HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1941-03-27, Page 6Saving Ontario's
Natural
Resources
G. C. Toner
Ontario Federation of Anglers
and Hunters
(No. 35)
PROTECTING WILD LIFE
I have been describing the na-
tural history of Ontario in this
column and now 1 want to tell
gore something of the Govern-
ment agencies that protect and
replenish our wild life resources.
These activities are of many dif-
ferent kinds, the game warden
you meet while hunting or fish-
ing, the hatchery truck taking
fingerlings to the little lake back
in the hills, the conservation of-
ficer speaking before your local
association, all are part of the
Provincial Game and Fisheries
Department.
However, both Dominion and
Province accept certain responsi-
bilities in regard to our wild life.
The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police protect the ducks and
geese by enforcing the Migratory
Bird Act. The Forestry Branch
takes care of much of the re-
forestation in Ontario. The
Game and Fisheries Department
looks after the angling interests;
the commercial fisheries, the fur -
hearers, the deer and the upland
game. It is mainly of this De-
partment I will write about in
the next two or three columns.
First Game Law
The present Department was
founded about 1905 but there
were several forerunners of it in
the late 1800's. The earliest
game Taw as applied to what is
now Ontario was enacted in
1821. It established a closed
season on deer between January
10th and July lst. Six mouths
and two weeks is certainly a gen-
erous open season and there was
no bag limit. You could shoot
as many deer as you could get
between July and January but I
suppose even so generous a law
was regarded in those days as too
severe and no doubt there were
plenty of bumblers among the
hunters of 120 years ago.
I was reading a book the other
day, written in 1800 by Isaac
Weld. This gentleman toured
Canada between 1795 and 1797
and described the conditions of
life in some parts of Ontario. He
mentions dining at a friend's
home, in Kingston, where they
had a saddle of venison and a
fifteen pound salmon from Lake
Ontario as the main course. The
part that rather pleased me was
the statement that both the veni-
son and the salmon were bought
from an Indian for a bottle of
VIM and a loaf of bread. Genie
and fish must have been plenti-
ful but apparently only twenty
years later regulatory laws were
needed as I have shown above.
Bird Banding
Aids Research
Into Habits of Migratory
Birds — Helps in Their Con-
servation
Information gained through
narking wild birds with number-
ed metal bands enables the Can-
adian and United States Govern-
ments to take co-operative mea-
sures for the conservation of
migratory birds, states the De-
partment of Mines and Resources,
Ottawa, An example has recent-
ly arisen in connection with re-
ports of the heavy losses sus-
tained by the woodcock on its
wintering grounds in the Gulf
States last year because of un-
precedented cold weather. These
reports were substantiated by in-
vestigations in the Maritime
Provinces, which revealed that
the birds were less numerous
.there than in 1989. Each of the
countries concerned took prompt
action, by reducing its previous
open season for the hunting of
these birds, to protect the wood -
seek and the sport that it af-
fords.
NUMBERED METAL BANDS
Official aluminum bands found
on legs of woodcock taken by
hunters in the Maritime Prov-
inces definitely establish where
these birds spend the, winter. In
tb,e ease of three such bands sent
in to the Department recently,
investigation showed that all of
the woodcock concerned had been
banded during the winter months,
two of them in Louisiana, and the
other in Alabama. The history
of one band revealed that the
-woodcock had been caught and
banded on January 2, 1937, at
Sherburne, Louisiana, and that it
had survived shooting for at
least four open seasons and a
portion of a fifth, only to fall
•on October 28, 1940, near Wolf-
ville,.Nova Scotia.
• "Ne greet nation has ever been
• overcome until it has destroyed
Welt"
--Will Durant.
All Balkans An Armed Camp As New Front Develop$
0 RUMANIA
may, — suds.
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is
tYugoslavia stalled
signing with axis,
hee 750,000 troops
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Each Symbol Equpls One
Division ( 15,000 troops)
4140,' BRITISH (0 GERMAN
m a GREEK 0 ITALIAN
CO TURKISH
With mil ions of troops lining Balkan borders, sights trained on.
threatened foes, southeastern Europe is today the armed camp mapped
above. Meanwhile, new action has flared in the Italo-Greek conflict.
