WAR TROPHIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16822, 30 May 1919, Page 2

WAR TROPHIES.

THE METHOD OF DISTRIBUTION. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, May 29. ■ Many applications havo been received by the Minister of Defence from. local bodies and private individuals throughout the Dominion for war trophies, and as there is evidently some misunderstanding regarding the system of distribution, the Defence Department has issued the following statement of the principle governing the matter: — Trophies captured by units must, in the first instance, be handed over to the Imperial authorities! Each • unit subsequently submits claims for all articles captured, such claims being dealt with by a special Committee which in due course allots the trophies to the various units.

Each Regiment or Territorial Area in New Zealand embraces one to five of the principal towns in the particular Area. Thus Auckland City is the Territorial Area 'of the 3rd ' (Auckland) Regiment and Ist Battalion of .N.Z. Rifle Brigade; Wellington City the Headquarters of the sth (Wellington) Regiment and 2nd Battalion N.Z. Rifle Brigade; Christchurch City the Ist (Canterbury) Regiment and 3rd Battalion N.Z. Rifle Brigade; Dunedin City 4th (Otago) Regiment and 4th Battalion N.Z. Rifle Brigade. Similarly, provincially, the Territorial Regimental Area of the 15th (North Auckland) Regiment embraces Whangarei, Dargaville, Helensville and Kohu'kohu; the 7th (Wellington and West Coast) Regiment embraces Wanganui, Marton, Palmerston North and Feildingy; the 13th (Nelson and West Coast) Regiment, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Hokitika, Reef ton; the 10th (North Otago) Regiment, Oamaru, Mosgiel, Cromwell, Duntroon. • •■

On the formation of Expeditionary Force Units, each Battalion of Infantry was composed of four Companies, one company being drawn from each Territorial Area. Each Regiment of Mounted Rifles was similarly constituted by Squadrons drawn from Mounted Rifle Territorial Areas. It is, therefore, but natural that the personnel of each unit in the field and their relatives in New Zealand are concerned that trophies captured by each unit should be distributed : to their own Territorial Areas throughout the Dominion. ■:-■ The principle governing the distribution of war trophies in the Dominion is, therefore, that all trophies captured by the troops are issued in the first place to the towns in which the headquarters of the units which captured them are situate. Headquarters of the units have been instructed that trophies so issued are not to be considered the exclusive property of the respective Regimental Areas, and that the claims of other towns in those Areas must receive consideration. With this end in view, Officers Commanding units have been instructed to confer with the Mayors of towns in which their Headquarters . are situate, requesting them in turn-. to communicate with the Mayors of, othertowns in their Areas with a view to forming Committees to deal with the distribution of the trophies on .an equitable basis. ......: Thus it will be seen .that,;applic'aiipiis : for war trophies should ipt be made to'the Hon. the Miuister, of .jPefence .but to. the Nayors of.the towns" 'in Which the Headquarters/"of Units" are situate."*' -;'-•■ ,*'.■■• :':t--,-^./^