HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1955-08-18, Page 3ARM FRONS'
While it deals only inciden-
tally with agriculture, I thought
that the following article was
well worth well - stealing.
The author, Bruce Hutchinson,
is a well-known Canadian writ-
er; but as it was written for
The Chrisstian Science Monitor
published in Boston, it is almost
like seeing a view of one's own
house as it appears to alien, al-
beit friendly, eyes.
* 44
After a winter of unnecessary
mental depression the mood of
Canada has turned suddenly
buoyant this summer, from the
government . at Ottawa to the
villages of the hinterland.
The alarms of last spring have
evaporated, and so has the un-
employment problem which
caused them. A nation little
given to tempermental humors
is filled with a new optimism
and quiet confidence in its fu-
ture.
* : • *
Latest statistics largely con-
firm this change in Canada's
thinking. Unemployment, which
daunted federal and provincial
governments a few months ago,
fell during June to the lowest
point since November, 1953, and
left only 157,000 Canadians
seeking work -- less than 3 per
cent of a labor force now reck-
oned at a new peak of 5,615,000.
Ottawa always believed that
the unemployment problem was
exaggerated by provincial gov-
ernments and municipalities but
it has been candidly surprised
by the rapid recovery from last
winter's slackness.
* * *
In its spring budget the fed-
eral government seemed to go
far out on the limb of prophecy
to base its fiscal planning on a
record annual production, C. D.
Howe, Minister of Defense Pro-
duction and the government's
top planner, tells Parliament •
that the budgetary expectations
are being made good. This, he
says, will be the most prosper-
ous year in Canadian history.
Agriculture was regarded as
the major .soft spot in the year's
prospects. The worst spring
weather in the farmer's mem=
ory, from one coast to the other,
delayed all planting and flooded
millions of acres of fertile land.
But Mr. Howe expects a bum-
pererop despite these difficulties.
And capital investment of all
sorts should reach a new peak.
Nevertheless, the harsh Cana-
dian climate assures at least
temporary unemployment in the
winter months when many basic
industries must curtail their op-
erations. This seasonal problem,
along with others, will be con -
GRIEF - That's the name for
this sculpture. It's done in plas-
ter by Maurice Glickman and
was on display at the 17th
Annual Exhibition of the Sculp-
tors Guild,
sidered at a conference between
the federal and provincial gov-
ernments in October.
* * *
Last spring all the 11 gov-
ernments were thinking in
short -run terms when unem-
ployment, abnormal even for
the slack season, • stubbornly
persisted in most provinces. The
autumn conference will think
in long -run terms of methods
to counteract the climatic cycle
by better timing of capital
works.
* * *
The federal government has
been intensively studying the
possibility of coordinated con-
struction planning by national,
provincial, and municipal au-
thorities and by private indus-
try. Such a policy cannot be
worked out in a hurry; but in
the meantime Ottawa has raised
its sights on the nation's future.
In its latest economic assess-
ment the government looks, for-
ward to a large and quick
growth in the Canadian popula-
tion and hence to a correspond-
ing growth in necessary public
services.
* * *
This will involve capital in-
vestment by the state on an un-
precedented scale, not mainly to
relieve temporary unemploy-
ment but to nourish an expand-
ing economy. The government
is reported to be willing, if
necessary, to reverse the debt -
reduction policies of recent
years and borrow money for
these purposes. The autumn
conference will find the govern-
ment's thoughts greatly changed
since the spring.
* * *
The new spirit of optimism
in Ottawa coincides with a new
stability inside the cabinet. For
the last year the cabinet had
been unable to disguise its
secret uncertainty about its own
future when Prime Minister
Louis St. Laurent seemed bent
on early retirement.
Moreover, sharp disagree-
ments on certain high policies
became well known to the pub-
lic, painful friction developed
between Mr. St. Laurent and
Mr. Howe, his chief lieutenant,
and recently the government
was compelled to beat -a hasty
retreat before an opposition fili-
buster when it sought emergen-
cy
mergen.cy defense powers that Parlia-
ment obviously was unwilling
to grant.
* * :k
This period of uncertainty
seems to have passed with Mr.
St. Laureat's announcement
that he will not retire until af-
ter another election and Mr.
Hawe's agreement to postpone
his intended retirement indefin-
itely. The coalition represented
by a French Canadian from
Quebec and an English-speak-
ing Canadian from the key prov-
ince of Ontario thus will con-
tinue, at Least until the poll of
1957, and therefore can plan
some years ahead. Its planning
will certainly be for a nation
in continued and massive ex-
pansion.
