January 17, 1939
THE FISHERMAN
Page Tir*
"Trouble Shooting" Gas Engines
Singood The Fisherman Says:
I've been studying geography, I never had a chance to get an education when I was a kid, so when I saw a book the other night which my kid paid $1.20 for, and which she is required to have in school (A World Geography for Canadian Schools, printed in 1936, revised and corrected in 1936-37 and 38) I said to myself, "right here is where I get an education." And believe me, I did.
I learned about the Cordillera (Rocky Mountains), the Coast Range, the Appalachian Range and the Canadian Shield. I learned about all the ice-caps, glaciers, lakes, rivers and plains.
But I didn't get to the real educational part of the book till I got to pages 49 and 50. And there I found the following:
"As long as the salmon persist in following the south shore of Juan de Fuca Straits, it's impossible, without a treaty, to conserve and eventually to restore the salmon fisheries of the Fraser. A treaty with the United States governing the whole question has been proposed by Canada on * more than one occasion, but without results as yet.
"The Dominion has established fish hatcheries in the Fraser watershed in an endeavor to assist nature, but these too, are unable to keep up with the fish traps, nets and purse seines of the State of Washington fishermen."
Some mutton-head told me there have not been any traps in Willipa Harbor, Grays Harbor or Puget Sound since 1934. And that the hatcheries have not operated in the Fraser watershed since 1935.
Of course ,all this about the traps being taken out of Washington and the hatcheries being taken out of the Fraser watershed is wrong. If you don't believe me, then go to school.
Anyway, I'm educated now, and if any of you guys want to get educated, just borrow a book from some high-. school kid and go to it. You'll get educated alright, no foolin'.
The other day I was kidding a little girl and I said to her, "Don't lie now, you know George Washington never told a lie and he got to be President of the United States of America."
She said, "Ya, he might have got away with that stuff then, but I'll bet he couldn't do it now."
Even so, I still think a politician could get further without telling lies.
The ones that don't tell lies are known as Statesmen.
An old and valued friend of mine used to say: "The only unpardonable sin is being a damn fool."
I want to add to that, as my contribution to the philosophy of life: "The only unpardonable mistake an honest and sincere person or organization can make, is not to try to do anything constructive."
Most of the old stiffs like me are handicapped by our upbringing. When I was a kid we were not supposed to contradict our elders and believe me they saw to it that we didn't. We were not supposed to think for ourselves either. Let the teacher or mother or father or uncle do the thinking. No wonder some of us are dumb. Nowadays most kids are encouraged to think for themselves, and they do it, too.
By SPARK PLUG
ENGINES, to some of us, are like high finances — a great mystery. Having learned a little about engines and less about high finance, I will endeavor to give to those who feel the need of it, a few pointers on engines.
First, let us dwell on what is commonly termed "trouble shooting."
Engine trouble generally boils down to two basic categories: no gas, and no spark. Of course there are other things which go wrong of a more mechanical nature which I hope to deal with at a later date. For the purpose of this article I will deal only with the routine difficulties encountered when the engine refuses to start, or unexpectedly quits.
First, check the carburetter for gas. Do this by unscrewing the drain in bottom of the carburetter. If the gas flows, check the flow to make sure it is gas and not water. Do this by letting it drop into the palm of the hand. A drop of water will form into a sort of bead, but a drop of gas will spread over the surface of your hand and evaporate. If you find water, drain this all off, and drain the sediment bulb,, too, if you have one.
The screens in the carburetter and the sediment bulb should be cleaned if the gas still does not come. However, all carburetters do not have strainers; so, if after this check-up you still find no gas, make sure the gas tanks are not empty. If this is not the case, then the gas-line must be plugged. To clear this you can try rapping smartly on the fuel line; not hard enough to damage it, and if this fails, you must uncouple the gas-line at the carburetter, and blow through it.
If your engine is hooked up in such a way as to make this impractical, then you must uncouple the entire fuel line and take it out in order to clean it. If lack of gasoline was your trouble, you should have located it after this thorough check-up.
Checking The Ignition System
WHEN the engine stops and on checking the gas you find sufficient, you should then check the ignition system. You should have the ignition and all other electrical matter directed through the ammeter, as this is of great assistance in locating electrical trouble and will immediately notify you of a short circuit by registering a steady discharge. If your electrical system is not hooked up this way, you should have it done as soon as possible. To do this you run your negative lead from the battery to your engine-block, and the positive lead from the battery, goes to the ammeter.
Everything to be hooked up to the ammeter is connected to the remaining contact on the ammeter and then through the switch of each of the electrical items you have on your boat. If, when you turn on a switch, the am-
By DAN MARTIN.
