THE "SCOUT" SPIRIT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1042, 3 February 1911, Page 6

THE "SCOUT" SPIRIT.

NEW REQUIREMENTS. ■ (By Tclosrapli.—Special Correspondent.) Christchurch, February 2. .Now that all boys between fourteen and eighteen years of age have to serve in the cadets under the new Defence scheme for the Dominion, tho leaders of tho boy scout movement are endeavouring .to evolve a plan by which, while complying with the new Defence Act, the boys may preserve, their identity as. Scouts- and -avoid being swallowed up in the Territorials. At the annual, meeting of Christchurch Scoutmasters to-night, a .letter on tho subject from the.Rev. F. Dunnage, of Halswell, was ' read,. dealing with the relation'of tho Scouts to the senior cadet?. He said that-tho first question was: Should, the Scouts abandon their position as a purely civil organisation? • If- the executive desired to take part in tho 'cadet'', movement (possibly the: wisest course), then what action should. .bo taken? It would be best.to avoid as far as possible a mixed company containing Boy Scouts and' thoso who were not Scouts. Let all the, boys in. and about Christchurch work together to form ono or two, or more, companies of cadets who would be Boy Scouts'as well. The sooner the organisation of this was'completed the tetter, so that when tho proclamations- for enrolment were issued, the Department could at once be told thfire. were one or two companies already or-ganised.-Tile advantages to be gained by- ,this, if participation in the cadet -movement was decided', on,, wero obvious. • Then these companies, as the older , members passed out into Territorials, should bo recruited only from the Junior' Scouts. This would, keep up'the supply of younger .boys, and the cadet companies would contain boys rilled with the "scout" spirit. The writer also saw Major-General Godley privately about the importance of providing chaplains at all cadet camps, and he (Mr. Dunnage) thought that in' time the chaplains' department of .tho defence forces would be better organised. He concluded by stating, that at first lie thought the cadet movement would be the destruction of the. scout movement, but he was now inclined to think it might, bo made to strengthen it in no small degree.

■ The meeting decided that scoutmasters bo strongly recommended to put the matter before tho boys and urge them to give in their names personally as members "of the suggested . scout cadet companies.

The chairman stated that 'Major-Gen-eral GocHey, liad informed him that Hie scouts over 11 would have to put in G3 hours in camp as cadets, and could do their scout work independently of that. Major-Gencral Godley said that the more scout, cadets that wero provided the better .he would be pleased. The Commandant, who was a personal friend of-Jlajor-General Baden-Powell,' expressed great sympathy with the. scout movement.