WAR TROPHIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 116, 2 February 1918, Page 9

WAR TROPHIES

,THE QUESTION OF •DISTRIBUTION. A , message from London, published in tlie Australian newspapers, states that after the Battle of l'ozieres Mr. Fislier, the Australian High. Commissioner, applied for trophies ■ for the Commonwealth, and adds that these trophies' lmve 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, waif trophies through 'official channels. ■ ... ; ' A communication received by the De- • fence Department from the,.lmperial authorities' some time'ago. stated that all war trophies were to. bo . 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 7to the., effect that, the • imperial War Mueexim, which is to he . . 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 ■lias -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 wish that the - gun should be sent to Wellington as a trophy. The gfficial reply was that the matter must stand over until the close of the war. .