Abergavenny Chronicle

UNEMPLOYED INSURANCE. I EXPLANATION OF SUBSIDY TO TRADE I UNIONS. Sir Robert Horue explained to the House of Commons that the new scheme to increase the benefit under the unemployment insur- ancE" would not in anv one vear exceed a subvention to the trade unions of £ 6,000. Only in extreme circumstances would it reach as much as £ 25,000. The benefit under the Insurance Act was to be raised from 7s. to lIs. a week. Sir Frederick Banbury asked why trade unions should be subsidis.ed any more than a federation of employers. It is the law now," Sir Robert Horne replied. Sir Frederick Banbury, who said there were a good many bad laws he would like to repeal, moved that the expenditure should be limited to il5,000 in any one year. Ultimately sir Robert Home's resolution was adopted.

WINSTON CHURCHILL. I NEW STORY TOLD BY SIR R. BADEN- POWELL. Sir Robert Baden-Powell, when the guest of the London Rotarv Club at the Midland Orand Hotel, told an amusing story con- cerning Mr. Winston Churchill. Recalling a polo- match in which he once played, he said they toasted everybody—the winners, the losers, the best player, and evervone else. 11 he continued, "Then a man got up," he continued, "and, despite our protests, delivered a long and splendidly-eloquent oration on the sub- j ect of polo. We cheered him to the echo, and then, turning a sob. upside-down, we pit him under it, and seated two hetty fellows on top of it lest he should speak a^ain. But he got out and continued his prx-eeh. That man was Mr. Winston Churchill."

GREAT WATER SCHEME. I TEN MILLION PROJECT 'FOR MAN- I CHESTER. The House of Lords Committee has fina-lly passed the Manchester Corporation Bill, which seeks power to carry out a X10,000,000 water scheme. The supply is to be obtained from Hawes- water. The Bill has already received the approval of the House of Commons.

When President Poincare visits Arras he will stop at Albert to decorate the town with the Croix de Guerre awarded it by the Government. Councillor Richard Earle, local secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen, has been appointed Ramsgate s first Labour magistrate. Under the pr?dencv of M. De < ?< tIh? e Vv Belgian Cabinet- has been formed  ? comprises dl the former Ministers except TA. de Brcqueville, Minister of the Interior.

TAXING WAR PROFITS. I INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE I APPOINTED. The members of the Select Committee on War Profits are: Mr. Pennefather, Colonel Weigall, Colonel Sidney Peel, Mr. Macquis- tin, Mr. Murchison, Mr. Wilson-Fox, Colonel A. Pownall, Sir William Pearce, Sir John Bethell, Commander Hilton Young, Mr. Stanley Holmes, Colonel Penry Williams, Mr. Stephen Walsh, Mr. Vernon Hartshorn, and Mr. Robert Young. Sir William Pearce, it is said, will be chair- man. The terms of reference are: "To inquire into the proposal to imjxwe a tax on war- time increases of wealth, and to report whether such a tax is practicable, and, if so, what form it should take."

CHESTER-LE-STREET ELECTION. I The poll for the election of a member of I Parliament for the Chester-le-Street Di vi- sion of Durham, has been declared as follows:— Mr. John Lawson (Labour) 17,338 Mr. David Gilmour (N. Democratic) 5,313 Labour majority. 12,525 1 The vacancy was caused by the retirement of Mr. J. W. Taylor, a miners' representa- tive, who was unoppoe-ed at the last election. Mr. Lawson, the new M.P., is a check- weighman at a Durham mine, a member of the Durham miners' executive, a member of Durham County Council, and an ex-Ruskin College student. He is 39.

HONEYMOON TRAGEDY. I BRIDEGROOM EXPIRES SUDDENLY AT I HOTEL. The tragic end to a honeymoon ie reported from Paignton, Devon, to which place Mr. Thomas (J. Taylor, 60, member of the Ply- mouth Town Council, after his marriage journeyed with his bride. On arrival he reported to the police the loss of some property belonging to his wife, and, on returning to the hotel, expired sud. denly, presumably from a seizure.

