The Cambria Daily Leader

HOARDING COLD. I EffECT OF WAR ON CREDIT, ClB xfiC*: AND, FINANCE. PERSONAL & NATIONAL ECONOMY NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, Friday. One of the principal subjects con- sidered to-dity was that of the eifect of the war on credit, currency and finance, on which a voluminous report of a committee (including Profes.sor W. R. Scott, Sir Edward Bra brook, and Sir R. H. Inglis Polgrave) was presented to the Economic Section. It was stated that since last year's report the credit position has be- come lees abnormal and the need for emergency currency lees, but it is now desirable to concentrate the country's stock of gold. Notes should be marked convertible into gold at the Bank of Eng- land. Though actual conversion is un- desirable, adequate gold reserve against notes is essential. There has been no in- crease since iaot year, while the note issue has been trebled. It is difficult to estimate the quantity of gold in the country. Before the war some of it was hoarded, and hoarding seems to have in- creased. As to what had caused the rise in prices many reasons were advanced, prompted by the same aspect of the situa- tion forced upon the attention of each writer by his personal experience, and thus those engaged in monetary transac- tions explained the rise by alteration in the currency. But. the theory of the money market must be applied with great car? at present, as this is a short period," and it must be distinguished from a normal period. The report combated the impres- sion reported to be prevalent abroad—that there is a moral prohibition in the export of gold, and that England has in fact a non-exportable gold standard-" No doubt, the committee states, great exports have "been made. The British Empire controls two-thirds of the world's output of gold, and therefore there is no good reason for any moral or patriotic impedi- ment the most perfect freedom of gold exports. On the question of individual and national economy, the committee remark that there are various types of saving which are of unequal value to the naaiou. Mistakes arise from thinking in terms of money. We ought to think in terms of commodities. It is clear that the best saving is in imported goods; next in goods which are produced under conditions of diminishing return, e.g.. the saving in the use of wool, coal, food of all kinds, cotton. etc. WAR TAXATION AND LOANS. Highly beneficial economy in public ex- penditure is even more necessary. Dis- cussing the relative advantages of financ- ing the war by loans or taxation, the com- mittee takes the view that it is a matter of some doubt whether much additional revenue can be obtained by further taxa- tion of commodities except petrol and spirits. If further revenue is required, it must be obtainedTjy a more scientific and equitable ircoine-ta:i. At present the taxation of the working classes is based on their consumption of necessaries. Apart from tobacco and intoxicants, the canon of ability to pay is ignored. The amount of tax paid by the working man through sugar, tea, and other duties depended on ihe size of his family and not of his in- come. The committee arrive at the con- clusion under this head that contributions required from the working classes should I-,e taken by income-tax on wages collected through the employer at the time of pay- ment. WAR AND E.UGENICS. In papers on war and eugenics, an ap- peal was made for statistics as to men killed in war for the purpose of testing the theory that war meant the eurvivla of the fittest STEAMER CAPSIZES. I A Lloyd's telegram, dated Thursrlay, "says: The Ajfeefitfhu steamer Columbia, in course of repairing, capsized alongside the wharf at Amsterdam.

AIRMEN BROTHERS KILLED. Two brothers named Ralph and Allen Lashmar were killed while flying on Thurs- day afternoon at North wood, Isle of Wight. They were at a considerable height when the machine was seen to tilt at an acute angle, and then to craph to the ground.

PEACE MEETINGS STOPPED. Zurich Wednesday.—During the last half of August no less than 163 meetings convened by Socialists in different parts of Germany to discuss the terms of peace and to protest against the annexionist agi- tation of the Pan-Germans were prohibited by the military authorities.—Wireless Press.

WHERE THE ZEPPELIN FELL. I 9Qip historic spot at Cufflesy on which Zeppelin L21 fell a mass of blazing wreckage last Sunday morning has been presented to the Daily Express" in trust for the nation. Mrs. Kirlston. of Nyn Park, Northaw, the owner of the property, has made the gift on the under- standing that a monument is erected there hy public subscription to com- memorate the "heroic exploit of Lieutenant Robinson. V.C.. and the downfall of the I first German airshin on British soil.

