GENERAL WAR NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16300, 5 August 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

STACKS OF DEAD

German soldier.* from near Verdun ar now resting in Ghent and the neighbour hood. They are much affected by tin slaughter they witnessed, and relate grisly stories of their losses in the repeated storrr attacks, especially at Van.x, where tin corpses lay piled in stacks. ADMIRAL THANKS MEN. Admiral Thomas, addressing the men o the Warspite. in the presence of Admira Prince l>otiis of Battenbcrg and Prine* George of Baltenberg, complimented their upon the important part they had played in the great battle. He mentioned thai he hoped to be able to obtain leave oi absence for the men. and that they would enjoy a hard-won and -.veil earned holiday with their wives and friends. CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMY RATS. William Dalton, who has long been known as the Rat-catcher King, has been appointed by the British Government to exterminate the rats from the whole of the army camps in England. I've al readv made a start," Mr. Dalton said recent " At one camp in three nights we caught 371 old breeders ami 714 young ones, and. believe me. some of them were like young ral hits. Over 70 weighed more than" ljlb apiece." THE KAISER'S BIBLE. Preaching on "'The Kaiser's Bible" in connection with the annual assembly of Welsh Wesley.!,,,. Mr. Frank Ballard said that the. atrocities perpetrated by the tiermaa soldiers in France and Belgium were inspired by the Kaiser on a false understanding of the Bible, and that if England realised the full extent and meaning of those atrocities there would have been no room for pacifists and conscientious objectors in the country. PENALTY FOR KINDNESS. The Amsterdam Telegraaf learns that I the German military authorities at Rorders have condemned the whole population of the city t-» remain indoors from 2 p.m. until 8 a.m. for tlnee weeks because a citizen was found guilty of giving food to Russian prisoners of war employed by the Germans on agricultural work near Routers. None of the citizens would denounce the offender. A number of Russian prisoners employed in Belgium are said to have died of starvation in recent weeks, the German? deliberately depriving them of the little food generally allotted to them. KING AND WOUNDED. |

Wounded soldiers who had just arrived at Southampton on the hospital .-hip Asturias were delighted when the King, who was at Southampton, paid a visit to the vessel- His Majesty chatted with many of the men. inquiring: the nature if their wounds and expressing hopes for their speedy recovery. Afterwards the Kilts; took tea on board. The Asturias was the first Atlantic liner to lie employed as a hospital ship in the present war. and has been on continuous duty as such throughout, conveying thousands of wounded from the theatres of war to the Homeland. It will' be recalled that in February Inst year, while so engaged she was unsuccessfully attacked by a 'Jermin submarine. A DELICATE POINT. A French, court-martial heavily sen fenced a wounded soldier the other day who refused to submit to a certain 'form of electrical treatment. The case has aroused discussion in the press, many papers being of opinion that a soldier has a , right to have the deciding voice in such matters. Dr. Reynier has now brought the question before the Academy of Medicine. It was resolved that the principle involved was of far too great importance to be dealt with off-hand by an ordinary debate, and a special committee was appointed to draw up a report in order that the academy may have ajl the aspects if the problem brought before it. and take a decision which shall stand as a guiding rule in future. ~ I

HIGH IDEALS OF THE ARMY. "My experience in this war." declares Viscount French, assure me that the teaching of religious leader.? in this conntry has already borne good fruit, which is clearly manifest in the devoted spirit of self-sacrifice which our soldiers have displayed in the held. A marked characteristic of the armies which are now fighting in France and elsewhere is the presence of high ideals and noble aspirations. The inculcation of those principles ha? been fostered and kept alive by visits to the front of prominent religious teachers of all denomination?, whose presence amongst the troops has had the very best effect. " Any action taken'to extend and perpetuate such spiritual influences must appeal strongly to all who have the interests, of th"? Empire at heart." FRENCH SOLDIERS' FOOD. General Joffre lias sent all his armv winmanders a circular letter dealing with the supply of food to troop- on active service, and recommending officers to give personal and daily attention to what their men have to eat. "This necessity.*' he adds. " may have been overlooked by some newly-promoted young officers. Please remind all concerned that there are no details too small to be unworthy of an officer's attention, a* the object' is to make the men physically and moral I v in good condition for fighting." General Joffre also authorises officers to issue extia rations and to ask him for further supplies, over and above full rations, whenever necessary. He also asks all commanders of units to see that the food is properly prepared and to see that the men in the wont lines have soup and hot drinks whenever possible

