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The Seaforth News, 1918-01-17, Page 2BRILLIANT OPERATION BY THE BRITISH TROOPS Attack. on Eight Mile Front Gained Greater Part of Baliceourtl aucl the Western Section of Roeux. Londo11, May 13. -Concentrated on a front of seven or eight miles the British troops during Friday night and Saturday morning macre a bril- liant attack on the Hindenburg line from Bullecourtnorth across the.Arras- Cambrai road to the north of the • Scarpe east of Fampoux. The troops established themselves in Bullecourt, where hundreds of prisoners were taken; ; and continuingthe offensive on Sunday after desperate fighting pos- sessed themselves of most of the vil- lage. A German position on the Ar- ras-Cambrai road, about two-thirds of a mile wide, as well as a mile and u half pf trench system near Roeux have been taken, and the British occupy the western section of Roeux, It is evident there is not much left of the famous Hindenburg line which HOSPITAL WINO �1 �rr N FT CANADIAN was broken at Vimy, broken at Vend - Lillie, an the Cambrai- St, Quentin Canal, broken by the French between Lu Fere and St, Quentin, and lastly,] broken at Bullecourt, What there is left, however, is of wonderfully strong construction and could not be taken at once in n general assault, except at such a terrible cost of lives that vie - tory would be almost as disastrous as defeat. Bence General Hang's taking it piecemeal, patiently and deliberately, only after every "push" has been pre ceded by artillery preparation which has flattened out the Prussian de- fences and abolished the communicat- ing tranches so that the sten in the forward dugouts have often been with- out food or supplies .for two and three clays at a time. Markets of the World ttroadutufls Toronto. May 15, Manitoba wheat.._.. No (foetal (lu tat11(119 1Au11tobe cuts -.670 official quotations. m:ole710 turn - -No. 3 yellow, $1.71. nominal, subject to en111arge, track mato, nntolt, oats --No, 2 w7lto. 70 to 780, nominal; No. 3 white, 76 to 77o, nominal, according 10 freights outside elft Lull wheat- -No. 2 Winter, per car lot $2,98 to Moe; No, 11 do 78,1)0 to 52.9s, aecortling t, freights outside. -''v,. 2, nominal, t1'oo'dittg 79 frolghty utsld.e, l0t11s>- 9ntlting, $1.40 to $1,43, aural• 11a1. according to freights outside. ayh-N. r$1.03 9 031$.09.. 5, 710111nal. Manitoba four-lelret patents, n Jute hal; s, 013.001 91,1,1(4 pat31111(. in luta lag's,. 514.50; su'oug'. batters', in. jute fags, 01< 10 Toronto. 01/19111 smut'--\vin1'v. aeonrdl ng to sample. $12.50 to $12.10, in begs, track Toronto, prompt shipment. 611llfe t--'1' i' lots, delivered Montreal freights hags 111012ded --lana per ton, $42; shorts per ton, $45; mtddlin9s, Per 11116, 3.10 Rood feed flour, per' bag, $3.011 1flour, HIay-ilfitra No.per ton, 413 to 913; mi+091, l0r 1011, $0 to 111.60, track To 1 oto, h tr'ai ('ar lots, per ton, $8.60 to $9, 0131.00 Toronto. Country Produce -Wholesale 1111tter -ih'esti dairy, choice, 30 to 400; creamery prints, 43 to 46e; solids, 42 1.0 43c. Eggs--'New-1atd, in cartons, 44 to 461; 1111 "l' cartons, 42c, Dressed poultry--t'hlokons, 20 to 20o; -^--^-------'^-- fowl, 24 to 25e; (hcks, 33 to 250; stlttab,t, .per dozul, $4,00 to 04.60; turkeys, 30 321. 21o; twins, Cheese -\'Iv, large 2-/. to 4 to 'i triplets, 3 to Me; old, �}g large.:' k lu•4s, lit. IN MACEDONIA JI vet ) t)ne, 147x; 3 99), 7 tins, 1.08 g tc IT. , lU tins, 90-10 10-1b, L31je; I;0 4e. bullonr'y t, 9010 tins, 10 le 0081. Comb honey -•esus ane 0111 heavy weight, per doe., $2.75; select, $2.50 •to $2,75; No. 2, 52 to $2,25. Malde syrup -imperial gallon, 01.00 to $1.75. potatoes -On trach, Ontario, per bag, $3.75 to $4.00; New Brunswick Dela- . - ----------• wares, per bag, $4.25; Albertas, Per bas, Institution. `��� - $9.00, despatch from Landon says:- r1 despatch from London says:- Aiving o Macedonia contingents of the Salonica •pita] at NEW OFFENSIVE in of British Attack - on Four -Mile Queen Officiates at Opening Front and Occupy New Section of Naval n..r.,...