Abergavenny Chronicle

orR LONDON LETTER. —— —— [From.,Our Special Car respondent.] The usual formalities in connection with the opening of the new session of Parlia- ment will be carried out by Lords and Commissioners, his Majesty having1 decided not to attend on this occasion in person. In mediae-uI thacs the King was habitually present, not only at the opening of Parlia- ment, hut also at tho debates in the House of Lord. Theoretically the monarch is always present •; in his High Court of Parliament, LLt an Act was passed in the reign of II->nrv VI. making it lawful for the Lords "to debate together in this present Parliament ard in every other for all time to in the King's absence, concerning the rendition of the kingdom and the reme- dies nece-:scu-y' for it." Henry VI., it is in- teresting to note, "opened" Parliament in person at an earlier age than any of his predecessors or successors. lie was only nine months 01d whe-n he came to the throne, and in th-*> third year of his reign he was "carried through the City on a great horse to 1V£:;tn;Í,1.tr." The baby King sat on the throne in his mother's lap, and his speech ■was delivered for him by the Lord Chan- cellor, the Bishop of Winchester. Ten thousand people may be comfortably accommodated in the Albert Hall, and it is a great sight to see the huge building full, as it was on Saturday, when Verdi's cc Requiem" was performed in memory of those w ho have fallen in the war. The King, who was accompanied by the Queen, Princess Mary, and Princess Victoria, occu- pied the Royal box. This was his Majesty's first public appearance since his accident in France. Outside the Hall a great crowd had gstVred to witness the arrival of the lung and Queen, and they cheered with enthusiasm a c har-a-banc full of wounded soldiers "doing their bit" with especial heartiness. H>s Majesty looked very well, and apixiars to have quite recovered from his lamer.-??*. A< the Royal Party entered the box the hand struck up the National Anthem, the first two verses were sung by the choir, and in the last the huge audience joined with great fervour. Almost every person in the Hull seemed to be in raouruing. The Zeppelin raids on Paris have rather taken the wind oat of the sails of those who. when ugifatirg for the strengthening of the anti-aircraft defence of London have dcciorcd that the French capital was so well defended that the German airships would net dare to go there. Why cannot London do what Paris has done? they cried. Well, it has been proved that Paris is no more immune than London. It is clear that neither in France nor in this country has an adequate defence against Zeppelin attacks been discovered. The authorities did well to issue a statement showing what damage had been done by the fleet of Zeppelins which visited the Midlands last week. The official account gave the quietus to a great crop of rumours which originated r.o man knew whence and flew all over the country in next to no time. It was singular, to say the least of it, that several of the towns mentioned by rumour as having received considerable damage were also referred to in the German account of the raid, though these towns did not even receive a visit from the raiders. It his been suggested that the rumours themselves were c-f enemy origi; Why sh-'uid there not be a Director- General (f Economy there is a Director- General of Rccrr it rag? A great organised | cammign ?~r raising the money might be as Bucceti-f.si in its way as that for raising the men. The public have had the need for economy and saving preached to them since the war began. Cabinet Ministers have spoken straight to the point, and various appeal. on the subject have been iV-ucd. The effect does not a ppear to have been anything considerable. The homilies make an impres- sion at the time, but the effect is not lasting, and people go back to their old ways. No doubt the new scheme for attracting the savings of the workers, to which reference was made last week, will help, but it will not be fully successful unless steps are taken to bring heme to the people concerned the groat fact of the nation's need and the not unimportant consideration of personal benefit to themselves. What i:, wanted is a pmperly organised campaign conducted with energy and reaching everybody in the laud. Another Lord Derby is needed. Sir H. Rider Haggard is going to the Dominions on an interesting and important mission. It is to inquire into the possi- bilities with regard to the employment of our fighting men after the war is over. It is certain that re-entry into the labour market of vast numbers of men when peace is proclaimed will constitute a very oeriou.s prob^er-i. oil, of the factors of which will be the disiiT'iin"tion of men whoso lives have been of interest and excitement to re- turn to the humdrum work of office and factory. A great number of thorn will war.t to strik-1 out in a different dine. They will want the open-air life and a greater measure cf independence: the old "grind" will seem impossible to them. It is for the authorities to do what may be po-sible to incct the case of men who, if they can- not find the chance thev week in the British Dominion", will look elsewhere. Sir Rider Haeeard declares that there is room in the British Empire for ten times its present population, and his present mission is to see whether it is not possible to offer cx-scrvice men sufficient inducement to keep them within the bounds of the Empire. Shipowners nre reaping a rich harvest out of the war. Ships may not he quite worth their weight in gold yet, but there is no tell- ing how aoou they m:;y lie. and in the mean- time they are iu great demand, and therefore enormously profitable to their owners. It is said (though probably it is only an intelli- gent estimate) that during the past twe've months the net earning* in the trade were more than twelve times as much r:, they ■were in the year before the war. Tltere are, of course, largely increased expenses to be set against this, but, when all allowances have been made, it is certain that the-ship-- owners are doing remarkably well. Nobody needs to be told that the great rise in ship- ping freights is one of the chief causes of the increased price of necessities, and it is being said that the Government ought to take ever the control of shipping as they have done of railways. There are difficulties in the way, however, though it should be ptwsibie for the Government to assume a greater degree of control than it has done hitherto, with a view of making the best use of every ton of phippiug we possess and to keeping the freights down to a reasonable lovel. A. E. M. I

