Norwich bulletin., 1918-07-10
FACTS AND COMMENT

The latest move toward centraliza- tion in the transportation world has been the consolidation Of the four great express companies into the new American Railway Express Co. to be operated under the direction of Mir. AIcAdoo. Hereafter the shipper need only signify 'by express without con sulting a special list to see which con-
 pany best serves each locality. Fur thernlore, the duplication of offices and
 terminals will be done away with. as
 also the separate wagon services now
 maintained in hundreds of cities. With the economies, made possible by con- solidation, and a recently granted ten
 per cent. increase in rates the new company Is enabled to grant a sub
 stantial increase to all it's employees, necessary in these days of high prices and in keeping with the wage incdease lately granted to regular railway work
 CTS.
 Major John Purroy Mitchell, ex- mayor of New York city, fell to his teath last Saturday at the aviation field in Louisiana. where he was in training. Major Mitchell was chosen mayor of New York in 1913, at the age Of 94, the youngest man who had ever served in this capacity. Earlier he had served as president of the board of aldermen and as acting mayor when Mayor Gaynor was shot. His eXperi- ence as commissioner of the bureau Of accounts also had given him keen insight into municipal affairs. and he 1 determined to give the city a business
 administration. His pay as you go"
 rolicy of necessity added greatly to the 1 tax list, and did not increase it's au- I thor's popularity. but his wise appoint ! ments, his honesty and his firmness won him the respect of all His ad- nlinistration will be remembered as the best that New York has had in
 recent years, too good in fact for the 1 city which he served accustomed as
 il was. to graft, favoritism and disbon- 1 esty Overwhelmingly defeated for re- election by the Tammany forces,
 Mayor Mitchell lived long enough to see the virtues of his administration shine forth the more in contrast with the l shortcoInines of his successor.
 Even during his mayorality Mayor Mitchell had been an enthusiastic E'lattsburger and as soon as his term
 expired. he entered the, aviation ser
 vice. Though fifteen years beyond what is considered the perfect age for an aviator, he had shown great skill and daring and in four months had been advanced to the rank of major. His one unfulhlled desire was to do something on the western front
 T Another week of war has gone by marked only by local operations At the head of the Adriatic sea the Ital-
 ians have advanced from their bridge
 head on the east bank of the Piave 1 river. OVe1. the 1oyy1aud to
 va. In the mountains. assisted by tFe
 French. they have retaken Col del
 Rossa and Monte di Valbella. an oper-
 aton netting a considerable number Of prisoners. In France the Amei-i- } cans on the Marne salient have entire ly cleared Belleau wood of the enemy
 and have pushed ti1eir way to the
 south bark of the little Clgnon river
 a tributary. of the Disc; while just tc the north of this the French drove , eastward from the Villers- -Cotterets
 salient was nirned off between the two forces. Two French attacks north ol the Disc followed, hoth netting groUn and prisoners by the hundreds St'I : further north on the Somme the Brit
 ish made the greatest advance of all, [ | mile i~ depth over a four mile front 3 and 150o prisoners were captured. Here
 Americans, brigaded with Australians proved their valor, and celebrated the : glorious Fourth of July. A fleet o | tanks led the war behind a screen O smoke and so complete was the sur rrise and so overwhelming the victory l that all was over in an hour and : l half.
 Y All these attacks, though local. wer, alike in the attainment of the ohiec tives and the large hauls of prisoners 5 Their main object seems to be tht [ same as that for which trench raid l, were formerly carried on, viz: thu g Identification of the German defenders ? Trench raids no longer serve this pur f pose, inasmuch as the enemy have re .. gently been holding the front trenche ], more lightly and with soldiers minu l the shoulder straps and other identi s flying marks. These heavier thrust y have the past week, however, pene t trated deep into the enemy lines an, g have disclosed how many and wha : units were in reserve. From all thi , information General Foch knows hoy to dispose of his own forces to mee . the anticipated offensive.
 d The latest German atrocity, de!ib h crate and ineXcusable. is the sinkin | GI the canadian hospital snip Llando q very Castle. 70 miles off the Irish coas ,1 ir the darkness of the night of Jun a 2. Of the 259 persons aboard only ? e reached land. The ship carried a , the marks of Identification, a hug . electric cross over the bridge, string 5. of white and green lights and brightl = lighted Red Crosses on either sidi
 Most of the engine room force mus
 have been killed by the explosion (
 the torpedo for there was no respons
 to the captains signals, and the undi Q unfinished speed Of the vessel made e difficult to launch the boats. Further
 more the explosion had wrecked th
 wireless and no relief could be sum al moned. The German commander CT n dered the captain and some of the off - cers aboard the T-boat while he ques S' toned them as to the eight America
 flight officers who he declared were c le the sunken vessel When the capta! le positively denied this. he with his O 10 ficers, was put back in the life bo;
 and set adrift. The submarine the
 circled about in the darkness appal le ently trying to sink them. Had ti a effort been successful the Llandovel = Castle would have joined the list
 H SlIiDs -'fslIDS without trace" As