1917-06-25 — Page 7

OUR LONDON LETTER,

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] PARTY POLITICIANS IN WAR TIME.

THE SUBMARINE MENACE AS A STALKING HORSE.

LONDON, April 30th.

THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESE. MONDAY, JUNE 25. 1917.

| HINDENBURG'S CRITICISM OF

VERDUN,

TOO MANY SURRENDERS.

[BY G. H. FERRIS.]

HOME NEWS FOR THE TRENCHES.

BEING THE LETTER OF A DISCUR

SIVE PARENT TO HIS SON AT

THE FRONT

My dear Mumbo,--Threo cheers for tho

cress in it.

--

WEATHER REPORT.

On Juno 26th at 11.46-No returns from modentaly at all stations reporting: it has Japanese stations. Pressure has increased probably highest in the Pacific mear the Bonins A. „depreendon remains to the north-west of Haiphong bat has decreased in intensity,

⠀⠀⠀ Hongkong rainfall for 24 hours unding si -10 am, to-day, 0.88 inch Total sinos"

January, 26.96 inches, against an average at 36.73 Indkne:

A nice The forsomt for the 24 hours sadẳng så 500D

to-day is as follows ===

DISTRICT

I have no home/nows for you that you

Formons Channa):

FORECAST.

(8 & 8.E. winds, moderate clendy, Logcasional ruin. The same as No. 1

Bouth Conus of China'between (The name

South Cons of Chins between The Tams Hongkong and Lamooks No.: 1.

Hongkong and Bai

HOW THE MONEY GOES

DISQUIETING REVELATIONS IN BRITISH ARMY ACCOUNTS. "Losses consequent upon theft, fraud, arson, or otherwise, take up 14 closely

A military document of extraordinary printed pages in the Army Appropriation It may be said of some party poli-Accounts for 1015-1916. These losses interest lies before me, signed “ Hinder tioiang in England what was said of the amounted in all to £280,758, and they burg," and issued from German General regiment and your news, and my best Bourbons on their return from exile that include an extraordinary list of things. Headquarters on 25th December fast. It thanks for the Hun helmet. Your young they have learnt nothing and forgotten. The catalogue opens with £79 as 2d. loss is a memorandum of what the great Fieldrade brought it on Sunday.

lad, and the reverent way in which he nothing. In spite of the lessons of the due to frauds by a dragoon pay-sergeant Marshal conceives to be the most import, war, written in blood and tears, there are who committed suicide. Here are some ant lessons of the last combats before spoke of you pleased me very mach.

You will be glad to know that your of the other items --

Verdun." It is formulated for the bene trophy is serving a useful purpose by in- Hongkong to Gap Book we still bent on playing the old party

Loss of 150 pairs of boots in transit fit of commanding officers, who are gaine. The past three years have failed

creasing the home production of food.. admonished not to take so delicate a to shake them put of their narrow self-between Weedon and Norwich, £ini.

Irene has hung it upside down in the con Loss of bedding in charge of a West paper into the front tronches, lest ervatory, and is growing mustard and complacency. Listening to them in the Riding regiment, £130 18 6d.

should fall into unsympathetic honds. House of Commons, or rending their Mysterious disappearance of stores at

night from the quay at Port Said owing Well, if not exactly sympathetic, the speeches in the Press makes one almost mainly to anti-aeroplane darkness, £179. hands it has fallen into could not be more will not get in the sight sheets of bype despair. It is not merely that their at No blame attaches to officer in charge."

Disappearance from Winchester of Bone appreciative. For these notes are nothing written letter which she is sending you titude irritates by reason of its meannesworth of military clothing at the moment less than the confessions and reflections by this post. and its triviality in comparison with the when, someone higuing himself. Lance of Germany's first general, the one hops you write to her, for it is only by nusidu- HONGKONG'S STORM SIGNALS main object we have in hand-the win-

Corporal Barnes also vanished,

of the Central Powers, on a series of deous practice that she can gain the skill aing of the war but the effect is harmful

The Ordnance Department at Batterson feats suffered by the Heir Apparent to the in the use of that instrument which is in so far sa it tends to distract the at-issued bales of flannel worth £384 to a tention of the country from vital issues, carman who said he had come from a Imperial Throne on ground chosen for a necessary qualification for patriotic ser-

contractor, Flannel and carman vanished.

Loss of horses and stores by fire at their own decisive victory-refections. She has only you to practise on, and her. from the things that really matter. Thus while we are faced with the increasford, 430 18. 1d. ingly serious menace of Hun piracy with found that the fire was not accidental.

