HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1947-05-29, Page 6•
•.e,
80 Displaced Persons
Arrive In Britain
To Start New Life
Half a gale was blowing the
rain clouds eastward, and the at-
tacking sun of spring darted in
and out like a fencer's sword, as
80 women came ashore at Tilbury,
on London River, to set foot for
the first time on British soil, writes
the London correspondent of The
Christian Science Monitor.
There was no ceremony of
greeting. Only a few officials met
them, welcomed them, and guided
them to their night's resting place
—no fashionable hotel, but a dor-
mitory in a London County Coun-
cil hostel.
So they came to England= -80
women without a country, 80
women with memories they hope
they can forget -80 displaced per-
sons from the camps of Europe.
They are the vanguard of 3,000
who will come to these shores by
May 5, And the 3,000 themselves
are the vanguard of 100,000 ex-
pected this year.
Most of the 80 once were citi-
zens of Baltic countries to which
they cannot or dare not return.
This one once was a teacher in
a village school, that one was an
architect, the other a concert
singer.
Now they are to cook and sew
and scrub floors and help prepare
hostels for others.
Seeking Jobs
They are coming to England to
give their help to England during
its time of difficulty in exchange
for a job, a roof, a good wage and
new hope.
They decided to come to Eng-
land after reading notices posted
in displaced persons camps. These
notices were very official, rather
cold,.and plainly honest.
They set down Great Britain's
offer to volunteers. The D.P.'s
were told they would live in camps
or hostels. They would have the
same rations, the same wages, and
the same hours of work as British
workers.
They also were told: "Workers
will enter Great Britain for an
initial period of 12 months, sub-
ject to good behavior and to the
specific condition that they un-
dertake only employment selected
by the Ministry of Labor.
Among the first 80 was Velta
lvlaurins. She was rather sad. She
had been married three days be-
fore to another displaced preson.
He was landed that same day with
60 other men at Hull, and she
didn't know when she would see
him again.
Families Separated
For they were all told that
while every effort would be made
to find married couples work to-
gether or close at hand, there
could as yet be no guarantee.
Whole families could come over,
but they were told it was unlikely
they could be accommodated in
the same building or even in the
same district.
The 80 pioneers understood this,
for they had been told about the
housing probit m here.
If there is no hint in the official
instructions that good work or
good will can lead to British citi-
enship or permanent home, they
believe in England and their belief
permits them to read between the
lines.
Their thanks for the present and
their hopes for the future were
clearly implied in a simple phrase
by Dr. Maia Zirk. Her husband
once was a flourishing barrister
and now has disembaked at Hull
to he a store clerk. She herself,
forgetting her doctor's degree, will
clean floors.
"It is not a very high price for
freedom," was what Dr. Zirk said.
British Officer's
Quest For Birds
Leads to crest
The New York Times in a Berlin
dispatch said that Brig. W. R. N.
Hinde, British commandant in Ber-
ha, was arrested recently on a
charge of spying on an airfield in
the Russian zone, but was eventu-
ally released after questioning.
It was ail a case of mistaken
Identity and a vigilant sentry, the
Times reported,
Hinde, an ardent ornithologist,
was taking advantage of a sunny
spring day to pursue his hobby in
the woods near the Russian zone
where there is a large number of
birds. He changed into civilian
clothes, armed himself with a pair
enf binoculars and began walking
through the wooded countryside.
A Soviet army sentry challenged
him. "I am looking for birds," said
the British commandant, "You arc
/looking at our airfield," retorted
the sentry.
The Times then quoted Ilinde as
saying: "Utter rot, my dear fellow.
I am Brigadier Hinde and .1 have
not the slightest interest in count-
ing your planes. I am looking at
birds and you are frightening them
away, dash it."
The British officer was whisked
away lei the Soviet Kommandatura
in ltcrl;it, A phone call was put
throimii to Mai..t.ren, Alexander G,
1947 Pontiac—A striking character -study is this photo of
Jim Pontiac, great-grandson of Chief Pontiac, mighty 18th
century Ottawa Indian warrior of the Michigan wilds.
Although 95 years old, he still hunts, fishes and does all
his own chores at his home, even to wood -cutting.
les r r
Orem o
Youth
By
JOHN ROWLEY
They were sitting on a bench in
the park, the man and the woman,
and the sun, shining through the
pattern of leaves and branches
abets* them, formed a network of
light and shadows almost like some
gossamer fairy lace.
The woman was about thirty
three or four, blonde with dimples,
and a wide, good humored mouth.
The man, who was about the same
age, dark with good features and
graying hair, leaned towards her.
"Do you rcmcuibc,', Jean, the first
time we kissed?" he asked tenderly.
The girl laughed a little and
there was a faint haze back of her
eyes. "How could I forget," she
said. "We were so young . . and
thy! 1 didn't know what I would
say if you asked me , , . and I
was on pins and needles for fear
you wouldn't. They were good
days, George. Happy days."
' * x
George reached over and patted
her hand. "They were," he said.
