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i VOICE OF THE PRESS BRITISH HUMOR Canadians have often been puf- led by what seemed the welghtl- ness of Uritisu humor. But what of the man looking at the oua wall of a house still left standing: "Just M 1 told you, any one sitting on th mantelpiece would have been perfectly safe." or the old pro- fessor saying to his servant girl: "I left a device for destroying the night bumuer on ihU table, and now tbe Moused things been swept away or something." Or tbe old lady: "1 see the newspapers now (.0111 inn i. ml It was bitterly cold down hem six weeks ago, when our pipes burst." And l&e commonest tilings arc now uncommon, as tho little girl pointed out wbeu she said: "Mum- my, do you remember bananas?" "Play you for an egg," says the golfer, and tbe woman writing her diary asks: "What els* did we do yesterday beside* having an egg for breakfast?" Ottawa Journal. o OLD RAILROAD TIES Writer of a Letter to the Editor In an Ontario paper draws atten- tion to the burning of, old railroad tie* that "would have provided tons of firewood for the poor." Perhaps, but did the writer know that the sawing of ties Is hard on th saws because of tbe pebbles Imbedded in them during years ot pressure under rails and trulnsT The wood sanint, men refuse to work on them. They are much bet- ter for fence posts, as some set- tlers who didn't like to sea them being burned along tho right of way either, will testify. Port Arthur News-Chronicle. o BETTER FAR AWAY What if It Is a bother to try to pronounce all the queer sounding place name: that pop up In th war news? It would be muoh worse it the fighting was going on la places with names that are familiar to you. 7,'Indsor Star. o HAS SAME ENOINQ A mother writes to a newspaper forum asking whether h should spank her small daughter or rea- son with her. The lesson of his- tory, madam, Is that appeasement always leads to a spanking in the ad. Peterborough Examine*. o ANSWER TO QUESTION At last we huve the answer e that old one about why does a ehlckiTi cross the road. Because there are no cars coming either way. Kitchener Record, o LULL BEFORE THE STORM It's always good weather whea good fellows get together bmt there's often a storm when they get home. (Cbalhacn News). IN THE GARDEN By GORDON L. SMITH Layouts For flowers, lawns and shrubs about the average house, landscape gardeners strictly advise Informal planting. This Is especially desir- able where apace Is limited as U tends to soften the -narrow, rigid fence lines and to add an air of paclouneas even to a 20-foot lot. In an informal garden, the central portion of the ground Is entirely tn gross. Around the edges of this will be grouped beds of perennial and .annual flowers, leading up to shrubs and vines alone the walU or fence boundaries. Where the garden U larger, ex- pert* advocate screening off a por- tion by bringing forward the sur- rounding shrubbery at one point, or using a hedge, wall or treos HO that the whole garden will not be entirely visible from any one point f observation. ThU will add fur- ther to that air of spaciousness and also provide a secluded corner or two for a child's swing or sand- bos: or, possibly, a seat or trellle- covered table. Vegetable Groups Vegetable* are roughly divided into three planting groupH- -hardy, semi-hardy and tender. Among the first are spinach, all sorts of let- tuce, radish and garden peas. A little front will not hurt these. Second plautwl vegetable will be carrots, beana, cnhLmge, pota- toes and Hlmllar things. These will reeUt a fair amount of cold. Ttiinlor vegetables include corn, melons, mi mill. !-. and tomatoeti. Nothing ' to be gained by planting ttmse; betor danger of trout is over. With most vegetable It Is ad- visable to make at leant t.lirto sow- ings a week or two apart in ordr to spread the hai-veit that much longer over the ssasou. Further tpreadlng of the lemon Is ssrured by sowing three kinds of .... ii regetaibU an parly, medium end a late variety which will re- sult In a contlnuouH nipply of rcully fresh vegetables for ,.