Abergavenny Chronicle

IN THE POULTRY YARD. I BY COCKCROW. I A NEW SEASON'S HINTS. I The poultry season has commenced, and from now onwards keepers of birds will N kept very busy. To say that the season w< have just entered upon will be as eagerly looked to as has been the case in othei years would be the limit of the ridiculous, for the war has played havee with the in- dustry, and a point has now been reached when many are having to give up under the ever-increasing burden. The greatest diffi- culty that has been experienced is that of food. The prices are so high, the quantity so reduced, and the qualities so much lesa than they used to be that many have found it impossible to continue. If, however, you can carry on," do so, for when the wat ends (and who can tell how near or how far this is?), better days are bound to come. The poultry season, therefore, having com- menced, it is our intention this week to devote our notes, in the main, on a few hints suitable for the occasion. There are } items which occur in the course of a season on which some enlightenment may be needed, or some items which, although known, may have slipped the memory. These notes may serve both purposes, and they are, at least, written with the inten- tion of giving advice which will prove of use to poults-keepers. For first-class results first-class birds are necessary. In these days it is extravagant I FiltST-CLAS.3 BIRDS. to lEeCp any out tne oest I birds. Many keepers have fowlS that they know are defective, but they keep I struggling atod trying with them in tne nope j that they will improve. Such a plan is a j bad one. Start with birds of. hign quality. Before you purchase them find out their breed and pedigree. See that they come from parents whi6h have possessed good reputations. Don't buy "a pig in a poke," for the chances are you will be disappointed. Purchitde your stock from a dealer with a good rej>iit»tk>n, átki do hot allow them to thrust juat what they like on you. Do not purchase a bird because jt cheap, for you will do much; better fey paying a little more for another that you can depend upon. Next to first-class birds the greatest essen- tial to successful pouttry-keeping is good FIBST-CLASS HOUSBS, houses. Without them you I cannot expect your stock to prove profitable, for the I birds will not enjoy good I health, and unices they do the egg yield will be very small; therefore, pay X." .p at- teation to thb houses and runs. The wood used for the building must be well-seasoned. It must also be waterproof and damp-proof. The best plan is to build it against a wall. The roof should be sloping, with a tarred felting cover. The house must be properly ventilated, but at the same time it must be kept free from draughts. Let the Boor be of concrete, or better still, of wood. The former strikes cold, and therefore wood is to be preferred. The perches should be of various heights, and at least three should be put up in eivery house. Otherwise it means llll the fowls crowding on to the one perch. Scrupulous cleanliness must be observed. The houses and runs should be limewashed not les than three times a year. Dirty houses means dirty birds, and dirty birds means unhealthy birds. Sprinkle the floor liberally with sand, and in the house supply a good amount of hay or straw. The run should be built as long as pos- sible, for if the birds have not the fields to t_ i AV LL- WHEN BUILDING A RTJX. roam auoui mere to iuv I danger of them being de- prived of exercise. With- I out exercise the birds grow lazy and fat, and thus the egg-banket will only be half instead of com- pletely filled. The floor of the run shonJd I E of earth, for in this the birds can scratch. i 1k sure that the ground on which the run is, built ia not damp, for if it is the birds ,will find a dry spot and congregate too closely. In this way they become subject to disease. The run must be well drained. All mud and filth should be removed, other- wise the hens will become useless, and thus you will be keeping them at a loss, where- as, if managed on proper lines, they should bring in profit even in these difficult times. Unless the birds breathe good pure air they cannot thrive. Care, however, must PROPER VENTILATION. be taken in providing it. I Many keepers in their de- sire to allow the birds fresh I air make their houses draughty. This is as disastrous as no air at all. Arrange the ventilation so that there are no direct draughts, but an easy circula- tion carrying out the poisoned sy air and supplying in its place fresh, sweet, pure air. It is best to make round holes in the side of the house near the roof. In this way fresh air can get in, but it does not ailow a draught to reach the birds. If a strong current blows in it is over the heads of the birds, and thus does no harm. Some keepers make the hole near the ground, but this is a Very wrong thing to do. The current of air blows straight at tne birds, and if any- thing is dangerous to birds it is draught. When too many fowls are kept upon the land tainted soil nearly always follows (says DON'T OVER- STOCK YOUR LAND. "The Smallholder "). No evil must be guarded against more strenuously than this, for liver disease, gapes, tuberculosis, and various otner complaints are more often than not traeeable to foul soil. The ques- tion is being continually asked as to the number of fowls that one may keep upon a, given area of land, and, like many another question in connection with poultry, it is one that cannot be answered offhand. No hard-and-fast rule can possibly be laid down, for what might prove excellent advice under one set of conditions would be totally wrong under another. The nature of the soil, the time of year, and the breed of fowls are all important factors that must be taken into consideration. As some sort of guide, however, it may be stated that the average ltying hen, if it is to be kept permanently upon the same plot, should not have less ttan three square yards of gravel run, and (say) twenty square yards should the plot be all grass. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. I W, B.—Day-old chicks that have travelled by rail should be kept in the warm on the arrival at their destination. A good plan is to put them in a wicker basket or a bag in front of a fire, or place them inside a cool oven with the door open immediately they are unpacked. Hope this answer reaches you before your chicks arrive. D. S.—It is a great mistake to give fowls a "heavy 'brealdást, for it makes them liy, and as a consequence the egg yield will fall off. Remember that a lazy hen very quickly becomes a diseased one. H. N.—Young chicks can be .put on a. new tuff if it is dry. Let this be done only on a sunny day. The young one will derive much benefit from it.

