Abergavenny Chronicle

Mrs. Grace Macphorson, daughter of one l' of the five men ^iio aided Mr. J. D. Rocke- feller in forming" the Standard Oil Com- I pany, has committed suicide in the Hotel Majestic, New Y ûrk. j Mr. Hurley, chairman of the United ■ States Shipping Board, announces that sine* ) the armistice the Board lns cancelled 2,000,000 tons of steel ships from its pro- f spective prO!1 ;J:!me. in jidoitioti to having 1 cancel led 2,000,000 tons whicn hci. been ac- j tually ordered.

DOG IN A KIT BAG. I At Croydon Police-court on Saturday, Captain J. M. D'Arev Levy, 1 R.A.F., stationed at Wallington, was fined c £ 10 and two guineas costs for landing a dog at Hull from Holland on November 18 without a licence. The defendant, it was stated, was captured by the Germans early in the war when flying over Zfcebrugge, and was in- terned in Holland, where he obtained the puppy, which he valued at £40. On arrival at Hull he offered a soldier X5 to take it ashore in his kit bag. This was done with- out detection. The defendant pleaded having been out of the country during the time the regulations- had been made. The chairman (Sir Arthur Spurgeon) said it was hard to register a conviction against a man holding the defendant's record, but such smuggling was difficult to detect, and it was only by proceedings and penalties that people could be made to realise what a dangerous practice it was. Probably Captain Levy had no idea at the time of the serious- ness of the matter.

HIGHER LAUNDRY CHARGES. I Washing bills will be increased next month in consequence of an award made by the Court of Arbitration giving increased wages to London laundry workers. The new minimum rates for a forty-eight hour week will be 28s. for women over eighteen yeara of age, 24s. for girls of from ■ seventeen to eighteen, IDs. for girls under seventeen, 16s. under sixteen, and lis. under fifteen. Provision may be made for reduced wages in cases of newcomers and othera suffering from infirmity. Piece work rates must yield the same miniinums in addition to war advance, over- time in all cases to be paid at time and quarter rates, and the award is to take effect on the first pay day in May.

GIRL ON A ROOF. I The rescue of a demented girl from the roof of a house was witnessed at Waltham Ably on Saturday. The girl had climbed through a small window and up some roofing which slanted dangerously. She was shouting hysterically and leaning over the parapet. Two police- men reached the room and cautiously ap- proached the girl from behind. They seized her, and she struggled violently. The girl made desperate efforts to leap from the roof, but -he was overpowered and rcscued.

EARLY HOLIDAYS ADVISED. I The Railway Executive issues a warning to III who propose taking a summer holiday. Holidays must be taken earlier. The reason for this is that, owing to the fact that during hostilities the railway companies placed all their workshops at the disposal of the War Ministry, very few repairs to roll- ing stock have been carried out, and a great many engines and vehicled now require overhauling. I It is further stated that of the 700 engines and the many traius sent to France and other theatre6 of war, practically none hava as yet returned. The Railway Executive Committee point out that if, following the usual practice, the bulk of the holidays are taken in July and August, there will be difficulty in coping with the traffic. If, however, those who are able to do so will take their holidays in May and June, this will do much to obviate any overcrowding or discomfort that might otherwi se arise. It is particularly urged that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays should be used for holiday travelling, as on tliosa days the traffic is usually lighter.

EIGHT WAR DECORATIONS. I At A the rs tone, Warwickshire, Pte Jarnci Perkins, 16th Lancers, was presented by his native town with eighty war savings certi- ficates in recognition of his winning eight war decorations, namely: Distinguished Ser- vice Medal. Russian Order of St. George, Military Medal, French Croix de Guerre, Belgian Croix de Guerre, Italian Ordre De- corue, French Medaille Militaire, and the Serbian Silver Medal. As an Old Contemp- tible Perkins was engaged in the war from start t* finish. and still has the Mons Star and ordinary Service Medal to come.

DOUBLE RATIONS. I Leonard Dakin, a farmer, was fined £ 35 at Wirksworth (Derbyshire; for using dupli- cate ration books. The Ashbourne Food Committee issued by mistake eight ration books to Dakin instead of four, -and on these books he obtained double rations. Joseph Hardy, a butchffr, and Thomas Brindley, a grocer, were fissd Xio and £ 2 respectively for selling excess meat and sugar to Dakin.