-;, longer than usual. Pro|>i>r iiiiiiii:n; freqiinul (Miltl- rttion aud an occasional applica- tion of some good commercial fer- tiliser will keep vegetables growing Cokly, and quick growing niHkns tenderness. ^DIVIDUAL Itlzeits MAtmiCF / IRAVIN A Weekly Column About This and That in The Canadian Army All you old soldiery know what "pozzy" is, but how many of you can 'tell us where the word came from? And don't ask me. All I know about it is that "pozzy" is jam in the Army. That is to say jam is "pozzy" in the Mess Room, but when you come to another Army phrase one of de- rision, applied to someone who seems to be asking quite a lot, it remains "jam". The phrase: "What do you want, Jam on it?" All this isn't so far beside the point as it may seem. By the time a man says, "shove the pozzy down here," he's a soldier. Mind you, he didn't get to be a soldier by learning Army slang but by the time he is a soldier he has learned many a new name for commonplace objects. He doesn't know just when he becomes a soldier. I doubt If any of his officers could tell you ei- ther. But somewhere, suddenly or gradually, the civilian in battle- dress changes into a soldier m uniform. Of course, he takes the first step in the direction of becoming a soldier when he enters the re- cruiting office and volunteers to serve his King and Country. From that point on the metamorphosis U a steady progression. Enlisting is really quite a sim- ple procedure. At this time it is even better handled than when I was a young soldier. Nowadays, you can walk into a recruiting office, give particulars of your- self, get a medical examination Including X-Kay, that would cost you ten dollars in civilian life, and report right away to a Dis- trict Depot where you are outfit- ted with uniform and equipment. At the District Depot new re- cruits get their first introduction to Army life. They are taught how to wear their uniforms and equipment, how to conduct them- selves in a soldierly manner in public, who to salute and when, and the rudiments of military training. Their stay at the District Depot is made as short as possible it is realized that a man who vol- unteers for service anywhere is anxious to get down to the busi- ness of learning to fight as soon as he can. By the same token it is real- ized that when he get* to a Basic Training Centre, the new recruit doesn't want to seem too awk- ward, hence the instruction in soldierly conduct and bearing and Canadian Army traditions. At the Basic Training Centre, training- begins. Each day the new recruit learns something. It is no longer a dreary round of: squad drill without arms; salut- ing; the manual of arms; squad drill with arms; platoon drill; company drill ad infinitum. There is a drill of course. There has to be if you are going to mold a group of men into a team. But drill is interspersed with instruction in the use of the rifle and bayonet, the light ma- chine gun, the two-inch mortar. There are lectures and entertain- ments. Competitions enliven Army life and put a zest into the work that must be done. Good food and lots of it builds muscle in place of the fat worked off by good exercise and lots of it and by the time the recruit ends his basic train- Ing he has become a soldier. There is still lots for him to learn that comes when he goes on to an Advanced Training Cen- Centre, but by the time he get* there he is a soldier. He look* forward to the new things to be learned with interest and enthusi- asm there are new tricks of the soldiering trade to be picked up. Civilian life is behind him. Ahead there is a duty to be fulfilled and far ahead of that again that strange existence a soldier finds hard to understand civilian lifet Atlantic Convoy By LIEUT. E. H BARTLETT, R.C.N.V.R. ANEW Oenadiau naval tradition Is !n the making. It u taking; shape between the staggering plunges of small ships at eea; being written by men whose pride In the Job they are doing Is crystal clear and hard as the lee they see sheathing their craft. K Is the corvette tradition of thoee corvettes whose crews boast, M they keep die seas, that there Un'i a sea their ships cannot take. There Is full Justification for thU boast, as this writer saw when tt&ched to a corvette on convoy duty. Through a North Atlantio gale- In-the-maklng, the small ship ot war thrust her way, one of an escort fleet keeping watch and ward over a fleet of merchant ships. Her bows crashed Into a heavy wave, dipped and shuddered and rose with a jerking uplift which sent the sea cascading over her deck. The wind picked up the white water, hurled it In buckets- full iiv.h over the bridge, sent the spray lashing back to the fuutiel. On the bridge the meii on watch ducked from the thrashing apfay. loe formed rapidly, coatlug the entire ship with the exception ot the hot funnel and that grew white with salt. Tho men them- selves wore not Inimunc, their oll- eklns and iluflfel-c -ats WITH soaked and frozen. Winter weather but tho corvette took it, as her slaters wore taking U while they maintained their guarding statiotiB itromul the lum- bering merchantmen. Tiii-iu was work ahuad of thuui whluli ' .HIM not wait (or weather. Ahead and around the cuuvoy they wure plunging and rolling In * wll-ilutlued iiiun They wwre "screuulng" for aub- iii.u inca, u.