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**————————————————'———— 1 OCR LONDON LETTER. I rfrons Our Special Correspondent.] I But for the twenty-four hour extension for the recruiting under Lord Derby's grou: system many thousands of recruits would have been lost. The scenes at the recruit. ing stations during last week and on Sun- day were extraordinary, and the queues of waiting Men were longer than they have ever been since the outbreak of war. The extension was necessary, not in order to give a last chance for those who were still hang- ing back, but to make it po&sib!e to attest all v.-ho had made the great decision and presented themselves at the recruiting offices, Though -many additional ofScea were opened and hundreds more clerks were put on, the staffs were overwhelmed, snowed under, and could not possibly have dealt with the men in the time, even though the exhaustive medical) examination had been postponed for a few days. A. large proportion of those attested during' the last few days in London were -married mn, and of a fine physical stan- dard, .lib they were of all clao6e6—"from h,e-,v-76 of City nrms to dock labourers," was the remark of one presiding omcer. Ap- parently some were attested without going' to the omces, for it Is stated that a couple of recruiting sergeants paid a visit to a thestre on Saturday and enlisted all the members of the orchestra. Whether the Derby scheme has done all that was hoped from it ia not known at the time of writing, but the number of men enlisted, particulariy in the last few da.yg, was certainly enor- mous. The armlet does not appear to be very popular, if one may judge by the num- bet of men wha wore it on "armlet day." It is net particularly ornamental, and be- sides, as the supply ran out at most of the oinces, a gcod many of those entitled to the honourable badge had not then received it. After pcme delays, the Bill to prolong the duration of Parliament has at length been introduced. Practically everybody pgrecs that there can be no General Election at the present time, but without special provision this Parliament would have come to an end this month or next, the life of any Parlia- ment under the Parliament Bill being limited to five years. It was only the method of securing the prolongation that Deeded to be settled. It is to be managed by a kind of Parliamentary notion, which is quite a simple business. The Session of 1915 is not to count in reckoning the life of the present Parliament, and 1916 will follow on 1914. It wae the Plural Voting Bill that was the stumbling-block. Some people may have forgotten, in the clash of greater matters, that there ever was such a ,Z Bill, but they measure as the Plural Voting Bill, but they Itave remembered it in Parliament. Some members declared that in consequence of the party truce it was dead and ought not to be brought back to life, while others held quite as strongly that because of the party truce it was not dead at all, but had passed the Hcuse of Commons In two Sessions, and had to pa&s another only before becoming law. The passing of the new measure will make the 191G Session consecutive to that of 1914, and the Plural Voting Bill may be pre- sented again next year for the third time. So that's that. Many people, reading the reports of Par- liamentary proceedings, or skimming them, have probably received the impression that there is a strong party in the House of Com- mons which Is opposed 'to the Government. There is a good deal of bitter criticism in the form of speeches or questions which might lead the casual reader to suppose that a vast amount of dissatisfaction exiats. A careful examination of the reports day by day, will show, however, that speeches and questions cf thia character are nearly all put by the same members. They make a gocd deal of noise, but they are only a small grbup after all—a dozen or so—and not many of them were important Parliamen- tary ngures before the war. And they do mot count for very much now against the solid support of the Government by the House as a whole. The critics have their Supporters in the Press, and when certain trader-writers let themjacYves go against the ..Government with "the nation wants" this, <Eod "rhe naton demands" the other, they Wy frequently show ?hat they arc not in the least in touch with popular feeling, -which, while it realises that Ministers are ttuman and liable to err, is quite convinced %hat they &ro doing their best, and that it is probably a far better best than their critics would be able to do in their place. The Tesult of the Cleveland election is a better indication of the feeling of the nation than milea of "leaders" in this or that journal. The Chief Inspector of Schoola for the London County Council has been giving a texture based on essays on the Zeppelin -raids, written by children from eight to thirteen years of age. The essays are by far the most entertaining Zeppelin literature that 1ms yet appeared. Children of ten,, eleven, and twelve years gave the most graphic descriptions. I think I like this one best: "My mother rushed up into my room and carried me bodily down into the tutchen, where I was among friends. I said, I ,Why all this excitement.' They said, The Zeppelins have come,' and I said, Good gra-tioiif,! You don't say so.' But this one is nearly ns g-ood: "I was coming cut of a cinema with my uncle and I noticed people were rushing to and fro in