Abergavenny Chronicle

NOTES ON NEWS. I Difficulties are still being experienced by I the Government in obtaining a sufficient LABOUR AND MUNITIONS. supply of skilled labour in the making of muni- tions. Mr. Asquith had a very serious word to say on this matter in the House of Commons. The dilution of labour—that is to say, the employment during the war period of semi-skilled, un- skilled, and female labour on any class of work op which it can usefully be employed .,so as to set free skilled workmen for tho work which they alone can perform—offers the only prospect of securing a sufficient •upply of munitions to enable the war to be brought to a speedy and successful con- clusion. Most people had supposed that all difficulties on this question had been got over long ago. The Prime Minister says that owners 0 of controlled establishments and representatives of the great trade Unions have loyallv pledged themselves to support the Government in the scheme of labour dilution, and guarantees as to the nature and temporary character of the changes have been given. Yet, though considerable progress has been made in ,certain districts to give 'effect to the policy, Mr. Asquith has to say that what has beeit done falls lamentably short of the national requirements in the present emergency. It is plain that. even after eighteen BBonths of war, there are some engaged in A TRAGIC RESPONSI- BILITY. the manufacture of mum- t i o n g, employers and workmen alike, who do not realise how serious is the task on which they are engaged, and how grave is their re- sponsibility to secure the highest possible output. The Government is now about to take steps to put the policy of the dilution of labour into operation wherever it is needed, and it should be able to count with confidence on the support of both employers and workmen. There was one sentence in Mr. Asquith's statement which ought to be reprinted in big type, framed, and hung up in every munitions factory and workshop: "Any lack of munitions will lengthen the duration of the war, and will exact a heavy toll on the lives of our soldiers. There is to be no more "tenderness" for Onemy traders and trading companies in E N- t y TRADING FIRMS. this country. Though in Germany British 11 busi- nesses have been seized, and the British owners dispossessed, nothing of tAlle sort has been done here. Instead, inspectors and supervisors have been ap- pointed to control the businesses and to see that the profits did not reach enemy shareholders abroad. After the war, no doubt, they would have been able to re- ceive the accumulated profits which had heen carefully preserved for them. But the new Trading with the Enemy Bill will bring about a c hange. It provides that trading companies which are wholly or mainly carried on for the benefit of enemy shareholders, shall be closed down or Wound up unless it can be shown that the Continuance of the business is in the inte- rest of this country. The Board of Trade will have full power to deal with any case. and if a company is wound up, British and tnendly creditors will have the preference. Enemy shares and other property will be kept safely until it is known how British Property in enemy countries is being dealt with. The idea of the Bill, as Mr. Prety- Eten told the House of Commons, "is to get rid of the German element in our trade as far as possible." A statement made in the House of Coin- Sums by Mr. Tennant gives the total Ger- TrIB GfcRMAN CASUALTIES. man casua l ties as 2,53-J,7()8. Of this num- ber 613,066 are given as killed. Comparing theso figures with our own re- turns, and remembering that the Germans liave been since the beginning of the war fighting <n two fronts, while in the last few months large forces have been engaged -in the Balkans, it will certainly appear to most people that the Germans have not lost so many men as might have been ex- pected. It is no doubt the desire of the 'German authorities to produce that im- pression. Their statistics, however, must not be taken at face value. In the first place, it is practically certain that they are not up to date. Always a month be- hind at least, they are frequently even niare belated, and large additions would have to be made to the items in the casualty list to bring them up to the end of the year. Secondly, it is by no means clear that the figures published relate to the whole of the German armies. They may refer only to the Prussian, and if so, the killed. wounded. and missing of Bavaria, Saxony, and Wurtemberg must be added. There is a third consideration. It has often been stated that the Germans do not include the slightly wounded in I their lists of casualties, and the fact that in the statement referred to the proportion ■of wounded to killed works out at only 2.6, whereas in our own and other armies it is considerably larger, goes to prove the truth of the contention. The German authorities systematically deceive their own people with regard to the casualties, and while they do that they are not likely to permit enemies and neutrals to obtain a truthful record. There can be very little doubt that the figures quoted by Mr. Tennant are far below the actual number of casualties. The letter which Mr. Arthur Henderson, the Labour representative in the Cabinet, LABOUR AND Cml- PULSION. has written to ms con- stituents explaining his attitude to the Military Service Bill should go a long wav to convince Reasonable and fair-minded men or the necessity for such a measure. Mr. Hen- derson writes as a convinced and ardent supporter of the voluntary system, and as one who did everything in his power to make it a success. He contends, however, that the result of the Derby campaign, which showed that a substantial number of single men eligible for military service had not offered themselves, made some measure of compulsion inevitable on grounds of absolute military necessity. Ho could not resist the conclusion that unless the Bill were passed we could not continue the war with any prospect of either a suc- cessful or a speedy termination. Mr. Hen- derson emphasises the Prime Minister's pledge that no measure of industrial com- pulsion shall be introduced, and he thinka that this pledge, and the provisions with regard to the exemption of conscientious objectors from combatant service ought to secure for the Bill the general support of organised labour.

