SCOUT NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22258, 10 May 1934, Page 16

SCOUT NOTES

By Scoutek. 'FIRST-CLASS TESTS. Advantage Las been taken of the board’s invitation for entries for the first-class badge tests, three entries from Christian Brothers’ Troop and five from the Moruiugtou Troop having been sent in. One Scooter has availed himself of the board’s invitation to go through the estimates test; and we trust that a number will avail themselves of this opportunity. Arrangements have been made to put the latest applicants for the firstclass badge tests through the estimates tests on Saturday, May ID, at 2 p.m., at 27 Brunei treet, Morning ton, and any officer will be welcome. Note book, pencil, and uniform are essential. Term holidays started this week. What a glorious opportunity for Scouts to do a lot .of practice iu Scouting, especially in first-class work. For instance, distance judging can only be done out >f doors. Signalling work from one hill to another is a very different matter from that done within the four walls of a Scout hall. A good day’s outing for a patrol is to go through the test for journey and report. If any patrol leader, or any Scout for that matter, will do a journey and report with the straight-line map and send it in to the board of examiners the latter will be only too pleased to criticise it and point out where any failure would occur. What is wanted iu a report is a full detail of those matters which are concerned with Scouting, and landmarks, post offices, stores, camping grounds, water supplies, Scouting grounds, traffic, wood supplies, etc. It is better to put in too much than too little. Any Scout willing to do this must attach bis name, age, and the troop to which he belongs. ESTIMATES OF HEIGHTS AND DISTANCES. For the enlightenment of Scoutmasters, commissioners and examiners who are in direct contact with the instruction and examination of Scouts who are candidates for the first-class test, the deputy camp chief for Otago and Southland here appends the Gilwell ruling on the interpretation of P.O.R. relating to the estimates of height and distance. The actual text of the first-class requirements is quite well known to most; but for those who are not so well informed we here quote from Policy Organisation and Rules, 1933, rule 430 (4) concerning the requirements of this section. “ Estimation; —Estimate without apparatus, distance, number, height and weight within 25 ner cent, error,'’

Now it is concerning the intenpretatiou that careful attention is required, for here is the ruling: “ Estimation means an approximation based on experience and various methods employed by backwoodsmen, frontiersmen and explorers in the appreciation of heights, distances and weights. That no apparatus is allowable means the nou-use of pocket surveyors, tape measures, pedometers and such mechanical and scientific contrivances as pocket scales and logarithm tables. The Scout is, however, permitted to make free use of his regular Scout equipment such as the staff or his lashing or an application of his own personal measurements of foot, hand span, pace, etc,, which all true Scouts should know.” In the first instance, it is to be noted that estimation is not a guessing competition, and anything of the nature of a guess is quite foreign to the test, besides defeating the purpose for which it was originally intended—viz., to develop the thought and powers of deduction of the erstwhile Scout. If the reader of this paragraph will take the trouble to read “Hints to Instructors on Practices in Pathfinding” at the conclusion of “Camp-fire Yarn No. 5” in the Scout handbook entitled “ Scouting for Boys,” lie will there see the chiefs meaning of the word “estimation.” Again, A. W. N. Mackenzie has a chapter (VHI) devoted entirely to the estimation of heights and distances, etc. Would it, I venture to ask, be at all necessary to write a chapter on such, if it were mere guess work, or as at present practised, a method of “ Look and Write.” Below are supplied the, various methods of estimating, not guessing:— HEIGHTS. Staff Method.—See “Scouting for Boys,” the end of Yarn No. 5. ' Reflection Method.—Find the tip of the tree or pole in a pool or basin of water and then by comparison of dimensions of two similar triangles the height of the object may he estimated. Comparison of Shadows.—lf a Scout staff of five feet casts a shadow three feet long, for example, then the shadow of 60 feet must be. cast by an object of 100 feet. Gravity Method (applied -physics).— Throw a stone up as high as the top of the object and take the time the stone takes to fall to earth. The height is found by taking half of 32 and multiplying the result by the time squared, or in formula, S equals igt. . Forty-five Degree Triangle.—By using a small 4odeg. piece of paper and looking up the hypotenuse at the top of the object it necessarily follows that the distance the object is away is approximately the height of the object, if the base of the triangle is held parallel with the ground level. Australian Bushmen’s and Lumber Jack Method. —Mark off with a stick held at arm’s length, the height of the object and then swing this distance to the ground level. This length should be noted and stepped out, for it represents the height of the object. DISTANCES. Comparison of Triangles.—See “ Scouting for Boys,”, at the' end of Yarn No. 5. The Forty-five Degree Method. —This is an extension of the former, where natural obstructions do not permit of its application. Lob Line Method.—Take the average of the throws.

