SCOUT NOTES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21400, 16 February 1935, Page 18

SCOUT NOTES

[ISSUED FROM METROPOLITAN HIADQUARTXKB.] Addington Rovers The annual meeting of the crew took place on Tuesday, February 12. The rovers who attended the jamboree were present and handed over to the crew for safe keeping in the den, a message from his Majesty the King presented by the Chief Scout to every scout attending the jamboree, and framed copies of the Dominion Chief Scout's letter to all members of the contingent. These will be preserved in the rover den, together with an address which was presented to them before leaving for the jamboree, containing the signatures of the New Zealand contingent headquarters staff commissioners, alcel a leader at Newcastle, New South Wales, the camp chief at Pennant Hills, New South Wales, a member of Lord Baden-Powell's own rover crew at Pennant Hills, a scoutmaster from Hong Kong, a rover from the back country of Western Australia, the assistant sub-camp (No. 5) chief at the jamboree, and a British rover in Paris. This interesting record can be seen at the Addington rover den. Philatelic Society Evening The Philatelic Society kindly offered to provide an evening's entertainment for scouts on Thursday, February 7. Amongst the scout officers who atended were the Metropolitan Commissioner, Commissioners Furby, Crampton, Tidswell, and Assistant-Scoutmasters L. J. Furby and P. Warner. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, M.L.C., was also present. The attendance of scouts was frankly disappointing, although the North Beach Group were there in full force. Among the exhibits were specimens of the well-known Mafeking Seige stamps and sets of Rumanian stamps, in which King Carol appears in boy scout uniform. The boy scout movement is also featured on, sets of stamps issued by France and Switzerland. Interesting papers were read by Messrs Vernazoni and Collins, and Mr Collins, a former scoutmaster—afterwards conducted a Kim's observation game for which the prize was 10s worth Of foreign stamps. A number of exhibits of new stamps from foreign countries was passed round for inspection by the society's members and the scouts. Supper was then served, after which a motion of thanks was moved by an Australian visitor from Sydney. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Furby, who remarked that it was rather a coincidence that two of the staff of the British Forces responsible for the defence of Mafeking were at present in New, Zealand, namely, Lord Baden-Powell and General Sir

Alexander Godley, \yho was on his staff. He considered .that a fine opportunity had been lost at the jamboree through not having a special set of stamps struck to commemorate the first international jamboree held in a British Dominion south of the line. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, who is an enthusiastic stamp collector, expressed his appreciation of the very interesting evening, and hoped that he would have the opportunity of attending similar gatherings in future. The Metropolitan Commissioner also thanked the members of the society for the effort they had made on behalf of the scouts. Boy Scout Finance It was interesting to read in "The Press" this week that in Canada a drive organised by the Governor-Gen-eral had been conducted on behalf of the boy scouts with a view to collecting 250,000 dollars. Scouts in New Zealand when they read of the great sums subscribed elsewhere on behalf of the movement, cannot help feeling somewhat envious. In England the boy scouts form a corporation, and more than £70,000 is invested in various gilt-edged securities. They have a permanent camping ground which ig known as Gilwell Park, completely fitted up for all those who wish to go through courses of training. In Australia the New South Wales Government voted £IO,OOO for the scout movement, and provided a large area of land known as Pennant Hills, for a permanent camp. In America the public subscribes freely to the scout funds. In Los Angeles alone the community fund contributes 50,000 dollars a year. All this must metaphorically make our mouths water, because in Canterbury we are ' exceedingly hard up. We have a capital of about £2O, which was obtained partly by subscriptions and partly by a levy of Is a head on all scouts and cubs. We have a small office for which we pay 5s a week, and we cannot afford a secretary. When we read of these vast sums available for scouting elsewhere, of the large paid staffs in America and in Australia, we sometimes wonder how we carry on at all; yet we do, and shall no doubt continue to; but if some Count of Monte Cristo would endow us with a few thousand pounds there are ways in which we could make good use of the money. We badly need a permanent camping ground properly fitted up so that scouts who wish to go in for a training course need not cumber themselves by bringing in their gear. We would like to have a permanent paid training officer; we would like to have a scout hall as in Dunedin, where scouts could hold their meetings both for training purposes and for social gatherings. We would like to be able to afford a paid secretary as in other districts. All these things would make for the! efficiency of the movement and would not in any way pamper the scouts. We do not suppose that any; sudden

windfall is likely to occur to us; but if it does come we shall know what to do with it.) Meanwhile we shall carry on and shall show in our finances that both ends will meet at the end of the year, although our expenditure must necessarily be very small.