THE BOY SCOUTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 330, 21 January 1911, Page 2

THE BOY SCOUTS.

GROWTH OF THE MOVEMENT. As indicating the phenomenal growth of the Coy Scout movement in | New Zealand, Lieut.-Col. Cosgrove, : Dominion Chief Scout, mentioned to a ! Christchurch reporter that it was only ■ two and a-half years ago—(hat the : first troop of Scouts wa3 formed, their i headquarters being at Kaiapoi. Soon ' afterwards a Christchurch troop was | established, and now' the number of i Boy Scouts in the Dominion 13 be- ! tv.een 9000 and 10,000 and 500 officers. The Girl Peace Scouts, he said, : were established in New Zealand in | September, 1908, and its ranks now | numbered 1500, and were rapidly increasing. The movement had exi ended to Tasmania, South Africa, | South Australia, and even America, | and he had received no less than six | inquiries for the book, "Peace Scoiit- | ing for Girls," from girl's educational i institutions in the States. The Peace i Scouts differed from the organisation ; known as the ;;irl guides inasmuch as i the guides were established for the i purpose of assisting ambulance soeie- | ties in the time of war, whereas ihe Scouts movement was more on social lines, teaching girls housework nursing and similar duties. The Peace Scouts were controlled by ladies, Lady Islington being the patroness in New Zealand, Lady Ward was also a great enthusiast, and was president of the ! Wellington Council. Other prominent | Jadies connected with tho organisation | were Lady Barron, of Tasmania, and i the Countess of Dudley, wife of the j Governor-General of the Common- ! wealth.