GERMAN APPEALS IN NOVELS A novel which reached England this week from America contained in the middle of the volume forty pages of special pleading for the German citisp in t ie war. The first two of these pages were gummed together, and when they were separated it was found that the words Political notes here because of censor" had been stamped on them. The book has been handed to the Intelligence Department. There is evidence that old volumes are being bought by German agents in the <j £ iited PHtes and rebound after nppe.iU on behalf of Germany have been inserted in fbem.

I SAVED BY A WORD. 3fr. S. J. Murphy, an American dncora-I tive artirt, who has been living for w),-n,-l vears in England, state-d on his arrival in New York a few days ago that he was saved from imprisonment as a spy by the I one word H souirrel. He was on his way to Ireland, and was arrested at Holyhead by a guard of soldiers because he had no identification papers. An officer gave the order: "Say Squir- rel!" f r. Murphy did so, and was at once released. A German," explained the officer after- wards, can't say the wo,-d--he loses it now"'). }js throat. You said it like an Eng- lishman.

ANOTHER GERMAN LIE I rHE HUMBER OF RUMANIAN PRISONERS: I THE TfiUIH. A REASSURING MESSACE I Router's Agency, in a message issued on Friday afternon, leanis in an authori- tative quarter, that the Rumanian opera- tions in the north re progressing quite favourably. As to fighting in the Dob- rudja, the result of which, so far, is being greatly exaggerated by the enemy, what is happening is more or less what was ex- pected. As to the German claims regard- ing prisoners, it is only necessary to point out that there not as many Ru- manian trops concerned as the enemy says ho lias captured! Ac- ,-o jg to the Rumanian military plan, it was always expected that the Dobrudja would form a theatre of opera- tions, but as to the crossing of the Dan- ube that is quite another matter. A re- tirement from Turtukai is not a matter for any surprise. It is not the strongly fortified place that the Germans would have one believe. It is a small town of some 8,000 inhabitants, with earthworks, but certainly not an important fortress. The advance o fthe Russians south will be felt not only in the Dobrudja, but in other quarters of the Bulgarian sphere of operations, and will seriously affect the Bulgarian offensive in the north.. BERLIN'S CLAIM. I Petrograd Thursday.—The communique says:—Being closely pressed by superior Germano-Bulgarian forces, the Rumanian troops were obliged to evacuate Turtukai. The Rumanians had formed a bridge- head at Turtukai on the southern bank of the Danube, in the triangular strip of territory which Rumania gained when frontiers were redelimitated after the last Balkan war. The Rumano-Bulgarian border line is 15 miles south of Turtukai, hnd the town is about 35 miles south-east of Bucharest. Amsterdam, Thursday.—To-day's Ber- lin official communique contains the fol- lowing :— Victorious German-Bulgar forces cap- tured by storm the strongly fortified place of Turtukai. Their booty, so far as has been ascer- tained, amounts to over 20.000 prisoners, including two generals, and more than 400 other officers, with over 100 guns. Losses of the Rumanians in killed and wounded are also heavy. AMERICA'S PROTEST. From the Times correspondent in the Balkan Peninsula. Tuesday (received Friday).—I under- stand that the American Goevrnment will protest against the indiscriminate throw- ing of bombs on Bucharest from aero- planes. The inj uries suffered by civil- ians in a previous raid have provoked a demand for reprisals. The Bulgarian offensive against Turtu- kai has been repulsed after eleven violent and consecutive attacks. The event con- stitute6 a very brilliant feat of arms for the Rumanian Army. The losses were considerable. In peaces the assaulting columns passed over keaj)s of corpses. The Rumanian troops, who were well sheltered, suffered only slight losses. The advance of the Russians in the Dobrudja is causing uneasiness among the Bulgarians.—Copyright. NO IMMEDIATE DANGER. Amsterdam, Friday.—Commenting on the capture of Turtukai, the Nieuws Van Den Dag Fays:-It by no means signifies any immediate danger to Buchar- est. The newspaper addig: The danger from Turtukai is not greater than from Rustchuk, where the Bulgarians are also about one hour s railway journey from Bucharest, but where they are on the opposite side of the river."

PANAMA CANAL SLIDES. A cable message from Lloyd's agent at Panama, received on Thursday, stated: No vessels passed through the Canal to-day. According to an official statement, ships will commence transiting to-morrow morning."

