GENERAL WAR NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16408, 9 December 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

BRITISH RED CROSS. If is stated that the expenditure of the "British Red Cross amounts to £23 a minute. This amounts to over £12,000.000 a year. all killed or wounded. Ail the men except one who joined the army from the villages of Cioston and Bret'herton (England} a few months after the war broke out have either been killed or -rounded. 1 hey number between 30 and 40. four sons KILLED. Ihr Rfv. C. H. James, vicar of Haigh. ' near V- igan. has lost his tour sons in the i war. Three of them—Corporal C- E. James. Captain F. A. James, and Lieutenant G. S. .Tames--were killed in action last year, and the remaining one. geint H. James, who was previously reported missing, is now believed to have been killed. " NO THIN' TER SHOUT." The steady grinding process of the ali;Ad offensive mi all fronts singularlv affected the small and young newsboy wh'.i trotted along witfi his burden of papeis without- raising the customary cries. '• ,\othinc in the paper?'' the customer ss he handed over his copper. " Pientc ••f noos." answered the lad, "but notbiii' ter shout.'' MR. ASQUITH SAYS "SALONEEKA." The Premier presumably uses the official headquarters pronunciation of the names of villages on the So mine front, and it may interest you to know that- in his review of the situation he called Thiepval Ti-epval. Ginchj Jinchy, and sounded the final " in Flers and in Le Sars. He also gave , " Saloneeka" with the accent on the " neek." But one would expect that of a great classical scholar. NOT " TAILED UP." A hint of how the mind of the younger generation is adjusting itself to the present war state of affairs A kind eld lady ■ stopped in the street the four year-old j youngster of a neighbour ana began chat- i ting The old lady, after a liTtie while, ■ said. "Do you go to school?" "No," the j child replied. " You see, I'm only four, and I'm not tailed up (called up) yet I The result of having & father in the group system. PROMOTION IN THE GERMAN NAVY The Prussian military authorities, says the Times, publish an interesting state- ; ment regarding the present average rate ; of promotion in the Prussian army. Pro- I motion from lieutenant to senior lieuten- . ant takes five years, from lieutenant to captain something over nine years, from captain to major something over six- years, from major to colonel eight years, mid x colon el to major-general three years, ind from major-general to lieutenant-general three years. THE END OF AN OPTIMIST. A London Stock Exchange man has been regaling the street with some exciting => stories from the front. Our gallant friend was recounting his first experience of n??\*y shell fire, and described the terrifying effect of a. " .Tack Johnson." An adjacent sergeant endeavoured to reassure him with the-, statement, that "they don't 'urt nobody."' A few minutes after another shell blew a small squad sky-high, including, as he laconically remarked, " my pal the optimist." FIRST WOMAN NAVAL OFFICER. ' The first woman naval officer to receive i, commission has just been appointed by ■lb." Wurtemberg authorities as second m command o'" a small gunboat on Lake Constance. She will wear the fulT uniform of a lieutenant, including trousers and gaiters, and will take a naval lieutenant's rank and pay. The social duty with which t.he gunboat to which she has been appointed is charged is that of protecting the Zeppelin sheds at Friedrichshafen from attacks fay enemy aeroplanes. THE GLASS TRADE. With the intention of establishing the British manufacture of glass formerly received from Germany, the Government 's giving strong support to a Sheffield scheme, under which important national work will be begun before Christmas. Technical work is already in progress at the "university, and promises of substantial financial support have been given by the Yorkshire Glass Manufacturers' Association and 1 the Advisory Committee of the Privy Council. The Vice-Chancellor of the University said that South Yorkshire is playing a great part in firmly establishing the glass-bottle industry. GENERAL BRUSSILOFF'S WIT. General Brussiloff, the famous Russian commander, has his sanctum and salle-a-manger separate from the mess where his general staff dine : but to every meal it is his habit to invite some higher officers. At these repasts all "talking shop" 's strictly forbidden : all restraint is thrown aside, and the only rule ;s that of soldierly camaraderie. General Brussiloff jokes with zest. He has a. sarcastic wit and an occasional tendency towards leg-pullmg. A fly was floating in the soup plat-. He sent for the cook, who arrived in a state of consternation. " Another time." he ''see to it that fiies don't fall in the soup. Never fbrget that, greattruth that flies should be served in a separate dish."

