BOY SCOUTS’ CENSUS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1931, Page 5

BOY SCOUTS’ CENSUS

YEAR'S INCREASE OF 66,000. LONDON, January 20 Air Claude Fisher, the Press Officer of the Boy Scouts, writing in the “Daily Mail” says that a special effort was made to complete the Boy Scout census for 1930, before the Chief Scout left for New Zealand, and just before he sailed he was given the welcome news that Boy Scouts in the British Empire alone had increased by more than 66,000 during the year. The Empire Scouts now number 756,883, ~f whom 438,098 are in the United Kingdom, and 344-j are British Scouts in foreign countries. Lord Badeu-Powell said:—“l half-ex-pected. after the exceptional effort of the great Jamboree in 1929. that a reaction would set in. But ? on the eontrarv the zeal stimulated by that event has apparently led everyone to putforth extra efforts. We have looked hack only once during the war years, since 1908, when we numbered 21 all told. Scouting is a go-ahead game to be cheerily played, and not an abstruse sciene to he drearily studied.”

The increase in number of Scouts has been general throughout the country. Oulv three countries fail to .show an in crease Westmoreland and Cumberland West, which are down by 2 and 22 respectively, and Bristol with a decrease of 112. The County of London leads with an increase of 3661. South-east Lancashire is second with 2c*94 more, and The West Riding of Yorkshire third with 2391. Scotland shows rn increase of 4257. with a total of 53,159 Scottish Scouts. Wales has 16,078, an increase of 2220, Uulster with a total of 6029, shows a falling off of 310, but

the Irish Free State has increased by 415, with a total of 2071. In the British Empire overseas, there are 315,340 Scouts, an increase of 24,36?.