•
IladstranzellaMaxamolotapirtimaiM
THE W•\ R .WEE K—Commentary on Current Events
Lo S IS AIDING BRITAIN
IN 'BATTLE OF ATLANTIC'
"Never before in the history
of our sea power have we had
such need of many more ships
and great numbers of men."—
British First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, A. V. Alexander.
"The Battle of the Atlantic
must be won In decisive man-
ner. It must be won beyond all
doubt if the declared policies
of the Government and people
of the United States are not
to be forcibly frustrated."—
British Prime Minister, Win-
ston Churchill.
"The British people and the
Grecian allies need ships.
From America they will get
ships. They need planes. From
America they will get planes.
They need food. From America
they will get food. 'They need
tanks and guns and ammuni-
tion and supplies of all kinds.
From America they will get
tanks and guns and ammuni-
tion and supplies of all kinds."
—U. S. President, Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
4, *
First Lord of the Admiralty A.
V. Alexander last week warned the
British people that they were now
witnessing "Tlie. Battle of the At-
lantic," a titanic struggle .for mas-
tesy of the Atlantic shipping lanes,
the outcome of which would un-
doubtedly decide who would win
the war. He was optimistic that a
British victory "will not only be
certain --it will be quick," if the
Empire could hang on until A .eri-
can aid is received in sufficient
quantity.
Prime Minister Churchill noir
lowed him with a report ou the
Battle, which he termed "one of
the most momentous in all the an-
nals of war," and declared that
Britain and the U. S. must win a
final mastery of the Atlantic or
face separate attack.
5,000,000 Tons Sunk
British shipping losses for the
first eighteen mouths of the pre-
sent war reached a total of 5,000,-
000 tons, more than 600,000 greater
than for the first two and one-half
years of the lest war. This was
terrible news. Replacements would
have to be found, and rapidly, if
not in the shipyards of Great Bri-
tain,
ritain, then in the harbors and ship-
yards of the United States. (1,000,-
000 tons of merchant shipping
could very soon be made available
in the Western hemisphere). Last
week President Roosevelt promised
the British virtually everything
they needed in the way of ships.
The question remained whether the
transfers could be made quickly
enough to turn the tide in the next
phases of the Battle of the Atlan-
tic. -
Guard Western Approaches
The British themselves in the
face of such a desperate situation
began a concerted attack on all
angles of the shipping problem. A
mission" wag sent to the United
States to negotiate for more ships
. Labor Minister Bevin appealed
for more and more workers in
shipbuilding and marine engineer-
ing. . . . The Admiralty named
Sir Percy Noble as • commander-in-
chief of the western approaches to
Britain. (These western approached
are vital for movement of Ameri-
can supplies to Britain. Most of.
U. S. aid must enter through the
west sinoe Britain's big eastern
and southern ports have been large- e
ly put out of action. for trans
atlantic shipping).-
Urge Lane Across Atlantic
U. S. experts, it was reported
last week, were advising 'Britain
to abandon the convoy system and
establish a lane of destroyers, 60
miles apart, all the way across the
Atlantic, to thwart German U -
Boats. In this lane, vessels carry-
ing supplies to Britain would op-
erate singly, at full speed, and
would be given a clear go-ahead.
U.S. Fighting By Summer
President Roosevelt's speech in
Washington committing the United
States to a total effort, with the ob-
jective of a "total victory" over
the dictators, was so strongly bel-
ligerent that in Rome it was said:
"Regardless of juridical fiction the
United States is now at war with
the Axis ... the war is no longer
one of Europe against England,
but of Europe against America."
At home in the U. 'S., Congressman'
Knutson of Minnesota voiced the
gleam]. belief when he predicted
that the United States would be
at war within "60 or 90 days."
Chances appeared, definitely to be
on the side of the United States
entering the war not later than
this sumaner. The President evi-
dently was putting off adopting the
status of belligerent as long as
possible, at least for several
months—American warships 'might
be used in convoys, but American
merchant shipe would not go' into
the war zone for the present.
