Local and General

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 28 May 1915, Page 2

Local and General

Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., for Hutt, was in Huntly, at the end of last week on business in connection with the widows’ compensation claims in the late mines disaster.

In the event of war the United States coull put into the field about 60,000 regular troops and about 80,000 or 90,000 partiallytrained National Guards, which belong to different States.

A public meeting is called by "dodger” to be held in the Miners’ Hall on Sunday next at 3 p.m. to discuss ways and means for raising funds to equip the hospital ship. Dr. Macdiarmid. Sr. will preside.

Practically all the Continental capitals have been under the heel of the conqueror at one time and another, and Berlin is no exception. As a matter of fact, Berlin has seen foreign troops enter its gates no fewer than three times in the last 200 years.

According to the ordinary arrangements for 1915, America has a fleet of 13 effective Dreadnoughts, 19 pre-Dreadnoughts, 56 destroyers about 50 submarines, 25 torpedoboats, 24 armoured and protected cruisers, and a number of scouts, monitors and old protected cruisers for subsidiary service.

To-morrow (Saturday) at 2 p.m, Mr J. Elliot will sell at Mrs Jones' house (nearly opposite Green & Colebrook’s) a quantity of furniture and household effects and at 3 p.m, at the King’s Hall, a lot of jewellery (watches clocks etc), plated, fancy and leather goods, as well as a large number of cases of dessert and cooking apples.

I would rather go dpwn in slavery with our King than have liberty with the Kaiser. People talk about the cost. What would it cost if Kaiser Bill was here ? If we get out at £500,000,000 we shall be luc.ry; but if the Germans came here we should also have to give them £500,900,000 to go back again to build more Dreadnoughts with. —Will Crooks Labour M.P.

On arrival in Egypt the New Zealanders were asked by an officer: “Anyone in the ranks who desire to return home while there is yet a chance, one pace forward!” Not one moved a muscle. After a few seconds, the officer said : “ Men you’re the right stuff I” “There was not one of us who care to change places with vou at home at this stage of the game,” vvrore one of them. “ Its just getting exciting,”— Bluff Press.

The woollen mills of England are working to the very limit of their capacity to supply cloth for the fighting men of the Allies. Never has Yorkshire known such an industry in her mills. Saturday afternoon work is almost universal. Sunday work is quite common. Some mills are working 24 hours a day. Several are working seven days a week with perhaps a three hours’ respite on Sunday afternoons for the cleaning and overhauling of machinery The output of cloth is prodigious. Firms no longer measure their production by the yard but by the mile, A recent estimate put the wartime output of army cloth at 300 miles a week.

The Turk is invariably a brave man when lie is in a subordinate capacity. Directly, however, he becomes one having authority he turns to peculation as a duck turns to water. There is a perfectly true story of a Turkish warship which had a wooden propeller shaft —her captain having sold the original shaft at scrap-iron prices. There is also the story equally true of the battleship laid down many years ago, which when nearly ready for launching, had her construction suspended for lack of funds. A few years later the Kaiser, in his capacity of the friend of Islam, having arranged a German loan.it was decided to complete the ship. But when they came to look for her no trace remained. Everything had been peculated.