Abergavenny Chronicle

CALL ON VOLUNTEERS. Brigadier-General Sir Eric Swavne, In- spector of Recruiting in the Northern Com- mand, speaking at a Volunteer Training £ orps meeting, said that the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, bad power to call up the Volunteers under a new regulation, and he intended to do so, some two or three hundred men being wanted at once.

► = OUR LONDON LETTEL [Yrmn Ow- Special Corrttpondtn/J It has been a very simple matter after all. Considering the matter beforehand one imagined all sort.; of difficulties and com- plications involved in putting everything forward by one hour. But from all one can learn, nobody has been put to any trouble at all, except those v/ho-e duty it was to sit up to make the necessary alteration in the time of public clock-. When one thinks of the enormous econom ies and thj benefit to the public health v. Inch irai-t follow from the ^adoption of "summer time," one may fairly say that never were such beneficial and far-reaching so simply and easily. It is remarkable to notice how soon people have fallen it,t, the new time. Breakfast on the first morning may have seemed rather early, but by mid-day new time had already become the normal condition of affairs. And in the evening there was the priceless boon of an extra hour of daylight. Thousands of people in the parks on that first night had hearts full of gratitude to Mr. Willett, the in- vestor of the daylight saving idea, who did not live to see his proposal enthusiastically acclaimed. "The mass of women in Great Britain are weari-ig the clothes of 1914." This remark- able assertion is made by Mr. H. G. Wells in an article in the "Daily News." It may be true, for all I know, with regard to Great Britain, excluding London, but, so far as my observation goes, it certainly is not true of the mass of women in London. It is clear, however, that Mr. Wells was including London in his survey, for he refers to the "occasional drifting" through "the austere bustle of London in war time" of lonely freaks who are dressed in the fashion of a later date than 1914. Well, I can only say that the freaks seem to me to be largely in the majority, even though they may not be quite so freakish in appearance as "The Army Contractor's Only Daughter" described by Mr. Wells. During some hours spent in the West-End on Saturday after- noon I saw precious few women "wearing the clothes of 1914." There is, of course, the rather important point to be borne in mind, that the clothes of 1014 are mostly worn out by this time. Mr. Jowett, Labour member for West Bradford, is dearly not of Mr. Wells's opinion, or he would not have asked the Home Secretary to put a ban on wide skirts. According to Mr. Jowett, to make a skirt in the present fashion takes two and a half yards more material than was required in the davs before the war. Mr. Jowett and the Woolcombers' Union consider this to be waste, and would have it saved, even though a step backward in the fashions had to be taken. Another reason for the application was that if the extra material were not re- quired there would be smaller demand for women's nightwork in the woolcombing sheds. Mr. Jowett, recognising, no doubt, that to ask one man to deal so drastically with the decrees of fashion was a pretty large order, suggested that the Home Secre- tary might obtain the assistance of the President of the Board of Trade and the War Savings Committee; but even so Mr. Herbert Samuel, though he says the Govern- ment is most anxious to discourage extrava- gance of every kind, is not prepared to undertake the job. We have now an Air Board. It is not, we are told, an Air Ministry, though there would not appear to be very much in t It-- name, considering that the president of the new board, Earl Curzon, is in the Cabinet, and will probably be called the Air Minister, The dttties of the board are to be advisory. It will di-cuss general air policy, plan com- bined rr: IDS, discuss and recommend types of machines, and prevent competition between the services. The board will consist of mili- tary and naval representatives—a member of the Board of Admiralty and a member of the Army Council, with one other represen- tative cf each service. Another member of the board is to be chosen for independent administrative experience. Lord Sydenham is to be the first occupant of this seat. The last seat is to be filled by a Parlia- mentary representative of the other House from that in which the President sits. Major Baird is the first selection. There has been some criticism with regard to the president of the board. It is objected that Earl Curzon has no practical knowledge of the science of aviation. But he has great ability, energy, and driving power, and he will, of course, have the assistance of ex- perts. No doubt most objectors to the proposal to issue Premium Bonds take the ground that it is a gamble, and that the State ought to have no part in such a thing. It is true that those who subscribed would not lose their money, the alternatives being a com- paratively low rate of interest or a remote chance oi winning a big money prize. In ordinary lotteries, unless a prize is won, the amount subscribed is entirely lest. The Pre- mium Bonds proposal is therefore a very dif- ferent pair of shoes; but those who object on principle to gambling, object to it alto- gether, even though, as in this case, only the interest of the money is in question. But there is another ground as well, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, while he takes the objection that gambling is bad for the people, and that the State ought not to en- courage them in the hope to make money without work, a lso advances the opinion that Premium Bonds would bring in. very little more money than is being obtained now by legitimate means. He thinks that little or nothing would be gained by such a scheme, and that it is not worth while incurring the cost or taking the risk of adopting such a scheme. All financiers are not of the same opinion, but it is only fair to say that a very considerable weight of expert authority supports Mr. McKenna. There is, I suppose, something to be said for a drink which makes you smile but does not make you silly. That is the handsome testimonial given 'v one who has sampled the non-alcoholic beer recommended to his Majesty's lieges by the Boari of Liquor Control. Beer substitutes have generally been regarded with lofty scorn by beer- drinkers, but it seems that this new drink has been accorded quite a friendly recep- tion. It may be sold, of course, during the hours when the sale of intoxicating liquors is prelibit.ed, and it is already a serious competitor for "drv gingers" and "small lemons. A. E. M.

