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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1940-10-24, Page 2SCOUTING Saving Ontario's Natural Resources NO. 13 LARGE MOUTH BASS While the small mouth black bass is the fish that most anglers want to catch there is another bass in our waters that is sought by many. In fact, some anglers prefer the large mouth black bass and others do not distinguish be- tween the two, lumping them all as bass. However, there are two kinds, each living in its own habi- tat and each readily recognized once the identifying features are known. The large mouth bass likes marshy lakes and slow -flowing rivers. It prefers warmer waters than does the small mouth, be- ing found through to Florida and Lousiana, it is typically a fish of the lakes, frequenting the soft -bottomed portions where there is a large amount of aquatic vegetation, stumps, logs and brush. I have taken them in num- bers in the Rideau canal above Kingston, where the old stumps of the drowned lands stick above the water, and I have taken them in the shore swamps and the little lily -pond lakes of the Georgian Bay region. THEY EAT SMALL FISH This bass clears a spawning bed over the roots of the vege- tation and here the female de- posits her eggs when she is driven over the nest by the male. He guards the bed and keeps the water in circulation with his fins, sweeping away the sediment un- til the eggs are hatched. Then he accompanies the swarm of tiny bass for several weeks, protecting them against the ravages of larger fish. For the first few weeks of life these bass live on the minute water fleas but when they reach a leng-bh of an inch they turn to other tiny fish for their food. The adult large mouth eats fishes almost exclusively, though they have been known to take frogs, snakes and other water creatures. In the Rideau waters I have ob- seived this species considerably, they feed on sunfish to a great extent. I have taken a bluegill as large as the palm of my hand from an old timer that I caught near Washburn. We can best conserve these fish by protecting the adults un- til after July lst in our waters. I have often thought that we should not fish at all before this date, for even if we put back the bass we may catch when we are after sunfish and c'r'appies, we are disturbing the nests, al- lowing hungry enemies to make away with the young fry. When this happens many times in a sea- son the future supply of bass may be endangered. e e e 30,000 Young Canadians Called Up for Military Training As 30,000 young Canadians answered the call to military training under the government's compulsory military training scheme, this group of musically -inclined trainees were pictured en route to their new camp in the Toronto area. The Boy Scouts of Canada have been given a new wartime service job. This is the collecting of used medicine bottles to augment the supplies at military hospitals. The collection is being made at the re- quest of Lt. -Col. J. S. Jenkins of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, at Ottawa. Many thousands of bottles already have been col- lected at Saint John, N.B., London, Ont., Calgary, and Victoria, B.C. When a train Svas"wrecked near Blue River, B.C., and a number of soldiers and others injured, two Boy Scout passengers were prompt- ly romptly on the job rendering first aid. The boys, Scouts Jerry Asmussen and "Scotty" Buchanan of North Ba.ttleford, Sask., were themselves slightly injured, but this did not prevent them going at once to the aid of their fellow travelers. * * * That the Boy Scout Association does a bigger work at less expense than that of any other organization was the declaration of Mayor Mor- rison of Hamilton, Ont., at a meet- ing of the Hamilton. Board of Con- trol at which the co-ordination ot all local social services was discus- sed. Said the Mayor, "In my opinion the Boy Scouts are doing a bigger and better work than any other organization, and at less expense." * * * In connection with the news of fighting and air raids along the borders of Kenya Colony in East Africa there has been some con- cern regarding the safety of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, the World Chief Scout and Chief Guide, in retirement on their ranch near Nairobi. Answering this question in a recent issue, the magazine "The Scout" states: "Kenya le an enormous stretch of territory, and as the Chief is residing in the south of the Colony he is hundreds of miles from the scene of fighting. The Chief is in good health, and we are receiving copy and sketches for his page regularly." Greece owns the largest fleet of -"- tramp steamers, after Great Brit- ain. THE WAR -WEE K—Commentary on Current Events Will Russian Moves Stop - Hitler's Drive To East? Large concentrations of Ger- man and Russian troops faced