the streets. I went up to a policeman and said to him, 'What do<M all this mean?' He re- plied gravely, 'The Zeppelins have came.' What!' I imid, Do you mean to tell me that those terrible monsters have come at last?' And he replied, briefly l They have. It is curious that very few of the essayists mentioned Father, but this refer- ence de&?rves to be recorded: "My father ,was frightened during the raid and he ran into a beer shop and got under the counter and stayed there until it was all over." There was a large attendance at Mr. Robert Newman's annual concert at Queen's Hall on Saturday afternoon. It was fitting that there should be, for the debt which TLtOndon mu&ic-lovers owe to Mi. Robert Newman, the manager of the Queen's Hall Orchestra, and to Sir Henry Wood, the con- ductor, M a. pretty big one. They have (played a great part during more than a score of years in the education of the musi- cal public. That others have followed in their footsteps only makes the greater the debt to the pioneers. The programme on Saturday was made up of familiar and favourite compositions, including Tchaikov- sky's "Pathetic" Symphony and Beethoven's Emperor" Concerto, finely played by Mr. BeBBo Moisehvitsch. I- :1 A.E.M. I
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At a special memorial service at thp Eton Collet chapel <m Sunday Dr. Lyttelton read a liat of over 300 old Etonian who eve fallen in the war during the past vear. Altogether nearly.500 Etoni<ms L-i-c been filled CT have died of wounda. Sammoned before the Snnderltmd Bench because he had fallen into arrears on a maintenance order towards the out-relief support of his father, & defendant, who is a munition worker, was shown to have earned ;CO,.a week dnll ,the past four weejks. A movement ia in progress among women munition workers in YoTlMhiro for the en. rolment of a panel of women from which at least one shall be chosen to sit on the Muni- tions Tribunal nrhen caees affecting women are dealt with.
! .WITHDRAWAL AFTER FIGHT…
WITHDRAWAL AFTER FIGHT AGAINST I BULGARS. On Thursday night the Press Bureau com- municated the following' statement from the War Omce:— On December 6 the Bulgarians, after a heavy bombardment, attacked our troops to the west of Lake Doiran. Our advance trenches were entered by small parties of Bulgarians, who were immediately driven out with the bayonet. "On the morning of the 7th the Bul- garians attacked again, and by weight of superior numbers drove our troops out of their position. "Under cover of darkness the troops were withdrawn to a new line. "Reports as to losses have not yet been received. On the 8th the British troops successfully repulsed all attache, and in the evening they were withdrawn to a new position in order to conform with the general align. ment/*
DUKE'S BROTHER AND MONEYLENDERSI
DUKE'S BROTHER AND MONEYLENDERS I Lord Edward Fitzgerald attended the London Bankruptcy Court for public exami- nation under two seta of proceedings insti- tuted in May, 1914, and May, 1915, respec- tMfely. He stated that the debts of the first bank. ruptcy had been paid in full with 5 per cent. interest, and he had applied for an annulment of the proceedings. The accounts under the second failure showed liabilities JS3.392 against assets valued at .86,705, consequently he did not admit insolvency. He was a lieutenant in the Army, and before May, 1913, was in receipt of a volun- tary allowance from his brother, the Duke of Leinster. Upon attaining his majority in that month he received .630,000 under the will of his father. He settled .610,000 upon himself for life, with remainder to his wife and children, and had since received the income, but it had not been aumcient to cover his expenses. In May last he went to a moneylender to borrow .2300, and was given it on condition that he bought a picture for J6650 and signed a promissory note for .El.OOO with interest at 30 per cent per annum. He sent the picture to a firm of auctioneers, and it fetched J627 10s. under the hammer. A second time he went to the money- lender, and on that occasion be could not get any cash, but bought a diamond pen- dant for .B120 and gave a promissory note for the amount. He took the pendant to a pawnbroker, who said he had never seen a worse bit of jewellery and would not give more than £5 or JElO for it. He accepted the offer, but did not hand over the money to the moneylender. The examination was concluded.
WAR OFFICE NOTEPAPER. I
WAR OFFICE NOTEPAPER. I A canteen manager's order for notepaper stamped "War Omce, London," was the cause of Robert Hardy, 30, Oxford Gardens. Netting Hill, London, being charged with an offence under the Defence of the Realm Act at Clerkenwe!! Police-court. Hardy, who is a canteen manager, was arrested in Gray's Inn-road, Holborn, carry- ing a parcel of notepaper stamped "W nj Omoe, London," for which he had ordered & special die. Hardy said that he had applied for a com- mission in the Army Service Corps and had received a reply on War Omce paper. He intended to copy this reply on similar paper and send it to different omcers with a cover- ing letter. He did not wish to lose the original letter, and since his arrest he had written from Brixton Prison to the War Office a&king entry into a machine-gun section. Mr. d'Eyncourt (to the prisoner): I don't know what your object was, but it seems a most dangerous thing to get hold of War (MBce paper. Six months' imprisonment.
