Tuesday 30 July 2019

CRAYFISH export to France in danger

CAPE TIMES – 1933, 4 August


The imposition of heavy duties by the French Government caused consternation among SA exporters of Crayfish in 1933Dr. C von Bonde, Director of Union Fisheries, who returned to Cape Town from Pretoria, was interviewed by several exporters to initiate some steps to secure Government supervision of the new export industry. Dr. Von Bonde sent copies of the articles on the subject which have appeared in the Cape Times to the Board of Trade in Pretoria. He was unable to give the exporters any assurance on what steps the Government would be likely to take.

DIRTY PACKING
Up to that day the Government had not contemplated taking any measures to supervise the export of frozen crayfish tails. Apparently, the Board of Trade had been approached beforehand with this object. 
This present position could be due to a large extend to the activities of smaller exporters who had rushed into the crayfish industry attracted by the possibility of quick money. They were packing anything off to the French market, and there could be no question of maintaining a satisfactory standard under those conditions.
Dr. Von Bonde saw people packing the tails of crayfish into large tubs of ice, and when a tail was dropped in the mud and filth of the quayside, it was thrown into the tub, mud and all. According to him, the industry was being conducted in a most uneconomical and short-sighted manner. The method of severing the tail and dumping the remainder of the crayfish overboard would have a very damaging effect on the fishing grounds. It would probably drive away crayfish and other fish as well.

HOW CRAYFISH WERE KILLED
Dr. Von Bonde said that, under properly organized conditions, the offal part of the crayfish (head & claws) could be used profitably as fowl food and as fertilizer. Older Malay fishermen confirmed that it had always been the rule not to throw dead fish or parts of fish into the fishing grounds. One old man said that one crayfish head could disturb a bed for two years.
There seemed to be some misapprehension over the manner of killing the crayfish. Apparently, people thought that when the tail is separated the rest of the body, still alive and kicking, will flounder in the sea to die a slow death. The crayfish “tail”, however, is almost the entire fish, only a shell of a head being left with the claws and legs attached. It was considered that the method of wrenching the “tail” off as soon as the fish is caught – thereby killing them quickly – was far more humane than leaving them to suffocate en masse in the bottom of a boat. It was the general opinion of crayfish exporters that unless the Government would take some steps, the Union’s youngest industry would pass out with the same rapidity as it was instituted.

Read more about the History of Crayfishing in South Africa at   https://www.route27sa.com/crayfish.html

GERMOLENE Aseptic Skin Ointment - 1925 & 1928

DE VOLKSTEM - 1925, 15 October
Already in 1925 GERMOLENE Aseptic Skin Ointment had been advertised for treatment of Rash, Eczema, Ulcers, Sunburn, Leg Troubles, Cuts, Scalds, Ringworm, Burns, etc.
Many satisfied clients gave feedback of the splendid benefit they have derived from Germolene. It is interesting to see the Dutch influence on the Afrikaans language in the following advertisement.
Mrs. Ashworth’s face was completely covered with a rash and blisters, and she felt relief after the first application. Even the itchy Hemorrhoids that had been bothering her for 3 years had been cured.

In an advertisement in the CAPE TIMES (1928, July 19) Mrs. Dale from Southborough, England, wrote that she had suffered from a terribly ulcerated leg for 5 years and that she had been informed that she might lose her leg, if not her life. Her leg had been completely healed for upwards of 4 months. She said that she would never tire of singing the praise of the wonderful Germolene Ointment.







