Sidelights On The War

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 299, 15 December 1917, Page 19

Sidelights On The War

"It took seven Army doctors an hour to ' put mc out of the Army, and one civilian ' doctor toot three minutes to put mc in It again." declared a discharged soldier at the English Law Society Tribunal. The capacity of Great Britain for producing monitions has so increased that monition making in Canada has been stopped by Government order.—"Popular Mechanics." INTERESTING WAR RELICS. The Royal United Service Institution's Museum in Whitehall is gradually accumulating a very interesting collection of war relics. They include Sir Roger Casement's sleeve lints, formed of four Eraser coins some stamps issued by the Dublin rebels the very day after the mad rising and the first German gun captured in the war There are also Zeppelin bombs eiploded and intact, for the curious to gaze upon. BACHELORS TO STARVE FIRST. A "spokesman for the bachelors" complains in the -Frankfort Gazette" that the new regulations for restanrant rations in ! Germany are evidently based on the theory : that bachelors should starve first. He declares that they are particularly hard on men who have no homes of their own and are dependent on restaurant fare. This, he says is already "inadequate," and ertortionately expensive. A NEW USE FOR 'WOMEN'S HAIR. The '-Cologne Gazette ." Frankfort correspondent sends the following telegram:— "Four daughters ot distinguished parents have ofiered their hair on the altar of the Fatherland. A hairdresser's high offer to purchase their hair was refused, as it is to be devoted to purely patriotic purposes— namely, for driving straps for submarines." This confirms the statement (writes the Amsterdam correspondent of th e "Times") that women's hair was being used to make straps for driving machinery. HUMANE GERMAN SOLDIER. An incident of a kind all too rare in this war was related to mc in connection with I the fight in the marshes abov e Poelcapellu (writes a "Scotsman" correspondent). When it was over our men found a wounded Irish i ofiicer lying in a crater, with a German' soldier kneeling beside him. A splinter of shell had cut an artery, and the officer .rould have bled to death had not the German voluntarily stopped the hemorrhage by pressing tightly on the severed artery with _oth thumbs. He did this for more than }wo hours before the couple were discovered—a feat of great physical endurance that undoubtedly saved the officer's life. SPEEDY SHIPS IN QUICK TIME. . The United States is making wonderful progress in 'building destroyers. Before the war the shortest time in which a torpedo boat could be -built was twenty-two months; now (says the Washington correspondent of the "Morning Post") they are being turned out In eight months, and Congress has given *he Navy Department all the money it can use for building these vessels. While certain that the submarine wil] be eventually rendered- powerless, naval officers insls. that there must be no cessation of mercantile shipping construction to compensate lor losses already incurred, and while the Xavy is pushing the building of destroyers, ne Shipping Board is employing all the « ds and men it can secure to turn out c_t s o carriers.

TORPEDO-PROOF SHIPS. Several weeks ago the Genoa newspapers' announced that a young local inventor of •maritime devices had discovered an infallible method of protecting shipping from submarine attacks. It is said that his method could .be applied to any merchant vessels afloat on condition of their being docked for a space of six to eight week 3, and that, as the result of experiments already carried out, the central executive of the National Federation of Italian Seamen had formally accorded the inventor its moral and financial backing. Xow comes a Rome message, stating that the Technical Commission of the Royal Italian Navy, after scrupulous tests, has approved the issue of patents for a new type ot torpedo-resisting armour-plate, against which, it is found, not only do torpedoes discharged from undersea craft spend themselves In vain efforts at perforation, but are themselves caused to sink at once after concussion. LUXURIES AT GERItIAN PRISON CAMP. •Found guilty at Middlesex Sessions of being concerned in the theft of stores from the Alexandra Palace Internment Camp, John Immer, a German, elected president oi the Kitchen Committee :by his fellow prisoners, and Hector George Davis, a Mnswell Hill greengrocer, who was contractor to the camp, were each sentenced to a year's imprisonment. Immer lived in England 21 yeans. He was formerly manager of a London hotel, and surrendered to the police as a destitute man unable to obtain employment, Detec-tive-Inspector Neil said there had been a great many irregularities between Davis and the prisoners of war. By documents it had been proved -that many prohibited articles, suiii as whisky, eggs, butter, bacon, and other things were smuggled In in large quantities, and while inhabitants of Mnswell Hill could not get a potato at any price, large quantities were reaching Germans through Davis.

The chairman read from a number of documents, and it appeared that ln the way of "extras" the German prisoners were able to secure large quantities of eggs, bloaters, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, onions and also asparagus and olives. SCRAP METAL FROM THE BATTLEFIELDS. Considerable speculation has been going the rounds as to the amount of scrap iron and steel that is accumulating on the battlefields of Europe, and how it is to be disposed of. American companies which regularly deal in such old material have for some time been looking forward to the harvest to be reaped from these battlefields after the war. These hopes have been rather rudely shocked lately by observers recently returned from the -front, who state that this matter is now being handled by the respective Governments.

According to the system now established in modern warfare, it is stated, a salvage corps is daily going over all the ground near the battle front exposed to fire, and is gathering all the debris discarded by the contending armies. None of the scrap is neglected, with steel worth Id to lid per pound, and copper and other metals ln proportion. All the metals are taken to shops in the rear, and there worked over to be cast into other various metal munitions that a modern army uses.

All the lead that is fired is practically lost, as a bullet travelling at a velocity of 20C-0 feet or more per second buries itself so deep into any object it hits as to be lost entirely. Other metals, however, such as tangled steel from wrecked motor cars, large pieces of sheels. bits of copper, pieces of aluminium, etc.. are carefully collected and later turned into usable condition.

