BOY SCOUTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 31 March 1936, Page 8

BOY SCOUTS

193(1 YEAR BOOK CHIEF SCOUT’S MESSAGE LONDON, 29th February. The Chief Scojat in a foreword to the Boy Scouts’ Year Book, 1936, speaks of his journey to attend the jamboree in Australia, and of his visits to Aden, Ceylon, Penang, Malay States, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, Newfoundland’ ail'd the United States. The situation, lie writes, can be summed up as wholly satisfactory and as giving one absolute confidence in the future of the movement, and in its value to the Empire. “The report,” ’continues the Chief Scout, “will show what progress has been made in the movement generally during the past year. The fact that there has been some decrease in numbers at 'home is not to be taken as a depressing sign, but rather the opposite. After ali these years of our existence other associations for boys have sprung into being and these, together with educational bodies, clubs and societies, have largely taken to our line of considering the boy’s point of view when framing their schemes. These counter-attractions, together with the fallen birth-rate, account to a large extent for a certain falling off of numbers on paper, but there is no falling off in the percentage of hoys brought under good influences at the mouldable stage of their lives. Competition is good for us all, and the countries in the United Kingdom are ably seconding the effort of headquarters to keep abreast, if not ahead, of the times in their schemes for developing a happier, healthier, and more helpful citizenhood of the future.” The publication is well illustrated and contains 27 interesting articles under the sections—Scouting at Home, World Society, Scouting in the Empire, the Training of Scouters, .land Developing Scouting. CENSUS FIGURES A few pages are devoted to the annual report, which states that the census figures for tiie Empire show an increase of 3.75 per cent., while, (hose of the British isles show a decrease of 2.52 per cent. Scotland Wales Ulster, and the Irish Free State all show small increases, the decrease being confined to England. Detailed figures are as follows: Grand total of all ranks in the Empire (including British groups in foreign countries), 939,121, an increase of 33,949 over 1934 figures. Great Britain and Ireland, 448,396, a decrease of 11,584. Warranted officers in actual work with groups, 72,177, an increase of 2431. Commissioners, all ranks, 4175, an increase of 195. Local association officials 26,880, an increase of 1185. The latest returns from the International Bureau give the figures for all these countries recognised by the International Committee as 2,505,963, being an increase of 143,771 over the figures for 1934.