BOY SCOUTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 245, 17 October 1933, Page 12

BOY SCOUTS.

CHURCH TROOPS.

ANGLICAN COUNCIL'S VIEW. REPLY TO MR. HOLDSWORTH. Tho following statement lias been made by the Diocesan Youth Council in reply to a statement by Mr. W. J. Holdsworth, Auckland metropolitan district commissioner of the Boy Scouts Association: —■ "In view of the f#ict that Mr. IToklswortli has criticised' Archbishop Averill's statement of the Church's position in regard to scouting, tho Diocesan Youth Council feels it necessary to make public. the circumstances which have led the Church to take a definite stand in relation to the JScout movement. "The council, after careful examination of past and present experience, came to tho conclusion that the 'controlled' troop as defined in the ID3:J handbook, is the only satisfactory method of conducting scouting in connection with the Church. A deputation was appointed to wait on the metropolitan commissioner to discover whether the headquarters executive would be sympathetic toward the formation of controlled troops as part of the youth work in our parishes, where it is desired to establish troops. " Definite Opposition." "The proposal met with delinite opposition from tho commissioner, with the accusation of narrow-mindedness, in spito of the fact thai we were asking for what has been laid down by the Scouting authorities in the 1033 policy, rules and organisation, as the result of experience; and for what has some time since been conceded to other branches of the Church in New Zealand. However, the commissioner was good enough to say that he would put the matter before his executive, and a letter embodying our proposals was sent by tho secretary of the Diocesan Youth Council. We have since been advised that the Scouts' executive council viewed favourably the points raised in our letter, but unfortunately the reply was not received till three months later, too late for consideration in the completion of our report.

"Just Cause For Complaint." "The commissioner's statement, 'Our regulations have always permitted churches to have their own controlled troops, , does not alter' the fact that there has been a distinct and hampering prejudice on the part of the Scouting authorities in Auckland to the formation of controlled troops, limited to boys of the church concerned. This, together with, the fact • that the religious policy laid down for 'open , troops has not been carried out in many cases, has given us just cause for complaint. "In the period from 1912 to 1922 the Church of England organised her own troops—as in other parts of the world —■ in the Auckland diocese with outstanding success. There were 31 troops with nearly 1000 hoys. Solely for the purpose of assisting the reorganisation of Scouting generally, in 1922 the Diocesan District Association agreed, at the request of the chief commissioner, to the suspension of the Diocesan Association. "We have yet to learn which groups controlled by the Church of England 'havo been dying out for lack of practical support by the controlling authority. 5 However, we are very glad to learn that Scouting authorities in Auckland are anxious to co-operate."