-. Trenches. ., The inauguration of the new f With the advent of Spring weather in the Haslet Royal active,. separate Portsmouth on Wednesday by the army have become successesacthaving been scored on Wed - Queen was the final achievement of a esday by the British, Serbian and movement initiated at the outbreak of Russian forces. war by certain Canadian ladies. Miss Attacking on a front of about four Plummer, secretary of the Field Com - miles in the Lake Doiran region, Brit - forts, claims to have Trade the original miltroops on one wing, took Teutonic suggestion for the hospital ship, and lob allied trenches on a front of two which found the ready support of Mrs, miles and on the other flank advanced Gooderram, Mts. Ellen Bruce and on a front of about a mile. At the Lady Drummond, with the result that $250.000 was collected. Of this $100,- Cerna bend the Russians carried sev- 000 was handed to the War Office foe eral trenches by assault, while north Military use. Another amount was devoted to the building of a wing to the Chatham Naval Hospital and the balance to Hasler. As the author- ities decided against the hospital ship the scheme for provinding a hospital for naval nurses was accepted. This new wing overlooking the most fam- ous naval centre of Britain bears a suitable inscription on behalf of the women of Canada. The opening ceremony by her Ma- jesty was quiet but impressive, and Sir George Perley's speech handing it over, emphasized the magnitude of the war work carried out by Canadian women. A considerable number of Cana- dians availed themselves of the in- vitation to travel on the Royal train to Portsmouth, and they were favor- ably impressed with this permanent memorial of the Dominion's interest in the welfare of the navy. U.S. EXPERTS LEAVE FOR RUSS CAPITAL Every Assistance to Russian Railroads Will Readily be Furnished A despatch from Washington says: -The United States Railroad Com- mission to the Russian Government left Washington on Wednesday for Petrograd, where it will give as- surances to the Russian national auth- orities that this country stands ready to furnish all the rolling stock and other material that may be needed to increase the capacity and efficiency of the Russian and Siberian railroads. U-BOAT "KILLER" IS ENDORSED. Author of Gyroscope Submits Pian That Amazes Naval Experts. A despatch from Washington says: It was learned Wednesday night on unquestionable authority that the Na- tal Consulting Board has submitted to Secretary Daniels and his advisers a definite and completed plan to cope with the German U-boats which has proved a revelation to the best tech- nical brains in the service here. of Monastir the Serbians occupied two points of support and took a few prisoners. A Serbian official state- ment, dated May 9, reports violent artillery duels along the whole Ser- bian front. The Bulgarians bombard= ed Monastir with asphyxiating shells, the statement adds. A number of civilians were killed. STEEL SHIPBUILDING DIRECTOR CHOSEN W. L Gear Appointed by the Imperial Munitions Board -Govt. Action Expected A despatch from Ottawa says: - The Imperial Munitions Board an- nounced on Wednesday night that W. I. Gear of the Robert Reford Com- pany, Montreal, has been appointed to take charge, under the board, of steel merchant ship construction in Canada for the British Government. Mr. Gear will establish an office at Ottawa, and will at once assume the duties of his position. It is under- stood that Sir Robert Borden on his return to Canada will at once take up the question of further stimulating shipbuilding in Canada, this being one of the most important phases of Canadian co-operation in war work urged by the Imperial authorities in London. ALLIED MACHINE IS IRRESISTIBLE A despatch from - Rome says:- Rudyard Kipling, who has been at the • f:.nt in France, and Las been making a short stay in Rome, compares the British army to a machine working so perfectly that no human power can arrest it. He expresses the greatest admiration for the work of the French and British, which, he says, the Ger- mans are now powerless to check. The 1 ses-the heaviest in history -which the have incurred b their efforts t y Y o do so, must end, he says, in affecting �,iy a the morale both of the army and the EMO ED civil population of Germany. Beans --Imported, hand-picked, per bushel, $7,00; Canadian, hand-t'leked, per bushel, $7.76 to $3,00: Canadian Pr111190. per bushel, $7,50; Limas, per lb, 18 to 15o, "10kedErovisioats� Hamss,olenale medium, 29 to 300; do heart, 25to 90c; cooked, 40 to 41e; rolls, 1 to 27e; breakfast bacon. 30 to 35c; backs, plain, 31 to 36e; boneless, 30 to 3So. Lard -Pure lard, tierces, 209 to 253c; tubs, 263 to 349e; pulls, 2577 to 270; 0001- poand, tierces 2077 to 203o; tubs, 208 to 209c; pails, 20!1 to 21c. Cured meats-I,ong clear bacon, 24 to 25o per lb; clear bellies, 24 to 250, Montreal Markets Mon treat. lie v 15.--oats-C'n nod la0 Western, No, 2, S7 to SS0; No, 3, S6 to 870; extftd No. 1 •eed, 80 to 870. 170 1,77--- \lanitubtt 1'ee,l, $1.19 to $1.20. 1611/.- 11r 111,'_ i0anitoba Spring wheat patents, flrsta, $16.10; se0onds, $14,00; strong bako•s', $14,40; Whiter patents, choice, $14.50; bstraighags, $6,76 to t rollers, $14,00 to 814.99; do. $19.90. Rogsd oats- Bb1s.,ii3.60 to $8.75; do, bags, 00 08., 84,26 to $4.50. Bran, 843. Shorts, $0S 0. to $57ntgs, $43 0 450. ]ton, lie, 2 $57, Has -No. 2, per ten, car lots, 518 to $13.60. Butter -Choicest crean101'Y, 429e; seconds, 41 to 4130. 23998 -1'resit, 44c; No. 1 stuck, 420. T'ota= toes -Per bag, car' lots, 83.75 to $4.00. Winnipeg Grana W 111111pc9, May 15. -Cash prices; - Wheat -No. 1 Northern, 92.94; No, 2 Northern, 2.01: No. 3 Northern, 82. S0; No, 4, 78.74: No. 6, $2.49•. No. 6, $1.90; feed, 91.46. Oats -No. 2 C.W., 315c; No. 3 C.W., 789c; extra No, 1 feed 782e. Bar- ley -No. 3, $1.29• No, 4, $1.24; rejected, $1.02; teed, • 61..03, 19ax-No. 1 N.W.C., 83,39$; Nu, 2 O.W., $3.80; No. 3 C. 03.101. CROP REPORT OF THE Ng ANION `'inter -frilled Wheat Area Esti- mates Are Given, Ottawa, Mal/ 13. -:rhe first crop relied of the present veneer). Is- sued 'Saturday by the Census and Sta- tistie Office relates to the area and condition of the fall wheat crop, the eonditiou of hay and clover meadows at the end of the winter and the pro - gross of spring seeding, as reported Uy eon' ospondents at the encs of April. The area estimated to bo sown to winter wheat last fell is 813,400 acres, of whioh 656,500 sieves are in On- tario, 105,700 acres in Saskatchewan, 38,000 acres in Alberta, 8,000 ne1ee in Manitoba and 6,200 acres in British Columbia. In Ontario the proportion of the area reported to be winter- killed is 25 per cent,, in Manitoba 14 per cent., in Alberta 15 per cent,, and in British Columbia 8 per cont. No report on the winter -]tilling of fall wheat is available for Saskatche- wan, but as the proportions on the two neighboring Provinces of Manito- ba and Alberta 1100 14 and 15 per cent. respectively, it is assumed that the proportion of 15 per cent, also ap- 1 plies to Saskatchewan. The result is a total estimated de- struction through winter -killing of 187,000 acres of fall -sown wheat, or 23 per cent. This proportion is larger than in any of the two previous years, when, however, the amount of winter - killing was exceptionally low, being ,not more than about six per cent. in each year. BLOODY BATTLES IN MACEDONIA French Troops Brilliantly Carry Position to the South of Huma. .A despatch from London says: On the lengthy front in Macedonia the Entente forces continue their offensive with success between Doiran and the Cerna River. The British have check- ed Bulgarian attacks south-west of Doiran, and hold their recently -gained positions with a tenacious