-iiiK the iiui MiK ot their detection apparatus to keep ooiiBtunt lUtoniug watch buuouth the water while their lookouts kept steady vigil over the surface. Taking rough shelter near the breach of their gun, a gun's crew was "closed up" ready for action. Occasionally, as course was changed to take our corvette at another tangent, ths captain gave bis brusque orders to those on watch. He is a veteran ot the corvette convoy service, has taken hla hlp through submarine waters and through alrpane blitzes; knows the ports ou Kngand's side of the At- lantic as well as he kuowi the Canadian bases from which be now operates. Submarine screening le an old tale to him, now, but It la a tale whose famillrlty has not bred contempt. He was us untir- ingly alert on this voyage an he had been on his first. The senior escort ship scut a flutter of signal flags to her yard. Our signalmen translated I lie order they gave. Astern of us two of the merchant ships were straggling from the convoy's courso, showing signs of becoming separated from the main fleet, and we were order- ed to their vicinity. We spun around sharply these corvettes seem to be able to turn In their own wake or on the crest at a wave and started backwards toward tho strasglors. While they slowly made their way again to their convoy station, our ship gave them her undivided protection. Another triumph for the corvette service, the fact that they have overcome the dllllcuUles of early convoys when escort oliipe were not numurous enough to spare one from her station to take car* of posfllble stragglers. Today the oscorU are Htrong euough to per- mit detaching individual ships for special duties. The captain In tbe wiug of the bridge, ducked as freezing spray sloshed buck at him. His oilsklu THE WAR - WEEK Commentary on Current Events Australia Building Up Defenses: Need For All-Out Aid To Russia The dramatic appointment of General MacArthur to the Su- preme Command of the Southwest Pacific shows clearly that there is no intent to abandon that Contin- ent. On the contrary, it* main dependence on the United State* is recognized. Even with the as- sistance that the United States can send, the Australians now face a grim test. The enemy may at any time effect landings on the northeast coast with the object of reaching the big centre* of population. Also there is a possibility that they will extend their sea opera- tions towards the Fiji Islands with the object of attacking convoy* and reinforcements coming from the United States. The contin- ued success of Australian bomb- ing raids on Japanese bases in New Guinea will, however, make the plan more difficult of accom- plishment. To hold Australia, or those parts of it worth strategic hold- ing, is one thing and to develop it as a base from which to recover lost ground is another. Allied Preparation* There is an increased demand for offensive action in this theatre of war. Are the Allies prepared to launch a major offensive? It would be necessary first to trans- port to Australia troops and equipment and more and more planes. The distance is great twelve thousand miles and the time is long forty days. Australia's task is to hold, to defend and to steadily amass more fighting power until the position of the warring nations in the Southwest Pacific is reversed and Japan is on the defensive. MacArthur'i Objective General MacArthur in his firmt public statement as Supreme Commander said: "The President of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed to Australia for the purpose, as I understand it, of organizing an American offen- sive against Japan. A primary purpose of this is th relief of the Philippines. I came through and I shall return." Japan's Weakneii Whatever plan General Mao- Arthur may employ must depend to a great extent on air power. This war is proving that air power has so successfully modified sea power that island fortresses are no longer impregnable. True, the Japanese give maximum attention to the air, but defence of a vast number of island outposts against a strong air enemy would be ex- tremely difficult for Japan be- cause of the extended lines of communication between Japan proper and her newly acquired territory. Another ' Struggle At a moment when American attention is naturally and properly focused on the defense of Aus- tralia, says the Christian Science Monitor, the news contains hints that a far larger struggle is about, to begin at the other end of the Axis. From Iceland to the Black Sea, from Africa to the Arctic come reports of uneasy prepara- tions to meet Hitler's plans for an all-out attempt to break