BOY SCOUTS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1926, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS

(Contributed.) One project for 1926 which has been kept in view by the Second Hokitika Troop ever since its formation two years ago, is that of so-called 11 Sea Scouting.” We say “so-called” lest nervous parents should conjure up visions of their precious ones being led into expeditions “ across the bar” into the perils of the wild Tasman Sen. As a matter of fact the majority of Sea Scouts work on inland or land-locked waters and in some cases have their headquarters hundreds of miles from the coast. The present idea is the formation of a patrol in the present troop, such

patrol to consist of hoys over fourteen and to specialise in swimming, seamanship and when proficient in actual heat work. There seems no doubt as to the boys being forthcoming but the scheme is held up for the present for want of an instructor who has actual experience afloat. The rules of the Boy Scouts ’ Association are quite rightly exceedingly strict in everything that concerns the safety pi the hoys and even if the present scoutmaster had time to devote in this special direction, a genuine salt-water sailor would still be required for the technical side. If there is anyone resident in the district who is intimate with the sea and boats, either as a profession or a hobby, here is a splendid opportunity for him to make his knowledge of real benefit to the State, for of aR branches of scouting, seamanship eomo s easily first as a means of character training in those directions of selfdiscipline, alertness and “grit” which seem to many of us sadly lacking among the youth of to-day. As a first step in the above direction all scouts of the Second Troop are being asked to devote themselves earnestly to improvement in swimming

practice during the remainder of the summer, and the coming week-end camps will ho used to make progress more definite. The following figures give the total cases of life-saving performed by seouts which have been reported to headquarters up to last May. Since a scout is taught to 11 vanish ” whenever possible after being of use, even this list is unlikely to be really exhaustive : Nine scouts have given up their lives in attempting to save the lives of others. One thousand and fifty-two lives have been saved from drowning by scouts. Fifty have been saved from fire by scouts.

One hundred and sixty-five run-awav horses have been stopped. Forty-two cases have been rewarded where scouts have given help to the police in difficult circumstances. Two hundred and forty-nine other cases of gallantry of various descriptions have also been reported.