Empire's We do not hear a great deal about Effort the Empite's war effort, except for 7 an occasional paragraph in the daily Press. observes a correspondent in "Horse and Hound." Most people accept the Empire as a matter of course, but one can well imagine the vast propaganda which Dr. Goebbels would make had Germany such a reservoir of raw materials as wë possess. I was reading a well-known Australian weekly the other day, and found it inspiring to note the enthusiasm and energy with which it supported the preparations which are taking place in Australia and day turning Ausjralian steel into guns and shells, building small arms and aircraft, making ammunition, and doing the manifold jobs which mechanized war demands, Australia's efforts will reach out to every adequately equipped lehi in Australia. It will gineer, army of semi-skilled operatives." This is the very stuff of which victory is made, and I hope that when Europe has been delivered from tyranny every child in this country will become "Empire conscious," and that the bonds between the Mother Country and the Dominions willinever be allowed to become slack through apathy.
Disturbed A friend of mine who has a son Affairs serving in His Majesty's Navy, had a strange experience the other day, writes Observer in "Horse and Hound." He was awakened at 7.30 a.m. by the ring of his telephone bell. After being asked by the opera-for for confirmation of his name and number, he was informed that a cable had arrived for him from America. He had a brother in that country, and was a trifle perturbed to hear this. The operator said she would read the message, and send it by post. The cable was from Chicago, and read simply "Is Fred safe?" being signed by his brother. Now Fred is the name of the son who is serving, so you can imagine ow concerned my friend was to receive this" query. The operator further informed him that the reply was paid, but, as my friend explained, it was quite ble for him to send an answer as he had had no news whatever of Fred, either good or bad. As he was speaking the flap of the letter box was thrust open and his daily paper was pushed through. It fell on the mat and my friend caught sight of the heading on the front page. It read:—"H.M.S. Blank sunk by torpedo." The Blank was the ship in whichghis son was serving, and this was the first intimation that anything untoward had happened to her. Yet the fact of the disaster was known in Chicago at least 24 hours before—hence the cable from the lad's uncle. It is certainly rather galling for the parent of a lad serving his King and country to receive infor-motion of a disaster from a relative in America. My friend speedily told the telephone operator that he now understood the import of the cable, but was as yet unable to fill in the reply, and as soon as he knew the facts he would send a message. Fortunately, on making enquiries he learnt that his lad was safe, but I agree with him that such a state of affairs is annoying. It does not seem as if the songster and poet for this War has yet taken the stage. Some will recollect how "Tipperary".took almost national place, and "Keep the Home Fires Burning" was another very popular war song. I have heard nothing that stands out as a war song for our fighting men today. The re-cruising value of a good song and a military band with martial music seems to have escaped the powers that be. I suppose the most prolix fic song writer of all times was Charles Dibdin. He wrote 1,000 songs, many of them winners at the time. He was a native of Southampton, and was the eighteenth child of the family. Destined for the church he was sent to Winchester, but music was his passion, and at the age of sixteen he ran away from school and went to London. The same year he wrote and produced an opera at Covent Garden. After many years of theatrical production he started the Sans Souci Theatre in Leicester Squdre.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.