BOY SCOUTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 December 1924, Page 3

BOY SCOUTS.

Dominion reviewed CHIEF COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. General A. W. Andrew, honorary Chief Commissioner for the Boy Scouts, in his report to the Dominion Executive, emphasised the necessity of public co-operation and appealed to all to jcrlri \vfiat fie-ebbed “his jolly brotherhood of young folk.” The report stated; inter alia: With the exception of Wanganui, New Piyrributli arid Stratford the Boy Scout motfenierit is taking a distinct turn for tlie better. Hawefa, or rather South Taranaki, luts ari excellent Commissioner ; fin excellent atmosphere of theerfril co-opefatidri arid goodwill prevails, and the leading citizens fire right behind the Commissioner arid his ScoutMasters.

Nelson, Westland, South Taranaki, and Palmerston North are all fine districts.

Scoiitirig is riot Merely training boys to serve a edrrimunity; it is also training a community to serve boys. Experience derived from every portion of tlie Dominion shows that scouting riever lias been, and never eftn be, a Success uiiless councils and committees of the best men of the community are organised to promote the movement by Making available employed supervision. The scoutmaster’s knowledge is limited; HR capacity to administer is often small,, and his ability to. discipline, co'ntrol, arid hold the boys is very often an uncertain quantity. We ivant citizens, ladies or gentlemen, to take hold of this .movement in their districts, lift it along, and help and encourage the scoutmasters; to sit on troop committees, an ever-increasing number of citizens as instructors in technical subjects. Instead of sitting down with folded arms, croaking like a lot of gloomy ravens about the factiousness of class, the increase df juvenile crime, the growing number bf Wasters, the lack of , pride arid honesty, in work, Why not do something to cdmh'at these- evils? Me want 5000 citizens to join this most practical; jolly, and smiling army df young folk, to serve on our Dominion Council,, our Troop Committees, or our Local. Executives, to rtinsack the-com-munity arid recoriiriiend to its leaders of trodps who, jvhilst joining iii the fim arid Work, will help us to keep our lacls physically stHmjr arid iridrally string ir We want bUridreds of men to instruct hi cainpiiig, fire drill, bridge building, carpentry, electric work, coirimiihity singing, etc.

. Whdt grieves me most, as I travel’ the Dominion, is the number of well-to-do men and women, old and young, who clo nothing but fbbl away their money and time in selfish indulgence. In even, to'krii I find a fbw rneri arid women dohig all the Work, whether for tlife Salvation Arniy, the Boy Scouts, or the Y.M.C.A.

I have 7060 Bov ScoUts now, and I intend to have 27,000 before very long Wc are, amongst other things, waging war - against selfishness. Listen to a. few instances, chosett at random, during the past month, of what our young folk are doing: VisitiUg sofdifers’ memorial and tidying up its surroundings. . Going five miles to provide an evening’s.fiui. for jnrriatfes of an orphanage Collecting logs and splitting limber For a woman whose husband is ill in hospital. Taking 10 oiphaits for ari afternoon’s outing at the seaside-, , Distributing 20,069 circulars for HealtK "Week. Visiting a WUl;ship and escorting a party bf sailors tbi the principal places in the town. Helping the Matrb'h at a Karitane Hospital. Making their own tents for a camp. Earning £SOO (Dunedin Scouts) to entertain and, accomiribdate visiting Scouts to the Exhibition. Collecting and selling 5000 bottles With which to purchase uniforms. Making a tffek-eart to carffe kits Wlieri gbing into camp at Christmas. Distributing circulars for a Soldiers’ Meiriririal. Rianting trees in a public domain. Helping in a Queen Carnival for a public purpose. Earning money for wheels for a trekcart by weeding gardens. . Me are working, not for more money, but fbr goodwill among men ; not fm place or power, but for the love of humanity: not for any form of materia’ gam. but for the things that matter. Me have tlie lads who would do well and. all we want is the men and women ti> lead.