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[Page 32]
in the same proportion as hereto but I do not see how you are going to do it with two or perhaps four more extra Battalions to feed. Your instructional staff in the dominion is not increasing. As I have said before it would have been a hundred times better to have continued fitting the existing formations with reinforcements instead of trying to do the almost impossible. Our new units are now practically denuded of officers and the officers of your Battalions would have done very well to fill the gaps. Personally I would very much like to see the new Battalions distributed over the existing formations where the framework already exists and the training is in motion. We have already attached the Maori contingent to the New Zealand Infantry Brigade and each Infantry Battalion has a Platoon in each company of Maoris. This system [indecipherable] admirably and we find that the Maoris work a great deal better in conjunction with older troops than they do as a separate unit by themselves. Herbert their Commander is now in temporary command of the Otago Battalion vice Moore wounded (slightly in the leg) but now in hospital with mild enteric in Egypt. Jackie Hughes still commands the Canterbury Battalion vice Brown (the old A.P.M.), the latter is a most excellent fellow and a great loss. He has a beautiful wound in his buttock from a bomb and it will be many months before he is right. Hart now commands the Wellington Battalion and Young from the Wellington Battalion commands the Auckland Battalion till Plugge returns. He is in England on two months extended sick leave. It is very amusing to read in the New Zealand papers these flowery accounts of the actions in which individuals have taken part. It is, needless to say, that in many cases they are very inaccurate. I think it is a dangerous custom for the press to publish them as they are doing without reserve, several giving a wrong impression and in many cases caused even injustice to individuals. As matters now stand any press correspondent in the ranks can apparently magnify or minify the outcome of certain units. They certainly ought to be censored before publishing in the press. I wonder whether you read the account in the New Zealand papers of the gallant stand made by Major Dawson and the 150 men of his Regiment. As an example, such a story never reached this office and is known to no-one here. If it had a semblance of truth in it the matter would have been reported officially. There are many others of a similar note. I wish the whole Division could be withdrawn from this area and given a chance of re-organising and rebuilding up somehow every two or three months. The authorities could not do better than send us to the beach every three or four months to recuperate etc. They would very much [indecipherable] printed memorandum on the existing state of affairs in the administration regarding the supply of reinforcements which is a [indecipherable] too of work. We require all the staff Corps Officers and permanent staff, non-comm. officers, Brigade Major, 1 L.H. Brigade you can spare. Why don't you send Barton, Matthews, Dyer,