GERMANY AND AMERICA.

Evening Star, Issue 16350, 16 February 1917, Page 3

GERMANY AND AMERICA.

MORE HOSTAGES SEIZED,

Reuter's Telegrams,

WASHINGTON, February 14. Mr Ackerman reports from Berne that the Germans in Belgium compelled MiBrand Whitlock to lower the American flag from the Brussels Legation, and prevented him communicating with Washington.

The Gormans now hold all American relief workers prisoners, evidently hoping;, according to Mr Ackerman, to frighten the United States and force her into maintaining neutrality. GOAL INDUSTRY UNDER STATE CONTROL. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON. February 14. The Press Bureau reports that the Board of Trade will assume possession of all coal mines for the duration of the war. Advisory committees, representing the cnployers. will assist the controller of the now department. The Government scheme for taking control of the coal mines has matured” It is similar to that adopted in connection with the railways, the colliery owners being guaranteed pre-war dividends. In addition to controlling production and distribution, the Government will attempt to regulate, prices and ensure the most economical handling. Mr Guy Calthorp. general” manager of the London and Norlh-wcstern Railway, has been appointed State Controller of Coal Mines. PATIENCE NEEDED. Router's Telegrams. NEW 5 ORK. February 14. The ‘New York World's’ Loud nn enrrespondent advises that he finds the House of Commons curiously unimpressed by the new Government's achievements. There are no evidences of the expected “ginger," and some M.P.s opine that nothing has been changed hut the Ministers. There are also evidences of criticism of Mr Lloyd George by newspapers that formerly wore friendlv. GABLES DELAYED. SYDNEY. February 15. Land line interruptions are grcatlv delaying the calde news. THE BALLOTS. CONCERNING THE SECOND DIVISION. MAY BE NEEDED IN AUGUST. [Special to trc ■ Star. T W ELLINGTON. February 16. The number of fit men available for fervice among tb.> remaining reservists of the First Division cannot be gauged w'th certainty. but the Defence authorities have indicated already that the first call upon the Second Division (the manned men) is likely to he made about five months hem e. The adoption ot a vigorous eor.ibing-atit policy in exempted trades and Government. departments might put hade the date a month, but it does not appear 1 ike!v that the Second Division man can bp Impt out of the ballot after August, next. In any case, the men enrolled in the Srrond Division are being classified according to the sire of their families, and it has. been suggested, though no official statement has been made on the point, that thev will he balloted by classes—the men without children first, then Lite man with one child each, the men with two chikiioii. and so on. Perhaps the men without children and the, men with one child will form n group. The sire of those, classes is not indicated at -i 11 clearly in the available statistics, and calculations are subject to severe disturbing factors, such ;i- the voluntary enlistment of married men during the last, 50 months, and the placing of men married since April. 1015, in the First Division ; hut. it appears that there arc trom 8.000 t-o 10.000 men of military ago married, without, children, available for the ball'.’, and the number msv prove larger, lit-,; •;'.itnlnT of married men with one child should exceed 15, C00. and probably there are at hast ik many in".’: in 'he next group —the. men with two cnih dre.n.

The military medi-al am ir- >r it ice arc disposed to believe, from the evidence already before thorn, that the proporTh n of rejections rnv.tr; ballotted married men will he much -inn!her than anmut; balloted single men. The Fir.-t Division hud p,,,. vidrd mere than 50,CT0 lit recruits before balloting commenced, and the tine hoj.- r,?n of the volunteers naturnlU lower of the physical average of the division, v. iiich still contained all the men who ibeen rejected under the voluntary system. The

exhaustion, o’ the First, Division will he completed ever the whole. Dominion before any .Second Division men arc drawn. This is likely to entail the temporary suspension of th quota system, since tire districts will not all finish their First Division men in the same month Districts ni which voluntary recruiting has wen t avticulany good may escape one ballet, or even two ballots while the remaining First Division men are being drawn in ntticr districts. All parts of the country will start level in dealing with tho irmiried men

NUMBERS DRAWN TO DATE

The numbers of men drawn in the vinous military service ballots to date liarbeen as follow First ballot 4,080 Second ballot 5.000 Third ballot ;.,t(K) Fourth ballot (double) ... 6.867

Total 17,467

In the four ballots Unit have already taken place 17,467 members of the First Division have thus been (-ailed up to fill some 5,800 vacancies in the 25ni. 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th lleinfuivc-

ments. As the membership of the First. Division also if being steadily depleted by voluntary enlistment —ii originally comprised 84.986 men it will he seen that this class is already more than one-quarter exhausted.

FARMERS AND THE WAR

At the meeting of the. executive of the Farmers' Union at Auckland yesterday further discussion took place on the resolution passed at the previous, meeting : “That in order to conserve as far as possible all available labor for essential industties. the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act should for the present be applied only in respect of those whose occupations con id he suspended without detriment to the safety of the Empire or tho ultimate wealth-producing power of the Dominion, and in furtherance of this object all occupations should be at once classified."

In reply to the union's communication the Acting Prime Minister wrote that the classification of essential and non-essential industries was a matter which would lie dealt with hy the Industrial Efficiency Board and the organisation that would be created under that hoaid. “Indeed,'’ the letter ran, “the whole question of the industry with respect to the farms of soldiers who go to the front comes within the scope of the .Efficiency Board. I do not think they will stay their hand until they have gone, into the whole question and dealt with it in a satisfactory wav.” The executive adopted a resolution to the effect that local committees he appointed throughout the districts to sunport appeals for the exemption of young men who are known to bo essential ( ur the production of foodstuffs.

The best friend of the family . a “NAZOL." Simple and pleasant to take. Safest and quickest in relief. Try the “Nazol” Inhaler. —LAdvU