R.S.A. DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 39, 15 August 1919, Page 3

R.S.A. DISPUTE

AUCKLAND A$D DOMINION executive. A statement Was made yesterday by the general secretary of the New Zealand Beturned Soldiers' Association (Mr. D. J. B. _ Seymour) regarding the reported action of the Auckland Association in withholding the amounts due to" New Zealand Headquarters. Mr. Sey-. mour said the standing sub-committees of the Dominion executive had carefully considered the matter, and were of the opinion that the Auckland Association's action was flagrantly unconstitutional. This.action was intended to support the Auckland District Committee, which, on Friday last; had telegraphed in strong terms questioning a motion passed by the Dominion executive in Wellington five days previously. This motion provided for the opening of tho district accounts authorised by the annual con; ference of the New. Zealand Association in May last, the machinery for which had not been provided -at that .time. The telegram in question had concluded by demanding immediate payment. The executive sub-committee was at that time arranging for the opening of the accounts in Auckland and the other centres, and replied by ■ wire on Monday objecting strougly to the terms of the, Auckland telegram, stating that a bank account was being opened in Auckland, that the first deposit had been forwarded, and that it had authorised members of the Auckland District Committee to operate on the account. The Auckland secretary had responded that his Provincial Committee did not recognise the final authority of the Dominion executive over the expenditure of provincial funds, and had requested all associations in the Auckland district to suspend payments to New Zealand headquarters. The answer of ; headquarters to this was to suspend the authority of the District Committee to operate on the account opened in Auckland, in consequence of its unconstitutional action. , The Auckland city association, at a meeting of members, endorsed their representatives' stand,, and made the matter public, as reported in yesterday's papers. Since the Auckland District Committee denied validity of the action of the Dominion executive, their constitutional course was to ask that that action be reconsidered, and, failing satisfaction, to take steps to secure a special Dominion conference. If unsuccessful in this it would have exhausted its constitutional powers, and might then—but not till then—have been justified in going further.