SAILORS' HOSTELS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 72, 26 March 1934, Page 10

SAILORS' HOSTELS

FLOCK HOUSE MONEY '

SERVICES OF SEAMEN

The suggestion that part of the money subscribed as an acknowledgment of the services of British seamen in the war, and out of which the Flock House scheme emerged, might beused for establishing hostels for seamen at Wellington and Dunedin, was made at a meeting/of the Wellington War Relief Association today. A report was presented- from the Flock House Central. Committee in which it was stated:— ': 'I The scheme to provide agricultural training ' and subsequent ■ employment for soldiers' sons was accepted by "a conference held at Flock House oh Febru-ary-24, 1932, Sir Andrew Eussell presiding.; It was then decided to establish a' central committee to co-ordi-nate the 75 returned soldiers; associations and the 57 war relief associations within the Dominion. . "The maximum capacity .of .Flock House is 90 lads per annum. The coordinated effort of the interested bodies was responsible . for the .admission of 84 boys in "the. first year, "and 65 during- the second year—probably to be increased to 70. prior to Match 31, 1934: There was an unfortunate, delay, lasting three months, in reinstating, the. Government subsidy for:the second,year of the scheme, and this is largely, responsible :for the reduction in the-number of trainees dispatched • during .that year. The position to date is that.in,a period of .two years,: when, subnormal.financial conditions obtained generally, the. bodies interested in the scheme- hayo succeeded- in-sending 154 soldiers' sonsrepresenting 86 per cent. jof. the- maximum total—-to ITock . Hfluse;. laid the whole of the work has;been\doneVby all concerned, gratuitously." *. The report of the -Wellington; .F.lock House Committee : (which is composed in equal numbers of the' Wellington Returned Soldiers' and the War Relief Association) stated that during the first' year twelves,- soldiers' sons in the * city 'and ■ suburbs,;-who were sent to • Flock House,: "were now employed by ; selected farmers, and were' receiving from 17s 6d ; a week to 12s 6d a week and'found. One-half of their wages was paid to. the trustees of Flock House, who in-eadh case had established a trust account in. the Post Qffice'.Savings Bank-, to. which had. been credited the amounts received, less the premium : paid by the trustees in respect of a life insuranco policy" effected for them. During the current year twenty-one boys had been sent to Flock House. . The gross cost-per boy was £54 14s lid. The ttet- cost was £22 7s lid, less any contribution made by the parents. In the Wellington provincial district, no fewer than forty-three soldiers' sons had been sent to Flock House. ■ . The chairman. (Mr. L.O. H. Tripp) explained that originally the fund was established ■as an acknowledgment of debt to British seamen. As; the claims under that head came to an end here, a scheme, was: adopted to provide agricultural training, and subsbequent employment, for soldiers' sons.: Mr. C. S. Falconer remarked;that the fund was raised as an ae'knowledg-, ment of the services of the mercantile marine in the war, and seemg -that "the trustees might.not,now be able to use it for the benefit of the dependants of sailors, part of the fund might appropriately be used, he thought, for the erection of hostels for seamen at Wellington and Dunedin. Ther^e* were such hostels at Auckland and Christchurch. .-..■- The chairman said that the trustees must, of course, carry out the terms of the trust. He paid a tribute to the tact and ability of the officer-in-charge of Flock House. ■ ■ The reports of the Flock House committees were adopted. .-..'■'.