Dr. Willoughby M. Willoughby. who had 81kd as deputy, has been appointed medical officer of the Port of Loudon at a salary of iSOO a year. Mr. Joseph Appleby, whose death is an- nounced, was a former mayor of Sutton ColdScld, and head of the well-known cycle chain firm, in which trade h- was a pioneer. He was sixty-eight years of age. Owing to the shortage of doctors at St. Thomas's Hospital it wa? necessary in a case ,.at La m t It Coroner's C-T-t to accept the medical advice as a written statement. In another case the doctor kept the Court wait- ing owing to his being engaged in perform- ing an operation. On his arrival he ex- plained that he was the .only fully qualified he-use surgeon remaining in tha hospital.

CANADA'S LOSS. I PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS BURNED DOWN. SIX PEOPLE KILLED. The splendid Canadian Parliament build- ings at Ottawa have been destroyed by fire. On Friday cYening the following- an- nouncement was issued from the office of the High Commissioner for Canada in Lc,ljklou "Tiie Hig-h Commissioner for Canada is officially informed by the Prime Minister by cable to-day that the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa were almost completely destroyed last night by a fir? which broke out in the Leading Room and spread with startling rapidity. I "Two lady guests of the Speaker lost their lives in the conflagration, and the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Martin Burrdl, was badly but not seriously burned. "One or two other members of Parlia- ment were slightly injured, and four of the House of Comr-ions* staff are missing and have probably perished. "The Library of Parliament is so far not seriously damaged, but the interiors of the Senate and the House of Commons are in ru i ns. "The origin of the fire is unknown." I THE WORK OF AN ENEMY? i It is believed that the fire was the work of German agents, and that the outbreak originated in the explosion of an infernal machine. The "DliJy Xpws" correspondent says that at nine o'clock on Thursday night the Reading Room, which lies between the Senate and the Commons Chamber, was occupied only by one woman, who was eon- suiting the files of the newspapers. The Chambers themselves were sparsely at- tended. and Mr. W. S. Loggie, member for Northumberland, New Brunswick, was ad- dressing the Commons on a minor measure. There was a .sudden flash of light and a slight explosion immediately under the r ewspapers on a file near the woman. She has no clear idea of what happened. In a moment the papers were ablaze and smoke was pouring iotth in such volume that she made a ha<-ty escape to the open air. In the reading room and the splendid library to the rear of the block there was much while Pine for shelves and panelling. This caught tire immediately in the former room. ami h ized so fiercely that there was no hope c £ preventing the outbreak spread- IllfT. The bu'.Iclirgs were centrally heated, after the fashion of Canadian and American build- ings, and therefore many doors were open. In that way the smoke and flames leaped to all parts of the block with almost lightning speed. Mr. M. Martin, member for one of the Montreal Divisions, was passing down the corridar from the main entrance to the reading-room when tho fire started, and he called the attendants to his aid. Without more than a. minute's less of time they started fighting the flames with fire extin- guishers that were hanging from the walls of the corridor, but these proved utterly in- adequate for the purpose. Almost before the Speaker could suspend the sitting tongues of fire spurted through the door- ways. The galleries were le.s occupied than usual, or the death roll would be longer. Ae it was, some women became hysterical and had to I>c carried out. There is a fear that two of the women failed to reach safety. I PREMIER'S NARROW ESCAPE. I In the private rooms cet apart for the nse of prominent members and Ministers were several well-known men, including the Premier, Sir Robert Borden; the ex- '0, L-3ur i er tli(, Preiii ler, Sir Wilfrid Laurier; the Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Martin Burrell; and Dr. Michael Clark, an Alberta