SCOUTS AND CHIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18730, 9 June 1924, Page 9

SCOUTS AND CHIEF.

FAREWELL TO GOVERNOR. RALLY AND PRESENTATION. IMPORTANCE OF MOVEMENT. His Excellency the Governor-General, as Chief Scout of New Zealand, bade an official farewell to the Auckland Central District Boy Scouts' Association at an interesting function held in the Drill Hall on Saturday afternoon. Nearly 100 patrol leaders of the girl guides under the district commissioner, Mrs. Pattisop, and about 600 scouts, sea scouts, qpcl wolf cubs gathered to bid farewell to their chief and present him with a tok'-'n of their high esteem. Upon his arrival His Excellency, who was accompanied by Lady Jellicoe, the Hon. Lucy Jellicoe, the Hon. Prudence Jellicoe, the Hon. George Jellicoe, and Lieutenant-Commander Dove, was greeted by a most impressive haka of welcome by the scouts and sea scouts. Patrol-Leader R. Blade, of the Grey Lynn troop, read the following address to the Chief Scout: Affectionate Address.

"Your Excellency,— tha members of the Auckland Central District of the Boy Scout Association, wish to express to you, our chief, about to leave us, our deep respect and love. We feel in your leaving our country that we are not only losing the Chief Scout of New Zealand, but a personal friend, because Your Excellency has been one, during the four years you have been with us. The association to which it is our privilege to belong, we are assured, owes much of its present efficiency to the practical wisdom of Your Excellency. Though you will not be with us much longer as Chief Scout, the kindly thoughtfulness Your, Excellency has always shown toward us will be remembered by every member of the association. "We ask Your Excellency to accept a small token of our appreciation to take Home with you, not tnat we think you will forget us, but that you will remember whei. looking at it of the intense admiration of the donors to one who is, in every sense of the word, a true scout. May we ask Your Excellency to convey our respectful greetings to the Chief Scout of the World, Sir Robert Baden-Powell. We hope Your Excellency, Lady Jellicoe and family will have a very happy voyage home, and many long years to serve our gracious King and Motherland."

Gold Scout on Greenstone. A beautiful paper weight in the design of a gold scout mounted on a greenstone base was presented to His Excellency by Wolf Cub R. Roughton, In acknowledging the gift His Excellency said that he was not sure but that the presentation was of such value as to come under the Colonial Office regulation prohibiting a Governor from accepting any present of intrinsic value from anyone in a Dominion in which he was His Majesty's representative. He felt sure, however, that the Colonial Office would not mind an exception being made in this case. He therefore accepted their gift with great pleasure. It was a pleasure to note the advance in the scout movement throughout the Dominion, the latest report showing an increase of 2000 members during the past 12 months. Auckland Province had not, been behind other parts of the Dominion in the movement, and there had been six new troops, besides innumerable cub packs, formed, while the_ girl guide movement had also been going ahead by leaps and bounds. Everyone who had the Empire's future at heart must see the value _of such a movement, which inculcated in people of impressionable age that inestimable asset, character. "I realise the scout movement cannot go on successfully, however devoted the workers in it may be, unless the population itself is interested in it," continued Lord Jellicoe. "Therefore it is important that the parents and community in general should assist the movement. Without that encouragement the scouts themselves must begin to feel disheartened. _ With that encouragement from the public, the movement will go ahead with • benefit to all." ; His Excellency concluded by congratulating the district, commissioner, Mr. R. C. Grigsby. upon what he had clone for the movement.

Tokens to Lady Jelllcoe. Lady Jellicoe was presented with' a bouquet by Patrol-Leader Esme Wood, and with a travelling rug by the secretary of the girl guides, Mrs. Ely. Her Excellency, who received an ovation when she rose to speak, thanked the girl guides in a short speech, and congratulated them upon their smart appearance. The parade was then inspected by the Chief Scout, who showed a keen interest in the various troops. Greatly to their delight, he stopped and spoke a few words to some of . the wolf cubs, and told the Hon George he would soon have to join up. Before he finally departed, His Excellency bade the scouts good-bye and God-speed, for, although he _ expected he would see some of them again, the rally was the last he expected to attend m Auckland.