GENERAL WAR NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1739, 24 July 1917, Page 1

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

RUINED JEWS. The Jewish Run.sclmu of Berlin, a Zionist organ, lias received a despatch from Jerusalem confirming reports of the economic ruin of the Jewish population of Jaffa through compulsory evacuation. Between 8,000 and 9,000 Jewish residents of the town have been expelled by the Turks, only thirty being permitted to remain. ■ PEER REFUSED EXEMPTION. Lord Napier and Ettrick applied at the Selkirk County Tribunal foi; total exemption from military service. On a former occasion he was granted conditional exemption, provided he engaged in inanition work, but this had not been done, and accordingly the application was refused. Lord Napier is 40 years of age. He is a member of the Royal Company of Archers, and served in the war as captain in the King’s Royal Corps. He is the twelfth Baron of Napier and Ettrick. GENERAL WOLFE’S HOME. Arrangements have been completed whereby Quebec House at Westerham, England, the home of General Wolfe’s childhood, shall be vested in a national trust. It was pure based in 1913 by the late J. B. Learraont, of Montreal, as a public memorial, but Mr Learmont died before the plans were completed. A LUCKY MSS. Sir Hedworth Meaux at Liverpool said: “The other day I met General Smuts, one of the best generals, one of the most agreeable of men. I was introduced at dinner. The General said, “Hullo, you are my old enemy.” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Do you know that one of the first shots you fired at Ladysmith very nearly killed me?” I answered: “Well, thank God, it didn’t.” PLUCK. A man well over military age had an only son, who fell in Franco while leading his company in a famous rifle regiment. As soon as he heard the news the father offered his services, and asked to be allowed to take his son’s place. After a few months’ training as a cadet his wish was granted. He took command of his dead boy’s company, and has now returned to Blighty badly wounded. A MARGARINE KING. The fine of £SO imposed upon Mr Jurgens, the margarine king, for exceeding the war limit in household repairs and alterations will not cause him much inconvenience. Ho is one of the wealthiest men in Europe, his fortune being estimated at £10,000,000. Mr Jurgens is a Dutchman, whose chief place of. business is in Amsterdam. His principal competitor is a Dane (margarine king No. 2). Margarine is made from vegetable oils, chiefly derived from the cocoanut. It is flavoured by bacilli taken from the cow. The flavour varies according to the breed of cow from which the bacilli have been extracted. A small phial of bacilli will flavour hundreds of tons of margarine. HUNS REDUCED IN WEIGHT. Professor Friedrich von Muller, of Munich, recently compiled a series of elaborate statistics, showing how the weight of the citizens of Bavaria had been affected by the war. In large towns men under 50 lost 9.3 per cent., men over 50 lost 12 per cent,, women under 50 G. 7 per cent., and women over 50 10 per cent, .of their weight. In the country, on the other hand, the losses of weight were only 1.1 per cent, for men under 50, and 2 per cent. for women over 50, while men over 50 showed an increase of 2.4 per cent, and women under 50 an increase of 2.8 per cent. FIRST AMERICAN SHELLS. What was probably the first instance of a shell fired at the enemy by an American since war was declared by his country is reported by the Petit-Parisien correspondent at Salonika. He states that a member of the American Relief Committee with the Servian troops in Macedonia, on hearing that the United .States had declared war, asked to be allowed to shell the German trenches. As he was a former artillery officer, permission was given. He. put on his uniform, which he brought from America four months ago, went to a battery of sin. guns, loaded one of them unaided, and despatched half-a-dozeh shells at the German trenches, amidst the cheers of the Servian soldiers. On hearing of this incident, Prince Alexander conferred the Cross of the White Eagle on the American.