I GREAT LABOUR ALLIANCE.!
I GREAT LABOUR ALLIANCE. The Triple Industrial Alliance, with < total membership of 1,500,000, has becomo, an accomplished fact. A joint conference of the full Executive Committees of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. National Union of Railwayman, and National Transport Workers' Federation formally ratined an agreement between the three organisations for oiiepsive and defen* aive trade union purposes. this combination will be the most power- ful labour force ever brought together in the history of the organised workers' move- ment. The Miners' FAeration contributes roughly 800,000 members, and the remain- ing 700,000 are almost equally divided between the two other unions. The following representatives were ap- pointed to be omciale of the new organisa- tion Mr. B. Smillie, president; Mr. Harry Gosling, vice-president; Mr. T. Ashton, secretary; Mr. J. H. Thomae, M.P., treasurer. A sub-committee was also formed, the president and secretary of each society being elected.
INVESTITURE DY THE KING. I
INVESTITURE DY THE KING. I An investiture wa<% held on Thursday by the King at Buckingham Palace. It was the nrst ceremony on any considerable Male performed by His Majesty since his acci. dent. Personally he decorated about nfty omcers for gallantry during the present campaign, and also bestowed two V.C/s. One of the V.C. heroes was Second Lieut. B. H. Geary, East Surrey Regiment, who won the coveted award in the memorable battle of Hilll 60, and the other Lance- Corporal F. W. 0. Potts, Berkshire Yeo< manry, whose conspicuous bravery and devo- tion to a wounded comrade in the Gallipoli Peninsula gained him his distinction.
OLD PACKMAN S FORTUNE.I
OLD PACKMAN S FORTUNE. I An old Scottish packman named James Baillie, who has tramped Scotland and the North of England for many years, occasion- ally working on farms, besides selling his goods, was found on the roadside near Dal. keith in an exhausted condition. He was taken to the Poorhouse, and on being examined was found to have carefully j concealed under his clothing .6120 in Scottish banknote. A native of Stirling district, he is said to be ninety years of age, and the money found on him represents his live savings.
I PLAYING WITH MATCHES.I
I PLAYING WITH MATCHES. At an inquest at Richmond on Kathleen Isabel Mossat, aged three, whose death waa said to be due to shock following bums;, he]' father said that he found the child sitting np in bed looking at names which were round her knees. She was not crying. His wife need to give the child matches to play with. and the child used to look forward to playing with them when she woke up. The wrdict was "Accidental death," th9 jury adding; that the parents ought to be severely censured for gross carelessness.
I BEQUEST TO SALVATION ARMY.1
I BEQUEST TO SALVATION ARMY. 1 -0; Mr. Edward Mossom Owen, of Groavenor- gardens, S.W., senior partner in Myrtle Bart and Co., grey cloth merchants, of Man- chester and Java, who died on October 3(\ has left JE305,298. Probate of his will iF granted to the Public Trustee. Aftet cer. tain bequests Mr. Owen left. the residue of. the property, which will probably amount <b .2130,000, to the Salvation Army.
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For more than sixty yeara every m!a!o membct' of the Finncane family of Bardsley, Notts, has served in the Army, and in that peri41 the family has won twenty-four dew coratioM. Tivi Finucanes are stitL setving, and four have given their lives for theiir country. The..oldM $tUÝITlDg member of the family is Sergeant-Ludructor T. Finu- came, who is eighty-four, &nd was in the Army when Lord Roberta coined it.
FINAL RUSH OF RECRUITS UNDER…
FINAL RUSH OF RECRUITS UNDER CROUP SYSTEM. Lord Derby's recruiting campaign came to an end on Sunday at midnight, an exten- sion of twenty-four hours having been granted because of the enormous yu:;h of applicants during the last few days all over the country. Aa to whether Lord Derby's scheme has saved the voluntary system, an interesting statement was made by Mr. John Hodge, M.P., at a Labour recruiting demonstrat at Birmingham on Monday night. He said he would rather that we should defeat German militarism by voluntarism. He was, however, afraid our young men had not quite realised the gravity of the posi- tion. Until the last few days the response of the young men had not ben what it ought to have been, and he was afraid that not even the last rally had given us all the men we required. A premature and incon- clusive peace would be as disastrous as the war itself. Conscription would be prefer- able to the loss of freedom, and liberty. Direct enlistment into the Reg,Oar Army and the Territorial Force is to be continued, for the time being at any rate, although en- listment under the group system in accord- ance with Lord Derby's scheme has ceased. "It is most important," says an omcial communique, "that there should be no ces- sation in the number of men offering for direct enlistment. In this connection it may be pointed out that men who have boon attested under the group system can at any time. if they so desire, exercise their right to enlist for immediate service in units which may be open instead of waiting for their group to be called up.
