SCOUT MOVEMENT IN N.Z.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 55, 27 November 1937, Page 6

SCOUT MOVEMENT IN N.Z.

-Presi Association )

Decline Reported at Annual • Council Meeting ? "" » LORD GALWAY'S PRAISE

(By Telefirtpb-

WELLINGTON, L^st Night. "I feel very strongly the importanee of ihe movement and howessential it is ia tlie trailiing of otir boys to become good citizens of Ihe future," sald the Ghief Scout, tlie Governor-General, "Viscount Galway, at the annual meeting of the Dominion Council of the Boy Scouts ' Association of New Zealand at Wellington to-day. There was no training so fine as scouting for fieveloping the attributes of good citizenship, self-diseipline and sympathy with fhose in need of help, continued Lord Galway. He commended the suggestion that scouts should be boys of the open air^ boys of the sea, the hills, and the countryside. Should Staud On Own Feet. ffjg Excellency expressed confidence that the public" would give xeady support to those who had at heart the training of the country 's youth in such a worthy cause, and said he would be delighted to do anything to encourage the movement, and he promised he would do Ms best to visit scout eamps in the Dominion. "There is no doubt that the boy of to-day does not 'fall for' scouting, or indeed any. other organisation of selfeducation and discipline, as he did TO years ago," said the Dominion Chief " Commissioner, Mr H. Christie, in his annnal reuort.

* 'The changed circumstances and outlook of many families during the depression apgravated the position. Experienced' leaders will tell you that a few years • ago it was sufficient to1 organise an outing camp or hike,. and. the boys would revel in the opportunity Of personal adventure. • To-day there is a distinct tendency on the part of youth to require to be. entettained xather than to adventure himself. Over-Organising Youth.

••Edacationists have poihted to-the^ grave danger of over-organising tho' ' spare time of youth, 'to- the. extent that he will ultiinately require to have his life completely ordered for him. and be ht a "loose-end' when thrown on his own resources. „ ' 4 To-day we find our outdoor Saturday expeditions and week-end camps elashing repeatedly with. sehool team games. and our , week . night meetings ' stmggiing to* squeeze in ah hour Or two between home-work lessons. ' The "latter difficulty is very xeal in the case 'of a most important personage — the patrol leader— ideally a boy - of three or • f our years-' scouting experienee and' of . the age of 15 to 16. Scoutmasters aTe loath to persuade these boys to carry on the important 'job • of leading their younger brothers, In view of the prevalence of , home-work and night classes, wliich today " appear so .vital to the boy- of 15 if he is to start out on a successful. career. ' '

Mr Christie said that considerable attention had recently been focussed on the indications of declimng population and falling birth-rate revealed by- tho pnblication of the 1936 census returns. These tendencies were naturally of iuterest to youth organisations which would feel the effects . comparatively soon. On exanrining the census figures it was "f ound" that the total of 11 to •16-year-old "boys eligible -for memoership of scout- troops to-day was 83.000. 3in six years' time it would be about 78.000, but the most appreciable deeline would not.be felt for 1'2 years,. _wheu the population eligible for Scouts would have dxopped to 70,000. Seasons for the Decline. "The reasons for the decline in our numbers, the effect of the infantile paralysls epidemic, the over-supply of xeady-made amusements and the overorganisation of the boy's 'spare' timo, may be to a large extent beyoud our eontrol, ' ' continued. Mr CUru-tie. "V/e can, however, do mueh to counteract the modern tendencies by extending the training of our ieaders and by reenthusing the . men and women in the movemeut. "As the years pass by scouting beconies more and more a movement of the greatest importanee in the development of our youth along the jight lines. On. every hand we see evidence of the effect of this training on our men and boys, and we can with certainty say that we are engaged in a work wliich has no equal in character building aud whieh is of vital necessity to our dav and generation," continued Mr Christie. In April this year it had been deeided to move the lieadquarters of the association from Christchurch to Wellington, and this move had forced "the reorganisation oi scouting in New Zealand. "We soon came to the conclusioh that one of our biggest troubles was laek of personal contaet,". said Mr Christie, expressing the opinion that the rnoney subscribed b5r the public should be spent in maintaining direct contact with the boys rather than in lieadquarters staff. It was hoped bci'ore long to send out from headquarters a man who was qualified to teach scouting to the Ieaders of the movement. Commissioner J. Ib H. Coohsey was prepared to make the sacrifiee of giving up Ma farm and devoting himself to this work. The council had also seciired in Wellington a group of enthusiastie officers who were willing to do the administrative work witliout payment.

Euilds up Good Citizens. "The scouting movemeut is oue of the best to wMch oue can lend one's help," said Sir James Grose. "It teaches boys discipline, loyalty> courage, thrift, honesty, uprigh'tness and good character. By building up the boys physieally it enables them to take care of themselves and tbey become self-respectful— and being self-respeet-ful . they become respectful to others and a credit to the nation." Commissioner Tt. P. Ward, Hamilton, tirged thqj need for extending the benefits of scouting, to crippled boys, statingjpiat a scoutmaster; atfceade^ aa

land home for cripples once a week, with great success. Mr JEL. Amos, Wellington, suggested that the executive should devise a scheme whereby each scout troop would assist financially both district and national headquarters. In a sea-girt country like New Zealand more attention should be given to sea scouts, said Commissioner S. Johnston,- Nelson. The weak iink in the scouting movement was that qualified scouters cduld not be obtained to take up the work, said Commissioner C. E. Richards, Central Otago. He urged that the council should concentrate on building up finance to provide schools wh ere seouters could.be properly trained to teach the bojB, ..