each other across the Danube last week near the Rumanian port of Galatz as one of the ten- sest situations yet to develop during the war neared its crisis. Germany feared bombing by Britons, or Russians, of Ruman- ian oil fields; Moscow felt in- creasing alarm over reported German plans for a Near East drive across the Dardanelles; Turkey and theother Balkan States, Bulgaria, * Greece and Yugoslavia, trembled at the fate that would be theirs when next Germany and Italy decided to march. Hitler Flouts Stalin? It was difficult to gauge from this distance exactly what was happening in the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Ru- mors flew thick and fast: that Russia was quietly seizing the Danube ports.; that Britain, Rus- sia, Turkey and Greece were joining together to stop further German penetration eastward; that Bulgaria was rapidly going Nazi; that Turkey and Russia were near agreement on a mili- tary alliance to oppose the Axis in the Near East. Whether these reports were to be given credence or not, one thing was becoming increasingly obvious—that the non-agression pact between Germany and the So- viet Union soon night not '6e worth the paper it was written on, now that Hitler had, in his march to the Black Sea, openly flouted Stalin. Germany Takes Risks Would it come to war between the two countries? In the opinion of this column it would not. Ger- many on the one hand, could not afford to take on another major power at such a moment in the Battle of Britain. (Associated Press' Kirke L. Simpson express- ed the opinion that "while any doubt of Russia's attitude exists, the Axis mates dare risk no ag- gressive push eastward from the Balkans to threaten Britain'a hold on the eastern Mediterran- Major Warfare Looms in Africa The clouds of major warfare which have been hovering over Africa for several weeks are quickly lowering as General Maxime Weygand (1) is busily engaged in attempting to solidify the French colonies on the side of the Vichy government. General Charles de Gaulle who has landed at Duala (2) and taken over Cameroons for Free France is like- wise engaged. With the Italians stalled at Sidi Barrani (3) the British have bombed the Italian base at Tobruk. They also bombed the Assab and Djibuti-Addis Ababa railway (4). The Italians retaliated by raiding Aden (5). The island of Madagascar, which has thrown in its lot with the Vichy government, is being blockaded by the British navy (6). can Germany cannot over- look the fact that the Russian Air Force would be in a position to batter at the Rumanian oilfields from many close-up bases if pre- sent tension results in Russo- Rumanien hostilities, Even an anti -Axis attitude of watchful waiting on Russia's part would free Turkey to invite British help in repelling a German in- va.sion"). Russia's Alternatives Russa, on the other hand, had three alternatives: she could en- courage Turkey to resist and offer her all aid short of war; she could divide Turkey and the other Balkan states with Ger- many taking the half she v.anied; or she could counter -invade Ru- mania at the risk of war with Germany. (The Soviet Army pub- lication Red Star declared that Russia's armies must be kept in "constant mobilized prepared- ness" because of the "tense in- ternational situation"). * , New Nazi Strategy Authoritative circles in Lon- don last week said that Hitler's latest plan seemed to be: to de- liver the main punch into Mus- solini's faltering invasion of Egypt (a telling blow had been "dealt the Italian fleet in the Medi- terranean by the British cruiser, ' Ajax, which sank three destroyers in a victorious naval engage- ment) ; to harrass the British Isles with raiders as often and as powerfully as the weather and British defenses permitted; to at- tempt to weaken the flood of war materials from the United States to Britain by getting the United States embroiled in war with Japan. "Time" Newsmagazine, October 14, said: "It seemed certain last week that the wars centre of grav- ity was tending south; that Germ- any would soon play some taking cards in the Mediterranean area. The worst that could happen would be everything at once: invasion of Britain, a Spanish -based blow at Gibraltar, a German -s u p p o r t e d Blitzkrieg across Egypt to the Suez Canal, an Italian drive down the Nile, turbulence in the Balkans and a diversion through Turkey, blasts here and there at Perim, Dakar, perhaps at Singapore with the help of the eager little Japan- ese." To , End War This Year? It was by no means certain that Adolf Hitler had abandoned his plans to invade the British Isles. Total air war against the British people had already begun, and if Hitler were, as most experts believ- ed, miaking one grand effort to win the war this year, the invas- ion attempt would have to come before winter closed down. Roosevelt