NOTES ON NEWS. Thp output of shipbuilding for March I 8hóWåd a considerable improvement upon T&E SHIP- BUILDING OUTPUT. that for February and January. In January the I yards turned out o 000 tons of new ships, and in February 100,000. Mårdh exceeded this latter figure by 60,000 tons. This is so far satisfactory, but it is not yet good enough. The total for the three months is only 320,000 tons, a good doal less than the pre-war output. It has to be remembered, of course, that we started the year badly, but even if the monthly aver- age of March is maintained throughout the year, the total to the end of December will be jjelow 2,000,000 tons. We ought not to feel satisfied that we are doing our best in this matter unless we add at least another million tons to that total. Con- sidering all the difficulties, the figure of 3,000,000 tons is a big one, but it has been said that it is well within our powers, and whatever energy, effort, and organisation are necessary to secure it must be forth- coming. The American Ship Controller has given his builders this motto: Ships —not excuses. It is a good motto for us as well. April of last year was the month in which the German submarines did their SUBMARINES IN APBJL. worst against us. it was I the third month of the il unrestriet-ed PD I i 4, and tho pisate boats I reached their high-water mark then, There have been fluctuations since, but the enemy has never been able to sink as many ships in a month as he did in April. It wou ra be. foolish to assume that therefore he never will, but the fact that we have a favourable return for the first week in the month is, at any rate, hopeful- Only five big ships were sunk. How big they were we- have no means of knowing while the tonnage is withheld, but five ships of over 1,600 tons makes a better showing than I ten. It should be noted that no less than sixteen ships were unsuccessfully attacked. ,at is a figure which will be regarded with a certain amount of satisfaction, as it is, perhaps legitimate to draw from it the inference that the measures taken to counter the U-boats are becoming increas- ingly efficient. It encourages the hope aroused by Lord Jellicoe's prediction that by the end of August the submarine menape will have been defeated. Throughout the country the rationing of raeat is now in force, as it has been for THE MEAT RATION. six weeks past in i?onaon and the Home Counties. The scheme has worked with astonishing smooth.I BesSv fully justifying the prediction that a few -days' trial would show that what seemed a very difficult and complicated system would really prove to be a fairly gunple affair after all. The successful working of the scheme, no doubt, has been mainly due to the fact that the supplies available have been ample, for that must always be an indispensable condition of puceess in any rationing system. There is, happily, no ground for present fear that happilyw, ill be any difficulty in that respect. On and after May 5, it is announced, only two of the four weekly coupons will be available for butchers' meat, including gork. The other two must be used for bacon and miscellaneous meat, instead of only one as hitherto. The reasons for this. axe, first, that large supplies of bacon gre, arriving from America, and, second. thit an opportunity may be given for fat- tening cattle on grass, which will be at ita best during the next three months or so. Less butchers' meat now will moon more later 011. The Food Ministry is anxious about potatoes. The Prime Minister asked for a FARMERS AND PdTATOES. million acres under pota- toes this year, and we are still 400,000 acres short of that figure. Time is passing swiftly, and if "I 1 -L the Required acreage is to De pianiea mo farni&s must get busy. It has been Stated that they are hanging back because t-b,e Rave stilf large quantities of last ypaf's crop on hand. But this difficulty seejnB to ?.ve been very fairly met by the \Jnstry in agreeing to buy the old pot&- toes at a minimum price of JE7 per ton. For the new crop also prices are guaranteed, and* so far as can be seen, farmers are en- mured a reasonable profit. If there is any other reason for the seed not being put into- the ground, it ought to be made known at once, for potatoes have come to plety a highly important part in the nation's food supply. At prcsont, accord- ing to a statement by the Food Ministry, the potato outlook is the only unsatisfac-" tory one in the sphere of agriculture, the condition of the countryside for food pro- duction generally being better than has been known within the memory of living man. Tobacco, already a fairly expensive luxury—a few millions of people, of course, TFTFI PRICE OF" TOBACOO. consider it one of the necessaries of life, as, for instance, our soldiers and sailors—is probably going I to mqt more. Paragraphs have been going the rounds of the papers which show that the manufacturers, at any rate, think we —that is to say, smokers—are getting it more cheaply than we ought. It is ex- I pected that the duty will be raised in the forthcoming Budget, and that will, of course, raise the price. But the manu- faeturers evidently mean to put on more than the duty. They tell us that, the con- sumption is increased, that not only soldiers and sailors, but civilians too, are smoking more than they used, in spite of the fact that 'they are paying a lot more for it than in the piping times of peace. Besides—and this is an interesting state- ment—women and girls, having put on mens clothes, are adopting men's habits in the matter of smoking. Non-smokers have often been heard to wonder what it is that makes men smoke. Evidently it ia the trousers that do it! The manufac- turers also talk of the increased cost of production. There is something in that, of course, but it is interesting, all the same, to look at the balance-sheets of the great companies and note the enormous profits they have been making.