representa- tive. Sir Wilfrid Laurier heard the alarm in time to escape without mishap, but the others mentioned were not so fortunate. It was some time before Sir Robert Borden was warned, for his room is more remote from the entrance, and he hwl to rush through the smoke-filled corrido;- to the open without his hat or overcoat, in spite of the winter cold outside. Dr. Clark was scorched by the flames as he ran out, while Mr. Martin Burrell. who Y/<J3 in ? room between the reading room and the library section, was caught by the heat and smoke and was almost overcome before he was aided out. His face and hands were badly burned. Directly the gravity of the outbreak was realised alarm bells sounded and an atten- dant raced to the quarters occupied by the Speaker and his family. Madame Sevigny, the Speaker's wife. was entertaining guests from Ottawa and Quebec, and her twc. children had retired to bed. She cried to her guests to make their escape while she rushed to her children and managed to savo them with the aid of people outside who had been summoned with nets to catch anyone who might have to jump. In this way one of the guests, Madame Dussault, escaped. Two of the ladies, however, lost their way in the Corridor* owinsr to the smoke, and though later cn the firemen forced their way to them with the aid of smoke helmets, there was no hone of restoring them to consciousness. Within half an hour of the first alarm, the glass roof cf the Chamber fell in. and the conflagration had gained a firm ho!d of the centre of the block. AN EXPLOSION. I The "Dailv Telegraph" correspondent pays a profound sensation has been caused throughout Canada by the burning of Par- liament Buildings, Ottawa, and the growing suspicion that this represents part of the malignant activities of the German Embassy at Washington as exhibited by the work of Captain Boy-Ed. Mr. M. Martin, of Mont- real, who is a. member of the Canadian Par- liament, and who first discovered the fire. declares positively that he heard at least one explosion, while the extraordinary rapidity with which the fire spread would indicate incendiarism. Immediate steps are being taken to have stringent investigation made, but the destruction its so complete that there is little likelihood of much light being thrown on the cause of the fire. If it was the work of a hostile incendiary, he evi- dently planned it well, as the Reading Room where the five started was in the centre of the building, with converging corridors wood-lined, and consequently admirably adapted to spread the conflagration as they did. THE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS. ine House of Parliament and the sur- rounding Government buildings occupied a commanding position on the high bank of the Ottawa River, just below the Chaudiere Fails. The buildings were in three blocks, and were built in the pointed Gothic style cf architecture. The central block, forming the Parliament House, contained tiie two Chambers and the offices of the officials. The front facade was 472ft. in length and thrce storeys high. The central tower was some 160ft. in height, and was surmounted by a crown and flagstaff. The eastern wing ac- commodated the Senate and its officials and the western wing the Commons. The Library, which is reported to have been saved, is built on the lines of a cathe- dral chapter house. It is planned in the form of a polygon of sixteen sides, each angle being supported by a flying buttress The foundation stone of Parliament House was laid on September 1, 1860, by King Edward, when. as Prince of Wales, he made his historic visit to the Dominion. CASUALTY LIST. I It is now stated that the casualty list is as follows — Dead Madame Morin, of Beauce; Madame Brav, of Quebec. Missing. Alphonse Desjardins, a Dominion policeman; Robert Fanning, waiter; Bow- man B. Law, M.P. and J. B. R. Laplante, Assistant Clerk of the House.

FREE Offer TO OVP. Readers.—Sufferers from Kidney trouble should note that the Pro- prietors of Dr. Kilmer's Swamp Root are offering in our advertising column to send a free trial bottle on receipt of three penny stamps for postage. The address is Kilmer and Co., 173, Marvlebone-road, W.

