• OUT AND HOME.
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• By "The Extractor."
A reminder of poor Cr.A.S., whose caricatures graced these pages for so many years, turned up the other-day. I was going through some personal papers and lropped across a prewar Christmas card, which received from Stevens. The reproduction given here shows a clever skit on himself. His forbears named him A. 0:• Stevens, but his fanciful humour made him alter the order of the initials, his readiness to extract a laugh against himself being as keen as the desire to turn it against his fellows.
Paper Shortage.
When we introduced the features of "Useful Names for Users" in this journal in the beginning of 1917 there was a protest from our own particular paper controller because of then scarcity of the commodity, which, blended with printer's ink [and Editorial anguish of soul I—En., C.M.], serves •to convey our thoughts and ideas to others. Eventually, through our ever-increasing scarcity of paper, we were forced to reduce the feature to a single page, but now we must proceed even more warily still, and it will be seen that we can only provide that valuable information in the first issue of each month. We need not say that paper shortage is assuming a very serious phase.
Too Bad.
It will in all human probability break the heart of the individual responsible for the advertising pages of this journal [he is a sensitive soul] if he has, in future, to decline to accept anything larger than a half-page advertisement from new clients, but it begins to look like that, and we must find space someWhere for each of our supporters. I hope the individuaPreferred to will not begin to assume the autocratic airs, such as are adopted by my grocer and butcher, as be doles out so much less than is required.
A Refutation.
A statement was current in the daily Press some days ago that the concerns of Leyland Motors, Ltd., and Dennis Brothers, Ltd., were about to be amalgamated. We paid little heed to it, knowing that it was most improbable, but the gossip increased., inquiries reached us, and I then inquired personally of Mr. Raymond Dennis., his reply corning quickly and emphatically. "Not a word of truth in it," was his remark. The extraordinary part is as to how these rumours get about.
"Barton of Beeston," a•s he has become familiarly known, does not find the war-time meatless diet as irksome as others of whom I wet. On a long business trip, some years ago, from one end of Russia to the other, he lived most of the time on fish. It was his
lot to journey from Itladivostock to Riga, stopping at the principal stations on the Trans-Siberian railway en route, his task being to fit up oil engines at the stations, and until he cleared up the mystery he encountered unusual difficulties in running his engines smoothly. He found that the engineers, such as they were, would, as soon as his hack was turned, suck. the grease caps empty, the fatty substance being so much to their lilting. His method of putting a, cheek on the ' evil was most efficacious! He regarcb Irkutsk as. the most ostentatiously wealthy city he has ever seen, the display of furs and diamonds being unique. According to his observation, even the handles of motorcars. were s,et with costly brilliants. Altogether, he views with great concern the defection of Russia. It will provide Germany with untold resources. He takes a frankly pessimistic and gloomy view of the ultimate result of the war. His sense of humour has to find a. vent, however, and he finishes up by remarking, "Ill tell you one thing. If eventually, .you have to print your paper in German, I won't read it."
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Mr. Barry Cole--informs me that thefitle• a the Scottish Commercial Cars, Ltd., has been altered to: Caledon lithators, Ltd.