LIVING ON LITTLE

Levin Daily Chronicle, 18 May 1918, Page 1

LIVING ON LITTLE

BENEFITS or FASTING. People are talking a lot of nonsense about rations and starvation just now —people who have no idea what real starvation is. I have (writes Mr R. Gwatkin-Williams i* the "Dailv Mail"). '

I have just returned to England after an absence of nearly a year in Arctic Russia, and I am astonished at the complaints I hear. I am also one of the survivors of H.M.S. Tara, who, after thoir Ship had been torpedoed in the Mediterranean, were for five months prisoners of the Senussi in the Libyan Desert. During that period our largest total daily ration waa something under lib of rice, and latterly we were living upon from 4oz to soz of food a day! Besides hunger we had also to eontend with every other hardship. , We wore barefooted, half naked, with only an old ragged tent to live in, and we lay upon a floor of rock while piercing desert winds blew over us each night and the rain beat in upon us.' No change of clothes was possible, and there were neither medicines, alcohol, hor tobacco. I am a 14st man and 6ft in height, yot I had to live upon the same rations as a sft man of 9at weight. Our food cording to figures in the Registrar-Gen-, oral's Annual Report, than they have been for 30 years. Spinsters chances, on the other hand, greatly decreased, unless he flew again immediately he *vould never fly any more. Captain Nhoapher, Machine Gun Corps, said that jlthough nervy Lieutenant Bulmer was very brave: WHERE EGGS ARE £1 EACH. In an interview with th e Petit Parision on his return from captivity in the occupied territory in the north-east of France M. Eugene Motte, a noted Deputy and Mayor of Roubaix, describing the situation in th e Roubaix disrict arid Belgium said: "Material exstence has become practically impossible. Eggs are sold at 25fr. each and neat a:t 35fr. to 40fr. a kilogramme. The Germans have carried off all supplies and all machinery. The Germans irrogance, which had decreased, has igain become more pronounced since the betrayal of the. Allies by the Maximalists. In spite of all, however, the uoral of the Belgians and the Frcnch '.n these territories continues, and their ardent patriotism, courage, and confilence have never faltered." BRAZIL'S SHARE IN THE WAR.

An officer of the Brazilian Navy, who is now in London, states that the extent of his country's active participation in the war was agreed upon leveral weeks ago, since when preparations have been going on with great energy. Brazil has only a limited number of warships of the type most need--3d to fight the submarine, but all these are fully commissioned and in war trim, and will doubtless make their appearance in the war zone in due course. My informant states, however, that Brazil has become an important centre for aviation, and already possesses a considerable reserve of machines. Some of her pilots, trained in France and America are oxcedingly skilful. They are now doing duty as instructors +0 the many volunteers who have eomr forward to join the Brazilian Flying Corps for service in France.