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"GCood Old Days" 1 Weren't So Hot '1 e NtioalIndustrial Confer- ence Boari-d, lInc., does anoustnd îr1g job of presenting statisties oni a wide variety ut subjects. Tleirý' studies on personnel policy aud) studies ou labour statÎstics hav e re,- ceîved and nierited -idespread coin- mendatio n. Recently, tbe Board publisbed a bookiet entitled, "What Ali Houlr's Work Would Biuy, 1914- 1918"1, the third inî their studies il, labour statîstics. Whîle tbe inlfor tuation conitaioed therein is based ou Aniericani figures, the pattern w l.ith lias, been UncoveredI is equally ap- plicable to Canada. This study de- ontrates that tbe- average mantfac- turing worker iîî 191A4 worked 51.5, hours a week, rciVi'ng 25 cents an hour or $1272 a, ,eek,' required $1600 a week ho, suppor7t bis tamily and, therefore, sluoved,,a déficit Of $3.28 a IeCk, mequirng somne 14, boums of w-11, by other members of bis faniiY to make ends neet. In 1948, tleiieag auufacturing worker worked '19.7 boums a Wee, received $1.47 an boni'11 or $5852 aî week, required $49.5'2 a weelk ta support is f amtily and1C, as a esit showed a srlsof$0 awe tbe saved Qorused fimprvin We arailfamriliar w itlc h stories o f tile ">gond nId days"wbe eggs were sold for 15 cents a dozen and a -ina f lt thlat Ilecold s-UP port a wif e wlien bis pay reacbhed the amount of $12.O0 a ix eek. The reason for the nostalgie regard for the past is that comparisons are alwaysý based on the buying power of tbe dollar. The dollar, however, îs of no value wbatever as a norm or standard because it varies con- linuouisIv. The Conférence Board recognizes this fact by using, in- stead of the dollar, the buyinig power of one b-our';s womk to compare the facto Ïry workers' situation olcer tue past four d ecades. Tbe resu-lts are 5tartiig anini!formnatilve. Tlie study was based onn the.average pay for 25 rmanufaeluttiring industries. ,A' consideratioii taohébe ornie in nild is thatthe6 wage-ear ner today bas a much wîder range, of goods to choose from than did bis prede:essor of 1914 and bis standard of living and the convenience bé now enjoys are supIerior ta- anytbiîig avaîlable 34yasago. Some of the( details ot tbe ý,study v are of more tban,11pass- îinterPst. Fo xamlple, 12 our taiyin 1948. lu 1[914, i ok3 hours of Lvrk-Telij(e" ufo Suda Idnnr, a otirgciekenI, work in 1114. Tl'le 19480S ge-arier iequired onily alittle moreftha il1w o boums' w crk ouby the saine fýwL. Clotinbimst and bis, tamîily cos e factory xxorkem n hl oefnumber ot boums of work ii 18tanil did iin 1914. ept b fatthat lboJsiiug condhiins bave cosieaby imiproved ový,er tbe standards peainin 1914, the mianufacturînlg worker in 1948 bad 10 spend oiy a<ilittie moüre thlan 18j bours a mootb to bLo ouse bis faiyI as eoînpared witb the 1914 average of more thani 35 bours. Tbe 1948 model low-price car sold for only 954' bours of work despîte the fact that the price bad mlore Ihan doubled over the 34 ycams. This mneaut îbat the 1948- vage-earner, could buy a new car for a àultIle more tban one.- third the lnmbcm of loirs thato le cost in 1914. The jlinngileCgalins, sncb as e sýCcbnIieaJ limprovciieets, tbe' lime anid physicýal euergy saved in the home Ctbroiph bibe urse of labour- aaig'evices, tbec convenieuce of mdmrefrigerahioni and tbe coin- fort of iuner-spriug mattresses. and însuilated homes canuot be evaluated, in îermmsof hours of Nwork. ýAiltes tbings rate -ovsideratin, xe.r wheu we iloio hthe benefits bc vee au hopie 10obtain ifwe mCng nize aud appreciate the basicres nois for our inaterial progmeas ande âbo nt wastc onr lime yearniug for the largely ficlitinus advanitages of "tlwe good nId days". ~n othe nw Fr'3ench bathing suits.