ROVER SCOUTING

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1935, Page 7

ROVER SCOUTING

FORMATION OF CREW DISCUSSED. cACTION IN NORTH TARANAKI. At a gathering of Scouts at New Plymouth last night to welcome Colonel Walton, some of the speakers remarked on the absence of Rover Scouts in the district. The matter was later discussed by the Scout officers and Colonel Walton.

At the present time very few boys remained in the Scouts after reaching the age of 15 or 16 years, it was stated. As a consequence the troops were continually losing their best Scouts and those who would probably make the finest leaders. This undesirable state of affairs was due to a variety of reasons, but chief among these was the fact that the boys often began to feel too old for the Scouts. Thus if a Rover crew existed it would provide a very good outlet for the older Scouts. It was considered by one officer that a rule could be made that all Scouts beyond a certain age should be drafted into a Rover crew, where they could work for a while without a leader. Colonel Walton, however, said that it was very inadvisable to form a Rover crew without a capable leader. He said he had learned by bitter experience that such a procedure was almost certainly doomed to failure. It was essential to find a good leader before forming a Rover crew. Various attempts:have .been made to establish Rover Scouts in Taranaki but none has succeeded. About five years ago a crew .was started in South Taranaki but it did not receive great sup-, port. One of those present said he regretted that the secondary schools did not co-operate with those who were doing their best to help the youth of the country. , r ... It is probable that an attempt will shortly be made to form a Rover crew in North Taranaki. Once the difficulty of finding a leader is overcome it is believed the task should not present great difficulty. The existence of such a crew would be of immense benefit to Scouting in the district