The courier-index., 1917-12-14
Weekly War News Digest

tions receive careful attention, those of merit being brought to the atten- ton of the secretary of the navy.
 While many proposals have been found impracticable, much valuable aid has been given to various branch es of the war service. The Naval Consulting Board and the Navy De partment have prepared for free dis tribution pamphlets giving general ln- formation to inventors that they may avoid misconceptions of the most general being that some mirac- ulous machine may be conceived by the use of which the seas may at once be cleared of submarines.
 Ali Former Exemptions Cancelled by
 New Seiective Draft Rules
 Under the new regulations every person registered for selective draft is restored to his original status, section stating that all exemptions and discharges made prior to Decem- Der Is are revoked.
 The office of the Provost Marshal General declares that it is impera- tive that every registrant know his "order number" Every person who registered or should have registered June is charged with knowledge of the selective service law and ad- ditional regulations. and failure to perform any duty so prescribed is a misdemeanor punishable by imprison- ment for one year and may result in , the loss of valuable rights and privi- ieges and in immediate induction in military service.
 ssss
 Compressed Air Sends MissiIs Into German Trenches Many of the mortars employed to- day on the allied fronts are of the of air or gas instead of powder to es.
 1 Present day trench warfare has caused the pneumatic cannon idea to be developed after it had been | laid aside for many years as inn practical Aside from being silent l the pneumatic mortar is readily
 manipulated. It is used at ranges of from 75O to 1000 feet. and is said
 to be exceedingly accurate. Af*p
 WneatieSS ana MedtleSS OdyS are Now General Throughout Nation
 From coast to coast meat and wheat saving days are gaining in popularity In New York majority of the restaurants are observing the I days for the savings of these com 'modities. The New York Stock Elk
 change Club has officially adopted | two meatless and two wheatless
 days each week.
 In Wisconsin 160 hotels in one month effected a saving of approxi- i mately 17 per cent in meats and IA
 per cent in wheat. All public eating
 houses in Colorado observe meatless
 and wheatless days.
 1 More than half of the 66 dining 1 car services of the country have
 pledged to have meatless and wheat ! less days.
 Exports of Sugar to Nations Allies Causes Scarcity Here 1 Some sections of the United States are temporarily short of sugar be-
 cause the nation is partially filling | the imperative needs of the allies
 and is supplying sugar for it's troops 1 in France In 1917 the United States has exported over IS times as much
 as it had averaged in the three years
 proceeding the war
 The worlds sugar crop for 1916-17 was nearly 1,900.000 tons less than
 that of 1912-13. A greater shortage,
 however, affects the European allies
 because their own production has
 been greatly cut. and prior to the 1 war Germany and Austria exported
 each year approximately 1,722,000
 tons. In prewar times England re.
 ceived 54 per cent of her total sugar
 supply from the central powers, which is now supplied from the l United States sources.
 | While European allies are being materially aided with sugar from the
 United States. they are far from | getting more than their share at | the expense of the citizen who once