MATCHING THE SNOW. The errr-ine is really a stoat whose coat has turned white with the coming of tho enow It has been found that cold alone will not produce the change but that it only occurs when the snow lies deep, thus show- ing that it is Nature that has given to the northern stoat this wonderful means of pro- tection. The Arctic hare, the Arctic fox, and to some extent the lemming in Arctic regions, change their coats to match the mow.

The "C?mbrid?c neviw" c?tates ?at G? old Cambridge l;en have been kdicd. 892 wounded, and that 134 are missing. DÍR- tinctions gained number 714, including three V.C.'s, fifty-two D.S.O.'s, 103 Mihta.y ■Crosses, aril eighteen French, Russian, and •"Serbian decorations.

BIG THIRD READING MAJORITY IN COMMONS. Tho third reading of the Military Service Bill was passed by a majority of 347 in the House of Commons on Monday night. The division resulted as follows For the third reading 383 Against 36 Government majority 347 1 On the first reading the number who vot-d against the Bill was 105, and on the seccnd reading 39. During the debate Sir John Simon said the opposition to the Bill had not been fac- tious or destructive. It had been conducted with proper restraint, and its whole object had been to incorporate amendment which everybody wished to see, and which the Prime Minister had laid down as the prece- dent to any form of compulsion. The Govern- ment had found it absolutely impossible to meet the case of the conscientious objectors because it was inconsistent with the prin- ciple of the Bill. Nor had the Government succeeded in allaying the fears of those who feared that the Bill was the prelude to in- dustrial conscription. No action of his could prevent a division on this Bill. He personally had come to the conclusion that to abstain from dividing on the Bill would lead to misunderstanding as to the ex- istence of a strong opposition to the prin- ciple of the Bill. The convictions which had moved him could not justify him in saying that the Bill as amended ought to command general support. He strongly deprecated vio- lent opposition to the Bill after it became law. Mr. H. J. Thomas said he opposed the Bill because the Bill was unnecessary. He held that all the men who were required could still be got by voluntary enlistment. He opposed the Bill on the further ground that the voluntary system had not had a fair chance. He personally would do all he could to see that there was no labour trouble over the passing of the Bill. Mr. Bonar Lav/ said the Bill was a com- promise between those who thought it did not go far enough and those who thought it went too far. Those who thought the Bill did not go far enough had to recognise that the national unity was in itself a military strength. Those who thought the Bill went too far now realised quite clearly that the only object of the Bill was to get the men who were absolutely necessary.