WORK FOE ANTI-MILITARISTS. The Portsmouth Military Service Tribunal recently suggested that a possible outlet for the energies of ~,: !, ientiotis ohlectors would be found at the Borough, asylum, from which so many of the attendants have gone to the war. The court intimated that it would regard the work Bof national importance. Dr. Devine, we medical superintendent, has reported aversely upon the suggestion. "Contentious objector., as a class," he savs, on ;°"' ever honest thev may be in their "Pinions, are unsuitable for the care of hemetlK. disturbed. They hold opinion hev ,7 ° those of the ordinary citizen : *£■ are impervious to argument or criti»ted- a ,d'*r re egotistK - al •'"'' self-0pi,,,-mental f "' - r,iTeal 8*"™""y » type of of Dsvchn° nStUUt,un W,, "- >' f'"n. S the- basis Kt Ur ° t,C *? m Pt,,ms and the va.il.vP«s of mental disturbance

HAUL OF BOOTY. *aSd J°r"- take " bv lllt ' «",,ians i, as tot,, , ,l ,s R'eat. For example, m one i 21 l 0 .V"? —nvV poM.ioni tnev 29 field , M ; llllil - 1 "-- tW " b,, P"'- v ~:,i «o.oofflh I i t""; 4? r tram,. 180 tons rfS '""" HU '" bes - *"»'»* "•"munition a »,l ' e, "" n, ° "' s ■ '" a »d other »■= f 1 Muaiititv of arms th ev £Z, w »«-ni«t..n:,l. I„ another M.,tor *A8f»o ?-°°° r " m " ls ,"' ' iflr ' ; "" Munition' ?mi s -",' ~,illlllliell «"'■ ri8 *s H T 0i lia,ld K'*»adeH. 1000 ** w SK ra, ip; fi «nd a brandf*the „„n| Wl J a ,i " ,Ulj! " ».ntnv«„co *tbtt , K d ! ?,,,k, ' ,, water). A train S quantitv „f 7° T'%* m ; -ittrifige>. bombXi Y xviVl, m<jt t or -°a'-»- 'i narrow.-au S n uaij S e P*^f Dl !^ U " v « ■•!li-^-to,!;. r, anl a Btof eof J ll '- '" ' zerii..vif/.. a 1a,,, ; an aerial ' S«»v '„v,j j IZl ' d - At ; '""" '' point the »- tt e cnn«« r- I,t-d 20 mile, snffi, i>„. r^[ , of 20 m ,le, o| : field rill

KING PETER ? i An Athens despatch states that the . health of King Peter of Servia has greatlv , improved as the result of the cure which , ie has undergone at Aedipsos, on the Is- , land of Eubes. The aged monarch, how- , ever, is not strong and active enough to join the .Servian army in the tield, and "ill pass the summer at Chalsis. PROXY WAR WEDDINGS. Herman papers report that four French prisoners <■; war at Stendal recently had '| 'war weddings" in their camp, arrange- , nieiits having previously been made for j their brides to lie married to them simnl- ; | taiieouslv in France. The ceremony at ■ Stendal was performed hv a member of I the Spanish Embassy in Berlin, .which has | charge of Flench interests in Germany. . — : I OFFICER'S DARING. I For ii particularly daring action the s=il- ! ver medal of the Society for the ProtecI tion of Life from Fire has been presented , to Lieutenant K. P. Campbell. R.E. , While in Mudros Rav a steam launch hosj pital ve.-.v! took (ire. The Chinese driver i being ablaze Lieutenant Campbell, surI rounded by the flames, picked him up and , threw him overboard, and. going after j him, kept him afloat till the lire was put j out and they were got on board. WAR'S PROTECTION TO FISH. The Fishing Gazette savs that one ruri mm effect of the naval battle was that the : explosion. of the torpedoes and shells ; destroyed millions of fish. "Our Thames i Anglnig Pieservation Sorietv sinks old | punts, with tenterhooks in them, to foil i net poachers in the Thames. - ' the journal I adds. •• I Ins war is going to provide pro- ' , fe-tion to Ksh from the trawlers in all | | places where ships sink on trawling j grounds. The extra fish supply thus as I Mired to the nation will in time par the | cost of both interest and capital oft the cost of the ships we have lost."

I OUR FIVE DISEASES. j Speaking in 1.->nd.»n recently Lord Headi lev said: "It senilis to me a? though j there were seme invisible hand it unseen i influence at work. Whenever a question wires up with regard to these aliens thev i always seem to he protected in some extraordinary and inexplicable manner. There j were 20.000 doubtful aliens at the present moment in London. / 000 who were exempt j from all' internment, and close upon 500 I who were allowed to reside in prohibited areas. The British nation had rive diseases—blindness, deafness, sleeping sickness, insular cock suredness. and too much politeness."

