Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1958)
SIX MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Friday, February 7. 1958 Is That So? By EUGENE BURNS Ranger-Naturalist During the brief time that ; you read this piece, the num ber of people on earth will have increased by 200. By tomorrow at this same time, the earth's population will Rave risen by almost 100,000 roughly the population of Lexington, Ky. To produce the food required to feed the new arrivals of a single month, new arable land has to be found equal to the com bined areas of Rhode Island and Delaware; and for a year ihis new land must be about the size of Maine. - Now, only 2 per cent of the earth's surface can be used as arable land. The rest is sea, mountains, deserts and - the eternal ice. Admittedly, dur ing the last 150 years points out Bernard Grzimek, author of No Room For Wild Animals (Norton, N. Y.) and director of the Frankfort Zoo, wide new tracts of land have been brought under the plow. But in spite of this, the total area of cultivable' land on our planet has decreased during the same period. From the time humans have started to practice agricul ture, we have always created new wastes, which later turn into irrecoverable deserts. We burn or cut down the forests, drain all the good ness out of the earth, and ex pose it to the sun and the winds. The Sahara, for a long time the granary of Rome and Greece, due to our handiwork is now a desolate waste. The Promised Land has been turned into a tragic desert. What was once the Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia (Iraq) is now a sandy waste. The bare and rocky mountains of Italy, Spain and Greece were once clothed in shady forests. Earth Washed Into Sea After less than one century of breaking the sod of the savannahs in America, dust storms today whirl over the impoverished soil of the U.S. and each hour the streams wash the good earth irretriev ably into the sea. Mexico's forested mountain lands have been denuded to supply timber and today Mex ico City's 000,000 frequent ly find that their water sup ply is rationed to night hours only. And yet, the population of the earth increases. Humans, in the currently accepted definition of the term, have existed on earth for 500,000 years. By 6,000 B.C. there were some 10,000, 000. By 3,000 B.C., perhaps a mere 20,000.000. By 1650 A.D., there were only about 450',000,000 on earth, half of whom were in Asia. Increased During War Since then the yellow races have increased fourfold; the European races ninefold. By 1920 there were 1,527,000,000. And even while the greatest war of human history was raging during the years 1939 1945, the world's population increased by 10 per cent. Today we have reached a total of 2.4 billion and well before the end of this century if things continue as they are now even without modern hygiene and medical science helping in China and India we shall reach the 5 billion mark. This is the reason, basical ly, why all the wild animals of this earth are compelled to yield to the ''human locust" and eventually die states Di rector Grzimek. But surely thinking- man can find an answer. It may be limitation of populations; the saving of soil; water; nat ural resources; and the prop er "harvesting" of game; and finally the establishment and rigid control of sanctuaries where an animal forever will be safe from man, the destroy er.' It takes infinitely more "know-how" to "get" an ani mal with a camera than with a gun. (Copyright, 1958, by Eugene Burns) " (Released by McClure Newspaper Syndicate) Free: By special arrange ment with the editors of the Encyclopedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life na ture adventure, the best na ture observation, or the best question on nature and wild life, a complete 30-volume set of this world-famous refer ence work in a handsome Seal craft binding. Each week new submissions will be consider ed. Sorry, I simply can't an swer your many friendly let ters. Please address your let ter .to: Is That So! care Med ford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito, Calif. Elephant Seals Now Number 6,000 La 1 Jolla, Calif. (IP) The elephant seals, once hunted to near extinction now are in creasing on Guadalupe island, 120 miles off the west coast of Baja California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography reports. Prof. Carl L. Hubbs said the elephant seal population on the island has reached a record high of almost 6,000. The species now