BOYS FOR FARMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 November 1934, Page 5

BOYS FOR FARMS

AUCKLAND'S NEW SCHEME. [PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, November 15. A scheme for training boys as farmers and providing them with some capital at the end of their period of training was launched, to-day, by the Auckland Boys’ Employment Committee. The Unemployment Board will co-operate in the scheme financially and otherwise. For the time being the plan will be limited to 25 boys, at the suggestion of the Unemployment Board, but the Committed hopes subsequently that it will be extended to a. greater number of lads. The Chairman, Sir Joseph Smith, reported at a meeting of the committee that he and the Secretary had submitted a scheme to Mr Coates, and to his great delight the Government had accepted the scheme in toto. The Government contribution, which totalled about £5OOO, was handsome, which he was sure they all appreciated. The scheme should show a handsome return, both humanly and economically. Under the scheme, a small select comnlittee of trustees would select those unemployed boys who appeared to have interest and capacity beyond normal, and would arrange to place them with selected farmers who could give them a working opportunity to acgujre a practical insight into operations on the land. It was proposed that establishment funds be provided sufficient to enable a young man, after four or five years’ training, to be placed either on a small holding where he would be partly self-sup-porting, and partly dependent on outside work in the surrounding district, or alternatively to enable him to take part in any scheme of land settlement in operation, when the time arrived. Farmers with whom the boys were placed would be expected to provide suitable board and lodgings, and say 5/- a week for the first' year, the rate rising from year to year. This would be sufficient for clothes and pocketmoney. Trustees would be appointed for the scheme, and an account opened for each boy. To this account could be paid whatever sum the Unemployment Bpard provided, probably a sum equal to that paid by the farmer, and pro rata contributions from private donations received by the committee. These sums would be invested and except for withdrawals at the direction of the trustees to cover the cost of special training courses, such as might be obtained at the Ruakura State Farm, would accumulate until the time the trainee was ju,dged to be fit for establishment in one way or another on the land, ;and then used for that purpose and no other. Boys should contribute 5/out of each 5/- they received,, and a reasonable rate of pay from the farmer would be 5/-, 10/-, 15/-, 20/-, and 25/- in each of five years. The funds in respect of each boy would accumulate as under: Period, first year from Government £l3; from the boy £2/12/-, total £l5/12/-. Second year £26—£s/4/ —£31/4/-. Third year £39—£7/16/ —£46/16/-. Fourth year £s2—£lo/8/ —£62/8/-. Fifth year £65( —£13—£78; a total of £234. Money is to be refunded to any boy who fails to make good and complete his- period of training. The above amount, it was held, plus interest and private should go a long way toward the establishment costs on the scale indicated.