The Huron Expositor, 1949-07-08, Page 2stablisho ism
McLean Editor,
ed at Seaforth, Ontario, ev-
Way afternoon by McLean
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SEAFORTH, Friday, July 8, 1949
Soil Moisture Vital
The extent to which soil moisture
influences crop yields is indicated in
a study in Kent and Essex Counties,
details of which have been released
by the Dominion Department of Ag-
riculture. While the study had to do
primarily with Kent and Essex, the
conclusions may be considered as be-
ing applicable to most of Southern
Ontario.
•• Long-time averages indicate that
the two counties receive an annual
rainfall of from 25 to 30 inches, the
southern parts receiving less rainfall
than the northern and eastern parts.
This precipitation comes at the rate
of from two to three inches per
month during the year.
Water need in Southern Ontario
ranges from 17 to probably 25 or 26
inches per year in order to maintain
favorable moisture conditions. In
May the water need rises above that
supplied• by rainfall and by mid-July
the moisture stored in the soil is
practically exhausted. From then
until autumn the crops must depend
solely on current rainfall for their
needs. Water deficiencies during this
period have been estimated at an av-
erage of from 4.5 to 6 inches, the
highest deficiencies occurring in the
Southern parts of Essex and Kent
Counties. Approximately eight to 10
inches of rainfall per year are lost in
Southern Ontario due to runoff
through drainage ditches and be-
cause of percolation through lighter
soils to a depth beyond the reach of
plants. Greatest water losses occur
during the fall, winter and spring
months when the soil is saturated
with water and crop needs are low.
Science has shown that soil man-
agement will influence to a certain
extent the amount of water available
to crops during the growing season,
and it has been proved that' a soil
which is high in organic matter will
hold more moisture than a soil which
tis low in organic matter. Timeliness
of tillage is another important fac-
tor which affects yields during a
year with average rainfall. On the
heavier soils of the counties under
survey, fall plowing produces a more
favorable moisture relationship than
spring plowing.Another factor in-
fluencing soil moisture is soil struc-
ture. A favorable soil structure, ob-
tained through applications of or-
ganic matter and proper tillage prac-
tices, conserve moisture and reduces
iwater runoff.
•
Its Still Monep
Everybody wants money, and us -
"pally when we think of it we think
jof the nickels, the dimes and familiar
'anis around which our -lives revolve.
But that is only because we have
ibecome accustomed to money in this
lfamiliar form. If we were in the
Oland of Yap, in the Pacific, for in -
Stance, we would start saving large
Stone disks—for all the world like .a
millstone—about 30 inches in diame-
er, and weighing 175 pounds. One of
ithese would buy 10,000 cocoanuts,
:tnne-quarter acre of land, a canoe
. . or a wife.
The stone money of Yap is only
:lane example of the unique money
;Otandards in some regions of the
World.
The Chase National bank of New
fork has one or two Yap stone
•coine On hand of legal tender. They
•Mang 75,600 specimens in its
,Usteum collection of money of the
The SpeeimenS range hack to the
Pnelertt ,spade -shaped •copper money
of China, about 4,000 years old. They
range in size from the Yap money to
a 150 -year-old gold coin of Colpata,
Southern India, that weighs one
grain and is little bigger than the
head of a common pin.
The bank has a Swedish eight
daler coin of 1663—a copper slab
meastring 12 by 24 inches and weigh-
ing 31 pounds.
The collection demonstrates that
some places in Africa are on the salt
standard, not the gold standard. A
48 -pound slab of salt encased in
wicker is legal currency in those
areas. One of them is full payment
for a wife.
In addition to the salt standard
there were, and in some cases still
are, the dog's-tooth standard, the
rabbit -tail standard; and the stand-
ards of copper bells, chocolate, wood-
pecker scalps and tiger claws.
Stick tobacco heavily flavored with
licorice bnce was manufactured in
Petersburg, Va., expressly tas money
for natives of some south s'ea islands.
Among the natives of the Congo,
a special type of cotton cloth cut to
a standard size of 3 by 221/2 feet still
is the chief unit of value. Its worth
in terms of exchange is about $1.
The ring money of ancient Egypt
predecessor of coins, and the clay -
tablet due bills of Babylon, first step
toward paper money, are displayed.
