HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1941-01-23, Page 2Saving Ontario's
Natural
Resources
G. C. TONER
Ontario Federation of Anglers
(NO. 26)
EXHIBITS TELL STORY
• It was not long before the or.
iginal Royal Ontario Museum
building was found to be inade.
quate for the rapidly expanding
exhibits and research material,
A. new building was projected
and completed in 1938. The old
part was used as a wing and the
main entrance now faced on
Queen's Park. The Museum of
Zoology was given the complete
upper floor of the east wing and
laboratories and workshops on
the ground floor. These exten-
sions of space enabled the insti-
tution ro organize as a properly
Constituted museum.
In the development of the
Royal Ontario Museum of Zoo-
logy, it has always been the aim
to keep a proper balance between
exhibits and research that is, be -
Linen the popular and the scien-
tific phases of museum work.
On the exhibition side, the aim
has been to make the exhibit tell
its own story with the minimum
of descriptive label. This is ac-
complished In part by the provis-
ion of accessory material design-
ed to suggest something of the
habitat in which animals live.
This trend in museum exhibition
has culminated in the habitat
group which depicts an animal
amid a representation of its na-
tural surroundings. Usually such
a group includes a panoramic
picture as a background. Only
two large habitat groups have so
far been attempted, these illus-
trating the black bear and the
passenger pigeon, but a series of
twenty-four smaller exhibits of
the 'same type illustrate the ha-
bitat of .2 number • of common
Ontario mammals, birds and rep.
tiles.
Not all the museum's speci-
mens are on exhibition; 'in every
large natural history museum;
there are hundreds of spechnens
preserved in the research collec-
tion for every one on exhibition
in the public .galleries. One of
the primary functions of a mus-
eum of Zoology is to study the
animal life, particularly of the
region it serves. The specimens
en which such studies are based
are secured chiefly by field sur-
veys carried out by the Museum's
own staff, but some material is
Obtained by donation, by. pur-
chase,' and by exchange. The
need that existed prior to the
establishment of the Royal On-
tario Museum for an institution
to investigate the animal life of
Ontario is shown by the fact,
that, since its inception, nearly
sixty species of vertebrates not
previously known to occur in On-
tario have been found within our
limits.
The Book Shell
"CONFESSIONS OF AN
IMMIGRANT'S DAUGHTER"
by Laura G. Saiverson
This is the tale of a stormy life;
the autobiography of a great Can-
adian.
Mrs. Saiverson is descended from
the last of the Viking nobles. Her
parents --Icelanders who made the
voyage to Canada in '87—were
settlers who never settled down.
The account of their wanderings
over the North American contin-
ent, from one city and pioneer
settlement to another, and as far
south as the cotton. country of the
Mississippi, is a book in itself, The
writer was a delicate child brought
ii
on the old Norse legends, who
was taken in hand by an extra-
ordinary woman, Aunt I3aldora.
There follow her experiences as a
professional dancer, bel first love
chair and several years of gruel-
ling work in Canadian houses and
factories, Finally she is happily
married to a compatriot and she
herself becomes one of the most
successful of Canadian novelists,
-winning the Governor -General's
gold medal last year.
"Confessions of an immigrant's
. Daughter ... by Laura Q. Salver -
eon Toronto: Ryerson Press
... $2,50.
He Who Flier
May Reacl News
On en overnight trip by air
across Canada, a T.C,A, passen-
ger can read the newts in a dozen
daily newspapers if he chooses,
*11 in the space of 16 houre, all
pablished the sante day in nine
different cities. Twelve maga.
*nee Canadian, British and
-:A.merican--are aboard each air=
errant to keep the traveller abreast
ext his current reading'. T.C.A.
;places 16 subscriptions for each
it. meet the requirements of its
*trim services. It subscribes
to 20 newsips ors,
Quiz Kids Quiz Quints' Dodo
Dr. Allan Roy Defoe, who brought the Dionne quintuplets into the
world and is their medical guardian, looks uncomfortable at -the receiv-
ing end of a barrage of questions at the N.B.G. studios in New York
city when he appeared as guest observer with the Quiz Fids. The Quiz
Kids, whose program ordinarily originates in Chicago, were in New
York making a movie short.
y ,
T H E WAR -WEE K ---Commentary on Current Events
War Awaits Spring Drives;
S i r o i s Report Is Ousted
"Do not regard the present
lull in operations as meaning
that Germany does not know
what to do next. The present
pause Is creative and only ap-
parent."—German Propaganda
Minister Goebbels.
"A final victory over 'total-
itarian intolerance' depends up-
on Anglo-American co-operation"
—British Prime Minister Churc.
hilt.
"A spirit cf mutual under-
standing and confidence Is char-
acteristic of the friendly rela-
tions existing between the U. S.
S. R. and Germany."-Tass, of-
ficial Soviet news agency.
"The war will move to a clim-
ax in the next few months ..
perhaps in the next few weeks."
—Hugh Dalton, British Minister
of Economic Warfare.
