The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-23
|D|D NOT ARRIVE AT THEIR DESTINATION Knitted COnveniences for Soldiers Find Their Way
 to Rag Auction

London. october 1-tspecial) Among the fair ones of England there is wrath and lan,entation today. Rachel is weep ing for Ter mufflers. also for her socks and oody-telts, and will not De com fnrted. For what Is this that hes hsen discovered at Dewsbury? What but q thing oalci lated to makc Sister Susie. s Sister Nettie beat her fair breast and cast aside Ter knitting needles win ,ho VOW that never again Wall she cast her "purls'' before swine.
 Dewsbury, which is in Yorkshire, is re- nowned throughout Britain as the center (with BatleD of the shoddy trade. Dews- bury is founded on rags. It eats rags. drinks rags, dreams rags. In fact it is always rag-time there! In normal times it Is the hope and salvation of the lag man throughout the world Once CT twice week 1t has it's rag auctions and prospective buyers, longing for the rags to turn them into cloth poke anon {, the whites the dandy-grey and assorse,ls, the wools and the cottons the mending and the clippings, the darned stockings and the old shirts. as though they were prospecting for diamonds but really to as- certain whether the fruit within is equal to the sample on the top. In the course of this prospecting anything may happen, nearly. A man 'may rip the wrapping, thrust in his hand. and bring forth q. diamond necklace from a bale of tailors sweepings, or a ducal coronet from a par eel of pants.
 What happened one day recently Is that among the bales in the auction room was a consignment of discarded khaki from the war office. Thrusting in their hands according to precedent, several buyers were astonfshed on this occasion to bring forth not diamond necklaces or ducal corcnets, but bundles of new knitted scarfs, body belts and mittens done up in half-dozens." tied with pretty string, and carrying a little card "conveying the best wishes of the senders to the sol diers and sailors who might be lucky enough to receive the parcels" One of the cards bore this message, for instance, With all good wishes from the Grand Duke Michael's fund, originated by the Countess Zia Torby."
 Consider what an outrage is this! Think of the khaki comforter or the khaki socks that some fair one-mayhap fin the United States-has knitted in the burning ardor in the fighting trench at the front turn ing up. not in France, or in Belgium, but in a rag bale dispatched from the war office to a Dewsbury auction room. And Dcwsbury, of course, Is not the only rag depot in the heavy woolen district. There are rag depots and auctions in Leeds, Huddersfield. Wakefield. Bradford and other towns. 30 that there is evil dently wide scope for the masterly activities of the war office rag distribu- tors. It may be that rag buyers in these places have delved within to find boxes of cigars. pipes, cigarettes. matches. razors, soap and other soldier comforts subscribed for by grateful populace. but if so they have laid low and said Euffin.
 Who is to blame for this crime? It Is second only to the shortage of munitions Somebody has suggested that the enerr getic dispatch clerks at the war office Yorkshire as doin' a swop. that if tho Dowsbury auction rooms are getting sorhe of the soldiers present. the soldier is ceivably. be more useful than the prod