FOUR MILES A MINUTE. I The most wonderful bird flight noted i3 the migratory achievement- of the Virginia plover, which leaves its southern haunts in North America, and, taking a course down the Atlantic, usually from four to five hun- dred miles east of the Bermudas, reaches the noa^t of Brazil in one unbroken flight of fif- teen hours, coveringi a distance of over three thousand miles at the rate of four miles a minute. j

MANY KINDS OF HORSESHOES. I In Iceland horses are shod with sheep's horn in the Soudan a kind of sock made of camel's skin is used for the purpose. A Ger- man not long ago invented a horseshoe of paper, prepared by saturating with oil, tur- pentine. and other ingredients. Thin layers 3f "such paper a-reglued to the hoof till the requisite thickness is attained; and the shoes thus made are durable and impene- trable by moisture.

AERIAL MAIN LINES. I ROUTES AND STATIONS FOR C!V!UAN FLYING. I The Air Ministry announces that, al- though.the ban on civilian flying is removed, from M*iy 1, there must ensue a period during which regulations are studied and applications made for the licensing of. pilots and aerodromes and the licensing and re- gistration of aircraft.. The first trunk aerial routes and their aerodromes from London to be open to civilian traffic will be: To Scot] and-Hounslow, Wyton, Harlax- ton, South Carlton, New Holland, Doncas- ter, Copmanthorpe, Catterick, Redcar, New- castle, Turnhouse, and Renfrew. To Dublin—Hounslow, Witney, Castle Bromwich, North Shotwick, and Baldonnel. To Manchester and Belfast-Hounslow. Hucknall, Sheffield, Manywell Heights, Lidsbury, Scale Hall, Luce Bay, and Alder- grove. To the Continent-Hounslow and Lympne, Kent. To Holland-Hounslow and Hadleigh. To Plymouth Hounslow, Eastleigh, and Cattewater.. To Bristol—Hounslow and Filton. These routes, which are provisional, have been chosen with reference to the situation of existing aerodromes and military de- mands, and in their arrangement an at- tempt has been made not only to establish. direct communication, but also to cater for some of the larger and more important centres of population which lie along the routes. Once a particular route has been declared open any civilian pilot making the journey will find petrol, accommodation, and usually mechanics at each air station. The Govern- ment cannot guarantee to assist aircraft which may land elsewhere than at a speci- fied station, and a pilot descending, by de- sign or force of circumstances, at an aerp- drome off the route must not expect to find mechanics, accommodation, or supplies at his disposal.. The Customs and Excise examining sta- tions, at which all inward and outward air- craft must call, will be: Lympne, New Holland, Hadleigh, and Hounslow. The examining station for machines flying direct from the Continent to London will be Hounslow. In the event of an expansion of oversea air traffic, other examining stations will be opened.

BRAVE V.A.D. NURSE The Albert Medal has been awarded to Miss Alice Batt, V.A.D., for cool and galJ lant work during a hospital fire in Belgium. A supplement to the "London Gazette" thus describes the action:—On October 1, 1918, a fire broke out at No. 35 Casualty Clearing Station at Rousbrugge, Belgium, and quickly reached the operating theatre, where the surgeon was performing an abdo- minal operation. The lights went out, and the theatre was quickly filled with smoke and flames, but the operation war, continued Í' by the light of an electric torch. Miss Batt continued her work of handing instruments and threading needles with steadfast calmness, thereby enabling the surgeon to complete the operation. Miss Batt afterwards did splendid work in help- ing to carry men from the burning wards to places of safety.