out of the prison he has made of Eur- ope. In two months American eyes may be fixed even motfv in- tently on Suez or Baku than they are now on Port Darwin. Nazi Activity New Nazi activity is reported from Norway, Sweden, Morocco, Turkey, and the Crimea. The most common prediction of the military men is that the Germans will concentrate their summer campaign in the region stretching from Egypt to the Caspian. Ter- rific diplomatic pressures have al- ready been applied to Turkey. It is subjected not only to the threat of a frontal attack through Bul- garia, but of encirclement should the Nazis succeed in driving farther into the Caucasus or to Suez either by way of Libya or via Rhodes, Cyprus, and Syria. Eye* On Ru**ia While public attention is cen- tered on Australia it is probable that Allied leaders have been rush- ing support into the Middle East and to Russia. For three reasons Russia deserves particular atten- tion: 1. It is absorbing far more of Nazi energies than any other front. 2. It is the one place where the United Nations now enjoy the advantage of the offensive. 8. It is the one front where both Hit- ler's promise* and military neces- sity force the Germans to new efforts. Ne.d For Offensive To measure the importance of the Russian front one needs only to think what the picture would be were the Nazis free to use all their power else where. Suppose it coat was brittle with ice, the broad peak of uU qil-skin cap bora Ice almost an Inch thick. Through eyes well used to peer- Ing through siu-li weather be watched his two charges claw up Into their position* with ths re- mainder of the convoy. "They'll do," he said briefly to int First Lieutenant, as he gave the order which brought his own ship back Into station, "but we'll keep a close eye on them tonight." There was no comfort on the bridge, where the Ice was already Inches thick, but the captain stay- ed there through the weary hours. Occasionally he gained a little re- spit H when his duties took him for a few minutes Into the small chartrooni, already well tilled with the men on duty. His stays there, however, were short the open bridge drew him irresistibly. The changing of the watch saw him still on duty. lielow decks, In tie steam-heated iiuuiti'i's apportioned to the sea- men, men whose spoil of duty had ended, were thawing out from the blliiiK cold. Sweaters and scarves were peeled off the thick, wool- len sweaters of which seamen can never get enough. They take a long time to dry, once they get wet, and spare ones are vitally nrressary. Despite the wild cavortlugs of the corvette, the cook ha'd turned out a hot meal. Corvette cook* have their pride, too, In their ser- vice. In the mess deck, rising dizzily and swaying crazlly to the seas, the seamen ate, as only hun- gry men can eat. Then they slept, so they should come refreshed to their next turn on duty. All was clear above, so the cup- talii decided to seek bis rest as well, i' i. MI, the bridge he cauie to the tiny want-room which boasts but two chairs and a leather-cov- ered bench. Comfort in a corvette! It's not expected by their crew*, who find compensation .or Its lack In the fact they are doing a hard job well. The captain wasted little time over his meal. It was the pur- poseful eating of a man whose In- terest was elsewhere in the Job he was doing. His meal finished, he went to his cabin to sleep. The comfortable bunk there does not mean much to him at sea. Rather he prefers to sleep, partially dres- sed, upon a leather settee, ready for any emergent call. Tbe coming of darkness saw him on the bridge again. The ships forged through the night, barely seen shadows on an ink-black sea, and the breaking dawn saw them safe. So, if the corvettes could make It so, subsequent dawns were to see them equally sale, until the day came when they would arrive with their precious cargoes, in the ports to which they were bound. It's a hard service, the corvette fleet, but a proud one. One, too, which has scored 1W succ3ssee against the eueuiy. The Admiralty has released one report which told how two Canadian corvettes sank a I'.'