BE MEDICALLY EXAMINED. The Secretary of the War Office makes the following announcement:- "It is notified for general information that unattested men who desire can, by ap- pointment. be medically examined by the medical board at the headquarters of the recruiting area in which they reside.

LANCASHIRES' HEROISM IN FIERCE FIGHT FOR CRATERS. In a despatch to the "Daily Chronicle" Mr. Philip Gibbs tells the stirring story of the fight for the Vimy Ridge craters on the night of May 15-18, when an important posi- tion was gained. From the lips of the craters which had been formed by the ex- plosion of enemy mines, the Germans could direct accurate fire upon our lines, and had great advantages of observation. It was therefore determined to thrust him back from those positions. An elaborate system of mine galleries was built with astounding rapidity, and tre- mendous charges of high explosives were made read v to blow in the German craters. Every man in the assaulting parties was thoroughly rehearsed in his task, the organi- sation of the attack was minutely planned, and nothing was left to chance except the inevitable touch of luck which must always be hoped for at 6uch a time. It was on the evening of May 15, after two days of wet and cloudy weather pre- venting the enemy's observation, that our heavv artillery fired a short number of rounds to send the Germans into their dug- outs. A few minutes later the right group of mines exploded with a terrific roar, and blew in two J. of the five old German craters. After the long rumble of heaving earth had been stilled there was just time enough to hear the staccato of a German machine gun. Then there was a second roar, and a wild upheaval of soil when the left group of mines destroyed two more of the German craters, and "knocked out the machine-gun. The moment for the infantry attack had come, and the men were ready. The first to get away were two lieutenants of the Loyal North Lancashires, who rushed for- ward with their assaulting parties to the remaining crater on the extreme left which had not been blown up. With little opposi- tion the assault succeeded, and was followed up immediately by working parties, who built up bombing posts with earth and sand- bags on the crater lip and began to dig out communication trenches leading to them. The assaulting parties of the Lancashire Fusiliers were away at the first signal, and were attacking the other groups of craters under heavy fire. The enenn- had been thrown into a state of nerves, not without reason, because the explosion of the mines had killed and wounded a large number of his men, and through the darkness there rang out the cheers of masses of men who.were out for blood. Through the darkness there now glowed a scarlet light, flooding all that tur- moil of earth and men with a vivid red illu- mination, as flare after flare rose high into the sky from several points of the German line. Later the red lights died down, and thgn other rocketa were fired, giving a green light to this scene of war. The German gunners were now at work in answer to those beacons of distress, and with every calibre of gun from howitzers to minenwerfers they shelled our front lines for two hours. They were too late to stop the success of the assaulting troops, who were fighting in the craters against groups of German bombers, who tried to force their way up to the rescue of a position already lost. One officer leading the assault on one of the craters on the right was killed very quickly, but his men were not checked, and with individual resolution and initiative, with the usual grit of the Lancashire man in a tight place, fought on, and won their pur- pose. Reinforcements of men and bombs were sent up as soon as they were called for, and all the preliminary organisation was justified by the machine-like way in which it now worked. TWO YOUNG HEROES. I Machine-like, yet depending utterly upon the individual strength of soul, a second lieutenant, a very noble young officer, fell dead from a bullet wound after he had directed his men to their posts from the lip of a new mine-crater, as coolly as though he were a master of ceremonies in a Lancashire ball-room. Another second lieutenant, a champion bomb-thrower, with a range of forty vards. flung his hand-grenades at the enemy with untiring skill and with a cheerful contempt of death until he was killed by an answer- ing shot. But the N.C.O.'s took up the command of these two young heroes, and the men "carried on with a quiet and cool resolution which was astonishing at such a time. By 9.30. only an hour after the attack began, the near lips of the two craters on the left centre were firmly held, and the men there had joined up with the Loyal North Lancashires in the. third crater on the extreme left. About half an hour before this the party in the two craters on the right centre had joined up with those in the crater on the right, so that the whole chain was held, on the near side, in spite of the enemy's continued endeavour to bomb out our troops. The fighting men were wonderful as usual. Lancashire will honour her sons. But not less heroic—I would almost dare to say more heroic except that there are no degrees in real courage—were the working parties who followed up the assault to "consolidate" the position. They did amazing things, toiling in the darkness under abominable shell fire, and their labour was life-saving. By daylight they had huilt communication trenches with ample head cover from the crater lips to our front line trenches. It was a superb achievement, and as fine as anything in this war. It is a song of the spade which should be put into a ballad to be learnt by heart.