MURDERERS' APPEAL TO TRAWLER FOR RESCUE. A Zeppelin has been wrecked in the North Sea. It is thought probable that it was one of those which took part in the great raid on English counties, though it may possibly have been one which had started out on another raid and had com-e to grief. The Secretary of the Admiraltv made the following announcement on Thursday night: "A fishing trawler has reported to-day to the naval authorities that she has seen a German Zeppelin in the North Sea in a sink- ing condition." The wrecked Zeppelin was first noticed from the trawler by the flashing of a lamp, which was evidently being used as a signal. The captain of the vessel thereupon steered to the spot, and found the Zeppelin was numbered LID. The car was entirely submerged, and half of the envelope was floating on the water. The remaining part of the envelope had been fastened with ropes, in order to prevent any further escape of gas. At first eight men were noticed on top of the envelope, but others appeared from a hatchway leading to the upper part of the envelope, until at least twenty men were seen. A considerable amount of tap- ping could be heard, as if other men were engaged in repairs. The commander of the airship asked that himself and the crew might be taken off, several of the Germans shouting out, "Save up! Save us! We give you plenty money." There was, however, no immediate danger of the Zeppelin going entirely under, and this fact led the captain of the vessel to decide that the best course to adopt was at once to proceed to report the Zeppelin's loca- tion to some warship. His own crew was small, and, the vessel being also small, the presence of such a large number of men would have created considerable difficulty. Therefore, as the Zeppelin was likely to remain afloat for several hours, he pro- ceeded to report, after which he put into Grimsbv. ) COLLIER SUNK BY BOMB. I It is possible that the wrecked Zeppelin was the raider which on the previous night sank the Franz Fischer, a, captured enemy vessel employed as a coasting collier, drown- ing thirteen men out of a crew of sixteen. One of the survivors says that the Zeppelin dropped on the vessel a bomb of a highly ex- plosive character. There was a violent ex- plosion, and the shin only remained afloat for two minutes. Th-" three survivors had lifebelts, and were picked up bv a Belgian uuum FIRED ON BY DUTCH. I Zeppelin L19 is said to be the airship that was fired on and hit by Dutch troops while if was violating Holland s neutrality by ny in over her territory. STAND BY THE SKIPPER. I The Bishop of London, who dedicated two motor ambulances at Stoke Newington on Saturday, said that when the captain of the little British fishing vessel saw the wrecked Zeppelin in the North Sea and the survivors clinging to it, all the instincts of his race were to save those Germans, and he might have done so. But they must stand by him in his decision that he could not trust the Germans' word, and that if twenty-two armed Germans had got into his little ship it would have become a German prize, and the German Press would have applauded the trick as a brilliant bit of strategy. As an English sailor he would willingly have given his life for others, but the sad thing —the terribly sad thing—wag that the chivalry of war had been killed by the Ger- mans, and we could no longer trust a Ger- man's word.

ANTI GERMAN LEAGUE SUED. I Edward John Balsir Chatterton, who said that his full name was Edward John Balsir Chatterton Hennequin, and who was said to be the founder and general manager of the Anti-German League, has been success- fully sued at Westminster County-court hy the Home Publishing Company, of Tavis- tock-street, Covent Garden" London. W., the proprietors of the "Church Family Newspaper," for £ 25, the cost of an adver- tisement. in that paper. Mr. Gi veen, who appeared for the proprie- tors of the paper, stated that the Anti-Ger- man League was apparently an association for the raising of British commerce, and the method apparently was to obtain adver- tisements on credit, and, on various excuses, fail to pay. "Chatterton had victimised various papers on various grounds," counsel declared, "and when another paper threatened to sue the committee of the league the defendant said it was a personal debt of his own." Judgment was given for the plaintiffs, with costs, a stay of execution being granted.

FLAGS OF ENEMY SUBMARINES. I The Press Bureau on Friday issued the following: The master of the Harrison Line s.s. Com- modore, which was sunk by an enemy sub- marine in the Mediterranean on December 2, 1915, has been interviewed by the naval authorities, and he states: That the ship was fired on without any colours being shown by the submarine, and that, after the ship was abandoned, the submarine approached the boats with two flags rolled up at the flagstaff, in- quired if the ship was British, and on being answered in the affirmative, unrolled one of the flags, which proved to be the 'German ensign. From this account it appears likely that the submarine kept the German and Austrian flags bent on, ready to fly either of them, according to the nationality of the ship attacked.

LORD BRYCE ON REPRISALS. I Viscount Brycc, presiding at the first of a series of addresses at Bedford College on "The International State," said we stood in this war for justice, right, and humanity; from that position we must not depart. He did not believe for a moment that we should gain anything by departing from it. If it came to cruelty against cruelty the enemy would always win. "I see no reason to think," added Lord Bryce, "that our recourse to any of the in- human practices shocking to philosophy and morality which the enemy has adopted would have the slightest effect upon him, or would in any way promote our military success. We should not g?in, we should certainly lose, because there is nothing which has won for us more the approval and sympathy of all that is best in neutral nations than the fact that we have cham- pioned the cause of justice and humanity." ————— —————

The Prince of Wales's Fund has now reached £ 5,738,641, of which £ 2,978,000 has been distributed for relief. A sum of 50,000 francs has been collected it", the churches of Belgium for the Polish victims of the war, states Cardinal Mer- cier. Parcels sent by post for prisoners of war interned abroad must not weigh more than lllb., saya the Postmaster-General.