SAN QUENTIN brings to the minds of laboring people such famous names as Tom Mooney, Earl King, a local Vancouver boy, Ramsay and Conner and other great martyrs of our class, who for no
meter registers a charge instead of discharge, you either have your battery leads mixed, or else you have the two connections on your ammeter mixed. To remedy this, you merely change them over from one to the other.
Assuming your electrical equipment is hooked up as described above, to find ignition trouble, proceed in the following manner: first turn on the engine switch and watch your ammeter while you slowly turn your engine over. If the ammeter indicates a steady discharge without any flickering of the indicator needle, it means either the timer points are stuck together, or else there is a short circuit in the ignition system. If on the other hand, the ammeter registers zero, it means that the circuit (from the battery through the ammeter, the switch, the coil of the timer, and then back to the battery) is broken.
Remedying a Break In the Circuit
TO CHECK this, first look at the timer points to see if they are not contacting, either"" through being adjusted too far apart, or else because they are dirty and need filing, thus not getting proper contact. If this is not the trouble, then check the circuit between the ammeter and the battery by merely turning on your lights (providing the lights go through the ammeter) if they go on, you know the circuit is O.K. this far.
Next, unconnect the wire at the coil which comes from the switch. Rub this against the engine-block in a place you will get a metal to metal contact. If you get a lively spark here, all is well between the coil and the switch; but if, after considerable effort you fail to get a spark, the trouble is a poor contact between these two points or possibly this wire is broken, thus causing a break in the circuit.
There are two more wires from the coil; one is the high tension wire issuing from the center of the timer cap to the coil. Take the other one and disconnect it at the timer and attempt to spark it against the engine-block or the base of the timer. If there is no spark here, it means poor connections or else the coil is haywire. If it does spark you have now completed the circuit and the trouble must be the timer points. Never unconnect more than one wire at a time unless you thoroughly understand what you are doing.
This article will not compare completely with all ignition systems, but is standard equipment on all car engines and most marine engines. The Atwater Kent system has a little different coil as this type has six contacts. I may be able to cover this at a later date.
It would be will for fishermen interested to clip these articles for future reference as it is intended to completely cover this subject if circumstances permit.
crime other, than their sincere and honest work on behalf of labor's cause have been thrown into that tomb of cement and steel.
Truly, justice as experienced in the class struggle is a mockery.
I got a queer feeling, walking into
Question Box
PCFU DIS-AFFILIATION
QUESTION.—In discussing the recent "convention of the PCFU with some members I flind that I do not wholly understand the reasons for making the decision to dis-afflliate from, the PCFU in the USA and seek Cana-dia affiliation. I am of the belief that it is necessary for us to strengthen our ties with the American fishermen for our mutual benefit. I would like to receive further information on the benefits that will come from the latest move.—N. S.
ANSWER.—The decision referred to in the question was made on the basis of the situation that prevails in the fishing industry in BC at the present time. While it is quite important and very necessary for the American and Canadian fishermen to support each other for better prices, etc., we must remember that in BC there are at least ten associations and unions of fishermen.
These ten organisations have only succeeded in organising approximately twenty-five percent of the fishermen. With few exceptions there is no harmony and no policy in regard to furthering organisation. The first necessity is to draw all these groups together, unite the industry, and lay down a definite policy to organise the unorganised.
The convention of the PCFU felt that this can be accomplished more easily under the banner of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada. This congress is the main stream of Trade Unionism of Canada, and with the exception of the PCFU, the main fishing' unions in BC are already affiliated to it. By the PCFU becoming affiliated also, it will draw the main groups closer together, making it easier for all to work for the common good.
Further, affiliation to the Congress will mean that the PCFU will become attached to the Vancouver, New Westminster and District Trades and Labor Council. Such affiliation will bring us in direct contact to approximately 17,000 BC workers. The support which can be obtained from such a body in maintaing prices, legislative, and other problems can be readily seen. These workers also need our support.
In regard to the unity of Canadian and American fishermen, it is to their mutual benefit to support each other at all times. Such leading issues as fish traps, prices, and dumping of fish during disputes make this necessary.
Conditions lay the basis for this tie, without direct affiliation; and when the fishermen in BC are solidly organised, the benefits gained will be consid-. erably more noticeable on both sides oi' the boundary line.—J. G.
that living tomb. The machine guns entirely surround the place, and then there are the numerous locks and gates. It made me think of Wm. Bagley, who paid us a visit some years ago to Vancouver. It seems he planned to get out of San Quentin once, but how he ever hoped to do it I can't imagine. It just seems impossible. Specially constructed-machine-gun towers surround the countryside in the vicinity of San Quentin.
IWANT to thank the defence committee of King, Ramsay and Conner for making it pors.iMe for us to pay those union brothers a visit. They enjoyed our brief visit and informed us that they ire in close touch with the trade unior movement and they even are well informed on the International situation. They listen to six radio broadcasts a day.
San Quentin—A Living Tomb