M.P:s MOTHER KILLED. I
M.P:s MOTHER KILLED. I Mrs. Mary Pease, mother of Mr. Pik& Peaae, M.P., the Assistant Postmaster- General, was knocked down by a motor-Tan and fatally injured when she was on her way to have tea with her son at the House of Commons on Monday. The accident took place &bout five o'clock. when it was dark. Mrs. Pease, who was seventy-three years old, lived in Westminster-mansions, Great Smith-strpct, Westminster. She was in St. Margaret'S-6treet when the van struck her. She was taken to Westminster Hospital, where she di<?d at' three o'clock on Tuesday morning In the presence of her eon, who was summoned from the House directly after the accident. The driver of the van, William David Lindsav, who is employed by Messrs. Catesby, of Tottenham Court-road, was charged at Bow-afreet Police-court on Tues- day iith manslaughter. Inspector Sellicks eaid that on Monday eveXM-g, before Mrs. Pease died, he charged Lar with caus'ng grievou, bod:i!y harm. L replied: ttI understand. I am very sotty." The charge was afterwards altered one <xf manslaughter. —— <t<—————
LADY GASSED AT TIPTON. I
LADY GASSED AT TIPTON. I The story of a. family gassed through the bursting of a street main was told to the South Staffordshire coroner at an inquest at Tipton on Monday, held to inquire into the death of Elizabeth Grimths, aged 71, a. Poor-Law guardian. It was stated that shortly before midnight on Sunday the family were aroused by the bursting of a main belonging to the Mond Gaa Company. Most of the people residing in the vicinity escaped in their night attire, but a grandchild of Mrs. Grimths and two of her daughters were overcome. Mrs. Grimths, who was conveyed to a neigh- bour's house, returned to her own place to rescue a pet dog and parrot. She was later found dead at the top of the stairs, and the pets had also succumbed. Evidence showed that the burst was due to mining. subsidences, an aperture three- eighths of an inch wide being caused all round a 6in. pipe. The jury returned a verdict of "Acci* dental death."
MTTING BY MACHINE.'. ,-I
MTTING BY MACHINE. Justices 'RidLey, Avory. and Lush, in the Divisional Court -cm Tuesday, heard the appeal of Mr. E. A. Peers, manager of the Eclipse Automatic Company, and Mrs. Catherine Taylor, of Liverpool, a confec- tioner, against a conviction by the Ltver- pool stipendiary magistrate for an alleged offønce under the Betting Act. Mr. Peers had been fined 20a. for using a shop for betting. The case turned on the use of a "clown" automatic machine, which had been installed in the shop. A person using the machine dropped a halfpenny in a slot, which released a small football. By means of a handle the player tried to manipulate the clown's arm so that the ball fell into a cap held by the clown. If the player won, a twopenny ticket was released, and the player changed this at the counter of the ahop for sweets. This was held by the magistrate to be betting within the mean- ing of the Act. Mr. Justice Ridley and Mr. Justice Avory upheld the decision of the magistrate, but Mr. Justice Lush dissented.
ENGINEERS AND THE WAR.
ENGINEERS AND THE WAR. In the December report of the Amalga- mated Society of Engineers, it is mentioned that the membership has advanced from 173.629 to 204,162 in eleven months, and that the funds have increased by .8237,070 in ten months. It is estimated that, taking into account increases in weekly wages, increase in piece. work prices, and amount of overtime, the earnings of members must have increased by about .63,000,000 per annum.
ITHE PLACE FOR PERAMBULATORS.…
I THE PLACE FOR PERAMBULATORS. Mr. Fordham, the magistrate at West j London Police-court, said on Tuesday that I perambulators hJad no business to be on the footway. 11 "A person haa no right to wheel a peram- bulator on the footway," he said, "and, strictly speaking, ought to be proceeded against. I have seen as many as three per- sons standing side by aide taking up all the pavement, and they did not move for me. They ought to be in the road."
INOT A POLICEMAN. I
I NOT A POLICEMAN. I "I gave him a good hiding myself," said a young woman at West London Police- court on Monday, giving evidence against her brother-in-law. Mr. de Grey: I see. You are one of those women who want to rule mankind. You are not a policeman, are yout The Witmeea: No, sir, but I'd like to be. My brother-in-law ought to be in the trenches with my other brothers, and I would be if I had the chance.