SIR lAIN COLQUHOUN FEAT. . Sir lain Colquhoun, Bart., the popular i young laird of Lues, since his. return to France after the christening of his ?on and heir, has evidently been in the thick of the Somme fighting. A report from the front states that lie wi? seen to enter a German dug-out with a revolver and a walking stick as weapons, and singlehanded captured a large number of German prisoners. Fight was shown by one of the German officers, not with weapons, but with fists, and Sir lain, ■•-ho has nr.ite a knowledge of the noble art, came out .if the scrap victor after dealing a swinging left-hander. The gallant baronet. vho is a lieutenant in the Scots Ginrd. has already been mentioned for distinction. 'BUS GIRL AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS. The bus had stopped near a Londv.r- I hosptal. and several .rounded soldiers climbed on to the top of the "bus. The girl collector came inside for fares, arid a gentleman said to her, " Here's half a, <r"vn ; take for those wounded soldiers ! r pay for them." But the conductor kef stated, and said that it was quite "all light," and did r.ot take any extra money * beyond the passenger's fare. The passenger. indignant at her refusal, insisted on paying, and asked her why she did not take the money. " Well, you see.'' she said, as she quietly went on with her work. " I always like to pay for tihe wounded soldier* myself -it's the least I csn do for the poor boys." < AEROPLANES AND ASH TREES. A timber expert states that tie demand i'T ash has gone up so enormously since .■* v 'e went in for aeroplane construction 01, the pie.-ent big scale that prices are fully three times what they were in pre-war days. Nothing but the very best Knglisii ash seives the purpose. The finest in i'X- the wo id," is his verdict. Experiments " withoth.-r wood, notably American spruce, have yielded most results, S' and it is a curious fact, due to climatic causes, that Irish ash ic unsatisfactory too. |Sf But- an' ash tree cannot be grown in a, |§\ <tay. The timber is u 'erly worthless fo' aeroplane purposes un:?ss r£"- ; s at leaslgj| sixty vears old. It i* all the better if >> jsg| is double ttai age. when some of th > J- .., tivoks can aw a dear straight run. of jjj|• feet o? more,

registered CHARITIES. 1 hii -rive charities have been registered in the City of London under the War Charities Act, 1916. One application lias been refused, several others have been adjourned for further inquiries, and in 11 instances exemption has been refused. THE lid OF THE BEER pot. 1 hose who have travelled or resided in the German Empire are acquainted with the huge earthenware beer-pots, all .A which are. fitted with pewter lids. When a German accidentally forgets to close the ■id down after drinking, those who may he with him can claim drinks round as a Penalty by placing their own pots over the uncovered mug. the Imperial German "ar Bureau for Metals has just requisitioned for military purposes the pewter .ids of every beer-pot in the German Empire.

NOT TO BE TALKED ABOUT. Here if a story which illustrates the modesty of the British soldier. He was brought in wounde/, and no one knew anything concerning' him. One day. when he was convalescent, he put his hand into a pocket, and by accident brought out a D.L.M. medal. When it fell on the floor a companion saw it and expressed his surprise. The "guilty" Tommy blushed to the roots of his hair, put it- back in his , pocket, and said—nothing. COWS AFFECTED BY AIR RAIDS. j A novel defence was raised by a milk dealer at a London suburban Police Court, when he was summoned for selling milk containing 'added water. A solicitor on bis behalf said that the milk came from cow? in. a locality which had been attacked by Zeppelins ; and in consequence the milk had been considerably affected, ihe Middlesex County Council analyst said it wa= quite possible that abnormal milk would come from cow? suffering from fright. The Bench dismissed the summons in view of the exceptional circumstances. GENERAL'S SUICIDE. The following story, related by a young Austrian bo Item who was recently taken prisoner )«y the Russians, throws an interesting light on the relations between the German and Austrian commands: — j " At the battle near Tisminitza the Aus* trims were commanded by an Austrian general. Tn the middle of the battle a German general arrived in a motor-car with instructions to take over the command. and this had such an effect on the Austrian general that he committed suicide. - It was officially recorded that the general had died from grievous wounds received in the battle. HER "BIT." -Not long ago (writes Mr. Francis Glibblei 1 met at a mixed gathering a young lady, magnificently apparelled, and of agreeable manners and address, w ho. when th>* subject of war work was mooted, remarked demurely that she also was " doing her bit. ' One of the company ventured I '«> inquire whether she was doing it in a hospital or munition factory, her answer was--" Oh. no. Vv hat I do is to cheer up the boys when they rK home on leave by letting them take me out to theatres and restaurant®." Mr. Cribble asks if the time has not come to compel -women to do useful national work. USEFUL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR Have you any conscientious objectors in your battalion ?" an officer was asked. " We have one," he replied, " and he's a treasure. I shall be very- annoyed if he's taken away from us- Yoi. see, he has a conscientious objection to drilling, to drawing his pay. to recognising authority by making complaints to it. and to applying

for leave. Rut he holds fatigue duties to be works of charity and necessity, and he works like a Trojan at any sort of dirtv job from six in the morning to ten at night. He's equal to three ordinaiv men. and when he's finished a fatigue ie always tonus and asks for another." WAR-TIME PROFITS. A wiiter in the Sheffield Independent teiis • ' a Xiibunal incident in a small town le.eutiv enlarged by the addition of n huge camp. Th*- proprietor of a '•fish and chips siloon, ..h-.. in prewar times regaro-d a clear £c p; oiv per week as cause, for joy was appealing { or his own exemption. But," said ■... chairman, who before the war knew t! m. : and his district well, "you have practically n> stock, no goodwill and yo ir trad" can amount to nru b "our -'fe w-i ~l >—• is well oft on ber *.«■"• *n *i .•••'• allcw sik-s. " Pardon me, sir," 'd the app!i< -*nt, with priu* but since .-w war I've s_..ed enough t . buy the whel? blc-cfc of .Hops ! in which my premises sk-nd=.' J