grip. West of Doiran and west of the Vardar River French troops have car- ried by storm an important position south of Hama on the Serbo-Greek border and withstood violent counter- attacks by the Bulgarians. Twenty miles to the west, and also near the border, the Serbians have captured two Bulgarian works north of Pojar. IIn addition to inflieting heavy losses on the Germans and the Bulgarians,1 the Entente forces in the Macedonian' theatre on Thursday and Friday cap- tured 300 prisoners. Vatted States Markets Minneapolis, May 15. -Wheat, May, 53.02; July, $2.719. Casae No. 1 ]card, 55,201 to $3.339; No. 1 Northern. 73.019 to 55.167. Corn, No, 3 yellow, 51.504 to $1.534, Oats, No. 3 white, 708 to 729c. Flour, fancy patents, 3116.10; first clears, 914,00; other grades unchanged. Bran, 034.50 to $35.00. Duluth, May 15.-Wltent, No. 1 hard, $3,23; No. 1 Northern, $3,20 to $3.23; No, 3 Northern, $9.15; May, $3.20; July, $2,239 asked. Linseed, $3,60; May, $3.59; July, 83.09; September, $1.418; October, 43,30. • Ydve Stock Markets Toronto, May I5, -Extra 0110100 steers, 12.00 to 915.56; choice heavy steers, 11.35 t0 $$11,70; 90018 heave• steers, 10.50 to $10 76; butcho•s' cattle, choice, 5' 1 60 to $11.76; do., goad, $10.50 to $11,00; do., medium, 50.75 00 $10,00; do„ conunol, $5,86 to $9.16; butchers' bulls, choice, 010.50 to $11.00; do., Medium gbulls, 78.50 to 59.00; do., rough bulls, 310,000 10 $6.50; butchers' $9.. 0o1 to 0000.75; 110., medlari',`$7.00 to 87.26; stock- ers, 57,60 to $0,00; feeders, $9.50 to $10.25; canners and cutters, $6,50 to 86,25; milkers, good to cltoloe, $06.00 to $125; do., cont and 11100., acct, 840 to $00.00; springers, $60,00 to $1.10.00; light eees, $12.00 to $1fi.00; sheep, heavy, $3,50 to $10,00; calves, good to choice, 012,010 to $13.00; splin9 lambs, each, J4.'5 to 814,60; ls.mbs, choice, 514.50 to 16.25; dn„ medium, $10,60 to $12.60 11090, fed and watered, 510.80 to $17.00 do„ weighed off cars, $17.10 to 817,25 810,15 tolls() ,40• .Montreal, tial• .-Choice steers, 512.26 to 212.713. good, $'111!.7E to 512; lower grades, $9.76; butchers' cows, 50 , to 511; bulls, $10 to 511.76; calves, $6.60 to $11; spring lambs, 58 to $12; old sheep, 510 to $11; selected hogs 517,76 to $13. - VICIOUS FIGHTING CONTINUES AT FRESNOY AND B BLLLCOURT British Take Another Portion a the German Trenches Defending Lens and its Coal Fields. A despatch from London says: The Germans are keeping up with great in- tensity their offensive against the Bri- tish around Fresnoy and to the east of Bullecourt, but are being hard held by Field Marshal Haig's forces. The village 'of Fresnoy apparently remains in the hands of the Germans after its recapture Tuesday, but the Canadians and South Englanders are stili holdinti vantage points around it, from which the Germans are vainly endeavoring to expel them and put an end to their harassing fire. To the east of Bullecourt, where the British have established themselves a Scant two miles from the outskirts of Quoant, the Gellnans are striving hard to push hack the British to pre- vent the capture of the southern end of the Drocourt-Queant line, which would prove of great menace to the important town of Gambrel. The Viciousness of the battle is indicated by the German official communication, which announces that the fight for the village is of a fluctuating nature. The British evidently have pushed a step forward toward the capture of the town of Lens, and the important coal fields in its immediate vicinity. South of the Soucllez River during a night attack another portion of the German front and support lines, to- gether with a number of prisoners, was captured. For the most part the line where the French are faring the Germans is undergoing a period of comparative calm, except for artillery duels and small German counter-attacks, Bono of the latter of which met with sue - 0e58,' FIOM COMMAND Famous Russian General Ts Superceded on the Northern