BOYS SMOKING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 302, 21 December 1937, Page 8

BOYS SMOKING.

OFFICER'S REQUEST. WANTS TO GIVE BEATM& PARENTS ARE INDIGHA*T (Special. —By Air Mail.) GLASGOW, December L The parents of two bov soldiers, Boi serving in •Teriicalctr, with the 2nd B»t talion of the Black Watch are strirh» to secure their son-' discharge from tbe Array because an officer of the region bar- asked permission to thrash the bovj. A few days ago Mr. MacMiiian. of I'.lvthswood Street, "o\v. received a letter in which tit commanding <.nicer of the I>..vs' told iiim that hU 17 year-old son had l»een reported several times f w smoking. "As confining the l>oy to harrtch appears to have no effect," the letter stated. "1 am writing to ask your permiscioii to «;ive the boy a beating, a$ j consider that this will be the ©b]t way to stop him smoking."' "I'll Not Rest." A similar letter has been reeeivej U Mr. David Sj-eedie. of Dykerauir Street Glasgow, whose son js also i-»ed 17 The fathers of both Ik»vs. indium at the request, have replied to tfe officer refusing to approve the suggestej thrashing, and they have also nitteg to Mr. Hore-Itelisha. Minister for War Mrs. Malcolm MacMiiian, the mofter of one of the boys, said: "I glufl rest until I have my son released from the Army. He is a drummer-boy aat joined the Black Watch twoandafeg years ago. It i«= n trivial offence; even girls smoke nowadays." Mr. Speedie said: "I nm an ex-eaiftr and at one time was attached to tl» Black Watch. When I received tiis n•juest I was astounded."