HELPING THE BOYS A FLOURISHING INSTITUTE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1914, Page 2

HELPING THE BOYS A FLOURISHING INSTITUTE.

A cheerful survey of the past year and a bright outlook for the coming period aTo the keynotes of the annual report of tho Wellington Boys' _ Institute. It is to be presented .-it tho annual meeting, to be held to-morrow evening. The institute is supported by voluntary subscriptions from phila-iithropir men and women for the all-round development of the boy, and the report indicates Iho results that have been achioved during the last year. Religious, educational, and social activities provido for the mental development of the_ boys attending the institute ; and their bodi>y welfare is guarded by the la-l'ge and fnet-growing physical department and by the Cadet Corps. In all of theßC departments and their subdivisions good progress is recorded, and the Committee of Management sums up its experience for the year in the statement :-— "The year has been a very happy one, and wo ran" feel that gradually the moulding is being carried out, and that mosit. of the boys are unconsciously choosing a higher path than that which their environments and natural desires would provide. When we see that the institute' is helping the boys to ma-ko the best of themselves, we can truly say that we are making men." Three hundren boys come under the influence of the institute ', and the average weeknight attendances for the year was thirty. The religious classes were attended by about one hundred boys, the actual attendances ranging from six to fifty. The usefulness of the educational department was shown by the fact that several boys gained proficiency or competency certificates under examination by the Education Board's inspectors. The conclusion of the report is that, though the work was interrupted somewhat by the carnival for the building fund, and by the industrial trouble in November the year's work showed decided results to those who come in contact with the boys. Many of them had been assisted into positions, though a difficulty was found in getting boys of the city to take up country work. Through, the unselfish efforts of the inj structors who acted much as big broi thers on behalf of the lads, tho supervision in the classes and clubs was without i doubt doing much to develop boys and ito produce all-round men. There was as much nee^l for the institute's work as ever, and the year 1914 gave promise of being a most successful one. I The year's income was £307 9s 9d, and provided a balance, over expenditure, of £1 13s 6d. The statement of assets and liabilities shows the former total £5493 14s Bd, small liabilities leaving a balance of £5404 16s lid. The institute obtained a profit of £2004 3s lid from its pageant and bazaar; and holds £5870 16s 6d on account of its extension fund, raised in 1910-12.