Abergavenny Chronicle

NOTES ON NEWS. Payment of members of Parliament ill to continue. The attempt to torpedo the PAYMENT or MEMBERS. Government on this issue came to nothing, and in spite of the agitation which has been going on for months, and the self- advertising of members (generally wealthy members) who have decided not to take their salaries, only thirty-two members went into the lobby to vote for the suspen- sion of salaries during tÀ8 war. The reason for the small vote is to he found in the "fact, which was clearly evident, that the whole thing was directed not so much against the payment of members in prin- ciple, as against the Government. It was backed in the Press by those papers which have attacked the Coalition for months past on any and every issue. Payment of members, it was thought, would do as well as any other, if it would break the Govern- ment; and there were many who thought it would do so. The result of the division was a surprise for them. It showed that a great majority of members in the House of Commons have confidence in the Gov- ernment, and will not lend their support to any attempt, however cunningly con- triced, to turn out the Coalitien in order to replace them by any other form of Gov- ernment, and certainly not by any Ministry which could be made up of ex- Cabinet Ministers and loud-voiced mem- bers of the ginger" groups. This feeling in the House of Commo is represen- tative, too, of outside opinion, as shown by recent by-elections. The vote was a proof also that the great majority of members are prepared loyally A BONE OF CONTENTION. to abide by the party truce. Payment of mem- bers is a party question, about which there has been bandying of words ever since it be- came law. If the circumstances had been different, if there had been no question of confidence or no-confidence in the Govern- ment, the number of members voting for the abolition of the four-hundred-a-year salaries would have been much larger than thirty-two. The amendment moved by Sir Frederick Banbury was resented as a flinging down, to quote Mr. Duke, of the "stale and stinking bone of contention, and it received short shrift. Mr. Duke made an excellent point when he said it was not playing the game for men with ten or fifteen thousand a yea-r to offer to give up their salaries, and to try to im- pose the same sacrifice on other members who could not remain in Parliament with- out their salaries. Certainly, to the man in the street, the whole agitation has a discredited appearance on this account. A man of wealth would sacrifice nothing, and might wear a halo of patriotism, but a member who depended on his salary— there are a number of them, and very use- ful members, too—would have to resign his seat if the payment were stopped. After all, he would be a very bold man who said that members to whom four hundred a year is unimportant are the most useful to the national cause at this time. Let those who can do without the salary de- cline to take it by all means if they wish to do so, and without bragging about it- if they can. In his latest speech to the Reichstag, the German Chancellor has told the world GERMANY AND PEACE. that he was willing to discuss the question o?f I peace last September, but that the enemies against whom Germany is fighting would have nothing to say to the matter. The Chancellor was, of course, talking to the German people, who are the only people in the world unable to understand why the Allies are not willing to stop fighting. So far as they are permitted news of the pro- gress of the war, they suppose that the German armies have all of us beaten to a frazzle, as Mr. Roosevelt would say. They probably think much the same thing about the German Navy, having been told fairy tales about the sinking of British ships in such numbers that the remnant of our Fleet skulks in fear in protected harbours while the German High Seas Fleet proudly rides the main. The German Government seeks by every means in its power to make the German people believe these things, and that is why the Chancellor speaks about the German willingness to make peace and stop the awful bloodshed. Says the virtuous Bethmann-Hollweg: "If our enemies want to go on with the killing of men and the devastation of Europe, they alone will be to blame." Then he goes on to say that what the Allies really want is to destroy "this united free Ger- many," and we have the now familiar pic- ture of Germany battling for her life en- circled by foes who arranged the war in order to crush her. This sort of talk may deceive the German people, but it does net impose upon anybody else, and the Allies will continue the war until Germany is willing to accept peace on their terms. One item in the Budget of which nearly everybody approves is the tax on entertain- TAXES AND THE CINEMA. ments. It has been advo- cated for years by many of those unofficial ad- visers who tell Chancel- I lors of the Exchequer what they ought to do. It is in the nature of a tax on luxury, and probably the reason why it has not been imposed before is that it was found easier to raise money in other ways. As soon, however, as hard necessity com- pelled new forms of taxation the tax on amusements was bound to come. The yield from the new impost will certainly be considerable. Of picture theatres alone there are said to be about 4,500 now open in the United Kingdom. They have been popular from the beginning, and they have never done such good business as during the war. Reckoning average daily attend- ance at 800, and the average price of ad- mission at threepence, the Chancellor will get from them 915,000 a day, or about f-4,,500,000 a year. The tax will be cheer- fully borne, for people on pleasure bent will not mind paying a penny more for their evening's entertainment. The first results of the small-tooth- oombing operation referred to by Mr. REVISION OF STARRED TRADES. Walter Long a week or two ago are seen in the published list of trades which are no longer to be starred, and from which recruits for the Army may conse- quently be drawn. The starring was done in a^ hurry at first, and it may well be that HHfiti-kes were made in deciding that cer- tain important industries could not be car- ried on if deprived of the services of men of military age. The needs of the Army and of the industries concerned are now more clearly realised, and it is evidently the opinion of the authorities that the trades will be able to carry on with the elder men and the help of female labour. No doubt the loss of the younger men will b3 felt and there may be a decline in effi- ciency in some trades in greater or lees dngw, but a great many industries have had to contend against heavy handica since the war began, and are still fourizs- ing, as is proved by the latest statistics of our overseas trade.