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In many fashionable households there has lately been a reversal to the old custom of utilising wax candles instead of electricity for lighting the dinner-table. A proposal has been made by the Foreign Omce to the Gerjman Government thitt m- terMd British mprchant aea.Tnen slwuldi,: bg OB the same footing as Tegarfb Tepatristion on the ground of ill-health as other British civilian priaoners. It is hoped to mate ar- rangements for the repatriation of merchant <eamen under seventeen and over &fty.&ve Over 900 old boys of the Church of Eng- land Waifs and Strays Society are now serving in the Army Ct Navy. One of them has been promoted to a captaincy. The Government auditor has asked the Lambeth Council to reduce its excessive allowances to men with. the forces to ,reaacn- able amounts. This will reduce the cost to the ratepayers from £140 to .£83 a week. Finding it dimcult to obtain" domestic I Mrv&nfs owing to- the- high remuneration which women can now obtain at other work, the Lambeth Guardians have decided to each member of the Aomestic staS WH' bonus of .e5
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Bright Winter Berrieft.—Ardiaia. crenata is a Chinese plant with red fruita, rathet suggestive of holly. Sometimes it is propa. rated from cuttings inserted in spring, but some growers prefer to sow seeds. As a pot- ting compost use sandy loam, leaf-mould, and sand, adding a little peat if available. Old plants may be grown for several years, but, as a rule, one- to three-year-old planta in 5- an<i &-mch wide pots are the most useful. A Berried Evergreen,—Perne$:ya mucro- Rata ie a dwari evergreen shrub allied to the heath family, and is at present gay with fruits rather larger than peas. The colours include pink, rose, purple, rosy-red, purple- black, and white. The plants thrive in a peaty soil or a sandy loam containing very little lime. Increase is by seeds sown in spring, or cuttings imaerted in a hand-light er under a bell-glaaa in August. Pruning Bush Trees.—The main object to be aimed at in pruning these is to ensure an open centre, with sumcient space between the branches that the sun and air may penetrate to the centres of the trees. Do PRUNING BUMt lImIT TREES. I A, unpruned. B, pruned. not unduly shorten trees making vigorous growth, as this only tends to accentuate their vigour and consequent barrenness. Many varieties called thy bearers have earned a bad name through a too drastic use of the pruning knife. < Planting Fruit Trees.—This work should be proceeded with as soon as possible. Take out the holes large enough to spread out the roots evenly, and avoid deep planting. Cover the roots with some nnc soil, and tread down nrmly. Stake trees that need I support. Cordons for Walls.—The best apples like Cox's orange pippin, succeed admirably when grown as cordons on a wall in cold dMtricts. Pears also do well as cordons, and this mode of training has r:mch to re- oOBunend it in a small garden where wall Opace is limited, for more varieties can be grown. < < < Seakale.-This is such an appreciated de- Hcttcy, and so easily grown, that everyone having a greenhouse should try a icw pote. If crowns are not obtainable from the gar- den, purchase some from a nurseryman, place them close together in a large pot or I MFTOfG AND FORCING 8EAKALE. A< crown and roots ready for lifting; a, a, I points of cutting on thong-like roots. These may be buried a few inches for planting out in spring to supply forcing crowns. B, pot of produce fit for cutting; b, point of <!everance, a portion of the. crown being secured with the growths. 'box, fill in with light soil, water, and stand in a warm, dark corner of the greenhouse. Cover with an inverted pot, sprinkle daily, and cut when the produce is in the con- dition ahown in the illustrations. The Week's Work. — All free-growing varieties of evergreen shrubs must be kept within bounds, and this is a suitable time to prune back exuberant shoots and regulate the growth generally, without practising undue restriction and severe formality. Deciduous shrubs must be pruned with .a view to retaining an ample supply of nower- ing wood. In some cases the current year's shoots are the best to retain, cutting out the old flower-bearing wood. In others a general thinning out of crowded growths only ia necessary. In all cases remove weak and dead branches. Hedges to be formed with holly, thorn, privet my robalan pinm, yew, box, and hornbeam ntay be planted now. If the ground is deeply dug and manured, the plants will have a better chance of becoming more quickly cstab- Hahed. In mild weather carry out the pruning of wall, bush, espalier, cordon, and pyramid trees. First cut out any branches that aM too crowded or worn out. Thinly dispose the rest, and shorten the side shoots to two buda. Exception must be made in the case of morello cherries, peaches, and iteetarinea, which principally bear on young growths. Peach trees under glass, now de- nuded of foliage, may be overhauled, first removing any weak growths, then dispose the branches evenly over the epaca avail- able, and train in the young, well-ripened growths from 4in. to oin. apart. Prune the mid-spason vines from which the foliage has now fallen. The side shoots on the main rods are best shortened to two buds. New canes which are being originated to fill a vacancy or form a new main, rod must ba gradually built up. Hence, shorten long canes back to not more than 4ft. from the point the growth started at beginning of season. Occasional dividing and replanting of rhuoarb is benencial, as it gives an oppor- tunity to dig deeply and heavily manure the soil. Divide into single or several strong crowns, and plant 3ft. apart. The atalka should not be pulled in the first season. Jerusalem artichokes are ready for use at any time, and may be dug as required, or the entire crop may be lifted and stored. The tubers keep well placed in clamps in the same way as pot&toes, and it is advisable to lift the entire crop before bad weather sets in. The mint bed should be cleared of the old top growth and weeds removed. Then give a top-dressing of soil and manure. Should young mint be required early in the Nw Year, fork up a few roots from outside of bed now, and place in boxes, covering the roots with soil. Introduce boxes into mild heat) a few weeks before ?0 mint shoots are required. < < < A Good Winter Flower.