WAR ITEMS

Grey River Argus, 21 May 1941, Page 10

WAR ITEMS

RUGBY, May 17.

All Souls’ College, Oxford, has offered for at least the duration of the war to the House of Commons, the actual speaker’s chair used by Mr Abbott, speaking from 1902 to 1917. The College Warden wrote: “The use of the chair at this time might be a link with the past, and a token of the permanence of the British Parliamentary Institution.”

The Yugoslav Minister called at the Foreign Office and handed the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs a strongly-worded condemnation by his Government of the action the Axis Powers in attempting to cut off portion of Yugoslav territory, and in purporting to set up a so-called Free Croation State. It says: The Yugoslav Government, the only duly . accredited representatives of Croatia as of other parts of the Yugoslav State, insist that this completely unjustified proceeding grossly violates the true feelings of the Yugoslav people in general and of the Croatian population in particular. Person.; who the Germans and Italians were using as instruments are Paveliteb and other terrorists acting under Axis orders. During the fortnight ended May 3, the Red Cross St. John War Organisation delivered to the post office 206 737 parcels for war prisoners in Germany. This consignment consisted ci the following items; Food 182,202 parcels, clothing 1667, inval'd comforts 11,052, tobacco 6205, next-of-kin parcels 5601. Trinidad and Toba’s new constitution came into force on May 15. The reconstituted Legislative Council met for the first time yesterday. It consists of the Governor as President, three official members, and fifteen unofficial members, six of the latter being nominated by the Governor and nine elected. Two new seats hate been created for elected members, and writs have been issued for elections to fi‘l them. The new constitution involves the abolition of the seats of nine official members. A franchise committee will examine questions of franchise for central and local government alike, and also qualifications of members. RUGBY, May 17. Explaining his recent revision of the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme, the Minister for Pensions (Sir Walter Womersley) in a broad-, cast, stated that injury allowances could now be given to all persons 15 years old and upwards who were made incapable of work by “war injuries. Over and above the pension previously provided for widows of civil defence volunteers killed on duty, and of workers killed in air raids, the scheme,” said the Minister, “gives a special addition to make it up to £2/10/- a week for 10 weeks and a funeral allowance of £7/10/when there has been a private funeral. The new scheme brings in housewives, old age, and other pen-' sioners, as well as persons of inde* nendent means.”

British railwaymen’s wages are increased uijder an award made by the Railway Staff National Tribunal. Tho award provides that, as from June I. 1941, the existing special war advances shall be increased by 41- a week in the case of adult male staff

on wages (making a total war advance of 11/- a week), and by £lO « year in the case of adult male clerical supervisors and other salaried staff (making a total war advance of £2B a year), with proportionate Increases for females’ and juniors.