WAR GRAVES

CARE AND PRESERVATION

WHAT THE GOVEBNMENT IS „

DOING.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) HAWERA, 13th January. A resume of the work accomplished by the Government in caring for soldiers' graves was made by tho Minister of Internal Affairs (tho Hon. E. F. Bollard) in the course of his remarks at the unveiling of the Ohawe Maori War memorial this afternoon.

Mr. Bollard said that the Government was anxious to see that the graves of those who had so materially helped to uphold all the traditions for which tho British Empire stood were not forgotten. As evidence of the Government's sincerity he mentioned that to-day New Zealand's annual expenditure on the war graves abroad and those in New Zealand is approximately £40,000, and the total expenditure td date was about £140,000. The War Graves Division of the Department of Internal Affairs had therefore developed into somewhat large dimensions. CAM OF GRAVES. iThe care of the graves of men who fell in the Maori War, the Boer War, and the late Great War had been entrusted to the Department, in addition tc which graves of all soldiers of Overseas Forces dying in the Domin-, ion, and of notable personages, were also "adopted." Annual grants for maintenance were made to controlling authorities of cemeteries as required. Although the branch was established in 1921, it was not until recently that it was possible to make progress with the work required. During the past two years, work had been completed or contracts arranged in the following cemeteries and churchyards, these relating to Maori and Boer War graves only:—Auckland district: Pokeno Cemetery, Bangiriri Cemetery, Lower Mauku Cemetery, St. Mary's Churchyard, Auckland, Drury Cemetery; Tuakau Cemetery, Te Awamutu Cemetery, Symonds Street Cemetery, Whatawhata \ Cemetery: Hawkes Bay district: Gisborne Old Cemetery, Onetopoto (Lake Waikaremoana), Marumaru (near Wairoa); Taranaki district: St. Mary's Churchyard, New Plymouth; Ba/ of Plenty district: Tauranga Old Military Cemetery, Opotiki Old Military Cemetery; Wellington district: Boulcott's Farm (Lower Hutt), Karori; Canterbury district: Akaroa; | North Auckland district: Eussell | Churchyard. COST OF THE WOEK. The total cost of the work, said the Minister, wa3 approximately £2500. The Government had "adopted" the. graves of a.ll those men whose deaths were considered to have been due to disabilities arising from their service in the Great War. On such graves permanent work, including the erection of military headstones, was being carried out as quickly as possible, but as the contractors entrusted with the supply of the headstones had experienced difficulty in obtaining raw .material, there had been a regrettable delay during the past eighteen months. It was hoped that in the ! near future the position would bei much improved. Up to the present time 911 headstones had been erected ! over war graves in the various parts of the Dominion. The total number of war graves to date was 2097, thus leaving 11S6 graves yet to be dealt ! with. The Government had also undertaken to carry out permanent work and maintain the graves in pcrpetu- i ity of her soldiers who died abroad whilst serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Great War. This work had been entrusted to the Imperial War Graves Commission, and np to the present time the graves in Egypt, Palestine, Gallipoli, Aegean Islands, Malta, Gibraltar, and the United Kingdom had been completed. Each grave bore a headstoneof the same design as that being placed over the war graves in New Zealand. In addition, some 1500 graves had been completed in France and Belgium. The total number of New Zealanders' graves completed in the countries mentioned was approximately 5500. Mr. Bollard paid a tribute to the work of the officers of the War Graves Division of his Department, referring particularly to Mr. J. Ilialop (Undcr-Sccrctary.of Internal Affairs), Mr. V. Scott (Officer in Charge of the Branch), and Miss E, M. Stathaui (the inspector). ,