The collection was started private-
ly in 1880 by Farran Zerbe, who
built it up to 40,000 items before the
Chase bank acquired it.
•
WHAT OTHER PAPERS SAY:
THE GENTLE ART OF DIVINING
(From "News Review," London,
England)
Cicero told of a Roman augur who
said he did not know -how two augurs
meeting in the street, could face each
other without laughing.
'Relating this story in Science and
Technology, New Zealand, Patrick
Aloysius Ongley, M.Sc., told of
his own tests of diviners. After
having put 75 of them through their
paces, he concluded that of the hun-
dreds "witching" for water, miner-
als and oil, not one displayed any
semblance of accuracy in divination.
In nineteen attempts to identify
hidden metals, mineral diviners gave
only one correct answer.
One specialist in divining from
handwriting identified a patient as
suffering from four different illness-
es, including "inability to become
pregnant." In the latter respect he
was quite right. The patient was a
man.
In another case a diviner required
a blood sample to diagnose the com-
plaint of a man said to have been
told by his doctor that he was suf-
fering from cancer. Provided with
a sample of blood from a healthy rat,
the diviner diagnosed cancer.
Ongley found that almost all wa-
ter diviners operated on flat land
where water was readily obtainable.
One achieved a notable feat in hill
country by finding a water supply
for a Dunedin doctor's country resi-
dence. "Unfortunately," comments
Ongley, "it was not found until work
was finished that the supply was
wastage from a neighbor's septic ,
tank."
"Companies have been and are
being floated on diviners' prospecting
prowess," comments Ongley. In the
case of one company, when finally.
no oil was struck, the diviner apolo-
getically announced that he had mis-
taken coal for oil.
"One oil company is at present de-
pending on a diviner for its pros-
pecting. This man, as accurate as
any other diviner tested, claims to
have proved that the main oil supply
for California flows from Taranaki
under Mount Ruapehu."
Ongley, who is at present studying
for his Doctorate in Philosophy at
Glasgow University, conclude s:
"Though 90 per cent of diviners are
sincere, it does not lessen the harm
they do."
11EltriVitE4144TH
OWS
BY Harry 4- Bay e
"GOAT TAGTIOS!".a''
Buttinska, a VenerahlO ;Old goat
who has been the epaaree of More
argumentsthan anty other .aingle
thing during the peat three year,
is about to go. He CW6 in, an un-
certain way. A hired: men, who
was somewhat addicted to taking
snakebite Joii on every pretenleef
. . . even when, there •esere no
snakes around, won him playing
eards in the village, My hon.est
opinion is that the hired man had
oiled himself as a ,paeeaution
against the snakes just a trifle too
well . . with the result that. the
goat was pawned off on him.
Still suffering from: his •binge he
went so far as to bring the goat
in the house with him. I awaken-
ed early in the morning to hear a
series of weird noises on the stairs.
It seemed. as if the hired'inan was
;bring some fellow-aufferer up the
steps and wal repeatedlyi telling
him in a buzz -saw -like hoarseness
to be quiet. My curiosity: grew to
the point where I edged the bed-
room door open just ever act slight-
ly. It was a alistinct shock to see
two faces peering up over the top
step. '
One of the faces was that of
the hired man. His hat pushed
down over a distorted face he was
laboring with his task of trying to
drag his companion up the steps.
In the dim light I oourd hardly tell,
what or who was with him. And
then the ghostly face. appeared
. . a sallow complexioned gen-
tleman with a beard . . . and won-
der of wonders.... a set of horns!
I had heard of men associating
with the devil, •but I never imag-
ined that the hired man would, go
so far as to bring the devil home
with him.
He tried to step up on the top
step . . wavered for a few min-
utes and then both of them went
sprawling down the front steps.
The hired man's friend had a ra-
ther strange voice . . . more on
the nature of a bleating than any-
thing. From where I was in •the
bedroom he seemed to be ham -
/flexing at the front door in an ef-
fort to get out When we got
down the hired man was lying
peacefully with his feet on the
stairs and his head on the floor
. . . and his friend. proved to be
a goat who sent my Wife and me
scrabebling up the steps out of but-
ting range.
The hired man asked for Me
time next day. The good wife was
very quiet about the affatr. The
goat grazed out in the orchard. Be-
fore leaving, the hired Mall 4.eited
her if she would mind if he left
the goat 'behind Until be got an-
other place to stay. Her Ups press-
ed tightly into a thin, white line,
she said it would be all. right,.
