THE OFFICERS AND NON.-COMS.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2876, 14 September 1916, Page 6

THE OFFICERS AND NON.-COMS.

Sir, —Writing to you as an old Imperial cavalryman, may I express thenope that the military authorities will make' inquiry regarding the incident mentioned by Mr.-J..-C. Arnold in his letter in yesterday's Dominion? To jacket men in the bearing of civilians -is to s,ay the least of it rotten bad form, and to jacket non-coms, in the hearing of troopers or privates is not only bad form, but subversive of good discipline, inasmuch as it weakens the authority that every good non-com. lias over the men of his troop or company. A good officer will do his jacketing in the barrack square, and he will always check an erring noncom, privately. Apparently the officer in question, like many more, has a/great deal to learn, and I dare .aver that if he is lucky enough to return to .New Zealand after seeing active service he will have altered his methods. The terms, - "officer and gentleman," should be coupled, but- some men "clad in a little brief authority," seem to do their utmost'-to separate them. No wonder Mr. Arnold queries regarding Prussianism. The New Zealand rank and file arc winning great kudos everywhere they go—let the officers see to it that they do not lag behind in this direction. —I am, etc., ' „„_,,_ Bth K.0.R.1., HUSSAR, September 13.