WAR PENSIONS BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16032, 25 September 1915, Page 8

WAR PENSIONS BILL.

GOVERNMENT DEFEATED.

AMENDMENT BY THE LORDS.

(Received September 25. 1.30 a.m.)

London, September 24.

The Government was defeated in the House of Lords, which carried by 35 to 26 an amendment to the War Pensions Bill moved by Baron Devonport, eliminating the Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation from the committee administering war pensions.

It is expected the House of Commons will reject the amendment because it upsets the feature of the scheme. WHAT GERMANS THINK. ESTIMATE OF OPPONENTS. PRAISE FOR TOMMY ATKINS. A war correspondent of the Paris Journal obtained from a highly-placed Russian official, through whose hands thousands of German prisoners have passed for examination, some interesting statements as to the estimates German soldiers have formed of the men they are fighting. "Very curious what these rascals of Germans have to say—at any rate those who have fought on both fronts in turn," said the Russian officer. "First there are the knowing ones, who, even when prisoners, try to be useful to their country by making insinuations against those fighting on the western front. *Ah V they murmur, 'you Russians are truly irresistible! Happily for us, those in the west are not like you! It is you who are doing all the work!'

" There is no doubt about it, the towhaired German is a sly fellow. We pay no heed to such talk. But certain prisoners, Danes, Poles. Alsatians, and Lor- « rainers—those who are Prussians against their will— us sincere and instructive information. ' Which of the three allied nations,' I ask, ' has the best artillery?' "They all reply as one man: 'France! Its guns are terribly effective.' " ' And which is the best infantry V "'The one which proportionately kills most, the infantry of the British professional regiments, the regiments which appeared at the very outset of the campaign. Those men never shoot for nothing. They take aim as at a target, and < ] they have not their equals for putting a ' bullet in your brain. The French, carried away by their ardour, are for ever seeking hand-to-hand fighting, in which they are terrible. But it is a general observation that they fire too high, and we hear their bullets whistling over our heads. The same observations apply more or less to the Russian infantry. But the professional British soldier with his cool aim kills more; he does more work; therefore, individually he is the best.' " ' And the best cavalry V '''Without question it is the Russian. It, is the most numerous, the most indefatigable, the one with the most skilful , men and hardest horses.' i " ' What about your allies, the Austrians ? , . " 'They are ... and led by officers in slippers! '- i