TOM THUMB'S WIFE DEAD. Reports from America state that the death has taken place of the Countess Magri, who was known as Mrs. Tom Thumb, and who wa* a famous circus Lilliputian. Countess Lavinia Magri, who was 32in. high. celebrated her 78th birthday quite re- cently. She was a beautiful American girl when she married General Tom Thumb. After her husband's death Mrs. Tom Thumb married Count Magri, who was also a Lilli- putian.

Welsh titiplate makers are practically booked up for the first half of next year. The War Office states that 77,279 German prisoners of war have now been repatriated from the United Kingdom, of whom 35,m>3 were sent home in German ships.

PRINCESS MARY. JOTfclL EVENING WITH THE LAND GIRLS. At the Drapers' Hall, Princess Mary spent an evening with the land girls, when mem- bers of the Land Army assembled for their last rally before demobilisation. Two lines of taU land girls, bearing wands decorated with roses, made an avenue down the centre of the hall, through which Prin- cess Mary walked to her seat in the centre of the platform. As the Princess walked slowly down the hall the girls sang "God Save the King," and then their lilting Land Army song to the tune of "Come Lasses and Lads." Princess Mary was presented with a beau- tiful wicker basket, tastefully decorated with silk flowers and fruit, made by the land girls, bearing the inscription, "Pre- lan,-j girls, Lear no, sented to her Royal Highness Princess Mary by the Lasses," and beneath were the names of the 15 counties to which the girls belong who designed and made it. The chief ceremony of the evening- was the presentation of decorations. As the record of each courageous deed was read a young land girl strode up to the platform and stood at attention while Princess Mary pinned the Distinguished Service Bar, with its bow of red and green ribbon (the Land Army's colours) on her smock. With each happy heroine the Princess chatted, finally shaking her warmly by the hand.

VILLAGE LIFE. SUGGESTIONS FOR BRIGHTENING RURAL COMMUNITIES. "We have to consider what can be done by the people for themselves, and to assist them," said the Bishop of Winchester, speaking at the Rochester Diocesan Confer- ence in London. By way of ameliorating social life in the villages he spoke favourably of the estab- lishment of institutes, for not only had they to work for the salvation of souls, but to show their value of the manhood and womanhood of the people, and to help for- ward whatever tended to the betterment of the people. He regretted they had not the trade in refreshments under public- control, instead of its lying in the hands of the trade. They would then be able greatly to equip and im. prove their villages as local experiments had Ethown already they could do.

JOHN STUART MILL. I The action concerning the will of the Jata Miss Mary Taylor. of Kings Heath, Bir- mingham, who died in an asylum, leaving an estate of X14,000 was heard in the Pro- bate Court. It was said she possessed some MSS. of John Stuart Mill, and that the will pro. vided for publication. The will, which was executëd in January, 1918, could not be found after the death of the testatrix. The brother and sister, as defendants, claimed an intestacy; the will was propounded by the executors. His Lordship pronounced for the will, and ordered the costs of all parties to come out of the estate.

FINE FLYING RECORDS. I In a series of flights, observed by officiate of the Royal Aero Club, an Airco 9R bi- plane, with a 450 h.-p. Napier "Lion motor, piloted by Captain G. W. Gather- good, has flown at a speed of 149.43 miles an hour. In a test of 250 miles, flown in a series of closed circuits, the machine covered this distance in lhr. 42min. 32sec., an average speed throughout of 145.44 miles an hour. Both these flights, and the times re- corded for intermediate distances, have been certified as new British speed records by the Royal Aero Club.

V.C. AIRMAN'S WILL. I Estate valued at .£266 was left by Major McCudden, V.C.. the famous British airman who was accidentally killed in France on July 9, 1918. He died intestate and a bachelor. As the next of kin. letters of administra- tion of the property have been granted to his father, Mr. William Henry McCudden, retired warrant officer, Royal Engineers, of Kingston-on-Thames. I

I ARMY CHAPLAIN ACQUITTED. I After a two day" trial by court-martial, Captain the Rev. Thomas Joseph O'Donnell, Roman Catholic chaplain in the Australian Forces, was found not guilty of the charge of using disloyal language, and the public who crowded the Westminster Guildhall, where the trial was held, greeted the an- nouncement with cheers.

