Sidelights On The War

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 244, 12 October 1918, Page 15

Sidelights On The War

Five Greek ship-owners have been fined from toO.OOO to £110,000 each, nud. ordered to pay indemnities of a similar amount ior having sold steamers to foreigners in contravention of the law forbidding such sales. The grave of Qncntln Roosevelt has been discovered by American troops on the ontskirts of a wood. It is marked by a simple wooden cross hearing the following inscription in English: "iFlrst I,ieut. Quentin rtoosevelt, buried by the Germans, July 11, IPIS." A sentence of penal servitude for life was pushed iv the United States on -10 conscientious objectors, hut was subsequently commuted by the military authorities to SI years' penal servitude. In raufldfl ten conscientious objectors have -been sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude. The U.S. War liepartment announces thut expert armourer* in the workshops of the Metropoltau Museum of Art, New York, nre modelling armour for the use of Amerk-an soldiers in France. The armour includes helmets, shields, and breastplate*, and comprises all the best types used in ancient times. A GERMAN TRAITOR. A German corporal named Bertholil on a charge of desertion and "sale to tW Knplish Intelligence Sen-ice of information regarding the organisation of the German Air Forces." He was sentenced to tifteen years' penal servitude. GERMANY'S METAL SHORTAGE. ".Rerolina," the bronze goddess of Berlin, a huge etatue which has adorned tne Alexander-.Plata, a populous business district, is about to be a victim of the war. Standing 22ft high on a granite pedestal or 25ft. it is the flmt public monument ordered to be melted down for munition pnrposes. FOCH'S PREFERENCE. The "Echo dc Paris'' recalls a conversation between Premier l.loyd George and General Foch soon after the general was appointed to tho supreme Allied command. The Premier asked General Foch if be had to choose between his maps (the Allied position) and yon Hlndenburg's which he would take first. General Foch replied, "My own." NO MEAT FOR TWELVE WEEKS. Yon Bretterech, the Bavarian Minister or the Interior, announced on August 8 twelve meatless weeks to save the needful three hundred thousand head of cattle. He said that *.he milk and fats supply was unsatisfactory and the whole food supply was seriously endangered "by profiteers who continued to hide food. He denied, however, that the Bavarian food supply w«s desperate and said that rumours calling It black were lies. GERMAN PRISONER WORE KING'S RIBBON. FTom the Seventh Canadian Battalion In France, which includes many New Westletter of the capture during a raid by some South African troops in France of a German who was wearing both the King's and Qneen's South African ribbons. He had fought with the British against the Boers in the South African war. One of his captors was a Boer who had served in the South African war against the British. ARMY FOOD PRODUCTION. The public tribute recently paid to the Army for its food production has been well earned, says an Kugltsh paper. Onn reserve battalion stationed in the Midlands maintains a vegetable farm of nearly twenty acres, thanks to the efforts of one subaltern and a few men on light duty. Potatoes are chiefly grown, but there are are also large quantities of onions, beets, lettuce, carrots, spinach, beans, and marrows. The same battalion boasts larjre piggeries, and a well-populated duck pand nnd hen run. All this haR been done at very little expense and withont in any way interfering with training. LOOT FROM RUSSIAN CHURCHES. Dr. Curt H. "Welgelt begins an article on "Russian Ikons" in the "Rhelnisch Westfaelische Zeitung" with these words:— "Flow many of us, who used to know nothing of snch things, have now become familiar with the Russian pictures of saints since the war? Nearly all, for those pictures, of which the Orthodox churches were full, are now spread brnndrant through Germany: so that one meets with these silver and gold befringed pictnres in any house one enters." Dr. Weigelt states that, most of these pictnres are valueless except for the prerions metals adorning them, which others, especially those which date from Byzantium, must be of Immense worth. THE KAISER'S "HUMOUR." Dr. Arthur Davis, the Kaiser's dentist, gives an account of a visit which the Kmperor paid him shortly after Germany issued her lirst peace note. . The Kaiser laughed as he explained: "We have got the British and French Governments in a nice predicament trying to explain to their people why they do not make peace. They will be wild with rage at us for surprising them in this way." Prince yon Pless, who also sat in the dentist's chair, after Ibe conversation with the Kaiser told Mr Davte that Britain atid France had naturally refused the German offpr, and added: "We wanted them to refuse it. If they had not refused it we wonld have made our terms so hard that they would have had to refuse it. But it accomplished its purpose just the same, it got the French and British into hot water trying to explain to their peoples why they did not make peace wben Germany was willing to do so. 7n this way we may be "~'.e to eplit the Allies." BRITAIN'S BIG FLEET. Interesting figures and percentages concerning Allied warships engaged in antisubmarine warfare have been prepared in London. They show that in the eastern Atlantic 80 per cent of the vessels are British, 14 per cent American and 0 per cent French. Submarines engaged in hunting submarines in the same waters are 78 per cent British, 17 per cent French, nnd. 5 per cent American. Of the miscellaneous patrol craft, 86 per cent are British, 11 per cent French and 3 per cent American. In the iMediterraneun, 3S per cent of the destroyers are French, 27 per eei.t British, 26 per ceot Italian, 7 per ceut Japanese, and 2 per cent American. Of the submarines there, 50 per cent are Italian, 37 per cent French, and 13 per cent British. Miscellaneous vessels are comprised of 03 per cut French, & per cent British, 8 per cent American, and 4 per cent Italian. Corrected figures to date for Atlantic <*-can convoying show that the British have TO per cent, the Americans 27 per cent, and the French 3 per cent.