-—— 0- I FLIGHT COMMANDER BONE'S FIGHT 9,000 FEET OVER THE SEA. The following (issued by the Preas Bureau) is a fuller report of the exploit of Flight Commander R. J. Bone, R.N., who has been awarded the D.S.O. for gallantry in pur- suing a hostile seaplane over thirty mile# out to sea and forcing it to action, in spite of the fact that he himself was ih a small land machine. Flight Commander Bone left the aero. drome while the enemy machine was still in sight, and, making no attempt to "climb" his machine steeply, ooncentrated on keep- ing the enemy in sight. After pursuing it for nearly thirty miles, the superior "climb" of his machine enabled him to attain a position at 9,000 feet, 2,000 feet above the enemy. From this position, by flying level or slightly nose down, he rapidly overhauled the enemy and en- deavoured to make a vertical dive on to him, firing his machine-gun. The enemy replied vigorously. Flight Commander Bone then manoeuvred to get ahead of the hostile machine, and, having succeeded, steered straight at him, diving so as to pass below him and turning with a vertical right-hand bank almost immediately under him. I ENEMY OBSERVER KILLED. The German pilot turned his machine away a little to the left before they met, and the observer was visible hanging over the right-hand side of the fuselage, apparently dead or severely wounded. The gun was cocked up at 45 degrees to the vertical. Flight Commander Bone's speed carried him up to within fifteen to twenty feet of the enemy machine, and he had no difficulty in keeping his sights on, firing four or five bursts of about six rounds until the enemy dived steeply with smoke pouring out of his engine. The propeller stopped in a vertical position, but the machine was under control and succeeded in landing safely. The fight was over at 2.50 p.m., and as Flight Commander Bone was powerless to do anything while the enemy remained on the water, and as his engine showed signs of giving out, he returned to give information. Flight Commander Bone has distinguished himself on previous occasions in France. The official announcement of the award of the D.S.O. to Flight Commander Bone states that it was awarded in recognition of his service on March 19, 1916, when, flying a land machine and unaccompanied by an observer, he chased out to sea and, after bold and skilful manoeuvring, disabled and brought down by gunfire a German seaplnne which had been engaged in a raid on the coast of Kent.

THEATRE ON FIRE. FIVE LITTLE GIRLS BURNED TO DEATH. A terrible tragedy occurred at the Garrick Theatre, Hereford, on Friday night, result- ing in the death by fire of five little girls who were taking part in an entertainment to raise funds for soldiers' comforts. The theatre was packed with people, and at 10 o'clock the curtain went down follow- ing upon a most effective snow dance, in which a large number of children took part. Soon after the curtain dropped there was a cry of fire. The audience rose en masse, and several were badly crushed in a rush for the doors. Behind the screen more than a dozen children were in flames. A large part of their clothing consisted of cotton wool, and there was a terrible fight with the flames. The child of the organiser of the entertain- ment died later in hospital, and four other little girls also were so badly burned that they died.

———.——— FRUIT FRAUDS. At Gloucester Police-court on Saturday William Griffiths, aged sixty-seven, was sen fenced to twelve months' hard labour for ob. taining money by false pretences. Prisoner advertised apples for sale in various news- papers at impossible prices, and failed to supply them. The prosecution stated that no fewer than 332 letters were found at his house complaining of apples paid for and not received; thirty-four letters complained of rotten fruit being sent, while in addition the police received sixteen letters of com- plaint. When arrested the prisoner was without money. The evidence showed that the pri- soner had lived at various towns, obtaining credit by fraud and money by false pre- tences.

