RETURNED SOLDIERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3864, 3 April 1928, Page 5

RETURNED SOLDIERS’ ASSOCIATION.

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE. The regular meeting of the executive or the Returned Soldiers’ Association was held on March 26, when there were present Messrs A. C. Laing (president), W. F. Forrester, R. Fullarton, R, Holt, A. Gordon, A. G. Leeden, H. L. Paterson, A. M’Hutchon, J. S. Skinner, E. J. Andersota, H. H. Walker, and J. M. White (secretary). It was decided that the Anzac Day Committee should invite ex-service padres to give addresses in connection with the memorial services. The Secretary (Mr White) reported that advice from Christchurch stated that the annual conference of associations would probably be held in the first week in June. An invitation for members of the executive to attend the Ranfurly Association’s annual reunion on May 26 was accepted. The Secretary reported that the local session of the Appeal Board would commence on April 23, and probably more than 20 cases would be dealt with. The President stated that, in reply to a request from the association for information about the sources of supply of war photographs, the Minister of Defence (Mr F. J. Rolleston) had furnished a voluminous report. A vote of thanks was passed to the Minister, and the report was tabled.

It was decided that no further action should be taken in connection with a remit rejected by the conference last year, suggesting that lodge benefits be not considered income so far as the granting of economic pensions was concerned. The executive agreed to invite Sir James Allen to address the annual meeting of the association on the subject of the six war memorials in France, Gallipoli, and Palestine. A member reported that he had received information that the De Soutter Company had not been satisfied with the measurements sent Home for artificial limbs, and had made arrangements to have measurements taken on its own scale. The secretary was authorised to procure 30 yards of medal ribands from the ad-jutant-general, New Zealand Military Forces, so that ribands might be issued to “ returned ’’ men prior to the Anzac Day service. April 23 was fixed as the date <rf the annual meeting. April 20 was decided on for “ Poppy Day.” A short time ago the secretary of the association forwarded to the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association a booklet of short stories by Herbert Scanlon, accompanying a letter stating that there had been a number of salesmen working Dunedin with the booklet, and that he had had constant communications asking about the authenticity of tne publication, and whether the salesman’s story that by purchasing a book the buyer would be helping a disabled man, was correct. An unsigned certificate of the New Zealand Association was on the first page of the book.—The general secretary of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association (Mr S. J. Harrison) advised that headquarters had not issued anv certificate to Mr Scanlon; no application had been received from him, and the writer did not know of any association which had issued a certificate. In view of "the decision of the Dominion Council, 1926. that the name of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association be not allowed to be used except in connection with the association, the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association or any of its affiliated branches could not support Mr Scanlon’s scheme. It was open to the Dunedin Association to raise an objection should it deem such an action advisable.—The matter was allowed to drop.