BALANCED MEAL
Old Colonel Archer, up from
Kentucky, was describing his
daily routine to a delighted
group in Toots Shor's New York
• restaurant. "For breakfast," pro-
claimed the Colonel, "I ask only
for a quart of bourbon, a pound
of beefsteak, an' my of houri'
dog;" "What do you need the
houn' dog for?" asked Toots.
"The houn' dog," explained
Colonel Archer, "eats the beef-
steak."
CR SSW
PUZZLE
A('ROSS DOWN
1. Petal
2. Revelation
3. Assuaged
4. (.reek ghost
6. Large stream
6. Star in "The
Dragon"
7. Fencing
dummy
1. Hole
3. Twilled cloth
8. College
(Introit
12..(4.asten
14. Formerly
16. Sanction
16.' Alaskan
seaport
17. Adversary
18. Jewel
19, rntimid..tted
20, .Tntce of a
plant
22, severity
24. one of the
arts
20. woolly
surface
27. Black bird
30. Seines of
strife
82. Daughter
of Herodias
34. Spread hay
33, Pennntnt
37. Fruit
83, Blind fear
40, Tight breeze
41 110tl P
44, T'ortune
40. Pinch
43. Tail to keep
49 Mame for
office
81. Heraldic
hoarier
K2. rnrries out
OS, TTnmmer
head
44. 'il'raf,'m nn t
18, V.txamination
8. Giver c
9. Sufficient
10. Height
11. Require
13. Canine
19. Varnish
ingredient
21. Casten
23. Aeriform
fluid
24, Floor
covering
28. waterway
27. Rule
2R. Biblical
natio[,
29. Small tumor
81. Evil
33, Pasture
36. Mississippi
h.talth resort
38. Dress
feathers
30. Heavenly
body
41. Shill over
4' Withstood
,e
43, small island
43, Nervous
twitching
47, Nuimtnee
49, aird'e honk
50, Metal
fastener
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Answer elsewhere on this page.
CAGEY CAT - This cat's in the cage, and the two budgerigars
don't even mind his presence, For "Bambi" daily visits "Joey"
and "Beauty" in their metal home in Sheffield, England. It
makes for a big happy family.
• 1s There Lite On
The Planet Venus?
While the outlook for life on
Venus can hardly be character-
ized as bright, perhaps it is not
quite so hopeless as modern ob-
servations would lead us to be-
lieve. The negative results for
oxygen and water vapor mean
only that these gases cannot be
detected by the spectograph at
the depth to which we can pene-
trate into the atmosphere, If
the white, reflecting layer con-
sists of cirrus clouds, the am -
out of water vapor above them
may be very small, since cirrus
- is formed at a great height,
where the temperature is -so
low that the clouds consist most-
ly of ice particles. Water, in the
form of liquid or ice, would not
show in the spectrum of Venus,
since the spectograph can de-
tect water only in the gaseous
state, Hence it is possible that
water may be on Venus but in
such minute amounts at a high
level as to be unobservable.
Measures made by the late 'Ber-
nard Lyet on the quality o€ the
light reflected from Venus at
different phases have been in-
terpreted by him as due to wat-
er droplets, but the evidence is
not conclusive. It is extremely
puzzling that this planet, which
is at about the same distance
from the sun as the earth and
which resembles it so closely in
size and mass, could have failed
to develop extensive oceans on
its surface , , .
Although no one has ever seen
the surface of Venus, it is prob-
ably about as rough as the sur-
face of the earth. Schiaparelli
noted bright spots on the disk
flanked by deep shadows, and
these visual observations have
been confirmed by Ross's photo-
graphs. The most natural ex-
planation is that the markings
are caused by the flow of air
over the uneven ground below.
The bright spots are clouds rais-
ed to great elevations. and the
dark spots are caused by the
destruction of the clouds cote to
descending currents. Other as.
tronomers have also reported
bright spots, which they ascrib-
ed to high mountains. Schroter,
who seems to have been an ex- .
pert at spotting high mountains,
observed what he believed was
a range towering forty miles
high, protruding above the
clouds. About 1880 Trouvelot,
the astronomical artist, observed
some bright spots which led -bim
to express his conception of. the
surface as being "like a copfus-
ed mass of luminous points, sep-
arated by comparatively somore
intervening spaces. This surface
is undoubtedly very broken, and
resembles that of a mountain-
ous district studded with nu•
nerous ice - needles brilliantly
reflecting the sunshine,"
This persistent mention of a .
great mountain at the pole of
Venus reminds us of the old
map Poe described in the "Ms.
Found in a Bottle," on which.
the pole was represented by a
black rock towering to a prodi-
gious height , .
But this is poetry and fancy,
and if you dislike such a picture
of the planet, you are welcome
to dream up a lush, tropical
world filled with as many flow-
ers and dinosaurs as you like, --
From "Exploring Mars," by Rob-
ert 5, Richardson.