CARDINAL VAUGHAN ON THE WAR. I Father Bernard Vaughan made a striking speech at the Mansion House, London, on Tuesday. Speaking of the German Army, he said:— :1 "This army of men is the last word in efficiency, in fitness, in discipline, in equip- ment. We are up against a tremendous pro f position. I want you to bring home to your- selves what you are up against, because our business is to keep on killing Germans. Somebody has to be killed, and do you think we ought to bo killed, in view of the motive we have gone forth to fight for? "Therefore we have to kill a sufficient number of that tremendous army, so as to entitle us to dictate terms of a peace that shall be rooted in a victory to be shouted from Petrograd to Rome, from Paris to this Mammoth Metropolis. "I say we Britons, not to mention the other Allies, have been called out to fight men whose principle it is to make use of any means, the moro frightful the better, to achieve their ends. Not satisfied with crucifying Canadians, murdering priests. violating nuns, mishandling women; not satisfied with this, they torpedo civilian- bearing vessels. They fire upon the Red Cross: they stop at nothing. And we have this heading to our columns and written over the lintels of our doors and on our foreheads; and carry it in our hearts; we should be rid of all sorts of peace cranks and spies in our midst."

PRISONERS IN TURKEY. I I Mr. Tennant, Under-Secretary for War, states that the number of British prisoners of war, naval and military, in Turkey is forty .ven officers and 598 other ranks. "Although letters from individuals not in- frequently speak of markedly good treat- ment," says Mr. Tennant in a written answer "there is reison to Mr. Macmaster, M.P.. "there is reason to fear that the general conditions of intern- ment in Turkey are far from satisfactory, but, owing to the remoteness of some of the crimps, and the difficulty of communication, if is hard to ascertain the actual state of affairs. "The American Ambassador at Constanti- nople has done everything possible to amelio- rate the lot of British prisoner*, and has supplied them with certain comforts and articles of clothing which the Turks have apparently entirely neglected to provide, but. notwithstanding all his efforts, he has, by latest reports, been unable to obtain the consent of the Turkish Government to visit the internment camps."

ACTRESSES VICTIMISED. I Herbert Stanley Price, thirty, clerk, was brought up at the I-rfsndon Sessions on Tues- day to receive sentence for obtaining E23z3 by false pretences from Miis Florence Martin, an actress, of Melrcse-terraee, Ken- sington. It was stated that the- prisoner posed as a solicitor, and obtained the money in connection with the purchase of a public- house at Surbiton. Mr. Huntly Jenkins said that since the conviction the prisoner had been convicted at the Old Bailey of obtaining £ 'J30 from Miss Evelyn Selwyn, an actress, of Woodstock-street, Oxford- street. London, W., whom he met in a night club. The luviscner was a married man with two children. Mr. Lawric passed sentence of fifteen months' imprisonment, to run concurrently with a sentence of months passed on the prisoner at the Old Bailey.

"TO WARM BABY." I How a boy of four set fire to his little sister's bed "to warm baby" was told at an inquest on Monday on Emma Alice May, aged two, daughter of a greengrocer carry- ing on butiinesz3 in Bagshot-street, Old Kent- road, London, S.E. The children were left asleep in bed, but some time later the room was found full of smoke. The boy was sitting under a table laughipg, and when the baby was picked up it was discovered that nearly all her flannelette clothing had been burned off, and that the oedclothcs had been eet on fire. Thy little boy was the only one in the room beside the baby, and the servant asked him. "Whatever have you done, Freddie?" He replied that he had got some matches from an adjoining Toom "to warm Alice." A verdict of "Accidental death" was re- corded.

CITY TEMPLE PASTORATE. At a meeting of the members of the City Temple on Monday a letter was read from Dr. Hugh Black, who said that with all his heart he wished he could alter the decision of his previous letter. He could not describe how painful it was to refuse the invitation. but it was impossible to escape the claims • hat tied him to America, and he discovered that his life was bound up in that work. A committee was appointed to secure a minister.