-n.it and captured most of her crew, and hints have been dropped that this is not the only submarine which has fallen victim to the Canadian ships. Corvettes, too, have saved scores of lives, bringing safely to port the sur- vivors ot nierchnut ships which have been torpedoed. They have fought off aeroplanes and taken their men-hunt ship charges safely through tho danger areas. Their tasks are many and var- ied, but the corvettes tackle them all. It Is part of the corvette tra- dition, which rules that they keep the BOBS, In fair w father or foul, so long us there Is a job to be done. were concentrated on Turkey and the Near East, in a new assault on Britain, or a drive toward Dakar and South America! But it cannot be wnile the Russian front exists. Does not this fact make it piuin that Britain and America snoUid either furnish the Russians important help on their . front or establish an active front elsewhere which will prevent Nazi concentration on Russia? For moritns we ha\e been read- ing comparisons uei/.veen Ueruiaa rfc.uiici in the Russian campaign and Napoleon's catastrophic re- treat irum .uo.,co.v. in March, 1U11!, Napoicon's atmies had been shattered, routed and driven from Russian soil. In ..larch, 1U42, Hitler's i'orcus still hold more than three-iourths of the Russian ter- ritory gained in the summer and fall of l'J-11. The German armies) are not yet in a .Napoleonic re- treat that is something to re- member. Of HIGHWAYS, ONTARIO . ' ONTARIO NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Separate sealed tender marked "Tea- tier for Contract No " will be received by the undersigned until twelve o'clock noon, Wednesday, April 1 29th, 1942. (or the to 1 to". Ing work on the King's Highways: i Kl Mil > U RAVEL Huntsiille DlrUlom Count! No. Touuet 43-342 Highway No. 69, Bala to Parry Sound boundary 12.000 443 Road No. 207, Essonvllle to Hastings County Boundary and Rd. No. 209. Gooder- ham to Wilberfurce 15.000 -S44 Road No. 208, Minden to Klnmount and Road No. 209. Klntaaunt to GooBer- ham 13.000 846 Road No. 206. Hallburton to Redstone and Road No. 207, Hallburton to Es- sonville 12,500 446 Road No. 401. Port Severn to Honey Harbour and Port Severn to Go-Home Bay 4.000 447 Minden to Hallburton.... 22.000 Parry Sound DhUion -*48 Hy. No. 69. H.iyes Corner to South Boundary of Parry Sound Dlv. and Hayes Corner to Rosseau. 20.000 448 Emsdale to Sprucedale... 10.000 -CD Golden Valley to Lorlnf . .10,000 North Bay DirUI* Ml Highway No. 17. North Bay easterly. T miles 7.000 KB Highway No. 63. Little Jocko River to TtmU- kamlnf . and Hy. No. 63, Feronla to northeast, . miles 1X000 -Ml Highway No. 64. Sturgeon Falls to Field: Field north. and Field to River VaUey.lS.00* J64 Hagar to Noelvllle: War- ren to River Valley: and Verner to Lavlgne 'JB.OOO New Lltkeard D!vUi*B -316 Kenogaml to Ramore SO.OOO -|B6 Tlmmlns Back Road 10,000 407 Klrkland Lake to Quebec Bdry. (Alternative Crushed Stone) 10.000 MB Englehart to Chariton; Chariton north : and Chart* ton weft towards Bk Lake 17.001 --uJbnrr DlililiiB MB Sudbury-Capreol Road ...11.000 Bllad River DMstoej JSO Highway No. 68, WhltefUk Falls 5 ml'.es north to T miles south 10,000 -S(l Highway No. 17. Webb- wood west to pavement. .10,000 M9 Highway No. 17. Thessaloa to Bruce Mines T.OOO MS Highway No. 17. Sault Ste. Marie. 12 miles north to 10 miles north 15. two -3*4 Senrchmont Road 7,000 -MB Manltoulln Island. Manl- towanlng to Shegulandah. .12.500 -M6 Manltnulln Island. Gore Bay. 5 miles east to 11 miles west T.OOO M7 Manltoulln Island. Kaga- wong west 4.000 -MB Manltoulln Island. Provi- dence Bay to Tehkummah 5.000 Fort WlllUm lUridee -M9 Highway No. 17. Nlplgon to Rossport ...18.000 -JTU Secondary Roads, Pearson and Scoble Townships 20.000 Kenore. DIvliloB -71 Kenora to Reddltt J5.000 Fort Fnnce* Hi> Ulon -173 Highway No. 71. Emo to Slemln 15.000 -873 Secondary Road No. 205. Secondary Road No. 306. and Secondary Road No. 207 25.000 Specifications, Information to bidders, tender forms and tender envelopei ray be obtained on and alter April 2nd. 1942. from the office of the undersigned or from the office of the following Division Engineers: Mr. C. K. S. Mao- donell. Huntsvllle; Mr. R. K. Richard- son. Parry Sound: Mr. C. Tackaberry. North Bay: Mr. V. H. T-ongstaffe. New Uskeard: Mr. C. F. Szammers. Sud- bury- Mr. A. U McDougall. Blind River; Mr. E. Smith, Fort William; E. A. Kelly. Kenora: and Mr. G. H. Lowry. Fort Frances A marked cheque for the sum of 15 per cent of the value of the tender will be furnished by the contractor whea submitting tender. Cheque should be enclosed In separate red envelope ad- dressed to the Chief Accountant. A Contract Bond for 100% of the amount of the tender furnished by a Guaranty Company satisfactory to the Depart- ment wUI be supplied by the contractor when contract Is signed, or 50 per cent In cash or acceptable collateral. All bonds must be made ont on De- partmental Forms. The lowest or any tender not neces- sarily cr~ntp-i. R. M. SMITH. Deputy Minister of Hlghn-ays. Toronto. Ontario, March 26th. 1941 REG'LAR FELLERS Happy Birthday By GENE BYRNES MERRILL'S CANDIESHOPPE X HAVEN'T LOOKED AT HY BIRD Houat FOR MOWN A QUESft I'LL DO IT NOW /