—Epiphyllum truncatum, a Brazilian plant, is not as popular as it was many years, ago. FIower!- mg from the end of November to January, the plants are very useful. They are rather pendulous in habit, and useful for the greenhouse shelf, or, hanging baskets. Plants are sometimes seen in cottage windows nowenng freely. Increase is by cuttings inserted during the summer, while plants are sometimes grafted on pereekia to in- crease their height. As a potting eoil use sandy loam, old mortar rubMe, a little leaf- moutd. and coarse sand. When potting is neoessaTy, do it in spring. There are several varieties, the namee indicating the colours, as salmoneum, violaoeum, etc.
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Paupers in England and Wales at the end of October numbered 562,494, a reduction of 71,434 compared with. 1914. A youth of sixteen pleaded guilty before the Radcliffe (Manchester) magistrates to attempting to commit suicide. His father and brother had joined the Army, and be- cauao he had been rejected six times his con- duet at home, said his mother, had become unbearable. The lad was bound over.
SUEZ CANAL THREAT.I
SUEZ CANAL THREAT. I DUTCH LINERS TO GO BY CAPE ROUTE I According to messages from Rotterdam, tha Germans are meditating an attack on the Suez Canal and Egypt. Dutch liners and mail-boats for the Far East aye to follow the Cape route instead of going by the Canal. The explanation given is the dimculty of coaling. The Rotterdam correspondent of the "Daily News" says that as a change of route will mean an addition, of twelve to fourteen days to the length of the voyage, it is obvious that nothing but most serious reasons would have dictated such an action which means so much. to the Dutch colonies. The managing director of the Rotter- damsche Lloyd explained in an interview this afternoon (says the correspondent)' that they had received telegrams from their coal- ing stations along the route that it was im- possible to ensure the upkeep of coal re- serves, and for that reason it would be inad- visable to continue the use of the route. Another consideration, he acMed. was that if they were delayed in the Suez panal waiting for coal they would find it impossible to ob- tain sunlcient food supplies for the passen- gers and crew. He added there was no political reason whatever for the change. BRITISH PREPARATIONS. I In view of this decision and references to the impossibility of keeping up coal reserves an especial interest attaches to the follow- ing story wired 'here from Cologne. This telegram states that the "Kolnische Volk- it. g. heara "from a correspondent .at Cairo, who has just passed through the Suez Canal, that on both banks hundreds of thou- sands of English and natives are busy dig. ging trenches six and seven feet deep. Special attention is being paid to the western bank, which is being the more strongly fortined, and in many places strong fortresses are being constructed. ÇÇOn the eastern bank a great deal of work is being done in order to inundate an extensive tract of territory. A great num. ber of gunboats are lying in the canal at anchor. British omcers estimate the troops concentrated in Egypt at 24.0,000. Troops are being landed daily at Alexandria. In this connection a neutral traveller just returned from Germany tells me that all the important people there are now discuss- ing with great optimism their projected attack on Egypt, which is to be undertaken by a German-Turk combination under Von Mackensen, who is already in Constanti- nople making his plans. The English, they say boastfully, will be more inclined to talk about peace if they find they have to send their ships to India by the Cape route.
GENERAL SMITH-DORRIEN.I
GENERAL SMITH-DORRIEN. I APPOINTED TO COMMAND IN EAST AFRICA. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr. Tennant, Under-Secretary of State for War, announced that the supreme command of the forces which are to operate for the subjugation of German East Africa, the only colony which now remains under the German nag, has been entrusted to General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. This statement was made in reply to a question put by Sir E. Cornwall, who asked whether, m view of the expedition now being sent to East Africa, any change would be made in the supreme command of the forces in that colony. A large force is being raised in the Union of South Africa for tha forthcoming cam- paign, and the call for volunteers has met with a most enthusiastic response, not only among the British, but also among the Dutch burghers, many of whom took part in General Botha's campaign in German South-West Africa, which terminated with the unconditional surrender of the whole of the enemy's forces. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien was appointed to the command of an army coups at the beginning of the war, when General Sir J. M. Grierson died on hie way to the front, and Sir .{ohn French reported, after the great retreat from Mone, that he saved the left wing of the Army on the morning of August 26 (1914) by his coolness, intrepidity, and determination. He is nfty-seven years old, and has seen thirty-nine years of service. For reasons which were not made public, he returned from Flanders last spring, and since then he has been in command of th!<& Home Defence Army.