OZONE – Used to Purify Drinking Water

CAPE TIMES - 1933, 17 August
It was very interesting to read this article about tests done in 1933 on the benefits of OZONE. 
About 30 miles above the surface of the earth there is a layer of OZONE, an atmospheric stratum of utmost importance to mankind. Ozone absorbs the ultra-violet rays of light. If it were not for the layer of ozone, everybody would be obliged to wear blue or amber-coloured spectacles to protect the eyes. 
The word “ozone” is commonly used by many people to mean simply “fresh air” as when they are talking of “breathing in the life-giving ozone” of a cold, bright winter morning. Yet, ozone is a well-known, perfectly definite modification of oxygen, and its value as an antiseptic appears undoubted, according to the British Medical Journal. Ozone is a form of Oxygen. A molecule of oxygen contains 2 atoms, but there are 3 atoms in a molecule of ozone.
An observing station in Spitzbergen, Norway, studied the ozone layer with a spectroscope to find out what is the amount of ozone per atmospheric volume. The thickness of the ozone layer was purely a matter of guess, but the supposition was that it thinned off gradually towards outer space. 
Ozone, that variant of oxygen which appears over the sea or in the air of the open country, and which had previously been surmised by meteorologists to exist in the high atmosphere in sufficient amount to affect the temperature of its limiting layers, possesses a strong oxidizing action, in virtue of which it attacks metallic silver, and may, in suitable conditions, inhibit or destroy bacteria. Ozone can be formed from air by means of the silent electric discharge, and it is available in working quantities to industry and hygiene.
According to Dr. L. Hugounenq, ozone was a potent agent in the vulcanization of rubber, bleaching of textile, preparation of drying oils, maturation of odorous essences and it had been used successfully in brewing beer, as it can act vigorously against the germs which impair the qualities of beer.
The use of ozone in the purification of drinking water was first commended as a result of experiments carried out in Holland on the water of the Old Rhine. In France, water supplies were ozonized in many communities in France, Monte Carlo and many schools and private houses. Sir AC Houston applied ozone to water and obtained results which he described as bacteriologically perfect.


You can read more about OZONE THERAPY on https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320759.php

Monday 29 July 2019

National Lipstick Day - Tattoo your lips

THE STAR Johannesburg - 1935, July 29
Annually, July 29, is National Lipstick Day, and I was stunned to see an advertisement in THE STAR Johannesburg, 1935, July 29 – exactly 84 years ago! Women were told how to TATTOO their LIPS! The simply marvelous South Sea Stain for Lips promised a luscious, even, transparent color that’s actually a part of your lips – color that really stayed all day and that would keep lips invitingly soft and youthfully caressing instead of drying them. You had to put it on, let it set and then wipe it off. Only the color would stay. There were 4 simply ravishing shades available: Coral, Exotic, Natural and Pastel
Thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered that about 5 000 years ago men and women started wearing lipstick made of some funny stuff. Crushed bugs, crushed gemstones, ochre, dyes from cochineal, fish scales, crushed mulberries, beeswax, scented oils, deer tallow, castor oil, olive oil, mineral oil, cocoa butter, lanolin and petroleum oil were some of the ingredients used – even dangerous lead and vermilion. Sometimes lip color had been used for puberty rituals or only by the upper-class women, actresses, actors and prostitutes. As cosmetics was associated with loose girls or prostitutes, teenagers were discouraged from wearing cosmetics.
In 1884 French Perfumers invented the first commercial lipstick, sold in paper tubes, tinted papers, or in small pots. American women considered lipstick acceptable by 1912 and shortly after that, Maurice Levy invented a cylinder metal container for lipstick.
In the 1930’s, lipstick became a symbol of adult sexuality. It became scarce during the Second World War as petroleum and castor oil, some of the ingredients, were unavailable. In the late 1940’s, No-Smear Lipstick – the first long lasting lipstick - was created in New York and New Jersey by Hazel Bishop.
Later several types of lipstick became popular – dark red, shimmery, pink, peach, white, light blue, lime green, black, violet, matte, bright bold colors, nude, brown in tubes, lip balms, glosses, crayons, pencils, liners and stains.
You are welcome to read more about the history of Lipstick on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipstick

Sunday 28 July 2019

Worcestershire Sauce with Soda Water? Maybe it's time to bring it back....

CAPE ARGUS - 1906, 22 December
THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 12 & 19 March
CAPE ARGUS - 1918, 14 November
CAPE TIMES - 1933, 1 July
Have a look at these interesting NON-ALCOHOLIC drinks available in 1906 – 1933



Worcestershire Sauce with Soda Water? 
In India & other hot countries, a dash of LEA & PERRINS’ WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE in Soda Water was much appreciated as a “pick-me-up.” This was one of the many uses to which this famous sauce was put. 

(THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 19 March)











ROSE’S Lime Juice Produced from lime fruit grown in the British West Indies. The public were warned against spurious imitations made from cheap foreign lemon juice. 

(CAPE ARGUS - 1906, 22 December)















MONTSERRAT Lime Juice
Always cooling and refreshing. Children loved it. Large supplies had been shipped from London.
(THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 12 March)





ROSE’S Lime Juice The “LANCET” said: “Drink Lime Juice whenever and wherever you can. It is not only the most beneficial drink but the most pleasant.” This Pure Lime Juice contained valuable health-giving salts. It was unsweetened and sugar had to be added to taste.

(CAPE ARGUS - 1918, 14 November)







MONTSERRAT Lime Juice 
Lime Fruit Juice that cooled the blood and kept you fit.

(THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 19 March)


KEY BRAND Non-Alcoholic Grape Juice (KWV) 
It was delicious to drink and was a definite aid to health. 
(Interesting to see that clients were encouraged to always ask for KWV when they buy Eau-de-Cologne - the Brandy-master created the Eau-de-Cologne.

(CAPE TIMES - 1933, 1 July)

Saturday 27 July 2019

New Star Hotter than Six Suns


THE STAR Johannesburg – 1935, 9 August

In December 1934 Prof. Vorontsov Velyaminov from Moscow discovered a NEW STAR which was said to be six times hotter than the sun and to flash more brilliantly than any other star. It was discovered in the constellation of Hercules. According to Prof. Velyaminov the star reached such brilliancy in the middle of December that it could be seen through ordinary prismatic field-glasses. The Moscow Observatory took many photographs of the star’s spectrum. Velyaminov studied the photographs and discovered that the star was surrounded by an extensive and exceedingly rarefied gaseous mist which was many milliard times less than that of ordinary air. The temperature of the star became six times than that of the sun and made it one of the hottest luminaries known to science.

Friday 26 July 2019

Proudly South African in 1918 and 1925

DE VOLKSTEM - 1925, 31 December 

THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 27 March

Shakespeare said: 
“There is a tide in the affairs of men which, if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” 
After years of fighting for a position against markets of the world, 
there was a tremendous boom in South African products in 1918 and 1925..


DE VOLKSTEM (an Afrikaans newspaper) had an advertisement on 1925, 31 December, to stress the importance of spending money on items that were manufactured locally. By doing this, more jobs would be created, the cost of living would be reduced and taxes would be lower. Good citizens should do this in the interests of our country.






SPRINGBOK SHOE STORE advertised their excellent shoe-ware - a first for South Africa, promising shoes as good as any imported shoe. 
(DE VOLKSTEM - 1925, 8 October)






Sturdy Furniture - made in South Africa by South Africans!
Solid oak and color-resistant fabrics that would not fade, were used. 
(DE VOLKSTEM - 1925, 8 October)









After years of fighting for a position against markets of the world, there was a tremendous boom in South African made Footware. Productions absolutely equaled the imported shoe at half the price of shoes from England. (THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 10 January)






















Economic Boot Store was proud to announce South African Made Footwear for the Whole Family. (THE STAR Johannesburg - 1918, 5 February)
In an economic downturn of ever-increasing costs, now is the time to buy Proudly South African, as your contribution can help build the local economy. The Proudly South African initiative was launched in 1998 by former President Nelson Mandela at a presidential summit to promote South African job creation opportunities through local investment in products and services. By buying mainly South African products and supporting local companies, you can directly/indirectly make a massive contribution to the country's economic stabilization and progress. South Africa's unemployment rate will not improve at all if we only import and disregard local products.
Local business owners are encouraged to register as a member of the Proud SA initiative to introduce the well-known emblem to their products, website or corporate stationery. Citizens and tourists can then observe it at first glance and make informed choices when deciding on purchases or service. As a business's existence depends on regular orders and good payers, special attention should be given to do-it-yourself items, clothing, food and cosmetics: general consumption items.
Do your homework, make a decision for all of us and buy proudly South African today! Remember, your contribution and support to the South African manufacturing market as such is an investment in your children and grandchildren's future job opportunities.