More Cigarettes
But Value Lower
Output of cigarettes increased
to 21,156,092,000 in 1953 front
18,037,368,000 in 1962, but -fee-
tory selling value decreased to
$289,424,673 front *290,947,788
Ancient Volcano
Spouts Firew 44s
Since the first week of July,
tourists in this tricornered is-
land of Sicily have been wit-
nessing an unanticipated spec-
- tacle. While seeing something
they had not expected, they
are, nonetheless, watching a
phenomenon that has occurred
sporadically ' since prehistoric
times.
The spectacle is venerable
Mt. Etna spouting up again; the
first time since- a minor erup-
tion in 1950. There is no fear
of a major eruption, say volcan-
ologists at the observatory near
the summit.
Flames and lava have been
shooting up to 600 feet high and
at night tourists and Sicilians
are awed by the natural fire-
works in a crater formed 44
years ago.
The exact number .of erup-
tions (some accompanied by
earthquakes) is not known.
Legend states • that the first
overflow of lava was around
1226 B.C. But the first record-
ed eruption was about 525 B.C.,
in the time of Pythagoras..
The height of mighty Etna
varies, depending on the source
of information, However, the
official publicity of Ente Pro-
vinciale per it Turismo at Ca-
tania puts the altitude at 10,702
feet. Etna is the highest, most
active volcano in Europe.
Though it is virtually always
emitting smoke from its huge
crater, the uppermost slopes are
snow-capped for eight months
of the year.
Some adventuresome tourists
ski on the lofty heights in the
winter; then motor down to
Mazzaro Beach, below Taor-
mina, to swim in the warm
Ionian Sea. Caves in the upper
parts of the mountain are used
to store snow which is sold
during the summer at Catania
and elsewhere.
"But Etna with her voice of
fear in weltering chaos thun-
ders near," wrote Virgil in de-
scribing destruction wrought by
volcanic outbursts down the
centuries. With destruction,,
Etna has brought rich fertility.
with the lava that has spread,
Iike a hig-priced loam.
Mt. Etna covers a total of 460
square miles and measures 91
miles around the base which is
encircled by a railway. Tourists
ars fascinated by the size and
height whether they see the
volcano by train or by air. M''
The name "Etna" is derived
from the Phoenician, "ethane,"
meaning "furnace," Sicilians
call it "Mongibello", which a
combination of the Italian
"monte" and the Arabic "gibel"
dating back to the Saracen oc-
cupation of the island when the
volcano was known as "Gibel
Uttamat," or "mountain of fire."
References have been made to
Etna in the writings of sages of
the ages, including Aristotle,
Ovid, levy, Seneca, Virgil,
Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio.
Among the most violent and
disastrous eruptions and earth-
quakes were those in 1169, 1669,
and 1693 when towns were
buried and Catania suffered
much destruction. Despite the
havoc caused down the cen-
turies, the area around Etna has
the greatest density of papu-
lation in crowded Sicily. There
are 3,200 persons a square mile
in Catania, Acireale, Nicolosi,
and 62 other towns. Mt. Etna
typifies the warmth, exuberance, 3',
thethe
ewuberan a C ,
somberness of -the Sicilians.
Awe-inspiring thoughts of
the majesty of this volcano can
be conjured top by looking up
to it from Taormina or Catania
during the early morning. As
the rising sun comes up, a rusty
color pervades the slopes. When
the sun goes higher, the air be-
comes hotter and a mist engulfs
the upper mountainsides, caus-
ing the summit to disappear for
hours at times.
Because the soil Is extremely
fertile, bumper crops are har-
vested, principal products being
grapes, olives, nuts, lemons,
figs, and other fruits. The low-
est region is known as the "cul-
tivated zone." ,As one ascends
a couple thousand feet, a visitor
comes into the belt known as
the "woody" or forest region.
The "desert zone" is from 6,300
feet to the summit. -
It takes about seven to eight
hours to ascend to the summit
from Nieolosi. Most tourists
who decide to go up Mongibello
usually complete their motor-
ized trek at a hotel -restaurant
about midway up the mountain.
From a dining table, 'they are
privileged with a splendid view
of many miles, especially inter-
esting at sundown,
Find Pre -Historic
Animal's Skeleton
Paleontologists from the Uni-
versity of Oregon and eastern
societies are busy under the mid-
summer sun removing from the
central Oregon desert the re-
mains of one of the most impor-
tant Pacific Northwest scientific
discoveries in many years.
The "gold" they are mining is
the skeleton of a brontothere,
or thunderbeast, an enormous
rhinoceros - like creature that
roamed the shores of the inland
sea some 60 million years ago.
