OCCASIONAL NOTE

One after another the various “mysteries” of the war are being cleared up, and among them is the history of La Libre Belgique, a newspaper which during the greater part of the Hun occupation of Belgium, defied the German authorities, and played an important part in maintaining the spirit and courage of an outraged people. It was conducted by the editor and proprietor of La Patriote, a paper whose offices were within gunshot of the Kommandantur in Brussels, but so skillfully was the enterprise planned that for years La Libre Belgique continued to make its appearance with “regular irregularity,” to quote its own jocular apology, some of its issues being printed and issued to the tune of 20,000 copies. The work was carried on largely by M. Jourdain and his son-in-law, M. van Doren, the latter being evidently a mechanical genius who made his own type, and ultimately set up a power press actually next door to two German residents. The editor, M. Jourdain, wrote his articles on very thin paper. Each article, as finished, he rolled tightly and placed in one of two holes bored in a door leading into another room. Here the printer, approaching the door from the other side, found the manuscript without having any communication with the editor. Van Doren, having discovered the copy, put it in the hollow cane which he always carried, and typed it for the press at home. When the paper was printed it was distributed, or rather put in circulation, by himself and his wife – and the whole Belgian population saw to the rest.

FALSE INFORMATION TO A MAGISTRATE

MADRAS, JUNE 24

On Saturday at the Town Police Court an application was made to Rao Sahib S.N.V. Rajachar to issue a summons against Dandapani Pillay, of the Madras Labour Union, on a charge of giving false information on the 6th March to a public servant, to wit, the Chief Presidency Magistrate, that he had purchased the British India Press, Royapet, for cash from T.V. Kalyanasundra Mudaliar, which he knew to be false, intending thereby to cause, or knowing it to be likely that he would cause, the Chief Presidency Magistrate to permit him to declare himself under the Indian Press Act as keeper or owner of the press named the Ghandi Press which the Magistrate would not otherwise do. His Worship issued a summons against the accused and sub-poenaed witnesses, making the matter returnable on 1st July. ROBBING A WIDOW Before Mr. A.Z. Khan at Jorabagan Court, Rai Bahadur T.N. Sadhu, Public Prosecutor, charged Panalall Das and another with criminal breach of trust in respect of three Government promissory notes, the property of the widow of Babu Jotindra Nath Das, who died a few months ago. The prosecution case is that the two accused were friends of the complainant’s family and offered to get interest on the promissory notes on behalf of the complainant, who entrusted them to the accused for that purpose. There was considerable delay and on complainant taxing the accused they first said they had lost the documents, but subsequently offered to produce them on payment of Rs 50. The complainant then laid a charge at the thana. Enquiries were taken up and the notes in question were traced to Obinash Chunder Ghose, who is charged in another case with dishonestly receiving and retaining the documents. Mr. Khan sentenced both accused to six months’ rigorous imprisonment each.

THE FEROZABAD RAILWAY SMASH

ALLAHABAD, JUNE 24

In connection with the recent railway accident at Ferozabad the Pioneer says: From the reports which have been reaching us it would appear that the casualties were far heavier than the official report indicated. Some of the carriages, it seems, were set on fire and a number of persons were burnt. The unofficial reports of the collision place the casualties at some hundreds. It would appear, in fact, to have been the worst accident the East Indian Railway has experienced for many years.

EXCESS PROFITS TAX ACT

SIMLA, JUNE 24

The Government of India have published a draft of certain rules which they proposed to make under the Excess Profits Duty Act, 1919. They have received criticisms and suggestions from various Local Governments and commercial bodies and the rules as finally determined have been published. The following are the principal modifications which have been made:- (a) The time within which an application under Rule 3 has to be made has been considerably extended; (b) a provision has been made in Rule 18 (2) for the appearance of a petitioner or appellant before the Chief Revenue Authority or the Board of Referees in person or by his representative; (c) the penalty for default in making payment of duty has been reduced from one half to one-tenth of the amount due.