GENERAL WAR NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1735, 27 September 1917, Page 1

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

GUARDS REFUSED ORDERS

Twelve privates in the Irish Guards who refused to fetch their bayonets when ordered to do so by a sergeant pleaded guilty at a general court-martial at Westminster to a charge of disobeying a lawful command. It was explained that the men, who were shortly to go to France, were merely irritated by a rumour that their pay would ,he delayed, and w.ere not actuated by any motive of disloyalty. The trouble only lasted for a quarter of an hour, and the men paraded with their bayonets at 2.15 instead of at two o’clock. The decision will be promulgated in due course. SANDAL-WEAR IN GERMANY. Wooden shoes are becoming very general in Germany now, and even men in their office are seen wearing wooden sandals, without socks. The Muenchner Fust says; “Now that the officials in the public offices are advised to come in sandals without socks, the councillors themselves will set a good example, and assemble in wooden shoes. The ell eel would not be so dreadful as some conservative people seem to think. Indeed, it would not even be a new thing. From a notice issued in 1450, we know that the Frankfurt Councillors wore wooden shoes, for they were advised to take oil' their shoes at the sitting, in order to avoid the noisy clic-clac. So let us go hack to the good old times.” FIGHTING ON DIFFERENT LEVELS. In describing (he work of the airmen at the front, .Major L. IV B. Rees, of the British Hying corps, staled recently lhal the British fly on three levels with three kinds of machines. The lowest are the artillery directors, who circle about in big ,gure eights some 0,009 feet ahove the enemy trendies, and Hash hade directions to the British gunners by wireless. AhoyO them, at 10,000 feet, are the heavy lighters with two men to a machine and able to keep the air for four hour- at a speed of 11.0 miles per, hour. At a height of 15,000 fed the the singleman, light lighters, capable of 130 miles an hour and ascending the first 10,000 feel in ton minutes. BOATING PAR TUGS TO CATCH FLSH. New regulations affecting South-end-oil-Sea have been issued by Admiral Callaghan, commander-in-chicf at the Nove. • They prohibit the use of mechanically-propelled vessels for pleasure cruising, No commercial vessel may take pleasure parties or any other persons than the crew; no professional fisherman or boatman may he employed on a pleasure craft, and pleasure cruising is only allowed on the understanding that all, persons using pleasure craft do their utmost to increase the food supply by catching fish. Pleasure craft which ignore this condition are liable to be laid up by order of the local police. Crews of boats may he called upon to make returns of their catches. SHOOTING GAME IN FRANCE. Licenses to shoot game in France —which has not been allowed .since the war began —are to he issued when the crops have been gathered. The new policy lias been adopted chiefly to satisfy (ho farmers, who complained that their produce wasjieing ruined by the enormous increase of game and vermin owing to the prohibition of shooting. No game license will he needed by soldiers on leave. Special regulations will be made for the zone of the armies. SONGS OUR SOLDIERS LIKE. Air Gcrva.se Elwes, the wellknown vocalist, who in private life is high sheriff of Northampton, states that his experience with Miss Lena Ashwell’s concert party at the front strengthens Ins belief that the belter the music the better the soldier likes it. “The songs our party were particularly asked to sing were principally old English favourites, simple in sentiment and most unmartial in spirit,” said Mr Elwes, in an interview. “I must have sung Stanford’s ‘A Carol of Bells’ 30 times in a month, and ‘Wher’er You Walk’ (Handel) and Roger Quilter's ‘Roadside Flower’ on many occasions. Apart from the musical side, what struck me most was the marvellous optimism and eheeriness of our men. There is no talk of losing the war out there —not even of a draw.”