BRITISH AIR EFFORT. I Some remaxkable information relating ta progress of aviation is contained in the syn- opsis of "The British Air Effort During tht War," issued by the Air Ministry. In the first ten months of the war the British output of airplanes was 530; in thf last ten months the output was 25,585 machines. We started bombing in 1914 with 201b. bombs, and at the end of the cam- paign bombs weighing as much as 3,0001bs. each were in use. Photographic reconnaissance in 1914 was confined to two officers and three other ranks, whose outfit consisted oi two camerae and a portable box of developmg chemicals. The photographic personnel at the end of the campaign was 250 officers and 3,OOC other ranks, while up to last September over five and a quarter million prints of aerial photographs had been issued by the Air Ser- vice in. the field. Our airmen on the Western front between July, 1916, and the armistice destroyed or brought down over 7,000 enemy aircraft, dropped nearly 7,000 tons of bombs, flew over 900,000 hours—nearly 103 years—and fired over ten and a half million rounds at I ground targets.

WOMAN'S FIGHT WITH FIREMAN. I An extraordinary scene in connection with a fire was witnessed in Northcote-road, Croydon, when the brigade, in answer to a pillar-box call, arrived and discovered a bed- room floor well alight. The firemen could not get into the house, as the doors had apparently been barricaded.. At the window, from which smoke was, pouring, a woman stood brandishing an axe. She made no attempt to save herself, although the fire had got a good hold of the room. The chief officer of the brigade mounted a ladder to bring the woman down, but he was viciously attacked, and had to draw his own axe in self-defence. He managed to knock the weapon from the woman's hand, however, and she then attacked him with a table-knife. He suc- ceeded at length in getting hold of her hand, and held her fast. Meanwhile the firemen had burst open the door, against- which furniture had been piled, and the fire. was extinguished. The woman, whose name is Ruth Burrows, was taken on an ambulance to the Crovdon In- I firmary, where she was detained.

AIRMEN IN THE SEA. j The thrilling spectacle of an airman div- ing into Galway Bay from a falling air- plane, a second officer scrambling from be- neath the immersed machine, and both swimming to the shore, was witnessed at Galway Bay. The machine, piloted by Captain Bowen, R.A.F., accompanied by Lieutenant Alcock, R.A.F., who acted as observer, was seen fly- ing at a great height over the city. It even- tually ,got well over the water, when the engine stopped dead. The machine then turned a somersault in mid-air and dived nose first into the bay. The observer jumped clear, but the pilot wa.s unable to extricate himself in time, and was carried underneath the waves by the falling airplane. With difficulty he man- 1 aged to scramble out, and joined his obser- ver in a 25 yards swim to the shore, which they reached in safety. In the evening a motor launch from the .base towed the derelict airplane into dock. I

IN Piccadilly a Richmond omnibus, heavilv laden, mounted the pavement and trrashed into the railings of the Green Park, but no one was injured. George filter, aged fifty-three a Bed- ford packer, left home on April 4, and his body was found in the Thames, off Wap- ping. An. open verdict was returned at the inquest.

