TROPHIES OF WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 670, 25 January 1933, Page 8

TROPHIES OF WAR.

All Serviceable Weapons Must be Registered. PURPOSES OF RECORD. All war trophies in the form of machine guns, Lewis guns and firearms of any sort, serviceable or with minor defects in the mechanism only, must be registered with the police and a fee of 2s 6d for each paid. The first hint of these stringent measures came with news from the Pukekohe Borough Council that it had been required to register two German machine guns in working order. The guns had been kept at the rear of the borough office. Apparently the police have received instructions all through New Zealand, for inquiries reveal that a census of such arms has been in progress in Christchurch.

Superintendent D. J. Cummings stated this morning that there were a great many trophies of the war in New Zealand and Christchurch, and many of them were in working order. They were donated to various local bodies and societies. Now that the police were rigidly enforcing the provisions of the Arms Act, it was necessary for those firearms to be examined to determine if any of them were serviceable or readily altered so that they could be made serviceable. If so, they would have to be registered so that a proper record could be kept, and particularly so that the authorities would know where they were located. If the guns were defective or beyond repair, *. they would be listed for record purposes only, and no fee charged. Any type of trophy came within the scope of the regulations, including revolvers. The regulations were strict. For instance, only a person having the written permission of the Minister of Justice could have possession of an automatic pistol. It could not be carried beyond the confines of the owner's premises, nor could ammunition be supplied under pain of heavy penalties. The only persons entitled to carry even an ordinary revolver were those in charge of large amounts of cash which were being transported. Registration would be refused in all other cases.