FLOCK HOUSE BOYS

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 30 January 1933, Page 7

FLOCK HOUSE BOYS

NEW SCHEME OF TRAINING. SUCCESS IN FIRST YEAR. Since the Flock House Station, near Bulls, was made available last’ year under a special scheme for the training of sons of New Zealand soldiers, the results achieved have been highly gratifying to those who first conceived the idea of using Flock House f6r such a purpose. The beginning and development of the scheme are described in the annual report of the Wellington War Relief Association, to be presented at the annual meeting on-Feb-ruary 15, and it is mentioned that as long as finance is. provided, which involves a £1 for £‘l subsidy from the Government, there will be no difficulty in maintaining the present supply of 80 boys each year. “During the last seven years,” the report says, “the trustees of the New Zealand Slieepowners’ Acknowledgment of Debt to British Seamen Fund controlling the Flock House Station near Bulls have extended agricultural training to, and have provided subsequent employment for, 763 sons of English seamen who lost their lives while serving afloat. “In October 1931, the supply of boys became exhausted, and the trustees, who are empowered to* expend capital moneys only upon the dependents of seamen, offered to apply the station, staff, stock and implements to the training of the sons of returned soldiers, provided that the patriotic associations and returned soldiers’ associations, aided by a Government subsidy of £1 for £l, undertook to find the £-50 required to meet the maintenance and training costs of each lad.” The report describes how a conference of interested bodies was held at Flock House Station toward the end of February last year, Sir Andrew Russell presiding, and records that the offer to provide facilities for the training of sons of New- Zealand soldiers was gratefully accepted. A central committee was established to coordinate the 55 returned soldiers’ associations and 57 patriotic associations onrougliout the Dominion. The committee has no mandatory powers, nor funds of its own, the whole of the advisory work being carried out by the staff of the War Relief Association, whose secretary was appointed secretary of the committee. “Within five months of the date of the conference,” the report continues, “the 112 interested organisations had been reduced by combination of their forces to 13 provincial centres controlling some 40 district offices grouped around them, nearly all of them having a joint committee formed of representatives of the two organisations primarily concerned in the scheme. “The period of training at Flock House is eight months; its full, complement is 60 boys ; thus is can train and find employment for 90 lads each year. The national organisation established by the committee commenced to send boys to Flock House in April, 1.932, and at November 30, 1932, 57 soldiers’ sons were undergoing training and 33 others to complete the year’s allocation, either had been or would be selected prior to March 31, 1933. There will be no difficulty—subject to the provision of finance —m maintaining the supply of 90 boys each year for several years to come. “The farm on which the boys train, the report continues, “is situated in the Parevvanui-Sangitikei district, anti is nine miles south-west of Bulls township. The farm comprises 8281 acres of every variety of land, and apart from general agricultural work, wintered in 1932 8480 sheep, including 5360 breeding ewes, and 11C0 run Aberdeen Angus cattle, which included 370 breeding cows. Nearly 70,000 forest trees were planted during the year on the sand dune country and in plantations on the run, so that the original sand dune country now planted in forest trees is approximately 570 acres.” After describing the camp, staff and facilities, the report ends by saying that although the year just tossed has been one at the. greatest difficulty for those engaged in’ farming operations, the inquiry for Flock House boys has been greater than the supply available.