The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-07-20
BRIEF SUMMARY OF HAPPENINGS
FROM LAND OF THE
KAISER.
NOTES FROM GERMAN EMPIRE
Items About People and Affairs From
Across the Sea That Will Prove Of
Great Interest to Many Of Our Read
ers.

Germany lies in the Lueneburg heath
to the east of Hamburg, where exploit
tatlon began in earnest about twenty
five years ago. A considerable fever
of oil speculation arose at that time,
and for time not less than twenty
three companies were in existence.
The oil found in the Lueneburg
heath is mostly of low grade, suited
better for lubricating than for illumi-
mating purposesi This fact is reflected
strongly in the German statistics of
production. While the production of
illuminating oil dropped from 27,700
tons in 1908 to q, 900 tons in 1912, the
production of lubricating oil was more
than doubled in the same time, rising
from 68,400 to 10000 tons. During
the same period the production of ben
zine rose from 94,10O to 100000 tons.
The oil industry on the Luxembourg
heath has a good technical equipment.
Among other things it is mentioned
that the tanks there have capacity
of $4,000 tons.
A considerable part of Germany's ef-
forts are now being concentrated upon
preparations for the campaign next
winter. Women in large numbers are
being employed in sewing new furs for
the army, while those used last winter,
which were carefully collected, are be-
ing renovated and repaired at the sup
ply depots. In connection with this
work, the Vorwaerts complains that
starvation wages" are being paid to
many of the employed women. Needle
women working twelve to fourteen
hours daily can only earn about thirty
cents day, says the newspaper, ow-
ing to the contract system which is
employed
The question Of whether or not to
change the names of the principal cit
les of Belgium from the French to the
German has been settled by the gov
ernor general. With but few excep-
tions the cities and all of the towns
will officially keep their present no
menclature. The exceptions include
Lierre to Lier; Tongres to Tongern;
Roulers to Rousselare; Courtrai to
Kortryk; Alost to Alast, and Ypres
to Ypern. Postal cancellations will
accordingly be changed to fit the
changes ordered.
The use of burning fluids by the Ger
mans on the Russian front is appar-
emily restricted to the purpose of melt
ing down barbwire entanglements, for
which this method Is efficacious. The
equipment consists of a metal cylinder
filled with mixture Of benzine and
kerosene at a pressure of rs pounds
to the inch. A turn of the handle lib
crates jet of burning fluid Is feet in
length, which fuses path through
the entanglements, cutting down all
wire obstruction like scythe.
l.. A. Hath, manager of Winnipeg's
municipal power plant, erected at
cost of nearly $8,O00,00O and located
at Lac du Bonnet, Is miles east Of
Winnipeg, resigned his position, ow-
ing to pressure induced by the fact
that he was born in Germany and only
recently has been naturalized. He
spent eight years in the United States
before coming here. Sinking Of the
Lusitania brought about the city's final
decision.
The military commandant Of the
province of Brandenburg, in which
Berlin is situated, has issued an order,
effective Aug L, prohibiting the manu-
facture of fabrics wholly or chiefly
cotton for nearly all ordinary purposes,
such as articles of clothing, bedsheets,
pillow slips and table cloths. The pre-
sumption from this order is that Ger
many needs all the cotton available for
use in the manufacture of explosives.
Socialist party in a manifesto passed
by the censor, called upon the German
government Gin the name Of humanity
and culture" to begin peace negotia-
tions. The German Socialists expect
that their friends in other belligerent
countries will take the same steps,"
the statement declared.
Visitors to Berlin since the out
break of the war have been amazed
by the absence of evidences of pow
erty, so evident at every turn in other
countries at war.
Notwithstanding many obvious rea-
sons why it might not be so, Berlin is,
it claims, today the most brilliantly
lighted capital of the world. The claim
is not made because of darkened Paris
and London. The claim is that under
no sort of conditions is any other city
as wall or efficiently Illuminated.
Preparatory to making the produc-
ton of spirits a state monopoly an
Austrian ministerial decree prohibits
the erection of new distilleries and
raises the tax on spirits from ten TO
fourteen cents liter.
Herbert C. Hoover, chairman of the
American commission for relief in Bel
GUM, has concluded an agreement
with General Won Kissing, military gov
ernor of Belgium providing that the
T. I.