TRAIN SMASHES A BRIDGE. J A serious railway smash occurred on the Furness railway siding adjoining Barrow Docks on Saturday. A goods train was pass- ing under an iron footbridge when the huge tanks with which the wagons were loaded caught the bridge and demolished a large portion of it. Some of the iroy-work crashed against a chimr.ey at a foundry. The chim- ney collapsed and fell on the roof of an office, which was completely wrecked. A clerk in the office had a marvellous escape, for tons of masonry fell at his feet.

A FAITKFUL DOG. When a Chatham man named Jasper Harrell was run over in the darkness by a motor-omnibus and killed, the driver was unable to touch the body owing to the ferocity of a large retriever dog belonging to the victim of the accident. Assistance was obtained, and the dog was driven away with sticks by four men. The animal then bolted to its home, five miles away, and arrived there before the body was brought into the town in the omnibus.

RAMSGATE AIR DEFENCE. The Mayor of Ramsgate has announced to the Council that further measures of pro- tection of East Coast towns against enemy raids have been decided upon. Meanwhile the Mayor has arranged a flag day collec- tion in aid of the Ramsgate Aerial Defence Fund. The Mayor also announced that Mr. Ten- nant had promised an inquiry into the cir- cumstances arising from the Ramsgate raid on Sunday, March 19. It will probably be of a judicial character. Arising out of the raid and the sugges- tions made concerning the position of the member for Thanet, Mr. Norman Craig, who is a lieut.-commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, the Thanet Central Conservative Council have passed a resolution expressing appreciation of the member's action in taking a position ef great personal risk and financial loss, and expressed continued confi- dence in the arrangements made by Mr. Craig for the protection of the interests of the constituency during his absence.

I FORTUNE TELLING. At Marylebone Police-court on Saturday, sentence of three months' imprisonment was passed on Louisa Hearne, sixty-two, Edg- ware-road, London, W., who was charged with g pretending to tell fortunes. Two young ladies gave evidence. One said that prisoner told her that her favourite colours were brown, blue, and pale pink, but she was to be cautious of green. Her lucky days were Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. She was to have two husbands and have seven children. Another witness said the prisoner told her that brown was her lucky colour, but she must beware of green. She must always carry some white lilac in her bag, as it was very lucky, but never let anybody know it was there. She was to have three husbands and seven chil- dren. In defence prisoner said that she never made any charges.

Countm Roberts haa become hon. secre- tary of the executive committee of the Officers' Families Fund. A petition has been signed by leading commercial men and professional classes in Glasgow demanding the immediate expulsion of all Germans from Scotland,