"My personal and private op-
inion Is that on Jam 1 Britain
stood a 55.45 chance to win the
war."—U, S. General Q. C. Strong.
* * *
Read together, these five utter-
ances depict for us in broad, gen-
eral outline the stage World War
ri had arrived at last week. Both
parties to the Conflict were taking
stock, feverishly preparing for the
climax spring was sure. to bring,
Nazi Objectives
GERMANY, The whole world
knew (said "Time," ran, 13) that it
would be to German advantage to
strike, hard and quickly, for many
reasons: to relieve pressure- on
backtracking Italy, to batter down
the last resistance in the Balkans,
to bring France and Spain solidly
into the German orbit, to smash.
the centre of the British Empire
—and its No. 1 fleet base—before
American help to Britain could
reach decisive proportions.
Several of these moves were for
the moment stymied—Yugoslavia,
Bulgaria •(with the taeit backing
et Russia). Turkey, were as firm
in their stand against the Nazis
as their relative strength would
allow; Spain for the moment
"wasn't having any"; the French
Cabinet held too many trump cards
(the fleet, and Weygand in Africa
and Syria) to lose so early the
game against Hitler. With regard
to Nazi chances of successful in-
vasion of the British Isles, official
circles in Washington were of the
opinion the odds were definitely
against it.
Offensive and Defensive
BRITAIN: The British were still
in the main fighting a defensive
war with Germany, awaiting the
hour when they would have the
full weight of American produc-
tion behind them, Against Italy
they were conducting a highly -
successful offensive which gave
promise of broadening out to wipe
Mussolini's African Empire off the
map, and weaken his position :.in
Europe beyond repair.
Choice of Two Campaigns
In the Battle of the Mediterran-
ean, the British had the choice
of two major moves, of pressing
the offensive in north and east
Africa; or of waging war in the
Balkans in earnest—perhaps gain-
ing Turkey's adherence. The first
of these two planned campaigns
would be the more likely to de-
velop.
• * * „
Bread From Russia
RUSSIA.: The new trade paet
signed last week under which the
Soviet Union undertook to increase
her contributions to Germany's
wartime breadbasket was viewed
as of tremendous international im
portance. Besides broadening trade
relations between the two coun-
tries, the agreements were said to
have fixed mutual boundaries in
newly -acquired territories and set-
tled resulting re-patriation prob-
lems (50,000 Germans in Soviet
held lands would return to the
Reich). The signing of the pact
followed weeks of increasing ten-
sion in the Balkans where the
massing of troops and reports of
disagreements over control of the
mouths of the Danube gave rise
to speculation that German -Russian
relations might be badly strained.
With China, the Soviets signed
a new barter agreement exchang-
ing Russian military supplies and
machinery for Chinese, tea and
manufactured products,
* *
In Legislators' Hands
UNITED STATES: The i?resi-
dent's "lease -lend" bill .of all-out
aid to i3ritain was in process of
passing the House of Represent-
atives, froze where it would go to
the Senate. Debate in the Upper
:Nouse was expected to continue
another three weeks at least.
Sub delay in legislation would
do little harm to the British war
cause, it was thought, since by
practical standards American war
aid to Britain was going ahead
about as fast as facilities permit•
ted, and past British cash orders
for planes, munitions, were mean-
time being filled.
The Convoy Question
Still considered of paramount
importance, though not talked
about freely in the open, was the
question of the U. S. strengthen-
ing the British convoy system.
Everyone knew that the American
aid program would be futile unless
the goods produced could be de-
livered safely to Britain. It was
expected that much would be done
temporarily to relieve British ship-
ping for war hauling, but the use
of American warships in convoys
would become ahot issue very
soon.
* * *
.. . Shelved
CANADA: The mountain gave
birth to a mouse—stillborn. Three
years of work, millions of dollars
in cash, hundreds of volumes of
research material, months of pub-
licity, appeared to have gone for
naught when the conference of nine
provincial premiers meeting in Ot-
tawa last week threw out the
Rowell-Sirois report (with its rec-
ommendations for reorganizing
Canada's financial structure) after
only a few hours' consideration.
Time alone could, tell what effect
this rejection would have upon
the future of the Dominion. Per-
haps not as momentous as we
might now think. Many wondered
who was right—Mr. King, who
maintained that the adoption of
the report would assist in the war
effort; or Mr. Hepburn, who viol-
ently opposed it, saying that the
time was altogther inopportune.
Now that the report had been
- shelved, the machinery of our
governments would doubtless con-
tinue to function as in the past—
until a worse crisis forced the re-
vamping of our set-up in its eutire-
ty.
... Unappeased
A orowd of angry farm folk
taxed London, Ontario's, biggest
.hall to capacity lastweek and
heckled Dominion Minister of Ag-
riculture Gardiner when he en-
deavored to explain to their satis-
faction the policies of the Federal
Government regarding wartime dif-
ficulties of Ontario farmers. Un-
appeased was the gathering which
asked for a bonus on hogs (now
being raised at less than produc-
tion costs); an increase in the
price of cheese; removal of - the
peg on the price of butter; ship-
ping of low-grade grain from the
west as feed for eastern live stock.
