TRAINING BOYS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 121, 18 November 1931, Page 8

TRAINING BOYS

FLOCK HOUSE STATION

FUTURE OF THE SCHEME

OPINION OF TRUSTEES

.•Reference to the future of Hock House was made at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Sheep ; Owners' Acknowledgment of Debt to British Seamen Fund yesterday. It was,stated that within six months the last batch of boys would finish their training, and that then the future of Flock House would have tb.be dcci'ledl:V .;.'

In moving the adoption of the report, particulars or which have' been published in "Tho Post," Mr. Edward Newman, C.M.G., chairman of trustees, referred to' a report that the Government was considering taking over Flock House, and said that ho thought that tho Minister of Finance must ' have been under some misapprehension. No such suggestion had come before the trustees; there had bee*, no suggestion of selling Flock House Station to thg Government or anyone ' else. Tho opinion had been expressed that, .now that no more boys were .coming out, if would be a great misfortune if Flock House Station was not utilised for the tuition of New Zealand boya who desired to becomo farmers. Flock.House possessed tho accommodation, plant, and a trained staff, and the schemo, had undoubtedly been a uccess. Tho settling of Flock House boys on tho land, one of tho objectives of the scheme, was causing some anxiety, said Mr. Newman. Some boys wero taking up small farms, but the trustees hoped to get a- block of land which would tako a number of boys. The traly hope of Flock House being continued as a training place for young farmers was for somo effort to be made by the Minister of Unemployment and tho returned soldiers. Tho trustees had notified that they were willing to do all they could, provided their fund was not touched. Ho hoped that somo scheme would bo evolved, especially for soldiers' sons. Speaking personally, he would welcome any suggestion that the Government had to make so long as it would lead to Flock House as a training for .boys. Referring to criticism that had been made against the scheme, Mr. Newman quoted from the annual report'showing that since tho commencement of the operations of tho fund in 1921, £27,330 represented cash grants to beneficiaries in .New Zealand, and £32,964 represented grants to London beneficiaries, making a-total of £60,301. That showed that the money had been distributed fairly evenly. Another criticism had been that the trustees had not been carrying out the original intention of tho subscribers. When he had pressed for an explanation, it had resolved into a gqneral statement that not enough was being done for the Navy, for .instance. The past year had been extremely difficult, but they had reason to be thankful for the measure of success that' had attended their efforts. The first object was' not to make money, but to carry out the purpose for which the scheme was originally created. A credit balance of £1881 was'shown on the year's operations. Mr. Newman paid a tribute to the work of Mr. T. R. Lees, the managing . trustee;- Colonel Powles,-the principal, and the staff. "THE HARDEST TEST." In seconding' the motion Mr. Lees said that no organisation like Flock ■House not founded on the "soundest lines, could possibly havo survived the last two years of distress and difficulty to tho farming community.- Those years had been the harshest test'to which any scheme of training and settlement of youth on the land could be subjected. The report had shown that not only had they been able to keep their boys and girls in employment on tho land, without help from the State,. and' that that'they had increased tho aggregate amount of their savings - and other assets, but the scheme had been able to find remunerative employment on the land for all the trainees-whohad finished their initial training at Flock. House during the past two years. Applications for boys in sight showed .also that thore was no danger for the future. "This result speaks sufficiently for the sound system of training," he said, "but more particularly for the anxious care and attention which \ has been given to the welfare,of tho young people after they have gone out to first employment.

"I wish to speak now on the offer to take New Zealand boys into Flock House," ho said. "I desire to mako it perfectly clear that this, decision has been- made by the trustees solely becauso of the economic conditions in the Dominion,' which demand that proper facilities - for , farm training shall ba given to our own Now Zealand youth. Thore are still a considerable number of boys in' Great Britain .who come within the constitution of our trust, and who wish to come to New Zealand. Some had already been selected and havo been compensated by the trustees when it was decided to ceaSe immigration for the time being. " . - " - Mr. Lees read a letter from Mr. W. Banks Amery, secretary for the British Overseas Settlement Department in London,, in which,ho expressed regret at the trustees'''decision: .Mr. Amery suggested making' Flock House an Imperial organisation if the present offer of the trustees was not availed of. "The position, thus, is that if it.is not possible for thoso in authority to take advantage of the offer of our organisation to assist New Zealand boys, the''trustees .will feel free, if they so desire, to revert to their system of bringing out and giving initial farm training and after care to boys from Great Britain," said Mr. Lees. Tho report was adopted. Mr. Newman was re-elected chairman of trustees.