ANZAC DAY CHANGE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 11

ANZAC DAY CHANGE

Ballot Proposal Before New Zealand R.S.A.

MANY OPPOSE ALTERATION

Opposition to any change in the observance of Anzac Day was expressed by all the speakers when a proposal that a ballot be taken on the subject came before the conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association last night. No delegate who spoke favoured any change, and some were opposed even to the taking of a ballot. The discussion was still in progress when the conference adjourned until this morning.

A number of remits upholding the present observance have been sent to the conference, and the Chridchurcb association proposed that a ballot be taken among all the members in New Zealand. A committee of the conference modified the Christchurch remit, which came before the delegates last night as a proposal to ask members on a ballot-paper whether they favoured Anzac Day being observed on April 25, whether they favoured a modified observance on that day, or whether they favoured it being observed on the Sunday nearest to April 25, the voting to be on the preferential system. Mr. H. L. Paterson, who moved the motion on behalf of the committee, said that returned soldiers were in favour of Anzac Day remaining as it was, but if they could see the writing on the wall, should not any change come as a suggestion from the association. Some returned soldiers thought services should be held only in the morning. The association was to some extent responsible for the rather mournful nature of the day. The speaker pointed out that a great portion of the population was now too young to have ever heard the cry of war. Feeling at Dunedin. Mr. C. L. Calvert (Dunedin) proposed that the present policy be upheld. There was no large move for a change, he said, but a small noisy minority wanted a change for purely selfish motives. A plebiscite of returned soldiers in Dunedin had been overwhelmingly against moving-picture shows on Anzac Day. The suggested ballot would only upset their people and show the association had a doubt.

Mr. W. E. Leadley (Christchurch) said that when Anzac Day fell on Monday, agitation for it to be observed on Sunday would solidify. The remit was brought forward so that the solidity of returned soldiers’ opinions could be shown when that agitation arose. All returned soldiers, whether members or not, should be allowed to vote. Mr. J. D. Harper said he would oppose the proposal because strong interests would be brought to bear on the voters. The agitation to change Anzac Day had come only from picture shows. Tiie work of the association was based on sentiment, and once the Anzac Day observance was altered the sentiment was gone. Every argument used to secure the Act still existed. Soldiers Opposed to Change. Mr. A. B. Fyers (Waikare) said all the returned soldiers he had met were opposed to a change. "We were born on Anzac Day. and we will die when it dies," said Mr. C. J. L. Mollison (Otago vice-president). The remit arose from an imagination Unit somebody wanted a change, but there was no basis for that presumption. The Wellington association’s strong opinion that there should be no change was mentioned by Mr. E. G. Hale. That Anzac Day opened old wounds in the relatives of deeeased soldiers was pointed out by the Rev. J. M. Stewart (South Canterbury), who said that speakers on tiie day could improve the tone of the gatherings. He opposed changing tiie observance. The conference adjourned before an the speakers had been heard.