I I St. Brigid Anemone.—These are delightful flowers for cutting purposes m early summer. Plant now in well prepared soil and place the roots three inches deep. Both doiil-, c- -i (I single varieties should be chosen, and there are numerous telling shades of colour. They may also be raised from seeds. B -.j t i f -c d er. A Beautiful Sea Lavender. — Statice suworowi is a great success in the garden when the ssoeds are sown in a greenhouse during February. By t h I. method much larger and taller spikes are secured than when g iven ordinarv annual treatment. Plant in warm sunny positions outside dur- ing May. If cut during August or early September, the -osy-pink flower spikes may be cut and dried for winter deooration as one does everlasting flowers. Begonia Gloire do Lorraine. Plants which are dowdy may be cut back, in order to induce the formation of cuttings from near the base of the stems. If bug has HOW TO PRUNE BEGONIA. GLOIRE DE L0R3AINE FOR CUTTINGS. Cut to the bars, and young shoots will be produced at A and B. gained a footing, the bare stems may be washed clean. In any case, tobacco powdei? dusted on them will be beneficial in destroy- ing insects, especially the white thrips, which is so harmful. Clematis.—Failure to grow tha large- flowered clematis successfully is frequently due to lack of pruning. It seems a pity to cut back a jjromising young clematis jack- manii which has made shoots five or six feet- long over a veranda or trellis. Half this at least should be cut away, and when the plants have covered the allotted space, do not hesitate each year to cut back the young growths to within one foot of the old wood. Hard pruning pays in the develop- ment of increased quantities of blossoms in autumn. All the jackmanii and viticella clematis should be hard pruned, while the lanuginosa section, which includes beauty of Worcester, Lurd Neville, Fairy Queen, and La France, flowers more freely when pruned fairly hard. The florida varieties, such as Duchess of Edinburgh and Belle of Woking, only require the thin and straggly shoots shortened, as also do the beautiful patens section. Antirrhinum.—Sometimes treated as a biennial, it is preferable for summer bed- ding to grow the snapdragon or antirr- hinum as a half-hardy annual, sowing the seeds in a heated greenhouse in February and planting outside during May. The plants thus treated flower freely from July until October. The snapdragon is very easy to grow and thrives in most eoils and situa- tions. There are three distinct sections, divided according to the height the plants grow: Tall border, three feet; intermediate or bedding. It feet; and Tom Thumb varie- ties, half foot. These are valuable for edg- ing. In each of these sections seeds of some dozen distinct shades of coiour can be pur- chased separately. # Pruning Wall Trees.—It will be necessary to get this work finished. A little extra care A FAN-TRAINED TRBK. I A, half pruned; B. half unpruned; a, old spurs; b, spurs to which last season's growth has been cut. in laying in and nailing the new growths of fan-trained trees will be well repaid in the after-appearance of the trees. < » The Week's Work.-Ed-ings which are getting tall and overgrown should be lifted. The ground should be dug thoroughly and made firm, and the plants divided, selecting the smaller divisions with roots for replant- ing. Plant securely and evenly against the perpendicular sides of firm trenches, letting the plants touch one another. Deep trench- ing and the application of a liberal supply of rotten manure is essential for sweet peas. Bonemeal should also be worked into the surface spits, together with a little tioot and wood ashes. Sow antirrhinum seeds in boxes or pans of compost formed of equal parts of loam, leaf soil, and sand. Cover the seed but slightly with fine soil. A temperature of from OOdeg. to 65deg. is necessary for germination. Complete the pruning of out- door vines. Main rods established 2ft. apart are the best, the spurs being not les3 than 1ft. apart. Prune the laterals to two buds. and wash the reds with a solution of soft soap and sulphur, working it well into all crevices. Young shoots of apricots which were pinched in summer should be shortened back to two buds, these eventually forming fruit buds. Shorten back long, ungainly spurs and lay in any well-ripened growths for which there is room, without shorten- ing, except to a single wood bud. Carry out the pruning and regulating of outdoor wall trees now. The most prolific growths are the well-ripened shoots of a previous year's growth. These may be laid in thinly, cut- ting out any old branches which are useless. When the tomato seed germinates, the pots must have a light position to avoid the seedlings becoming drawn. As soon as strong enough, pot singly or several round the edges of small pots. Sink the stems to the seed leaf, give warmth, and do not over- water. it • Jerusalem Artichokes.-These are despised in some quarters, but all the same they are most serviceable. Ground for them should be well worked and manured, and tubers may be put in at any time when the weather is favourable for planting. The white variety is preferable to the old purple. < < < Pears on Walls.—Fan-trained and espalier pears on walls should be pruned during fine weather. In the case of young trees, shorten back the main growths to a length of 18in. until the wall space is filled, but the side growths must be pruned to within three buds of their base. Encourage young growths in old trees, and cut away old and worn-out spurs by degrees.