Extraordinary disappearance of males regard to our sea-borne food supplies, a from Borden Camp. One night they determined effort is being made to use broke loose from their pickets in the sandy soil and never a hoof has been seen the situation as a weapon to undervise since. Loss, $1,600 the anthority of the Prime Minister and weaken public confidence in the Navy.. Happily, the opinion of the country is not reflected in the campaign now in full awing; but, all the same, it cannot be

dismissed as of no importance.

AGAINST THE ADMIRALTY.

In the first place, there is a dead, set against the Board of Admiralty on the alleged ground that Sir Edward Carson is in some way responsible for the heavy shipping losses. I am sorry to say that the attacks are not inspired so much by purely patriotic concern about the right direction of the sea affaits as they are by animosity towards the First Civil Lord. Submarines are admittedly more- successful than ever. The figures publish. ed this week show that in the preceding seven days 40 vessels of 1,600 tons and over were aunk, as against 15 the week previously and 9 the week before that. Probably with the advent of finer wea- ther, and greater visibility owing to more hours of daylight, our losses in ships will be bigher than hitherto. But the critics ignore these facts. Six Edward Carson, they say, ought to go. Lord Fisher should be brought back. An aggressive policy" is what is needed.

IN THE TRACKLESS BEA.

The true answer

which leave it beyond doubt that German military science is eclipsed by French and that the defenders of. Verdan won because they were better soldiers as well

Don't be sarcastic when

A NEW CODE

and local

No.: 1

non-local storm introduced

at Hongkong on July 1st, in place of the old Local Code and the China Coast Code.

vice as on assistant Food Controller. Now

be Court of inquiry

present speed, I understand, is seven signala codes will words per minute gross without allow ance for altering and rubbing out, So if you count, or get one of the subalterns to count, the number of words on ons folio, multiply it by eight, and divide the product by seven, you will realise that the quiet, home-keeping English middle classes are beginning to feel the strain of war.

Gun-moving tackle lost from an east coast beach, $201..

Thirty-five horses stampeded at "Alox- andria, £2,000.

in the Midlands, £105.

Three artillery horses lost from a stable

Over-issue of pickles to Indian troops owing to an error," £337. Excess rations drawn and osten by a cavalry regiment, £315

wore

as better men.

*** UNBUOCESSES."..

CUTLER PALMER

NAPIER

CO'S

JOHNSTONE'S

The principal change in the Local Code is that the new signals will show the direction from which the gale is expected. whereas the old signals showed the posi tion of the typhoon. The latter will be|166 indicated, as heretofore, by the non-local signals. The new Local Code is given below:

I regret that the mysterious allusion to knew, of course, that it conveyed some a telescope in your letter beat us all. I hint of your whereabouts, but for the life of me I could not fathom it. Nor could your gay young comrade, although he pointed out on the map the exact posi tion, and told us the names of all the places around and in front of you. Be- ware of being super-subtle, old boy. Signal. Symbol. Meaning. Either be more explicit or tell me nothing 1.--Red cone--A typhoon exists which incessantly in the dining reciter clicking brain cannot cope with puzzles.

"The bard and regrettable unsuccesses before Verdun in October and December" (the document begins)" afford me the occasion to make the following remarks," One recalls that those unsuccesses, in course of which our Allies won back all the lost ground on the heights of the Certain stores at Sierra Leone were Meuse up to Louvemont and Bezonvaux, dedo urgently at Woolwich that they culminated in the wonderful operation of were telegraphed for.. They were dis 15th December, General Nivelle's last patched without labels or bills of lading, stroke before taking up the command in were missing and on arrival at Woolwich £313 worth chief When the history of at all. With Irene's

his Budder the Black Watch wore written it will pretaps be found that the messed at the drill hall but lived at their Battle of Lonvemont, as it may convent own homes. By mistake they were paid tidy be called, opened a new era in the separation allowances as well as lodging, mechanical development of warfare. It food, and fuct allowances,

was perhaps the cleanest, most complete £2,900.

success of the war. In a single day ono fifth of a superior coumy force-2860 officers and 12,000 men-with 115 cannon and many smaller gune, were captared at a cost of very small losses. A bitter task know," she said; behind the Arras ! for the prodigious Hindenburg to have A crony of mine got a letter from his to take lessons from the uundvertison bay with rather a neat one. It was some- Nivelle ! An inevitable task, however,thing about agoing se rapidly under the For, as this memorandum remarks:-

strain of having to say everything in French that he felt approaching 50. His little sister, aged 14, looked up 50 in the hawk "Cinquante!" she said; "what French dictionary, and was on it like a a rotton pun!

