WAR TROPHIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 July 1919, Page 7

WAR TROPHIES.

OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTION SCHEME. "ENOUGH FOR &LiL" | Wellington, July 26. Some time ago it was officially announced that the distribution of war trophies in New Zealand would be undertaken systematically, with a view to fair adjustment between ,the claims of all districts. As these requests cannot be dealt with by officers commanding the various military districts, detailed instructions to them in the matter have been issued by General Headquarters. These state that war record sections have been established in London and Egypt to deal with:— (a) Custody of war records—orders and instructions issued in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (b) Collection of information in connection with the war for subsequent reference in compiling official and popular histories. (c) Custody and history of trophies captured or salvaged by the N.Z.E.F. (d) Collection of war trophies from the Imperial authorities and other sources. (e) Preparing and collecting of medals, photographs, battle pictures, medical, dental and other specimens as exhibits for museums. An endeavor is being made to obtain five specimens of each kind of war trophy with the object of providing for provincial museums as well as for the National War Museum, should it ultimately bo decided to establish one in the Dominion. War trophies are now arriving and are being stored in the charge of the Ordnance Department except tl-jse trophies which have been captured by units. The latter will not be held by the Ordnance Department, but will be sent to the towns in which the headquarters of the unit concerned is located. These trophies are not to be considered the exclusive property of these towns, but of the respective regimental ureas Officers commanding regiments are requested to confer with the mayors of cities and towns in which their Headquarters are situated, wivli a view to arranging for a committee to be formed in each area to deal with the distribution of captured trophies to the various localities an the committee msy decide. There will be a large number of tro-! phies other than those belonging to individual units of the N.Z.E.F. These will be stored at Trentliam until the requirements of the whole Dominion have been ascertained, when they will be allocated and distributed. The matter of allocation will be dealt with as speedily as possible, but final action will not be taken until all the material arrives from London. There should be enough trophies, particularly Held and machine guns, to satisfy ail reasonable demands, Correspondence in connection with war trophies should be specially addressed "Officer i/c \V»r Trophies, General Headquarters Defence Department, Wellington."