New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-18

gratis. They are doing their bit. 1t
is rather odd to see a wealthy Aus
tralian working as a clerk over card
index cabinet, but they move about
their work quietly, quickly and as if
they enjoy it.
Mothers Seeking News
Hundreds of letters pour in daily
from mothers seeking some news of
their boys. A clerk steps to the cab
met, runs quickly through the cards
and in a moment the desired informa-
tion is at hand. A cable informs the
mother that her son has been killed or
that he is wounded and in a certain
hospital. Scouts are sent out to in
terview the wounded at all the hos
pitsls, especially those just back from
the front with the latest news. Other
Investigators check up from other
sources the information obtained and
make sure Of the facts.
"One day I met one of our boys on
the street. He told me he had been
ordered to France and would leave the
next day. He said he had been trying
to get some trace of his brother. You
go right over there TO that office
told him. He went, and within an hour
he was talking with his brother, who
lay wounded in the Wandsworth Hos
pital. II he had not gone to the bu-
reau he would have had to leave for
the front without knowing whether
his brother was still living or dead.
That is just one of a dozen similar
incidents that occur every day.
Thousands of Letters
"My daughter often works until II
o'clock at night sending off cables. In
one month between 1000 and 5000
cables were sent, besides thousands of
letters. December, perhaps, was the
busiest month, as that was the month
of the Somme matter.
ain Australia we thought we were
such a long way from the war, but
when you are in London you feel the
same way. You are impressed every
where by the willingness Of every one
TO do his or her bit and with the spirit
in which they go about it. saw a
woman slip on the street and fall so
heavily that she must have been hurt,
but when some one asked her If she
were injured she smiled and said:
why should I complain of a little
thing like that when my boy lies dan
gerously wounded|
"They had two bad fogs in London
while we were there and right here
want to remark that if they say Lon
don fogs are improving these two GER
tainly couldn't have been improved
upon. They were so thick that even
with electric fashers you would col
Tide with others with such force it
would almost knock you down. I've
heard persons say, why, I've even
gone by my own house,"
Mr.. Deakin, who is known as one of
the greatest orators that Australia
has produced, was permitted by his
physician to make the present trip
only on condition that he was not TO
speak at any functions. IL was on the
advice of his doctor that he resigned
as leader of the Opposition in the
Commonwealth House Of Representa-
tives in 1913.
Deakin Out of Politics
"Im out of politics." he said;
"maybe not for all time, but for the
present at least"
Mrs. Deakin explained that. while
the trip was made principally 10 visit
their daughter, to see some OF the
"men Of Anzac" in the London hospi-
tails and for her husbands health, ST.
and Mr.. Deakin are making an intor-
NAL study Of playground systems and
infant welfare work Mr.. Deakin is
vice president Of the Guild of Play
and Mrs. Deakin is a member OF the
Council of One Hundred of that or
gnnization. She described the system
in use in Australia whereby fatherless
children are turned over as wards of