The promotion of Lieutenant-Generals Sir James Willcocks and Sir Herbert C. 0 Plumer to generals has been gazetted. Speaking at Eastbourne, the Rev. E. T. Greenshiel, a Canadian missionary, said his parishioners in BaSinland had just heard that there is a war. Mr. Donald Macmaster, K.C., M.P., who lost his only eon in the fighting in France, has sent out through his Chertsey con- j stituents an "S. S. S." signal-" Save. Serve, and Sacrifice."

THE ZEPPELIN RAID. — OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF ACTUAL DAMAGE. On Fridav night the Press Bureau issued the fallowing communication "With respect to the official German statements relating to the recent raid in England, the War Office announces that the damage to industrial cr commercial estab- lishments was as follows: "Serious damage was done to three breweries, three railway sheds, one engine shed, one tube' factory, one lamp factory, and one blacksmith's shop. "Minor damage—such as the shattering of glass and doors—occurred at a munition factory, at ironworks in two places, a crane factory, a harness factory, a railway grain shod, a colliery, and a pumping station. "No docks, no granaries, munition facto- ries, or industrial establishments of any "IIrt other than those mentioned were damaged. "Some fifteen houses of working-class people were demolished, and a large number of small shops and dwelling-houses were in- jured, some seriously and many slightly. "The latest returns of casualties show: — "KILLED. "26 Men, 28 Women, and 7 Children. "INJURED. "48 Men, 48 Women, and 7 Children. "It is not proposed in future to issue detailed statements of this character, as it is inadvisable to give information to the enemy as to the results of their air attacks. On the occasion of this raid, however, in which the largest number, so far, of air- ships have been employed, this statement cf the damage done is given in order to show how unfounded is the claim that the economic life of Great Britain, or its military preparations, can be appreciably affected by promiscuous bomb-dropping from air-ships wandering over the country in the dark. In the twenty-nine raids—great and small —that have taken place over Great Britain since the war began, 133 men (of whom seventeen were soldiers), ninety women, and forty-three children have been killed; but when it is remembered that in the Lusi- tania alone 1,198 persons were drowned, tho Zeppelin raids, as a means of murdering nnocent civilians, must be comparatively disappointing to thpir nrnmnbra FOUR DERBYSHIRE VICTIMS. Inquests were held in Derbyshire nu Saturday on four victims of the raid. The.se men, with a iffth, were working together, and a bomb killed three outright, and in- jured one so terribly that he died three days later, whilst the survivor was rendered tem- porarily unconscious. A foreman at the works where they were employed stated that on Monday night all lights were ordered to be turned out, but later they were turned up again. Some little time afterwards the witness heard a couple of bombs explode in the distance, whereupon the lights were immediately put out again. There was a short interval, and then seven or eight bombs fell in quick succession. A fellow-workman of the deceased men said they were all five working together. Buzzers were blown earlier in the evening, warning everyone that enemy aircraft were about. When the Zeppelin came later he could hear the engines quite plainly, but could see nothing. When bombs commenced falling in the distance they all ran for safety. A bomb dropped about half a dozen yards away from the group. Witn<?ss had started running in the opposite direction, and was knocked down by the force of the explosion, but was not injured. The jury found that the men were killed by a bomb from a German Zeppelin, and recommended that in present circumstances it would be better if the chief constable had control of the whole district in regard to lighting. so that responsibility should be not be divided. They added an expression of their sympathy with the relatives of the victims of one of the most murderous and dastardly outrages the country had ever witnessed. ANOTHER GERMAN LIE. I On Monday the Secretary of the Ad- I miralty made the following announcement: "In the German wireless message to-day the "Kolnische Ieitung" reports that from the Dutch frontier it has received informa- tion that on the occasion of the recent air raid to this country his Majesty's ship Caro- line was struck by a bomb, in the Humber, and sunk, with great loss of life. "Neither his Majesty's ship Caroline nor any other of his Majesty's ships, nor any merchant ship, large or small, was struck by a bomb, in the ITumber, nor in any other port.

