FARM TRAINING

Wairarapa Age, 17 July 1934, Page 5

FARM TRAINING

ANOTHER PENROSE CAMP FOR BOYS. PROPOSALS OF WELLINGTON COMMITTEE. 1 ORGANISATION PLANS. ’ WELLINGTON, July 16. A scheme to provide unemployed boys with work on farms has been prepared by the Wellington Goy Employment Committee. Details of the scheme have been submitted to the Unemployment Board. The scheme will be discussed at another meeting of the Boy Employment Committee. The objects of the scheme are set out as follow:— 1. To attract city boys to country 2. To relieve the conditions of juvenile unemployment in the city, especially among older boys., 3. To provide a brief, intensive period of training in farm elementaries, sufficient to remove the ‘ ‘ strangeness” of country life from the experience of the city boy; to afford him an opportunity of a brief breaking-in period prior to his employment on a farm, and to render him a greater economic value on a farm than he otherwise would have been had he not had the advantage of such introductory training. As a result of the training, also, boys will be rendered more physically fit to take up farm employmenu 4. To bring unemployed boys under wholesome discipline and a period of training in character building and good citizenship. 5. To provide a continuous recruiting centre for boys Tor farms. USE OF TRAINING FARM The plan provides for four phases of organisation—recruiting, introduetoiy training, employment and follow-up on farms. Provided a sufficient number of boys are offering, the introductory training centre is to continue for six months from October, 1934, to March, 1935. An arrangement is to be entered into with the trustees of the Wairarapa training farm for the purpose.

Relays of 25 boys will be taken into camp for a period of approximately four weeks’ introductory training. Boys obtaining the “O.K. ” of the training centre will be allocated to positions, and as far as possible 11 followed up” in those positions!. The introductory training schedule is to include milking (hand and machine) use of more commonly used implements and tools, fencing, draining, etc., handling horses and sheep, farm elementaries and routine, and simple lectures by officers of the Agricultural Department and local farmers. The services and support of the following organisations, departments, and constituencies are proposed to be enlisted: — Government Unemployment Board (finance and general assistance); Boy Employment Committee, under whose auspices the training centre will be conducted; trustees, Wairarapa Training Farm, whose property will be used as the training centre; Y.M.C.A., whose officers, in co-operation with the permanent farm manager, will actually manage and control the centre on behalf of the committee; Department of Agriculture (lectures and general guidance); nearby farmers and -training farm staff (instruction of the boys); citizens of Wellington and Wairarapa, for general support, including gifts in kind, provision of entertainment, and amenities for the boys; farmers generally, for absorption of boys after training; Public Works and Defence Departments, for use of equipment; district clergy and Women’s Division of Dominion Farmers’ Union, for f 4 followup” services in co-operation with committee; and district doctors, medical and health purposes. 6. The daily routine of the centre is ■to be conducted on a similar basis to the previous 1 1 Penrose” camps. Most of the day will be given to practical work on the training farm, or with nearby farmers, with adequate opportunity for rest and recreation. Two lectures will be given weekly by officers of the Department of Agriculture, ana citizenship talks, concerts, sports ana cinema entertainments will be included weekly. The boys will carry out necessary fatigue duties. Divine service on Sundays is provided for.

It will be a condition on all boys entering the training centre that, provided they are deemed suitable and work can -be found for them, they will definitely take up farming at the conclusion of their training. The enrolment will not be restricted to Wellington boys. Recruits will be taken from any centre in the Dominion and special provision made for a qu<.-ta of Wairarapa boys. The -boys will pay their own fares to and from the training centre. The committee reserves the right to reject any application or to terminate the training of any boy without notice or without necessarily giving any reason.

The question of liability for accident is to be gone into and legislated for accordingly.

The personnel of the general scheme, not including matters appertaining to training farm property, consists of the chairman, Wellington Boy Employment Committee, as president, the farm subcommittee of Wellington Boy Employment Committee as .. ecutive, and the general secretary, L’.M.C'.A., as superintendent.