Front. A despatch from Petrograd says: General Ruszky has been removed from the chief command of the army on the northern front. IIe remains, however, a member of the Council of War. The Moscow executive committee of the Workmen's and Soldiers' Dele- gates is opposed to the idea of a coali- tion Government, and advocates the immediate summoning of an all -Rus- sian congress of soldiers' and work- men's delegates, The Provisional Government will, however, insist on coalition in order to force the Socialists to share in the responsibility of the government of the country. They have repeated the appeal recently issued warning the people against anarchy and civil war, with a possible return to despotism, "Cali she he 5ee1?" sniggered Kath- leen. Shure, an 01 think she can; she's six feet high, and four feet widel Can she be seen? Sorra a bit of any- thing 1100 can ye see whin she's about." BAL OUR WELCOMED IN NEW YORK British Commissioner Was Im- pressed by Wholehearted Enthusiasm. A despatch from New York says:- Arthur••James Balfour, Great Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and members' of the British commis- sion accompanying him to this coun- try, received a welcome of amazing proportions on their arrival from Washington late on Friday. Mr. Bal- four wasso impressed by what he termed the "whole -hearted exhibition of enthusiasm" everywhere, that later in a speech at the City Hall he assert- ed if those on the other side of the Atlantic could have had. a glimpse of it, there would be renewed determina- tion to carry through the struggle at all sacrifices. LOAN FOR BELGIUM FROM UNITED STATES Will Remove Heavy Burden From Great Britain and France. A despatch from Washington says: -The United States has arranged to make a loan of $75,000,000 to Belgium, which will be expended by the Belgian Relief Commission. The loan will be advanced at the rate of $12,500,000 a month, of which $7,000,000 will be available for relief in Belgium and $5,000,000 for relief in Northern France, By making the loan the United States will take the burden of the re- lief of Belgium and France from the shoulders of Great Britain and France and conduct it from this country so far as possible, BRITISH SHELL U-BOAT BASE. Naval and Aerial Units Co-operate In the Bombardment. London, May 18,-A naval and aerial bombardment of the Germain submarine base of. Zeebrugge, on the Belgian const, w110, according to re- ports received here from Rotterdam, the most destructive yet made by British warships. Two submarine sheds were blown up. Sixty-three persons were killed and upwards of a hundred othere were taken to hospitals, 3,000,000TONS OF S`WIIP S YEARLY i Pt'og;ram of British Shipping 111inilatel.• to Meet the Sub Menace, A• despatch %ram London sem- During a discussion of the shipping problem in the house of Lortls on Thursday, Earl Curzon said that the Admiralty had the first claim and the first call on the national shipbuilding r050118eos, The roma of the British naval program, ho stated, would be that after the war Great Britain's naval tonnage would exceed the naval tonnap,'a of all the other nations of the world, In making hi statement in the Iloese of Lords, Lord Curzon an- nounced that the program of the Min- ister of Shipping provided for the alae,. ation each year of mercantile shipping aggregating 3,000,000 tens gross. The Government, . said Lord Curzon, W05 taking the most drastic steps in its power to acquire merchant ships by building or purchase, and after the war, 11e predicted, tiro British mer- cantile fleet would be equal to 01 - ter that before the war, Lord Curzon gave figures showing that before the war the United King- dom had 45.3 per cent. of the mer- cantile shij'y1 under 1,000 tons each, and 45.2 poi cent. in December, 1916, In ships exceeding 1,600 tons each, he said, the United Kingdom had in Jane, 1914, 3,900 vessels of gross ton- naage totalling 16,900,000 tons. The