INDIAN FRONTIER TROUBLE. t India Office. Punitive operations against the Mark continue satisfactorily. With the advance of our troops into the Mari country, the Maris have retired further into the hills, offering no organised resistance, but confin- ing themselves to their traditional tactics of sending out isolated raiding parties to hairy defenoelees villages, loot Bunnia'io shops, and lift camels and cattle. The most serious of their raids was an attack on a (poods train, near Babar Each, in which one European g .Iard and six Indians were killed and three Indiana wounded. Under the gradual pressure of our troops, however, the tribo has be-" to show distinct signs of contemplating surrender- Practically all sections of the Khotran tribe have alreadv tendered their unconditional submission, through their chief.

I FOWL WITHOUT COUPON. I At Old-etreet Polioe-oourt, Eva. Goldman was fined £17 26. for selling a fowl without coupons, and Annie Harris was fined C2 and coats for buying it.

blMft6YER SUIWK: ALL SATED. I Admiralty.  One of U.M. destroyers sank on 1st inSt. i <?e result of a collision. AU haD WeN I ftvtd.

I TEA TABLE TALK. I Miss Ellen Terry tells an amusing story concerning a private entertainment to some wounded soldiers which she attended. The hostess, a very benevolent old lady, but a strict teetotaller, was, it appears, inquiring of one of her guests as to the drinking water issued to the troops at the Front. "I do hope you're careful about it," she said. HWclJ, it's like this, mum," replied Tommy. "First we boils it-" "Yes—and then," interrupted the old lady. "Then we filters it." "Good!" "Then we chlorinates it." "Excellent! And then?" "Well, then, mum," concluded Tommy with a grin, "we mostly drinks beer." < Lord Cowdray's pretty daughter-in-law, the Hon. Mrs, Geoffrey Pearson, hides her identity under the stage name of Miss Elizabeth Parry. Her husband was killed in the early days of the war. Shortly after his death she received permission to visit his kmve, and was conducted over the Maine battlefield. Mrs. Pearson, who speaks five languages fluently, tells the following amus- ing story; "Here you are, miss," cried a musio "pirate," addressing a young girl who happened to be passing, If You Were the Only Girl in the World, 'My Mother's Rosary —all the latest songs. Only six- pence a 00 "No," replied the girl, bitterly. "I want no music. I've got more "Never mind, to cry over than sing for." "Never mind, my dear, said the hawker, sympathetically, at the same time producing a sheet of music. "]Etc-re you are—' Oh, Dry Those Tears!' Onty sixpence!" • • I Miss Agnes Weston, LLJ)., was born in London pn March 26, 1840. No woman has done more for the British Bluejacket than Mtes Weston. Her work in connection with the Royal Sailors' Rests, both at Ports- mouth and Devonport is known far and wide. The spiritual nee-ds of the men, as well aa their material welfare, are closely studied. Miss Weston is immensely proud of the Bluejacket. Asked for a message for the men, she said, "Tell them we admire their silent, self-controlled guardianship of our country, year in and year out." The Duke of Beaufort's daughter. Lady Blanche SomerAet, tell,6 an amusin g stoTy of an incident she once witnessed while indulg- ing in her favourite recreation of riding to hounds. The weather was wild and gusty, and Lady Blanche had reined up her steed for a moment ip. the lee of a farmhouse wall in ordervto adjust some portion of her habit. Suddenly an unusually violent gust of wind tore round the corner and removed the hat from the, head of a very dapper but near- sighted old gentleman who chanced to be 1 massing. Peering wildly round he thought he -w his hat in a paddock on the other aide of the wall. Scrambling over with some difficulty, he started to chose it, but each time he thought he had caught it it seemed to dart away. Then a woman's angry voice broke on his ears. "What are you doing there T" she demanded shrilly. He ex- plained mildly that he was only trying to retrieve his hat. Wheceupon the woman stared aghast. "Your hat," she said. "Well, I don t know where it is, but that's our little black hen you're chasihg." MISH Maxine Elliott, Lady Forbes- Robertson's beautiful sister, is as popular socially as with her audience. She was a great favourite with King Edward. Mies Elliott