THE BOY SCOUTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3018, 17 January 1912, Page 13

THE BOY SCOUTS.

Br Scout.

Scout will be pleased to receive new* from Scoutmasters or ScouU. or from any person interested in the Boy Scout move inent, for insertion in this column; contributions addressed to Scout to reach this office before Thursday ovoning.

Cablegrams to hand state that the General has left England his trip to America, Australia, and New Zealand, and thence to South Africa. It is probable, therefore, that he will arrive in the Dominion much earlier than he anticipated. Scoutmasters and others will havo little enough time to get ready for his visit. The Lin wood Troop of Boy Scouts during the past fortnight ha,s held a very successful camp in the. New Brighton Domain, under the supervision of Scoutmasters Chinnery and Foster. The camp, which broke up on Thursday last, was productive of some excellent work and the field work done was very beneficial to the lads, who do not often havo the opportunity of indulging in so much practical work. On New Year's Eve a church parade was held at the New Brighton Methodist Church, and in the afternoon the camp was thrown open to visitors, a large number of whom expressed their appreciation of the work done and the way in which the camp was conducted.

The Chief Scout proposes to take a vote of the So;>ut officers on the question of admitting boys to the movement at the ago of rune years, such boys from nine to 11 or 12 to be called Junior Boy Scouts, to b© dressed in a different uniform, and to bo officered by qualified leaders promoted from the Boy Scouts. Then leaders would be commissioned as Junior Assistant Scoutmasters, and be under the supervision of the Scoutmaster in whose district the troop was raised. This would secure a large number of boys who are at present debarred from joining the movement, and it would be an incentive to the eenior boys to remain in the movement and to qualify for the position of Junior Assistant Scoutmasters. Moreover, wlhen there was a public demonstration at which tho Junior Cadets were called out our Junior Boy Scouts would not be compelled to stay away from the Stout parade as they aro now by the Scoutmasters. They would have a full muster, and thus encourage their officers io take them out. Theso boys would parade as Junior Boy Scouts and not with the older boy.s, so that there could be no question of introducing ''kids" into their ranks; while the rivalry between the two would be helpful to both and tho odds probably would bo in favour of the little fellows.

For many months past there has boon a controversy running through the columns of the London Headquarters Gazette on this question. Tho arguments brought forward seemed to prove that tho age of admittance should bo raised instead of lowered, and consequently the council decided to raise the age one year and admit boys only after they had passed their eleventh birthday. A very largo number of Scoutmasters, however, argued that this was a mistake, for in their experience they found that boy.s who were axrmitted at nine years of age were keener, more impressionable, more amenable to discipline, and more likely to remain in the movement than boys who were not admitted till 13 or 14. An article by Scoutmaster F. Wilson Baggally in the Gazette will be read with interest and sympathy by many of our New Zealand Scoutmasters, but it will at tho same time bo admitted that his arguments havo not the same force here that they have at Home, especally since our Defence Act has been passed. It may be taken for granted that we shall now lose 75 per cent, of our senior boys. They must put in tho required number of parades per annum. These will take up all, or nearly all, their spare time, so of necessity thev must drop out. General Godley considers that tho senior boys can quite * easily be Senior Cadets and Bov Scouts as well, but ho is evidently unaware of our conditions, or he would never expect .it. Some months ago, during a conference with tho Salvation Army officers, Brigadier Albiston asked him what amount of the compulsory work his senior boys -who were Boy Scouts would escape. The General answered, " None." They aro Senior Cadets Scouts afterwards. That reply was tho deathblow to the Salvation Army's efforts. To-day there is little or no attempt put forth by the Army to capture tlic-e boys for the movement, for it knows bettor than anv of us that as soon as the compulsory parades commence (Jhe boys will l>o lost to it. True, tho Dominion Chief has secured tho right for senior l>oys t.o parade as Boy Scout Cadets and in Boy Scout kit

provided by the Government; but unless they have time to meet aa Scouts and come under the influence of the organisation this privilege will be only a nominal one.