Kindly read Tania Du Toit’s interesting post on https://finansies.solidariteit.co.za/hoekom-jy-suid-afrikaans-moet-koop/


Thursday 25 July 2019

“Golden Jubilee” in ROYAL HOUSE

THE STAR Johannesburg – 1935, July 29


Monsieur Henri Cedard, King Edward’s Principal Chef, celebrated his “Golden Jubilee” in the Royal Household where he has also served King George. 
Mr. Cedard prepared meals for almost every Royal personage of the period and has devised many dishes that have since become famous in the restaurants of the world. Both King Edward and King George preferred simple, homely dishes to rich and elaborate ones. King Edward was very fond of a grilled double cutlet of English lamb. Sole, white-bait and salmon were the fish he liked best and he was very fond of good fruit. He hated to spend long over his meals and set half an hour as the time limit for dinner.


Wednesday 24 July 2019

Phonograph? Graphophone? Sounds like Noah’s names for Audio Systems

CAPE ARGUS - 1915, 2 January
THE STAR Johannesburg- 1918, 22 February
THE CAPE TIMES - 1933, 17 July

In 1877 Thomas A. Edison invented the PHONOGRAPH to record and reproduce sound mechanically. This device was the forerunner of the Gramophone or Record Player.
Other inventors had devices that could record sounds, but Edison’s phonograph succeeded in reproducing the recorded sound for the first time in history. Sound was recorded onto a sheet of tinfoil wrapped around a rotating cylinder. He invented a stylus that could respond to sound vibrations to produce an up and down groove in the foil. 
In 1915, Edison advertised his Phonograph in the Cape Argus, to reproduce the best music, clearly rendered by the new Diamond Point Reproducer. These phonographs - both cylinder and disc models - were of the concealed horn variety. 
(CAPE ARGUS - 1915, 2 January)



In the 1880’s Alexander Graham Bell made improvements before he introduced his GRAPHOPHONE. In 1918, Columbia Graphophones were advertised in THE STAR Johannesburg (1918, 22 February). Special needles would ensure the prolonged life of records.



In 1933, a Table Radio-GRAMOPHONE was advertised in THE CAPE TIMES, (1933, 17 July). This Two-speed device had all the latest improvements like 5 Valves, Tone Control and new-type Radiotrons to ensure Power, Purity of Tone, Value and Compactibility. 

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Taking off One's Clothes

CAPE TIMES - 1933, 19 July


Miss JAN GAY, a young American, did the Grand Tour of the European Nudist Colonies in 1933.
GR Stevens reviewed ON GOING NAKED, Miss Gay’s book on the Ethics and Aesthetics of taking off one’s clothes.
Not fewer than 134 nudist colonies in Germany were listed where members might be as naked as the liked in parks or secluded retreats. Some were physical culture clubs, while others taught dancing or eurythmics. Sometimes Vegetarianism or similar practices were combined with nakedness. A few colonies were economic in intention, living and working under strict communism.
Miss Gay did not throw any particular light on the motives which underlie nudism. Various aspects – sensuous, aesthetic, ethical and economic – were jumbled up in her mind, and she justified an aesthetic objection with an economic argument.
Her personal impulses were sensuous, as she had always loved sunlight and rain, wind and the cool of evenings on her skin. This was an admirable reason for taking off her clothes. She proved that there was something to be said for nudism on a number of counts, and that as a movement it possesses a certain significance.
The aesthetic argument, like the sensuous argument, was self-evident. To her, clothes were ugly compared with beautiful bodies, but she admitted that all bodies are not beautiful.
The ethical aspects were controversial. It seemed possible that there might be some advantages in a naked society and that there was a basis for the German contention that nudism was an antidote to sexual promiscuity, a corrective for the over-sexing engendered by the hiving in cities and a better preparation for satisfactory mating than the conventional artificial courtship.
On economic grounds nudism was no more than a minor offshoot of Communism, of little importance until Jack Frost would become a proletarian. At that stage, he nipped Communists and Capitalists alike, and the best of theories had to suffer if they involved chilblains.