RUSSIAN ARMY CHIEF. Petrograd, Friday.—The following is an autograph rescript by the Czar to his Chief of Staff: "His Maiestv prays God to grant general health and fresh strength to sustain him in carrying on his respon- sible labours to the end." The Czar, who addresses General Alexieff as "My dear Michael Vassilievitch," concludes with words of cordial affection and respect.

THE BLADE SHAPED SHOE. "The right kind of shoe will be a queer looking thing as we now see things," says Dr. Arthur R. Reynolds, an American writer, quoted by the Shoe and Ixsather News," for in place of the pointed toe it will look more like the blade of a paddle. It will not he stiff and unyielding. It will hp from 3in. to 5in. across the ball of the foot." — ■

PRISON FOR SHOWING LIGHT For what the West London magistrate described as an "extremely serious" in- fringement of the lighting regulations, Esther David, manageress of a ladies' tailoring shop in North End-road, was fined <625, with the alternative of 51 days' imprisonment. The magistrate observed that if these offences continued, and the people were convicted, they would go straight to gaol without the option of a fine.

NEW BELGIAN LINERS. New York, Wednesday.—The American agents of the Royal Belgian Lloyd Steam- ship Company announce that a steamship fleet, financed by the Belgian Government, will be operated between New York and French and Italian ports, with a direct service to Havre. It is said that Belgium will guarantee the principal and interest. The nominal capital will be X4,000,000, to be issued by the oompany.-Reutc-r.

TRANS-ATLANTIC ZEPPS. Chicago, Thursday.—Mr Morris Epstein, one of the partners of a great packing company here, who has just returned from Berlin, said that he saw while in Germany two huge Zeppelins, named re- spectively "Deutschland" and "America," which he was told were designed for Trans- atlantic work. Each has a carrying capacity of sixty tons, and was said to be very fast. They are primarily intended for the carriage of mails between Germany and New York. ✓