I MOTHER AND HOME. I Any woman who starts out to study the tastes of man has a hard job in front of her. He will want one set of qualities when he is suffering from headache, another when he is in a talkative mood, and yet another when he wants to be quiet. The woman who talks to him when he wants to be quiet and not converse with anyone would do just almost as well to place a millstone round her neck and be drowned at once, s* far as his regard is concerned. To the learner, therefore, who asks what qualities a man most admires in a woman the answer is always given—the one she haan't. It does not make any difference anyway, fot the woman who studies to please makes a bad job of the whole thing. Let her first catch her man, and then let him understand that she does not care whether he holds any affection for her or not, or whether he approves or whether he does not, and all will be well with the twain. I ÐJrADLY INGRATITUDE. I We have all of us met the ungrateful indi- vidual who, no matter what service he has received, no matter how kind and con- siderate friends and neighbours have been to him or her, never appears grateful or satis- fied. Some folk even go so far as to turn round and scorn those who have tried to help them in an hour of need, because they think more might have been done for them. The only way to treat such people is to beach them a lesson by ignoring them for a time, but there must be no marked unkind- oess or bitter reproaches. Whatever faults you may have-and we all have a great many—do not let ingratitude be one of them. If anybody does you a service, no matter whom, either call and see him or write and thank him. Then, at the first opportunity, try and do a good act in return bo show how you value the kind thought. Many people spoil the way in which they try to show gratitude to folk who have helped them by the way in which they behave. Not long ago a man had received some benefit from someone, and he wished to show his gratitude by performing some little act which would please the man who helped him. But he spoilt it by saying something like this: "What I am going to do will cost me a lot of time and trouble, and no small inconvenience, so I hope you will appreciate it." That is just the way not to behave. Never, if you intend to return a kindness, let the person whom you are benefiting see that you are going out of your way to help. If he realises that such is the case, that knowledge will nullify much of the good your action might do. There are countless opportunities every day of our lives whereby vrv; can do a good turn to those who have assisted us. But it all depends on the way it is done. I THE DAILY PROGRAMME. 1 If the modern housewife would take a leaf from her grandmother's book and arrange a daily programme of all the work to be done in her house, she would be astonished to find how smoothly things worked. Not only should she allot the work so that she manages to get all the rooms in the house turned out at least once a week, but she should allow a special time for overlooking and repairing the household linen, for clean- ing silver or special ornaments, etc. The same method applied to her own personal belongings will in the long run save both time and money. Clothes by this method are kept repaired and well-brushed, and if methodically cared for, and looked after, they last twice as long. CORRECTING CHILDREN. I I In correcting children, whatever form the correction may take, it is necessary to pre- serve a calm demeanour. The end of effec- tive correction should be to convince its sub- ject of the seriousness of its wrong-doing; and hasty, petulant scoldings, loud tones, and cross looks cannot achieve this end. It is indeed good that an offence should receive instant punishment-for penalties deferred lose their effect. Nevertheless it is wiser, if the temper of the teacher or parent. he ruffled by some provoking misdemeanour, to pause a moment before pronouncing sen- tence. The probability is that if a penalty be imposed in haste, mature reflection will prove the words to have been unwisely spoken. Most likely they will have to be re- called, or the sentence in part cancelled, and next time the child will know that it need not grieve greatly over the threatened punishment. BEWARE OF FLOWERS I A good singer will always examine a bou- quet i which has been presented to her before she inhales the perfume, to see whether there are any violets among the blossoms. If there are, she keeps at a good distance from it, for violets have a very peculiar effect on the vocal chords of most people, and to inhale the perfume would probably mean the singer spoiling her voice for the rest of the evening. Violets will make some people very husky. Roses, if inhaled too freely, are liable to cause giddiness, which becomes very pronounced if a person is shut in a room with a lot of rose-blooms. The drowsy feeling that comes over most people when they stay for any time in a room, or conservatory, filled with flowers, is caused by a narcotic influence which emanates from the blooms. I CURE FOR EAR-ACHE. I Ordinary ear-ache is relieved by the use of some hot applications, and small rubber ear bags are made expressly for this pur- pose. These may be filled with hot water and applied. It is well to make a small flannel covering for the bag to prevent any possible danger of burning the ear or sur- rounding flesh which comes in contact with the rubber, for the skin is very tender in this locality. A simple h91! method is to make a small bag of flannel or cotton and fill it with salt, hops, or even sand if nothing better is at hand. Place the filled bag in the oven until it becomes well heated, then lay it close to the ear. This will have as good results as the ear bag mentioned; If th'H application of heat vfter repeated trials does not help the pat the other ex- treme cold will sometimes have the desired effect. t CHINA DUSTERS. I Fine china, especially that of Japanese make, should never be dusted with a coarse or harsh duster, as this often ruins the glaze, and part of the design may be re- moved. Oriental china is often decorated after baking, so that the design is far more liable to injury than is generally supj wed. Old-fashioned ladies prefer a silk dustec to any other when wiping delicate china, but an excellent substitute may be found in the old favourite, glazed calico. This should be well boiled to take the dress out, and then cut to the right size and hemmed. Why it should be so far superior to ordinary calico that is treated in the same manner is a mystery, but the fact remains that it is, and once these cheap and simple dusters have been tried they always will be used. A LITTLE OP EVERYTHING. I An old-fashioned method of cleaning whitp satin shoes is to rub them with fine bread- crumbs made from a stale loaf, mixing a little powdered blue with the crumbs. Never use an old brass kettle that has been laid aside for any length of time .,without first cleaning it inside with salt and vinegar, so preventing any chance of metal poison. Remember a small piece of beef, weighing not more than four pounds, should always be cooked in tepid rather than boiling water, otherwise it will become hard. To make it tender let it simmer, but never boil. An easy way to make hand-made tucks is to mark them with a machine "tucker," then stitch them on the machine with a fairly coarse needle, using no cotton. The needle- marks act as a guide for hand-sewing.

The death is announced from Philadelphia of Mr. Perceval, the British Consul-General in that city. Charles Ware, aged twenty-six, an assis- tant signalman at Lancaster, was knocked down by a train, and later died in the Royal Infirmary. Skellingthorpe Church, near Lincoln, built in 1885 has been destroyed by fire.- The damage is estimated at £ 2,000. A revolver which two signal boys were handling on a small warship in Portsmouth harbour went off, killing a lad named Charles Cox.