United States-Mexican situation is serious, and Washington is prepared for any even- tuality. Sound potatoes must not be used except as seed or human food, states the Food Controller. Flintshire elementary schools are to be stocked with tooth-brushes for purchase by children as required

I IRISH ANARCHY. I GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION TO ACT DRASTICALLY. SUSPENSION OF TRIAL BY JURY. The Government intend taking strong measures to resist the Sinn Fein movement in Ireland. The maintenance of law and order there is to be upheld at all costs. The situation had reached the point at which the administration of justice over the greater part of the south and west has been brought to a standstill by the ter- rorism which is practised by the Sinn Feiners. Murder and outrages continue, and the Executive is powerless to check them, for even in cases where the guilt or complicity of the persons is clearly estab- lished by evidence the juries refuse to con- vict, and the criminals go scot free. The position admits of no delay, and con- sequentty the Government have decided to act promptly. A Bill which will remedy matters to some extent provides for the suspension of trial by jury in special criminal cases, and the determination of those cases by special Commissions consisting of three High Court judges. Already "hunger strikers" have been dealt with firmly, and the ridiculous discharges from prison formerly made on this account have now ceased.

I PITY THE POOR PEERS I SURRENDER OF TITLE BILL NOT PRO- CEEDED WITH. At the House of Commons, by 169 votes to 56, leave was refused to Mr. J. H. Thomas to introduce his Bill empowering the King to accept the surrender of any peerage. The Bill provided that where the King ac- cepted such surrender, the peerage should come to an end, and all rights and privileges attaching to it should disappear. Major Edward Wood opposed the proposed Bill on the ground that by dealing with the future constitution of the House of Lords piecemeal it would prejudice wise action later-a remark that led to a woman in the public gallery clapping her hands.

I MR. "PUSSYFOOT" JOHNSON. I Mr. "Pussyfoot" Johnson, who was the victim of a hospital students' foolish "rag," recently has had to have his injured eye removed. It ia said that be showed great fortitude during the operation, but was very weak afterwards, as ho was under an anaesthetic, for rather a long while. It was necessary that the eye should be removed in order to avoid the danger of sympathetic ophthalmia iu the remaining I eye.

THE NEW POOR." I PEOPLE WITH £ U WEEKLY SEEK I RELIEF. At a meeting of the Llanelly Board or Guardians the relieving officer stated that a man with only a wife dependent on him, and earning over £ 6 a week, asked for out- door relief, and a family in which the total earnings were X14 a week also asked fcr relief. Applicants with incomes of £ i and Xb a week were quite common.

I MISSING PARIS BANKER. I Scotland Yard authorities are looking for I a 6ft. 3in. Paris banker, by name Henri Dalle-e, who disappeared from Paris on Oc- I tober 13, after a very heavy fraud had been discovered. Dallec weighs 17 stone, and is 26 years of age. He has a notice- able mark on his left hand, and is fond of wearing diamond rings. If anyone sees this man he is asked to communicate with Scotland Yard or the nearest police station.

SURPRISED GIRL STOWAWAYS. Two girls, Peggy Fairfax and Ivy Bos- well, who were aboard the American naval vessel Plattsburg as stowaways, appeared before Liverpool magistrates on a charge, it is stated, of embarking on a ship without a passport. The girls are much surprised by the turn of events.

DEPORTING MINERS. I STRONG ACTION IN THE UNITED STATES. American military authorities announce that deportation proceedings will be insti- I tuted against the more extreme elements among the miners who have been arretted.

I FIRST WOMAN M.P. I I LADY ASTOR RETURNED FOR I PLYMOUTH. ANTI=WASTE WINS I THANET. By the return of Viscountess Astor .for the Sutton Division of Plymouth, St. Stephen's will now have its first woman M.P. Another woman, Countess Markiewicz, the Sinn Feiner, was returned at the general election, I but never took her seat. The polling was as follows: I Lady Astor (Co.-U.) 14,495 Mr. W. T. Gay (Lab.) 9,292 Mr. Isaac Foot (L.) 4,139 Majority 5,203 I "ANTI-WASTE." I In the Isle of Thanet by-election, the I "anti-waste candidate, Mr. E. Harms- I worth, was returned, the figures being: Hon. E. Harmsworth (Con.). 9,711 Capt. West (L.) 7,058 Con. Majority 2,653 This vacancy was created by the death of Mr. Norman Craig, K.C., who was first re- turned for the constituency as a Conserva- tive in January, 1910, by a majority of 3,482 over the Liberal candidate. There was no contest at the General Elections of Decem- ber, 1910, and December, 1918.