MOTHER AND SON DROWNED. I At an inquest at Broadstairs on the bodies of Mrs. Emily Hickens and her son, Charles Umber, found drowned together, the chief witness was the boy Arthur Umber, aged seven. He said his mother bought some oranges and chocolates for them at Broad- stairs, and they started to go home to Rams- gate. He and his brother wanted to go on a tram, but his mother took them on the sands. When it got dark his mother- said. "Run on in front. Arthur," and he did so, although he was not cold, and had never been told to do so before. He noticed no change in his mother's conduct, and she was kind to them. He played with his brother going to Broad-sfairs, but it was too dark going home. He never heard his mother call him, and at last he lay down and slept in the rain near Ramsgate Pier. It was stated that Mrs. Ilickens and her husband had held Government situations on an island asylum for lepers and lunatics in Africa, Mrs. Hiekens coming to England when her husband went to the front. The jury returned an open verdict of "Found drowned."

I MUNITION WORKERS' EXEMPTION. It is officially announced that the Minister of Munitions, in consultation with the Ad- miralty and the Army Council, has made arrangements for the exemption of men holding official badges and men employed in certain occupations. Under these arrangements a certificate issued in connection with a War Service badge granted by the Admiralty, War Office, or Ministry of Munitions, and duiy held on March 1, will be recognised as a certificate of exemption from military ser- vice under the Act. In addition, any man whose principal and usual occupation is included in a list certi- fied by the Ministry vi, Iinportiut for tli-3 supply or transport of munition* will be aide to obtain, on application to a local Tribunal, a certificate of exemption. A copy of this list, with a note for the guidance of em- ployer. will shortly be sent by the Ministry of Munition", to ftrm., to whom badges hav. been issued. Copies will also be sent to any employer on application to the Ministry of Munitions, Badge Department,' 29, Abing- don-street, S.W.

I LADY AUBREY-FLETCHER DEAD. Lady Aubrey-Fletcher, widow of Sir H. Aubrey-Fletcher. Bt., former member for the Lewes Division, died on Saturday at her Sussex residence, Ham Manor, Angmering. In the summer of 1914 she received from the Grand Council of the Primrose League its jubilee star on the completion of twenty-five yeare' tenure of the office of Dame President of the Angmering Habitation of the League.

A young Scottish soldier, Alexander Hunter, D.C.M., who has been five times invalidei home with dangerous wounds and discharged from the Army as unfit, has re- enlisted in the Mechanical Transport Ser- vice. An unusual case of self-denial has been reported to the Lambeth Guardians. All 'the Poor Law staff declined the customary allowance of five shillings per head for Christmas extras, and the board expressed Warm, appreciation of their patriotic action. t