IN LIGHTER VEIN. I n THOMAS JAY I ILLUJTRATED sr J. If. LUNN. I When we remember the steadily rising cost of paper, one is inclined to the view of certain gentlemen that in future paper will become one of the very rare articles. I have much pleasure m quoting a few advertise- ments from the newspapers of 1920. They have not yet been passed by the Censor and are not likely to be for some time:—"Mr. Oswold Stoll begs to intimate that he has had a bad accident, having lost his daily newspaper, with the result that he will not be able to buy any music halls to-day." "At Sotheby's yesterday a Bradshaw Railway Guide, one of the few remaining copies, was put up for sale and purchased by Mr. Car- negie at £ 1,234." "The Postmaster-General begs to notify the public that at his numerous poet offices he has a specially cheap line of postage stamps at one penny each, while a cheaper variety can be obtained at one halfpenny." "The 'Times' begs to announce the last edition of the Ency. Britt. Postal orders should be made out at once. Price, £ 2,345. Absolutely the last issue." If you happen to meet a man walking about with straws in his hair, tearing madly at a newspaper, that will be the writer, driven frantic by the scanty news published in the daily papers. Last week I read of a man experimenting with a bomb In his bed- room, and the newspaper merely tells me that "the bomb exploded and he was hurled out of the room." Was that suffi- cient information, I ask you? There is no information as to whether he crashed t hrough the wall, out on to the conserva- tory, and thence into the kitchen. We are not even told whether he was seen with his LEAVING SUDDENLY. I head and shoul- ders thrust through the wall signalling to a policeman. Why could they not tell us whether after the man was hurled out of the room and across three gardens he was found sitting in the garden flicking the dust off his coat and calmly smoking a cigarette? It is very pleasant these days to find occa- sion for remembering a line or two of Charles Dickens, to whose works we fled in those happy days before the war, and before we made acquaintance with Nietzsche and Treitschke, and others whose names are pro- nounced with a sneeze. The gentleman whose words I quote was Barkis, ever willing, who said "It was as true as taxes is, and nothing's truer than them." And I do not hesitate at such a time to drag Barkis into the witness-box, because to-day his words ring with a newer meaning, for we are all contemplating with peaceful resignation the new taxes. I am in a fiendish mood, and take a deliberate advantage of the reader by writing about the tax, with intent to harrow the reader's mind. We must put paid to the Potsdam bill, and there are many ways of taxing people not yet thought of by our politicians. But there are ways in which taxes can be painlessly extracted and a boon conferred on humanity at the same time. For instance, I rather liked that idea of Sir Edward Clarke's that houses with fancy names should be taxed. Call it a tax on vanity if you like. If a man is not content to live at plain No. 10, but prefers to be swagger and call it The Retreat, or The Nook, or The Palms, then let him pay for it. Then there are the fellows who wear Harris tweed coats, soft collars, and two storey-boots. They go about digging up the earth with clubs twisted in peculiar shapes to make the game more complicated. They are called golfers. Their object is the carrying out of that old theme of three acres and a ball. They knock the ball around three acres of ground in the moining and talk about it all the afternoon and evening, with one hour off for dinner. Every time they hole out in record fashion they should be taxed. There are others who, if not quite so bad as the golfer, are a great trial and trouble to their fellows. There is the wretch who, on the plea of being an old friend, sneaks up behind you in the street, bangs you on the back in an attempt to push your spine out through the early doors, and shouts "What ho! old sport" or when he meets you out- side places within the meaning of the Act, pretends to be funny by saying "Hullo, Peter! Fancy meeting you. Outside, too He should be taxed nineteen shillings in the pound. Then there is the other fiendish bounder. I refer to the little fellow who catches you by the lapel of the coat. That is quite sufficient, in my estimation, to justify taxing him heavily. But he does not stop at this. He can tell you something about the war. He can tell you exactly why it is that Sir Douglas Haig ia going to do so and so, and his authority is a "fellow he knows who used to know a postman who used to know a milkman who used to deliver milk to the maid who used to wait on Lord Kitchener's third cousin." Here, then, is a fruitful source of taxation, and it might be fixed with a sliding scale, according to the ccnews 11 he gives you. For an hour I have been laying back in my armchair, waiting for them to come and NEMESIS. put the handcuffs upon my wrists, or to bring in the rack, the t h u m bacrews, the brand ing irons, and the other in- struments of tor- ture. Do not be alarmed, d e a. r reader; I have not be en running about doing mur- ders, or stealing, or smashing win- dows. As a matter of fact, I hate murdering people. But I have done infinitely worse It was not until last week I was aware of the dark villain that I am. It appears that I have libelled a whole race. It is alleged that I have made horrid jokes about Scotsmen. The whole thing has got upon my nerves, so that I sit here picturing to myself the whole Scottish race in one long line making for my house, armed with all sorts of ugly weapons. Let me proceed with great care, for I have to be careful now, for we stand on the brink of a threatening vol- canic eruption, which I cannot withstand a second time. We must remember the law of libel, the Defence of the Realm Act, the Re- stricted Licensing Order, the Corrupt Prac- tices Act, 191, the Children's Act, the Deceased Wife's Sister's Act, and the war— aH of which tend to throw a man off his balance. Therefore I say everything I Ray must be taken carefully, and if I ever use the word Scot, then remember that I mean Irish, or Welsh, or Swiss-Hungarian, and if I say Robinson, I mean Jimson, or Ebenezltr. I or the Maypole.