ARE THE BOCHES RETIRING? SIGNIFICANT MESSACE FROM THE FRONT. CUKS MOVED BACK. I This afternoon we received the fouow-I ing message from the Press Association's special correspondent at British Head- quarters in the Field, dated Wednesday. Our readers will note the surmise whether the enemy is withdrawing his heavy guns as a preliminary to a general withdrawal: Whilst watching the bombardment of Ginchy this iiioriil ng, I learnt some par- ticulars of the fighting of Sunday last from men who had taken part in it. To the general 6tA.ry of how we took Guille- mont there remains little to add, al- though one may well emphasise the bril- liant character of the attack, which ap- parently came as a surprise to the Ger- mans. who had so long awaited it, under the most trying conditions of concen- trated shell fire, that they had made up I their dazed minds that it was not coining I at all. WHAT OUR GUNS DO. I The terrible nature of our high explo- sive bombardment was described to me by an officer who had' been right through the ruins of the village and well beyond it. He said that the ground east of G'uillemont was strewn with. German corpses, and that in many cases these were stark naked, every stitch of clothing having been blasted off them. A very large proportion of these bodies showed no signs of wounds at all, and there is little doubt that the men were killed by the in- tense concussion. Particularly does this I seem to have been the case in some of the dugouts with which the place is war- rened." In one of these, a big deep cavern which our troops entered, they found only three of the forty occupants living. As this dugout had not been bombed at all, it is pretty clear that this was the result of shell fire. COMPLETELY DEMORALISED. It was from the nests of dugouts in the village and along the banks of the sunken road that the big haul of prisoners was collected. The men surrendered very freely, and indeed were in a complete state of demoralisation. As one of them expressed it, their nerve had been de- stroyed by the terrific poundings of our guns. This accounts for the surprising ease with which our troops took the place. ARE THEY WITHDRAWING? I Although the Boches put up a heavy howitzer barrage upon Guilk-mont after we had occupied it, no 'whizz bangs' came over at ali, so I was told. This is a signi- ficant circumstance, for it indicates that the Germans had withdrawn their field artillery beyond range. Whether this was from apprehension ofoth* gwaft. falling.inta our hands, or "dJdher it is the*preliminr ary to a general withdrawal, can of course only be a matter of speculation. I IN A DUG-OUT. I In one post, at which a sharp machine gun fire was silenced, the gunners were found lying dead around their weapons. Peering into a yawning hole near by, our men heard a mufiied cough. They shouted down to whoever was there to come out and surrender, but no answer was re- turned, so a smoke bomb was dropped into the darkness. Presently, up came the officer of the party, haJf choking and splut- tering his readiness to yield. Our snipers did great work during the attack from countless shell holes in the open. The searching fire of our artillery dislodged whole bunches of the enemy, many of them machine gun crews. They frequently carried their weapons with I them, designing to establish themselves ) in better cover, and open again upon our j men; but it was seldom indeed that they I made good their retreat. I THE GALLANT FUSILIERS. I heard of a splendid deed by a party of about 30 fusiliers who, during the ad- vance towards Ginchy on Sunday last, got into a trench which, from their observa- tion, they believed to run from the north- west corner of the village towards Delville Wood. They had a good supply of bombs, and soon cleared the cutting of the enemy. Then, without other food or drink than they carried ,on them, they held this place for two days, although incessantly shelled and under rifle lire. I could well believe the prosaic assur- ance that they were jolly glad to be re- I lieved, but meanwhile they had nobly done their, bit. HINDENBURG EXPECTED TO SHORTEN HIS FRONT. 1 The Berne correspondent of the Morn- ing Post in a despatch dated Thursday, says .—Colonel Mendicu&. the military cor- res?nd?nt of the Munich N&ueste Nachrichten," indicates that Hindenburg will shortly reduce the length of his front. He is convinced that the public will realise that our new stategkst will be acting for the. heist, and he asks the public to bear in mind that "a clever move backwards on one side may lead to vic- tory on tliei other side." This is, of course, written at the request of the mili- tary authorities. Despite the inferences that may be drawn from this statement, the public in Germany and in Austria is still being informed by the authorities that the mili- tary situation is most favourable to the Central Powers and their Allies, and that ) the prospect for them is quite rosy. The Neue Freie Presoo" assures the public that the entrance of Rumania into the war on the side of the Allies is an event of importance only to the Ru- manians themselves, who will have to suffer terrible things at the hands of the Central Powers as a punishment for their treachery." j. A PESSIMISTIC VIEW. Berne, Wednesday.—One of the South German newspapers, the Schwabische Tagwacht," has published the following pessimistic estimate ot the war outlook: So long as the German armies are not in Paris and London the discussion as to what we shall annex or not annex must be left on one side. What we have achieved so far is child's play compared with the task ahead of us. Even if the Russiacs, and the Italians, and all of them were de- feated on land. that would not suffice, in- asmuch as England possesses naval sup- remacy. We can say that unless a miracle happens this cannot be accom- i plished, even if the war la.;t..s for 30 years. Prolonged war would caus? endless misery j and involve us in grave dangers.—Wire- [ lese Pres*