HIS BETTER -NATURE.I
HIS BETTER NATURE. I An inquest was held in the Wimbledon Coroner's Court on Tuesday on James Herbert Pooley, aged 29, a private in the H.A.C., and formerly of Turnham-etreet, Liverpool, who committed suicide after a week's training at Wimbledon. The deceased, prior to enlisting, was a dispenser at a sanatorium at Wokingham, and a nurse said that he told her he had been overworked at that institution, In November he was told to enlist, and he then wrote saying he waa very depressed about it, and the war was antagonistic to hia nature. He would, he said, rather shoot himself than ehoot a German. After joining the H.A.C., he wrote say- ing that a soldier's life was intolerable to him, and "the Army shall never dominate my better nature. I love life purely for the good I can do, and nothing made me more 1 happy than saerince for others." The deceased poisoned himself by taking morphine tablets, and the jury returned a verdict of "Suicide, but not sumcient evi- dence to show the state of his mind."
DEATH OF A LONDON "HERMIT."
DEATH OF A LONDON "HERMIT." A strange story of a London "hermit" was told at St. Pancras on Tuesday at an inquest on Alfred Norbum, aged 80. For- merly he was a master watchmaker. He lived in a single room at Leighton-road, Kentish Town, looking after himself and re- fusing to let anyone enter. Even his own son waB refused admission, and had to pass the weekly allowance which he made his father through the window. His daughter- in-law also had to hand him hia old-age pen- sion in a similar way. He refused all offers to look after him. Last Saturday, as he failed to answer to repeated knocking, his room was entered, and he was found dead on the couch. A doctor said he had been dead for 24 hours heart disease and acute pneumonia having brought on a fatal fainting fit. A verdict in accordance was returned.
CAPTURED BY BRITISH.i
CAPTURED BY BRITISH. "According to the latest return available, the Number of prisoners of war captured by our forces is 21,205," said Mr. Tennant in the House of Commons on Tuesday in reply to Sir Edwin Cornwall. "I am not able," he added, "to give the, numbera of each nationality." Mr. Tennant alao stated that the number of enemy aliens now interned in this coun- try is: Civilians. 32,274; naval and mili- tary, 13,476.
NEW BANK HOLIDAY.
NEW BANK HOLIDAY. The following announcement has been issued for publication by the Press Bureau: cC Â t the request of the bankers the Prime Minister has decided that Saturday" January 1, 1916, shall be a. Bank Holiday m England and Wales, in order that th6 banks, with their greatly depleted staffs, may attend without interruption to the work of that day, which is always one of the busiest days in the banking year. "It is not intended that the day should be kept as a general holiday, M it is in Scotland.
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The Kaieer, in a letter thanking the Grand- Duch-ss of Baden for a picture she sent him of women working in the nelds en- titled Quiet Heroism," wrote: "The Ger- man woman has risen to her noble task and proved her worth in every neld of work, thus following the example given by the brave German princesses." <
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OUR CHILDREN'S CORNER.