Why, he means that he will soon be in St. Quentin."

This cost

334 worth of Webley pistols were lost in transit to Egypt, and at about the same time a number of hospital marque roofs, worth £575, disappeared on the way to Malta. "It is not likely," says the Auditor General, commenting upon this, that these bulky articles were stolen But they have never been found.

A blander by which the War Office instructions fixing a maximum payment to civilian doctors for the examination of recruits was not sent to the Eastern Com mand cost £10,000

TOO MANY SURRENDERS.;

The extraordinarily high number of German prisoners who evidently gave themselves up without serious resistance

certain troops the morale is bad. The and without heavy losses slows that in

carefully sought one of mer oftest ne

vived......

9-Black

ADAY SIGNALS.

may possibly cHUSO DÁ gale at Hongkong with. in 24 hours.

come.-Gale expected from the

North (NW. to N.E.).

Your cousin Reggis, although he bas only got his second star, is not nearly so obscure in his topographical references. In his last letter home he said he often | 3.--Black cone thought of that part of Stakespeare where Polonius gets it in the neck, and even your Aunt Mary guessed it at once.

•

You remember that jolly old barrister boy we used to meet at Hardelot. I had

The storing and delivery of frozen meat to troops in Egypt was in the hands of & private contractor from January, 1915, to February, 1916, when the A.5.0. profits of this person were of a very of the German infantry must be retended to pull a long face, and said the the work over. They report that the sought for. The old spirit shat with him the other day. He pre- extensive character.”

It is of vital importance or was hitting his trade terribly hard. for our array that effective measures be I said I was surprised, as tho Old Bailey taken to this effect."

**seemed to be carrying on ды usual. burg draws from the last fights before of the fine young fellows that I used to What, then, are the lessons von Hinden Yes," ho said, "but, you see so many Verdun? about them is that they are exclusively

The most remarkable thing defend are now defending me."

Old Dr. Baxter got in rather a good defensive in character--that is to 883, one at the club. they ignore all that was most significant hypochondriac that bores everybody stiff A miserly old in the French victories, their new offen- tried, to get a gratis prescription out of

mo, this line of criticisin is that for many months the best brains. in the naval servies have been engaged on the question of submarine piracy and how to meet. it, assisted by the naval ex-

It was discovered in the beginning of We have Mr. Lloyd 1915 that soldiers were sending to rela perts of France. George's word for it that Amerienn skrives parcels containing Army blankets, and ingenuity have now been enlisted in waterproof sheets, clothes, and boots, and the same end avour. In due course, there a great deal of Government property is reason to believe, means will be devised was found in parcels awaiting dispatch Mesto destroy the assassin craft. But it is

at various railway stations. one thing to demand that this should be done forthwith; it is another thing to do it. The target presented to the Navy is merely a few feet of periscope momentari:

Wilful destruction of blankets by pri-

soners of war at Dorchester, £160.

+1

inverted.-Gale expected from the

4.—Black

6-Black

8-Double

South (8. E. to S.W.). drum.Gale expected from the

East (N.E. to S.E.). ball-Gale expected from the

West (N.W. to S.W.).

crease,

cone-Gale expected to in

7.-Black cross-Wind of typhoon force

expected (any direc tion).

Signal No. 7 will be accompanied by three explosive bombs, fired at intervals of 19 seconds at the Water Police Station and repeated at the Harbour Office.

The signals will be lowered when it is considered that all danger is over.

the masthead of the storm signal mast on The Day Signals will be displayed at

Blackbeed Hill, the Harbour Office, H.M.S. Tamar, Green Island signal mask, the fagstaff on the premises of the Hong-

Public money lost in the sea, February sive method, excopt by the indirect hom him. Ho said he could not understand Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown

ly visible in a trackicns waste of ocean. £4,510 That is assuredly something new to war

Thirty-one horses died from an over fare. It is a menace so grave when its dose of sulphur given by a civilian fore Botentialities for evil are considered, ased as the Germans have used subman, £800. marines, that it brought the United Bratos into the war. And, that being go, nobody but rancorous politicians would capable of descending to the level of attempting to make the problem serve the pelty purpose of party.

EES TO THE FARMER.

in pre-war days.