teils the following excellent, story: "What reward do you expect to get for your labours?" asked a City man of a rising actor- "Here am I, not yet fifty and about to retire, and I've been presented by the Corporation with an illuminated address? You talk of glory. Have you ever had an illuminated address1?" "On, yes!" answered the actor. "Yours can't compare with mine!" Indeed! said the City man. "When was that? "Why," replied the actor, "when my lodgings caught fire!" Lady Drogheda tells a pretty story con- cerning a little girl who didn't want to go to bed. Or rather, to bo strictly accurate, she did not want to go to bed alone. So Dotfdy volunteered to go upstairs and lie on the bed with her till she werrt to sleep. The minutes ticked away. Mamma, waiting below in the sitting-Toom, grew very, very weary. Would the child never go to sleep? At length she rose from her chair by the fire and made a move towards the door. But when half-way across the room she stopped suddenly. Her quick ear had de- tected the pitter-patter of little feet on the 1 stairs. The next instant the door was pushed softly open, and the child, clad in her nighty, stood on the threshold. "Hush, muvver!" she whispered. "Don't make a noise. I've singed I Daddy to sleep # Tommy's method of administering praise is apt to be embarrassing (says a j contem- porary). If he likes anything, he says so. There are no half-measures. This point was amusingly brought home to Miss Alma Tay- lor, the popular cinema star, while she was driving a party of wounded soldiers through Surrey in her motor-car. The scenery was perfect, so when one of the men exclaimed, Mates, this is the nearest thing to 'eaven We'yo struck!" she smiled ih acquiescence. But a later remark, made by the same man ?Ren there wås leaa call to praise the view, upset her complacency; "Say, boys, we've struck a bloomin' star!" She realised then that the "star" and the 'eaven were in- tended as descriptions of herself. "Inquiaitiveness regarding other people's affairs is to be deprecated," remarked Miss Teddie Gerard, the actress, and in proof she proceeded to tell the story of Jones and his friend Robinson. It appears that Jones be- came engaged to a lady somewhat past her prime, and Robinson, meeting him casually one day, tendered his congratulations. "You're a bit late, old boy," said Jones. "I was engaged to Mise Winter, but that is past." "Indeed." replied Robiuson. "Well, between you and me you are in luck, for she had neither beauty nor brains to re- commend her. But, say, how did you manage to break it off?" "I didn't break it off," answered Jones shortly. "Oh, she did it herself, did she? Might I inquire what made her break it off?" "She didn't break it off, either," said Jones, still more shortly. "Then how did you manag e to get out or the engagement?" "I married her." A pretty Irishwoman is the wife of Sir Gerald Burke, Irish Guards, of Marble Hill, Co. Galway. Lady Burke was Miss Elsio Mathews, of Mount Hanover, Co. Meath, and a bride of December, 1914, her weddiug taking place very quietly, as the bridegroom was under orders for the Front. The Burkes are one of the great families of che.. West of Ireland-Anglo-Norraaus who helped to conquer Ireland in the time of Strongbow, but in the course of time they became more Irish than the Celtie people they dispossessed. There are several tranches and several baronetcies among the Burkes. Sir Gerald is descended from Thomas Burke, of Gorboenacappogue, Co. Galway, but his seat is now called Marble Hill. MiBs Kathleen Burko has been called the "Inwrnational Highwayman," because she can make people stand and deliver their purses for the Red Cross as no other woman :aB (says "Answers"). She performed use- fit! work in Verdun, and won golden opinions for her bravery and helpfulness. One of her special gifts for touching the hearts of her audience is telling stories of ler. experiences. Here is a typical incident which she recounted. She saw a British Tommy near Yores. One boot was drawn off by the mud, it was pouring, with rain, his clothes were drenched, his head was bound up, and he was digging a hole. Yet he was singing in great good humour: "Ev'rything in the springtime's loverly, loverly!" That, she says, is the Rpirit which will bring Tommy through all hia troubles and bring peace back to the world. ——