SNIPING AT THE FRONT. I Speaking at a meeting of the National Rifle Association, Lord Cheylesmore said that he thought that the Germans had shown us what the individual shot could do. Many of our men had been killed by snipers. Colonel Richardson said that at one time our men could not move without risking their lives. Now they had got on an equality with the German sniper. Colonel Langford Lloyd mentioned the case of a battalion of the West Kent Regi- ment in an unsafe trench. The man who showed his head was sniped at once. The officer in charge was keen on sniping and arrangements were made with the result that in four days the men were able to show themselves up to their waists in safety.

RIFLEMAN SCOTT DUCKERS. Rifleman James Scott Duckers, of the Rifle Brigade, the chairman of the Stop-the-War Committee, has been sentenced by a Win- chester court-martial to ninety-eight days' detention for refusing to obey a lawful order given to him while on active service as a soldier. The sentence is the penalty of Rifleman Scott Duckers' refusal to put on military uniform when he was sent into the Army as a conscript.

POPE AND SUBMARINE WARFARE. In the House of Commons, Sir Edward Grey, replving to Mr. Ivor Herbert, said Sir H. Howard (British representative at 1 the Vatican) had informed the British Government that the Vatican had not been in communication with anyone with regard to the possibilities of peace. "We are in- formed from the same source," added Sir Edward Grev, "that the Vatican has made representations to Germany in order to in- duce her to abandon submarine warfare."

I AIRMEN KILLED AT GOSPORT. Two expert flying officers, who were shortly to have left for France, have been killed' in a aeroplane mishap at Gos^ort. Lieutenant Selwyn, of the Royal Frying <ibrps, who was accompanied by Lieutenant Bateman, had reached an altitude of about a thousand feet, when the machine was seen to mak e a nose dive and crash to earth. Both occupants were dead when assistance reached the wrecked machine.

