FUTURE OF GALLIPOLI.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1922, Page 5

FUTURE OF GALLIPOLI.

VIEWS OF RETURNED SOLDIERS. WAR FUNDS MATTERS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, June 7. Mention was made in the cablegrams recently of a proposal to hand over the Gallipoli Peninsula to Greece. The matter came up for discussion at to-day’s meeting of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, when it was decided to urge the Government to ask that if the battle areas on which the Anzacs and Allied troops fought are handed over to any Power they should be held in trust for the Allied Powers. The New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association is anxious to have more than one representative on the War Funds Council, and a letter to that was forwarded to the Minister in Charge of War Funds (Mr. Downie Stewart). This morning a reply was received from the Minister, regretting that he could not see his way clear to accede to the association’s request. Already there were two representatives of the R.S.A. on the council, so that representation could always be assured. On the executive of each of the patriotic societies concerned the R.S.A. also had representation. When the subject was discussed at today’s meeting of the Dominion executive, Colonel M'Donald said the war funds were for the benefit of returned soldiers, and the association should press for further representation on the War Funds Council. The president (Sir Andrew Russell) remarked that really the point did not so much concern representation as the proper administration of the funds.

On the motion of Mr. Bell it was decided to refer the Minister’s letter to the standing sub-committee, with instructions to continue to press for further representation.