Buttinsky stayed on.. For some
time he was very quiet and other
than to indulge in a :certain amoUnt
or butting practice against the aide
of the ,barn, he left us strictly
alone. The hired mair, through
some oversight, didn't bother coin -
Mg back to see us. Buttinsky evi-
deafly sensing that we had forgot-
ten the incident when he arrived.
started warming up. 11 you Waned
your back on him •in the barnyard
he would step back a few steps.
and "Wham!"
Needless to say, he grew rather
uepopular. Suohansuch, our Collie
pup, worried over the matter for
months. Finally he found a vuln-
erable spot on the goat and when
Buttinsky found that there was a
chink in his armor he gave up try-
ing to worry the dog.
Somebody once told us that the
goat looked like a spry old gentle-
man with a beard. Dapper dandy
tlkat he is, he has enough animal
irtelligence to leave the lady of
the house alone. Perhaps he re-
alized that she .would exile him at
the first sign of his getting care-
less with his .butting ability.
Yesterday I was in the horse
stable looking at the sow and lit-
ter of pigs, in the end stall. Three
•planks nailed across from the stall
forms the pen for the pigs. Care-
lessly I left the stable door open,
forgetting that •Buttinsky was in
the barnyard.
Wham! I was picked up With
the force of a rocket and thrown
clear into the pen. Disgruntled, the
Berkshire a looked up surprised, to
find, me sprawling in with the lit-
tle pigs. She ,grounted and I . . .
well, I looked up to see the whis-
kers of that impudent goat draped
over the edge of the planks as he
looked over his damage.
Buttinsky is leaving in the morn-
ing!
Just A Smile Or Two
"He was getting along fine in
the hospital till he got an awful
bruise."
"What happened?"
• "He,took a turn for the nurse."
Barber: "You say you've been
here before? I don't remember
your face."
Customer: "Probably not. It's
healed up now!"
At the. beginning of his lecture
tsur, a clergyman asked a young
reporter not to publish any .of the
lecture, as it might detract from
the attendance at the other meet-
ings.
Accordingly, the reporter's story
read as follows: , "The vicar gave
a very interesting talk, but unfor-
tunately his stories cannot be
printed."
Huron Federation of :
Agriculture Farm News
Test Soil For Some Plant Foodsl analyst, says Dr. G. W. Leggatt,
There is a growing list of plant who is in charge of Seed Research
food elements. such as boron, cop-
rer, manganese, sulphur and oth-
ers, which are appearing in mixed
fertilizers and classified as lesser
plant foods, minor elements or
micro -nutrients. The classification
does not mean that they are not
as important as the primary ele-
ments of nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash, but rather that the
plant only requires a small quan-
tity of these elements for good
growth. When deficiencies occur,
plant growth will not be normal
regardless of the amount of other
available plant food; so it is es-
sential to have a balance of all
the required plant food elements.
Research has progressed to a point
where deficiency signs of leaser
plant foods can he recognized,
says G. W. Michael, Associate
Chief (Fertilizers), Dominion De-
partment of Agritulture.
Applications of manure which
contain some of these elements
have aided in keeping a fair level
of plant foods in most soils for av-
erage crop yields, but higher yields
are creating a heavier demand of
all plant foods. Due to repeated
Cropping and leaching, crops on
some soils are showing deficiency
signs of lesser plant foods. A bal-
ance of plant food is essential and
the elements are being added to
mixed fertiliaers. At present manu-
facturers ar only adding lesser
plant foods to fertilizers for speci-
fic cases where it is known that
they are required for certain soils
and crops. Although they are im-
portant for plant growth, before
using them the soil should be test-
ed to determine which ones are
deficient and then apply them at
the recommended rate. Even
though the plant requires them in
small quantities, care should be
exercised in their use as an over-
dose of some elements is toxic to
plants.