It was stated at the inquest on Charlotte Howell, of Mile End, that she mistook a clap of thunder early on Good Friday morn- Ifcg for an air-raid warning, and became ill in consequence. Her husband went in search of a doctor, and when, after fruit- lessly calling on four medical men, he re- turned home, he found his wife dead in bed.

I DRESS OF THE DAY. I A SIMPLE LITTLE FROCK. I Among the most tempting of all the many I tempting garments shown this spring are the simple little one-piece frocks suitable lOl ueeful everyday wear. These are so numer. ous and so infinitely various that choice be. comes a matter of real difficulty. But, alas, nearly all these pretty dresses are expensive —horribly expensive in comparison with pre-war prices; consequently, many women who feel they cannot afford to pay the large sums asked for very simple models are de- termined to make their own frocks this year, and are already setting to work in earnest upon their summer outfit. And, really, dressmaking is not a difficult matter when one has the help of the excellent patterns so easily obtainable nowadays, whilst the economy effected is so tremendous that the time and trouble spent upon the work are amply repaid. Moreover, the frocks and blouses shown this spring are so simple in style that they are by no means difficult to I [Refer to X 876.] I manage. The charming little frock shovtn in our sketch is just the very model for the home-dressmaker to try her hand upon; it is so very simple in shape. The actual dresa • from which the sketch was made was carried out in a very soft silk and wool crepe, the colour being a particularly charming shade of mauve. But any other soft material, such as crepe de Chine, eharmeuse, dress cloth, or eren cotton crepe or cotton Georg- ette would serve admirably for the purpose. This dresa fastens at the back. The front of the bodice forms a panel which is wide enough tq touch the top of the sleeve at each side, and this panel is continued below the waist in the form of a sort of loose apron, which reaches a tittle below the knees. The neck of the dress is cut out in a shallow round, which in front develops into a sort of loop-like opening. All the edges of panel, neck, and opening are bor- dered by a charming embroidery in mauve and grey wool. A pretty galon might re- place this embroidery with excellent effect. The plain, close-fitting sleeves are cut in one with the sides of the bodice, and are finished at the wrist by a little band of the embroidery. A broad sash of mauve char. meuee lined with grey taffetas finishes this pretty frock. The loop-like opening at the neck is partially filled by a little hem- stitched vest of pale ecru net. I FOR BAIRNS AT NIGHT. I The nightdress shown on the right of our illustration shows a capital nightdress for a schoolgirl. It can be made by utilising an old garment of your own. Two old night- dresseB will often provide sufficient material for one for a smaller person, and, when made with the Magyar top, as shown here, can be cut to great advantage. Nightgowns for the bairns can be made out of old flannel shirts. The backs are often ex. [Refer to X 877.3 I tremedy good, although the sleeves and fronts may be worn. The little sleeping- uuit has separate trousers, and this pattern has been specially designed so that old material can be used up. A nice, warm sleeping-suit can be made out of discarded flannel things. Coat and trousers need not match perfectly, but the pattern can often be so washed out that they are almost plain, 80 it does hot show. NEW BLOUSES. I The new blouses are very pretty. Most of the best French models for afternoon wear are ma.delon, and form a basque below the waist which in some cases takes the shape of one, two, or even three trills. These smart afternoon bio ufifes are usually made of thin materials such as Georgette or similar light crapes, chiffons, ninon, or a Tery thin and lustrous weave of crepe de Chine. They are simple in shape and equally simple in trimming, hand-worked veining, hand-eifibrbidery, or a little deli- cate lace being the trimming used. Waist- coat blouses are somewhat of a novelty. These are so shaped that they look like a separate waistcoat when worn with a coat. BUTTONS. I Buttons are much in evidence upon many of the new tailored gowns and costumes. In many cases they are covered with the material of which the garment is made; in others 'they are made of bone, ivory, mother- o'-pearl, horn, or braid. Paper patterns can, be supplied, price 6Jd. When ordering, please quote number, en. close remittance, and address to Mias Lisle, 8. La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C.

