WAR TROPHIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 114, 31 January 1918, Page 6

WAR TROPHIES

QUESTION OF DISTRIBUTION PREFERENCE TO DOMINION MUSEUM ALLOTMENT AFTER THE WAR The Minister <if Internal Affairs, referring to the collection of war mementoes at the meeting of the New Zealand Board of and Art .yesterday, stated that the Imperial Government was not at present allowing any war trophies to he sent to the Dominions. All trophies were being retained in the United Kingdom until the end of the war, when an allotment would be made. The position of New Zealand in this respect, added the Minister, was somewhat complicated by the fact that Auckland, Christclnirch, and Duncdin were disposed to challenge the right of the New Zealand Government to concentrate the war trophies, when they became available, in the nationil collection at Wellington. Those, cities had asked that duplicates should be obtained for them, so as to place their museums on an equal footing with the Dominion Museum. He agreed that this would be very desirable if the duplicates could be obtained, but the Dominion Museum, situated in the capital city, must have priority in cases where only one specimen could be obtained. He felt "sure that the Government would make as fair a distribution as was possible when the time came. He thought that in the meantime the provincial museums ought to do their best to secure trophies on their own account, through returned soldiers and others. The Government would be concerned primarily with the national collection at the Dominion Museum.

Dr. Alan Thomson, Director of the Dominion Museum, said the liiipariaJ Government had stated definitely that the Imperial War Museum in London would have first call on the war trophies that wore available. He had noticed that in New Zealand the Prime Minister had already promised the AVangamii Borough Council the possession of a certain machine-gun that had been captured by a Wanganui contingent. If all the municipalities made similar applications there would be some danger of no trophies being left for +hc museums at all. The Minister said the interests of the museums would be protected._ There would be no allotment of trophies until after the war. A report presented to the board by Df. Thomson stated that during the latter half of 1917 th'o war section of the historical collections had been growing rapidly. The High Commissioner had been appointed to represent Now Zealand in the Imperial War Museum, and it was hoped that by this means the interests of New Zealand would be safeguarded. The Imperial Government had asked tlio New Zealand Government to assent that all trophies captured by all the Imperial Forces should be in the first place at the disposal of the Imperial War Mufioum, and that all trophies captured by the .overseas forces and not required by the Imperial War Museum should become the property of the overseas Governments. Distribution of the trophies was not to be made until after the war. The Government had agreed to this proposal, but had requested in turn that a representative set of all trophies cap'tured by the British Forces, naval and military, in all seats of war, should be 'presented to the New Zealand Government. Through the Defence Department, the following articles had been obtained: — A set of ba'dges of the New Zealand Territorial Forces. A set of badges of the reinforcement drafts. Copies of magazines published on the transports. A complete set of war propaganda publications received from tho Imperial Government, and also peace and enemy publications confiscated by ttio military censors. A small selection of shell fragments. Arrangements had been made to obtain copies of films illustrating war activity in New. Zealand. An appeal had been issued to relatives and men who had gained distinction in the war for photographs, and mftnv photographs had been received.