lOUR CHILDREN'S CORNER. I BY I UNCLE RALPH. I THE GOLLIWOG'S REVENGE. The baby golliwog was tired of being treated as if ho were of no importance at all. They threw him about just as' if he'd been a ninepin, or the cloth rabbit, who was quite a bloodless person! And onoe they left him out in the rhubarb bed all night. So that was why the baby golliwog waited for his revenge. One night, after they had been worse to him than usual, he slipped off and told his aunt. His aunt's name was Gargle. She had a game leg and a voice like a gander. It was half-past-fairy time, and aU the children were asleep. They woke up to hear a strange noise coming up the stairs. It- came nearer and nearer. They all sat up in bed and listened. Only no one but the baby golliwog knew what it was. It was hii Aunt Gargle's game leg. There was a very bright moon that night. so that when the door creaked open and Aunt Gargle stumped into the room, they could see quite plainly what she was like. She. was fat and black and ugly, and directly she saw the children, she began to cackle at them ganderishly. Then, one by one. she snatched them out of bed. They began to scream with fright. "Wark! WlTk! Wark!" cackled Aunt Gargle, as she took a big birch rod from under her cloak. Fortunately, just at that moment, nurse, who heard the screams, came running along the passage. Aunt Gargle did not wait to be caufritf. With a fearful cackle she sprang right through the window, glass and all. <:> And the horrid baby golliwog sat smiling on the bed. WHEX MOTHER GOES OUT. We have such games when mother's out, And fun—my word, you ought to be With us when we pretend to pack And -end a fortnight by the sea. Or else we play a round of calls In mother's scarf and father's hat; Or Toby's ill and lies in bed. (He very soon gets tired of that!) The sofa is a splendid coach, Though accidents do make a muss. Then mum comes home, and she pretendfl That bed's the only place for us! THE WISE WOMAN'S WHITE RATS. Even the geese said: Do not go near her! Bat Donald would not mind what they said. He wanted to see the Wise Woman's white rats. When he got quite close to her house, he crept softly up to one of the windows and peeped in. Donald could not see the Wise Woman where she sat, but she could see him very well indeed. And she went creeping round the room in the deep shadow of the wall. So when the Wise Woman stole up on tiptoe behind and grabbed him, he had no time to run away. The Wise Woman held him tight and smiled. "I have such beautiful tame white rats," she said. When Donald heard about the rats, he stopped struggling. The Wise Woman led him into her house, and up the stairs. "And this is the room where they live," she said, as she pushed him gently into it, and locked the door. And the room was full of the white rats. They came swarming all round him at once. And one very big rat bit him suddenly in the j leg. Donald shouted and shook him off. But this only made the other rats all the angrier. From all the corners of the room he saw them running towards him. He cried out at the top c-f his voice, and beat upon the door. Then he ran to the window, and pulled it open. It was a long way to the ground but Donald knew that it was his only chance. And again he felt a rat nip him in the leg. He scrambled out of the window and dropped. He heard the rats squealing through the open window. He heard the W ise Woman rush to open the door. He ran as he had never run before. As he rushed wildly home, the geese all cried out in triumph: "We told you so!" TURNING THE TABLES. I Paul was always in mischief. Nearly every day his teacher had to punish him for some trick or other, and, although he was the biggest boy in his class, Paul was at the very bottom of it, because he would not learn his lessons well. What was worse, very often he kept other boys from learning theirs too, for they would watch Paul in- stead of their teacher. One day Paul came into the room where two of his schoolfellows were reading. "Such fun!" he cried. I've found old Brown's gown and cap, and I've brought them here. He will be so cross when he can't find them At first Paul hid them under a desk, then thought it would be a great joke to dress up as Mr. Brown, who was his teacher. "Hold out your hand, Jack!" he said, when he had put on cap and gown. "I've found the cane as well, and I'll show you how Brown whacks me." Jack was not very eager to play at this game, but he held out his hand, and Paul, imitating his master's squeaky voice.: re- peated the scolding given to him that very morning for playing during lesson time. Paul thought it great fun, but he jumped in alarm when he heard the real Mr. Brown say: ?-"I am glad you remember what I told you. Paul dropped the cane, and was going to take off his cap when he was stopped by the master, who had been watching Paul a prank. "No; you can go on with your game," lie said, "and I will be your pupil. You may give me a history leeson." This was not quite Paul's idea of play, but as Mr. Brown was seated at a desk, waiting, he tried to make the best of it. He remembered the history questions he must answer for homework, and thought it » good idea to let Mr. Brown do them for him. But when Paul began to speak, Mr. Brown started to scribble a little note, which he tried to pass on to Jack without being seen by Paul. So Paul rapped with the cane for attention, and began again, but this time his big pupil took out a knife and sharpened a pencil. Again Paul put his question in a very loud voice, and Mr. Brown looked up and said: I beg your pardon, sir; I'm sorry but I didn't hear what you said." Once more Paul eplained, but now Mr. Brown took from his pocket some small paper pellets, and flicked them at Jack and Ted. Then Paul stopped and grew red and ashamed, as he understood that Mr. Brown was behaving just as he did every day m school. "I'm—I'm sorry, sir," he said meekly- Mr. Brown laughed, and patted the boy 8 shoulder. "You will remember this game when I km the teacher again, won't you?" he said kindly. And Paul did.

A stimulus has been given to rural re- cruiting in the Toronto district by the per- mission granted to enlisted farmers and their sons to return to their land for the spring ploughing and seeding. At a meeting of the Lambeth Guardians it was announced that Mr. Burrows, the workhouse organist, who is now on active service, had been mentioned in despatchea for distinguished conduct in the field. .t .i I," '(