MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1917, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

NO GERMAN PEACE PROPOSALS. FUNCTIONS OF ALLIED WAR COUNCIL. Received Nov. 13, $.30 p.m. Lpndon, Nov. 12. In the House of Commons, Mr. Balfour, replying to a question, said the. Government was not aware Germany had made'' any peace proposals to France. He pointed out that Germany denied making any proposals. Mr. Bonar Law announced that the Allied War Council would have no executive functions, but would advise on all matters affecting co-ordination and Allied strategy. DR. TRUBY KING'S MISSION.

A COMMITTEE FORMER

Received, Nov. 13, 9.5 p.m. London, Nov. 12. A provisional committee, with Lord Plunket as chairman, lias been formed in order to carry out an infant welfare campaign throughout the United Kingdom. The New Zealand Government has granted Dr. Truby King, eighteen months' leave in order to assist the campaign. THE LATEST (RATIONING SCHEME. London', 'Nov. 12. • 'Professor Yappe will announce at Manchester on Monday a new scale of vol-n----tary rations, graded according to occupation and sex. Received Nov. 13, 5.5 p.m. London, Nov. 12. Yappe's rationing scheme proposes eight pounds of bread for men and five for women engaged in heavy industries or agricultural work, seven and four respectively for ordinary manual workers, four and one-eighth and three and a-half for sedentary workers. Domestics, in addition to all workers,, receive twelve ounces of cereals "other than bread, two pounds of meat,• ten ounces of butter or fats, and eight -ounces of sugar.

PENNY POSTAGE AT STAKE. Reuter Service. Received Nov. 13, 8.30 p.ih. London, Nov. 12. The Postmaster-General, in a speech at London., said .that he hoped the abolition of penny postage would he avoided, though he had seriously considered it more than oijce, since his assumption of office THE ANGLO-DUTCH GRAVEL • QUESTION.

London, Nov. 12. A White Paper giving tho Anglo-Dutch correspondence on the gravel question shows that the Ihlteh Government not only contended that the gravel transmitted was not intended for military purposes, but also that the ■jpine Convention and other agreements imposed on Holland the obligation to gi&raiitee free navigation of the waters lying between the Rhine and Belgium.

Mr. Balfour disputed the applicability of the agreements quoted, aricj. asked, if Holland regarded the agreements as .preventing the enforcement of her obligations as a neutral, on what grounds she claimed to preveiit the departure ,of the German ships captured at Antwerp by the Belgiums. . •*