CONTENTED INDIA

"' There is not the slightest danger of any revolutionary outbreak in India," said Sirdar Daljit Singh, a member of the Indian Legislative Council, to the New "i ork Sun correspondent. "India was never as prosperous as she is to-day, and she does not want that prosperity disturbed. Naturally, the most advanced Indians desire a fuller share in the government of their own country, but we realise that the time for complete self-government has not yet arrived. The yarious stories of huge unrest and the imminence of revolution which have been spread throughout America are undoubtedly of German inspiration." THE METHODS OF WOLFF. The following incident—scores of similar ones might be" quoted—will serve to emphasise the fact that German accounts of the progress of the war have little or no reliability. A few davs ago there was a very slight fire at the Russian Ministry of -Marine, caused by a lighted match which was dropped on a stair carpet. The fir. was extinguished in a few minutes, no one was injured, and the total damage was not more than ten or twelve shilling Two or three days later the German* Wolff Agency < lrculated bv wireless a. report stating that the Admiralty Palace had hoe?) enormously damaged bv fire that valuable archives had been destroyed that the, officials of the Admiraltr tied panicstricken, and that Admiral Xouravieff had bten gravely injured.

BOMB ON GRAIN STEAMER. On board a large cargo steamer arriving in England from the Tinted Stales w a ° found a copper bomb, about Sin long bv A" 1 wide, the end? being spheroid-shaped the instrument was in the " rose box" of the ships bi! 2e . an iron box, about 2ft square by 18m deep, into which the vessel's hull drams. It is evident that the bomb was placed in the rose-box just before the cargo of grain was placed" it, the lioJd immediately over it. When the cargo is in position the mse-boxes are inaccessible. It is believed that the bomb was placed on board by individuals (in tin employ of the company which loader! the grain] who had bee,, wouking in the hold just before the loading. LIMBLESS SOLDIERS. How a soldier who loses a leg or an arm is dealt with was described' 5 in the Hon;-,, of Commons by Mr. H. W. Forster. He is treated at the military hospital at Itoehampton until his wound lias healed, and be is granted full allowances. Ihe fitting of the artificial limb takes. I'lacp some four or five months after am-' putation. and the man remains at Roe- , ha!iipt.,;i until the limb has been passed a.< satisfactory by the consulting surgeon. 'I he man is then discharged from" the army as permanently unfit for set vice. hen he is discharged his pension is awarded by the Chelsea Commissioners. He is usually given a pension at the full rate for two months, and at the end of that time the pension of 25s is reduced to a permanent pension of 10s 6d a week. When the final pension has been granted it H always open to reassessment." These artificial limbs are provided at the public expense. GERMAN BIRTH-RATE. Alarm is felt in Germany because of the effci I of '.he war on the birth-rate. A Leipzig paper bewails the fact that •' Hundreds of thousands of healthy young men have never come back from the Fatherlands battles already. In 1914 half the marriageable wo/hen in the Empire remained single owing to the dearth of men. What will happen after the war if the State does not interfere? Patriots would like to see taxes imposed with the object of encouraging marriage and to disordit h;i< helordom." The journal suggests that all families of more than six should be completely freed from taxation. No unmarried official should ever expect to re- . eive an increase of salary. Every new- | born child should mean promotion for the i father. '1 he Government arc reminded of the impr -i lance of building workmen's home-: and garden cities, which are at present lacking. " ["nless all this is done in time." it says, "a victorious war will be of iittle use to future generations." BRITISH SAILORS' PRISON. It is staled that the 177 British naval officers and men whom the Hermans claim to have res< ned and taken prisoners in the battle off Jutland have been interned at Dolmen, a small town in the heart of U estphaha. Dulmen is not. far from the capital hi the province of Westphalia. Minister, where many British Army officers and soldiers captured by the Germans have been since early in the war. Dulmen if the ancestral seat of the Duke of Croy, In* young Prussian nobleman and Potsdam (•Harris officer who married Miss Nancy l.eislmiaun. daughter of the former I nited States Ambassador to Germany. The Duke and Duchess arc understood to be in reside:)' e in Dulmen at present, the Duke having hern wounded in the western theatre of war in 1911. The. American Embassy in Berlin promptly obtained a complete list of the British naval prisoners from the Gorman ant hi rities, and it is now in possession of the Adi' miralty. " j

"Of course, the all hut incredible power of those collapsible wings of M. Vishael's. added to his ingenious muffling of all sound," he. heard Grigor Hawtrey