R.S.A. DECISIONS

Grey River Argus, 19 June 1941, Page 7

R.S.A. DECISIONS

DOMINION EXECUTIVE. MEETING. PA WELLINGTON, June 18, The Dominion Executive of the N.Z. Returned Soldiers’ Assn, has voted £lOOO for dispatch by cable to members of 'the New Zealand Forces (sea, land and air) serving overseas. It was felt that all returned‘soldiers in New Zealand would wish to express in tangible form their admiration for the exploits of the New Zealand forces overseas. The Executive also decided to issue a statement pointing out that the constitution includes as members any of His Majesty's Forces (naval, army, air force, merchant navy, and nursing service). The- only provisis are that, a member shall haye served overseas from the place of h.’s enlistment in any war waged .by the Crown and that he- has been honourably discharged. This statement arose out of reports that men of some of t'he fighting services had misunderstood the reason for the decision not to alter the-'name of the Assn The opinion had been expressed that the delegates at the Council meeting had not considered the feeling of the members of the other branches of th? service. It pointed out that all the 92 affiliated associations welcomed to the full active membership nurses, naval men, airmen, and men of the merchant navy, as well as soldiers. Many are already members and occupy executive positions in the associations The Assn, decided to urge upon the Government that all persons refusing to affirm loyalty to the Crown should be debarred from employment in the Public Service