GENERAL WAR NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1899, 5 November 1918, Page 1

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

“THE AVERAGE MAN” CAN ELY. As military aviation is growing out of the experimental stage the training necessary for it can be systematised. Allied brains have organised methods of instruction that seem to be turning out capable aviators now with much the same inevitable regularity as our colleges confer degrees. To the groundlubber, aviation may still be uncommon enough to appear to demand extraordinary men, but there are not enough of that sort to supply the demand for pilots. The beauty of the training now given is that It can take the average man and make him entirely worth his salt in the air. HUNS’ SCIENTIFIC SALVAGE WORK. Mr David Currie, Director of National Salvage, speaking at Stockport, said Germany had been able to tarry on so long because she had carefully planned and developed her salvage schemes for years as part of her preparations for war. Even rat-catching was included as salvage. By the proper salvage of our refuse we could annually save sutlieienl tonnage to bring 240,000 tons of wheat from Canada or 498,000 tons of iron ore from Spain. The Motor Machiue-guri Section earned for itself yet another distinction in the recent Eranco-Brit-isb offensive. Commenting on the exploits of this arm, Le Temps says:—“An arm which is not a new one, but which up to the present has not had the opportunity of especially distinguishing itself —the -Motor Machine-gun —made its appearance on August Bth. The wonderful achievements accomplished hy it are legion, and are remarkable for I heir diversity. Gormans of all ranks and all arms have had a painful lesson from it. Sent forward at lop speed well in front of the troops, those vehicles of strange form dare everything, sowing fear and death in the ranks of the enemy before the Germans knew what to make of this new adversary.” To call this arm of the service a “new adversary,” however, is scarcely correct, and to say that it “made, its appearance,” as thought it had never been seen or heard of before, is somewhat belated. COMEDY OF A DELAYED LETTER. On September 2Stb, 1012, Mr R. tY. Brigliouse, an Ormskirk solicitor, wrote to a local youth of 1(1, appointing him as junior chirk in the office. The youth has just received (he letter, after nearly six years. In (he meantime he has served his apprenticeship as an engineer in Manchester, whilst the writer of the letter has served over three years in .France as a captain. CHICAGO'S WAR GARDENS. The Illionis State Council of Defence estimates that (he war gardens in the city of Chicago alone total 4,880 acres, and are the result of the labour of 250,000 individual war gardeners. The value of the crop for (be coming year is estimated at £700,000. The council suggests that in (lie immediate suburbs of Chicago at least ninety per cent, of (he vacant land is under cultivation, and that this land will produce a crop surely equalling, if not surpassing, that of the city proper.