Postponement of United States'
entry into the war could scarcely
be long delayed, it was thought
M many quarters last week. 'Wash-
ington could hardly stand idly by
while costly war production is sank
in The Atlantic.
Where The Money Goes
The figure $7,000,000,000 asked
for by the President March 12,
under the Leas.e•Lend bill was brok-
en down as follows, by Harold D.
Smith, United States budget dir-
ector: $2,054,000,000 for aircraft
and aeronautical material; $1,343,
000,000 for ordnance; $1,3550,000,000
for farm 'and industrial commodi-
ties; $362,000,000 for tanks and ar.
mored cars, etc.; $629,000,000 for
ships and boats; $260,000,000 for
military equipment; $752,000,000
for production facilities; $250,000,-
Q00 for repaizrs, testing, adsninis-
tration,' oto.
Other Theatres of War
In the other theatres of war, the
situation was no less tense last
week than it had been since signs
of Spring 1941 began first to ap-
pear. On the Balkan front, the pow
,ors were still aligning their forces
(Canadians rumored to be amgngst
them) for the battle which was in-
evitably to break out, for control
of the eastern Mediterranean .
Farther south a great British army
was assembling for a final assault
on the remnants of Italian East
Africa . . . In the Fats. last, talk
of the early signing of a Russo-
Japanese nonaggression pact gain-
ed monientuni with the visit to
Moscow. of Japanese Foreign Min-
ister Materoka, and rumors were
heard that when he visited Berlin
he would try to enlist German aid
to mediate the Sino -Jap war . .
At the same time word came that
the rehabilitation of China's ei-r
force was well in hand, and that
Chinese torpedo and mine -laying
planes were becoming increasingly
active in South China waters .. .
* * *
St. Lawrence Seaway
In Canada the big news of the
week was the signing, after 39
years of negotiation between the
U. S. and the Dominion, of an
agreement for joint development
of the St. Lawrence as a seaway
and power project. The pact set
the stage for Ontario and New
York state each to get 1,000,000
horsepower of electric power, and
ultimately for an ocean route from
the head of the Great Lakes to the
Atlantic. The project will, of
course„have to be ratified by both
the Canadian parliament and U. S.
Congress, but when it does go
through, Canadians can look for
treanendous changes to be wrought
in the fact of their land. The ec-
onomy as well as the geography
of the Dominion will have to under-
go adjustment.
Little Bit of Sunshine
Interest in Ontario centred on
Premier Hepburn's "sunshine bud- •
get” report which estimated a
$12,600,364 surplus on the curernt
year's operation, and announced
no new taxation for 1941. Could, by
any chance, an election be near?
Waiting passage by the Legisla-
ture last week was a bill to pay
$1 bonus on. Ontario hogs. The
Government's probaible plan to ap-
ply its hog bonusing policies only
to rail -graded hags caused a storm
in Ontario farm circles last week
and the battle lines were drawn
between Small and Big packing in-
terests.
Plenty of Coal
In Cape Breton
There Are A Billion Tons
There Left to Dig — Sub-
marine Workings Go Four
Miles Under Ocean
The coal fields of Cape Breton
have a commercially -accessible
reserve of 1,000,000,000 tons,
Dr. F. W. Gray of Sydney, N.S.,
told the technical section of the
Canadian Institute of Mining
and Metallurgy at its annual
convention.
'The submarine workings of
eight shore colleries now extend
almost four miles out under the
floor of the Atlantic ocean and
are still advancing seawards, Dr.
Gray said.
"This is by far the most ex-
tensive' submarine coal -mining
operation in any country and will
become relatively more important
as the other coalfields of Nova
Scotia are worked out," he said.
Sydney C. Mifflen of Sydney
said that the Breton coal area
was of prime importance to Nova
Scotia, as it contributed 80 per
cent. of the coal mined in the
prvince and afforded a livelihood
to 30 per cent. of the province's
population.
40% OF CANADA'S
PRODUCTION
The field has an ever greater
national significance, he added,
for from it is rained more than
40 per cent. of the coal produced
in Canada, and 22 per cent, of
all the bituminous coal consumed
in the Dominion.
