NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24836, 9 February 1942, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A LARGE number of Dunedin tem- •**■ torials who have been in various camps in Canterbury for some time past had week-end leave at home under the plan to grant men some relief from training. The leave train, which was an unusually long one, arrived at Dunedin about 3.30 on Saturday morning, and returned north last night, so that the men'would reach their camps in time to resume training this morning. Similar trains will be run for the benefit of troops granted week-end leave so long as the current plan is not interfered with by altered circumstances.

Chinese Red Cross The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, announced last, night (says a Press Association telegram) that the sum of £SBOO had been made available by the New Zealand Government to the Chinese Red Cross.

No New Zealand Mails The Postmaster-general, Mr P. C. Webb, states . that advice has been received from Australia that no mails from New Zealand were on board the Empire flying boat which was recently lost by enemy action near Koepang (Timor). ' .

Prospective Military Officers Fifty prospective officers who will help to train the new territorial battalion to be established in Southland will' be chosen from Dunedin units and despatched to camp on .February 15. They are being specially selected with a view-to attending an officers' training course at a later date, after which they will have the opportunity of qualifying for commissions. ■:.; Stationery Problem Isolation from shopping centres makes it difficult (says the Education •Gazette) for some schools to buy stationery. With the approval of the committee, one country school solved the difficulty by using the capitation grant to buy its whole requirements for the year direct from wholesale merchants. Thus a supply of suitable stationery was always available. This use of the capitation grant was made possible by the children in the standards taking it in turns to clean the school. Confident Note

A confident note is struck in a New Year message in the British-American Co-operator, the organ of the New Zealand section of the British-American Co-operation Movement. " Our earliest hCpes of a year ago have been more than fulfilled," states the message. " The establishment and policy of the movement have been fully endorsed. Our vision has already partially materialised—26 nations drawn together by a common danger have signed, the pact. They represent four-fifths of the human race. Complete and successful termination of hostilities is assured."

Youthful Military Re»ervskt» Since the publication of the latest draft of military recruits on January 21, the records office at the Kensington Drill Hall has received several; notifications about youths who were drawn, but whose age is not yet 18 years. One letter from the father of a boy whose name appeared in the list informed the military authorities that the lad was not vet 16i years, old. Another-boy has riot yet celebrated his seventeenth birthday. The most probable explanation of the inclusion of these lads is that they stated their age incorrectly in their declarations. .

Death of New Zealand Engineer . In its November issue the journal, of the institution of Automobile Engineers (London) states that there is a peculiar poignancy in the announcement in the institution s. Roll of. Honour of the death. of Lieutenant Harry Bauchop, the same issue recording hisf election as graduate at an unusually early age. Lieutenant Bauchop, whose parents are Major .and Mrs Duncan F. Bauchop, Wellington died of wounds at Larissa, while in command of a light aid detachment with the 2nd N.Z.E.F., to which he transferred after being granted a commission in the British-Army.

Importance of Wool Production <' You are engaged in the production: of a commodity more valuable to the country „than any other raw matethe (Mr G. A. Maddison) at a sitting of the_ No. 7 Area Man-power Committee, in addressing a Maori shearer, for whom the Director of National Service had lodged an- appeal against overseas service "without the manufacture of fleece into uniforms for the services, we in New Zealand could not hope to maintain our navy, army and air force. Although it is distasteful to us to arrive at this decision, we can assure you that by remaining in your shearing position you will be performing a signal service to the country. Admiration was expressed of the reservists attitude and his readiness to serve in a combatant capacity, for which he had volunteered.

Silk Stocking Import* Doubt about the value of the announcement by the Department of Industries and Commerce that the importation of silk hosiery is again to be permitted at least to the extent which obtained in 1940 is expressed by the manager of an Auckland importing firm. The manager quotes the following extract from a letter received from a former/ large' distributor of silk hosiery in England:—"With reference to the expected shipments of silk hosiery, we regret that, as a result of the British authorities withdrawing licences to export silk hosiery from the United Kingdom, our orders placed with British manufacturers and ready for shipment have now been cancelled. Tiiis means we will have no (imported) hosiery to supply our customers." " The result will be, says the manager, "that there will be no English silk stockings for New Zealand women after all." A Soldier's Report

" I thought at one stage of the battle that I was going to spend Christmas behind the wire in Italy or Germany, as we fell into German hands," said a soldier in the Middle East forces, writing on Boxing Day to a friend in Christchurch. The. soldier was taken prisoner by the Germans, but was rescued by a British patrol. He had been several days out with a-unit, which had several wounded men, when advice was received that an enemy column was advancing. Volunteers to stay with the wounded were called for, and practically every man stepped forward. The writer was one of 18 men selected. The unit moved out in the afternoon, and next morning the German tanks caught up with it. The Germans did not molest the New Zealanders, and the soldier itated that they respected the Red Cross and did everything possible to help the unit during the period of its captivity.

" Disturbing Tales" A statement that "disturbing tales had been heard" of men being discharged while still not restored to health and being placed with their families on social security payments was contained in a message of greeting which the South Canterbury branch of the Returned Services' Association has received from Brigadier L. M. Inglis. The message was. read at a meeting of the executive at Timaru last week, when a discussion took place on the alleged wrongful treatment of returned men. " I hope this is not true," the message continued. "We feel that every soldier who is curable should remain on full pay and allowances until his hospital treatment and convalescence are over. When the medical people have done all they can for him, then his pension should start before he is thrown out on his own." The procedure adopted by the authorities, including the Social Security Department, when a soldier returned from overseas was discussed, and the executive decided to investigate the rumours mentioned by Brigadier Inglis. The question was held over till the next meeting.