AVERAGE DAILY EXPENDITURE NOW £ 4,820,000. A new Vote of Credit for wns agreed to on Tuesday by the House ot Commons. In moving the Vote, Mr. Asquith stated that it was the eleventh he had moved during the war, the total amount being At the last Vote of Credit on February 21 lie stated that the average daily expenditure out of Votes of Credit had not exceeded £ 4,400.000 per day, and that it was not anticipated that the average daily expenditure would excecd £ 5,000,000 a day. Between April I and May :20, a period of fifty days, the expenditure from the Vote of Credit had been nearly 241 millions. This was a daily average expenditure cf £ 4,820,000. This was the highest avefage yet reached over a consecutive period, and he was sorry to say that the figures showed that the estimate of February last was not overstated to any substantial extent. The main heads of the expenditure since February 21 had been as follows: Army, Navy, and munitions, 149 millions; loans to Allies and Dominions,, 74} millions; food supplies, railways, and miscellaneous purposes, 17! mil- lions. The daily average on the fighting services remained practically the same as in the pre- vious period. The increase had been mainly in loans to the Dominions and the Allies. We could not hope for any sensible diminution in the near future of our expenditure on these loans. The Vote granted on February 21 would last till June 2. As to the present Vote, they could not estimate on a lower daily Tate of ex- penditure than 4J millions. At that rate the Vote would last approximately till the middle of the first week in August. He was confident that it would be made as readily, as gf,-xerouslv and with the same confidence in the justice of our cause and the same belief in its triumphant issue as that which prevailed at the beginning of the war. Mr. Churchill said he regretted that the Prime Minister had not dealt with the strategic situation. It would be unreasonable to expect that the war would turn decisively and sud- denly in our favour at the present time. The rival armies were far too equally matched for that. Dealing with our resources in men, he urged that the best possible use should be made of the men at our disposal for the Army. and that every other possible resource should be simultaneously used to its utmost. This war, like every other great struggle, would be settled bv men. If the Germans were to be beaten decisively they would be beaten by want of men. Our fighting troops did not bear a sufficient proportion to the numbers of our armies in the field. Every measure that could be taken to increase the proportion of rifle strength to ration strength would be as great a net gain to the Army as a similar transfer of new recruits to the fighting strength. In his view the keep- ing of battalions under fighting strength wais pure waste of war power. The Prime Minister had stated that the total military contribution of the Empire in the form of men was five millions. Where were the$e five millions? It was fair to say that thete were about torty-five divisions of Turks and Germans opposed to our troops. At 20,000 a division these amounted to 900,000 men, or a rifle strength of about 500,000 men. That suggested that out of our own five mil- lions we had a large available reservoir. He suggested that every battalion should be raised to 1,200 men. Every endeavour should be made to get the necessary men from those employed behind the line whose work could be equally well done by older or wounded men or natives. There were 250.000 officers ser- vants and grooms who could be replaced by older men and natives. Mr. Churchill suggested that one of the reservoirs from which fighting men could be drawn was the armies in the East—in Egypt and Salonica. What was the aTmv in Salonica doing, and who was it going to get at except the Bulgarians, who did not want to fight it? A great mistake was being made every day these forces were left out of action. They ought to be killing the enemy. Another reservoir he would suggest was Africa. What would the Germans do if the natives of Africa were available? What were the French doing with them? Why should we not utilise them eithr to fight or to do work which would release fighting men? What the French could do we could do. The House went into Committee of Supply, and the Vote was agreed to.

MACAULAY ADAPTED. I If he were asked for a description of what the position ought. to be in English agriculture this summer, said Mr. Acland at the annual meeting of the Women's Farm and Garden Union on Tuesday, he should modify and adapt the well-known lines of Macaulay as follows The harvests of East Anglia This year old maids must reap, This year young boys in Cumberland Must dip the struggling sheep. And in the pails of Lunedale This year thf milk must foam From the white hands of strapping girls, Whose sires are gone from home.

FUTURE TRADE RELATION.. Mr. Arthur Henderson, President of the Board of Education, presiding at the School of Economics on Tuesday at an address by Pro- fessor E. Caiman on the Economic Aspect of World Organisation, said he was not readily going to abandon his economic opinion with regard to trade relations between countries in the future. But whilst not being too willing to part with their traditions, they should not altogether be unprepared to give consideration to any facts that might be brought before them.

BALLOON IN A TREE. i Great excitement was caused in Woolwich and Charlton on luesday by the sudden des- cent of a balloon, apparently owing to a leakage of gas. The balloon drifted over some of the streets of Charlton at so low an altitude that the trail rope dragged on the ground, and when it reached Woolwich the basket narrowly missed the roofs of some houses. The balloon finally dropped on a tree, and was pulled to the ground by a party of soldiers, the occupants being unhurt.

