GENERAL WAR NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1780, 24 January 1918, Page 4

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

NO MORE LEAD SOLDIERS,

Among the sufferers by the war are the little lead soldiers who Inwe marched so gaily and bravely across nursery tallies, defended wooden forts, and ambushed the Hun from behind barricades of books. An edict lias gone forth, and no more lead is to be used for them. The Lead Controller Ls determined that our men at the front shnil not be kept on short lead rations. Even more important to a section of the public will be the substitution of cast-iron piping for lead for gas, electric light, and water.

WEATHER PROPHETS FOR FRANCE.

Dr. W. R. Blair, formerly of the U.S.A. Weather Bureau, who is now a major in the Signal Corps Re-

serve, has been sent to France to take charge of the work of forecasting weather conditions along the French front for the American Army. Weather conditions have an important bearing upon almost all military operations, the most pronounced instances being the use of artillery and in aerial manoeuvres. Major Blair was accompanied by Major E. H. Bowie, also from the Weather Bureau. BRITISH OFFICERS ESCAPE. An amusing story about the escape of two British officers from a Turkish prison camp in Asia Minor is told by the Daily Telegraph on the Authority of an M.P. Soon after getting free, the oliicers came across 11 Turkish soldiers who were deserters. Britishers and Turks joined up, and set out for the Black Sea coast. Ere long they encountered another dozen Turkish soldiers, who were for arresting-them. The Britons and their new allies, however, attacked the new enemy, and took their arms away from them. All three parties then marched toards the sea, which they reached after many hardships. At last they were fortunate enough to come across some Russian patrol vessels, which conveyed the entire party in safety to Odessa. 4,000 WOMEN DOCTORS. Four thousand women doctors in t’ "-'ited 'Slates have been asked re uglier for service in 10 American women’s hospitals. Many of these will begin war service in the Women’* Army General Hospital, the management and operation of which are in the hands of women, and the funds fur which have been raised by women doctors. One unit of American women physicians is coming to France and Belgium to open hospitals for women and children in districts which have been devastated by the war. All these war women doctors arc busily polishing up their knowledge of French, while nurses are also required to take up the study of the language, HEALTH AND OUTPUT.’ Dr. Addison (Minister for Reconstruction) has come to the conclusion that health is a very complex business. The time has passed when the people would be satisfied with a dose of medicine. Health consists of food, habit of life, hours of work, to mention only a few points. There was no organised body to deal with these things, but at the Ministry for Munitions he had set up a committee to investigate matters appertaining to health. Some interesting discoveries had resulted. A set of women turning aluminium fuse tops were working (ifi hours weekly with an hourly output of 100; when doing 54.8 hours per week the hourly output was 134; and at 45.0 hours per week it jumped up to 158. Therefore, it paid that factory to employ these women only 45 hours a week. Similar, taking a set of hoys boring topcaps, 72 hours a week resulted in an output of 100 per hour, 54 hours a wetdv gave 117 per hour, mid U 9 resulted with a 53-hour week, A reduction of hours from 58 to 51 of men engaged on heavy work increased their hourly output from LOO (.o .130. I p to (he present it had l)eon nobody’s'business to find out these things as a whole. ENGHT BROTHERS IN THE ARMY. At Camberwell Tribunal a man named Bartlett (42), passed lit for garrison duty at home, who was granted three months’ exemption, said eight of his brothers were now with the iorees. They were distributed among the East. Surreys, Gordon Highlanders, Essex Regimen!, Rifle Brigade, Oxford and Bucks L.L, and Royal Fusiliers.

AFTER THE WAR. “Ihe trouble with this war.’’ a German statesman is quoted as saying, is that it will be 10 years after it is over before 1 can go to London. 20 before I can go to Paris, and 40 before I can go to Vienna.” still a number of German statesmen wil[ •ive to go somewhere after the war. Germany will not be any health resort us far us they are concerned. GARDEN OF EDEN. Canon Partit, of Jerusalem, who '.escribed himself as “Vicar of Mesopotamia and Rural Dean of the Garden of Eden,” told a few East- ■ rji .aies in London recently. He .--aid that when he first saw his “charge” the scenery did not impress him. The people were poverty stricken, and begged for “baksheesh, ’ the children were “brilliantly chid in olive oil and the sweetest of smiles.” A soldier, writing home, said the heat was so intense that the population were feeding their fowls on ice cream to prevent them laying hard-boiled eggs. At Bagdad, the pontoon bridge having been washed a wav, the Sultan determined to build a new one, so lie set about raising the money! Hie people were whipped and blackmailed into parting with £40,000. Hie bridge cost £4,000, the taxgatherers pocketed the rest,