The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-06

ed by Dr. Herman Duesing Of 1169
 East Main street, from his brother. Prof. Karl Duesing in Magdeburg,
 Germany. It is interesting as few persons with relatives in Germany have been able to get letters owing to the strict censorship:
 we all were very glad to hear, that the freight submarine, Deutschland, safely arrived at Baltimore. This boat
 was built at the Germania docks in Kiel. hope that regular submarine traffic will be established by 1917.
 "The age limit for wage earners' in-
 surance in Germany has been reduced to 65, so that now the old>age pension becomes available at 65, whether the recipient is incapacitated or not. The
 orphan pension has also been increas- ed. The first orphan will receive three-twentieths and each additional orphan one-twentieth, instead of one- fortieth as heretofore, of the parents pay.
 Linen shoes have become the fash l ion this summer in Austria on account of the confiscation of the leather sup plies for military purposes. The new linen shoes are being made in bright colors, white. light brown brown and a variety of other shades. They are strong and comfortable and cost but $3 a pair, as compared with $8 at which leather shoes are now priced. 1 Half the children in Germany are walking barefooted. this summer, to save the expense of shoes. It is off, cially allowed, that children may at- tend school barefooted or enter cars and trains. Many school children use wooden shoes. This is encouraged by the authorities. The reason, of course, is the scarcity and unprecedented ex- pensiveness of leather shoes. which gradually has caused people to forget the old time dislike of and stigma at- taching to wearing wooden shoes. Hundreds of school children use leath- CT shoes with wooden soles.
 Pager shortage, like the leather shortage, is also having its effects in the. Prussian schools in the decree by the minister of education, that from now on slates shall, to the fullest pos sible extent replace the old time paper booklets. in which the children have been accustomed to do their lessons. Emperor Francis Josef has confer red the silver medal of the Red Cross on Mrs. Busser. wife of Ralph c. Bus ser, American Consul at Trieste. The medal has been given for Mrs. Bus ser's valuable services in organizing a convalescent home near Littai. in Krain, in the South of Austria. Ever since the outbreak of the war both Consul Busser and his wife have been unwearying in helping unfortunate victims of all nationalities, and espec- ially ,tfe British residents of Trieste, who were interned by the Austrians, and their women and children, who remained in port.
 '"Our soldiers at the front get their daily ration of beer without any in terruption. Dr. Max Stein is the di- rector of the association for the distri- button, of beer in Germany. This so- ciety sends daily 100000 filters of beer to our soldiers at the different fronts. Every day railroads. motor trucks, pack animals. and steamships, are carrying great shipments of beer to our soldiers in Russia, France and the Balkans.
 Turkey has introduced the gold standard, the gold piastre being the monetary unit, but long standing debts are to be paid on the basis of the former standard rate. For recent Ha- bilities graduated scales will be estab- lished. The government is also open ing official bureaus for the exchange of money.
 '"The Bulgarian army has lost up to August 1, 17,00O killed in action and 50, ,0O0 wounded or missing. The German language makes rapid pro- gross in Bulgaria. The children of every Bulgarian public school learn now the elements of the German 1an- guage. The official newspaper of Bull garia in Sofia brings now some daily war reports in German.
 Many cases of poisoning with wood alcohol have been recorded at Petro- grad, since the sale of liquor has been forbidden. From 123 to 332 persons per month were treated in one hospi- tai, while in another during six months 1,292 cases were admitted. Of 1,432 men treated during 1915 for poisoning from denatured alcohol, per cent number drank denatured alcohol only. while others used in addition cologne water and furniture polish.
 l Poland. The official report states that sixty-four different localities in Po- land have no physician. and that the total throughout averages only one physician to each 10000 persons. The German authorities offer free lodging and certain requisites to physicians who will go there and they guarantee financial support up to $50 month, when needed.
 "The prices of drugs have gone sky ward in London, because they cannot get any drugs from Germany. The annual report of a London hospital gives three examples of remarkable in creases in prices of commonly used drugs: Bromides, pre-war, 3Sc a pound, now $6.25 a pound; aspirin, pre-war, 47c a pound, now $10 a pound; phenacetine, pre-war, $1.60 pound, now $11.25 a pound.
 "The following item will be of i'm terest to you. England's natural in crease in population, which in 1913 was 377,OOO, fell to 252,0O0 in 1915.
 About 5000 has been collected in Germany so far this year for the re- lief of suffering inhabitants of Alsace- Lorraine.
 "Our Imperial Government has rafs- ed the charges for mail and telegraph. A domestic. letter demands now a stamp of 1S pennies, printed matter of seven pennies. Each word in a telegram cost two pennies more. This ho to ho dope fo y,oof ina onorrn0us