TRAINING BOYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 6, 8 January 1934, Page 5

TRAINING BOYS.

PUTARURU FARM.

SALVATION ARMY WORK,

QUIET EFFICIENCY.

! Off the beaten track at Waotu, near Putaruru; the Salvation Army is carrying out a work little known to New Zealanders. This is a training farm and school, which is a most successful venture of no email importance to the country. The institution, which is for orphan boys, has been in operation since 1920. For some time it also accommodated emigrant boys from Great Britain. The visitor is impressed by the size and modernity of the hostel, by the order and signs of efficiency to be seen everywhere, and by the institution's self-sufficiency . and detachment from the reet of the world. The farm's 2350 acres supply most of the wants of the inhabitants, for every foot of land seems to be utilised. Hodderville Home. The Hodderville Home —the main block of buildings, named after Com- j missionor Henry Hodder —contains dor-! mitoriee, living rooms, accommodation for the officers, a dining room and kitchen. The Army buys ite groceries in bulk, and stores them in a separate building, and supplies are issued from time to time. Lining a ehelf in the pantry are many kerosene tins of jam from the gooseberries on the farm. The dining room, with its long tables,- is a marvel of cleanliness, and many housewives would envy the polish on the spotless floor. Over the fireplace ie a carved motto, "Be true," a simple and solid text for the character of the boys. The dormitories are airy, clean and healthy. The beds are made of timber from the Waotu bush, and were constructed at the farm. For the officers, pleasant living rooms and comfortable bedrooms are provided. In a separate building is a meeting place and sports room.

At one time need as the home for emigrant boys from the Old Country, the Williams Home, a short distance from the main block, is now quartering those who have completed their training and who will enter employment. I A garden, of about one acre, beauti- ! fully kept and tilled, provides the vegetable needs of the establishment. There are three milking sheds, two hand and one machine—an eight-cow plant. One hand shed, recently erected, is a model | of its kind. The hand milking, done by I the boys, is excellent training. Cows, Sheep, Potatoes. The farm is working up a herd of pure Jerseys. The boys are assigned their particular cows, and competition ie keen in their herd-testing and in keeping their cows in milk the longest. The farm also carries 15,000 sheep. Up-to-date pens and circular dip put through 1000 sheep a day when dipping commences. Work on a woolshed has I recently been completed, and the instiI tution has sent 17 bales to Auckland for the coming January sale. Another product of the form is the potato. More j than £350 was returned from the sale of potatoes last year. j The school, which ie in the main I attended by boys from the farm, and j which has been lent to the education authorities, trains the young farmers j in the various primary school subjects, j The children are sturdy, brown young Xew Zealanders, whose ready smiles bear testimony to the good work of the Army. ' In a nearby workshop they are taught to use their hands and the tools. The officers believe that farmers want boys who can do necessary odd jobs. : The -results of the young carpenters' i labours are to be seen in toys, which i are sold, the funds from which provide their makers with sporte gear. .The boys do all the work of the farm under supervision, changing duties about once a month or six weeks. Certain boys ar.e detailed for work in the washhouse, the kitchen, the house and the yard, while fthere are on the farm work. The number boarding has dropped recently, and now is about 67. There is accommodation for 85. After-care of Boys. When a boy goes out to a situation the Army guards him, through, its aftercare department. The boy receives a certain amount of hie wages as pocket money, and the remainder ie deposited

to liis credit. The officers endeavour to see each boy at least twice a year, and he is invited to return for a reunion when he has his annual leave. The farm is staffed by the Salvation Army officers, who fill "the role of guide*, philosophers and friends to their charges. The officers are: —Manager Major Fitness; . sub-managers, Ensign Buckingham and Commandant Sawyer; Adjutant Grice is in charge of the Williams Home. The orphanage is cumtrolled by Adjutant Bower and Captain O'Keefe. The indoor work is the res pun sibility of four women officers, Ensign Hill, Captains Irvine, Baker and French