is protect ed by Mexican law. In 1900 less than 100 of the animals were noted on the island. Greyhound Service Reduction Denied Salem (IP) Public Util ity Commissioner Howard Morgan Thursday denied an application of Greyhound Lines for a service reduction. He ordered that the two daily roundtrips be maintained be tween Portland and Astoria via the Lower Columbia River highway. The action was in response to the company's application last October to reduce pass enger service to one roundtrip daily. Public hearings were held on the reduction in Astoria and Portland. Morgan said the hearings indicated that overall opera tions on the route were not profitable. But he said: "The buses nevertheless are the sole means of public trans portation available to the pa trons and it cannot be denied that the schedules are essen tial to the public interest." Pakistan Asked To Reconsider Choice Lahore, Pakistan (IP) The influential Pakistan Times urged the government today to reconsider its appointment of Prince Aly Khan as perman ent ambassador to the United Nations. "Aly is one of the best- known international play boys" and "is not even a Pak istan citizen," the newspaper said. The Times said Pakistan'i diplomatic repri sentatives never have been very satis factory "but it will not be easy to think of anything more fantastic than the govern ment's latest decision." Bull elks may weigh much as 1,000 pounds. at Green Cedar SIMM HAND PICKED BIG DOUBLE LOAD EAGLE FUEL CO Union Heating Oils - Phone TA 6-4081 V TP mm TELEGRAM S ' : v T SmniBT"""" T,M0FHE0,RECT FACTOR HODEU 21TW40 HODEL 2K15S0 MODEL 2KK4I MODEL 21f "64 MODEL 2ltl52 MODEL 21CU52 5249 J26 $289 S299. $329 . v B L.MEYT00D DISTRICT IMAGER UNO l MVIM I m -itMm! cowrtw TIC 21" ULTRA-VISION CONSOLETTE! Kevr Slim-SiThouette styling New f 10-degree aluminized picture tube Automatic volume control High contrast, dark jafety window Power-packed G-E Ultra-Vision chassis G-E double-power transformer Matching base at no extra cost One-yeai warranty ALL tubes, ALL parts Regularly $229, rO-DAY SPECIAL! mkM ?nrs Si 21" ULTRA-VISION CONSOLE! New Slim-Silhooette styling Multiple speaker system for balanced sound New 1 10-degree ahiminized picture tube Automatic volume control G-E power-packed Ultra-Vision chassis G-E double-power transformer Built-in antenna . Mahogany wood grain finish One-year warranty ALL tube, ALL parts Regularly $289, 10 -DAY SPECIAL! Model 21 CI 550 $249 w'i-s'xii'M " 0t HS sjr sjMk I WBEj $269 . I 21" ULTRA-VISION FULL CONSOLE! New Slim-Silhouette styling Triple speaker audio system New 1 10-degree aluminized picture tube Automatic volume control Ultra-Vision chassis G-E doubie-power transformer Full swivel base, bailt-in antenna Handsome mahogany finish One-year warranty ALL tubes, ALL parts Regularly $329, 1 0-DAY SPECIAL! 21" G-E CONSOLETTE! New 1 10-degree ahitranbed picture feibe Slim-Silhouette styling Convenient top-tuning Big, easy-to-watch picture Dependable General Electric chassis Big, easy-rolling swivel casters ' Matching base at no extra cost One year warranty ALL tubes, ALL parts Regularly $199, 10-DAY SPECIAL! ASY TERMS Your trade-in may be Ihe down payment! Home Appliance Company's fo)Alo)(?A 21" SLIM-SILHOUETTE CONSOLE! Remote control at no extra cost New automatic electronic tuning New 1 10-degree aluminized picture tube Triple-speaker audio system Power-packed G-E Ultra-Vision chassis G-E double-power transformer Built-in antenna, full swivel base One-year warranty ALL tubes, ALL parts Regularly $359, 10-DAY SPECIAL! Model ?1CrSM 21' ULTRA-VISION CONSOLE! New G-E automatic electronic tuning - Remote control at no extra cost New Slim-Silhouette styling New 1 10-degree aluminized picture ' tube Triple-speaker audio system Automatic volume control Ultra-Vision chassis with double-power transformer Built-in antenna, wood veneer finish One-year warranty ALL tubes, ALL parts Regularly $349, 10-DAY SPECIAL! Model JlCISit 299 DELUXE 21" ULTRA-VISION CONSOLE New G-E automatic electronic tuning Remote control at no extra cost New Slim-Silhouette styling New 1 10-degree aluminized picture tube Triple-speaker audio system Power-packed Ultra-Vision chassis G-E double-power transformer Genuine wood veneer cabinet Big 4' non-marring swivel casters One-year warranty ALL tubes, ALL parts Regular $359, 1 0-DAY SPECIAL! Model 210551 $329 j AND REMEMBER.. ... the next best thing to a New G-E is a fine Used TV at ; Your Bargain Store! JUL 303 South Front St. Phone SP 2-5595
