Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-08-01
CONDENSED DISPATCHES

CONDENSED DISPATCHES
A curious war fraud was recently
made known at Rome through the con
domination of a cavalry officer to ten
years Imprisonment. In the early part
OF the war the officer was assisned to
the duty of communicating saddles for
cavalry use. He was instructed to take
saddles from civilian stables but, of
course, 10 pay fair price for them.
instead OF giving orders to pay on the
! Department, he himself paid spot cash
for saddles usually one fifth of their
Value, and himself collected the prop
er price from the Department, pocket
ire the difference.
In connection With the strengthening
of the merchant fleet of the Entente
Powers. the kawasaki Backyard Com
pany of Kobe, Japan, has received an
order from Great Britain to build four
teen freight steamers. The individual
tonnage ranges from 5000 to 1900
tons and the total value will be about
S25,O0O,000. SiXty-two steamers with
an aggregate of 292 900 tons will be
completed in Japan before the end of
the year. according to the Department
of Communications. The sovernmo n
will grant a subsidy of 5000 as en-
couragemcnt.
The resignation from the Chinese
cabinet OF Hsu Shihying. the Chinese
minister OF communications. and his
subsequent arrest grow out of scan
cal concerning 4 contract for hiring
cars. 1t is charged that he was re-
sponSible for entering into a fifteen
year contract Tor one hundred and
fifty open cars and City covered cars
at a rental of S4290 for each car. The
usual purchase price of such cars is
between $4,000 and $4,000. Chinese
papers exposed the contract, which is
declared to be heavily tinged with
graft, with the result that there were
many interpretations in Parliament.
The Mexican Department of Labor
which in the days before the adoption
OF the new Mexican constitution. was
/ under the Secretary of F'omento, has
teen abolished. All matters dealing
| with labor questions and which for
merly were handled by the Depart ment
OF Labor in future will be adjudicated
by the authorities of the states, terri
/ tories and federal district.
The decisive ma jority of the Russian
j people has no leaning to or connection
with the movement in that country
toward separate peace, declared Sir
Paul Ninogradoff, president of the
Anglo Russian Society of Petrograd,
In an address delivered at Liverpool.
Cjr pa1I tnd hat ~
in Russia a recoil toward common
sense and the adoption of a middle
road between the extremists of the old
regime and of the Socialists. Dealing
with the future trade relationship be-
tweer Great Britain and Russia. Sir
Paul said the two chief questions We're
credit TO Russian traders and the best
means Of extending international COM
merce.
The pro-German portion Of the Stock
holm press repubished with evident sat
isfaction a Geographic dispatch to the
Berlin Tageblatt. report. - anti-conscrip-
ton riots in the United States. The po-
lice the dspatch said were compelled to
restore order in Cleveland and Chica go.
Resistance to consumption Is declared also
to be especially vigorous in Montreal.
While Belgium goes hungry. the Ger
mans are exporting Belgian vegetables
and fruits. Large quantities OF Belgian
asparagus and dollhouse peaches have
been on sale in Stockholn's leading shops
for weeks II is also worthy of note that
certain shops are advertising women's
costumes imported direct from Vienna
y soldier who has served two years
with the army in France. recently at
Kingston on Thames. England, resist
ed arrest as an absentee. defending
himself for FIVE hours on the roof Of a
house. It was only through the use Of
the fire brigade who poured on the
man a "harrage" Of water that the
police were able 10 arrest him
The mayor of Nottingham, England,
announced at a meeting that he in
tended TO start subscription for
erecting a monument to the memory
of the late Captain Alfred Bail. who
was England's star aviator on the
western front and who was born in
nottingham. Capt. Ball was killed in
an air battle with Germans near Lens
Booksellers at Liverpool report
a. famine in sevenpenny books owing
TO the demand for them from men in
the trenches. Statesmen report that
100000 sevenpenny and shilling books
have been sent to the front.
The town OF East Machias entertained
the officers and men Of the Technology
camps at Gardeners Lake and the men
and officers Of the naval section Of Ma
chias, Friday afternoon and evening In
the afternoon there was a very interest
Ing parade, a sham battle and ball game
between nine Of the Technology men and
nine men Of the Naval section A DELI
cious supper was given in the new Odd
Fellows hall and in the evening a bail