TRADES UNION CONGRESS, THE BRITISH MERCANTILE MARINE. I CHINESE SEAMEN MENAGE I Birmingham, Friday. The Congress again sat to-day, Mr. Vas- I ling in the chair. A resolution was introduced pressing upon the Government to amend the Work- men's Compensation Act of 1906. The motion as submitted embodied the terms of a resolution appearing on the agenda, and certain screed amendments tuereto. It comprieed an its final form a large number of clauses.. It was moved by Mr. Robert Brown (Miners' Federation), who said men in jured in their employment were mor '5 badly off than before the war, and will be in a still worse position altar the war wa.s over. Mr. -E. Judson (Cotton Spinnew) in se- conding, remarked that they were drifting back to the ante-19(»6 position. Mr. Bevin (Dockers), supported the re- solution. Mr. A. Smith (London Vehicle Workers) advocated some provision for cabmen who at present were unable to obtain com- pensation. I After further discussion the resolution was adopted. THE MERCANTILE MARINE. I Mr. J. Havelock Wilson moved that the ) Congress was of opinion that the present war, having proved the necesity for a large number of men of British birb available for the manning of the Royal Navy and mercantile marine, it is neces- sary that every encouragement should be given to boys of British birth to adopt the seafaring profession; further, that Congress viewed with alarm the increased employment of Chinese and cheap Asiatic labour on British ships, and re- quested the Government to introduce a Bill. Mr. J. Cotter (Cooks and Stewards) who seconded, said Chinese labour was almost as important a matter as the war itself. Over 15,000 Chinese were engaged in British ships. There were over 4,000 living in Liverpool in places such as no boarding-house or lodging-housekeeper would be allowed to keep. With regard to London there was a deputation a few weeks ago to the London County Council, and facts of an astounding character were placed before them. There were over 70 I houses in London for Chinese seamen, and only six were licensed. CHINESE PERIL TO FEMALES. I Mr. Cotter went on to inform the Con- gre&s of what he knew to be the position in the eMt of London as to cpium-6moking and, gambling dens. There was a great peril to women and girls. The Chinese were even penetrating to inland towns in the provinces, where they were estab- lishing laundries and gambling dens. Mr. S. March (Vehicle Workers, London), on behalf of the Poplar Board Council, asked why the statements made by Mr. Cotter had not been brought be- fore that body. Mr. Cotter: We have done it. Mr. March said if so it must have been very recently, as the Council had as yet only succeeded in tracing one. They asked for specific instances. Mr. J. Sexton (Liverpool) said he held a commission of inquiry at Liverpool nine years ago, and a horrible state of affairs was disclosed. The evidence showed that the Aliens' Act was a fraud. Its provi- sions were set at nought by Chinamen, who, before leaving their own country, sold their wives and daughters, and were shipped as members of crews at a shilling a month. The motion was supported by Mr. J. R. Bell (Hull), and adopted. EFFICIENT MANNING OF VESSELS. A resolution on the proper manning of vessels was next taken. It was moved by Mr. Wilson, and seconded by Mr. Cotter, and affirmed that the only way to safe- guard the lives of passengers and crews carried on. ships was by ineisting on legis- lalton being passed which would call for a proper scheme of manning all vessels, and expresses the emphatic opinion that the crews should be efficiently qualified boat- men. The Parliamentary Committee was asked to give assistance to the unions of seamen in promoting.such legislation. Mr. Cotter said the Board of Trade woke up when the Titanic went down, and went to sleep again. They were sleeping to-day. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Williams (Musicians) said the mnsi- cians, who displayed such bravery on the Titanic, had no rating, and were "dodged in as second class passengers," and so no compensation was awarded.. The motion was agreed to VENTILATION OF SHIPS, ETC. The National Union of Dock Labourers introduced a resolution on the ventilation 6f f;hip' bunkers and checkweighing. It was moved by Mr. Hauratty (Liver- pool). Mr. S. Fisher (Cardiff Coal Trimmer,), in seconding, said the men had not been inactive, but they wanted the help of the Parliamentary Committee to make proper ventilation provisions compulsory upon shipowners. The resolution was approved.

TO-DAY'S WAR RESUME Leader" Office 4.50 tJ.m This afternoon's British official states that nothing has occurred on' the Somme front except artillery actions and locaf bomb fights. South-east of Ginchy the British raided enemy trenches and inflicted severe losses. On Wednesday night Armen- tieres was shelled by the enemy. Are the Germans withdrawing? is a sig- nific,ant question raised in the conn* Q0 an important article received this after- noon frpin a correspondent at the British front. Naval British air raids have been success- IUJIY carried out on the enemy aero- dromes at St. Denis Westrem. One machine failed to return. An,t,lit-, at- tack took place in the Ostend region, and all pilots came back. This afternoon's French communique states that south of the Somme the enemy launched four massed attacks, which were driven back by intense ar- tillery fire. Two hundred more prisoners have been taken in this region, and others at various points. The French report on the Balkan opera- tions this afternoon says there had been a heavy artillery duel on the Strum a. front as well as on other sectors. An enemy aeroplane has been brought down.

ASSAULT BY POLICEMAN. I The Berkshire magistrates on Thursday fined Police Constable Cross, of Sutton Courtenay, £1, with the alternative of 14 days' imprisonment, for hitting Mrs. Emily Perry, of Milton, in the face. A cross-summons against the woman for assault was dismissed.

MISSIONARY DROWNED. I It is announced that the Rev. Arthur Ismay Birkett was accidentally drowned on August 17 while crossing a swollen river at Jesingpur, Ahmedabad. Mr. Birkett, who was 53, was the eldest son of the late Re-v. Thomas of Weston-super-Mare, and had been a C.M.S. missionary in India since 1887. He was at Trinity College, Cambridge, and Ridley Hall.

