NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1816, 20 April 1918, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Two soldiers won! into a .restaurant at Salonika and asked for turkey with “groece.” The waiter said: “Gentlemen, Pm sorry I can’t serving when one of the Tommies shouted; “Then fetch the bos-for-us.” The boss came, and he said: “Gentlemen, I don’t want to rnssia, but you cannot rumania.” And so the soldiers had to "o away hnngary. Says a London writer: Whatever the reason—and I should be sorry to say that the suggestion as to the conscription of capital has anything to do with it—the fact remains that during' the last few weeks the purchase of precious stones and jewels has been excessive. A Bond street jeweller informed me the other day that he had sold to an unknown person three tiaras at an enormous price 1 . I have heard, too, of a wellknown millionaire who is buying up rubies and emeralds wholesale. A soldier braving disease and death in the camp and on the battlefield has a seven times better chance of life than a new-born baby. This rather startling statement is based upon the best of statistics. According to figures made public by Secretary of War Baker, and others compiled by the London Prudential Insurance Company, the loss of life in the British forces at the front, from all causes is only a little more than 2 per cent, a year. Of the 2,500,000 babies born every year in the United States, more than 350,000 die before they are a year old. That is more than 14 per cent, A remarkable coincidence in regard to the recovery of a photograph has been brought under the notice of the Kelson Colonist. Three Kelson lads proceeded to the front, and after fighting for some time, went together on leave .to England, where they were photographed. On returning to France, one was killed, another wounded, while the third is still “doing his bit.” In hospital the wounded lad got into conversation with a wounded Tommy, who was in the next bed, in the course of which the English soldier mentioned that he had a photo which he had taken from a Boche that he had shot. On his showing the picture to the wounded Nelsonian it turned out to be a copy of the photograph of the group taken while on leave, which the German had apparently taken from the Kelson boy who was killed.

Willi reference to the mortality amongst lambs, as reported from Hastings, a well-known fanner, in conversation with a Napier Telegraph reporter, stated that be had never known such a disastrous season as regarded lambs. A peculiarity noticeable among the stricken animals was their greediness for water, and this despite the fact that Micro was abundance of moisture in the pasture. Healthy and fat lambs suddenly became dizzy and then Cell, never to rise again, hundreds going down in this manner. An investigation of tlie intestinal organs in many instances had disclosed v, watery fluid the colour of ink, bull the animal otherwise appeared to be in excellent condition. The farmer was of opinion that Iho continual wot weather was the main cause of the I rouble, as the pasture, (hough in abundance, was more detrimental than otherwise, and many young sheep, a very valuable commodity at present, had been lost.