I In response to the Food Controller's ap- peal 400 hotelkeepers in the United States have pledged themselves not to serve wheat I flour in any form until next harvest.

GULtS AS FOOD. < I In Iceland gull flesh is one of the prin- In Iceland foods of the people. There, in eariy summer, when the cliffs swarm, with nesting gulls, parties are 1 organised, and men are let down over the lofty precipicea by ropes. They catch young gulls and send them up to the top in sacks. The. moment they reach the top the birds are skinned. A great cauldron of boiling water is ready, and into this the bodies are dipped and held for a few seconds. This completely does away with the fishy taste, and the birds are then taken home and hung in smoke until they are thoroughly dried. When winter comes they are cooked and eaten, and are as deli- cate as any chi'C'&enor..¡gæ:ne"bird but--fiMr more fat and nourishing. This spring it is to be hoped that steps will be taken along the English coast to secure good supply of young gults. which should 'be treated in the Icelandic fashion.

FINE EXPLOITS OF BRITISHNA VAt AIRMEN. Some of the most thrilling stories of the sea that the war has provided arc to he found in the seaplane v. submarine encoun- ters, of which record* in the RcyaJ Naval Air Service logo are to be fon? al Navai Admiralty. Aircraft are the eneafiy that the U-boat has Most to dread. The following are typical epfeodea of tliir kind of iogMing. A seaplane and two aero- planes on partol sighted a very large gub. marine with two periscopes. On hearing tlje aircraft engines the U-beat dived, but the oea-plane had dropped 4,000 feet, and before the enemy craft atad submerged got two bombs just abaft the oonAing tower, cnf of them a direct hit. The submarine turned turtle, and a large bubble with wdeel-age and -oil appeared. Another patrolling airship spotted a sub- marine attacking a steamer and went to the regme. The submarine Jiad disappeared. Two bombs were dropped on the su?mcr?ed vessel, and several huge bubbles came to the surface, the disturbance of the water lasting five minutes. Two trawlers steamed up at full speed and exploded three dePth charges over tihe spot where the submarines had gone down, and a quantity of oil flooded the surface of the sea. WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED. I On a winter afternoon a seaplane dis- covered two German submarines, one sta- tionary and the other in the act of diving. She spiralled down right over the station- ary U-boat, and with one of two bombs hft her fairly aad squarely. When tfie smoke cleared away the enemy vessel was seen to be sinking with her bows in the air. Two seaplanes on another occasion sighted a submarine travelling on the surface, un- conscious of danger. Two men were seen on the conning tower. Botk seaplanes pounced on the quarry, the first to reach her letting loose a bomb which struck half-way between the conning-tower and the stern. The sub- marine heeled slowlv over to port, and re- mained in that tion. She had stopped in her own aJfd began to sink, her bow rising high out of the water. Toe second seaplane dro a bomb on the con- ning tower ju&t as the vessel was sinking, I and an internal explosion did the rest. IN A HORNETS' NEST. I How one of our large seaplanes found Itself in the midst of a hornets' nest of enemy small craft is told in another record. A cruising submarine, with its gun plainly visible, was spotted by our airman, who new right ever the U-boat and made a direct hit on its tail. Turning round to repeat the dose, it was noticed that the explosion had torn a great hok in the submarine's deck, and this was ph9rapb,ed. By this time our airman discovered that he was himself under fire, and through the mist he saw three more German submarines, escorted by three destroyers, hurrying to the rescue of the damaged U-boat. All six vessels opened fire on our seaplane, but no shot proved effective. Then two j enemy seaplanes appeared to take part in the battle, but so heavy was the fire of their own destroyers that the enemy aeroplanes were prevented from closing in to the attack. Our pilot manoeuvred through the barrage, got over the sinking submarine, and made a second hit, after which it sank. By this time the enemy's fleet had concen- trated again on elar seaplane, which, having no more bomb*" left., sent a wireless to its base, giving the position of the enemy de- stroyers, and then went home. op