GERMAN GOVERNOR'S FLIGHT TO SPANISH TERRITORY. The following communique concerning the operations in tne L'ameroons has been issued by the Press Bureau: — Since the occupation of Jaunde by the Allied forces on January 1st columns have been despatched to the west, south-west, and south of that place with the object of press- ing the enemy's retreat towards the coast and endeavouring to cut off his retreat into Muni in Spanish territory. On January 3rd the main British column, together with French columns, under Colonel Mayer, were directed on Ebolowa, while a strong column under Colonel Hay- wood moved south towards Widimenge. Reaching Kolmaka, on the Njong River, on the 8th, Colonel Haywood released the following Allied prisoners: Messrs. Barber, Boyce, Braysliaw, Breakey. Crowther, Green, Jameson, Lees, Lord, Oglesby, Opet, Soloman, Taggart, Thomas, A. Wright, N. Wright, three French officers and non-com- missioned officers and some civilians. On January 10th General Aymerick despatched a column to reinforce Colonel Haywood, and the advanced troops of Briga- dier-General Cunliffe, under Colonel Webb Bowen, were directed from Jaunde on Edee. By January 18th reports were received from Colonel Mayer and Colonel Haywood that the Germans had evacuated Ebolowa and Akonpolinga, and that the German Governor, Ebermater, and the German Commandant, Zimmerman, were stated to have made good their escape into Spanish Muni. Fighting was also reported further south close to the Germar-Spanish border, where two small naval columns advancing from the coast and from the French Congo were try- ling to prevent the escape of the Germans into Muni.

I A HERO OF MESOPOTAMIA. I I V.C. AWARDED TO GALLANT NAVAL I OFFICER. Lieutenant-Commander Edgar Christo- pher Cookson, D.S.O., R.N., who, as an- nounced in a supplement to the "London Gazette," won the first V.C. of the advance on Kut-el-Amara, has not lived to enjoy the tribute to his glorious heroism. The official record of his deed is as follows: On September 28, 1915, the river gun- boat Comet had been ordered with other gunboats to examine and, if possible, de- stroy an obstruction placed across the river by the Turks. When the gunboats were approaching the obstruction a very heavy rifle and machine-gun fire was opened on them from both banks. An attempt to sink the centre dhow of the obstruction by gunfire having failed, Lieutenant-Commander Cookson ordered the Comet to be placed alongside, and himslf jumped on to the dhow with an axe and tried to cut the wire hawsers connecting it with the two other craft forming the obstruction. He was imme- diately shot in several places and died within a very few minutes.

NURSE'S SAD DEATH. I At Deal an inquest was held on the body of Ellen Downer, aged sixty, a fully uni- formed nurse of no fixed abode, whose body was discovered lying in the porch of an empty house. Life had been extinct for over two months, and the body was very emaciated. According to the police investigation, she came from Ramsgate to Deal in July last. Whilst in Deal she appears to have resided at various addresses, always leaving without paying. She was apparently destitute and starving, and appears to have sought the shelter of the unoccupied house porch, and closed the outer doors and simply waited for death. Her only effects, which com- prised a few letters, hills, and pawn tickets, were found in a small handbag beside her dead body. She was last seen alive on October 15, but a daily paper in her possession was dated October 21. The body might have remained undiscovered longer but for the fact that an intending tenant entered the house on Thursday. As the medical examination could trace no signs of violence or evidence of suicide, a verdict of "Found dead was returned.

DEATH FOR DESERTION. I Mr. Tennant (Under-Secretary for War) has informed Mr. Farrell that Private T. Hope, of the 2nd Batt. Lcinster Regt., was tried by Field-General Court-martial on February 14, 1915, on a charge of desertion and minor charges. The evidence showed that he absented himself from the trenches on December 23 until February 9, when he was arrested. Private Hope was informed of his sentence more than twelve hours before it was carried out. The sentence was passed on February 14, and was most carefully reviewed before it was confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief on February 27. Such confirmation was strictly in accordance with law. It is obvious that counsel cannot be employed on Court-martials which take place in the field. The accused, says Mr. Tennant, called no evidence such as was referred to by Mr. Farrell (who asked whether it was brought to the notice of the Court that on several occasions Hope had exposed himself gal- lantly in trench warfare), nor was any such evidence before the Court.

