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100 Years Ago | 23 Aug 1918

On this day a century ago, these were some of the news items The Statesman readers got to read about India and the world.

100 Years Ago | 23 Aug 1918

OCCASIONAL NOTE

During the greater part of the period of the present world-struggle it has frequently been a matter of note that weather conditions at the front have displayed an unrighteous partiality for the Germans. They saved the High Seas fleet from annihilation off Jutland.

They intervened with almost monotonous regularity to deprive the Allied armies of the fruits of their most strenuous offensive, and, conversely, when the Germans have attacked, they have usually advanced over ground which was not sodden by unexpected cloudbursts.

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Latterly, however, the elements, like other factors in the struggle, appear to have turned against their former favourites. The harvests last year, and now again this year, have been very poor throughout Hunland. A very different story is told by Sir Charles Fielding, the British Director-General of Food Production, who anticipates that the British harvest will be the greatest known for half a century.

The Canadian harvest, as to which doubts were felt at one time, also promises well, and, last, but not least, it may be hoped that the timely rains which have fallen, and are still falling over Northern India will relieve the Government of the anxiety which must inevitably have been felt in view of the recent abnormal drought and the lowness of stocks. So far as the British dominions are concerned, the economic outlook is at least as cheer-ful as the military and naval position.

CHOWRINGHEE ACCIDENT

A serious collision took place on Chowringhee Road, opposite the Continental Hotel on Thursday at about 9 A.M. resulting in severe injuries to a European and the total wreck of his machine. It appears that Mr. Weir an engineer who is in the employ of Mr. T.R. Pratt, was proceeding along Chowringhee Road, south to north, on his motor cycle, when a taxi is said to have suddenly shot off the stand and cut across the road.

In doing so, it ran down Mr. Weir, who, it is reported was extricated with some difficulty from his machine, which was under the front portion of the taxi. The collision was witnessed by some gentlemen residing at the hotel, who went to the aid of Mr. Weir.

The hotel people telephoned for the motor ambulance, and in the quickest possible time it arrived and Mr. Weir was removed to the Presidency General Hospital, where he has been admitted, suffering from two severe incised, wounds on the head, besides other injuries.

POLITICAL PRISONERS RELEASED

The following statement is issued by the Punjab Government:- Seven students of the Khalsa High School at Ludhiana were convicted in the Lahore conspiracy trials of 1915 and 1916. All were sentenced to transportation for life by the Special Tribunals, that being the minimum punishment provided by the law for the offence with which they were charged, but in the case of all but one the Tribunals made a strong recommendation for mercy.

In exercise of its powers of clemency and in recognition of the splendid proofs of practical loyalty which the Ludhiana district and especially the large Sikh element of the population has furnished since the outbreak of the war, the local Government has now released three of these youths whose conduct in jail has been good.

Of the remaining four, the conduct in jail of two has been persistently bad, and in consequence, their release cannot be considered at present. Another who had hitherto behaved well committed a grave breach of jail discipline to be released. The fourth was a young man and his offence more heinous, his case will be reconsidered.

MINE-LAYING

Sir Eric Geddes, in a speech in London, said that the extension and improvement of mine-laying were gradually restricting the movements of enemy submarines. The barrage of mines stretched from Norway to Scotland.

There were British mines in Heligoland Bight and also a barrage across the Channel. German photographs in possession of the Admiralty confirmed the report that Zeebrugge harbour entrance was completely blocked and showed that destroyers came out from Zeebrugge, not from the canal but from the side of the mole outside.

We visited Heligoland Bight almost daily on, over or under water. Giving an example of daily events on the high seas, Sir Eric Geddes told how six trawlers off Iceland attacked a submarine which fired a hundred shots, but the trawlers knocked out one of her guns and hit her again; then she dived. Many charges were dropped on her and she was finally compelled to come to the surface and surrender.

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