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Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 372, 26 November 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

Scarlet, it has always been supposed, was the worst colour possible for the purposes of the battlefield, says an English paper. It has been said so with such frequency, indeed, that nobody of late years has cared to disputo the fact. Wo owe it to some very practical experiments curried out in Germany that the question has now been put on a more satisfactory basis. A pquad of ten men, two dressod in light grey, two in dark xvej, two in scarlet, two in blue and two in green, wero lately ordered to march across an open country. Their movements wero closely watched. The first men to disappear were those in light grey, immediately afterwards the scarlet, then the dark grey, and finally the blue and green. Hero we have all the worn-out theories upset. Experiments carried out on the rifle range showed that our national colour poscsses even distinct merits. The idea was this time to ascortion which colour gave the worst mark for the riiio. Twenty men, all good shols, wero used for the purpose on the experiment. After they had fire a given nuir her of rounds, it was discovered that scarlet was far tho most diffioulfc colour to hit. For every miss at tho other colours, there was three in favour of scarlet.