I TRADING WITH THE ENEMY. I For failing to disclose to the Public Trustee debts due to alien enemies, Messrs. G. Ditt- man, Ltd.. aniline dye manufacturers, City- 'road, London, E.C., and Joachim Karspary, now in control of the business, were at Bow- street Police-court, on Tuesdav, each fined JE150. The magistrate said the defendants were liable to penalties amounting to about £ 9,000. Before the war the shareholders of the company were all members of the Dittman family, who are Germans, and the books showed that J2438 was due to German firms.

I 5.000.000- YEROLD PEARL. A pearl, estimated to have been formed 5,000,000 years ago, and said to be the oldest specimen of its kind in the world, has been discovered by Mr. Stanley C. Herold, a Stan- ford student, and will be presented to the Stanford Museum, California. The pearl., and the shell in which it is em- bedded, came to Stanford in a consignment of geologic material from He coast of the State of Washington. According to university autho- rities, the pearl is of little intrinsic value.

I COLLISION DUE TO DUST. I A motor-cvcle ridden by Lieutenant R. G. Jenkins, of 'the Royal Field Artillery, came into collision with an excursion char-a-banc at Cardiff. Lieutenant Jenkins was killed, and his brother, Mr. Nigel Jenkins, who was in a sidecar, was seriously injured. The collision was du to a thick cloud of dust, which prevented Lieutenant Jenkins from seeing the char-a-'MLvru-.

I DRESS OF THE DAY. I A SMART COSTUME. The prolonged coldness of the weather and the tardiness of the spring has given unusual interest to the lightweight coat and skirt. Until the prospects of a warm summer are more assured than they are at present, women are afraid to venture upon cotton frocks, muslin dresses, or other summer gowns, and many of them are in- vesting in a smart little coat and skirt of lightweight materia, which will be quite wearable except in the very warmest weather. These costumes-aro carried out in various materials, such as gabardine, jersey cloth, lightweight suitings and serges, and covert coatings. Nearly all are very simple in style, and depend for their effect upon their excellence of cut and finish. Our sketch shows one of these attractive little models, a smart little costume wiioh. is auit- [Refer to X 703.] able for almost any occasion. This costume is carried out in gabardine in a; particularly nice shade of greyish fawn. The coat wraps well over in front and fastens invisibly. Wide, soft revere and a high collar turn back from the opening; these are faced with white silk jersey cloth. There is a seam under each arm, the back of the coat being developed at each side into a plain strap; these straps fasten in front, being passed through a plain buckle. All the fulnesa of the coat is drawn into the waist in front by these straps. Below the waist the coat is cut with plenty of flare, so that it flutes nicely over the hips. The sleeves are quite plain and are set into a seam at the shoulder. They are finished at the wrist by neat, turn-back cuffs of the material. The edges of the strap-belt in front, the under-arm seams, the cuffs, and the edges of the front are all made neat by a line of machine-stitching. The skirt is quite plain, wide, and distinctly short. It is cut with plenty of flare, is gathered round the waist, aId is finished at the bottom by a very deep hem turned up on the right side. A NEW SPORTS COAT. Acoording to the present dictates of fashion it is no longer "the thing" for any grown-up person to take her walks abroad in even the smartest of skirts and blouses, henoe the value and utility of the sports coat, which will lend itself to several skirts and blouses, and will harmonise with them an. The properly planned sports coat will, I indeed, prove just as valuable for slipping over a washing frock of cotton or linen or muslin as for wear with a skirt and blouse, I [Refer to X 704.] for there is many a day in an English summer when cotton garments would be quite impossible without a little additional warmth. Many women buy a cheap, ready- to-wear sports coat and make it do. But if you are willing to fashion the coat yourself you can have a really good one, of silk if you like, for the price you would pay for a very cheap, ready-made affair. This year- there is an exceptionally good choice of materials suitable for such a purpose, so your ooat, if carefully chosen and planned, should be a great success. The best mate- rials to use are—soft serge, gabardine, woollen jersey, silk jersey, and heavy crepe de Chine; and of all these the jersey fabrics are considered the smartest. Our sketch stows an admirable design for such a coat— new, smart, and practical, and particularly suitable for making up in silk jersey fabric. The coat may be worn open, as in the sketch, or may be closed for greater warmth. The plain, easy fitting sleeves are set into seams at the shoulder, and are simply hemmed at the wrist. The coat is held in by a stitched waist-Wit of the mate- rial, which is passed through straps of tho stuff on each side of the front and the back. I ROMNEY HATS. Among the fashionable hats of the coming summer will be the picturesque and becom- ing Romney model, a hat modelled very closely on those shown in pictures of that famous artist. These hats are usually carried out in fine soft straw, and have wide, droop-* ing brims, beneath which comes a finely* pleated frill of lace. The hat ties beneath the chin with ribbon strings. Paper patterns can be supplied, price 6Jd. When ordering, please quote number, en- close remittance, and address to Miss Lisle, 8, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C. —————————————— <