J [ALL .RiaHTa RBSBRVBD.} PENSION PROBLEMS: HOW TO SOLVE THEM. I By AN EXPERT. J 411 the Truth About What Disabled Men Are entitled To-The "Settlement of t Pensions Disputes—Position of the Z Man Widows' Rights How Non- Attributable Cases Are Helped. I FREE ADVICE TO OUR READERS. I A good deal of sad nonsense is talked even to-day about what disabled men are entitled to. Some people put the sum so low that either they have been keeping company with Rip Van Winkle in the land of slumber, or for purposes a plain man cannot under- stand woefully under-estimate the sum. For instance, it has been widely reported that 27s. 6d. is the total paid to disabled men. But that is the sum given at the very, lowest end of the scale; very few get it, and nothing at all is said about the 20 per sent. bonus they receive. Happily, the pensions scheme is wider and larger-hearted than some critics would have you suppose. Take the case of a paralysed man in hos- pital who is married and has three children. They will get £3 3s- a week. For hia treat- ment in hospital be is charged 7s. a week, though the treatment itself costs the State anything up to S4 14s. 6d. per week. The actual cost to the State of that man for treatment, pension, and allowances to wife and children may amount to .£7 10s. Of course, there are all kinds of cases of lesser need, but I have stated an extreme case in order to let you see the capacity of the pen- sions scheme for meeting it. » Disputes are always bound to. arise as to questions of entitlement to pension, and arrangements are made to meet that con- tingency. Wherever a question arises as to whether a man is entitled to a pension for incapacity due to or aggravated by service, and that question is the foundation of a dispute between a man and the Ministry of Pensions, the question of fact goes before an Appeal Tribunal. The number of these Tribunals—on which discharged sailors, soldiers, and a lawyer sit—are being added to with a view to catching up arrears. When that is done there will be very little delay in a man being able to bring his case right through to the Appeal Tribunal. That is the disabled man's right, and he will have the satisfaction of knowing that the men who are judging him are men of his own kind. It is upon their decision alone that the final conclusions are come. to as to whether a man is or is not entitled to a pension. Widows have the same right cf appeal on the question of entitlement. Noth- ing could be fairer than that, could it? No one can gainsay that there may have been some delay in Z cases, but there has been nothing in the nature of a scandal in regard to them. The oause of delay has been the constant inrush of work at the Ministry and the constantly increasing rush of work, culminating in the demobilisation cases. That brought in-in Z cases alone,— 30,000 new claims for pensions per week. Now the authorities are level and are keep- ing level with the great volume of extra work. (Raises a vision of strenuous over- time, doesn't it?) Altogether there has been 220,000 claims from Z discharged men. This should be remembered, however. If men dc not get the pension on the exact day they ought to get it, they can go to the Local War Pension Committee and an advance can be made pending the grant of a pen- sion. Widows are entitled to draw separation allowance for six months after their hus- band's deatl, and the flat-rate pension tc which they are entitled should be easily ob- tainable within that period. As it is not yet understood as widely as it should be, stress must be laid on the fact that a widow can claim an Alternative Pension ii her husband was earning 27s. 6d. a week 01 more. The flat-rate pension for a widow is 16s. 6d., being 13s. 9d. with the 20 per cent. bonus. But if her late husband was earn- ing X5 before the war she need not take the 16s. 6d., even though she has no children, for she can get Xa, which is the amount for her Alternative Pension. Application must be made to the Local War Pensions Committee for this Alternative Pension, J and patience has to be exercised while the matter is in hdnd, because oertain inquiries of necessity .have to be made respecting th facts as put forward in the claim regarding the man's position in life. < What are known as non-attributable cases are not well understood. This it- what it means, and what is available in the way of help. Where a man is discharged from the Army with a non-attributable dis- ability, if he has to undergo treatment for it in an institution, allowances are payable on behalf of his wife and children, or to a I dependent supported by him up to the time such treatment commenced. For example. I say, a man with four children, discharged with non-attributable" rheumatism has to enter hospital for treatment of such dis- ability, while he is not entitled to any al- lowances in respect to himself, he is entitled to allowances of 13s. 9d. per week for his wife, and 20s. a week for his four children. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. I W. S. (Folkestone).-I should like many people to read your record, as it is one which shows the great stuff Englishmen are made of. You have alike my sympathy and congratulations. Take your claim to your Local War Pensions Committee (the Past Office people will give you the address), and through them I am sure you will receive all possible help. That is what they are for. Let me know the result. S. S. '(Buriton).—The point you raise is, I think, covered in the article which I have just written, and which will be published immediately. Write again if it does not cover all your difficulties. F. W. (Cheritoii).-Apply to your Local War Pensions Committee (Post Office will give you address) for assistance, either through the Civil Liabilities Committee or the Special Grants Committee. A sympa- thetic man on the spot—and all Secretaries of War Pensions Committees ought to be sympathetic and helpful—should be a bio to do more than a stranger. However, report to me when you have done this, if you are not satisfied. I am always at the service of "the Boys." Our Pensions Expert is anxious to assist sailors and soldiers and their wives and de- pendents in dealing with intricacies of the War Pensions System. Address your queries to "Pensions Ex- pert," c/o Editor of this paper. All essen- .tial facts should be stated as briefly as pos- sible, such as name, number, rank, regi- ment of soldier, name and rating of sailor, particulars of families and separation al- lowance and (in inquiries concerning civil liabilities) pre-war or pre-enlistment in- come, present or war income, and full lia- bilities. Do not send any documents, birth certificates, or discharge papers, etc. Will correspondents please make a point of sending their regimental number, rank.. J name, and regiment? 'j