I STATE PUBLIC-HOUSES. I INTERESTING EXPERIMENT AT CARLISLE. I An interesting experiment has been car- ried out at Carlisle, where for nearly four years the State has controlled the drink traffic, and where, with the exception of three hotels, all places of refreshment are owned and managed by the Liquor Control Board. To judge from a personal visit to the establishments under the Board's control, ane is prompted to say that the new licen- sing policy evolved has given Carlisle the finest public-houses in the kingdom. It is safe to say that the new houses are a revela- tion of the way in which a reconstructed public-house may retain all its good features md yet by judicious alteration be turned into a place of beauty and repose. They have wide, flagged floors, quaint country tire-places, broad benches, and plenty of seats. They are brightly, almost gaily, decorated, and yet their simple architecture, heavy beams, and wooden ceilings, give them an air of solid comfort. The managers are enthusiastic about the good behaviour and cheerfulness of their customers, and it is said that all the new houses pay their way. In the matter of supply, one brewery does the work which was previously done by four, and one spirit bond employing four- teen persons and a motor lorry does the work less efficiently performed under private interest by a much larger service. The lesson to be learned from the State Control venture at Carlisle is, apparently. that the State can supply all the needs of reasonable men and give facilities of a kind unknown to the ordinary trade. Drunken. neas and excess can be checked, in fact at Carlisle the record is one and a half drunken persons per week in what was for- merly a hard-driuking city. By means of complete control the Board I closed down 69 licensed houses, which were its own property, and it was then free to sell them for other purposes. Its reconstruc- tion schemes were unhindered except by the possibility of pubhc opposition. On the practical side po??e,?sion has proved neces- sary at every step. Licensees were compen- ?sated at a valuation, which all but twelve accepted without demur. In three years one- third of the money involved has been paid back. At the end of ten years the whole of the reforms and the experiments in the wide area around Carlisle will have repaid every < penny of their cost. The State will have tha gift of this business, paying at the rate of 20 per cent. According to Sir Edgar Saunders, general manager of the Carlisle experiment, the State could buy up the liquor trade, pay ofl the money in ten years, and then find itself in possession of a trade reformed in every branch, and ready if prohibition should come into force, to provide clubs and tem- perance houses for the millions of all social grades.

U-BOAT SUNK BY DIRECT HIT. I An interesting story of the sinking of a U-bpat by direct hit from a seaplane wad told in the Prize Court. It appears that Captain C. E. S. Lusk on September 22, 1917, observed an enemy sub- marine in the North Sea and bombed it. One of the bombs hit the U-boat direct, and she heeled over and sank. Air bubbles were then observed, and oil and a large quantity of wrecka g e were soon afterwards noticed. The submarine crew had been ascertained to be thirty-two, and there were no survivors. Prize bounty at the rate of £ 5 per head of the craft destroyed was claimed and was awarded by the Court.

LINER IN COLLISION. I Off the Statue of Liberty at the entrance to New York Harbour the White Star liner Adriatic, homeward bound, collided in a fog with the freight steamer Saint Michael. which was bound with a general cargo foi Pernambuco. The Adriatic was undamaged, and wher the fog lifted resumed her voyage. Tht Saint Michael was only slightly damaged Among the passengers on the Adriatic wae Sir Thomas Lipton. -————  

I "DELIBERATE PLUNDERING." I At Salisbury, John Hart, of Amesbury, was fined ,£."0 on 44 summonses for over- charges on meat. Ph!neas Seth Tilbury, his manager, was fined £ 44 and sentenced to a month's hard labour for aiding and abet- ting. Counsel for the prosecution said the evi- dence disclosed that the defendants "plun. dered their customers deliberately and de- signedly. I =

THE RAILWAY DIFFICULTY. j Mr. J. H. Thomas, speaking at March said he was not going to say there was a crisis, but the railway negotiations were not progressing as satisfactorily as they had a right to expect. Evidences tended to show that Laboui would be called on before long to take thE reins of Government.