corresponding figures in March, 1917, he said, were 3,500 ships aggregating nearly 16.000,000 tons. If the Shipping Minister's program w9.0 to be realized, it would be neces- sary, he said, to provide an additional 100,000 workmen and to double the weekly supply of steel, while, at the same time, allowing. the present Ad- miralty program to proceed. ALLIES HOLD RECENT GAINS Attacking Germans Are Thrown Back at All Points With Heavy Losses. A despatch from London says: - Bitter attacks by the troops of Crown Prince Rupprecht and the German Crown Prince are being made against the positions, vital to the defences of Lens and Leon, held by the British and French. Field Marshal Haig and General Nivelle are holding their re- cent gains and throwing back the at- tacking Germans wit,, heavy losses. South of the Souchez River, one of the natural barriers to Lens, the Ger- mans have made a third attempt to recapture the positions taken by the British Thursday, and for a third time have been thrown back. A momentary footing was won by Prince Rup- precht's men, aided by liquid fire, in the neer British positions, but a bril- liant counter-attack recovered the lost trenches and left the British line un- changed. ANOTHER MORAL TRIUMPH. China's Victory Over Opium is Bright Chapter in Her History. Moral triumphs seem sometimes very slow to win, and yet every day brings one to its consummation. At last the Indian opium traffic with China has come to an end, and Britain wipes out an old and ugly stain, and the new republic is emancipated from a great evil. In 1907 the British Government en- tered into an agreement with the Chinese Government, fixing a ter years' limit to the importation of Ito- dian opium into China, and the ten years expired on the 31st of March last. China had herself more than lived up to herpart of the bargain as to the reduction of the cultivation of the poppy and the consumption of opium; in fact, the edict prohibiting both was promulgated in 1906. The story of the thrusting of opium upon China makes a Clark chapter in the history of Anglo -Chinese relations, and there will be great satisfaction in the fact that at last that chapter, as far as may be, has been blotted out, And China's victory over the opium habit is certainly one of the most re- markable and splendid chanters in her history. The only parallel to it in modern times has been Russia's vic- tory over the drink evil. ALLIES CAPTURE 50,000 TEUTONS Total of 450 Guns Also Taken in Spring Offensive, A despatch from London says; The recent partial success of the Germans at Fresnoy, on the Arras front in France, has not upset the British plans of operation nor has it caused eerprise, said. Major-General Freder- ick B. Maurice, Chief Director of Mili- tary Operations at the War Office, in his weekly statement on Thursday. As a matter of fact, the General add- ed, the British Staff has been surprised that the Germans have not suceeedod before in making gains in view of tate tremendous counter-attacks whiob they have been hurling against the tiBrnitishued; front. The Chief Director con - "Bodies of Teutons continually have been sent against the British over open ground without any apparent regard for casualties, but the British have hold their line when it might have been expected they would give way, :and have inflicted tremendous losses on their opponents. "During the month since the of- fensive began we have taken twice the number of prisoners, four times the amount of ground, and five times the number of guns taken in the Somme offensive. The British and French between them have captured some 50,000 prisoners and 450 guns. If this is the result of defeat, then we are willing to go on being defeat- ed, We have Rept on going and we are going to keep on going, Tho Ar- ras offensive is much bigger than the Somme, and our next offensive will be bigger than Arras. DAILY WAR COST 9750D0,000 Average Expenditure of Great Britain