NEWSPAPER AIR SERVICE. Since the German offensive In the Wcs in March newspapers have •been delivere to the troops of various armies by acre Plane, a regular service having 'been estat llehed for that purpose. IRRELIGIOUS BERLIN. The Christian Church authorities o: Berlin bemoan the steady decrease in thi number of regular church-goers during Uii war. In the four years recently endet 07(.K) members of Protestant churches ant iOOO Roman Catholics officially withdrew their names from the rolls ot their re spectlvc religious communities. GERMANY'S NATIONAL "HERO.' Germany is acclaiming a new lM>oa mitioun.l "hero," Ueutenunt-Commande Georjr, who has received from the K-ing o Bavaria the same high decoration bestowe on the late Captain WeUdlgen. The paper state that Georg early in the war took : conspicuous part in strewing mines H enemy waters and in the bombardment o Yarmouth, Uartlepool, and Scarborough. COST OF THE WAR. Germany was drenched witli pro-Hut statistics of all sorts on the occasion of th. fourth anniversary of the war. The lutes arithmetical produ.-t of the home-propa ganda department is a tabulation allegin; that the war to date 'has cost all belli gerentts put together between 02,r>00 an. 35.000 millions sterling. The German! Towers' share is said to be only one-thin of this amount. MASCOT'S DEATH SENTENCE. Every American battalion here is keen about having some animal mascot, blllj northern ramp (.says the London correspond eot of the •'Manchester Guardian") i s :) billy goat, emblazoned on one side with v huge U.S. and on the other with the number of his company in scarlet. After a set-to, In which he nearly killed the colonel's dog, he was sentenced to death, wherenpon the soldiers protested till the seuteuce was revoked. CITIZEN Or HONOUR. The King of the Belgians has conferred upon Mr Hoover, the American tood Con troller, the title of ••Citizen of Honour nnd Friend of the Belgian Nation." This distinction, which is quite unprecedented, has been conferred upon Mi Hoover in recognition of the great service-' rendered by him to the stricken populatior of Belgium, and in view also of the fact that, as a member of the United States Government, Mr Hoover is unable tc accept any decoration or title of nobility. FAMOUS AIRMAN'S FATE. The "Messaggero" learns from the from that two aviators and a journalist, aftei enormous difficulty, were able to recovei the dead body of the celebrated Italian aviator. Major Baracca, who had thirty four victories to his credit, and fell with his aeroplane while inaehine-gnnning the enemy -from a height of about 500 ft. Major Baracca had a small wound in his head, and near bis hand was a pistol. Hrideutly he had committed suicide rather than be captured. His comrades had heard htm say several times, "I would prefer suicide to falling alive into the hands of the enem;." WAR BRIDES FOR CANADA. Hundreds of war brides* of <'anadUn sol (Hers in England are crossing every mouth in Admiralty transports to Canada. I.ieut.-rol. J. Obed Smith, Commissioner of Kmigration for Canada, told a represents tive of "The Daily .Mail" that since Fen ruary. 1017, un.orjO women and children were carried without a single casualty. "Specially guarded ships are provided for women nnd Children." he said, "but women not travelling with their huKhancU cannot sail unless they give mc definite evidence that a home and occupation await them in Canada. 'War brides' must produce their marriage certificates." CZECHO-SLOVAKS AT HOME. Hritain has now recognised the Czechoslovaks as Allied belligerents lighting in three different battleflelds. The GermanAustrians in Bohemia an- evidently very •earful that the Cxechs - homeland itself may De the next theatre of war in which they nay be lighting. A German deputy from a Rohemian constituency has notified the Ansjpenly collecting firearms and other war munitions, and are so brazen about it that hey now refuse to barter food to Austrians ir Germans except In exchange for weapons. Their object, the deputy says, Is plainly to "disarm" the loyalist section of the community. The Viennese authorities promise to look into the matter with the icccssary vigour. GABRIEL D'ANNUNZIO. Major Gabriel d'Annnnzio, the leader of :he Italian airmen who flew to Vienna recently, is perhaps the most extraordinary lersonality that stands out against the confusing background of the war. Famous wfore (writes Mr Ward Price from the talian Headquarters) as poet and dramatist, c the creator of n new Italian literature, ie has affected the language of his country nore profoundly than anyone since Dante; 1 notable figure in society, much discussed or his luxurious tastes, he stepped into the 'orefront of the battle as a soldier when >ver fifty years old. Since then he has idded exploit to exploit, stealing into enemy lorts In small craft at night to torpedo >attleships, carrying out the longest and nest dangerous air raids. He now regularly commands a squadron of picked young airnen. He is the great embodiment of the ipirlt of Italy to-day. SUBMARINE SABOTAGE. The "Daily Express" prints the following ispatch from its correspondence at Amsterara: — "Extraordinary rumours are afloat at Vilhelmshaven regarding serious acts of übmarlne sabotage perpetrated by a umber of revolutionary sailors who for the Ist six months hay-! been carrying on proaganda with, the object of bringing about n early 6toppage of submarine war. "The reports reaching mc are somewhat onflicting, and it is difficult to ascertain he actual facts, but I am told on good uthority that the sailors revolted because f the increasing dangers of submarine ,'ork, owing to the Allies' new auti-sub-larine methods. Tbey incited other sailors bout to leave on submarine cruises either t> attack their officers while at sea and urrender their ship or to take the first pportunity of sinking their ship and getLng theineolves interned in neutral harours. More than fifty submarines disppeared, sometimes with all hfltidj. "The revelatlons*made at WUhelmshaven ansed a great sensation among the people tho were informed of them. The police rrested twenty-three ringleaders, who were jurt-martiaUed and sentenced to death dthin three days. Many of their accoinllcea at Kiel and at other harbours nave een arrested, but have not yet been sen:nced."