SCOUTS FOR WORLD JAMBOREE

Chronicle (Levin), 2 May 1947, Page 4

SCOUTS FOR WORLD JAMBOREE

N.Z. PARTY LEAVES ON I WEDNESDAY i

Wheri the S.S. Rangitata leaVes Wellington for England 011 Wedhesday it will carry among its - eomplement of passerigerS, 250 Boy Scouts who will form the New Zealand contingent for France and will take its place among the 40 other .nations represented at the sixth World Scout Jamboree. Three of tnose Who will be included ori the embarkation list, will be Masters Stan SMalli,' Brian Allwood and Trevbr Hudson, of Levin, . ; Each tscout wishing to atterid \ the "jamboree has had to find £285 1 to cover expenses and in addttion to the opening of a "public sribscriptiori list, the' local scot^fS trdup has had concerts, street drives and social. evenirigs to heip raise ihe money to send_ itS representatiVes. Ptiblic or'gariisatidns have . also responded very well. New Zealand scouts have beeh especially taught in Maori hanclcrafts and customs and each will be' equipped with a Maori mat and Maori weapons as well as being fa-miliar with ' Maori hakas , ahd songs. Their encampment will be set out on the liries- of a Maori Pa ancf it is hoped to have ail the tehts erected with barge boards around the fronts similar to those ori. Maori meeting houses. These wiil either be carved or painted with Maori designs, to give the ericampment a national aspect. The Dominion contingent will be under the leadership of Sir JoSeph Ward, County 'Ciommissioner for Canterbury. His graridfather, the original Sir Jpseph Ward, was at one time Prime Minister of New Zealarid and the first patron of this association. August 9 is set down as the opening date of the jamboree and ori August 20 it will conclude. However,- the cost of £285 per head of every boy in the New Zealand contingent takes into account tours in the United Kingdom and France eight weeks bef ore the jamboree and four weeks after it, as well as covering all travellingarid living expenses and allowing about £20 for pocket moriey, During' the voyage it ls hdped to ensure that each boy's SChooling proceeds as if he were at home., Special masters are being provided by the education department and school hours or their equivalent will be observed subject to their fitting iri With shipboard life.

Loeation of Gamp The site for the fcamp is about 50 miles from Paris on a great bend in the river Seine. It is on a plateau sloping down to the little village of Moisson; heathland with oaks, birehes and. pines. Part of it was cleared during the war by uhe Germans and used as a practice bombing range. The camp occupies 1850 acres ahd will havfe its own hospital equipped with 200 beds, a surgical ward and dental room. To bring first aid even closer to the scouts a nurse will be on duty at each sub-camp at all hours. It is reported that all contingents will be divided into trdops of 35, and each troop will be illotted - an area of 75 square metres on which to camp. They will -take their own tents and cooking utensils, but food arid wood will be supplied on the spot. There will be 15 sub-camps connected by broad averiues and providing easy access to the arena, ' the theatre, the cariipfire Circle and also the mafket place With its restaurants,' exchange, offices of the travel agencies and shops. Sightseeing Arrangements The many and varifed sites visited by the scouts during their rightseeing tours of France have ' been arranged by the jamboree authorities to include many not covered by the average tourists sxplorations. Long before the visiting scouts go into camp they Will be "acclimatised" by sightseeing trips to places of historical hiterest. Within the border of the camp an elaborate exhibition ; depicting the various modes and characteristics of France has Been built and visiting scouts will ; be able to obtaih any informatiori , they desire on places they havfe visited on their tours. Can France Feed 50,000 Scouts? Why is France, a country far ffom recovered from the ravages of war, playing host to 50,000 Boy Scouts? This is a question that has be'en perplexihg the minds of many people since the announcement that the sixth World _ Jamboree was to be held iri France and that -among those in attendance will be 250 scouts and scouters from well-fed New Zealand. This question is best answered by an official " statement issued by fche Boy Scouts' Association. "Although there iS ho ddubt l.hat the French ^Government leaders are being instrumerital in msuring the success of the World Jamboree, their action is. riot without a view to ^ the WSlfare of France," the statement says: "To bring before every Visitirig scout a true conception of the greatness of Ffarice, . cost and national self-sacrifice will not be spared. it ls the earnest desire of the Frerich Goverhmerit and SCotit movements, that in each foreign scout attending the 1947 jamboree 'La France' will have an ally — a true defehder of her hame whose patriotism has beeri won by a deeper understanding of his nation host." The varied tastes and culifiary dustoms of each contifigent niade the question of the country's ability to satisfy the appetites of

50,000 scouts. even more involved arid J| Was not- until the Ministry 6'f Fdod had promised support that any hope for a solution td the problem was held.- To over-:-eome the complicatiohs pf fdod contro! caused -by the varted diets of individual nations two menus were pfe'paFe'd arid this pfovision allows for a selectiori, according to the contingent's' taste, betwecri Ihe .French menu and the AngloSaxori menu, Diities of tRe Ffelidh Hosts v For etery bpy iriteridfhg to be preserit , at Mdisson in AUgiist the jamboree will prove the ultimate climax of a scouting dareer : yetfew among them have more rightly deserved the hdriour of such a privilege than the many Frerich Scouts Who are to carry the burden .before and after the caiftp. Their chity as hosts fp thousands of scouts has already begun and the elder boys are tak-' irig iessdns in the langtiages that wilf pfeddmiiiatd' • at Moisson,' English, apdft from French will lead easily from German and Spanish. This intemafionai aspect of the World . Jamboree . will help to. ; estabiish further the cause' of world peace and reflects credit on all those whose efforts will make possible the eventual despatch of the New Zealarid Scout contingent for FrariCe.