for Military Operations. A despatch from London says: -In the House of Commons all Wednesday Right Ilon. Bonar Law, Chancellor of the Exchequer, referring to the west front, said the rapidity of the attack had forestalled the enemy, who had to fight in the open, with heavy losses, because he had not had time to pre- pare trenches. Since April 1 we had taken 20,000 prisoners, 257 guns, 227 .trench mortars, While in the first 24 days of the Somme drive we advanced three and one-half miles on a six -mile 1 front, we had now advanced from two to five miles on a 20 -mile front, where there were twice as many German divisions against us as on the Somme, and half of them had to be withdrawn. Our casualties in the present offen- sive were from 50 to 75 per cent. less than on the Somme. Our success was largely due to our distinct artillery !superiority, in connection will which ' the Chancellor paid a warm tribute to the flying corps. ENEMIES OF RUSSIA USE DEADLY WEAPONS Formidable Array of Obstacles to Organization of New Govern- ment A despatch from London says: - The Morning Post has the following from Petrograd: - While decent Russians are striving honorably to achieve political liberty by the civil methods of argument and persuasion, which, if sure, are neces- sarily slow, the extreme parties - Anarchists and Sot.ial Revolutionaries on the one hand, and the upholders of the old regime and agents provac- teurs, and, above all, the vast organ- ized body of Germans -are using deadly weapons in the streets and lavishly- expanding money. These Germans gra largely real Reich- steucher, who have lain concealed here or got across the frontier during the revolution or through the Russian lines at the front during the orgy of "brotherhood of nations" which lasted for weeks and has not yet been entirely checked. To these must be added hundreds of German spies who were incarcerated in the prisons and liber- ated with ordinary criminals during tho first hours of the revolution, and unknown number's of German prison- ers of war, who have taken advantage of the newly -declared liberty of Rus- sia and of the nloujik's apathy or mis- understanding of the situation to es- cape from 'Siberia and elsewhere. INFLUENCE UPON 'RUMANIA OF TIIE RUSSIAN REV1Oi4:ITION Country for the First Time Has a. Labor Party -Planks jl1 Its Platform. A despatch from Ungeni, Rumania, says; The revolutionary movement in Russia could not remain without in- fluence in this country, whet'e hither-� to there has existed neither a Social- ist nor Labor party. Fridriy morning twenty members of Parliament as- sembled to :formulate the basis of a Labor party, which adopted 11 pro - i gramme of which the following are 1 the main points: (1) Distribution of the land among all who work the land; (2) votes for women; (3) rights for Jews who took part in the campaign of 1918 or the present war, With re- gard to the foreign policy the Labor party asks for energetic prosecution of the war until German militarism is crushed, The now party has already established contact with representa- tives of the Russian Socialists, THE LOAN SEE LOATI-IU9) BOW SOME UNSCRUPULOUS PER- SONS TREAT -THE NEEDY, Pathetic Story of a Predicament in Willed u Soldier's Wife Found Herself, The woman's eyes became tnbist as she gazed into the embers of the dying fire. She was looking back on a moment of madness. As she went to bed elle Prayed that God in His matey would find some way out of the labyrinth of despair into which that moment of madness had led her, Saye London An - ewer's. No; elle had not committed any sin, In that respect her conscience was clear. But she had been very indis- creet. And she know that her indiscre- tion would wound to the core her sol- dier husband who had been fighting in Prance for seventeen long months. Joe was a straight chap, He could not do an underhand action if he tried. In some things he was almost parsi- monious. Borrowing