THE NEW ZEALAND SCOTTISH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 80, 5 April 1939, Page 10

THE NEW ZEALAND SCOTTISH.

IVrlia]*. i 1 i- 1"-< l;ii<- in re-ji-ier a prM*-1 |i];ii»hl nil rc-'ir.l tlial .1 hattlliou .-.! nn- ■: h» uhi.-li i- to 1w ~i ;<i'..He: a» a centre far from tin' .it three. Tin- n-nll <.f ihi- will V company e-pril de !•••:•!-. ini <•:-<■.,,, ; ,,,,i\ rhairy .in.l a • •..•np.iiiy -tand.'ird i.f cffi. ictvv. When —if ever—the pet tojrtlier they «il! meet ;»< foreijrn clement. p]pmfnt» without a <-f><iiiiuiti i>i.n<l ••- a common ideal. y« 'a Mr:'ion j- worth a r.\ ;. mile-- it i.- run on the family >y-«cm: and in the <-a~r of thp proposed Xew Zealand S-..t:ir-li. tlii-e >y-tem will he entirely lacking. At home Ihe Hi?h];iml battalion* ..we their military morale, prer-ti-re :in<i succor m the fact that the clan tradition* and custom- are *-edulou-lv fo-tered and kept alive. Thc-e traditions and ci)-tnrn< include jiarnclii.il t.ride. prejudice* and jealousy —very f<irmi<lalil<> fijjhlinjr as-cUi. in a lmttalion. Init wholly dir-nqilive mlien oxrrcW'l l>y companies. It i- hrliovH that Major Alan Rn« i< an offi<-ia! in tho Mini-try of Internal Affairs, and it i- that he jvvcptspi the attribtite< ne<et-~ary for the command of a lkattalinn: lmt doe« he the attriInite? neec-r-ary for the mninund "f a Icilted Kiltalion? That i< an important queMinn. l»pcau«e he i* about to take command of a fiL'lijiiijr force which, in a military -ense. will fail for the *ame reason that the clan rii=in:r failed in "4-* i. And if Major doe- tk'l know that, t-urely some member of the Xcw Zealand Staff ("orjv: could put him A liad start has been made: but the mistake can easily l>e reme<lie<l. Ilui-: (a) Rai*e Ihe Xow Zealand <c.iiti<h at the nbrion« ilace. Dnnedin. in place of. or in addition in. the infantry unit already there: or (10 tram-form one cottpaliv in each of the infantry units l*a.-cd on the four biff centre- into a Highland e«nipan>. If liometiiiii" of t!ii< ri i< not done now. Xe« Zealand—albeit unwittingly — will briTir <li-credit on t lie tartan should battalion find itfplf in the tiring line. EXoIST (HICHLAXDi DO", T.F.