DUNEDIN BOY SCOUTS

Evening Star, Issue 20312, 22 October 1929, Page 6

DUNEDIN BOY SCOUTS

ANNUAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATION Assistant-commissioner A. Martin presided ever a large attendance of Scouts and interested friends at the Dunedin Boy Scouts’ Association district headquarters, Rattray street, last evening, when the annual meeting of the association was held.. Mr P. R. Sargood and Dr Marshall Macdonald, representing the New Zealand Council, were aso present. A detailed statement of receipts and expenditure was presented by District Secretary T. D. B. Paterson, a credit balance of £l7l 10s 3d being shown for the year. District Scoutmaster A. Agnew submitted his annual report, which stated that the work of the troops in the district had been carried out in the usual efficient manner. Although, perhaps, there had not been an improvement numerically m the troops, there had been a marked increase in efficiency. The most outstanding event in the year had been the sending of a party of local Scouts to the Imperial Jamboree, and this step had given them an opportunity to show the public something of the aims and objects of the Scout movement. During the recent disastrous flood, great service was rendered those who were in trouble by the officers and Scouts in the district. During the year a new addition had been made to the ranks by the formation of a Sea Scout Troop at Macau drew Bay. under the leadership of District Scoutmaster P.erritt. The Mosgiei and Port Chalmers Troops, which werp for some time inactive, had again been opened, and were doing good work. In speaking to the report, Mr Saunders (a committeeman of the Woodhaugh Troop) asked why, in the recent annual competitions, the Woodhaugh Troop (which gained 95 points in the pioneering competition) was not awarded the cup attached to the competition. Another troop with 87 points had been awarded the trophy.—District Scoutmaster Agnew stated that the entry for the Woodhaugh Troop had not been forwarded to headquarters through an oversight on the part of the Scoutmaster in charge of that troop. This matter was not known to him (Mr Agnew) at the time the competition was in progress, otherwise the troop would not have been allowed to participate Some open discussion followed, until it was finally’ suggested by Dr Marshall Macdonald that as the boys had been allowed to compete, they "should be given some trophy in recognition of _ their having gained the highest points in the competition. They were to be congratulated on their excellent work. This suggestion was agreed to unanimously The Chairman stated that the year had been a very full one, and" lie thanked the various committees and scoutmasters for their interest and the good work they had done. The scoutmasters were sacrificing young men, but there were not too many of them. After spending a great deal of time and labouring to send the boys away to the jamboree, the committees wore still working for the advancement of their troops, and he was sure the movement was definitely moving forward. He thanked all who had assisted him in his duties, and said that lie was delighted with the work done. He felt convinced that next year would be most successful, and that if the whole-hearted support of the committees was given as it had been in past years the movement would continue to become stronger and more farreaching in its work of moulding the characters of future citizens.

Mr P. R. Sargood said he was very pleased to hear of the forward .stops of the movement in Otago. The splendid loyalty to the movement, as shown at several Scout meetings ho had attended, had impressed him, and lie was sure the spirit behind the movement would remain at a very high level. Dr Marshall Macdonald congratulated the association on the success, of the year’s activities There had boon one thing which had struck him at a recent combined demonstration, and that was, he regretted to state, that the Girl Guides marched much more smartly than did the Boy Scouts. The girls put more into their marching, hub the boys were more at home with their Scout work, which they did perlectly. There was no reason why the boys should not be as good at marching as the girls, and he hoped more attention would be paid to this branch of the work Cubmastc-r D. A. Gridgcman, reporting on the activities for the year, stated that the movement was forging ahead and now close on 400 cubs were enrolled. During the year good work had been done, and two more packs, one at Anderson’s Bay and the other at Macandrew Bay, had been formed. Regarding the proposed change in district grouping, the District Scoutmaster stated that it was suggested that in future the district bo divided into two groups, which, again, would lie divided into two sub-groups. Under the now system of grouping, he explained that it was thought better results would be obtained, as the groups would bo smaller and therefore more easily controlled. District Scoutmaster Perritt placed before the meeting the question of making further use of the association’s room, stating that the matter of using it as a social room for three nights a week (under the supervision of a suitable superintendents had been fully discussed by a sub-committee. It was suggested that subscriptions of 2s 6d, ■ss, and 7s6dbo charged, the subscriptions varying according to age. Already £5 had been promised towards the cost of the purchasing of a billiard table. Ho suggested that the room be kept open in tbe middle of the day as a luncheon room for Scouts attending city schools. Ex-Scoutmaster Holderness strongly supported the suggestion, and it was eventually decided that the matter be considered by tbe various troop committees, and that a meeting be field in a month’s time to discuss the matter. Assistant-commissioner Martin stated that the local representatives at the Imperial Jamboree would soon lie returning home, and it had practically been decided to combine a social to the 'oys with the annual Christmas partv. District Secretary Paterson, in givng a census of the district, stated hat the number of Scouts at present on the rolls was 359. a decrease of nine as compared with the figures of tho previous year. The number of cubs enrolled during the past year was 430, an increase of fifty over the figures for the previous year. The total enrolments for the year amounted to 891, or an increase of forty-ono over the figures for the previous year.