Was

such attack by stronger field works and better counter fire. I do not at all sag gest that the German command has not picked up some important hints on the conduct of an offensive from its recent so. These general intructions do seem to hard experiences; it certainly has done indicate, however, that for the most part its thoughts and ambitions are limited to the defensive. Hence the air of defeat, not to say doom, that permeates these instructions:

DEEP SHELTERS PROHIBITED.

enffering from, and wondered whether the atmosphere in the tubes

that he was obliged to travel by now had anything to do with it. "Very possibly, asid the eld doctor with a grio," for the lifts are so lowering.

Company at Kowloon, the flagstaff on the premises of the Standard Oil Company at, Laichikok, and the flagstaff near the Field Officer's Quarters at Lyemun.

NIGHT SIGNALS. (Lamps). 1-White-white-white. 2.-White-green-green.

3. Green-white-white 4-Green-green white. White-white-green. 6.-Green-green-green. 7-Red-green-red.

B

The Night Signals will be displayed, at sunset, on the tower of the Railway Station, on H.M.S. Tamar, and on the Harbour Office flagstaff. They will have the same signification as the day signals, Signal No. 7 will be accompanied by explosive bombs as above, in the event of the information conveyed by this signal

are an abundance, but of bread, "the staff of life," of which, we are assured,

occurs to me at the moment is a tea tablo The only other ovent of importance that a serious shortage exists in the country,

conversation among a party of women Candidly, nobody believes the official

swanking about their distinguished mili pronouncements on the subject of acar

tary relatives. One referred to her bro- dity. The cry of "wolf" has been raised Of equal moment with the submarine too often already. Laat year patrons of

ther the colonel, and another remarked that her daughter's husband was about to peril and intimately bound up with it is hotels and restaurants were rationed in the question of food: White, on the one respect of meat, causing endless incon-

ba gazetted brigadier-general, and an ***It is not enough to have several lines other casually disclosed the fact that her hand, the Navy is trying to defeat the Yenience and irritation. This was done of trenches. A fortified zone, closely family included a major general. Your Hun "sink-at-sight policy which is in face of official statements that the headseticulated, must be constructed, so that aunt Constance you know her dry way sintended to starve us into submission; of stock in the Kingdom was larger than the position can be held irmly even when put the cap on this talk by saying she British farmers are enjoined to grow tough food to make us independent of

The scheme, as such, several clements of trenches, have boon was afraid she would have to hurry away, hopeless failure, and it has been lost. imported supplies. As I have explained superseded by the institution of meatless in the advanced trenches must be formal had a cook-general.

Deep underground shelters as she was dining with an old friend who in previous letters, in order to encourage days. Why meatless days nobody can ly forbidden Such shelters are man

is deepened when we

Keep well, old boy. I will write again security against loss of capital in the have Mr. Prothero, event of the war ending suddenly and the Board of Agriculture, urging farmers to up. Their only proper place is far le-out. All my love. Your affectionate Dountry being flooded with grain from send cattle to the butcher, the reason as hind for the reserves. A large bulacie FATED abroad Mr. Lloyd George has promised signed being that there are no ships to er fortified point in the front lines will them minimum prices for staple food spare to bring in oils and seeds for the always be destroyed. It is much better stuffs for the next five years. Now, how making of cattle foods. This is logical to construct many smaller ones along the ever, we have politicians like Bunci- enough, but still it does not explain away communication trenches and at the cross

working up the imposition of a Lenten fast one, or ways throughout the fortified zote, so opposition to the proposed guarantee as

two days a week. There is plenty of peat to have a strongly knotted mesh in which meaning a change in our fiscal methods in the country, and the President of the the attackers will be caught At Verdun Mr. Runciman suggests as a better way Board of Agriculture wants fat stock kill there were too many shelters in the ad that granarice ought to be provided for ed out of hand, but the Food Controller vanced lines; part of the infantry could the storage of corn against such an emer decrees a ban anon cating flesh There not get out quickly enough.” genty as the present This would be is evidence of muddle in all this. aimply orroue if the issuey were not so THE SCARCITY OF DREAD.

might be "some * senso an the

of national provision granaries if we had, grain to store but that is what, we want now, and are likely to want till the end of the war. If it should prove that Mr. Runcimun is spearing for the little Liberals in Par diament, all of whom hate the Prime Minister like poison, there is trouble ahead for the War Government. Unfor. tunately, these irreconcilables have the support of hide-bound Unionists, who think that by getting rid of Mr. Lloyd George they will help their party even tually but, otherwise, the two factions have nothing in common. They have no following in the country, but they are strong enough to cause mischief,

agriculturists at home, and give them Bay; and the mystery President of the traps; if any exist, they must be, blown the next time that Irene has an evening being first published at night..

grave

:...

the enemy attack can be foreseen. This In the normal conditions of combat was the cass at Verdun. Yet it seats that in these circumstances the support of the artillery was lacking, is not certain that our artillery fred on the enemy artillery Counter fire on the enemy guns (with the aid of the aviation) is the fundamental and the best defensive means of suppressing the enemy attack.