-cute, buis?" Natulre Was The Wben you;take ok mb a: box of cap %tr's rardener's tbols and osre ,lime incredible varietyof the nsruens r contains. do you ever jpause b w!der ow tiey al came 10 î, thougiml of and de- signed? Oetbiing us'certain. Noue of tiosec is-_iou instruments 'just bappeied." Wbou were lime iliventors and bow did Ibey get tlieir ideas? Wben iw e look ah time w orld nf Nature arýound us, w e caunot belp wonei,ig if i-nen realîy orginahed those tools. Au observant eye wil soon see timat Nature mas "first in thme field"; tliat Nature, in short, sup- plied tbe 'bluie-prinits" for mankiud ho build on. Es idence is ci crywbere. Let os dip mb limhe gardencr's tool ciest and pick tbe commonest tool of tIme lot-time spade, Did men invent tbat instrument? asks Craven Hlill,, F./..S., wriing in "TitBits."1 Picture ho yourselt a caveman nf long ago lookiug ah lime grouuid oulside his' cave and sxondering bow' lie cao best, make a bole big euougb, to bide tbe carcase of a xid animal lie bad just killed., Their Feet ire Shovels Wli e w anIs ,of course, is ýtbe institumient w'e cala),spade. But amnc unnue at ime imeof Mwbieh cnug 0 nemtsuha tmumb baqs t 10 dosoume baxid binking ovner bis problleml. His a,:,ttenltion liFs drawn,- 10 mnole buirowinÎlg its way iiuý flime soil, and theme, in the mole'S s;hovel-ike fore,,feet, is the solution., There is bis id", for at sp-adelý Nature hias sbown' bim time way. Ail be n ecds now is a little constructive ability to fasiion for bimscîf a scr- viceable bool for lime job. .Wbetber or, n& that is a 'truc pieture of bow 'the first'spade came, intobeing 1 do nt')retend t1, know, But if ,it is ont literal accurate, it cannol be vemy'tam from the tact. Iron Age -Models L-et us look mbt the carpenter's cbest for that almost equally com- mon boni, the saw.- Iî cannot bave takeii au Imon Age man long to' de- i elop this useful, instrument, for bis ",models" lav ail around bim-saw-' fisîmes in lthe sea; crocodiles, alliga- lors, and a lîost of other creatures ounland. Again, take flie carpenteras chisel. Nýo do-ubt someonie, at some period of biistory, laid cdaim 10 lthe 'in- vnin ofi t. Mayb e bedid, in, a way.But e bad ,Moîbter Nature ho gulide' hiini, fcir there werc some ex- clntcisels ini existence long be- fore Mani came on lime scene. Take a g1lance inside the mnouth of any rodent, andI1 you will see tbcm. And tbe do'tvear nul lufact, lime mor1U e selbey gel. tiesîaper lbey Olie truitful scource of inspira- tion tluom rforeftîers uudoubtedly lay in thie beaks of birds. Not un- natura;llY, perbaps, for time bis of iaIl the birds are littie less than tonis, seilydesigned by Nature for the svork tbeybave 10 perform. Tielong, siender, delicate bis oith zimsipe and woodcock are per- fect lnatural forceps, cnabliug their posseasors to extract ail mauner of tiny objecta from lime soft soui in .bitibtese species f ced. Similamly, lime broad buils of lthe ducks and spoonhilîs make very serviceable seooping instruments, wbile thme beak of lime crow povides an ex- cellenît "bluepr-inl," surely, for a pickaxe. Heron's Beak-a Spear Specially useful 10 the primitive fisîerman must bave been the var- mous walerfow 1 and fisb-eating birds. \Wbat better model could lie bave biad for a spear Iban the long, straigbt beak ot, the bemon? For a look be bad oîly 1cm study lime crook- ed beak of lime merganler, that îîow rallirare di ck sometiomessecu on otîr coasts, wiîose