REFEREE MOBBED. I Major J. A. Wilson, D.S.O., who acted as referee at a boxing match at Mountain Act was roughly handled by a. section of th< audience of 3,000. He was rushed and struck several times chairs being thrown at him. He was badly bruised, two teeth were knocked out, anc I an old war wound was re-opened.

Miss Lilian Byrne, who is well known on the concert platform, has married Mr. Wil- liamson, of Lancaster, who is a nephew of Lord Ashton. A footballer named Wilcox, playing for Fareham against the R.M.L.I. Reserves in the Hants Junior Cup-tie at Gosport, fell after heading the ball, broke an arm, and died from tetanus. A letter has been sent to the Premier by the Women's Freedom League urging the release from prison of the W.R.A.F. clerk, Elsie Smith, now in Holloway Gaol, for causing the death of her child.

PRINCE OF WALES' RETURN. TERMINATION TO A TIME OF TRIUMPH. GREAT SCENES ON ARRIVAL A great welcome was accorded the Prince of Wales when he arrived back in England after his triumphal tour through Canada and the United States. On board H.M.S. Renown he safely reached Portsmouth, where a Royal salute froM warships in harbour was fired. At the Town Hall a civic reception was given him, after which he left for Victoria Station, where he was received by the King and Queen, Queen Alexandra, the Queen of Nor- way, and Princess Victoria. After the Prince's arrival the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family returned to Buckingham Palace and their respective residences, the Prince, with members of his suite in two carriages, driv- ing to Buckingham Palace via Buckingham Palace road, Victoria street, Whitehall, Charing Cross, Cockspur-street, Pall Mall, St. James's-street, Piccadilly, Constitution- Hill. A threatened demonstration of local un- employed ttlid not take place at Portsmouth, owing to the able intervention of the Mayor. The men joined in the throng of spectators, and promised to remain orderly on the un- dertaking that their grievances will be brought to the notice of the Minister of Labour.

PAYMENT OF TEACHERS. I The report of a committee of representa- tives of local e ducation authorities and the National Union of Teachers recommends the following scale of pay:- Trained men assistants, .£160 minimum, rising to < £ 300; untrained men assistants, .£150; trained mistresses, < £ 150 to E240; un- trained mistresses, < £ 140. It is recommended that salaries .for men and women head teachers should range from < £ 330 and E264 respectively up to £ 450 and X360 per annum. Uncertificated men assis- tants are to have a minimum of .£100, rising to £150, mistresses, £90 to £140.

I PAPER HALF-CROWNS. I I NEW ISSUE OF NOTES EXPECTED. I In addition to the threatened 5s. note, it is rumoured that a paper issue of half-crown value will soon be made. The first specimen notes have been printed ready for inspection, and arrangements have been made for a large issue at short notice if and when desired. The notes are similar in pattern to the present 10s. notes, but are somewhat smaller in size.

 I WOMEN JOURNALISTS. I The Society of Women Journalists is offer- ing three prizes of -tiO, t5, and < £ 3 for the best articles on any phaso of "Reconstruc- tion." In length they must not exceed 1,000 words, and the entrance fee is 5s. Men as well as women may compete, and Mr. Hugh Walpole has consented to act as judge. Miss Evelyn Miller, Society of Women Journalists, 2, Tudor-street, E.C. 4, is the hon. secretary of the competition, and will forward copies of the rules on receipt of a stamped and addressed envelope.

WHERE'S MOTHER? I A baby well clothed and holding a milk bottle has been found outside the front door of a house in Barnmead-road, Beckenham. There being no clue to the parents, the child was taken to Bromley Workhouse.

PLYMOUTH HOTEL FIRE. I Fire has caused damage of X20,000 at the Royal Hotel, Plymouth. Guests rushed from their rooms, some in their night attire, but firemen prevented the otitbr-aic from spreading to the bedrooms. The restaurant was gutted, and the ball- room and Palm Court damaged. Visitors were accommodated at other hotels during the day, but were able to return the same night.