The reaction to Mr. Gardiner's
small concessions (a "floor" for
butter, slight increase in the price
of -cheese) from Ontario farm lead-
ers was not favorable. The provin-
cial Minister of Agriculture was
"considerably disappointed." The
president of the united Farmers'
Co-operative said Mr. Gardiner's
recommendations were "very un-
satisfactory." The president of the
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
said the whole farm situation would
be threshed out at the Federation
convention this week in Toronto.
To Increase Army
A report issued at Ottawa last
week by the Inter -Departmental
Committee on Labor Co-ordination
revealed that the Government is
planning an increase of 117,200
men in Canada's armed services
dn`eing 1941. Canada's munition -
making army during the same time
would be- increased by 76,000 to
225,000. More than four new di-
visions (80,000) are to be added
to the army this year,
VOICE -
OF THE
PRESS
FIRST BOTTLENECK
The original bottieneck problem
started with the catsup bottle,-
-- Brandon Sun
_0_
BETTER IN 1941
Unless you are a better mau in
1941 than you were in 1940 there
is not much ..chance that your reso-
lutions will long survive,
—Peterborough Examiner.
--e^-
SHiFTING RESPONSIBILITY
Most of us are really sincere
when we ask heaven to help the
poor, We feel that it relieves ue of
the responsibility of helping them
ourselves.
—Quebec Chronicle -Telegraph.
LORD HALIFAX
A contemporary hopes that ceu-
sorship regulations will not require
us to allude to the new British am-
bassador to the United States as
"Lord Eastern Canadian Port."
--Woodstock Sentinel -Review.
—o—
FORT ERIE DID IT
Chief Constable of Fort Erie is
justly proud of the town's record
—seven years without a fatal mo-
tor accident on its streets. Which
shows what can be done.
—Owen Sound Sun -Times.
World Hockey
Meet Planned
Dr. W. G. Hardy of Edmonton
told the semi-annual convention
of the Canadian Amateur Hockey
• Association that plans are under
consideration for staging world
hockey championship in Canada
after the war.
Even before the war ends,
world tournaments might be held
on a smaller scale, said Dr. Har-
dy, past president of the C. A. H.
A.
He explained that the chief
purpose of the International Ice' -
Hockey Association was to trans-
fer the centre of World hockey
from Belgium to Canada where it
rightfully • belonged. Organiza-
tion .of the I.L.H.A. was prompt-
ed by the outbread of war in
Europe and virtual collapse of
the Old World body. Ligue In-
ternationale de Hockey Sur Glace!
Great Britain, Canada and the
United States make un' the new
world body and Dr. Hardy said
that "the OIympic committee
henceforth must take us' on our
own terms."
Canadian National
Railways Revenues.
The grass revenues of the ail-
inclusive Canaeian National Tlail
ways System for the week ending;
January 7, 1941, were ,,,,.."x4,422;889'
as compared with 9;0904,04.
for the corresponding
period of 1940, an in-
crease of 802,725
or 4.2%
Fishermen-Farrners
Harvest Eel Grass-
Eel grass in demand for in
sulation and packing is furnish
ing a market for great quanti-
ties of this marine plant which is,
strewn along the beaches after
every high wind. The fishermen -
farmers of the sections of the
South shore of Nova Scotia .near
Shelburne have been harvesting;
the plant and obtaining good.
prices. The Canadian National:
Railways line follows the Atlan-
tic Coast along this south shore:
from Halifax to Yarmouth, an
area which annually attracts.
large numbers of visitors. Shel-
burne possesses interesting links
with the early history of New
England and during its early
settlement provided acconnnoda
tion for Loyalists, who had loft
New York.
Add to Milk—Serves
on Puddings—Spread
orz Bread and Bu tter.
LIFE'S LIKE THAT
By Fled Neher
"Let me have $500,000.. . . My girl friend is coming down this nowt
and I want to nzaise an impression."
WINSTON CHURCHILL -1
His Boyhood and Youth
John Churchill, the Duke of Marl-
bortlugh, England's greatest general,
was the illustrious ancestor of Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, Since
Marlborough's day, the Churchill fam-
ily. has given Isngl.and many soldiers
end statesmen.
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born
Nov. 0, 1874, third son of Lord Randolph
Churehill and Lady 'Churchill, the former Miss
Jennie Jerome of New Fork. Iris grandfather
was the seventh Duke of Marlborough.
His school days at Harrow were the despair
of his parents. Winston was last in his class.
After two unuccessful tries he finally was ad-
mitted to Sandhurst and inrrnediately showed a
great enthusiasm for military life,
NEXT WEEK—Cburchitl_ in ludic. Captured by Boers. Etetle, Polities and, r;outanc*
Mitering the British army in 1895;
Churchill first saw action when he
ran away to Cuba and joined the Span-
ish forces es an officer hi a Hussar
regment, During 1896.1.898 Churchill
served in India, played much p0104