel, $8,634,000; 'copper, $6,- bac and Nava ernScoO. The mining n
tivi�ty in Northern Ontario resulted in
a number of mines being developed,
while those already established experi-
enced a steady era of expansion. In.
Gold Production Increased. this area the Nipissing, Alining Cor -
One of the most outstanding tea- poration, Coniagas and O'Brien mines
tures of the mining industry during were most active ,all accounting for
the period under review was the large increased production. The remarkable
increase in the prgduction of gold, ,finds of silver and subsequent develop -
which amounted to over a )million meet of deposits at Mayo, in the Yu -
ounces, the first time slice 1902, and lion, did much to bring that province
was 31 per cent. above the production to the, fore' as a producer of silver. In
of the preceding year. Continued as British Columbia the greatest increase
tivity in the Northern Ontario gold was 'made An the Skeena district,
fields resulted in many new nrtees be- where the new rate schedule of silver-
ing added to th.e producing list, while lead -zinc ores issued by the Canadian
many of the older established con- Consolidated Mining and Smelting
panes increased their output by in- Company had considerable influence
Stalling additional equipment, Hollin-in promoting new 'development.
her. still maintains the position of pre-
; mier geld producer in the Dominion,
and in addition is credited with being
the largest producrer of gold i•n'the
world. Reserves of ore blocked out, on
this, property give good_ assurance for
its future prod/lotion.
A new Canadian gold . field 14 in
cours3. ,. of, development in Western
Quebec,`'where some promising pros
'petits have recently been reported, and
this territory will be served by a reli-
ned now. under construction north
ward Froin IGipawa.
Alberta Leads in Coal Production,
832,800; lead, $6,141,553; asbestos, $5,-
200,000;
5;
200,000; natural gas, $4,688,400; zinc,
$3,091,000; and salt, $1,581,000.
In spite of the serious labor troubles
which affooted the cool industry dur-
leg'' the year,. production of this pro.
duet wad very ,.satisfactory, totalling
14,210 00091inet g"t !;i2m actin �,tens value
of '$6$,349,ii00, conij)arecl 'ills 15 057 -
493 tons, valued at $72,451,656 in
berth, still -I olds the ositien of lead-
p a
lig' :coal j roliu,cer in. the Dominion,
with an output of 5,387',000 tone, fol/
lowed closely by Nova Scotia With an
output of 5,849,000 tons, Other coal
producing provinces, in order of im-
portance, were: --British Columbia, 2,-
936,000 tons; New Brunswick, 298,00'0
teas, anti Se.skatahe'wan, 250,000 tons.
•
• Lead Smelting Heavier.
metal contents in addition to the zing.
Nickel Copper Smelting Resumed,
The resumption of nickel copper
smelting during the year was a pleas-
ing feature of the report, After a
lengthy period of idleness, the Inter-
national Nickel Company opened its.
plant at Copper Cliff, Ontario, and pro-
duction during December, 1922,
amounting to 3,000 tons of metal, was
1,000 tons in excess of any previous
month since reopening last Septem-
ber. In British Columbia the British -
American Nickel Corporation account-
ed for a small production of nickel.
The total value of nickel produced in
1922 was $8,684,000.
Activity In Feldspar.
Considerable activity prevailed in
the feldspar mining industry. Although
mining has, largely taken place thist
year from a soda spar deposit in Que-
bec, the most important, the potash
spar bodies, were in Ontario, and sev-
eral new deposits have been opened
up in that province during the year.
Improved transportation facilities in
the principal potish feldspar district
give promise of greater production in
1923. The discovery of a large body
of cream -white orthoclase feldspar in
1920 gave an impetus to the industry,
and production in 1921 and 1922, from
this and other deposits, amounted to
approximately 20,000 tons.
Asbestos Revives.
is reported that other asbestos menu -
}deports received from all sources by Something .oft,
An, increase of apprnxin •'cutely 1,000,- the Federal Government indicate an "Well, Ihie's reelized his life's enibl-'
000„pounds of zinc over the preceding increasing demand for mineral pro- tion ---to live without working”
year wesi recox'ded lit 1922. In all seine duets, and everything points to 1923
54000,000 • poun:de Was produced, as being a banner year for tee veining
valued at $3,092;000. - was industry of Canada.
aplely conilrted to British Columbia, -
auk was aoeounted for by the Troll We sal gain when -we eonsici•er mu-
X do," that, to say, `°,Tis se emty thing(`Smelter. This phase of the mining in- teal interests instead of zeliish onus, L cl)al)b1e in."—esh;in ton Gladden
"How has he accomplished it?"
"Gotten a governanent job," .
It is better to say, "This one thin