BOY SCOUTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1924, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS.

(Contributed),* One is frequently* meeting the query of the interested outsider with regard to Boy Scouts:—“What do you do?” As a matter of fact the reply is- not so easy as it would appear. Scout activities are so varied atid : so much of; their value depends on small details of method as well as the underhung “Scout Spirit,”-that a bald outline of an afternoon’s or evening’s programme Would not often make interesting reading nor help in conveying an actual image of a scout meeting. But generally', and obviously, scouting is an affair of out-of-doors and’the “Club Boom” practices should really he viewed as preparation for open air scout. The Handbook states that “Scouts usually go about singly' or in pair's” and the boy who imagines he can learn scouting at his weekly troop meeting is likely to go a long time- before lie even discovers wlijt scouting involves. However, the following account of an afternoon in the open, written by a young Scout of the Harihari troop, seems to give a fair idea of a typical practice from the boys’ point of view:— Harihari, March 23rd, 1924. “Yesterday wo went for about a nine mile walk (so Mr Young said). We started at the Harihari public school and went Amt on to the riverbed via Petersen’s Boad. As soon as we found a suitable place to cook our dinner (which consisted of raw meat and potatoes) we lined up in our patrols and were sent oiT in pairs to cook it. When- dinner was finilised we had a clear up of the ground. We then gave one patrol two minutes to hide. When the two minutes were up Mr Young’s whistle sounded and off our patrol we.rfc in pursuit of the other. We played this until wo came to a nice sandy place where we measured our pace and stepped off 100 yards. Mr Young suggsted that we should have a swim, after which we measured the height of a tree and then continued' our journey' homo.” Six to a dozen of the Grcyniouth Scouts are expected over for the SI. George’s Day celebrations and .Jubilee and it' is hoped that Hairluiri and Ross will also he represented. .A number of judges, starters and timekeepers are needed for the sports portion of the programme. The latest news from Copenhagen seems to show that the International Jamboree to ho held there August 10-23rd (immediately after the imperial Jamboree at Wembley) will he a very big affair indeed. Official representative troops from each nation will compete for world championships in scouting, and Denmark being conveniently situated for most parts of Europe, it-is hoped that a very large number of Scouts from each country in addition to those “official” troops will he able to attend. -Most of those attending Wembley from Dominions and Colonies outside Europe will probably also take advantage of the specially cheap boat fares etc. to go on to this historical assemblage of the nations of to-morrow and at the same time visit some very interesting centres of New Zealand’s chief rival in the homo butter market.