long bihli as ah ils fil) a perfectly murdemous boni, used by the bird tor bookimmg moll'. uses and crustacea f rom Iheir un- demater bidimîg pflaces, or for pick- ji1g 1upC eciithe nîost wriggly ccl, gaî,suppose You wamted to maea paddle for a canoe y ou bad built. Tbe idea çvôuld bave campe 10 Modern Honiebuilders and What They're Building Today Canada and the 1United States, are inthe ids ct o h raethm-uligbo i l itr.Hrwti h and picture form, we publisb a revealing look at thediffeentages nd"tpesf tese boebuldesaso the ap u ye of botrses they most favor. AIl these data 'rùae rm eetcat-ocatsre of 00 new bomebuilderscodute by the magýazin-.eBetter H-omes and Gardens n lhuhte uvywsmsl ad ot ftebrdr tgvsavr fair lideaof Caadin tend an prferne a e Cape Cod is stili the preferred architectural, style, but miovînig up fast iii popularity are the "ranch-type"' bouses anidcntm porary desýigns. Cape Cod is strongest in the E2-astad 'West North Centýral regions. Ranch and contemnporary styýles are very strono iin the West and Sou'thwest; but even in tle East, one-1 ï-th of n Iew bornes are ranch or co nteînpcrarx.- I ~ AMI 810,000'to Most Poputar - Price Ranges for New Homes 715,000 is, most popular prièe range. TrendLïý" is away fromi big cities, to the HnLving-LJmning KoOn These7 features are gaining ini popularity. fîsb captures it by- slooting onuta drop of water from it mouthî, and aims with such unerring accuracy that it can bit its quarry even at distances of twelve to fitteen feet. 1 iuften worder whethei one of those gallant gentlemni of the idc- dlle Ags-ýsome eorcfl"kih in armour"- laimed to have l-cii- vented and perfected thad3t sining suit of mail. Quîite likely lýIeïd&d but the.credît foirheiea eall ought to go to -Mothecr Natuire, who originated the suit of mail log e- fore -the Miidle Ages. If youdob that, observe, the lobster orte crab! -Or-if you do lontfelie dipping into the briny-take a îý ook at the adinadillo, thatstrange look- ing Soutbh American'mammial whose fat, squat body is eutirely encased in a bard, hornlike colering-a ver- itable "suit of mail.'ý If we chose to examine the matter more closely, we coold find scores of lother examples sbowing bow mankind bas found in Nature "ideas" for implements of al -kinds. The claws of the lobs ter; the prin- cers at the business_-end o[ Lhe er wig; the long, -wh!iplike teýntacles of tbe octopus(fîirst-rate lassos, those!); ee n thiiug of tbe -wasp-. bae Il. ,)probabl, forimed th-e orig- inal mjodels from whlich MAodfem Man Lbas evoled lbis tools àaawa pons. Tbink it, vri'swot thougbt or twol suiburbs and smaller cities. Preferred Size of Ho-mes TwoAedooms 49% Haîf are tvwo-bedrooii.. Keeping Tab On The Buterflies One day nim the spriug, fft- seven-year-oid Cari A. Andersoru, of T1exas, will melease more , îan 700 orange and brown Momarch bï,utter- flics wbieim be is n-ow breeding iii Lis baekyard. But f'iî- ýhe iIIban eacb butterfly on Im ýC ýe u wt serial number. Later inbc c thecso wl "egn o ecciveCvcry wee scoreCs n- posîtcaridstom atmelvr wLnbo, haeraced lime Monar-cb ii vrions p'ar 2ts of NorîLuAmei.lIý this wýay be hopes to Ia'mu!or Contractors lead. about the rnigratory habits of the Mouarchs, -whose movements in Amnerica are still largely a mystery, Anderson bias aîready discovered that Monarcbs fly up to 25mie an boum and move in a direct Uneà( as tbougb on a radar beant Mîan winter in the southernpat 1 Amnerica. Wben, the weather gl warmer they fly north-ouietimes- as far a-, Canada. appoinîd taskîbaî lst year he sota aild ithere rcdan mn home sme oF be tin refu ele