On his retirement from the position of chairman of the Croydon County Bench, which he had held for twenty-one years, Sir Reuben Barrow was presented with an illuminated address.

BRITISH CHANGE OF COMMAND AT SALONICA. The Secretary of the War Office an- nounces The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief in Egypt reports that our ships, a irplanes, and seaplanes successfully bombarded El Arish, an important post on the enemy line of communications from Syria, to Egypt, on the morning of May 18. The ships bombarded the fort to the south-west of the town, and are believed to have refiiced it to ruins. The aerial attack was divided into two phases. The seaplanes opened the bombardment, being followed later by irplanes. The latter were given orders to engage arv hostile machines and to devote special attention to enemy troops and camps. A column of troops about 1,000 strong were seen south of the town on the march, and three bombs exploded among them. All camps were effectively bombarded. All ships and machines returned safely. The weather conditions during the past week have been abnormal, and intense heat has been experienced both by day and night. Under these conditions the health of the troops remains good. Lieut. General Sir Bryan Mahon, K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O., has assumed com- mand of the western frontier of Egypt,, and Lieut.-General Milne, C.B., D.S.O., is now commanding the British troops at Salonica.

I REV. J. L. DAVIES DEAD. The Rev. John Llewellyn Davies, a well- known scholar and Liberal Churchman, whose death at his Hampstead residence at the age of ninety is announced, was famous as collaborator with Vaughan in the trans- lation of Plato's "Republic." This first appeared in 1852, and has since passed through many editions. After holding curacies in East End parishes Mr. Davies was in 1853 nominated by Lord Palmerston for the vicarage of Christ Church, Mary le bone, and in 187G Queen Victoria appointed him one of her chaplains. He was a personal friend of Frederick Denison Maurice, with whom he had been associated in the establishment in 1854 of the Working Men's College. Mr. Davies was keenly interested in popu- lar education. wqc, & member of the first London School Board, being elected in place of Professor Huxky, and he strove with others while there to effect a friendly settle- ment of religious difficulties. He was for a time Principal of Queen's College, Harley- street, London, W.

I COSTS OF A SMALL DISPUTE. For two and a half days four Lords 01 Appeal in Ordinary have sat in the House of Lords to consider whether there was anj right of action in a dispute about the erec- tion of a hoarding, consisting of an old packing-case, in a Skipton cottage garden, which shut out the light from a window ir an adjoining farmhouse. The farmer's people tore the hoarding down, but it was re-erected, and subse- quently, before the action for an injunctiol came on, the owner of the cottage, a lady, ordered the removal of the hoarding. Coats were awarded against her by Mr Justice Sargant, and the Court of Appea upheld the decision. In the House of Lords where each side was represented by a K.C and a junior, the decision was again againsl the lady. Viscount Haldane said the litigation wai deplorable, and the costs of it would pos- sibly swallow up the value of both properties

I TRANSFER OF WAR PRISONERS, The Foreign Office announces that in con- nection with the agreement with the Ger- man Government for the transfer to Switzerland of British and German wounded ar invalid combatant prisoners of war, whose di. abilities do not bring- them within the scope of the agreement for repatriation, the decision whether an officer or man ia eligible to transfer to Switzerland rests with medical boards on which Swiss medical opinion will be largely represented. The Boards will visit all the camps where British or German combatant prisoners of war are interned, and prisoners will have the right to present themselves before the Board. It will not be possible to bring individual cases to the notice of the Boards.