MRS. TWEEDIE'S SON KILLED. I Mrs. Alec Tweedie, the well-known author and traveller, has received news that her ?winger son, Second Lieutenant Leslie Kin- loch lweedle, B.A., of the R.F.A., was killed in action on the 17th inst. Colonel Stirling, in writing to her, expressed his value of the young officer, his uniform cheer- fulness, his intelligent grasp of a subject, and his coolness under fire, which combined to make him a most useful officer. The young lieutenant, who was at Harrow and Cambridge, won the golf challenge cup at the London Hospital in 1914, and previously won the Dolphin for swimming at Cam- bridge. He joined the Red Cross a few days after the war commenced, and in December, 1914. received a commission in the R.F.A. At the beginning of January he came home for his first leave, and was killed six days after his return to the front. —————

I STRANGLED BY CHAINED DOG. I The death of a ten-months' -old child at Birmingham, caused by a chained dog, has been investigated by the Birmingham coroner. The child and dog were left alone for a time, the baby secured in a chair and the dog chained to the door close by. When the baby's mother, Mrs. Wynn, returned she found the little one lying on the floor strangled. liid appirentlv lea-pt on the The dog had apparently leapt on the chair, probably in play, and in his antics the chain had' been pae&cd round the baby's neck, gripping him tighter and tighter as the dog struggled for liberty. A verdict of "Accidental death" was re- corded.

I ALIEN FIRMS IN ENGLAND. I Lord Lansdowne, replying to Viscount Templetown in the House of Lords, said it had occasionally been found necessary to grant trade licences to alien firms in this country to enable them to carry on a busi- ness the extinction of which would on public grounds be highly undesirable and incon- venient. It did not follow that because a firm con- tained naturalised aliens that that firm should be treated as one with which patriotic citizens had no right to deal. He admitted that in many cases there might be excellent reasons for watching carefully the Sroceedings of such hams, and that was done under the arrangement wh?ch now pre- vailed. :3

Fifty-three alien seamen were fined a. Cardiff from X2 to k5 each for landing from various ships without permission. According to the official Hungarian police reports received at Berne, 10,000 speculators in foodstuffs were punished last year in Hungary. Mrs. Cuthill. cf West Derby, Liverpool, has seven brothers in the Army, an eighth has attested under the group system, and a ninth is making munitions. Her eldest bOll, two nephews, and a brother-in-law are in the Army, and another brother-in-law is in a transport. The Committee appointed to consider economies in Admiralty expenditure consists of Sir George Franklin, Mr. Holt, M.P., and Sir Alfred Eylea, the Accountant- General of the Navy.

