BOY SCOUTS DISSATISFIED

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXI, Issue 15238, 31 December 1942, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS DISSATISFIED

TREATMENT BY VEGETABLE GROWERS. Electric Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, December 28. Grave dissatisfaction has followed the employment by commercial vegetable farmers in the Pukekohe district, of Boy Scouts from Auckland who went into camp at Biodisloe Park and were engaged from December 15 until December 28 for six hours a day on the surrounding farms. 'Since the Scouts returned to their homes for Christmas, complaints have been made by parents that the remuneration of the boys, who took all their gear and paid for their keep, was much below what they had been led to expect, being as little as ss, and it is alleged in some cases much smaller amounts, for seven days' work, of six hours a day. When inquiries were made of officials of the Boy Scouts' Association, it was stated that the organisers of the camp were no less indignant than the parents of tho boys. The question of remuneration as such was not considered so important as- the fact that the organisers and the boys had been given to understand certain things and that actually they had proved very different. The boys felt that faith had been broken with them and the Association took a very serious view of this. Tt, had been intended to establish a second camp on January 4 with double the number of boys. In the meantime a full inquiry will be made in the district by the Metropolitan President. Sir Joseph Smith.’ and the Commissioner. Major Tv. F. WardT who will interview officials of the Commercial Growers’ Association and Primary Production Council. While expressing reluctance to make any comment on the work done by the Boy Scouts, members of tile Franklin Growers’ Association stated tonight, that the boys were paid at ruling piece rates as promised and ' that the amounts earned depended entirely upon their own efforts. The boys were given every typo of work offering and in some cases were paid abov<> the ruling rates. One grower said be paid 2s 6d per case for picking beans, which was more than he had ever paid before and beans realised only from 3s to 5s per case at the market. Maori girls of the same age as the boys earned til a day at the same work It was stated after the first day when tile boy 3 realised that their earnings were to be pooled, there did not appear to he the same incentive to work. It was originally suggested by tho Boy Scout Authorities that the boys should be paid 4s for n five-hour day but tho Pukekohe Primary Production Council contended that the bovr, should have an opportunity to earn as much as men working beside them, and this course was agreed to. The growers stressed the fact that they found no> fault with the boys having regard to their limitation.