The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-25

home on giving his pledge 10 keep his mouth shut and not to return to France for six monthss
 Prize Censorship Story
 In the meantime the vasaries of the censorship are as amusing and annoying as ever. Absolutely the prize story. However. came to me the other day from source which is usually reliable. One of the greatest British shipowners has neen working night and day since the beginning of the war al a volunteer at the war office in connection with tbe transport of troops. A few days aoo Kitchener sent for him and asked him if he could send at once two of his sh,ns which were at Vigo to St. Nazaire. He replied at once that he could and tele- graphed within five minutes to his can tains to place themselves at the disposal or the military authorities The next day much Mustered officer of the trahspoftat1on branch burst in on him and wanted to know why in the name of many things his captains refused to move until they received his instructions. Ab investigation followed and revealed the Tact that the owners cables to his censor.
 Another story, for the truth of which l can vouch, concerns one of the great Lonuon papers which a few days ago printed map of the North sea, with the distances from various points marked on it. This map had been passed by the censor without altera- tion The next day the papers naval expert, to illustrate his argument, took from the map these distances and set them out in table form. The table was cut out by the censor.
 Here is a pleasanter story showing the human side of the censorship. One r.f I -1.s- Al. l. c newspaper proprietor and editor, al- though he is not now connected with the press. To him came a newspaper representative with a story of surpass- Ing interest from the front, which clearly contravened nearly all the rules What Is the use of bringing me thisy' he asked, You know I can't pass it. good story" Yes" said the censor, Tt is too good a story to kill. But don't take this as a precedent
 Stirring Stories From Front
 Among the stories which the corres- pondents are bringing back from the front is one that in some of the British trenches on the Afsne the soldiers are fighting stark naked They have been up to their waists in water for days and in many cases the men preferred nothing on to wearing soaked clothing
 
 Another story concerns the death Of Geoffrey Pearson, the son of Lord Cowdray of Mexican oil fame. His name has not yet appeared in the cas- ualty lists. but one of the official dis patches contained an account of the gallantry of motorcyclist scout who dashed right in to the zone of the fire six times in one day to observe the accuracy of the range of the Brit ish guns. The Germans did their best to hit him and on one occasion his ma chine was blown from under him, hut he escaped injury and regained the British lines. The last time. however, a German shell blew both man and mo- chine to bits. The brave motorcycles was young Pearson. who volunteereu for the dangerous work at the out break of the war.
 I heard a terrible story the othe- night from a young officer In a Scot tish regiment, who has come home slightly wounded. His company en- tered a French village just as a com papy of uhlans were leaving 1t and had sharp fight with the retreating Germans. When 1t was all over a weeping woman rushed out of a house carrying the corpse of little boy who she said had been sabred by a Germaa T officer who was hiding In a house op- posite The sergeant of my informant's company SdIuted ana Sdiu, LcdNe l'.t job to me, sir With two men he en- tered the house and dragged out a man in the uniform of uhlan officer, who was identified by the villagers as the criminal The sergeant threw the man on the ground, pushed his bayonet into the hilt and discharged his rifle. "I couldn't have prevented 1t if I had tried" said the young officer
 Standard Oil Makes a Hit
 Amope those who are doing very wall out Of the war is the Anglo-American Oil company which is the British branch of the Standard Oil company. The British army and navy are using immense quantities of oil and petrol and the Anglo American Is supplying nearly all of it. This is due to its de- termi patton to take no undue advan- tc ge of the situation. It's great com petitor, which boasts of being an all