* *
Testing Grass Seed is Complex
When a sample of seed is being
analyzed for purity, the analyst
must separate the impurities 'from
the good seed. The impurities •that
are separated vary somewhat with
the kind of seed. For example, In
clovers, timothy and similar seeds,
it is only necessary to separate
other crop seeds and weed seeds,
because "inert matter" (i.echaff,
dirt, stems and so on), is fairly
easily detected and will be foetal
by the grader if present in execs-
eiVe amounts. But in the ease of
the chaffy seeded grasses, this is
net so easily dose, and a detailed
separation Mast be made by the
Science Service, Dominion Depart-
ment, of Agriculture.
The teL on chaffy seeded grass-
es is complicated, because what is
commonly called a seed is, in the
grasses, actually a fruit surround-
ed by chaffy scales. Frequently the
scales are present with nothing in-
side, but this cannot be known by
simple looking at them. Because
a satisfactory test cannot be cam-
pleted unless these empty scales
are counted as inert matter and
separated from the good seed, the
analyst must remove them from
the sample. Formerly this was
done by pinching each seed gently
with the fingernail or analyzing
knife (which may injure the good
seeds) or by examining the seeds
in the light box, an apparatus that
throws light through the seed in
such a way that the kernel can be
seen inside the scales. The seeds
are then separated by hand. Such
detailed hand separation clearly
takes a very long time. An im-
provement was brought about by
the introduction of seed blowers
which removed the lighter seeds
and reduced the amount of seett
that had to be worked over for
hand separation. Finally, a special,
very accurate, seed blower was de-
veloped in the Seed Research Lab-
oratory, which made unnecessary
this detailed hand separation, thus
saving many hours of work.
The identification of seeds, both
weed seeds and crop aeeds, is of-
ten a matter of much difficulty.
For example, couch grass. in slen-
der wheat gras.s, wild mustard in
turnip, Canada blue grass in Ken-
tucky blue grass, and numerous
others must be separated under
the raiseroscope. Even the micro-
scope fails when separating annual
rye grass in perennial rye grass.
To make this separation, special
equipment is used. A known hum-
ber of seeds is placed to germin-
ate on blotting paper. They must
be spaced wide enough apart that
roots from •one seed do not, cress
tilose from another. After 10 (1.13
the blotting paper is carried to a
dark room and examined Under
ultra -violet light' The places where
the roots of the annual rye grass
reat on the blotting paper glow
with a pale violet light, that is
they show fluorescence, whereas
only a small proportion of the
perennial rye grass seeds produce
this effect. When allowance is
made for the proportion of peren-
nial rye ,grass which shows fluores-
creme, the ,proportions of the two
kinds, annual and perennial, can
ealettlated. Spacing the geode
(001atintied on Page 7)
Mechanical For your infeanation,
Although they may get your hands clean
There's clanger of she inflammation
With substances Ake gasolene.
NOWT OF NATIONAL CCCCC N AND WILYARt
Years Agone
Interesting Items Picked From
The Huron Expositor of Twen-
ty-five and Fifty Years Ago.
From The Huron Expositor
July 11, 1924
Word was received in Manley
that Mr. Joseph Eckert, Detroit,
had slipped off a house he was
shingling, falling a distance of 20
feet, the scaffolding coming with
him.
Misses Mary Gillespie, Bessie
Grieve and Norma Hartry are in
Toronto this week examining dea
partmental papers.
Mr. M. McPhee is putting a
cement foundation under his home
on Louisa St. and making otheaana-
paovements.
Mr. and Mrs. John Murray, of
Owen Sound, are visiting friends
in town this week. Mr. Murray
Was a thinner employee of the Jahn
MacTavish etore.
The Lindsay Post Says: "Great
credit is due to Mr. John J. Brod-
erick of Seaforth for the excellent
work done in decorating the
streets of this town for the old
home weea." He also has the con-
tract for decorating Seaforth
streets for the Old Boys' Reunion,
August 2-6.
Seaforth baseball boys played
their first game in Wingham on
Friday last and trimmed that team
17-2. Don "Toby" Kerslake held
the Wingham batters to 5 hits and
18 strike -outs. The Seaforth line-
up was as follows: R. Kerslake,
c.; D. Derslake, W. Hart, lba
H. Norris, 2b.; J. Sills, as.; F.
Cudmore, 3b.; W. Sutherland, 1.f.;
A. Dodds, c.f.; G. Hays ,r.f.
Mr. J. F. Ross and son, Hugh, of
Guelph, spent the week -end with
friends in town. He was the well-
known and popular principal of
Seatorth Collegiate and all were
glad to 'see him again.
Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Dale and son,
Don, and daughter, Miss Anona,
motored to Detroit and spent last
week with relatives there. The
Misses Mary and Margaret Sproat,
daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh
Sproat, returned with them on Sun-
day.
Mr. Ben Johnson, of Toronto,
spent a few days this week with
friends in Seatorth and vicinity.
Mr. P. Calder, of Toronto, is
spending his holidays with friends
in Seaforth.
•
From The Huron Expositor
July 7, 1899
Mrs, Thomas Gemmell, Egmond-
ville, left this week for Scotland
on a visit to relatives, and was
accompanied by her sisters,, Mrs.
Simpson, of Walton, and Mrs.
Thos. McFadzean, of Grey. Miss
Simpson, teacher, was also a mem-
bers of the party.
Mr. and Mrs. George Turnbull
returned from a trip to the Old
Country on p`riday of last week.
Last week' while 'Walking about
the yard, Mrs. W. A. Rhynas, of
Goderich, stepped ,,a loag nail
that protruded through a piece of
lumber and the spike passed
through the light shoe she wore
and pierced, her foot, causing a
painful injury.
One of the most successful pic-
nics ever held in connection with
S.S. No. 10, Us.borne, took place
on July 4 in Jas. Glenn's woods.,
where an excellent program was
rendered by .scholars and some
talent from Hensall. Mr. Allan
McDougall, of Hibbert, played tbe
bagpipes. Miss M. E. Ford, the
teacher, is going to attend Normal
and she shall be missed.
Two rinks from Seaforth Bowl-
ing Club are in Toronto this week
competing in the Dominion Tourn-
ament in progress there. The play-
ers are: E. C. Coleman, T. F. Cole-
man, W. 0. Reid, W. K. Pearce, R.
S. Hays, F. Holmsted, Jas. Scott,
and J. S. Roberts.
Mr. Peter McGregor, Brucefield,
has just sold three first-class har-
ness horse e to William Cudmore
for the Liverpool market,
The strawberry festival held on
Hector Reid's, lawn, Stanley, was
a decided success. Instrumental
music was given by Messrs. Mc-
Lean, Cooper and Crawford, of
Kippen; solos by Misses Moore
and Kerr, of Hensel', Miss Logan,
of Hillsgreen, and McDougall and,
Crawford. of Kippen; also club
swinging by Miss. Petty of Hensall.
Miss Amy Murdoch, Hensall, re-
turned home last week from To-
ronto, where she has been attend-
ing the conservatory of Music. She
Passed with honors and has resum-
ed her music class there.
The fifteenth annual Dominion
Day McKillop Picnic was held en
Saturday afternoon in the .beauti-
ful grove at Grieve's, Bridge.
Mr, Johti Lyons, an esteemed
miller, has .purchased a half inter-
est in the up-to-date flour and Chan-
ging mill in Seaforth. The mill at
Bortholtia, where Mr. Lyeu'e lived,
is for attic
Injured In Planing Me
Mr. Alex Manning, proprietor of
the Blyth Flaming Mill, sustained
severe hand injuries on Monday
when four fingers of his hand were
almost severed 'by 'a saw. Mr.
Manning was taken to hospital for
treatment and later returned to his
home. it is hoped that no ,perman-
ent injury will result from the un-
fortunate accident. — Blyth Stand-
ard.
Oldest Voter
Mrs. Conrad Fuse, who celebrat-
ed her 90th birthday on June 14,
is believed to be the oldest .persoiz
in this vicinity twgo to the voting
booth on Monday to cast her bal-
lot, and showing her loyalty to
King and Country, and marking her
ballot for whom she wished to
vote. We are proud of such a fine
spirit, even for her advanced age.
It is a splendid example to young-
er people to do their part itt keep-
ing up the country and commun-
ity. Mrs. Fuss is visiting at the
home of her daughter and son-in-
law, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hess, of
town.—Zurich Herald.
Native Found Slain
Thomas Elliott, born in Wing -
ham 60 years ago, was discovered
dead from a crushed skull last
Tuesday in a Calgary hotel. Police
said a lead pipe was found near
the body. The deceased was a vet-
eran of World War 1, and since
1946 had been a night clerk in a
downtown hotel in Calgary.—Wing-
ham Advance -Times.