money was one of them, Sae hated it, Joe's father had been.riiined by a moneylender, and it hacl embittered the lad's whole life. He hated money- lenders, and he hated borrowers. ; He heard of judgment summonses, brok- er's men, homes being sold up, vam- pires waiting as the men left their work, women and men drowning their sorrows in drink, and even becoming thieves, because they could not pay their loan instalment to the money- lender. In Shylock's Clutches. It was on his mind when he Dame home on final leave before going to the Front, "You'll 1,'ub along on the separation allowance' and what bit you've got, lass!" Joe said. "And if I'n1 out yon- der long, and you run short -well, struggle on! But, whatever you do, '1 lassdon't borrow! Promise!" She promised. She knew how strongly her big, burly Joe, with his straight, simple, trusting heart felt on the subject. And now, as she sat in front of the dying fire, her heart was heavy within her, for she had broken her promise. She was in the clutches of a money -lender -a Shy- ; lock as ruthless as the creation of Shakespeare's brain. There was a man near her home who lent money to the wort,ers, and had pressed into his service women- touts as unscrupulous as himself. They induced others of their sex to borrow small sums, on which they had 'to pay interest at the rate of two- pence in the shilling a week. . Tints, when Joe's wife fell ill, when, for some reason or other the Post Office refused to pay the separation al- lowance to her messenger, and the soil and heir, aged flirt, caught a touch of bronchitis -when, as I say, these three tiny tragedies happened to- gether -Fate ordained that the fe- male temptress should come along and insidiously whisper in het' eta. how easy it was ..to borrow a couple of pounds Per a time. She was tempted, and she fellFor weeks she paid out twopenso in the shilling. Then sire got behind in her payments. And now, at the moment when she had reached the lowest depths of despair, she found herself in debt to the extent of about throe pounds ten shillings. In the Nick of Time. A letter, which seemed to scorch her lis it lay in the . bosom of her dress, told her that on the morrow Shylolk would enter the little hone, of which she and Joe were so proud, and pro, coed to levy the distraint obtained. from a 'county court judge, who had' granted it in ignorance of the real facts. She went to bed, without sleeping, and arose with a splitting headache. At eleven o'clock she told the kiddy where she was going, and made her way to Shylock's office, There she pleaded, as woman never pleaded to usurer before, for time to pay her debt. Her plea fell on deaf ears. Either she found the money within one ]lour, or the distraint would bo levied. She was in the midst of pour- ing out a final plea, when the door of the spider's office burst open, and in a moment she was sobbing out the' story of her shame on the breast of her hus- band Joe Toe, unkempt and unshav- en, boots plastered thick with the mud of French trenches; Joe, with the glad 119117 of love shining from his honest eyes He put his wife tenderly on one sidle, then turned to Shylock, and ask- ed the amount of the debt. With his unshaven jaw set grimly, he counted the full 011100117 out of a pocket in his body -belt, and took a receipt iu full discharge and settlement. Then the lovolight disappeared, and he turned a blazing gaze on the moneylender. I'll not trouble to describe the ter- rible thrashing ,Toe gave the usurer, All I need say is that afterwards h3 was in bed 101' three weeks. "It's lucky, when I came home unex- pectedly, the kiddy told me where ,you had gone, latest" said Joe, 0,9 they went home. "I guessed the rest!" And when they were seated in the wee nest which had been saved from Shylock' clutches by Joe's p%ovidlia- tial advent, ho locked her in his ars 0 and forgave' her. I told. you Joe was a good husband. Don't you think' he proved 17? 0, 511