THE MUNITIONS ARMY.

According to the latest returns there were In July j ast 700,000 women employed in the manufacture of.munitions ln Great Britain, as against 140,000 in July, 1915. au increase of 400 per cent. - The number of men employed shows an increase during the same period of 66.6 per cent. / AMERICAN LEAVE BONUSES. The American Army In France bis adopted a novel system or encouraging healthy ' competition among its various units. Combined exercises in digging trenches, shooting, -bomb-throwing, and bayonet fighting are taking place on the American front, and it Is announced that the companies -which sbow the best results of the intensive training they are undergoing -will .be rewarded with a week's leave in Paris and new uniforms. DEPOSED CZAR A WHIST EXPERT. According, to a Petrograd dispatch Nicholas Romanoff, the deposed Russian Emperor, passes a great deal of his time iv playing whist. In pre-war times whist was one of the most popular court diversions in .Russia, and the Emperor had a special de lnxe card which was made for his exclusive use. Over 1.200 packs of fhette imperial cards were used every year, and they cost the Russian -Government about 28/ a pack. STILL WORRYING ABOUT FLANDERS. The German General Stall Is now whining about the "bloody warfare" to which Sir Douglas Halg is subjecting the German armies in Flanders, it does not do so directly—that is not .Ludendorff's way. But it plainly gives away that the Staff pine. for cessation of "bloody warfare" by trying to make Germans believe that "Influential circles in.England are now clamouring for less sangnlnary methods." Lodendorff, who circulates a tal-e to this effect, explains that this "clamour" has been brought about principally by the losses suffered in recent righting on the .cstern front by Australian and _ew Zealand divisions: FIELD MARSHAL. ■Sir Douglas Halg, where dress etiitoette is concerned (says-a writer in, the "Dally Sketch"), is the most unconventional of Field-Marshals, and must be quite the despair of ra-mrod-like provosts. Besides discarding the shoulder-brace of his Sam Browne, Sir Douglas will have nothing to do with the ivory-hilted curved sword which military very-big-wigs are supposed to wear, j He prefers the cavalry sword, .with its large ! guard and Intensely sharp edge. He also prefers for his charger a good hunting lilt. instead of the heavy service pattern. His escort is composed of Lancers, far he Is »n old 'T.e_th or Glory" boy.

ALL IN THE DAY'S WORK. One of the stories recently told by Mr. Boyd Cable was of an airman who, after gunning an aerodrome, a convoy, and a troop train, came across some freight cars in a siding. In the cars were numerous boxes. Thinking they contained ammunition he sprayed them with his machine-gun from a height of 15ft., but nothing happened, and, returning, he gave them another dose. Still nothing occurred, so reluctantly he returned to his base to report. His major, on reading his report, remarked: "Good heavens, man. did it never occur to you what would have happened if you had started ofi that ammunition?" The pilot reddened. "No, sir. - ' he replied confusedly, "it never occurred to mc." Later the dismantled train fell Into our hands, and the boxes were found to contain high explosive. FATHERS AND SONS IN THE ARMY. Some interesting light on Germany's manpower difficulties was thrown in the Reichstag. Discussion ranged round a Socialist petition for immediate discharge of soldiers of the 1860 and IS7O classes—that is. men of 48 and 47. Speakers declared that it was not fair that both fathers and sons should be fighting, as is now the case in thousands of families. Colonel yon Wrlesberg, replying for the War Office, branded the Socialist proposal as impracticable. General yon Stein, the -War Minister, regretted he could not dispense with the older classes as military necessities, especially the garrisoning of the large territories occupied by Germany, required their retention -with the colours. The Socialists sought information from the Government as to why such large bodies of troops are kept in home garrisons—a snggestion that they are being held to suppress domestic disturbances—bat no reply teems to have been vouchsafed. CHINA TO THE RESCUE. The Austrian and German steamers seized by the Chinese Government at Shanghai and other ports on the declaration of war are, I hear (writes the London correspondent of the "Birmingham Post"), bein" placed in service on the trans-Pacific routes, and aid, as is well known, is being given to the Allies by the fact that Aonsunns ot Chinese labourers are employed behind the fighting lines ln France or in munition factories. A proposal also is under consideration for the purchase of mules ln China for war work. It Is believed that these animals, which can do an amazing amount of work anywhere, can be bought for about £20 each, as compared with from £70 to £5)0 paid for mulea in South America.

Excellent supplies of food likewise are being provided by China, and one company, which has freezing works at Hankow and Nanking, and a fleet of six 5000-ton refrigerator steamers, has, it is understood, placed contracts in this country for the construction of two 10,000-ton vessels of the type for the carriage of frozen meat, poultry, and eggs. . " _"-DETrTSC_____ND." German paper, quote from -the DutchGenman frontier newspaper "Maashode" a statement to the effect that a German submarine -has returned to a home port after a career of destruction ln Australian and -South African waters, and, further, that ithe TJ-boat is the "commercial liner" 3>entc_land which visited the TJntted States,

"strictly on business." in 1916. The Dutch journal's authority for the news is flimsy. It comes from, a Dutchman -who has Just returned from Sweden, who received the Information from "a German naval officer" and imparted it to a reporter of an Ymuiden (Holland) newspaper. The news is treated as genuine by German papers, which publish It under the heading "TT-Deutschland in War Service."

The German Admiralty norw Issues the names of pirates who distinguish themselves. A communique states that among U-boat officers who contributed substantially to submarine results achieved in August were 'Lieutenant-Commanders Ross, Gcrlach, Dieckmann, Marechall, Vlebeg, and Meusel, and First-Lieutenants Salzwedel, •Loss, Ho-reldt, and voa Heydebreck.