Monday 22 July 2019

Help for People with Hearing Impairments

CAPE TIMES - 1933, 10 & 21 August

Have a look at the New FORTIPHONE for the Deaf, available in Cape Town, Johannesburg & Durban in 1933. This latest invention for the Deaf promised to arrest progress in Deafness, stop Head Noises and improve Natural Hearing – without any Buzzing, Crackling or Headband. 
(CAPE TIMES – 1933, 10 August)

An interesting experiment in the Education of Partially Deaf Children was taking place at Mowbray Primary School in 1933. The mentally retarded child presented a somewhat serious problem in South African Schools. According to DR. ALICE COX there were 32 818 cases in which sub-normality was implied – 2 674 of these were cases of mental deficiency. About 30 000 children had some or other disability. The problem of the partially deaf child had been to a very large extent ignored in the educational system. A teacher in a large class could not devote an inordinate amount of time to special treatment for individual pupils and the result was that a child who was hard of hearing simply floundered along in the wake of the class picking up what he could as best as he could. Slight deafness was often unrecognized by the teacher. The child would seldom admit to it, and as he could hear reasonably well at ordinary speaking distance the teacher never suspected that the pupil was losing half of what he heard in class. In many cases of partial deafness, the person so afflicted was deaf to high notes or to low notes only, so that a partially deaf pupil might hear one teacher perfectly and another not at all, or may hear part of a sentence only. Most deaf or partially deaf people unconsciously learned to lip-read and some partially deaf school children got along fairly adequately in ordinary classes by a mixture of lip-reading and hearing. In spite of this, however, the work of the pupil who was hard of hearing had invariably fallen behind in the standard of the normal class, especially in his written work and in his speech. Word endings were among the first things even the slightly deaf missed, and the partially deaf child in his written work would probably produce sentences such as “I finish my wor” yesterday,”… I have four brother,”…. “When I went home I wash the cup and saucer,”… invariably missing the inflections and causing the teacher to think that the child is simply stupid. This inability to express himself became a general handicap to the partially deaf child, increasing as he grew older. His vocabulary was extremely limited by the fact that he heard only part of what was going on around him, and without language it was impossible to think. Language was the only means of bringing thought into being, and the greater the command of language the greater is the capacity for thought.
THE DIFFERENCE
It is scarcely that many partially deaf children were regarded as mentally deficient. They differed very importantly from the real mentally deficient, in that they had the brain to think, but not the means of putting that brain into action. This problem had for some time been interesting the National Council for the Deaf, and it approached the school authorities with the request that some provision should be made in the educational system for partially deaf children. This request was sympathetically received and in order to experiment in the matter audiometer tests were made of all the children in local schools. From these a number of particularly marked cases were selected, and they then formed two classes at the Mowbray Primary School, where under MISS MARY GILCHRIST they were receiving special instruction in voice production, lip reading and development of vocabulary. Miss Gilchrist trained at Manchester University as a teacher of the deaf and taught for some time at the Edinburgh Deaf Institution. She came out to Natal to teach deaf adults, and from there had come down to conduct this most interesting experiment at Mowbray.
PROGRESS
Although the classes had only been in existence since the beginning of August 1933, it was obvious that marked progress had already been made by the children. All of them were deaf to a greater or less degree, and when a representative of the CAPE TIMES visited the class Miss Gilchrist demonstrated this by the simple method of making the pupils stand with their backs to her and about two yards away. She addressed them in the voice that a teacher would use in speaking to a class and those who heard what she said were told to repeat the sentence. Some heard nothing at all, others heard nearly correctly, and others again produces the most extraordinary garbled versions of the original sentence. One wondered what extraordinary travesties of fact some of these children must have made of their daily lessons. Almost every pupil, except the quite young ones, was obviously suffering in some degree from an inferiority complex, and this, combined with their defective speech and difficulty in expressing themselves, produced an effect very closely akin to real mentally deficiency. The progress they made in three weeks under Miss Gilchrist’s trained guidance was remarkable. They were given lip-reading tests, in which Miss Gilchrist used no voice at all, and they understood remarkably well all that she was saying. Voice-production was another important part of their training, and already children whose speech had previously been extremely difficult to understand, were pronouncing words clearly and correctly, and getting into their speech some of that animation which is so often lacking in the speech of a deaf or partially deaf person. The junior class received all their lessons from Miss Gilchrist, while the seniors had their lessons with the rest of the school, except for the special daily lessons in voice-production and lip-reading. They were finding already that their special lessons were helping them to follow the ordinary classes more easily and observers state that there was already a marked improvement in their attitude towards their lessons.
DIFFICULTIES
Still in the experimental stage, there were numerous difficulties to be surmounted in the class. Special tuition of this type in a large Government school was difficult to fit in to the normal curriculum. On the other hand, there were probably not enough partially deaf children in any one area to warrant the expense of a special school for them. It is not generally considered desirable to segregate such children, as it important that they should be treated as and mix with normal children. This was an exceedingly interesting experiment, for its success might lead to an extension of such work to cover various types of abnormality and to the establishment as an ordinary rule of special classes for sub-normal children in Government schools.  This step was believed by many to be the only possible way of dealing with this large number of sub-normal children in the Union’s schools at that time. Specialized education which would enable them to absorb knowledge on an equal footing with their normal fellows would prevent at any rate a marked proportion from ending their days as “poor whites,” dependent upon their parents or upon the community for their subsistence. (CAPE TIMES – 1933, 21 August)