A military absentee, named Cousins, aged twenty-two, was said to have lived for some time in a caravan, which had been stationary at Enfield. He was very illiterate, and when arrested by the police said he was unaware that he was wanted. Mrs. Hopley has given £ 1,000 to Harrow School in memory of her son, Lieutenant G. W. V. Hopley, brother of F. J. V. the famous boxer, who was killed in France. Mr. William Rowland Chadwick, connected with the firm of Oliphant and Co., Man- chester shippers, who was a. passenger on board the Appam. died recently at Bolton, of heart failure, as a result of shock caused by his experiences on board the vessel when captured by the German raider Moewe.

CAPTAIN AWARDED £ 350 DAMAGES AGAINST "BYSTANDER." In Mr. Justice Darling's Court "exemplary damages" to the amount of LM have been awarded by a jury to Captain Gilbert Nelson Reeves, who sued the printers and publishers of the Bystander in respect of a photograph and letterpress dealing with a recruiting meet- ing in Trafalgar-square, London, W.C. The photograph represented Captain Reeves as a member of a group, one of whom was hold- ing up the battered hat of an alleged "peace crank." It was suggested in the accompanying matter that this was not conduct becoming an officer and a gentleman. Defendants admitted the libel, and the amount of the damages was the only point the jury had to decide. In the course of a characteristic summing- up, Mr. Justice Darling remarked that the case arose out of the manner in which this country raised its armies. The old system of the recruiting sergeant at the corner of the street had been abandoned, whether because it did not get enough, or did not get the right sort ef people, he did not know. Another sys- tem was that adopted abroad, where men had to serve just as they had to pay taxes. It was not regarded abroad as degrading for a man to have to serve in the army "but, of course," added his lordsnip, "they are on a different level of civilisation." Our new British system led to the sort of thing that had been witnessed in Trafalgar- square—"an admirable, dignified, and, as we know, embarrassingly efficient system." Any- how, it was the sanctified and official system. Reviewing the incidents at the meeting when the photograph was taken, Mr. Justice Darling observed that had he himself been there he thought he should have said to the gentleman who interrupted "The Germans may be our brothers, but may I remind you, sir, that Abel had a brother." Perhaps he might have made a recruit; but different people had different methods of controversy. So somebodv fetched the gentlemanls hat and exhibited it to the crowd, much as Mark Antony exhibited the toga of Julius Caesar. t Counsel had asked for exemplary or vindic- tive damages partly on the ground that the "Bystander was a very vicious paper, which had previously been prosecuted for the publi- cation of a cartoon showing a British soldier with a bottle of rum. But it was only right to observe that this same cartoon had been ex- hibited outside Somerset House as a means of attracting recruits. "It was very lucky for the official of Somer- set House," added his lordship, "that the Alderman who inflicted fines of £50 or £100 all round did not know where he lived, because what he would have fined anyone living in a house of that size I cannot imagine."

FATHER VAUGHAN ON BIRTH RATE. I Father Bernard Vaughan, speaking at a Mansion House meeting in favour of Mr. Oswald Stoll's War Seal Foundation, said that when he was a lad the birth-rate was 37 to 40 per 1,000. Now it had dropped to 19.5 per 1.000. "We are a nation travelling to the ceme- tery," said Father Vaughan. "Never was the marriage-rate so high, never the birth- rate so low, and that at a time when the cry is to replace the men we are losing. "It is not men, munitions, or money we want. It is the mother we need to-day, and shall need more and more; and we want mothers in those wives whom God wants to become mothers. "I see everywhere ladies befurred and be- jewelled, in the daintiest of footwear, which you can see as far as ever it reaches, and the most perfect hats. If you look a little longer you will find that there is a pet dog which could easily be replaced by two men in khaki as far as money goes."