MOTHER AND HOME. 1 How often during the week, when greet- ing a friend and asking after his or her health, does one receive the answer, "I'm feeling a bit run down!" Not merely once, but several times. No doubt you, good reader, often, make this observation, and you mean what you say because you are genuinely run down. Yet it is possible to avoid getting run down, as doctors whom I have consulted on the question (writes a representative) have explained. "The great secret," remarked a well-known specialist, "is not to vary regular and sensible life by too sudden changes of habit. As men get older they make religions of fads, which take the place of old habits—habits that have suited them well-and such fads lead to an arti- ficial and novel form of existence. WEATHEB COUNTS. I The dark days and moist atmosphere of 'winter conduce to thousands of people get- ting run down. Dull days have a tremen- dously injurious effect on some. The best antidotes are good air and brisk exercise. To a very considerable extent we owe our tendency to get run down to the quick changes in the weather. For this reason we ought to be much more careful tliaa ve are in respect to our clothes. Everybody who can afford it ought to have a stock of gar- ments of varying thicknesses, so as to be able to dress himself or herself to suit the climate. Then wool should be worn net the skin. Practically everybody not con- stitutionally unfit who takes reasonable pre- cautions against the onslaughts of the weather, and who eats wisely, and exercises himself or herself with regularity, can to a great extent avoid getting what we call run down. "What about worry?" you may ask. Ah, that you can't escape from. But you can lighten it—you can alleviate your burdens—by vigorous out-door exercise and healthy amusement. Worry will cause any- one, whatever the general health of a person may be, to get run down. HAVE Youii MEALS. I A fruitful cause of "I'm run down case £ I is the cheap and insufficient lunch. To save money, a man or woman who -ha.; had the lightest of breakfasts will content himself or herself at one o'clock with a glass of milk and a bun. Se-eing that he or she doesn't sit down to a substantial meal until, per- haps, seveu o'clock, this is simply inviting ill-health. There are hundreds of young fellows in our populous towns who feel almost continually run down, and they owe their enfeebled systems directly to the fact that when Nature tells them that they must eat—which it nearly always does in the middle of the day-they neglect to respond to the summons. WrVES ALSO AT FAULT. I Wives in moderate circumstances are also sinners in this respect. Instead of going to the trouble of preparing" a square meal for themselves between cue and two o'clock, as they should do, they munch a few biscuits and wait until their husbands teturn home before they properly allay the pangs of hunger. The consequence is, they impair their strength. Moral: Nourish the body. After this, let us hope that few readers will have any excuse for saying "I'm run down," when by living on sensible lines they might have prevented Ihemselves from becoming so. FOR THE HAIR. 1 To clean the hair wash it in soft water, in which put a teaspconful of ammonia. This done, take the yolk of an egg and rub it well into the scalp and hair. Then rinse the head in the prepared water very thoroughly. Make a shampoo by beating up the yoke of another egg with two tablespoonfuls of quillija tincture added to a pint of warm, soft water in which has been dissolved a tablespoonful of powdered borax. Wash the head and hair thoroughly, and afterwards rinse until all trace of the egg mixture is removed. If this is not done it will give an unpleasant odour to the hair. The finest head of hair I ever saw was, so ita owner said, due to ;he treatment I draw at- tention to. CHAPPED LiPs. I In frosty weather the lips often be- come rough and chapped, and need a little extra care. Glycerine and rose- water may be rubbed e,n, but some say that the regular use of glycerine coi.'sens the 1 skin and dulls the colour of the lips. The following is a good lip salve: 2oz. fine honey, loz. white wax, loz. myrrh. Mix all very gently b ystanding the pot containing the ingredients in a bowl of hot water, stir thoroughly, and tipplv when well mixed. Another recipe runs: Take 2oz. sweet almond oil, ioz. spermaceti, Joz. white wax, £ oz. alkanet root, 3 drops essence of almonds. Melt and mix the almond oil, spermaceti, and white wax over a slow fire, or by stand- ing the pot in which they are placed in a bowl of hot water. Add the alkanet root and stir until the whole is a pale rose COIOUT, then perfume with the essence of almonds. WHY NOT WAIJC IOR:E? t When on short journeys, resist the little inclinations to ride. The walk will do you good, and the money saved soon mounts Li P. To make boota wear as long again as they usually do, pour some boiled linseed oil into a dish, and let the soles stand in it for twenty-four hours. This also helps to keep the boots waterproof. Of course, if the boots are repaired, the operation must be repeated. WEAK CHESTS. I The 'following mixture is excellent for those afflicted with weak (fleets. Take four eggs, with white shells for preference, put them into a small basin and cover them with the juice of four good lemons. Cover the basin with a plate for four days until the shells of the eggs have been absorbed bv the lemon juice, leaving only the skins. Break the eggs into another basin, beat them well, and add half a pound of honey, half a pint of rum. and the lemon juice and dissolved egg shells. Strain into a bottle and keep well corked. A wineglassful to be taken at night before going to bed. FOR THE CYCLIST. After every ride, give your cycle a rub over with a duster, and don't let any mud remain on it. If the enamel is cleaned with boot poli6h and brightened it will aid the cleaning of it again after riding in dirty or dusty weather, and prevent the rain from lodging on the machine. Keep the tyres well inflated, and they will last longer. Grease and oil should not be billowed to get on the tyres, as both tend to destroy. If the cycle is not in use during the winter, hang it up, as the tyres are liable to crack if left standing for any length of time. Occasionally run paraffin through the bear- ings, and then oil up with ordinary lubricat- ing oil; this will prevent grit frem lodging in them. CORNS AND BUNIONS. I Corns on the joints of the toes are best treated by painting night and morning- with a saturated solution 01 salicylic acid in col- lodion. Many of the patent corn-plasters advertised are also very effective. Soft corns between the toes should be treated with zinc and starch powder. After powder- ing insert a piece of old linen between the toes. Bunion* should be painted vitli iodine; always iceep a piece of cotton A ool between the great and first toes, because this takes the pressure off the great toe- joint. If the bunion is very inflamed apply hot formentations—don't paint with iodijie until the inflammation has disappeared.

