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Patriotic funds raised ill the United Kingdom for relief or distress caused through the war are designated " war charities," and come Under the control of the Charity Commissioners who deal with charities in general. In the last report of the Charity Commissioners dealing with patriotic funds or war charities the following remarks appear : " The experience of the working of this Act during the short period it has been i n operation has convinced us of the great value of some such control as that afforded by the Act over the charities supported by voluntary contributions; and we hope that the success of this experiment in the case of a limited class of charity may lead eventually to further legislation on the subject, by means of which the administration of charities of every description may be strengthened and safeguarded in the public interest." This might also be written regarding the control over war funds exercised in the Dominion. Revocation of Naturalization Act, 1917. —Letters of naturalization granted to live persons of enemy alien origin were revoked. Sub-Departments.—The effect of the war on these branches of the Department is shown in the attached reports of the officers in charge. New Zealand Gazette.—Seventy-seven Gazettes Extraordinary, containing exclusively matter dealing with the war, were published during the year. National War Museum. —In June, 1917, notification of the establishment of a National War Museum was received from the Imperial Government. The purpose of the Museum is set out in the following statement by Sir Martin Conway, the Director-General: — National WAB MUSEUM. The War Cabinet lias accepted the proposal of Sir Alfred Mond (Firs! Oommissionoi' of Works), to establish a museum in London commomorative of the war. The needful preliminary steps having been taken and a nucleus organization set up, it is necessary to obtain the co-operation of every member of the lighting Forces of bulli sorvices at the earliest possible moment. Only by such co-operation can the desired result be attained. 11 is Majesty the King has been pleased to expross his sympathy with the proposed War Museum, and he trusts that it may be made thoroughly representative of the achievements of all units engaged in the war, both in the combatant and non-combatant services. The Museum, beside in the first instance illustrating as fully as possible the operations of the Navy all over the world and of the Army 011 all the fronts, will be so arranged as to set. forth the activities and accomplishments of the several units, and special attention will bo paid to the record of ships and regiments. There will be sections devoted to the forces of each of the Dominions. There will also be a section illustrative of women's work. By private and public initiative similar enterprises have been set on foot in Allied and in enemy countries. It is not desirable that the historian of the future should have to go abroad to pursue his studies in German museums through lack of material provided at home. The length of time that has already passed since the beginning of the war, and the consequent transfer into private hands of countless memorials of priceless value for the future, render the generous co-operation of such owners essential. This is specially true in respect of documents of all kinds. Life on shipboard and in the trenches produces a transient literature and art of its own. The Museum should possess all the ship and trench magazines, journals, poems, popular songs, characteristic private letters, writings, sketches, caricatures, maps, and so forth. The Admiralty, the War Office, and the Ministry of Munitions will deposit in the museum the large mass of official exhibits, but such an assemblage will be a dead accumulation unless it is vitalized by contributions expressive of the action, the experiences, the valour, and the endurance of individuals. The brave men who have performed heroic deeds, and too often laid down their lives for their country in the performance, must be commemorated by their portraits. The photographic record of persons and places must be as complete as possible. Much that would have been of great value to the national collection is already destroyed; more is m imminent peril of destruction. A general co-operation is needed to preserve everything that can be saved. Models of particular parts of the front are made to serve the needs of the day and cast aside when they have performed their purpose. Every one of them is wanted. Men employ their enforced lesiure in making all kinds of memorials ; gifts of such representative souvenirs will be valued. The light side of things should bo illustrated as well as the frightful tragedy of war. When peace returns and men are back at home the years will pass and memory of the great days and adventures through which they lived will grow dim. It is the purpose of the museum to be a place which they can visit with their comrades, their friends, or their children, and there revive the past and behold again the great guns and other weapons with which they fought, the uniforms they wore, pictures and models of the ships and trenches and dug-outs in which weary hours woro spent, or of positions which they carried ami ground every yard of it memorable to them. They will then be glad to recall also the occupations of their hours of leisure. They will be able to look up the likenesses of the men they knew, some of whom, it may be, fell lighting beside them. The bust possible result will be desired by all. Let all co-operate heartily and it will bo attained. All India and Dominions Committee of the Museum, 011 which the New Zealand representative is the Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, High Commissioner, lias been set up for the purpose of making representative collections illustrating the war activities of India and the self-governing dominions. The National War Museum will have first claim 011 all trophies captured by Imperial, Indian, and Dominion Forces, but in return the Imperial Government will probably supply trophies captured by the British Army and Navy. Material illustrating New Zealand's part in the war will be'forwarded to England from time to time. Exhibition of II ar Trophies at Burlington Home. —At an exhibition of war trophies, photographs, Ac., organized by the Joint War Committee of the British lied Cross Society and the Order of St. John, opened at Burlington House (Royal Academy of Arts) under the auspices of the Imperial War Museum on the 7th January, 1918, New Zealand was represented by a selection of the best photographs taken by our photographer at the front. War Section, Dominion Museum.—This branch of the Dominion Museum is designed to illustrate the part taken by New Zealand as a whole in the war. The Director's report, printed in the appendix hereto, shows that excellent progress has been made during the past year. By the 31st March last the New Zealand official photographer at the fropt had forwarded over four hundred photographs of the Expeditionary Force taken at the front. Four copies of each photograph are furnished, and the principal New Zealand illustrated papers are allowed to # reproduce such of the photographs as they deem of immediate interest to tlieir readers, a charge of ss. per photograph being made. A lantern-slide of eacli photograph is made by the Government Printer, and these slides will form not the least interesting and valuable records in the War Section of the Museum. \y nr Collections by Provincial Museums.—The claims of provincial museums are not being overlooked. The Defence Department advises that in the final allocation local museums, as far as possible, will be given trophies captured by ( the units raised locally.