FROM OUR CONTEMPORARIES

H’S the explosion of atom
and hydrogen bombs af-
fected the weather? Because
this question is still being
asked the world over, a young
French nuclear __ physicist,
Charles Noel Matrin, has made
some interesting studies.

He has published a book
which we don’t hear much
about. It is a summary of
ideas he put before the Acad-
emie des Sciences in Paris, in
November, 1954.

His considerations go along
these lines: What happens
when a group of scientists ex-
plodes an  H-bomb? One
thousand million tons of rock
and dust are blown skyward
20 to 25 miles.

This is well into the region
of the “jet streams,” the vio-
lent hurricanes permanently
circling the hemisphere in
temperature latitudes at a
high altitude: These move
from west to east, taking two
weeks to make a complete
revolution.

They carry with them the
huge tonnage of matter pul-
verized into microscopically
fine particles, and radioactive,
forming a Stratospheric layer
of matter lasting for months.
This layer operates as an at-
mospheric filter, reducing very
appreciably the effective solar
radiation received down here
leading to a measurable’ tem-

perature deficit with all its
consequences.

About once every ten years
nature throws her own H-
bombs, in the form of volcan-
ic explosions.

The quantity of dust thrust
up by Mount Krakatoa in 1883
was of the order of an H-
bomb. It affected the world’s
weather for three years, at the
end of which the loss of radia-
tion in Europe measured some
15 percent. After the eruption
of Mount Katmai in the Aleu-
tians in 1912, a reduction of 20
percent was measured in Al-
geria. :
~ x *

Since Hiroshima, the scien-
tists have exploded over 100
nuclear “devices” including a
dozen or more H-bombs. In
the beautiful name of “se-
curity” they have thus taken
it upon themselves to endan-
ger the balance of natural con-
ditions (ecology) to which all
living organisms have ad-
justed themselves in the course
of millions of years.

This is because the cumula-
tive effects of their radiation
following the soiling of the at-
mosphere causes slower air
circulation, an alternation in
the world’s wind system, and
falling mean temperatures,
which, in the extreme, could
lead to the icing up of the
globe.

MOISTURE conditions in
many sections of the
Great Plains are the worst
in history, according to the
U.S. Department of Agri-
culture, announced last
week. Some 29,000,000 mil-
lion acres are already so
dried out that they are in
danger of damage by soil-
eroding winds.
The states with the great-
est acreage of imperilled
land are Colorado, Kansas,
Texas and Oklahoma.
The drought is now six

Worst drought in history

years old and spreads over
19 states. It is several times
larger than the Dust Bowl
of the thirties. Dr. Edmund
Schulman, University of
Arizona scientist, has esti-
mated from tree rings that
the current drought is the
worst in 750 years.

In many places the shor-
tage of rain has equalled or
surpassed the marks of 20
years ago. Up to last De-
cember 700 counties in 16
states had been declared
disaster areas.

Do H-tests ajfect the weather?
yes, says French nuclear scientist

This is sobering enough, but
what of the rain? One of the
necessary conditions for the
precipitation of rain is the
presence of minute particles
of dust etc. in the air to serve
as nuclei for the condensation
of water. A scientist “seeding”
a cloud with dry ice to pro-
duce rain is trying to supply
just this condition.

If the evidence of our eyes
is to be believed, the atomized
and radioactive particles from
the bomb tests serve the pur-
pose with far greater effect,
Each atomic explosion sup-
plies the atmosphere with a
colossal number of highly ef-
ficacious nuclei for the con-
densation of clouds. The rela-
tively small uranium bomb ex-
plosion is estimated to pro-
duce one million radioactive
atomic particles: per cubic
metre of “air,

* * *

Naturally, the use of our
whole planet as a field of ex-
periment for vast artificial
rainmaking leaves the conse-
quences beyond control. In
some places we get flood catas-
trophes, and since the total
mass of water vapor remains
constant, drought or unseas-
onably mild winter occurs in
other places.