INSULTED LADY CONDUCTOR. I At Hendon Police-court William Frederick Pursey, of Essex-road, Islington, was fined X2 and costs (the maximum) for using in- sulting language to a female tram con- ductor at Cricklewood. Mrs. Adams, the complainant, said defendant used insulting language when told there was room only up- stairs. She told him that because she was a woman she was not there to be insulted, and had given a better man than, him to the country, her husband having beei killed at the Front. She added: "You might think yourself lucky you did not get a smack in the face." Using another objectionable ex- pression, he said: "Smack me," whereupon she did so, and he then struck her in the face, giving her a black eye. She fainted and was away from duty five days. The Bench said they were sorry they could not send him to prison.

VICTIMS OF KENT EXPLOSION. I The Archbishop of Canterbury officiated at the interment of some of the victims of the disastrous factory accident in Kent. All were buried in one large grave. There was a long procession from the town to the ceme- tery. Ministers of the Church of England and the Nonconformist Church and members of the Salvation Army took part. The Archbishop spoke of the bravery of deceased, who, he said, gave their lives for their friends, as but for their endeavour to limit the fire the loss of life would no doubt have been much greater than it was. The sad obsequies concluded with the firing of three volleys and the sounding of the "Last Post."

A SOLDIER'S DELUSIONS. I A private in the 41st Canadian Infantry, Dominque Brunei, who, it was stated at the Old Bailey, was waiting for the King to appoint him chief medical officer of the British Army, has been sent to prison for twelve months. The facts of the case are to be reported to the Home Secretary. Brunet, who was charged with a misdemeanour, be- lieved that he had invented a system whereby he could bring the dead to life. He was said to have been in a Paris prison for the criminally insane. He was discharged or escaped from there, and, although French born, joined the Canadians in August, being passed fit for active service.

SIR T. CROSBY DEAD. I Sir Thomas Boor Crosby, an Alderman of the City of London and Lord Mayor in 1911- 12 has died at the age of eighty-six. He had been a member of the City Coun- cil for thirty-four years when he was elected Lord Mayor in 1911. In spite of his years, he accepted the honour, partly because he felt that by electing him the City was honouring the profession of medicine He was the first dootor to become Lord Mayor of London, and during his term of office was installed as Master of the Society of Apothe. caries.

FEWER LETTER DELIVERIES. I The postal authorities have decided to dis- continue the 10 p.m. delivery in London and the suburbs, and to reduce the number of deliveries during the day. This decision is due to shortage of labour and to motives of > economy. The original twelve deliveries in the Cen- tral London districts will now be reduced to five the six in the suburbs to three, while the last delivery in London will be made be. tween 6 and 8 p.m.

A TREASURY WARNING. I The attention of the Treasury has been called to an advertisement issued by a com- pany called "Cocoaniits and Tropical Pro- duce, Limited," inviting subscriptions to an issue of shares by that company, which has not received the approval of the Treasury, and is in defianoe of Treasury directions. It has therefore become necessary to warn in- vestors that subscriptions to the issue in question are, in the opinion of the Treasury, contrary te the public interest. 1-1 "I. -1;