Personal ■ Measurements (length of span, foot, pace, etc.). —See “Scouting for Boys.” Scout Pace.—Cover one mile in 12 minutes, neither more nor less. Hat Brim Method,—Old English militia method, in which much practice is required. Sound. —Sound travels at 305 yards per second. Size of Persons.—German military method. See “ Scouting for Boys.” Weight.—ln this .section much practice is . required in the handling of common everyday articles. Many useful fapts are worthy of note, viz., one gallon of water weighs 10!b; one gallon of milk weighs a little more; a kerosene tin holds approximately four gallons; an ordinary bucket usually three gallons. Gilwell Park has now included another use of the Scout staff which will in time be included in the tenderfoot test. This is its use as a steelyard. If, for instance, lib of butter is attached to one end of a staff which is suspended by the middle, the article may be slid along until the balance is restored. The difference in distances on the staff from the centre of the two suspended objects represent the comparative weights of the two articles. Number. —Again much practice is required, but what may be called the unit group method is the one usually employed. Consider how much space is occupied by five or 10, for example, and visually divide this space into the total. These groups multiplied by the number in each will give a ready approxima tion.

This interpretation, which originated in spirit at Gilwell Park, the “ Mecca ” of all scouting, has been adopted by other training centres of the world. Gilwcll camps for wood badge tests recognise no other method of estimation, and so far as training is concerned no commissioner who is a Gilwell Scooter will

in honesty to himself and the movement, j permit any other method Avithin his • jurisdiction. Now that Scooters and others concerned have been acquainted I of these facts in no uncertain manner I it should not be necessary lo labour the point further. At the First Class Examination Board meeting, held late in last year, the following rule Avas adopted concerning estimates: —“85 per cent, required. The use of the staff in estimates is permitted since it is not apparatus. Guessing will be discouraged. At the discretion of the examiner, a written test on methods will be giA-en. It is unfortunate that there are none so blind as those who Avill not see, and (he results of the recent first class estimates declare very boldly that the instruction given to troops is very much out of date if not quite foreign to the first class test. Guessing can, strictly speaking, find no place in scouting tests of any kind. GENERAL. The chairman of the First Class Board of Examiners has very thoughtfully asked that Scouters "meet “at his home, 27 Brunei street, Moniington, on May 19 at 2 p.m. in order to go info the question, of first class with them, and to give them some training in Avliat is required for this test. It is’ expected that all officers will aA-ail themselves of this opportunity. At the last meeting of the. Scoutmasters it Avas decided this year to have no rally, but concentrate on training the boys in hobbies and handicrafts and hold an exhibition of the Avork done. An improvement was noticed in the attendance at the meeting, two more troops being represented than at last meeting. Mr Wilson, of the Christian Brothers’ Troop, addressed the meeting about the tug-of-Avar competition for the Stevenson Cup, and was accorded the wholehearted support of those troops represented at the meeting. Replying to a question, Mr Wilson stated that only Scouts could take part and no assistant Scouter could pull even though he Avas under the weight and age limit. The meeting unanimously endorsed his view. ' With regard to the Australian jamboree it is necessary that headquarters should know the number contemplating making the trip in order that we way .knoAV the definite fare. -The latest date for notifying one’s intention is May 31.