"They were wonderful days and I
was so much in love with you. .
It spoiled my appetite! To me
you were the most beautiful thing
ever come down to earth." He
laughed, his voice deep and reso-
nant. "And you're still pretty nice!"
They were silent for a moment,
tat
e
"Well, goodby, Jean," he said.
each thinking' the thoughts that
these memories brought up, Finally
the man laughed again. "Do you
remember our last high school
dance?"
The man, lost in thought, gazed
out over the green expanse of the
park. Far off he could see tall
buildings rising out of a sea of bil-
lowy gren, but he wasn't seeing any
of that, Instead he was seeing a tall,
old fashioned building in a small
town a long way from the city.
There was a blare of music coin-
ing from the building . ,'t dance
music, a number popular at the
time. He saw couples getting out
of cars and some arriving on foot.
'I'ikov, the Soviet commandant, the
Times said.
"What does he look like?" the
newspaper said Kotikov Asked.
When he had been told, Gen. Koti-
kov shouted:
"For God's sake apologize and
turn •him loose; that is Brigadier
14inde."
1
Inside the huge floor of what was
ttie gymnasium swelled and heaved
with couples packed close together.
He remembered the laughter and
the music and something came into
his throat and he wanted to cry.
The woman sensed it too and she
put a slender, graceful hand. on his
arm.
"Do you remember that dance
• , our graduation dance?. I can
see you now. You had on a light
blue evening gown that came all the
way to the floor and you wore a
corsage of some kind of white flow-
ers. s The light in your hair made it
look all gold and you were the most
beautiful • creature in the world."
She laughed, entered into the
spirit of the thing. "And Mr. Weeks,
the assistant principal, asked the ,to
dance and I let him have one dance
▪ . after ill, he was the assistant
principal."
"And after the dance," he went
on. "The rest of the crowd went
down to eat, but you and I went
to the little lunch counter around
the corner and had some coffee and
afterwards we walked home. It
was exactly three blocks away .. .
I think I can remember every step
, every depression in the side
walk. And when we got to your
house we stood on the steps a long
time, not saying anything, just
looking at the night ... and every-
thing was golden around us."
*
Ile paused for a moment, staring
straight ahead. "And then you said
you had to go in . , . and you kissed
me, . He laughed again and
turned to look at the woman beside
him. "I floated home on a cloud
that night!"
She smiled and they sat there, •
silent, for a time, contemplating the
memories they had conjured up out
of the past.
At last they got up and the man
looked at the woman beside him
and smiled. ,
"Well, 'goodby, Jean," he said. "It
was wonderful seeing you again,
but I'll have to be running along
now. I'm supposed to meet my wife
in front of the Metropolitan in
about 10 minutes."
She looked at her watch and
gasped. "Me, too," she exclaimed.
"Why, it's almost five o'clock and
I haven't finished my shopping yet.
I'm afraid my husband's supper will
be late tonight. Goodby!"
They hurried off across the, park
, in opposite directions!
The Next Problem
It is reported that before the end
of this year we may know with
certainty whether life exists on
other planets. If it does, of course,
the next problem will be to get
to one of them before life ceases
to exist on this one.
VOXE
Problem Too Big ,
Canada is spending more and
more on the weather, but still does
not seem able to do anything about
rt; —Brandon Sun.
Clock Watchers
Fifty-three per cent of office
employees have visual problems.
Too notch watching the clock?
—Hamilton Spectator.
A Rally Is Needed
General Charles de Gaulle is de-
finitely' back in politics, having an-
nounced himself as leader of a new
"alignment" he calls the Rally of
the French People. May he prove
able to rally them more than most
parties have done in the recent past.
—Brantford Expositor.
It Paid
It is said that Henry Ford -never
objected to the jokes which people
made about his car so long as they
said something about it, Advertis-
ing, he learned, was better than
silence. —Lethbridge Herald.
Lots of Hard Work
Net income of Canedian farmers
reached last year a record figure
for all time—$1,267,400,000. A
very great deal of hard work went
into that substantial achievement.
—Ottawa Journal
evice Will Keep
Pilot From Flying
Into Mountains
Such a succession of flying acci-
dents of this type developed a few
months ago that grim jokes began
to be made about mountains' re-
fusal to duck from the path of
blind -flying airplanes, says the Sault
Daily Star. Now the noted pilot
'and designer, Howard Hughes, has
come up with a device which he
thinks will go a long way toward
eliminating these shattering crashes
of irrestibile force against . im-
movable objects.
* * *
The Hughes gadget is a small,
.simple radar warning, soon to be
installed in all Trans -World Air-
lines planes, which Hughes thinks is
"foolproof", but subject to still fur-
ther development out of practical
experience. Among the most strik-
ing features 'of the device, a refine-
ment of wartime radar equipiuent,
are that it weighs only 16 pounds
and costs only $130.