REDUCING THE OUTPUT. I A shop steward of the Ironfounders' Society was at Stockton-on-Tees Munitions Tribunal on Thursday fined 20s. for ap- proaching another man with a view to reducing output. It was stated that he reported a moulder to the society lodge for doing in five and a half hours what was I considered a nine and a half hours job, 1 and the man was fined .21.

TOO FAMILIAR WITH SNAKES. I Mr. Gastav A. Link, an expert of the Carnegie Museum, died at Pittsburg after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a demonstration before a class of students at the University of Pittsburg. Mr. Link had handled rattlesnakes and other venomous reptiles for nineteen years. He paid no attention to the snake's bite and' continued the lecture. His assistants half an hour later pluckilv tried to suck the poison from his hand, but he died in hospital within 15 hours.

PANTOMIME GIRL'S DEATH. A verdict of "Murder against some person unknown was returned at Lam- beth on Thursday at an inquest on the body of Marie Louise Jacobs (22), a panto- mime girl, of Hackford-road. Brixton, who died in St. Thomas's Hospital on Sunday from acute pericarditis following, according to the medical evidence, on eeptic poisoning. Dr. Robinson said that Jacobs told 11im that an operation had been performed on her on July 31, but she refused to dis- close the name or address of the person who had performed it, saying that she had taken an oath not to do so. She told him, however, that she had been taken by a friend in a taxicab Clit" way from a night club.

ATTACK ON A WIFE. The Recent Pentardews Sensation. At Pontardawe Police Court, Reginald John Tucker Lock, aged 27, was charged on remand with murderously assaulting his wife lust Tuesday week, under cir- cumstances already reported. Mrs. Lock gave particulars of the assault, and when asked if he had anything to Bay. prisoner replied that he was ex- ceedingly sorry for what he had done. Accused was committed for trial. THE RUSSIAN FRONT. Stubborn Battles. To-day'fe Russian official report;- Petrograd, Friday.—Western Front.— After artillfry preparation, the Germans developed repeated attacks against our detachment?-; which yesterday occupied the portion of the enemy positions on the leit bank of the Western Dvina. The German attacks were repulsed by our fire. The enemy, after a fierce action with artillery, mine-tlirowers and bomb-mortars, attacked our positions in the region of the town of Vcritsk, in the direction of Kovel, but it was repulsed by our fire. In the region of Guila Lipa our offensive continued, {he enemy making a stubborn resistance, bombard- ing our troops from the position on tb i right bank of the river, to which ho retired under our pressure. Caucasian Fr6nt.—On the front Kighi* Ognot stubborn battles continue. .;If": t

XjnMV I rle Cambria r&ily Leader gives later news than any paper published in flais dis txict-,

BRiTISH RAID TRENCHES.. Severe Losses Inflicted. GERMAN MASSED ATTACKS I ON FRENCH LINES. Heavy Onslaughts Repelled. TO-DAY'S BRITISH OFFICIAL. The following telegram has been received from British General Head- quarters on the Somme, dated Fri- day, 11.28 i.rn. Beyond the usual artillery actions and some local bombing fights, there is not.hing to report on the Somme front. Two officers and 50 men were brought in as prisoners yesterday South-east of Rielleburg lavcne we raided enemy trenches and in- flicted severe casualties. The enemy shelled Armentieres yes- terday evening. TO-DAY'S FRENCH OFFICIAL. On the Somme front the activity of our artillery continues on the vari- ous sectors to the north of the river. To the south of the Somme the enemy counter-attacked in the course of the night the positions we captured as far as the south of Chaulnes, with the result, to them, of heavy losses. Between Vermandovillers and Chaulnes alone the Germans launched no fewer than four massed attacks, which were driven back by our intense bom- bardment. Everywhere we integrally main- tained our gains. Two hundred additional prisoners are to be added to 400 counted yesterday in the Somme region. On the right bank of the Meuse, between Vaux Chapitre Wood and Chenois, we made some progress with grenades. The German attack on our new pos- session at Vaux Chapitre failed under our barrage fire. The night was calm on the rest of the front. EASTERN ARMY. There was violent artillery duel on the Struma front, as well as in the region of Veles Hills and on Lake Doiran. There was relative calm on the Ser- bian front. An enemy aeroplane was brought down to the south-west of Lake Doiran. The machine fell m flames in our lines. ———— -0 ———— BRITISH AIR RAIDS. I Successful Exploit by Naval Machines. The Secretary of the Admiralty makes the following announcement:— An attack was carried out yesterday afternoon by naval aeroplanes on enemy aerodromes at St. Denis Westrem. A large number of bombs were dropped with good effect. One of our machines failed to return. During the course of the same afternoon a naval aeroplane successfully attacked and brought down in flames a hostile kite balloon over Ostend. The attack was carried out under anti- aircraft gun fire of the heaviest descrip- tion, but all the pilots returned safely.