I BIG LOTTERY PRIZE. I I WHO OWNS THE LUCKY NUMBER? I The drawing of prizes in the City of Paris i Prize Bond Issue, 1919, took place at the Hotel de Ville. The first prize of E40,000 was won bv the holder of the bond number 1,430,723.

I THE" MOOR" LINE. I Sir Walter Runciman. chairman of th& Moor Line, states that the directors have re- ceived an offer from the Western Counties Shipping Company. Ltd., for the 13 ships at present owned by the Moor Line, and that a contract for the sale of the vessels has been signed. The Moor Line, having obligations which are not to be terminated, will replace the vessels by others more suitable for their purposes as and w hen opportunity offers.

SELF HELP. I It is truly marvellous how efficiently the maimed pursue their course through life. For instance, a man who lost his right arm when he was a youth says that he gets up at seven o'clock, washes, shaves, scrubs' his finger-nails by holding a small nail-brush between his teoth, and dresses himself with- out any help. "To fill a pipe and strike a match is an easy matter," he says, "while years ago 1 learned to write with my lit hand. "I often play whist, and can place my cards together as quickly as anyone. But I find my chief delight and enjoyment m playing the piano or organ. I love both. I do not play with my left hand only, but play the lower notes with a stick in my mouth. "I can open a boiled egg and cat it as quickly as anyone with their two hands, while in regard to wrapping up a parcel and securing the same with string, 1 elml. lenge any grocer to do the job more neatly." Surely a wonderful record!

I TOYS ON THE STAGE. I Have you noticed that theatres have "waves," in which they popularise certain things. For instance, observant theatre- goers recently noticed that there was quite a glut of toys on the stage, principally, of course, in revues and musical comedies. At the Garriok there was a song in which the singers brought on Teddy bears and other mechanical creatures. "Bran Pie," at the Prince of Wales, showed Beatrice Lillie with a "man doll" in evening-dress, and all the chorus-girls carried dolls. A Haymarket pro- duction had trains, dolls, and animals, notably a remargable stage duck, which helped to make the piece go. In Back Again," at the Ambassadors, there was a "lumbs-up" doll, a Teddy bear parson, a toy carriage, and wooden horses. The Russian Ballet, in "La Boutique Fantasque," ran to a toyshop, the like of which had never been known off the stage, and never before on it.

Seaman A. Dexter, H.M.S. Splendid, has died in Shotley Hospital from a bullet wotind accidentally received while officers of his ship were handing in their revolvers. Recommendations regarding wages in the Fire Brigade, it was stated at an L.C.C. meeting, would be submitted before the Christmas recess.

COASTGUARDS' TRAGIC DEATH. FOUND ON CLIFF AFTER LIFE-SAVING OPERATIONS. Two vessels got into difficulties during a thick fog on the Holderness (Yorkshire) coast, the trawler Vigilant, of Hull, being. piled on the beach near Withernsea, while another trawler ran ashore at Holmpton. Both vessels were got off 'with the tide. Mr. Joseph W. Wade, 51, chief coastguapd officer, who supervised the turn-out of the Withernsea Life-Saving Brigade in the case of the Vigilant, was soon afterwards found by his men lying dead on the cliff, appa- rently from heart disease.

THE HIDDEN HAND. DETECTIVE MORTALLY WOUNDED IN A DUBLIN STREET. Detective-Sergeant Barton has been mor- tally shot in Dublin within two hundred yards of the spot where Detective Hoey was killed about six weeks ago. The detective was walking down Towns- end-street when four shots rang out and he was seen to fall He was carried into a soldiers' club opposite, and then removed in an ambulance to Mercer's Hotel, where he died shortly after admission. When the last shot had been fired a man ran out of the crowd and a soldier ran after him until he disappeared from his view in Grafton-street. A large force of police rushed to the scena of the shooting, but no arrest was made.