I NO RIGHT" TO DIE. I "There is no such thing as the right, t<^ die," said Mr. H. R. Oswald, the, Lewisham coroner, at an inquest on Edward William Banks, aged fifty-eight, of Catford, who committed suicide by hanging. "Man did not make his own life, he did not create himself, and he therefore has no right to take away what he did, not make, said the coroner. "I quite agree with the j doctors when they say they would not like the responsibility of having to deprive a fellow v human being of his life. The only man who has that responsibility at the pre- sent time is the public executioner. If I were a medical practitioner I would abso- lutely decline to do such a thing, and. I doubt whether the Legislature would ever carry such an idea into practice It was stated in evidence that Banks had been a cripple since 1917, when he had a leg amputated; that he suffered a great. deal of pain, and was afraid he would lose the other leg; that his hand was partly para- lysed, and that he had been troubled, re- cently, with sleeplessness. Dr. William: Shears, of Catford, stated, in reply to' the coroner, that if doctors were empowered to- take life in incurable cases he would not do it.

AMPUTATION IN LIFT WELL. I A remarkable surgical operation was per- formed at Messrs. Frederick Smith and Co.'s engineering works at Salford, two doctors amputating both legs of a man who was hang,in.g head downwards in the well of a lift. The man, Henry Shiers, aged 68, was caught by the' lift on the top story of the works. His legs were jammed between the lift cage and the the flooring, and his body hung down the well with the lift above him. It was impossible to move the lift or to extricate the man. In response to. a telephone message to the Salford Royal Hospital, Dr. J. Ghosh, resi- dent surgical officer, and Dr. W. Reikan, house surgeon, drove to the works, a stag- ing was built out into the well of the liit from the floor below, where Shiers bung, and from this a platform was erected. By this means Dr. Reikan climbed to Shiers,. gave him an anaesthetic and supported him while Dr. Ghosh, operating from the floor- above, amputated both legs. After th& operation Dr. Reikan lowered Shiers to the floor below. He was taken to the hospital* but died soon after admission.

ARMY THANKS V.A.D.s. The Army Council desire to convey tG all members of Voluntary Aid Detachments- who haVe worked so hard and with such devotion, their appreciation of the valuable help unetintingly given during the long and trymg period through which the country has passed. The keenness, self-sacrifice, and devotion to duty displayed at all times and im all circumstances has, says a Council commu- nique, been most marked. Without the help of these workers the difficulties regarding the furnishing of adequate care and atten- tion to the sick and wounded would have' been immensely increased. The calls made on the members of the V.A.D.s have been many and various, but they have invariably been met with the utmost ability, tact, and goodwill.

LANDLORD AND A HERO'S WIDOW I A war widow, whose husband had been killed in Egypt, leaving her with two chil- dren to keep, sought the protection of Mr. Registrar Shilton, at the West London County-court, against the attempt of tho landlord to distrain on her home. The landlord admitted that part of the money was owed by the woman's late hus- band. The woman consented to pay one shilling a week, in addition to her rent. The Landlord: It will take a long time, Mr. Registrar. The Registrar: That is my order.

COAL COMMISSION. I Mr. Justice Sankey stated at a sitting of the Coal Industry Commission that a num- ber of circumstances had made it impractic- able to furnish the second report by the date originally arranged unless the Commis- sion sat ten hours a day for six days a week. Members could not be expected to do that. They had decided, however, to sit four days a week, and that the next interim report should be presented. not later than June 20.

OUT-OF- WORK DOLE FRAUD. I When Annie Batty, of Edmonton, was fined 40s. at Tottenham Police-court for ob taining Xl Os. 10d., unemployment donation, from Tottenham Labour Exchange by the false pretence that she was not employed elsewhere, a detective-sergeant informed the Bench that such cases were extremely preva- lent at present.

PRINCESS MARY'S BIRTHDAY. I Princess Mary, who celebrated her twenty- second birthday on Friday at Windsor Castle, received many presents from mem- bers of the Royal Family. The King and Queen were the first to ofEpr congratula- tions, and were followed by the Prince of Wales. Bells were rung at Windsor, and the Mayor sent congratulations on behalf of the inhabitants of the Royal Borough. The Princess spent the morning in riding in Windsor Great Park with the King and Prince George.