Defies Axis Was Hitler not afraid of the en- trance into the war of Britain's nonbelligerent ally, the United States? He might have decided, as the Kaiser did, that America's par- ticipation, owing to lack of pre- paredness, would have small effect. But what would he make of the transfer of U. S. "flying fortress- es" to Britain, phis torpedo boats plus financial aid for London? Did he think the elections would hold the U. S. back? Perhaps it was a question Of "now or never" with Hitler. In a momentous speech at Day- ton, Ohio, last week, President Roosevelt defied the three powers, Germany, Italy and Japan. He pledged a total defense for the Americas, and announced in the boldest terms continued support for Great Britain. Far East Naval Bases As part of its "stop Hitler" pro- gram the Administration at Wash- ington wa,S working to secure nav- el and airbase facilities in South America . . . as part of a. "stop Japan" program, U. S. diplomats were believed to,; be negotiating with Britain for a` string of Far Eastern naval bases from New Zealand to Singapore, in exchange for further war aid. * * * Playing Politics? A three-day sensation was creat- ed in Canada by the Charlottetown speech of Conservative House Lead- er R. B. Hanson who let slip the secret information that 10,000 more R. A. F. men (aside from the Com monwealth Air Training Plan) were on their way to Canada. Premier King was outraged and quite a storm blew up over the incident. Canada's Week During the week the Prime Min- ister announced that the House of Commons when it reconvened Nov- ember 5 would be allowed a debate on international affairs . the Government created a Pacific Coast Command under Major-Gen- eral Alexander to co-ordinate west coast defenses in the face of the greater Japanese menace . . . it was announced that immediate steps were being taken jointly by Canada and the United States to- ward construction of the inter- national section of the St. Lawr- ence seaway, to assure adequate power for defense production in both countries . . . Government circles expressed confidence that there would be a big increase, per- haps of forty per cent, in the am- ount of bacon purchased here by Great Britain, although the price might fall thereby . . . represent- atives from every province cane to Ottawa to co-ordinate Canada's drive far more tourists .. . VOICE OF THE PRESS FARMERS' INCOME. It is reported that 1,000 Farmers in Canada pay income tax. Well, things are better than most of us thought. —Fort Erie Times -Review. —o— DATE FOR A PLOT Premier King announces that Parliament, called to assemble on November 6, will at once adjourn until January. We trust recent in• dioations of renewed activity by the Conservative party have not inspired suspicion of a Guy Fawkes plot. —Woodstock Sentinel -Review. —o— HAUGHTY JUDGES A prominent Toronto citizen complains that he was refused entry into an elevator in the City Hall there because it happened to be occupied by a justice of the Su- preme Court of Ontario and his escort. It may have been the same judge who refused to ride in the motor car which the sheriff had provided for him because he did not consider its appearance match- ed his dignity. Some of our judges take themselves altogether too ser- iously. —Brockville Recorder and Times. —0— WOMEN ON THE JURY Admission of women to jury duty in Ontario is favored by the' Attorney General and in this Mr. Conant will likely find general sup- port. They are not many valid reasons why women should not perform this duty and there are many good reasons for their doing so. Serving on juries is one of the responsibilities that goes with the franchise, and since women in On- tario secured the right to vote in 1917 It is time that the . question of jury duty was favorably settled. —Toronto Star. Goes to Washington 0 H. S. G. LETS:,.:, Who has been appointed Military Attache to the Canadian Lega- tion in Washington. Before his appointment to the new post, Col. Letson was Commandant of the Vancouver Area. Four -Legged Whales The whale is a maniple', not a fish. This is proved by the hairs round the muzzle — something no fish can possess—and also by the fact that its paddle is quite unlike the fin of a fish; indeed its more like the human hand with rows of bones like those of our fingers and thumbs. At one time whales had four legs, but gradu- ally the hind two disappeared completely and the front ones turned into paddles. r4s#/04 BEE HIVE LIFE'S LIKE THAT By Fred Neher "We'll take your old car and you pay flee rest just like alimony ! 1" REG'LAR FELLERS — Olise Side, Please By GENE iC YRNES FELLERS d'iAZETTE WE MOST CERTAINY� >, d�IR ! WHAT IS IT YOU WiS I LOST A QUARTER UP ON PINEAPPLE AVENOO AN' IM OFFERIN' A REWARD Lee J. DUC`egl: EbiTTER 140,31. dah4t mons_:' ��,�•. \. � � ��..� \ \ IMMINMPVINk