"SPECIALS AT CHURCH. SPLENDID GATHERING AT ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. One thousand officers and men of the City of London Polico Reserve, who served ao special constables during the war, marched to St. Paul's Cathedral to attend a thanks- giving service, at which the Lord Mayor and sheriffs attended in state. Canon Simpson, who preached the sermon, said that at the beginning of the war be- tween 7,000 and 8,000 men were sworn in. The force was necessarily recruited from men not available for military service, nevertheless 3.000 left to joiu the com- batant forces, and a number were mentioned in despatches for gallant conduct in the field.

CONCHIES CONVENTION. AUTHOR'S ADVICE TO MEN WHO SAVED THEIR SKINS. "The only message I can send your meeting is this, that the conscientious ob- jectors, having saved their skins, can afford to refrain from heroic attitudes, and will show a seemly gratitude to the dead by working as hard I as they can for that world settlement which the overthrow of an aggressive militarism has made pos- sible." Thus wrote Mr H G Wells to the mem- bers attending the National Convention of the No Conscription Fellowship, which w2S held at the Friends' Meeting House, Devon, shire House. Bishopsgate.

GIRLS, BEWARE! TOURING REVUE PROPRIETORS TO BE LICENSED. The touring revue of doubtful character, which frequently comes to an abrupt end after a run of a few weeks, leaving the un- fortunate girls stranded, has come before the Public Control Committee of the London County Council, who recommend the L.C.C. to pass a resolution on the subject, to be sent to the Home Secretary. The resolution states that in the publio interest it is desirable that theatrical managers and the proprietors and managers of touring revues should be licensed in the same way as theatrical employment agents.

MYSTERY OF THE LINE. MA-N JUMPS FROM CORNISH EXPRESS. The body of a well-dressed man, appa* rently between 50 and 60 years of age, has been found on the railway between Eding- ton and Lavington. While the Great Western Railway Cornish express wae nearing Edington, Wiltshire. the communication cord was pulled and the emergencv brakes were accordingly applied. After the train had stopped the guard was informed by two women passengers that a man had either jumped or fallen from the door of their compartment.

SOME JUMP. DRASTIC METHOD TO ACHIEVE SUICIDE AND MURDER. An astonishing incident occurred at the Imperial Theatre, Tokyo, says a correspon- dent of the "Daily Express." A man jumped from the gallery, with e intention not only of committing sUIcIde but of killing a few war millionaires at the same time. He landed, however, in some stalls which were empty, and was not fatally injured.

Harvard Univerr.itv Hospital unit has re- ceived a letter irom" K inT GeOrr-Ie expressing his appreciation of the service the hoSPltiJ rendered the British Army. Mrs. Sarah Radford, cf Tiverton, is 100 years old. She still has all her fultie6. The Finnish Press Bureau learns a well-informed Russian quarter that resignation of the North-West B,UB81aD G-overnment is iill p-endillg. Mr. Hartley Nelson, a Lancashire cotton Mr. Hartley died suddenly on arrival at manufacturer, died suddenly on arrival at Preston, whither he had been summoned ta serve on a jury.

I WORK FOR WOOLWICH. I GREAT DEVELOPMENTS EXPECTED AT ROYAL ARSENAL. As the outcome of the visit of Mr. Lloyd George to Woolwich Arsenal, a mass meet- ing of the All Grades Committee and shop stewards of Woolwich Arsenal was held iu Beresford-«quare. Mr. Fred Thomas, secretary of the All Grades Committee, said the interview with the Premier resolved itself into the answer- ing of questions, and, added Mr. Thomas, "I will say this: I have been asked whether Mr. Lloyd George is sympathetic, and I say definitely that he is. But he is not just con- cerned with filling the Arsenal with any kind of manufactures of a fleeting kind. He is out to find manufactures for the Arsenal which are to be permanent." One thing that Mr. Lloyd George said Was that we should not want guns and shells for the next hundred years, and Wool- wich Arsenal mus-t concentrate on engine and carriage building in the future. This country and her dependencies could supply the Arsenal with orders for locomotives to keep them going for the next five years. Mr. Pridmore (Workers' Union) also gave details of the interview. Mr. Lloyd George urged upon the superintendent the necessity of extending and expanding the work of the Arsenal in the building of locomotives and wagons, and when told there wae no room he said, "Clear out the shells and place them in the fields. We hope we shall never want them again." Mr. Mills, joint secretary Qf the All Grades Committee, said that as the result of the Prime Minister's visit a definite order for telephone work was eomin.g to Woolwich, and a new industry, cable construction, wns also to come there. Ca-ble construction would be a permanent feature of workshop life at Woolwich as soon as they got the necessary plant.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS. I LORD ROBERT CECIL AND AN INTER. I NATIONAL FLEET. Speaking at Glasgow, Lord Robert Cecil. under the auspices of the League of Nations Union, referred to the difficulty of estab- lishing an International Military Court. He said he was tlispostd to think that the first form of international force would probably be the International Fleet. It would be much easier to move it about and to post it. He would welcome the estab- lishment of some international force as soon as possible, but he did not think the time had yet arrived. No one would deplore more than he the abstention of America from the League. but he did not admit that would make it less our duty to go on with the scheme.