A combination transmitting and
receiving set is ' mounted on the
underside of the plane. Two small
antennae on port and starboard,
sides of the plane send out powertr
ful pulses at the rate of 40 a
second in all directions except back
ward. Travelling at the rate of 500
feet in one millionth of a second,
the pulses bounce back from u.y
object they strike and actuate a
warning light and signal bell.
*, * :e
Present equipment is regulated to
warn the pilot when he is 2,000 feet
and again at 500 feet from any ob-
ject. The procedure for the pilots
when the. lights glow and the bell
rings is to. pull the aircraft up into
a climbing turn and continue .until
a 180 -degree swing has been made.
The plane hat' just flown over the
rearward course and the pilot knows
there are no obstructions there,
The 500 -foot warning light and
bell also are for use in blind ap-
proaches to a landing field in bad
weather. If the plane has not brok-
en out of the weather at 500 feet,
the device will tell the pilot accur-
ately that he is that far above the
ground and he can pull up and go
to an alternate field.
* * *
Hughes recently took newsmen
on a flight over rugged mountain
terrain, in which he flew in and out
of _tight little valleys, heading his
big four-ehgine plane straight at
mouptain peaks until the warning
device flashed and sounded, then
increasing power and pulling sharp-
ly up and around in a 180 -degree
turn.
He is confident that the device
"will be of great assistance in ef-
forts to eliminate the type of acci-
dent which received. socelnuch pub-
licity fast° year."
H Era
S
2 Special' Remedies
by the Makers of Mecca Ointment
Mecca Pito Remedy No. 1 is for Protrudinc
Bleeding Piles, and is' sold in Tube, with pipe,
or internal application. Price 75e. Mecca Pik
itemedy No. 2 is tor External Itching Piles. Sold
n ,Tar, and is for external use only. Price 500.
5rder by number from your Druggist,
Chinese Inflation
In Shanghai, China, the municipal
government has outlawed $100 bills,
following the issuance of new $10,-
000 notes. The smallest bill cir-
culating there will now be $500,
which is worth about four cents in
U.S. money. That's inflation—
when a $100 bill is a worthless
nuisance.
---Kingston Whig -Standard.
Defined
A gossip is one who tells you all
the news that's fit to hint,
—Kitchener Record
Observation
We consider the man who takes
pride in his home and home sur-
roundings and spends his evenings
in his garden a better citizen than
the man who belongs to a half
dozen or more organizations and
spends his evenings attending meet-
ings—possibly passing resolutions
urging people to take more interest
and pride in citizenship. Very often
you'll find the poorest evidences of
good citizenship around the homes
of those who spout it the loudest.
—St. Thomas Times -Journal.
American Royalty .
Mrs. Jones, a Lo !don lady, was
proudly discussing her new Ameri-
can son-in-law with a neighbor.
"My Gwendolyn has done very
well for herself, I must say," she
boasted. "Halter all, 'tisn't every
day a, young girl marries an
American •lord."
"An American lord? Why, 1 ain't
ever 'card of such a thing in all
my born days!"
"1 wouldn't tell you a lie," said
Mrs. Jones. "Ain't you ever 'eard
of the American 'wising shortage?
That's why. Gwendolyn's husband
is so hoity-toity. He's a real
American lord—a landlord!"
get
12 rONIYs °'" ter DRUoscORCs
JACK KERB
OF HERMON, ONiTARRO
is hero of community
It was 2 below zero. "I en school
children huddled around the
little oil stove in the canvas -top
sleigh as it jogged briskly along
the snow -banked road. Suddenly
there was a sickening lurch. The
sleigh tilted violently and rolled
over on its side. In an instant the
stove had exploded and the can-
" vas top was a mass of flames.
Driver Jack Kerr's first task was
to control the terrified horses.
Then he leaped to the rescue of
the children, many of whom were
pinned under the burning sleigh.
Working quickly, Kerr pulled
the children out, one by one,
rolling them in the snow to
smother their burning clothes.
Then, although burned himself,
he managed to put out the fire,
right the vehicle and gallop the
children to the•village. On arrival,
he didn't wait a moment to tend
his own injuries, but immediately
went for a doctor. Soon all were
receiving proper medical treat-
ment.
The fact that this story has no
tragic ending is due entirely to
the quick, cool actions of one
man. We are proud to pay tribute
to Jack Kerr of Hermon, Ontario
through the presentation of The
Dow Award.
THE DOW AWARD is a
eltation for outstanding hero-
ism and includes, as a tangible
expression of appreciation, a
broo Canada Savings Bond.
Winners are selected by the
Dow Award Committee, a
Group of editors of leading
Montreal daily newspapers.
The children chattered merrily as they
jogged along in this winter version of a
school bus, unaware of what was about
to happen.
Jack Kerr had always been a great
favourite with the youngsters. Bat today
' he is real hero to the whole community.
Because of his gallantry and presence
of mind, not one life was lost.
POP—Mighty Careless BY J. MILLA.R WATT
', ;i Ir. &p.YF HEREf�CC/r2
`, THAT A MAN
., r; • is 'rut.!
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