On every continent right

Tound the world, the weather

had been irregular and damage
has been suffered. In duraticn,
intensity and magnitude, it is
unprecedented in modern his-
tory.

The meteorologists, of
course, will have none of this
as befits the conservative
mind. Only those of Italy and
Japan have broken the other-
wise solid front and recogniz-
ed a definite relationship be-
tween the bomb tests and the
weather as an undoubtable
fact. It is estimated that it will
take 20 to 30 years for the
others, relying on the Statis-
tical method, to see the point.
And by that time, inealculable
damage may have been done,

WORLD NEWS

OPEN FORUM

Prizewinning letters

Each week the Paci-
fic Tribune will present
a book to the writer of
the most interesting, en-
tertaining and _ topical
letter published on this
page. Contributors are
urged to keep their Tet-
ters to a _ reasonable
length.

The prize-winning let-
ter in our last issue was
written by W. C, Muir,

Fruitvale, B.C.

Jews in Hungary
B.C., VANCOUVER, B.C.:

Your readers may be inter-
ested in the -following items
which originate .in Israel,
These items give a real in-
sight into the true character
of the Hungarian “revolution”
and the purpose of the “brave
rebels’’ who led it.

The latter are in no way to
be confused with the people
of Hungary who had just com-
plaints and who, in a peaceful
way, attempted to get these
shortcomings corrected.

The correspondent of the
Tel-Aviv evehing paper Yidies
Achroines cabled the follow-
ing to his paper on November
20:

“The revolt was led by old
political and anti-Semitic or-
ganizations. These people
united under the slogan ‘The
Jews on the Trees.” The re-
sult was that many people be-
gan to attack Jewish homes
and institutions.”

Edwin Eton who sent this
cable is here quoting a well.
known Jewish Hungarian who
left Hungary and did not want
his named used as he planned
to return to his native land.

The second item is from the
Israeli Press Agency Etym and
again originates in Tel-Aviv.

On December 7 a correspon-
dent of the agency interviewed
Mr. Eastwin Bencha whose
home is in Bar Sheba, Israel,
and who had been visiting
his brother in Budapest. Mr.
Bencha was interviewed as
he landed on the airport in
Israel.

“One can say with certain-
ty that if it were no< for the
Soviet troops there would not
be a single Jew left alive in

Hungary today,” said”
Bencha. “The rebels até
urated in the spirit fl
Semitism. They shout io)
streets, ‘First we will 5#
ter the Jews and then W&
liquidate the Commun

According to Mr. Ber
the events in Hungary PH
through two phases; the
was an upsurge among!”
people, but in the 5
phase “the leadership Pi
taken over by fascist and?
Semitic elements.”

“In Budapest as wel
other places officers of
Horthy Army incite
the Jewish people and
argument that the &
brought Communism 10 4
gary and that they wel
leaders of the party Mm”
country.” of

Mr. Bencha has four by
ers in Hungary and was ©
for five months> He was 4,
ness to the uprising i
Hungary on December 9 —

I think, Mr. Editor, thé,
items need no comm
and speak for themselve>”

4

RCMP costs 4

IVAN BIRCHARD,
Vancouver, B.C.: The 8%
ment’s decision to dras?
increase the cost of supP”
the RCMP services 10.
muhicipalities must be 9
ed. a

. Municipalities were 1%
by proffered lower cod”
enter into agreement 1)
the RCMP rather than
tain municipal police. |)
cost factor overshadowed
obvious disadvantages ™))
municipalities in having J
eral police serve in the ™ »
cipal field. |

The senior government
not be allowed to incre@
burden on the municip# 3
Let it pay the entire 0%
the RCMP.

The municipalities 0)
North Shore are to be |
gratulated for seeking
vise a plan for an inter
cipal force. a

Every possible effort 7
be made to effect a WO.
agreement before the dere
is reached. This will 1)
the federal government?
tempt to make the muni n't
ties pay the piper while ~
call the tune. ,

fF

“Ah, so you dared come home lit up again!”
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P.

JANUARY 25, 1957 —