POLICE WHO STRUCK. WIVES' DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. Mr. Sam Marsh, general secretary of the National Union of Vehicle Workers has in- terviewed Mr. Davies, private secretary to the Prime Minister, on behalf of 100 wives of police strikers, who called at 10, Down- ing-street to ask for the reinstatement of their husbands in the police force. He afterwards said he told Mr. Davies probably the whole of the Borough Councils of London would make a joint application to have the matter re-opened. Mr. Daviea replied that if that were done in a constitu- tional manner the Prime Minister might agree to receive a deputation, but he could not say anything definite.

'BUS DRIVER ON FIRE. I While being soldered in a workshop at Usk a petrol tank exploded, and flames shot up througli the roof. Herbert Alexander, a 'bus-driver, who had entered the workshop at that moment, had his clothes set on fire. He ran from the building with his clothes blazing, and fell exhausted outside, dying later in Pontypool Hospital.

j ENGLISH THE WORLD LANGUAGE. It is reported that the Northern Peace I Union of Stockholm has started an inquiry j into the comparative prospects of the vari- j ous languages being accepted as a world language by taking the opinions of Univer- sity professors of languages in the different countries. Out of the 19 answers so far received, 12 favour the English language.

CROYDON ELECTION. I COALITION CANDIDATE RETURNED. The Coalition have held the South Croy- don Parliamentary Division, but the ma- jority has dropped from 10,807 in Decem- ber last to 2,204. The result of the election of a successor to Sir Ian Malcolm, who resigned, was an- nounced as follows:- Sir Allan W. Smith (Co. U.) 11,777 Alderman B. Houldcr (L.) 9,573 Coalition majority. 2,204 Sir Allan Smith, the 1.CW M.P., is chair- man of the employers' scction of the joint committee of the Industrial Conference- He served on the Armaments Output Committee and many other committees during the war.

OUT OF WORK PAY. I PROBABLE INCREASED BENEFITS TO I THE INSURED. When the Unemployment Benefit Bill was read a second time in the Commons, Sir Robert Home explained that the amount of money now at the disposal of the Unemploy- ment Insurance Acts, already in existence, ment Insurance Ae-ts, was sufficient to aiiow of the benefit to in- sured persons out of work being increased from 7s. to lis. a week. The Bill was to amend the previous Acts in order that this increase might be made. The Government was pressing oil with all speed with the larger measure of unemploy- ment insurance.

SELT-MADE FOOLS. I WREXHAM COUNCIL'S CAZDID ADMISSION. Wrexham Town Council decided to pur- chase cocked hats for the members to wear on State occasions CounciHor Stanford said this step was being taken for the sake of uniformity, as the councillors made such fools of them- selves on peace day.

I The Northern Peace Union of Stockholm has started an inquiry into the comparative prospects of the various languages being ac- cepted as a world language by taking tho opinions of university professors of lan- guage in the different countries. Out of the nineteen answers hitherto received twelve favour the English language. According to the "Vossiche Zeitung," the German Imperial Cabinet has decided that in December 1 4-?ozs. less shall be given on each bread card in Germany. The amount saved will be 4,400,000 pounds weekly, and this will be placed at the disposal c-f Vienna.