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CURRENT TOPICS

WOMEN'S WORK FOR HORSES. In the last number of the Ladies' Field an exceedingly interesting series of photos is given allowing what some women are doing for the war. A staff of some forty to fifty hunting women are employed under the Remount department at tlie convalescent remount depot, under the control of Mr Cecil Aldin, Master of the South Berkshire Hunt, who is now’ District Remount Officer for Berkshire, and is responsible for the control, organisation, and care of the "soft and unfit” horses sent to these depots as convalescents, where they are conditioned and subsequently issued to troops under orders from the Remount department. Tiie whole of the stable work and exercising is done by the staff under the control of a head woman, selected by Mr Aldin, and who issues orders to her stable "lads" exactly as in a racing stable, and is generally responsible for th o management of her particular depot. All exercising is done under her control, horses being sent out in a string, the time and pace being regulated by a head "riding lad,” who is in charge on the roads. Mo side saddles are allowed, and no men are employed. In this particular depot nearly 100 horses are fed, watered, exercised in saddle, and stables done daily. Besides this work horses have to be met at the station and taken off trains when coming into the depot, and also put on trucks for issue to units when fit. This is done under the supervision abd selection of the district remount officer. The ladies engaged in this work arc lodged in the villages adjoining the depots, and are all paid wages* to ensure proper control. These depots have now been under Mr Aldin's supervision for some months, and have issued many hundreds of horses "fit” to troops. They are inspected constantly by tlie Director of Remounts, General Sir William Birkbeck, and by inspectors of remounts, etc. Not only have these women’s depots released many men for active service, but it has also been proved that the convalescent horses do excellently under their quiet handling and careful stable management. In addition news comes of the fact that the tvar has caused a scarcity of riding masters, and posts of this kind are being filled by women. Recently in the London parks a woman has been seen acting as riding mistress for parties of young office.rs who have joined, the Royal Horse Artillery and other mounted regiments. She has under her tuition half a dozen young meii whom she is carefully coaching in the management of horses.

GERMANY'S FOOD SUPPLIES. Tlie Prussian Ministry of Agriculture issued .iust before Christmas an appeal to farmers to increase their acreage of sugar-beets. The appeal says that a yearago farmers were urged to restrict the beet area and plant more grain, because it seemed uncertain whether Germany would have a sufficient supply of grain, and because foreign sugar markets were closed to Germany. Now, however, this situation is wholly changed. It has been proved, the Ministry slates, that Germany is able by economic methods, and witli some foreign assistance, to meet her own requirements for grain, whereas the large increase in sugar consumption has been a feature of the past twelve months, the people eating more sugar ajs a substitute for fat. Much sugar has been used in making preserved fruits, much has been sent to the front in chocolate for the soldiers, and large quantities have been fed to live stock. This year's sugar crop also yielded indifferently, owing in the remarkable drought, and, although the same cause reduced tlie grain yield, it is now proved beyond doubt that no grain shortage is to ho feared. <*ther reasons suggest tlie necessitv for increasing tlie beet crop, the Ministry says. The molasses from the sugar mills lias proved the most valuable horse feed at the front, and is becoming the chief article of feed. Furthermore, factories are springing up which will tise molasses as a basis for producing * a newly-invented feed yeast for animals Tliis is another circumstance that tlie Ministry reckons will further increase tlie demand for sugar molasses. A large sowing also is necessary, continues tlie appeal, because tlie scarcity of nitrogenous commercial fertilisers renders the extension of the crop necessary in order to get even the same harvest as previously. An inadequate force of labourers ami plough horses for the autumn ploughing also is used as an argument for enlarging tlie licet plantings. ENGLAND'S MUNITIONS WORK. Speaking of war conditions in England, Mr J. i>. Clarkson, managing director of Messrs .1. It. Clarkson, Ltd., who arrived at Auckland by the Niagara on Monday al't-T a visit to Britain, said: —"England to-day is a huge arsenal, and she will have in (ho spring an army of at least four millions ready for service. She will further have equipped cither front her own factories or from America six million Russian troops. These will be in addition to the troops Russia will be able to make provision for herself. One may express wonder how England is able to do all tills. For one tiling she is utilising woman labour. 1 have visited munition factories where practically only woman labour is employed in the manufacture of shells. I have seen them engaged at 1 S-pouml shells, and showing as much aptitude for the work aa men.

There is, of course, on extensive plant, but they arc doing all the work necessary to complete the shells. 1 saw a munition and powder factory covering 200 acres which the Government have established, and 1 Know of a factory in England on which a sum of a million and a-half has been spent in brides and mortar since the outbreak of war. In this factory up to six months ago no gun had ever beep made, but to-day they are turning out a hundred machine guns per week, in addition to carrying on other work. The factories in England arc making munitions to-day -as quickly as the War Office can take delivery. The French Government have just placed an order in America for 10,000 guns of larger calibre ■ than the largest guns used by Germany in the siege of Liege, anti the British Government, in -addition to their other contracts, have placed another order for 10,000 machine-guns, also in the United States. It is estimated that in April or Mnv, when they begin their big drive in the West, the Allies will have enough ammunition to drop one shell into every 30 feet of opposing territory every 7 30 seconds for 30 days .and 30 nights, and-still have a reserve, this bombardment extending over the whole ■l5O miles of front.

KEEPING OPEN ARCHANGEI,. One of Russia’s handicaps throughout the war has been the fact that the poit of Archangel freex.es over in winter. Icebreakers have been used, of course, but the port could not be called ice-free. Tins difficulty seems, however, to have been to a much greater extent overcome during the present winter. At any r.i three powerful ice-breakers, each of nearly 10.000 tons displacement, are said to have been steaming up and down in the White Sea, breaking down ice in the regular channel. It was hoped to keep it open until, at any rate, the end of this month. February is regarded as the most difficult month of the winter in this sea: but if the ice that gathers then should be too thick to be negotiated it is believed that ttie ice-crushers wall be able to open up a channel again before April 1. The vessels now 7 operating in the White Sea w 7 ere built in English yards. They do more than ram tho ice—they rise up over the edges of floes and crush them down by sheer w 7 eight of hull. Shipments to Petrograd from New York via Vladivostok are said to be going through in an average time of GO days. The time by way of Archangel is about 25 days. There is practically no daylight now in the ’White Sea, the long winter days having set in; hut the Archangel approaches to the White Sea are reported as being well lighted, and navigators have little difficulty in this respect. The waters off Murman coast, which run up north-west from the entrance to the White Sea, are deep, and the coastline hold. For a distance of fullv 200 miles to tho eastward of the North Cape the Gulf Stream current is felt, and ice floes are reported as few in number until well up to the White Sea.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19160212.2.26

Bibliographic details

Southland Times, Issue 17655, 12 February 1916, Page 5

Word Count
1,436

CURRENT TOPICS Southland Times, Issue 17655, 12 February 1916, Page 5

CURRENT TOPICS Southland Times, Issue 17655, 12 February 1916, Page 5