JOTTINGS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 304, 22 December 1914, Page 6

JOTTINGS.

The blending of German and iurkish "Kultur" is not. apparently any longer remarkable for mutinies and protests (remarks the clever, writer ot ; var notes in the New Zealand tunes). Probably the more'hardened variety found a patent way of dealing with the other. The blend appears now the most natural thing in the world. As thus:— \'. _*_ * KULTUR .' T~U R ! K.E Y

The two go together any, *ay you take them. It is a marriage of true minds. The Unspeakables have wedded. '

Writes "Petrograd" to a Melbourne paper :A naturalised German who works W m a letter from>s mother in Sax'ny last week, and he allowed n. to read several passages m it. In one, his old mother says: Both Paul and Heiurich are at the front, and we have had.no word from them for weeks, though we expected they would wire from Paris or London. knows what the end will be with all the world against us and every factory in this district closed. Your father, and I have no hope, no means, and are facing starvation. Those who get one meal a day are well off, we are going through, I cannot tell you God curse the day our Kaiser joined hands with the Hapsburg race and went to war with tjhe.Engtishers.

A London correspondent writes:—! 'met a sailor" the other day, who had just come ashore from one of the destroyers which are patrolling the Channel, and he told me that the job was something like a foretaste of hell. These little craft are not exactly comfortable sea-boats, and hot food most of the time is an impossibility. Dry bedding is also, an unaccustomed luxury but my informant said: "Our chais are all right. We don't mind ,it, if we get a whack at the Kaiser, ,'SvA when we came ashore yesterday and lined up for medical inspection the doctor told us thai he was astonished that, we were so fit. Never saw a better lot in his life, lie said." These little boats are patrolling in relays—a fortnight on duty .and then eight days' - shore leave—and the men are all as keen as mustard.

The'following comment from the New' York World is typical of the American press as a whole, on the naval situation : ''Great Britain has paid a trivial price for her command of the seas. Not only has the British Navy „k.ept the German fleet liottled up, witlrtho exception of a 'few vagrant cruisers, but it has swep%Germahy's mercantile commerce fgfpil the face of the waters/held the!; .British trade routes open, and transportation of British troops as safe as in time ot peace." , it is tjhe, Navy that 'lias" made possible""the-'fending; ; of fcije Fxpqditionary Force in France,'ihe sending of reinforcements'" and supplies, and the bringing-q£ ; troops from' India', Canada', Australia;' and elsewhere, the leade/contiuues'r."The British certainly have no cause to complain 'When they>,balance th£; books. The advantages have been incalculable, and the cost in money and men has been small. What are half'a dozen second-rate cruisers, or half a- dozen Dreadnoughts for that matter, in comparison with .the military and commercial dividends which the Navy'has paid the Empire within the last ten weeks?"

A Masterton firm of booksellers has sent out the following ciruclar to the various School in Ike Wairarapa district. The offer should appeal -to those are desirous of keeping the wheels of industry going during the> I; 'present trying per-iod:—-"We again wish to bring the matter of. school .prizes- before .your notice. A proposition is freely mentioned that school committees donate the amount "usually spent in prizes, etc., to the Belgian fund. At first sight this, appears quite a good sugbut when you go deeper into the matter it has a wider effect. Already we are, receiving letters from British manufacturers and Board of Trade in reference to future orders. They point out that they are retaining their, employees, of hose etaoinmfw their .employees, besides keeping open the positious of those who have gone to the. front, and ask us.to help them', by sending Home the best orders we can. . "¥qu will readily see that if our people at this end refrain from buying it-will not only stop local enterprise: but the are bearing the brunt of this fearful war and defending bur Empire will be severely hit indeed. To show that we are not unpatriotic in our sentiments, we are prepared to allow 20 per cent, discount off prizes bought from us, viz.. 10 per cent, to go to the school committee, in lieu of 15 per cent, we always allow,, and 10 per cent, to the Belgian fund. Thus, for every £1 received, we will allow 2s to your committee and 2s to the Belgian relief fund. We trust you will be able to fall in with, our suggestion, which, as a matter of fact, in consequence of increased cost of landing goods, leaves us no margin of profit."