LAYING FOUNDATIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11223, 31 May 1922, Page 7

LAYING FOUNDATIONS

BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT DOMINION CHAIRMAN PROUD OF RECORD. FORTY LIVES SAVED. PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, May 30. At the conference of the Dominion Council of the Boy Scouts* Association, Brigadier-General Andrew, chairman of the Dominion Council, in his review of the past year's operations, said thenumber of proficiency badges earned during the year indicated the good work of scoutmasters. The fact that more than 8000 handicraft badges had been earned showed t%at the boy scouts had solid achievement to their credit. This revealed what should be lenown to every citizen in New Zealand, that, in their scoutmasters, their trade instructors, and their small army of voluntary. examiners, they had men who were unostentatiously well and truly laying the foundations of better and happier and more contented citizenship. No ultra radical and no extreme Labourite, if he was honest in hie desire to improve the lot of his fellowworkers, could take exception to a movement in which such results were possible. The local associations should approach this aspect of the work with new courage and energy. They ’could best do this by seeing to it that scoutmasters kept their boy 6 fully employee! in genuine scout work; that examiners were always to hand; that-.they maintained the high standard of every .boy examined; that they did not tolerate inefficiency; and that every effort was made to enlist thp assistance of practical tradesmen, artisans and retired sea officers in instructing boys in whatever handicrafts they took up. Since the inception of the movement boy scouts had! been instrumental in saving forty lives.

Mr L. M. Isitfc, M.P., referred to the difficulty of securing young men willing to sacrifice their half-holidays to lead troops of scouts. He thought every effort should be made to secure ladies to lead the younger boys. Several delegates said that in their districts this course was being followed.

The chief commissioner said that with the younger scouts ladies were very successful, but with the elder boys it was essential they should have men aa leaders. f