ARM BADGES.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1916, Page 8

ARM BADGES.

AMENDED WAR REGULATIONS. Wellington, Last Night. As previously indicated, it ha a now been decided to make new regulations under the War Regulations Act, 1914, •with respect to the issue and wearing of arm badge?. This decision is largely the outcome cf representations that have been made by returned and discharged soldiers themselves, who have complained of unauthorised persons wearing badges, which, though not official, are indicative to the public mind 0/ honorable service and discharge. Badges of various sorts have been adopted and worn on the arm, in r.lace of the distinctive official khjiki and red badge 3 by the men entitled to wear them, and it this practice which has enabled the abuse to creep in. There is only one effective method of proventing the improper use of war badges, and that is by absolutely prohibiting any person, whether a volunteer who is waiting to be called up, or has not been accepted for service, or a returned discharged soldiers, from wearing on the arm any badge other than the official badge, issued by the Defence authorities, as a token of willingness to serve or of honorable service in the great war. This is to be done by the amended war regulations and the new rule is to take effect from Monday, the 4th September, thereafter until the end of tin war it will be an offence for-anj man to wear any badge on the arm other than the approved badge, or a badge indicative of military, naval, or official rank, or a badge indicative of mourning. The principal provisions of the proposed regulations will be found in paragraphs 8 and 9, which will read: (8) No man, whether a badge has been so duly issued to him or not, shall wear upon his arm any badge or any description whatever other than (a) an approved badge lawfully issued to him under these regulations,' or under the war regulations of the 29th day of March, 1918, relative to the officers and crews of transports; or (b) a badge in dieative of military, naval, or official rank, or (c) a badge indicative of mourning; (9) no man to whom an approved badge has been issued under these regulations shall wear that badge, whether on his arm or otherwise, in any mutilated or substantially altered form. In order to guard against unauthorised persons wearing an approved arm badge, it is proposed to make full use of the power conferred by the regulations to challenge any man wearing an arm badge to produce his card of authority to wear it. This, card is to be produced at the request of any military officei, constable or non-commissioned officer of an Expeditionary Force, or of the permanent staff. Men therefore to whom official arm badges have been duly issued are warned that they must on and after Monday, the 4th September, wear only the official arm badge, and not any'mutilated or altered form of it, and that at all times while wearing this official badge they must have the card of authority to wear in their personal possession. In order to meet any objection that has been raised to the appearance of the arm badge, it has been decided to fix a period as the fair wearable life of a badge, and, to renew the issue at the expiration of ,t .t period. Such renewal will be r.ade free of cost, but will be subject to the return of the wornout badge. The new regulation will not in any way interfere with' the wearing on the coat lapel of the silver device, which has been adopted by the Returned Soldiers' Association, or of any other badge or token. The prohibition applies to the wearing on the arm of a badge of any description other than the official bad^e. W. F. MASSEY, Chairman.