None has ever before been found
west of the Rocky Mountains in
North America.
The discovery is not a new
one. The first fossils Were un-
earthed a year ago by Alozo
W. Hancock, a retired Portland
mailman who for a decade has
searched the rich fossil beds of
the Oregon plateau. So impor-
tant was his find that word of it
was confined to a few scientific
expeditions. An influx of curi-
osity seekers was feared. Now
the digging has progressed to a
point assuring success. The com-
plete fossil is expected to be un-
covered by September. Directing
the digging is Dr. J. Arnold
Shotwell, curator of the Univer-
sity of Oregon Museum of Nat-
ural History.
The diggers' desire for privacy
is aided by the weather and the
location. The summer sun often
raises temperatures to 110 de-
grees and higher. Only vegeta-
tion available for shade consists
of a few tiny juniper trees and
sagebrush. The fossil beds -
known as the Clarno beds,
where many other important
discoveries have been made -
are some 200 miles east and
south of Portland and remote
from any well -travelled high-
way.
The brontothere is the most
celebrated find currently of in
terest in the Clarno beds, but
other skeletons, too, are being
brought this summer from their
gravelly graves alongside the
brontothere. These are:
An amynodon, the largest
rhonoceros ever found, stand-
ing 8 feet tall and 14 feet in
length. The brontothere, al-
though resembling a rhinoceros,
is not truly of that family. It
was larger than the amynodon
and had a horned protuberance
above its snout.
A creodont, the largest tiger
the world has ever known, a
huge carnivorous cat whose head
was about 13 niches wide and 18
inches long.
An epihippus, a horse, 18
inches tall believed to have been
one of the fleetest of animals.
More Hot Water Bottles
Output of hot water Bottles
rose to 18,504 dozen in 1953 from
16,522 dozen in 1952.
AYSCIIOOL
ESSON
IL. Barclay Warren. S.A., B.O.
Ths Ceuragc.of Daniel
(Temperance Lesson)
Daniel 6:17.28
Memory Selection: It is good
neither to eat flesh, nor to drink
wine, nor anything whereby
they brother stumbletb. Romana
14:21.
Daniel was among the earli-
est group of captives taken by
Nebauchadnezzar from Jerusa-
lem to Babylon. He and his
three companions were chosen
for special training. They were
appointed a daily portion of the
king's meat and of the wine
which he drank. They declined
these in favor of simple food
and were the better for it.
Daniel's interpretation of the
king's dreams led him to e
place of high influence in the
kingdom. Always he remained
true to the teachings of his
youth. He continued his pray-
ing threee times a day even
though it le to i ei dbhgyyntOs
though it led to his being
thrown into a den of hungry
lions.
The printed portion of the
lesson describes a scene in the
reign of Belteshazzar when Dan-
iel was advanced in years. It
was 'a night of high revelry.
The king and a thousand of his
lords feasted and drank wine.
But` they wanted a new thrill.
The king sent for the golden
vessels which had been taken
out of the temple of the house
of God at Jerusalem. They
drank wine from these and
praised the gods of gold, silver,
brass, iron, wood and stone.
People become more venture-
some when they have drunk in-
toxicating beverages. The driv-
er step on the accelerator and
weaves in and out of the traffic.
Before he is halted by police he
often is the direct cause of
death and destruction, The
young man took a drink before
going to rob a bank. The girls
were drinking before they dis-
carded restraints annd gave
themselves to comit the sin of
fornication. Violent quarrels and
murders and divorces are usual-
ly preceded by drinking. Why
don't we as a people rise against
this monstrous evil? There are
monetary implications. We
haven't the spiritual stamina to
face all that is involved.
Daniel had courage. He stood
before the awe-stricken revel-
lers and interpreted the hand
writing on the wall. It came to
pass. Belteshazzar had not
learned from the lesson of his
father. He was weighed and
found wanting. That night
Darius. the Mede took the city
of Babylon a n d Belteshazzar,
the king was slain.
TOUGH JOB
On the maid's day out, a pro-
minent publisher volhnteered to
take the heat off his wife and
tackle the Herculean task of
putting their four-year old to
bed. The exhausted wife threw
herself on the chaise longue and
picked up the evening papers.
An hour later the 4 -year-old
stole into the room and whisper-
ed, "Daddy's asleep at last!"
Upsidedown to Preven' Peeking
THE DIFFERENCE SHOWSUP-Atht i lights n g in the e of an
auto's headlights, these two snowsuits look entirely different.
'The difference can mean life or death. Suit in photo at left is
a standard suit and is invisible. The ane at right is made
of reflective yarn, which is being introduced in fail for gets
rnents for men, women and children.