The Book Shell
"BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS"
By Winston Churchill
The British ?rime Minister's
puuise speeches delivered since
May 5, 1938, have now been pub-
lished in book form under the
title, "Blood, Tears and Sweat"
("I have nothing to offer but
blood, toil, tears and sweat").
The earlier addresses constitute a
striking series of warnings to the
British Government, (before the
war when Churchill was not in the
Cabinet), that their policy was
leading to catastrophe. The later
speeches are those remarkable
orations that have thrilled the
people of the British Empire in
recent months and left a pro -
Sound impression upon the citi-
zens of all sympathetic countries.
A permanent record of what
this indomitable man has said on
many dramatic and historic occa-
sions, no library can afford to be
without the book.
"Blood, Sweat and Tears"
by Winston Churchill .: Toronto:
McClelland & Stewart ... $3.75.
To What Ages
Animals Live?
Despite Years of Scientific
Research No Definite Results
of Calculations Have Been
Able to Determine Their Ex•
pected Span
There is no rule upon which
can be based the expected span
of animal life. Despite years of
scientific research, no definite
results of calculations have been
able to set a limit to ages. The
variation is too diverse for any
set rule to be declared.
The largest of all animals, the
whale, growing to a bulk of about
forty tons, does not live so long
as the elephant, who tops the
scales at six or eight tons and
lives ordinarily to the ripe old
age of 200 years.
CATS OUTLIVE DOGS
Size has nothing to do with
longevity; the horse outlives the
hippopotamus by five years, but
the beaver beats both by usually
attaining the half century and a
camel doesn't begin to "break
up" until past the human three
score and ten.
Cats, pigs and cows, with an
average of fifteen years beat the
dog by a year. Sheep have been
known to live to ten years, and
rats have escaped traps and ex-
termination
xtermination to die a natural death
at seven.
Use Cello Bags
For Apple Storage
Favourable comments from
consumers and dealers have been
received by the Horticultural
Faun Ottawa, on the use of cello-
phane bags for the storage of
apples. During the month of
January, 1941, the last of the
McIntosh apples stored in cello-
phane bags were sold. It has been
observed that the cellophane
covering retained the natural
flavour and full moisture con-
tent of the apples, and it was
further noted that the apples did
not mature as rapidly as with
other containers, thus prolonging
storage life.
VOICE
p F T H E.
PRESS
EDUCATION LACKING
In Ontario, according to the
registration, there are 645,370
men who cannot milk a cow. Our
educational system has long been
accused of getting away from the
essentials.
(Toronto Globe and Mail)
NEED FOR GOOD SEED
Good seed and grain is very
important at any time, but in war'
time it may well be doubly so.
The weather, of course, is beyond
the farmer, but it is not neces-
sary for him to gamble on the
seed too.
(Seaforth Expositor)
FROM DAY TO DAY
With spring upon us, with the
conflict gathering force, with the
future hidden and events obscur-
ed, it would be wise for all of us
to build ourselves a day-to-day
philosophy of life and living. We
should realize that we hold and
possess today, that tomorrow is
beyond us, the days beyond to-
morrow quite undiscernible. Let
us content ourselves with what-
ever happiness, comfort and
health has been given us. Let us
end each day with a prayer of
thanks for the benefits, accept
with as good grace as possible the
reverses, and look steadily into
the future. It was such attributes
as these which strengthened our
pioneer forefathers who dwelt in
times of trial, danger and the
uncertainty of living, very simi-
lar
imilar to those we are now about to
expel ence.
(London Free Press)
Used Elephant
As Snowplow
Lindy, the living snowplow,
died at Amherst, N.S., this
month. - «t
The elephant was one of the
main attractions of a travelling
show which was quartered there
since its owner, Captain 3. W.
Schultz, was interned last spring
as an enemy alien,
Lindy's only winter exercise
was in helping clear snowbound.
roads. But the rigors of the cli-
mate were too much for his
tropics conditioned constitution
— he became sick and died in
spite of all the local horse doc-
tors could do.
LIFE'S LIKE THAT
By Fred Neher
•
idooYrigbR
rod 246
"We're safe, the water will never get hot ... He's our former janitor,"
R.EG'.AR FELLERS — Business Genius
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