When rugs curl up at the corners cut a piece of buckram in the shape of an L, and oew to the under side. Potato peelings should be dried in the oven and used for lighting fires. Leas wood will be required. To keep uncooked fish fresh, wring a doth out in cold salted water and wrap the fish in it. Don't allow the fish to touch one another. Onion skins washed and put into soup will help to brown it and give it a flavour. When dusting, have the first dustel slightly damp and finish off with a dry one. Before squeezing juice from lemons put them in the oven for a minute. You will get twice as much juice. A rice pudding is much improved by add- ing a little cornflour-a good desserteponful to a quart of milk. A clean cloth dipped in hot water and then in a saucer of bran wiH clean white paint without injury. To prevent the iron from sticking and to a beautiful gloss to linen, add just a little soap to your starch. To clean linen blinds, rub them with a clean cloth dipped in oatmeal, changing the oatmeal as it gets dirty. A teasponful of turpentine added to either boiled or raw starch gives a fine gloss to the clothes and prevents the irons sticking. Paraffin oil is better than soap and water for varnished paint. It does not destroy it. Wipe afterwards with a cloth wrung out in hot water. A small box of unslacked lime kept in the pantry will absorb all impurities, and keep the air dry and sweet. The lime must be changed every two or three weeks. I MENDING A CARPET. To repair the worn places of a carpet buy some darning wool to match the pattern of the carpet. Then darn over the worn places with the different coloured wools. Although you have not worked in a pattern, it will never notice, and the darn will tone in with the rest of the carpet. I A SMOKY LAMP. A very effective way to clean smoky lamp glasses, globes, and glass chimneys is to hold them over the steam issuing from the s pout of a kettle. Block up the end of the glass so as to get a good quantity of steam to loosen the smoke marks. While damp. rub it thoroughly with soft tissue or old news- paper. Polish with clean tissue paper. THE COAL BILL. This method of putting slack on the fire will considerably reduce your coal bill: Double a piece of newspaper several times, lay it flat on the fire, and throw on the top one or two shovelfuls of damp slack. The paper holds together, and the slack does not choke the fire, but quickly forms into a hard lump. AN IRONING HINT. When putting irons on the gas stove, leave them for a minute, then lift them off, and you will find that they are wet. Wipe them with a cloth. Do this a second time, and you will find that they will not require cleaning before using. If this is not done, the moisture causes them to rust, and they require a good deal of cleaning before they will iron nicely. COOKING HINTS. Allow one level teaspoonful of salt to flavour a quart of soup, sauce, or water in which vegetables are to be cooked. Rice absorbs three times its measure of water, milk, or stock. Use a teaspoonful of baking powder to a cupful of flour for raising pur- poses. When weighing treacle for cooking purposes, well flour the scale and the treacle will run off quite easily without leaving any stickiness behind. When using spoons for measuring dry ingredients, take as much above the bowl of the spoon as you have in it. This constitutes a spoonful. Never leave stock to cool in a saucepan. Stock should be boiled up every day and put into a clean bowl. SOME USEFUL RECIPES. EGGLESS BISCUITS.—Take a quarter of a pound of butter, a quarter of a pound of lard, half a pound of sugar, half a pint of eour milk, one teaspoon nutmeg, one tea- spoon soda, and two pounds of flour. Mix the butter and lard and beat to a cream. Gradually add the sugar and then the nut- meg. Dissolve the soda in the sour milk, and add it alternately with the flour. Have the dough very soft. If necessary add a little more flour. Chill and roll out a part at a time, cut with a large round cutter and bake in a brisk oven. BAKED APRICOT P-CDDING.-nree-quarterc, of a pound of dried apricots, lemon peel, breadcrumbs, two ounces of butter, sugar to taste. Wash and soak the fruit well, then stew it in the soaking water for ten to fifteen minutes. Meanwhile prepare some fine breadcrumbs, and line a buttered pie dish thickly with them. Sprinkle with a few tiny pieces of butter, and add a layer of fruit. Sift a little sugar over it, and con- tinue with layers of crumbs, fruit and sugar until the dish is full. Bake in a good oven for half to three-quarters of an hour. Serve with a custard poured over the top or a sprinkling of any chopped nuts. TEMPERANCE CAKE.—One pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of washed and dried currants, a half-pound of sugar, a quarter of a pound of butter, two ounces of mixed candied peel, two eggs and a half-pint of milk and a half-teaspoonful of baking powder. First beat the butter to a cream. Beat the eggs and mix with the milk, then mix eggs, butter and milk together; add the powder with the flour and sugar, then mix all together. Put into a well-greased baking tin and set in a good oven. The candied peel may be placed in slices upon top or mixed with the other ingredients. GOLDEN PUDDING.—Take half a pound of flour, put it in a bowl, and add a pinch of ealt. Make a hole in the middle, into which break two eggs and beat to a smooth paste with half a pint of milk, then place on one side for a few minutes. Then add, gradually, another half pint of milk, and beat again. Butter a pudding mould and put into it three table-spoonfuls of treacle, then add the butter, leaving room for the pudding to rise. Tie down with greased paper and steam for one hour and a half. CAMP PIE.—Take one pound of any cold meat, and cut it into neat little squares. Slice three onions, and fry them in an ounce of dripping. Add one heaped-up teaepoonful of flour, half a pint of gravy, and salt and < pepper to taste. Place the meat in a pie- dish, and pour over it the gravy and onions. Put half a pint of breadcrumbs on the top and bake in a slow oven for one hour. VEGETABLE CURRY.-BOil two carrots, two turnips, one parsnip, one stick of celery, two roots of salsify, one small garden swede, and two artichokes until tender; then cut into dice and mix all together. Fry two onions until brown, add a dessertspoonful of curry powder, the juice of one lemon, and some of the water the vegetables were boiled in. Put the vegetables in the sauce to get yccy hot, and serve within a wall of boiled rioe.

I Admiral Henderson, at Deal, presented to William Adams, coxswain of the town's life- boat, the Royal National Lifeboat Institu- tion's silver medal, together with an illu- minated address, in recognition of his skilful handling of the lifeboat whereby the crew of twelve were rescued from the Admiralty mine-sleeper Delapole, wrecked on Goodwin Sands during the terrible gale of Feb. 4.