JUST IN TIME. I A German bomb* was found among the rubbish at the Hornsey Sanitary Depot by the fireman just as the material was being raked into the furnace. The fuse wasn miss- ing, but the high explosive' would have caused serious damage if the missile had not been detected.

A STATE MARRIAGE DOWRY. I Italy is S country where marriage will always be popular, for the'government has a special fund for providing marriage portions for poor young girls. Without a dower it would be almost impossible for such girls to be married, and this form of charity is said to be highly approeiated. The annual sum available for the purpose, and distributed every year among the marriageable young girls, is £ 500,000. To be a recipient it is necessary for the applicant to prove her good reputation and character by several witnesses, to show that she has no means available, and that the man who wishes to marry her has a trade.

For firing two cartridges from a war sou. venir revolver into the River Lea, a young soldier named Cole was bound over at North London. A woman fainted and other people were alarmed on hearing the shots. Having been in weak health, Mrs. Ellen Mitchell, fifty-four, 9f Barnsbury, threw herself 50ft. from a balcony into a yard. "Suicide while of unsound mind" was re- turned at the inquest. m

EPITOME OF NEWS. I EPITOME OF NEW. 4 Crowland Abbey, Lines, founded ";bo1d 714, is to be restored. 'The Australian official peace ,Iebrat!Oul will be restricted to two days. At St. Paul's Cathedral memorial servilo ,for railwaymen on- May 14 the orchestra will" consist of railwaymen. "My false eye was thrown into the fire by my wife," said a man at Thames Police* court. Hull is to ask permission to stamp "City of Hull" on new shillings for children Oll Peace Day. Enabling women to wear men's clothes, a Bill has been introduced in the Florida State Legislature. Flat-fish were swimming in the hold of the Danish motor-boat Tove when 0114 brought her catch into Grimsby. "My churchwardens are like wine; tllc longer they go on the better they get," said the vicar of Hillingdon, Middlesex, at the Easter vestry. If people are foolish enough to pay <4-200 for Army huts which cost C60 they may get them, said Colonel W. Curre at Newport, Mon. The Czecbo-Slovak National Assembly ifi to raise in the United States and in Bng- land a loan of X36,000,000 ta buy food and raw materials. The assessor of taxes at Wieringen, Hol. -rand, has called upon the ex-Crown Prince for a full statement of his income, which the latter described as "unsettled." The eclipse ,of the sun on May 29 will not be visible in the British Isles. Joining the colours in 1914, Mr. n. Eldcrfield, of Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks, has just been presented with a cricket ball for taking five wickets with successive balls in a match in July, 1914. The Chelsea Pensioners hold the record in small cultivation, for their 139 tiny gardens cover less than one acre. Three steamers, with 1,800 of the Ger- mans recently deported from China on board,, in charge of British naval detach- ments, have arrived off Marseilles. Lord Iveagh has decided to erect on his Suffolk estate at Elveden a monument 120ft. high to the memory of the men fallen in the war who resided on the estate. London police now frequently have to deal with cases of *thefts of magnetos from motor-cars and taxicabs left unattended. Major Harry Jasper Selwyn has died in a nursing home in London. He was the son of Sir Charles Selwyn and a former mastei of the Dulverton Hounds. The wage bill of the Yarmouth Corpora- tion has been increased by over < £ .'30,000 a year, equal to an additional rate of between half a crown and three shillings in the pound. Hotels of the Bernese Oberland in which Allied soldiers were interned have received X20,000 from the Entente as extra boarding allowance for the period from September until November last. Hemel Hempstead Food Economy Com- mittee have made a. profit of X60 on theil national kitchens, and they have decided to divide this sum between the war memorial fund and the West Herts Hospital. Wood pigeons are quoted at 5s. 6d. per pair in Manchester. While playing with a gun at Pontadulais, South Wales, Evan Davies, fourteen, waa fatally wounded. Lord Donoitghmore has been appointed director of the St. John Ambulance depart- ment of the Order of St. John, .in succession to Lord