Return After Extensive Trip
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Eagleson
and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cockwill
have returned after a three weeks'
trip through Western Canada and
the U.S.A., going west as far as
Banff. They visited many places
of interest and were fortunate to
see a stampede at Nanton, Alta.
They travelled a distance of 5,100
miles and had good luck all the
way.—Exeter- Times -Advocate,
Elected D.G.M. At Toronto
Mr. Fred Boyce, of Brucefield,
was elected Deputy Grand Master
of the Huron District I.O.O.F. at
the Grand Lodge Assembly held in
Toronto recently. He has jurisdic-
tion over lodges at Seaforth, Gode-
rich, Clinton, Brucefield and Hen-
sall.—Exeter Times -Advocate.
reC.A.F. Recruiting Depot Opened
The R.C.A.F. has set up a re-
cruiting office in the National Em-
ployment Office in Goderich. It is
in operation on alternate Tuesdays
and July 12 will be the third time
that F/0. Douglas 0. Blarney, of
London, will be in Goderich on a
Tuesday to accept new recruits. A
number have been secured so far.
—Goderich Signal -Star.
Norrnal Students Pecceasful
Clintttidents attending Strat-
ford Normal School have 41 ibteem
successful in their 0-hese/I StitdieS-
aud are !being -congratulated hy
their frientbil. The stUdditts in-
cluded: Trixie Forsyth, Jas. Leon-
ard Johnson, Anna Doreen Me!
Quire and emenna Mary Wernclorf.
Another name of local interest is
that of Ruth irene Jefferson, R,R.
1, Munro, a niece of Jeffer
s,ort, principal of Clinton Iniblic.
school. The .pupils have all been.
successful iu obtaining schools and
will teach at the following 'points,
beginning with the fall term: Trixe
ie FOrsyth will go to Hamilton::
Leounard Johnson is to teach. at
Tyndall's achool in Goderich Town-
ship; Doreen McGuire has obtain-
ed a school in Stanley'Township
in the Brucefield area, and Cor-
enna Wendorf goes to the Ilarlock
school in Hullett Township.—Olin-
ton News -Record.
Awarded Scholarship
Harvey T. 13eecroft, son of Rev.
and Mrs. W. A. Beecroft, wiho grad.
uated recently as Bachelor of
Architecture from Toronto Univer-
sity, has been awarded the schol-
arship in Industrial Design, offer-
ed by the Association of Industrial
Designers. Thie scholarship pro-
vides two ,years of post graduate
study at the Chicago School of De-
signers. — Wingham Advance -
Times.
Church Observes 85th Birthday
On Sunday two large congrega-
tions assembled, to mark the 85th
anniversary of the .building of
the Cromarty Presbyterian Church,
and the 97th ,anniversary of their'
first church .which was ;built off'
logs and situated one mile, east of.
the village. Previous to the build-
ing of a, church, services were con-
ducted in a log barn on the same
farmas the church was built. The
services on Sunday were conduct-
ed by Rev. W. A. Youong, B.A.,
B.Sc., student administrator of the
Agricultural College, Guelph. (Spe-
cial music was rendered by the
choir. Mr. Young sang a solo at
each of the services, also the jun-
ior male quartette comprised' of
Robert Laing, Eldon Allen, Gordon,
Houghton oand Lloyd Sorsdahl..
There was a number in the even-
ing by the senior male quartette,
Tom Scott, Ed Allen, Frank Stagg
and Ernest Templeman. Mrs. Ken
McKellar was choir leader and or-
ganist—Mitchell Advocate.
To Take Summer Art Course
Miss Pepper, of the Exeter Pub-
lic School staff, will continue her
studies in art at a summer course -
in Toronto during the holidays..
Miss Pepper has had. excellent re-
sults with her pupils in art during:
the Past term.—Exeter Times -Ad-
vocate.
Frequency Conversion
(By Charles G. Macintosh, in Hydro News) di
Frequency conversion to the
average layman may seem to be
just a routine operation. To Mr.
gnd Mrs. John Citizen, it may ap-
pear that this merely means re-
moving 25 -cycle motors and replac-
ing them with 60 -cycle equipment
in homes, stores or industries.
