News from All Quarters.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 24 November 1917, Page 1

News from All Quarters.

Mr Lloyd George, wlio gave a lead to the country by having his potatoes sprayed, has grown an excellent crop in his garden in the country, saya the "Daily Chronicle." In spite of the recent bad weather, his tubers have withstood disease extremely well. The average weight of roots lifed has been nearly 41b. NO DEATH PENALTY. Missouri has abolished the death penalty. This makes eleven States in all where punishment by death may not be legally inflicted. £50 BREAD FINE. Mr Cancellor, the magistrate at Thames Police Court, fined John Schneider, a London baker, £25 for selling bread that had not been baked at least twelve hours, and £25 for exposing the bread for sale. GOVERNOR KNITS SOCKS. Governor Bilbo, of Mississippi, is knitting socks for American soldiers, says a New York paper. He sits an hour daily with knitters at the Confederate veteran's home, "doing his bit," "My grandfather taught me how to knit,'' Governor Bilbo said. KILLED BY A BIRD'S NEST. J. H. Loomanston, 80, and his wife, 81, were asphyxiated in their home at Alto (Wisconsin) last month, says an American paper. A bird's nest in the chimney stopped the smoke from a coal fire. When found their rooms was filled with smoke. HOW IT STRUCK THE RAJAH. A story illustrating how western ideas may strike eastern minds is told of the late Marion Crawford. He is quoted in the "Occult Review" as saying 'one Tajah told me the most astonishing thing he saw in London was Queen Victoria holding her own umbrella over her head at the ceremony of laying the corner-stone of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and that there were no fringes of pearls upon it.'' MEN WHO GET NO HOLIDAYS. The 30,000 men who manufacture pig iron in Great Britain cannot get holidays because the blast furnaces have to be kept going without a stop. The Ministry of Munitions, after conferences with the blast-furnace owners and men, has recommended that in lieu of holidays the men shall be paid time and a-quarter for ten days in each year. This goes back to January 1, and is a war measure only. WOMEN GAS MAKERS. The South Metropolitan Gas Company (writes the "Evening News") now employs nearly 2000 women, who are taking the places of men called to the colours. Women now do the entire work of the retort house, making 3,500,000 cubic feet of gas daily. The work, which entails carrying great weights, is done in an atmosphere of excessive heat. Bricklaying, filling sacks, carpentry, fitting and turning, meter-read-ing, and repairing, and lacquering and adjusting fittings are now all women's jobs. The only task that they have been unable to perform at present is the clinkering of the furnaces. THE MACKINTOSH OF MACINTOSH. Perhaps it is not disrespectful to recall in connection with the engagement of Captain Angus Macintosh, the heir of The Macintosh to the Duke of Devonshire's eldest daughter (says a writer in the "Daily News and Leader"), one of Leech's most characteristic drawings. It dates from the time when Scots and Scots things were perhaps not quite so familiar in London as they are now, and it represents a fierce and bearded gentleman in dispute with a cabdriver. "Do you know who I am? lam Macintosh of Macintosh," he says. "T don't care if you are the umbreller of umbrcllers," the cabman replies '' that's my fare.'' ONCE A GERMAN ALWAYS A GERMAN. Fifteen years ago (the "Daily Express' recalls), Mr Dooley, the Chicago Irish philosopher, expressed an opinion of his German hyphenated fellow-citi-zens that has been to some extent justified by events. He said: "I'm not prejudiced again' thim, mind ye. They make good beer, an' good citizens, and mod'rate polismen, an' they are fond iv their fam'lies and cheese. But wanst a German, always Dutch. Ye couldn't make Americans iv thim if ye called thim all Perkins- an.' brought thim- up in Worcester. Jz. German niver ra-aly leaves Germany. He takes it with him -wheriver- he goes. Whin; an Irishman is four miles out at sea he is as much. American as presarved fish. But a German is niver an American excipt whin he goes back to Germany to see'his rilitives.'' WHO FIRED THE FIRST SHOT. Whiles some doubt is justified as to who fired the first shot in the war, Mr Lovat Fraser suggests that the distinction belongs to ,an unknown German, who with others- aimed- at three- French Customs officers on the morning of Sunday, August 2, 1914, at a point about eight miles east of the fortress of Belfort. '' The Germans suddenly began shooting, and fired about fifteen shots in all. The three Frenchmen withdrew without replying, and turned out the other seven members of the Customs staff. All then moved forward towards the frontier, when the Germans fired another fifteen shots. The first man to fire on the French side was Captain Dentz, in command of the Customs station at Petit Croix. Not a soul seems to have been hit on either side, and in this trivial manner the war began."