WAR TROPHIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1918, Page 4

WAR TROPHIES.

IMPERIAL MUSEUM TO HAVE FIRST CLAM. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, Feb. 1. A message from London, published in the Australian newspapers, states that after the battle of Pozieres Mr. Fisher, 1 the Australian High Commissioner, applied for trophies for the Commonwealth, and adds that these trophies han been secured, and will shortly be shipped. The statement has special interest here, owing to the fact that New Zealand has not yet been able to secure war trophies through official channels. ,A communication received by the Defence Department from the Imperial authorities some time ago stated that all war trophies were to be retained in the United Kingdom until after the war. This applied to captured guns of all kinds, and other articles. The allocation of trophies to the Dominions would be made after the close of the war. Information from other sources is to the effect that the Imperial War Museum which is to be established in London, will have the first call on all trophies. This museum will represent the whole Empire. The allocation to the Dominions will be made after the Imperial War Museum has been served. It is assumed that any trophy in which a dominion has a particular interest will be allotted to that dominion, but no definite promise to this effect appears to have been made by the Imperial authorities. Recently a Wellington man, who happened to be a public servant, was instrumental in capturing a German machine gun, and he expressed a wish that the gun should be sent to Wellington as a trophy. The official reply was that the matter must stand over until the close of the war.