The New York representative of the Smyrna Fig Company states that the Turkish soldiers have consumed the 100,000,000 pounds of figs which usually reach the United States in a year. The Miners' Federation have asked Mr. Asquith to receive a deputation on old-age pensions, which they suggest should be in- creased during the war. Sir Harry Verney, M.P.. in a le'.ter to the chairman of the North Bucks Liberal Asso- ciation, states that he has received a com- miseion in the R.A.M.C., and expects to be tent abroad shortly.

  '?Ht ?r?i? /? ?-   J?S%? ? Tf ??a?e<y?-?S''EtB When boiling milk with onions and tripe, add a teaspoonful of rice, and it will keep sweet for two days. When, through putting the hands into hot soda-water, the skin becomes shrunken, rub it with a little ordinary salt and it will gradually become smooth again. Before washing coloured materials, soak in cold water, to which ox-gall has been added in the proportion of a tablespoonful to a gallon of water. To dry-clean winter curtains (plush or chenille) lay them out flat upon a table and sprinkle flour all over them. Bub this into the material with a clean cloth, and then thoroughly shake the curtains to remove all the flour. Embroidered garments should always be ironed on the wrong side upon several thick- esses of flannel. This makes the pattern stand out quite boldly. To renovate a shabby umbrella take a cup of hot. strong tea and put in two lumps of sugar, but no milk. Open the umbrella and sponge well with the liquid, which will re- vive the colour of the material and stiffen it. To flavour a blanc mange, place a piece of lemon peel in the milk, and when it is boiled remove the lemon peel before mixing with the cornflour. When making a beefsteak pudding, cut a piece of paste about the size of a half-crown from the middle of the bottom. The pudding will then cook in a much shorter time.. and » saving of gas effected. When making paste for wall-paper, add one pound of starch to each packet of flour, thn pour on the boiling water. With this the paper Sticks better. Apply the paste to the wall instead of the paper, then brush it down as usual. It is far less trouble and easier to join. NOVEL SMELLING SALTS. Get some common washing soda and mix with an equal quantity of sal-ammoniac. Pound together and add a little scent. This makes splendid smelling salts for a sick headache, etc. To SAVE DARXIG. Most children wear their stockings into holes in a very short time. This can be prevented to some extent by stitching a strip of velvet across the back of the stock- ing, so that as the shoe slips up and down it "rubs ngainst the velvet instead of against the stocking. BURNING RUBBISH. Keep in vour ecal-cellar an old box or pail. Into this put all sifted cinders, small coal, and other refuse. A lump of coal, and a couple of shovelfuls of this, will keep the kitchen fire in for hours at a very small cost. No DH,d to use special quantities. If there is little rubbish use a larger propor- tion of coal, and put in a few ashes too. To CLEAX A BLACK DRESS. Take a dozen ivy leaves and steep tnem in boiling water. Leave till cold, then rub well over the stained parts. This liquid will remove all stains and make the cloth look quite frooh. A SOILED CARPET. Take a pail of hot water, add a gill of vinegar and a tablespoonful of salt. Dip a clean cloth into this and rub over the carpet. It will clean and revive the colours. A SCRUBBING MIXTUBE. Take cive pound each of eott soap, salia and whiting, and put them in an old sauce- pan with a quart of water. Boil, stirring occasionally till thoroughly mixed. Store in an earthenware jar. To use, smear some of the mixture on the scrubbing brush and use with very hot water. This is a very cheap mixture. DRY CLEANING AT HOME. Make a stock solution of eight ounces strong ammonia, one-half ounce chloroform and one-half ounce ether. Cork tightly and keep away from the face, says the "Scientific American." Dissolve one bar of P. and G. naphtha soap