RETURNED SOLDIERS' ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 August 1919, Page 6

RETURNED SOLDIERS' ASSOCIATION.

DISPUTE WITH AUCKLAND BRANCH. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington August 18. The Executive Sub-committee of New Zealand Returned Soldiers Association has considered the press statement made by Mr. E. F. Andrews in explanation of the attitude of the Auckland committee, and it expresses the opinion that Mr. Andrew's statement consists mainly of innuendos, irrelevancies, misstatements, exaggerations and half-truths, and is intended to completely cloud the real issue, which is simply that Aucklar '. has exceeded its constitutional powers by acting in a high-handed and flagrantly disloyal | way. As the Auckland Association! thought fit to' magnify the relatively small IJUestion of internal management into the dimensions N of ft serious dispute and to make the disagreement public 'through the columns of the press, the Dominion executive, in justice to itself and to the whole of the 32,000 returned soldiers throughout New Zealand, to whom it owes its authority and is responsible, was -forced to issue a statement of the real facts of the case. THat statement stands. The dominion executive, while regretting the necessity for its utterance, has no need either to add to or substract from it, and certainly does not intend to be drawn into a press controversy on the subject, which will be dealt with in a constitutional manner.