GENERAL ITEMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16593, 17 January 1916, Page 5

GENERAL ITEMS

THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM. FRENCH PURCHASING VESSELS. PARIS, January. 14. In order to meet the transportation crisis the French Government is introducing a Bill authorising an advance of £4,000,000 to shipowners to enable them to increase their fleets by purchasing allied or neutral vessels. NURSE CAVELL. HER MURDER AVENGED. LONDON, January 14. The correspondent of the Daily Express in Amsterdam states that the Belgian spy Cels, who denounced Nurse Cavell to the Germans, has been assassinated near Brussels. His body was found in the street with two bullet wounds in it. Cels, who was formerly in the Belgian army, had. been in German pay for a month. He professed to help Belgians to cross the frontier, but betrayed them. He was the only witness against Nurse Cavell. After the shooting of Nurse Cavell hundreds of Belgians swore that Cels should die. A number of them met in Brussels recently, and elected an avenger. The Germans, in obedience to General von Bissing's order, are not attempting to find the man who assassinated Cels. SYDNJii, January 15. It is proposed to raise a memorial in memory of Nurse Cavell, to take the form of a rest home for nurses. THE ANZAC MAGAZINE. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, January 14. Captain Bean has arranged witji Cassels (Ltd.) for the publication of the Anzac Magazine of 200 pages, to be sold at 2s 6d, the profits to go to the Anzac corps of the Red Cross. There is a remarkable selection of drawings, poems, and sketches written in the trenches. VISCOUNT FRENCH HONOURED. GOOD ADVICE TO THE PUBLIC. LONDON, January 14. Viscount French, when receiving the freedom of the Ancient Company of Fishmongers, deprecated the public pushing to conclusions and forming hasty judgments. "No one,'' he said, " who has not- seen it can understand how war has been revolutionised." Field-marshal Sir Evelyn Wood said : "Viscount French always has the knack of being on the spot at the right moment. As a commander he stimulated the efforts of the men in the firing line by his own heroic example. At one critical moment, when a trusted general was stunned by a shell and his staff were incapacitated' for over an hour, Viscount French took charge of a subordinate armr himself and made dispositions which threw back the Germans." It is understood that Sir Evelyn Wood's story refers to Sir Douglas Ilaig during the battle of Ypres. A NEW YEAR MESSAGE. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RUSSIANS. PETROGRAD, January 14. Mr Lloyd George's message to the Russian people is as follows : " Warmest greetings to our valiant allies. The time is soon coming when both fronts will face the enemy with conditions of complete equality as regards munitions and a numerical superiority on our side. WAR AND ADVERTISING. Opinion is divided on the question of the wisdom of discontinuing advertising during the war. Like all other problems, however, a right decision can only bo arrived at •whon the arguments for and against are submitted —and each individual lino also must essentially bo considered separately. On this score there is no question of (he wisdom of advertising Red Cross Ointment —in fact, it practically advertises itself, because this is the season when it is used most. All stores and chemists throughout New Zealand sell this healing balm at Is 6d a box. Wherever skin abrasions or wounds are the order of the day there this popular healer is doing its mission.—Advt.