Another fault, ahown by the large number of unwounded prisoners," was a Abstinence from meat induces people to lack of watchfulness in the trenches; also Notes fellow of harassing fire eat more bread, and that is precisely what the fact that artillery observatories were destruction fire" and "barrage fire, the ought to be avoided at all costs The placed in the frost linos, instead of be importance of reaching a climax of viol Food Controller, with an eye on the sub-bind, and were destroyed. The impresence when the attack is about to begin marine menace, declares that less breadston which I reported the other day, that being insisted upon. In these short must be eaten per head, and is alarmed the Germans were now again holding moments any consideration of economy of because more is in fact being consumed their front lines very thinly, is confirmed munitions must be set aside The best than before meatless days were instituted by this document. Even so, contradictory orders are being instructed that the garrisons of advanc kept supplied, and moved with the aid of Commanders are barrage fire is not enough; it must be issued by the Ministry of Food Lorded trenches cannot be too small. Only the aviators, flying low, In the last Devonport says the reduction should be isolated machine-guns must be put in the resort it is always the infantry who must one-fifth the former amount; but his licu first lines, the others being placed at care ropel the enemy. Apparently the Ger tenant, Mr Kennedy Jones (late of the fully chosen points behind, where they man method of relief has been faulty Northcliffe Press), is in a characteristic cannot be easily discovered. The reserves Officers are warned to take care of their hustle and demands a reduction by at must be more thoroughly trained in their men. least one-third. Obviously, our guides, duties and thrown promptly into counter-eurious asistence on the orthodox method The memorandum closes with a philosophers and friends with the official attacks. This was not done before Ver drills. information on supplies at their disposal dun, so that the brave defence of the ad- "It does not suffice to exercise the cannot agree; and, that being the case, vano d' lines. net being supported, was This master of the food supply is, it is small wonder that exhortations to fruitless, A full half of the memorandum troops for combat; they must also be beyond everything else, the topic of the cab Less leave the public cold and scépti-desis with the artillery work and of maneuvred in close formation. The ex moment at home. The public mind is cal. All the same, compulsionary ration considerable technical interest. These perience of the war confirms the prin being prepared for some system of rationing is within sight, nad indeed it is prob- sections also open with a notable consiples of our instruction in peace time." ing not of meat or of fats, of which there shall all be on a war allowance of daily

able that before these lines are read we fession.

(Continued at foot of next column.)

FOOD

· (Coniinued at foot si next column:)': bread

Buch was Hindenburg's Christmas message to bis srities, and I hope they liked it.-Daily Telegraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY WARNING,

When local signals are displayed in the Harbour a Cong will be exhibited at the following stationa-Gap Rock, Waglan, Stanley, Aberdeen, Sau Ki Wan, to notify the fact to native craft and Sai Kang, Sha Tas Kok and Tai Po,

passing ocean vessels.

to ocean veasels, on demand, by signal Further details can always be given from lighthouses.

The object of the cole is to give at least 24 hours warning of a gale (Force 8 by Beaufort Besle, or 40-45 mph., mean velocity by Dines Anemometer) and also warnings of expected changes in the direction and force of the wind. Owing, however, to the uncertain movements of typhoons and to insufficient telegraphic observations, it will occasionally happen without a gale occurring at Hongkong, that signals 2 to 5 may be displayed

likely to happen, except in the case of or oven Gap Rock, but the reverse is not typhoons forming in the vicinity and travelling rapidly towards Hongkong, or of a located typhoon increasing its rate Signal No. 1 is intended as a warning of progression abnormally.

signsl

to Stand By" and watch for the next

In the new non-Local:Code the approxi

mate velocity of the storm contre will be shown, in addition to its direction of motion, and the position of the centre will be given in degrees of latitude and longitude, The, time at which the ward- ing was lined will also be shown.

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