ANZAC DAY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 19 June 1936, Page 7

ANZAC DAY

PROPOSED CHANGE DISCUSSED OPINIONS OF EX-SERVICEMEN (Unitacl Press Association) WELLINGTON, This Day. 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 Christchurch 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 25th April, whether they favoured a modified observance on that day, or whether they favoured it being observed on the Sunday nearest to 25th April, the voting to be on the preferential system. Mr 11. 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 pome 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.

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 overwhelm - ingly 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 bn the voters. The agitation to change Anzac Day had come only from picture shows. The 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. 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 that 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. C. Hale. That Anzac Day opened old wounds in the relatives of deceased soldiers was pointed out by the Rev. J. M. Stewart (South Canterbury), who said that speakers on the day could improve the tone of the gatherings. He opposed changing the observance. The conference adjourned before all the speakers had been heard. EXISTING POLICY TO BE UPHELD WELLINGTON; This Day. The R.S.A. conference discussed the observance of Anzac Day following a proposal that the questions be submitted to a referendum as to the nature of the future observance, but the feeling was strongly evident that no change was desired, and a remit that the existing policy of the R.S.A. be upheld was carried with only one dissentient vote.