I POTATO ORNAMENTS. The fact that women's hair ornaments and other fancy articles are being made from potato starch and milk was disclosed on Thursday, when Ernest Mote, manag- ing director and secretary to Messrs. F. Dewsbury and Co., Wonlock-street, Hox- fon, was granted two months' exemption by the Shoreditch tribunal. The mixture, it is said, is hardened under great pressure into rough blocks, and then machined into any shape desired. It has the appearance of celluloid, but is non-inflammable. Thp effect of the dis- covery is to produce articles at cheap prices which were formerly made in Ger- many.

MR. T. H. COUCH. I Mr. T. H. Couch has been selected by the Swansea Harbour Trust as its repre- sentative on the local committee under the Government scheme of Transport Workers' Battalions.

OUR GALLANT LÀnS. I Mrs. Nicholas, of 105, Rhyddings- tfirrace, Swansea, who has five sons in the Army, has been informed that her son Frank lias died in Mesopotamia. We have also been informed by the rela- tions that the following have. been wounded: Pte. J. Gardner, Manor-road. Manselton (going on well); Sergt. R. Pridmore, 15, Powell-street, Swansea (two fingers shot). Pte. Stephens, 103. Pentre-terrace, Swansea, was wounded in July, and no news has come since. [Other casualties are notified on Page Four.]

DEFENDER OF SERES. l Salonika, Sept. 6.—Colonel Christo- doulos, the heroic defender of Seres against the Bulgarian advance, whose cap- ture by the Bulgarians had been reported I in the Greek papers, has succeeded in [making his way to Kavala with the troops !'of the garrison, in spite of the opposition of the Bulgarians, who made use of air- craft against him. Colonel Christodoulos, who lost 15 men on the march, is said to have seized two of the forts at Kavala. The force under his command has been increased by volunteers from among the refuges from the neighbouring districts. —Reuter.

AVOIDING AWKWARD FACTS. ] Paris, Thursday.—The German General Staff has anounced that it will no longer record in its communiques operations of secondary importance, but only events of importance. This suggests the suppression of bad news.-Wii-eless Press.

£200 MORE FOR AIRMAN V.C. Two hundred pounds recently subscribed by two Nottingham donors, Messrs. G. Wigley and J. Ball, for the gunner or gunners accounting sfor the first Zeppelin in England will, subject to Lord French's approval, be now in all likelihood paid to Lieut. Robinson, V.C. Awards amounting to t2,500 have already been received by the airman hero.

AN OLD "COVERED" WAY. I The discovered of a "covered way" I across Willingdon Hill, near Eastbourne, has recently been made by Mr. H. S. Toms, of Brighton. A "covered way" consists of a ditch with a bank on either side which runs across exposed brows of the'Downs, generally connecting the head of one valley with that on the other side of the hill. It is thought that these ways were used in ancient times to enable per- sons to cross over the downland ridges without being seen. They were formerly taken to be defensive lines; but against this theory is the fact that the ditch is banked on both sides. It has been proved that the "covered ways" of the South Downs are decidedly older than the Roman occupation.

WOMAN'S NEW FIGURE. I The corset specialists have just decided I what woman's shape shall be in the cook- I ing autumn and winter. The correct autumn corset model will be appreciably shorter than last season's. and will have a more decided incurve at the waist. The upper part will fit tho figure rather more closely than hitherto, to provide a suitable foundation for th6 neve tight bodices. The corset line, beginning just above the waist, sweeps in rather sharply, and ter- minates at the centre of the hip, where it meets the skirt of the garment, which this season is of fuller cut, in keeping with the wider skirt fashions. The buet portion is of medium height, never more than four and a half inches. Although a trifle more boning is used the new models are very supple and com- fortable.