Ranfurly, resigned. After a long illness, caused by his having been shot through the chest by a madman in a Durham bank, William John Brewis, of Newcastle, has died in the Isle of Wight. While a youth named Benjamin Edwards was playing near a disused pit shaft at Old Hill, Staffordshire, the brickwork collapsed, and he fell to the bottom, a depth cf 200ft., and was killed. In a. rural district council election for Detling, near Maidstone, Canon J. W. Horsley, the vicar, who stood as a Labour candidate, beat Mr. Horace Brown, church- warden, by ten votes. Dr. Alexander Ambrose, the coroner for metropolita-n Essex, who has been serving in the Army since 1914, has been demobilised. The Right Rev. Foss Westcott, Bishop of Chota Nagpur, has been appointed Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan of India and Ceylon. "Aunt" Lizzie Robertson, aged 123 years, a slave of many Southern masters before the Civil War, has been buried at Marion, Illinois. Rear-Admiral Douglas Nicholson was re- ceived at Windsor Castle, when the King conferred on him a knighthood and invested him with the Insignia of a K.C.M.G. While riding on the shaft of a coal lorry, Mrs. McDermott, an elderly Wrexham woman, fell off and was run over and killed. £ 60 and £5 costs were awarded to Wallace Hopkins, a Shalfleet dairyman, in Newport (Isle of Wight) County-court, for a broken jaw, caused by George Monk, an artillery- man, who, it was stated, had run amok be- cause he had been called a "long-range sniper." For stock breeding at Aberystwyth Uni- versity College, Mr. Lawrence Philipps, brother of Lord St. Davids, is giving xio,ooo. After a day's strike clerks at Skewen Colliery, Glamorganshire, secured the Sankey award and the reinstatement of a dismissed clerk. In recognition of his gallantry, Lieut.- Colonel Viscount Gort, V.C., 1st Grenadier Guards, was presented with a silver salver at East Cowes Town Hall. Three hundred wounded are being taught various subjects, including bee-keeping and accountancy, in Cherry Hinton ^Miljtary Hospital, Cambridge. Children between eight and nine years of age were said to have taken bets and money to a bookmaker, who was fined X10 at New- port for street betting. t X2,0 was the highest bid this year at the "candle auction" in Chard, Devon, where a field of seven acres has been disposed of annually since ancient times. An inch of tallow candle is burned during the bidding, and the last bid, made when the light is flickering out, is successful. For overcrowding forty-five sheep in a railway truck from Cornwall, in which four were found dead and two dying, the L. and S.W. Railway Company were fined C22 10s. and costs at Gosport. The Woburn (Beds) Parish Council, of which the Duke of Bedford is chairman, have returned to the authorities in London the German machine-gun sent to them as a war trophy, on the grounds that the gun has the appearance of a piece of rusty metal, is without a tripod for mounting purposes, and is generally unsuitable to the parish as a war trophy. Windsor Corporation Isplation Hospital has been destroyed by fire. Since the armistice 83,275 officers and 2,453,591 men have been demobilised. Lord Birkenhead and his sen made a flight in an Avro .aeroplane at Hamble (near Southampton).

FATAL MOTOR ACCIDENT. j I A motor-car accident, which caused thb. death of Captain Pace, of. the Royal Air Force, arid serious injury to three other officers happened at Hanworth, Middlesex, on Saturday. In addition to Captain Pace there were in the car Major Hazill, Major Lloyd, Captain Lloyd, and Captain Jackson, all of the R.A.F. The car, a large and powerful one, was being driven by Captain Jackson over Queen's River Bridge, on the way to Houns- bnv Aerodrome, when the officer saw a dog in the road immediately ahead. He sud- denly diverted the car to avoid the dog. At that moment a tyro buret and the car turned completely over twice and was wrecked. All the officers except Major Lloyd, who luckily escaped with only scratches and bruises, were seriously injured. Major Lloyd did all he could to relievo their suffer- ings, and was assisted by Captain Lloyd, who was hurt less than the others. The officers were taken to St. Mary's Cot- tage Hospital, Hampton. Captain Pace died on Sunday morning. Major Hazill's left thigh was fractured, Captain Jackson had severe concussion and a broken shoulder- bone, and Captain Lloyd was injured about the body.