THE RIGHT TO SERVE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3201, 21 July 1915, Page 29

THE RIGHT TO SERVE.

LONDON, July 16. A procession of 50,000 women, including many society ladies, passed through London on Saturday, demanding the right to serve the State and to make munitions. Mr Lloyd George addressed the demonstration on the Embankment. COTTON FOR GERMANY. LONDON, July 16. Lord Crewe, in the House of Lords, said that as far as could ba ascertained the naval measures to prevent cotton from reaching Germany were successful. No one could suppose that, under international law or the most elementary rules of fair play, it was possible to institute a blockade of neutral countries. The Government therefore adopted a policy which, though novel, w'as rendered necessary by the changed conditions of maritime warfare. The Government had to consider the friendly relations with America. The placing of cotton ■ on the contraband list would alarm the Southern States without conferring any benefit upon England. Therefore, unless for paramount military reasons, the Government was averse to adopt an unfriendly action. REGISTRATION BILL BECOMES LAW. LONDON, July 16. The National Registration Bill has received the Royal Assent. GENERAL ITEMS. LONDON, July 15. Sir Edward Grey has resumed his duties at the Foreign Office. Rosenthal, the spy who was sentenced to death, was. executed this morning. The gaols and convict establishments throughout the country have become vast factories for war stores. The prisoners have doubled the output as compared with peace-time tasks. The Daily Mail’s Flanders correspondent states that the French soldiers are being armed with short knives, finding the fixed bayonet too long for rough work when finishing off the Germans after bombing. It is expected that the British bombers will soon be similarly armed A Dutch trawler picked up in the North Sea four glass tubes of asphyxiating gas, which had apparently been dropped from German aircraft. Lord Lan&downe, in a reply to a question in the House of Lords, said the extension of the Registration Bill to the overseas dominions obviously must be locally. If they thought fit to folio-,v Britain’s lead the Government would ba very pleased. Mr H. W. Forster (Financial Secretary for War), in reply to Mr Barlow, said that the statement that the Woolwich Arsenal was not fully employed was, generally speaking, untrue aud misleading. Woolwich could employ a greater number of highly-skilled men than had hitherto been obtainable. An appeal for* unity, and urging the country to support the Government to enable the war to be energetically pursued, issued by Sir Oliver Lodge and Professor Leith, of the Birmingham University, has been-signed by many clerics, business men, educationalists, and litterateurs. CALCUTTA, July IG. Sixteen German missionaries from Gunhutie and Issam have been interned at Jubbulpor. AMSTERDAM, July 15. A Berlin official message states that the Government has decided to assume control of the coal industry and fix the price in the public interest. Owing to the shortness of petrol the German Government lias authorised all vehicles except motors to go without lights until the termination of the war. PARIS, July 16. An Athens telegram states that King Constantine’s health is causing anxiety. He has cancelled his engagements, including visits in August from the Kings of Bulgaria and Rumania. CHRISTIANIA, July 16. The German steamer Friedrich Arp (1642 tons) was sunk near Bodo. It is reported that she was sunk by a submarine. AUSTRALIA’S CONTK]BUTIGN. MELBOURNE, July 16. In the Federal House Mr Fisher stated that the Imperial authorities had accepted the commonwealth’s offer to double their October-November reinforcements, making 10,526 men for the month, instead of 5263; also to send one infantry brigade with a brigade signal section, a brigade train and field ambulance leaving in November. Mr Fisher introduced the War Loan Bill for £20,000,000, which will be applied only to expenses of the war and borrowing. AUSTRALIA’S WAR LOAN MELBOURNE, JuTy 16. Mr Fisher (Prime Minister) to-day, in the House of Representatives, announced that there must he a war tax in addition to the loan. The first instalment of £5,000,000 towards the loan has been practically secured.