in three gallons hot water, add one-half tea-spoon each of baking soda, salt and alum and three tablespoons of the ammonia-chloroform-ether mixture. To clean Oriental or other rugs to their origi- nal brightness make a lather and dip a scrub brush in it. shaking out superfluous water. Go over the rug with this brush and the lather dries out almost immediately. No harm whatever is done to the best Oriental rug. To sponge spots from clothing, even delicate silk. and upholstery, dip a soft sponge in the lather, wring as dry as pos- sible and sponge off the spot. To wash sweaters, blankets or other flannels let the mixture become nearly cold, soak the gar- ments in it half an hour or less, squeeze dry, rinse in clear water, squeeze dry and hang up. The various ingredients used not only Temove grease and dirt but set and brighten colours. —— —— SOME USEFUL RECIPES. BAKED SOUP.-Cllt into dice-shape pieces a pound of lean meat, place in an earthen jar or pot that will hold four quarts of liquid. Add to it two large onions, quartered, two carrots; also cut into quarters a turnip and a parsnip. Put into the jar two ounces of soaked rice, a half-pint of peas, pepper and salt to taste, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Cover all with three quert.s of water (any broths would be bettor). Tie a cloth over the top of the jar or close the lid of the pot down clcsely, and bake until the peas are quite cooked. Serve with a plate of toasted bread and another full of minced parsley, or scatter it over the soup. VEGETABLE PIE.—Collect all the cooked vegetables left over from the previous day— the larger the variety the better—and cut them up. Butter a piedish and fill it with the vegetables, mixing them with gravy or srock, then make a good paste with drip- ping, cover the pie, and bake till the pastry is cooked. PARSNIP FRITTERS.—Boil four good-sized parsnips, and when tender, mash them with a little cream; add three beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, a piece of butter the size of an egg and half a teacup- ful of milk. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Have some hot butter in a frying pan, shape the fritters before putting them into it, and fry them in the usual way. Parsnip fritters are served as a separate course, and vegetarians relish this dish greatly. It has been said of parsnips that no vegetable so nearly resembles meat as this one docs, both in flavour and nourish- ment. OATMEAL FOERIDGE.—Simple recipe: Put a quantity of water into a saucepan, or two parts of water and one part milk or sweet whey, or good buttermilk that is perfectly white without the slightest yellow tinge. Bring the water to a boil, and while it is bf) i l i boiling, briskly sprinkle in the oatmeal, stirring it wen with a wooden spoon, taking care to break any lumps that may form. Add the meal in this way until the whole is as thick as custard. Simmer it for ten minutes; it is then ready. Sweeten to taste. Forridge made with buttermilk or whey is very good; served with new milk or cream, it makes an excellent dish for chil- dren or invalids.

Two officers cf the Border Rcg-iment en- gaged in examining gunpowder at their bil- I p oNv d er a'. their lets, Shceburyness, were seriously burnt as the result ot an explosion. A hole was blown througli the roof of the house, and the premises were otherwise severely damaged. Sir Ian Hamilton's dispatch on the opera- ti on:, in Gallipoli is to be used in the London County Council schools for class purposes and for private reading by older scholars.

MILE END ELECTION. I The voting in the ilile End by-election on Tuesday resulted in Mr. Warwick Brookes, the Coalition's nominee, being returned by a. majority d 376 over Mr. Pembcrton Billing. The figures were:— Mr. Warwick Brookca 1,9 I Mr. Pembcrton BIlllllg 1,615 1 Mr. Billing was an officer in the Royal Naval Air Service. He resigned in order to light the election en the question of the defence of London against enemy aircraft.