I CARS STOLEN FOR JOY RIDES. During the hearing at Marlbcrough-streei Police-court of a charge against a youth ol eighteen, named Walter A. E. Oliver, oi stealing three valuable motor-cars, Mr. Pau] Taylor, the magistrate, put this question to Inspector Carlin: "About how many motor- cars are stolen in the West-End during a week? The inspector replied, "About four a week. They are mostly recovered, being taken for joy rides and then abandoned in the streets." Oliver pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard la bour. The collective value of. the three cars he stole was £ 370. ————— —————.

I ROSE FROM THE RANKS. Major Edgar R. Mobbe, the famous Rugby international, has been promoted lieutenant-colonel, to command the 7th Northamptonshire Regiment. His application for a commission at the outbreak cf war was rejected on account of his age. Ho then raised a company of the 7th Northampton, joining himself as a pri- vate. Ho was promoted lieutenant shortly afterwards, and before the regiment left for the Front he held the rank of captain. After Loes w here the regiment suffered severely, he received his majority. He has been in temporary command of the regiment for three months.

I WAITERS SENT TO PRISON. At Folkestone Police-court, two Italian waiters, Carlo Bonfanti and Adolpho Cavallina, who had been employed at the Grand Hotel, on the Leas, were sentenced to three months' hard labour and recommended 1'01' deportation on a charge of making and publishing statements likely to cause dis- affection. It was alleged that specimens of a paper called the "Voice of Labour" were posted on walls in the town at midnight.

A mural monument to the late Rear- Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock, who perished with his ship, the Good Hope, in the naval battle off the coast of Chili on November 1, 1914, will be unveiled in York Minster on June 16 by the Marquis of Zet- land. A beerhouse keeper was fined S50 at Llandaff for supplying drink to wounded troops and defying the Liquor Control Order. Fifteen members of the Bulgarian Sob- ranje have arived at Kiel, where the com- mandant, according to the Eie?rzeitung," promptly introduced them to the German Imperial Grand Fleet," and also to Prince Henry.