HIS" UNKNOWN DARLING." I Florence Mayor, aged twenty-three, was fined £5 at Sheffield Police-court for sending i ce-court for wnding letters to a German prisoner of war. She was employed near an internment camp. Mayor was detected sending a love letter to a prisoner, who enclosed a reply addressed to "My unknown darling." The firl is engaged to a British soldier at the ront.

WATEUEB MILK. I John Davies, Thornton Dairy Farm, Mil- ford Haven, has been fined .£50 and sen- tenced to three months' hard labour for watering ktheext,6nt of 55 per cent. ? ?, I --ri%- n ?l 'i?? against the children," said the local benoh.

VKCOtJNT ASTOI FlftD. I Viscooat Ajabor fined J610 at Worthing Police-court for causing petrol to be used unlawfully. His chauffeur was fined £ 2 fbr using it. The car was standing outside an antique dealer's shop.

PRISON TOR SINN FEINERS. I At the Crimes Court at Killarney several Sinn Fein/ers were sentenced to a month's imprisonment for alleged drilling. Sinn Fein song's were sung in court, which was cleared. The prisoners refused to remove their hate, and read books and newspapers when the proceedings were going 0&.

I PREMIER AT THE FRONT. I Press Bureau, Thursday, April -4. This mornino, the Prime Minister returned from a visit to the Front with M. Clemen- ceau. They visited the Commanders-in- Chief Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig and General Petaiia, and General Foch, General Pershing, and General Bliss.

S700 HOARDING FINE. J At Newcastle, Mr. Rowland Hodge, a ship- builder, was fined £ 100 on each of three, charges respecting rioe, jam, and sugar, with regard to whinh his wife had been fined £ 50. The total of the fines on husband and wife was E6UO, with £ 100 costs. The Bench a eed to state a caee us to Mr. Hodge's legal responsibility for hia wife's acte.

DOUBLE RATIONS. I At Marlborough-street Polioe-court, Simon. Ronviser .was fined £16 for unlawfully re-, taining a meat ration card. The evidence showed that the defendant who already had a meat ration for Stepney, by giving a false address obtained another for St. Pancras. By this means, it was stated, he would be able to obtain double rations.

POTATOES M CMAD. I Lord Rhondda has issued an Order author- ising local Food Control Committees to make compulsory the use of a percentage of potatoes in the manufacture of all bread- ,manufactured for sale or sold within their district. provided that, (a) The committees are satisfied that bakers generally in their district can make such use of potatoes. (b) Adequate supplies of potatoes are available. Arrangements are also being made to simplify .the methods by which potatoes are supplied to bakers for this purpose, and Food Committees are being athorised to con- tract with local wholesale potato dealers for direct supply to bakers wherever this can be done on reasonable terms.

Four sons of Mr. Hesketh, a retired war- rant officer, of Reading, are in the Army. Three have received commissions from the ranks, one, a sergeant, is in Africa, and another, since dead, was a warrant officer. Several of his sons-in-law and grandsons are serving. Lord Romilly's Glamorganshire estate is announced to be sold. A soldier in the A.S.C. fell from a tram- car on Brixton-hill, and was fatally injured by a motor-omnibus.

The French Chamber has authorised the temporary raising of the tariffs on the chief railway systems in the general interests of the oountry. A large seam of coal haa been discovered at Templeborough, Sheffield. A woman named Louise Guy, aged sixty- eight, fell dead while waiting in a meat queue at Heywood.