North Bay Collegiate Institute and Vocational School - Northland Echo Yearbook (North Bay, Ontario Canada)

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24 THE NORTHLAND ECHO code of morals is average and they fear ex- tremes of any kind. On the whole they are quiet, shy and harmless. We definitely don't like the owners of the short, sharp, pointed noses. Snobbishness in them is quite apparent. As close friends they are complete failures since they are selfish, in- considerate and spoiled. They get their des- serts however, in that they are not popular and are liked only by other people of their own type. Although we hate to admit it we rather fear the thin crooked-nosed people. They can be so sarcastic when they choose and yet they are to be pitied. Their outlook is so cynical and bitter. Once their hard outer shell is penetrated you find real companionship in them but then few people bother to crack their hard veneer. Yes, there are exceptions to all these dif- ferent classes but are there not always ex- ceptions? They do not detract from the truth of the rule in any way. OF OTH ER DAYS LAURIER Rmour The last rays of the setting sun linger on the Cairn, which the people of Mattawa erected in remembrance of the heroic voyageurs and explorers of the Ottawa, the Mattawa and the West. To the minds of many, I imagine, the four centuries which have passed since Cartier first came and named Canada, seem but a mere shadow fleeting on the dial of by- gone years, an epoch of little interest: but as I gaze on this simple memorial with its bronze plaque in French and English, I see once more a Champlain, skirting the waters of the beautiful Ottawa and Mattawa rivers with a band of primitive, wolf-eyed, and silent Indians in their light but strong canoes. I see the Jesuits preaching to and vainly attempting to civilize the savage Hurons. I see under the arches of the virgin forests, over miles of lakes, rivers, deserts and plains, the conflicts between France and England for the possession of America. I see again those explorers who left the comforts of Old France, crossed the perilous Atlantic, and founded Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa: I see, too, the hardy voyageurs and coureurs-de-bois pushing their explorations farther and farther westward, sowing the seeds of civilization on the banks of rivers as they went, in order to establish a commercial route between Montreal and the Great Lakes. On the spot where the Cairn is built I visualize Champlain stopping to rest. Here also I see the Missionaries wondering whether to turn back or keep on amidst the hardships and privations of the forest. Yet on they go, up the Mattawa River to Lake Nipissing, through the French River to Georgian Bay where the cruel fate of martyrdom awaits them. DESTROYERS FOR BASES A. REPOL, XI B VOC. The idea of sending U. S. destroyers to Britain was only a rumor until on September 3rd, with great suddenness, it became a reality, the most important factor in the vast U. S. rearmament program. The U. S. has acquired at one bold stroke, in exchange for fifty des- troyers, a ninety-nine year lease for U. S. naval and air bases on eight British-owned islands, or island groups from Newfoundland to British Guiana. So enormously will these bases strengthen America's Atlantic defences, so vast are the possibilities now opened up to America tio become dominant in both great oceans, that hardly anyone disputes the value of this transfer. To the U. S. Navy the loss of these overaged and outmodeled little warships was chiefly im- portant as diminishing by 50 the number of ships available for training its younger officers. To Britain these warships were godsent. Britain started with one hundred and eighty- five destroyers, lost 32 by torpedoes, shell fire and bombs and is frantically building new ones. Many have been completed and sent into action since the war began, but all these are by no means enough to run the war at sea. The fifty American destroyers may well turn the tide of battle and sink so many German boats, guns, tanks and soldiers that Hitler will call quits. These destroyers cut down the possibili- ties of any attack on the U. S. and they will do it far from the shores of the U. S. where wars are best won. The aquisition of new Atlantic bases in re- turn for destroyers was a brilliant bargain for the U. S. They put that country in a far stronger Atlantic position and create a whole new strategic picture. Since the U. S. have no advance bases such as they have in the Pacific they were forced to rely on shore bases in the Atlantic. Since the development of long range aviation, advance bases are needed to assure vital centres against attack and to prevent a hostile power from establishing itself near their shores. Essential qualities of a naval base as stated by Admiral Mahan are first, position, second, strength and third resources. These are also the qualities of an air base. How does each base planned, measure up to these standards? Newfoundland is an ideal base for patrol of the North Atlantic and is shrouded by heavy fog. An ideal arrangement would be an ad- vance fleet base on the south coast with Halifax as a main base. The best spot for an air base would be near Botwood where fog is light. A watch could also be kept on the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon on the south shore of Newfoundland.