If boots or shoes are too long, put a small piece of sponge into the toes. >=> To make rusty irons smooth, rub them while hot with a piece of beeswax tied in a cloth and then upon a clot-i sprinkled with salt. A piece of cloth dipped in spirits of wine and rubbed on soiled leather will remove all discolouration. Egg shells crushed, and shaken into a stained glass bottle, which is half filled with water, will clean it nicely. To give silver and plate a bright and lasting polish rub it with a piece of crumpled tissue paper after cleaning. The task of keeping the stove clean will be greatly lightned if all grease spots are rubbed off with a newspaper while the range is still hot. All household pans should be kept on shelves made of strips of wood, so that plenty of air can get to them. This keeps them sweet and fresh for use. Don't slam the oven door after cakes nave once started to rise. A rush of cool air will cause them to sink and make the mixture heavy. ——< ——' I CARPET CLEANING. If you want to clean your carpets, make your own carpet-soap by mixing half an ounce of finely-shredded soap (use up the bits too small for anything else as well) with a small lump of soda, a tablespoonful of liquid ammonia, and half a pint of boiling water. Stir this well together, then brush over the carpet, using a small nail-brush dipped in the soap liquid and going over the whole a small piece at a time. Dry each little portion as you finish scrubbing, rub- bing it with a dry clean duster. This makes the colour bright and fresh, and the carpet looks like a new one. I SCRATCHES ON VARNISH. If the varnish is only slightly scratched— that is, when the scratches ar-j not very deep—they may be entirely removed by applying a little boiled linseed-oil on a cloth. Deeper scratches, while not being re- moved, may be made to look far less con- spicuous by the same process. Boiled lin- seed-oil may be obtained from all oil and colourmen, and will cost about twopence for half a pint. I To WASH AN EIDERDOWN QUILT. First see whether there are any places where the stitching has given way. and mend any which may be found. Now soak the quilt in clean, soft water for half an hour. Then rinse and wash it, changing the water very often, in more fresh and clean water, cold. Use no soap at all. Now shake well and hang it out to dry. As it dries, take it down, open, and shake well again and again. Do not put it through the wringer, but per- severe with shaking and drying on the clothes line until the quilt becomes full and soft-looking again. I WTINDOW CLEANING. To prevent windows getting dull after they have been cleaned add a few drops of kerosene to the water and clean in the ordi- nary manner. The windows will keep much cleaner and have a crystal appearance; they will take a little longer to polish. Another way is to clean them in the ordinary way, and then take a clean, soft, dry duster and some common whiting (dry), and polish the windows brisky on both sides. This procesa will entirely remove the blue dullness, and will give the windows a clear, sparkling ap- pearance, which is desirable. When quite finished, all traces of the whiting should be carefully removed. A third way is to add a little vinegar to the water, use a wet leather, and polish with a soft dry cloth or leather. Yet another way is to add two tablespoonfuls of liquid ammonia to the water before the windows are cleaned, rub well with a soft duster, and polish with a very soft cloth; the dullness will be pre- vented, and a brilliant polish is certain. I SOME USEFUL RECIPES. BUTTER-BEAN RISSOLES.-Put one pound of butter-beans to soak overnight, and next day cook in the oven till they are a pale brown. Cook one tomato and one onion till soft, then put all through the mincing machine. Put the mixture into a bowl, add one large tablespoonful of flour, salt and pepper to taste, and a saltspoonful of curry- powder, but if not liked, add the same quan- tity of made mustard. Moisten with stock or gravy, form into balls, and roll in bread- crumbs or semolina. In the morning, after the bacon has been fried, put in the rissoles and fry a golden brown. Serve very hot with the bacon. MACARONI PUDDING.—Take two ounces of macaroni, wash it and break it into half- inch lengths. Put a pint of milk, one ounce of sugar, and the peel of half a lemon-into a saucepan and bring them slowly to the boil. When boiling, remove the peel, drop in the macaroni, and simmer till it is tender, which will take about half an hour. A little more milk can be added should it all boil away before the macaroni is cooked. Let it cool. Then beat up an egg and stir it in, pour into a buttered piedish and bake for about ten minutes in a slow oven. VEGETABLE Soup.-Take one pound of potatoes, half a turnip, half a parsnip, two onions, and cut into dice after washing and peeling. Put the vegetables in a saucepan with two quarts of water, and boil for one hour, then rub them through a strainer, and return to the saucepan. Stir a dessertspoon- ful of flour into half a pint of milk, add it to the soup, and boil for five minutes, then put in one ounce of butter and it is ready to serve. GINGERBREAD.—Mix together three break- fastcupfuls of flour, one of wholemeal, one of Demerara sugar, into which an ounce of ground ginger has been sifted. Melt half a pound of lard, butter, or dripping, add one pound of treacle, stir together over the fire till well mixed, then add to the dry ingre- dients. Dissolve a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda in half a pint of milk, and add to the rest. Place in well-greased tins. and bake in a slow oven for two hours. These quantities are sufficient to make three tin loaves. OVEN SCONES.—Mix one pound of flour with three teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one and a half teaspoonfuls of bicarbonate cf soda, and two ounces of caster sugar. Th.u rub in two ounces of butter, and mix to n stiff dough with half a pint of milk. Divide into four, brush over with the yoke of an egg, a teaspoonful of milk, and a iittlo sugar, mixed together, to brown. Bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. To STEW COWHEBL.—Clean and split tho foot, boil it for four hours in water, to which add one-fourth of vinegar, two onions, a bunch of parsley, a bay leaf, and, if handy. a thin slice of lean ham, also a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper. When done, take up the heel and bone it. Put in a stewpan 2o/ of butter, or butter substitute, rubbed into flour, and let it dissolve, stirring and min- ing with it by degrees half of the liquor in which the heel was boiled and a tablespoon- ful of mushroom ketchup, or a good store sauce. When these are well blended, put in the heel and let it stew gently for a quarter of an hour, drain the heel, thicken the sauca with the yolk of an egg, add a tablespoonful of lemon juice. Dish, and serve,

Albert Ebenezer Fox, one of the Steven- age twins, against whom there were 101 convictions, was sent to prison for a month for stealing fowls. A verdict of "Suicide during temporary insanity" was returned at an inquest held at Stony Stratford on Mrs. W. H. Bull, wife of Colonel W. H. Bull, F.R.C.S., honorary surgeon to the King and director of V.A.D. hospitals in the Southern Com- mand. Mrs. Bull had been depressed since the loss of one of her sons, recently killed in action.