OUR CHILDREN'S CORNER. BY UNGLE RALfH. MY DEAR CHILDREN. How excited you must all be getting. Only a few more days and Christmas will be with us once again, and dear old Santa Claus will bo ever so busy filling all the girls' and boys' stockings. I wonder what he will bring yoa? I shall expect to have such long letteM from my little nieoea and nephewa after Christmas, telling me a.11 about their lovely presents, and the happy timea they had during their holidays. Now I am sure yon are all very anxious to know -what the new competition is, so I will tell you. It is a geographical one. Printed underneath you will see the first, centre, and tast letters of six worda. These worda represent six dinerent towns in England. Scotland and Wales. I want you all to try very hard and find out what they are. There will be six prizes to win, and the closing date is January 10, 1916. Let me see how well you can do in this new competition. N. a .e I v h L. a .t B d g G.d.d W..d..r The little girl who hac Coupon No. 3,000 is Constance Ashwood, and I welcome her very heartily to the Children's Comer Union. Some of my little nieces are still in doubt about the closing date of the 'Knitting Competition. It ;s Dec. 17. Hurry up, chil- dren, there are only a very few days now and we don't want our soldiers to think we have forgotten them, do we? From one little girl I have received, this week, nine diSerent articles. I thought there were a lot by the size of the parcel, but when I opened it I was surprised and delighted. I think it is very kind of her, and I know there will ba many more pleasant surprises for me during the next few days. Good-bve, children, until next week. Try Bard with the competition. With love to ttH Your affectionate UNCLB RALPH. THE CHILDREN'S CORNER UNION. OUNDED BY UMCLE RALPH. (Open to Boy* and Ctrl* under 15 yean.) Ptette <nro! me as a Membef of the C.C.U." My tge is yetft. jvdm Address J?ate. Vbeu &*nod post to UNCLB RALPH,S,"Bx&xA 8AUTA«)t, IjOitOOW, B.C. MtfbtTt <MtttM M U!umtn<tt<d membershts cart. suitable :M <Mm:n<. thonid todM* pwy *t*a< wMh tMt term. I A CHRISTMA-8 STORY. On Christmas evening Master Mouse left all his friends behind, And went into the dining-room to see what he could find. He really was in luck, because he found a well-spread table, And scrambled up the tablecloth as fast as he was able. He saw some fine mince pies, and with his mouth stretched open wide He nibbled thcia, until he found that he was close beside A splendid Christmas pudding, and he thought it looked so nice That he sat down on the plate, and said. "I think ril have a elice/' He took a monstrous helping and he finished every crumb, And turned to have another, when, with nnger and with thumb, He picked out something round and bright, and got a. great surprise When a fine, new silver sixpence glittered brightly 'neath his eyes. Then he darted from the table with hia treasure in his hand, And never stopped a moment till he got to Mousielan9, Where he spent it all on cheese, and gave an invitation hearty To all hia little friends, who had a Christ* mas supper party. [ CHILDREN'S CORNER UNION. Founded by UNCLE RALPH. Open to *M Bey« <md CM* Mndet 15 Yes" of "< RULES OF MEMBERSHIP. 1. To do a good tarn to someone every day. 2. To be bright and sunny from morning till eight. 3. To be kind and considerate to others. 4. To be truthful, honeat and diligent. 6. To be unselfish in thought and tcHoo. 6. To be kind to all noitMia. I THE GREAT TRUTH. It was very cold. Even the owl felt it. Of course, those who lived underground were warmer; yet when you put your ear close to the mouths of the burrows, you heard the rabbits sneezing far below. So when "Ruddy Rupert" the robin found the remains of a fire which the gipsiea had left, he new on at once and told every- body he met. And by half-past sunrise there was quite a crowd collected round the nre. "This is indeed a heating pleasure!" Mr. Bunt said grandly, holding out his handa towards the smoke. "My oear/' he went on, turning to Mrs. Bunt, "we must have a fire lit in our hall. If properly managed it would heat the whole burrow." The two rooks, who had often watched the smoke coming out of the cottage chimneys, did not think it at all an odd thing. Nor did the mice, who had often sat by the old Squire's fireside after he had. begun to nod. But the couple of ducklings had never seen r4uch a. thing in their lives, and kept on interrupting Mr. Bunt'a grand sentences bv chirping, and nuttering their silly little wmgs. presently one of them put his foot on ? red-hot cinder. But he took it on again even before he had time to say "Quack." Soon he and his brother got &0: dióWáý' with the warmth that they squatted down on the ground and went to sleep.- "Now that the infante are silent," Mr. Brunt went on, "we may leam the great truth, that dry sticks when lighted wilt make a nre. Maria! You arétgiéÎhf'to sleep! Poor Mrs. Bunt woke up with a start. "As I was saying." Mr. Bunt went on, "we may learn the great truth that dry sticks——" Just then Mrs. Bunt gave a tumble squeal, and bounded into the air. Mr. Bunt fell on the log backwards, and all the others scuttled away as quickly as they could. And there waa Mrs. Bunt rolling over and over in the snow. She had ehumed too near to the nre, and her drees had caught alight. Fortunately her rolling in the snow soon put herself out. Mr. Bunt had grandly forgotten the other great truth, that if you sit too cloae to a fire you will set yourself alight!
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Of three teachers who left the boya* school at Newmarket to join the Army all havo been wounded. Lieutenant L. G. Emsdkm. of the Suffolk Territoriala, was WDuuded in France; Sergeant W. C. Hervey, 5th Suf. folks, at Gatlipeli, and Lanœ-Corporal A. Motheraoie, also of the Sdolk Begiment, was hit at Loos. The town clerk of Middlesbrough (Mr. Preston Kitchen) and the deputy town clerk (Mr. A. D Mason) have enHetcd ?ndw Lo!t4 (Mt, ach?me.