But anyone who laNiks talked to
Hydro engineers directing the con-
version program will not entertain
that impression long. Stated simp-
ly, frequency changeover in the 25 -
cycle areas of the Southern On-
tario system is a tremendous un-
dertaking that involves a vast
amount of planning, careful inven-
tory, skillful engineering, accurate
ordering of new equipment and
exact timing.
Many months have been devoted
to detailed planning in order that
the entire program may be carried
out smoothly and with the mini-
mum of interference and inconven-
ience to consumers. At present,
preliminary surveys are under way
in a number of areas to determine
what will be required in the way
of equipment to make the change-
over.
First on the books for the fre-
quency conversion project is the
ScarborO area, which as Hydro en-
gineers point out, will be, the
"guinea pig" for "Operation Con-
version." The things learned, in
the Scarboro undertakiag, now pro-
ceeding, will serve to ;guide Hydro
men in the efficient change -over of
other Southern Ontario areas.
Rapidly on the heels'a the Scar-
boro change -over will come fre-
quency conversion operations in
the Sarnia area, which likely will
be carried out simultaneously with
change -over, in the London area.
Certain sections of the Hamilton
district probably will be done next.
This program of conversion by
areas will be carried out across
the whole of Southern Ontario ma-
tt the tithe—possibly about 1964—
when. 60 -cycle will, for the most
part, have replaced the present 25 -
cycle areas in Southern Ontario.
The "zero hour', for Hydro men
to start their friendly invasion of
hofnes, stores, offices and factories
in the Scarboro area and begin
swapping 60 -cycle equipment Ifor
the present 25 -cycle equipment has
been set tentatively for October 1.
Before the end of December of this
year, it Is expected, the whole
Scarboro operation will hav'e been
completed.
Exhaustive Survey
The preliminary work in the,
Scarboro conyetsion necessitated
an exhaustive survey by Hydro
men t6 find out what equipment
would be needed for the change-,
over. A total of 1400 homes were
visited in the various districts to
determine what electrital equip-
ment people actually have in their
home. This survey 'deluded visits
to the largest and most preten-
tious dwellings as Well se to the
humblest eottages, giving a erOes-
section check on the population so
that the domestic equipment re-
q t ements ,can be properly esti-
mated. The findings from this in-
ventory will be used as a yardstick
in issuing stock bulk orders for
ne•t ors and other electrical equip-
ment.
Other steps in the survey work
include visits to stores and offices
to examine the equipment of these
commercial concerns and learn.
what equipment will be needed.
But the biggest task of all in the
entire conversion program will
be the change -over of industrial
plants. This is literally a gigantic
task which requires competent
checking and engineering skill of
the highest order. Individual ma-
chines in many cases must be stu-
died to determine what changes,
are necessary in the phlleye, gears
and other mechands•ni.
Production in factories cannot
be interrupted and it is with this
fact in mind that Hydro engineers.
and the contractors, who will car-
ry out the work for the Commis-
sion, are *studying industrial,
plants. It will be necessary to,
take a thorough inventory of each.
factory's needs so that a complete
list of requirements may be com-
piled for ordering. Everything
needed must be on hand when. the.
actual "swap" is made.
Expect Little Interruption -
For the aveilage householder it.
is expected that there will be lit-
tle inconvenience or interruption in
service, The men who will enter
the homes to make the change-
over may start after a Monday, the
traditional wash day, to effect the
necessary changes in washing ma-
chines, or ether occasional used
appliances. Refrigerators, howev-
er, will be left to the day of con-
version and replacement units will
be ready in trucks outside the
homes so that a swift conversion
can be made. •
The ordering for the domestic,
commercial and industrial require-
ments of the area being changed
over is the task of Hydro's Pur—
chasing Department. After instruc-
tions are -received from the engi-
neering and material control staff,
orders will be placed for the re -
(mired materials. •
Opedate According To Plan
411 this involves a/ big problem
of stock -piling for Hydro beca'use
the necessary equipment must be
in the areas when the deadline for
conversion approaches. In the case
of industrial equipment, much of
it may be sent directly to the in-
dividual plants.
At the deadline, Hydro engineers
will operate , according to a pre-
arranged plan in, the chosen area,
working from the main power
feeder line and cutting off districts
In a systematic way. Every phase
of the work itt each district pre—
Viotiely hasbeen charted even to
(Contilitted on Page 3)
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