BOY SCOUTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14425, 22 April 1911, Page 6

BOY SCOUTS.

(By D.S. * | A church parade will be held on ' Sunday, and all Scouts are expected to attend, whether they have a uniform or not. All who have uniforms are to wear them, but no staves will be carried. The Commissioner, Mr G. T. Palmer, will take charge of the parade, which will fall in at 10.20 a.m. sharp. The Marine Band have kindly consented to play the' parade to St. Mary's Church. Lieut-General Baden-Powell has definitely decided to visit New Zealand early next year. Lord Kitchener warmly praised the Scout organisation, at a Coronation review in Leicestershire. "When A person with Lord Kichener's experience and judgment praises the movement, it shows that the value of the Bov Scouts, is being recognised. The Gleniti Troop held a verv successful camp at Eadlow. from Friday till Monday. The boys were under the charge of Scoutmaster Bannerman and Assistant-Scoutmaster Charteris. Much

work was done, ami main- nl" the scouts passed l„r titer second class badges. The kindness of Mr and .Airs Armstrong wont a long way in making theeamp successful.-' No. 11 Troop also hold a vcrv gold camp at Holland's, Northduwu.' »1»'r? they wore made, welcome by tho Kellanil family. As there wore a.s many as twenty-hive, in camp one dav. much work was got through There will ■probably Ih> several .second class badges as the result or Hip camp. Tlx- District Commander .Mr J. 'Williams visited the cani|> on Sunday, after having visited the Jladlow camp, and expressed pleasure with the work being" dime. Chief Scoutmaster M. O'Donoghuo also visited the cunm and reported satisfactorily on the work. One night the No. 11 Scouts lefl camp and invaded tl'.o Hadlow camp, where they were heartily welcomed. Gleniti Scouts repar! the compliment, a few days fater, but the interest was taken out of the latter venture, owing to the Scoutmasters of the respective Troops not making definite, enough arrangements . It is understood that some of the No. 4 Troop went into camp with the Waimato Scouts, but no report has yet been received -of this camp. No. 1 Troop intend to hold a ramp "arly in May at Pareora, when Chief Scoutmaster O'Donoghue intends to put them through some specially interesting work. It is a p : ty other Scoutmasters cannot arrange to take their boys into camp oftener than they do, as it is noticeable that the regular campers are the best Scouts. Chief Scoutmaster l?haii-. late of Port Chalmers, is now residing in Timaru and should trreatly strengthhen the l : st of local officers. Another U.S.A. air rifle has now arrived and as it is much smaller than the first the little fellows will be able to shoot better.

A teams' match has been arranged for Saturday night, when Scoutmasters are asked to hove their teams of ten, officers excluded, on the mark as soon os possible after six o'clock, when the shooting will commence. The teams should be p eked at once, and not left till the Scouts arrive at the hall. Chief So-outirfaster O'Dono'diuo wo\ild like to see all Senior Scout Cadets at Hie Hall, on Friday night next, at 7.30.

An article in the. paper on Thursday Twr.r.ring. explained th" Senior Scout Cadet-,, scheme, with the idea of removing false imnressions existing anions the Scout officers. It might be stated here that the local Scout officers understood the scheme, and have been working according to the statements in the article all alone.

At an annual meeting held on last Friday week the balance sheet was presented and showed a credit balance of £9 'los, and a balance of assets over liabilities of £24 10s . During the evening it was decided to include all Scoutmasters on the District Committee and much other minor business was done.

PROMOTION OF TEACEtERS.

THE PROPOSED SCHEME. (By.Expert.) (Specially Written for the "Herald.") If it is agreed that assured promotion should be the reward for years of faithful and honest service, surely it must be- patent to every one that it :s not bevond human skill 'to frame a scheme' which will have in it these factors which make for promotion in any other branch of the Civil Service outside that of teaching. The scheme of the Educational Institute is tentative, and was referred to in ail •article in last Saturday's issue of the "Herald" ; hut what may be the scheme of the Minister of Education is not yet known. The Institute's scheme provides for a classification of teachers on a basis of efficiency and personality, educational attainments, and length of service. The proposed maximum marks for the first of these is 60, for the second 20, and for the third 20. Efficiency and personality must always be tilie factors which, chiefly go to make the best workman in any sphere of life,; therefore surely little fault can be found in the Institute's scheme when it awards 60 out of 100 marks to these characteristics. Educational attainments must be'awarded a fair proportion of marks, for it is idle to claim that a holder of a D certificate should rank equal with the holder of a B certificate, all other things being equal. Similarly length of service must be recognised, so that the claims of a man of twenty years' experience may be placed before those of a man of ten years' experience, still under the condition that all-other things are equal. Under such a scheme, governed and administered by an impartial and unbiassed board, consisting of school inspectors and representatives of Education Boards,, taechers should hare a fair chance of having their claims to promotion recognised? The classification list would revised annually, to prevent .the possibility of teachers "resting on their oars, and claiming promotion on. old records. TVlir-n a vacancy occurred anywhere in the Dominion, or in one of the enlarged areas suggested by the Institute, then if a teacher desired promotion, his name with those of equal classification would be submitted for the. choice of the local body. Thus it will be E'een that the Institute's scheme recognises the choice of a local body, but gives it a choice only of those who have enual or uearlv equal claims of promotion! It mar be fair.y argued whether in tlrs matter of cnoice given to the local bodvthe In stitute's scheme is not too liberal; tor very often it must be apparent to the board of classifiers that a certain position is due to one alone of those signifying their wish for promotion. _x\ow what is there in such a scheme that members of committees can take exceptor, to?. Do tliev believe that an enthusiastic body of servants of the btr.te, engaged in the most responsible sphere of the functions of the" State will rert satisfied with the present position, of no system of promotion ? purely not, for teachers would not bhuman >f they did: and everv community desres humnne men andVoineii as jts teachers. Plainlv then it is a dun- that every _ committee, putting aside selfish considerations, owes to its teachers, and the teaching profession v-Wif M, m -! n '°, n " to ,pass tlie resolution \.mo.i i7.ii be brought under it. s notice en evening: that a scheme of promotion for the teachers of \ew inland ,s highly durable, and forward Jie same to the Minister of Education.