Sunday 21 July 2019

Women Pioneers - Thorough & Devoted to their Jobs

CAPE TIMES - 1933, 10 & 18 August
THE STAR Johannes burg - 1938, 13 January
Reading through the old newspapers I noticed several articles about WOMEN who were PIONEERS on their fields, as they were Thorough and Devoted to their jobs.


In 1933 Mrs. CD Rackham, a member of the Royal Commission of Unemployment Insurance in London, made a statement that Women formed an essential part of Commerce and Industry in 1933, not because they took less wages, but because they were so thorough and devoted to their work.
Mrs. Rackham mentioned that women were not encroaching on men’s jobs, as modern industry had become divided into work specialized in by men and into work specialized in by women. 
There was a trend that women undersold men by taking lower wages, and that could be answered by the charge that it was disgraceful of employers to offer women less than men. Women were worth far more than they were getting. Men did not have a women secretary because she was a few pound or shillings cheaper. In dozens of city offices the heads of the business all had women secretaries, as women were a necessity in commercial life. (CAPE TIMES - 1933, 10 August) 











In 1933 Miss Marjorie Douglas, sister of Captain Rod Douglas, had been awarded the BELLIN CUP for the Most Efficient Pilot among members of the Johannesburg Light Aeroplane Club. She received this award for the second time in 3 years.
Competition for the cup was divided into 3 sections – a landing competition, a bombing competition and a written examination. Miss Douglas won both the bombing competition and the written competition, while Mr. E Mauritzi won the landing competition. Miss Douglas was first with a total of 91% and Dr. B Mundell was second with an aggregate of 83%. (CAPE TIMES - 1933, 18 August)
ANNA SCHETININA was one of the first ladies to become the captain of a Soviet ship. Here she is seen in the radio cabin of the steamer “Chavicha” on a trip between Vladivostok and the Kamchatka Peninsula. (THE STAR Johannesburg - 1938, 13 January)


Cape Town’s new £22 000 Broadcasting Station at Milnerton

 CAPE TIMES - 1933, July 18 The Cape and Peninsula Broadcasting Association started Cape Town’s first Broadcasting Station on September 15, ...