ON THE LAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 307, 28 December 1937, Page 11

ON THE LAND

PUBLIC SCHOOL BOYS THE FUTURE PROSPECTS LONDON, Nov. 10. "I have no time for criticisms of the English public school or the old school tie,” declared Lieut.-Colonel E. W. Lascelles, chairman of the New Zealand Group of the Overseas League, this week. He was introducing Mr. J. C. Rolleston (Te Kuitil, who described to the group the activities of the New Zealand Association ol English Public Schools of Great Britain.

Colonel Lascelles said that he had learned to admire the product of English public schools during the war. I’ney were the first of the men who went out to die, and once they were gone the country had to be combed to replace them. "1 do not care what criticism is levelled against the English public schools,” Colonel Lascelles continued. "They stand for ideals of duty, service and sacrifice. We want as many of that type of fellow in New Zealand as we can get.”

Mr. Rolleston said that the association, of which Major-General Sir Andrew Russell was president, was originally formed for bringing t.;gethei old public schoo-i boys resident in New Zealand. It had been started in conjunction with the immigration scheme for public school boys, and it had appointed an inspector to travel round the Dominion to meet them and tain with them. The association firmly believed that the "aftercare” of anyone going to a new country was particularly important, especially during the first 12 months, when ideas had to be adjusted to a new outlook on life.

Some 500 boys had been sent cut under the scheme. About 5 per cent had returned to England, being unsuited for the life, and another 5 per cent, had found life in the cities more congenial. The remainder were doing weil. particularly those boys who had capital and would one day be their own masters. The Need For Capital. "As a result of our experience, the association is not prepared to recommend any public school boy to go out to New Zealand to-day unless he has capital or will have it,” said Mr. Rolleston. "Unfortunately, as far as we can see, any boy who goes out without capital will have to remain a farm labourer, and we do not think it a fair thing to recommend a boy with a public school education to become a farm labourer for the rest of his life." To-day the association endeavoured to see that boys going out to New Zealand had proper farming expn,encc for four or five years and it was prepared to assist with advice when the boys wished to invest their money in property. Mr. Rolleston added that it aid not seem that there was room for some scheme whereby boys without capital should have it provided lor them. Something could be done, he thought, to encourage this parti ;u--latly desirable type of immigrant. He was hopefui that assistance in this direction might be given as a result of the recent Migration Conference at Guildhall.

The association was also prepared to assist Imperial Service pensioners going to New Zealand in the same way as they helped the public school boys. While endeavouring not to overstate its "case” the association maintained that there was a good living to be had in New Zealand under healthy conditions. When people asked him how long the farmers could expect to go without a slump, Mr. Rolleston replied by saying that if conditions were bad in New Zealand they would be bad in England as well, so that anybody was probably just as well off in New Zealand as in England. Mr. and Mrs. Rolleston expect to return to New Zealand in January for a stay of six months .