NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 40, 17 February 1942, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

At War With Thailand. The existence of a state of war between New Zealand and the Government of Thailand as froth 5 p.m., New Zealand Summer Time, on January 25, 1942, is announced itt a Gazette Extraordinary issued last evening. Ash Wednesday. Tomorrow ,is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten period. It derives its name from the Catholic ceremony of strewing ashes, obtained from palms previously blessed on Palm Sunday, on the head as a symbol of penitence. Special services will be held ih the Anglican and Catholic churches tomorrow. Girl Trench Diggers. Notwithstanding blistered hands, the j girl employees of a large retail firm! iri Lower Hutt have made a very creditable job of slit trench digging at the rear bf the firth's premises iri High Street under the supervision of the manager, who has had experience in Egypt. The, trenches have been exca-i vated in real workmanlike style. Women at Stock Market. i A feature of recent stock sales at Addington market has been the sprinkling of women buyers around the peris, particularly in the cattle section. This seems to be a direct result of the fulfilment of military obligations by increasing numbers of farmers- and members Of their families who, up till now, have been responsible for the buying arid selling of farm, stock. Should the pfeserit state of affairs continue for long, soldiers coming home on leave may find that their wives and sisters can show them a few points.about the stock rriarket. Travel Difficulties. Unusual reasons were advanced in a letter from Mr.' N. M. Orbell, a member of the Board of Governors of Canterbury Agricultural College, .resigning his seat. Before the petrol restrictions, he said, he could return to Timaru ih the afternoon and reach his hom&that night. Urider the conditions imposed by the restrictions he would, if he remained a member, have ribthirig to do but walk about Christchurch for the rest of the day, arid would be three days away from his home. He was not prepared to do this. Mr. Orbell has been a member of the board for 18 years. Soldiers' Pay. Support for the efforts of the New Zealand Returned Services Association to secure an increase iri the rate of pay for soldiers overseas is beiftg given by the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council. The point had been made in his district that while the soldiers were overseas other meri were .ehjoyirig a very high standard of livirig, said Mr. W. J. Bennett (Winton), at a recent meeting of the council, it was well known that the soldierg overseas did not erijoy riiariy comforts and if they could be given Is a day more in the field it would prove very useful. Mrs. J. Hargest said several deputations had waited on the Minister of Finance (Mr.- Na§h) to request an increase in the allowance of overseas funds for sdldiers, but the Mifiister had said it could riot be done. Teachers for training. BecaUsg of the heavy drain upon young men teachers for war service jand in anticipation of a future shortage, the Education Department has relaxed the rule for entry of students into training colleges to enable those who qualified in November and December last to begin their studies this year. In the past students who qualified for entry to a training college at the end of one year were unable to enter iri the following year because the entrants were all erifoiled before the currerit examination results were known. This year entries are being accepted up to March 2 from studerits with the minimum qualification of the University Elntrarice or School Certificate. A minimum age of severiteeri is fixed, the limit formerly having beeft eighteen. Derelict Adrift. The abandoned hull of the Grey* mouth Harbour Board's paddle tug Westland, which was stripped and beached on a tidal area at the end of the cattle wharf in the Blaketowri lagoon some considerable time ago, Was found adrift early on Sunday morning in the vicinity of Gressoft Street, Blaketowri Bridge, ori a receding tide, states a Greymouth correspondent. It was apparent that the sea cocks, which were left operi when the hull was beached, had been closed at a low tide period by some unauthorised person or persons, with the result that instead of filling with water the hull floated off on the tide. Fortunately, extremely mild weather was prevailing, or otherwise the' 40- br 50-ton steel hull might have caused considerable damage' to launches moored in the lagoon and 'the pedestrian traffic bridge. Tile only damage caused was to a fishing launch, a side of which was staved in. After a good deal of manoeuvring the hull was shifted to its-former' resting-place and firmly moored once more.