Digest of stories from the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: January 26th, 1918.

Stringent criticisms of the Food Ministry were made at the Luton Borough Food Committee's meeting on Thursday night. "An idiotic reply," was Chairman Alderman Staddon's description of the Live Stock Commissioner's reply to the representations of the Committee and the Luton butchers in respect of an alteration in the price list.

The butchers desired to adopt the London retailers' scale of prices, and the Commissioner affirmed the prices at Cambridge, where he is stationed. It was decided, on the suggestion of Alderman Staddon to adopt the price list of London.

"A reply to a boy in the seventh standard," was the Chairman's description of another message from the Commissioner, and the Executive Officer (Mr William Smith) characterised it as "a most ridiculous answer". This concerned the shortage of cattle, and in this respect Alderman Staddon said they were "being fooled day by day," and no butcher in Luton made a penny towards his living last week.

The Luton market is a dealers' market, and as they are now cut out, no beasts are available for Luton except at the whim of the farmers, and the Commission, whose duty it is supposed to be to find the necessary stock, has not yet done so. It was decided that the Chairman and the Executive Officer should go to the Food Ministry on the matter.

In regard to margarine supplies, these had been reduced or stopped owing to Government action, and the Committee were powerless.

• In its editorial column, the Telegraph wrote: "The Food Control appear to have no control over anything until there is nothing to control, and then they are made the scapegoats for the muddlers at the top. Everywhere one meets men whose determination to suffer gladly all things for the sake of victory is being sadly shaken by the needless anxiety. How long is it to last?"

• Mr Ball, manager of the Luton Co-operative Society, has sent a letter to the Town Clerk regarding the acute shortage of fats in the town during December. The letter contains a comparative statement of bacon, butter, margarine and lard actually received and retailed by the Society for the four weeks ended Christmas, both last year and in 1916. The supplies showed an alarming decrease. The letter has been forwarded to the Ministry of Food.

• Another section of the editorial referred to the attitudes of men returning from Army service to their previous jobs. "A Luton gentleman was telling us how concerned he was as to the ultimate attitude of the many men he had formerly employed when they returned from the Army. His first one had come back entirely changed. Formerly a well-paid, responsible member of the staff, he came back with a distaste for his old duties, a disregard for ordinary office discipline, a lack of punctuality and, at times, a most insolent demeanour to his employer, of whom it may be said that he was never exacting as regard etiquette and obedience. The employer stood this for a long time, but felt honour bound to consider whether he could reasonably be expected to retain a man who disregarded warnings and pleadings, but he saved the trouble of drastic action by the course taken by the man himself, who one day voluntarily acknowledged that he could not stand the limitations of office work and demanded immediate release. He got it. We prefer to regard this instance, however, as something of an exception, for many have been only too glad to return to the old order and have resumed normal life as easily as if they had never forsaken it. We hope this will be the general attitude of our discharged heroes."

• For thirty months, Gunner H. Trussell, of the Lincoln R.F.A., whose home in 95 Church Street, Luton, served in France, but on January 8th received a wound in the left knee caused by a fragment of shrapnel. His former fellow workmates at the Vauxhall Motors will be pleased to hear that he is in hospital getting on "as well as can be expected".

• We are pleased to learn that Major F. W. F. Lathom (Royal Fusiliers), son of the Luton and Dunstable solicitor Mr H. W. Lathom, is shortly expected home from the Front for his marriage to Miss Bertha Bachelor, daughter of Mr James Bachelor, of Tenterden, Kent, and late of Dunstable and Dagnall.

• The workers and members of the congregation of St Peter's Mission Church met in the vestry at Dallow Road on Tuesday evening to welcome the Rev G. W. Russell on taking up his duties as priest-in-charge.

• The Royal Naval Depot provided undoubtedly the strongest set of opponents that Luton Town FC have faced during the present season, a larger than average number of spectators being rewarded with the best game seen since the closure of the London Combination matches. An even first half ended goal-less, before Jones put The Blues ahead 20 minutes into the second half. The Naval lads equalised five minutes later, but Butcher restored the Town's lead soon afterwards to make the final score 2-1 and maintain The Blues' unbeaten home record for the season.