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TI-IE NORTHLAND ECHO 25 Bermuda is suited for an advance base for both fleet and aircraft. Heavy cruisers can enter Hamilton Harbour, although coral reefs and narrow channels make it impossible for a hostile fleet to beseige the harbour. Naval bases can be had in the north or south coasts of the island. The Bahamas cover the approaches of the Straits of Florida and the entrance to the Caribbean. They have no good harbours, but with 3077 small islands and rocks stretching 630 miles they offer countless safe anchorages where enemy seaplanes, tenders and submarines might lurk. To counteract this danger large bases are not needed, but a series of small airfields and storage depots and a continous patrol to protect this area from hostile forces. All bases in the Windward and Leeward islands are logically small bases with Trinidad as a main base. British Guiana has no good harbours and would be useful only as a small air base. jamaica has ample resources and could be used for any kind of a base and would be useful chiefly as a base for air patrol of the Caribbean. Trinidad has large resources of oil, food and labour, and has plenty of open territory and therefore would be suitable for an Army Bomber Base. Trinidad is logically the southern anchorage of the U. S. Defence plan, unless she also obtains a base in Brazil. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT QEz1o CAPPADOCIAD For the first time in the history of the United States a President has been re-elected for a third term. This shattering of an old American tradition is chiefly due 'to the per- sonality and leadership of President Roosevelt. Born of Dutch ancestry, near the city of New York, Mr. Roosevelt has been in the public eyes of the Americans since his youth. Both his father's family and his mother's are among the oldest in the colony of New York. He is therefore a member of the American landed aristocracy. For his education Mr. Roosevelt attended the distinguished American schools of Groton, Harvard and Columbia where he was an average student, not too brilliant. With the Rooseveltian family tradition and background, he began his political career. In 1912 he was elected to the New York Senateg in 1915 he was appointed Assistant-Secretary of the Navy by Woodrow Wilson: in 1920 he was the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate. His party was defeated and he Temporarily re- tired from politics. It was during this brief in- terval that he suffered an attack of infantile paralysis. After many months of suffering he finally conquered the disease although even now he must have some one to lean on and must use a cane for support. He began to prepare for his political future during convalescence, by studying economics and political science. In 1928 he returned to politics and was elected for the governorship of New York during the notorious administration of jimmy Walker. The governorship of New York led him to the presidential nomination in 1932. During his first two terms of office the world witnessed the rise of a three-headed mili- tant dictatorship in Europe. The people throughout the world have been the helpless spectators of a feverish armament race which has culminated in the outbreak of a war, and the present-and we hope, temporary-over- lordship of Nazi Germany in Continental Europe. In the early l930's, while Europe was speculating and dreading the possibility of war, the new president was embarking upon a liberal domestic policy. It was his purpose to remove from the hearts of the people the fear of economic bankruptcy. At that time banks were closing and the citizens' investments were no longer secure. Unemployment was in- creasing, social unrest growing. The people cast meaningful glances towards Wall Street. To check this flight towards catastrophe, Mr. Roosevelt embarked upon the New Deal in order to overcome the great economic crisis which had occurred at the end of 1929. To safe- guard deposits he ordered a bank holiday and a gold embargo. To help the farmers the Agri- cultural Adjustment Act was passed. To remove the young unemployed off the highways and freight trains Mr. Roosevelt provided the Civilian Conservation Corps and Federal-State Tran- sient camps. The Public Works Administration, and the Works Progress Administration were created to employ the workers of the nation and stimulate economic activity. Overnight, 4,000,- 000 men were employed. Far from being perfect, those measures have been abused by irrespon- sible individuals. But no one can seriously ques- tion their necessity. Yet they have been bitterly attacked from many quarters. Most of the opposition to these measures came from Wall Street's financial interests. These persons did all in their power to prevent a leader like Roosevelt from rescuing a nation still bound to the rock of depression by the chains of economic serfdom which they them- selves had forged. They opposed him in 1932, 1936, and again in 1940-in vain. These Wall Street attempts to defeat Mr. Roosevelt were thwarted only by the unanimous support which the workers gave him. It is to these people to whom the President owes his re-election in 1936 and in 1940. They supported him because it was he who by means of the Wagner Act, the National Labour Relations Board and the Social Security Act allowed them to organize and form powerful Trade Unions.