THE WAIPUKURAU PRESS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1934. A CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 266, 19 November 1934, Page 4

THE WAIPUKURAU PRESS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1934. A CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT.

As outlined in a Press Association telegram from Auckland, a highly commendable scheme for training boys as farmers and providing them with some capital at the end of their period of training has been launched by the Auckland Boys’ Employment Committee. The Unemployment Board will co-operate in the scheme financially and otherwise for the time being. The plan wall be limited to 25 boys, at the suggestion of the Unemployment Board, but the committee hopes subsequently that it will be extended to a greater number of lads. The chairman, Sir Joseph Smith, reported at the meeting of the committee that he and the secretary had submitted the scheme to Air. Coates, and to his great delight, the Government had accepted the scheme in toto. The Government’s contribution, which totalled about £5OOO, was a handsome one, which he was sure they all appreciated. The scheme should show’ a handsome return, both humanly and economically. Under the scheme a small select committee of trustees w’ould select those unemployed boys who appeared to have interest and capacity beyond normal, and would arrange to place them with selected farmers, who could give them a working opportunity to acquire a practical insight into the operations on the land. It was proposed that establishment funds be provided sufficient to enable a young man, after four or five years’ training, to be placed either on a small holding, where he would be partly self-supporting and partly dependent on outside work in the surrounding district, or alternatively, to enable him to take part in any scheme of land settlement in operation when that time arrived. Farmers with whom boys were placed would be expected to provide suitable board and lodgings and, say. 5/- a week for a first-year boy. rising from year to year; this would be sufficient for clothes and pocket money. Trustees would be appointed for the scheme, and an account opened For each boy. To this account could be paid whatever sum the Unemployment Board provided, probably a sum equal to that paid by the farmer and pro rata contributions from private donations received by the committee. These sums would be invested and, except for withdrawals at the direction of the trustees to cover the cost of special training courses, such as might be obtained at Ruakura State Farm, would accumulate until the time the trainee was judged to be fit for establishment in one way or another on the land, and then used for that purpose and no other. Boys should contribute 1/- out of every 5/- they received, and a reasonable rate of pay from the farmer would be 5/-. 10/-, 15/-, 20/-, and 25/- a w’eek in each of five years. Funds in respectof each boy would accumulate as follows: First year, from the Government £l3. from the boy £2 12/-, total £l5 12/-; second year, £26 and £2 12/-, total £2B 12/-; third year, £39 and £7 16/-. total £46 16/-; fourth year. £52 and £lO 8/-, total £62 8/-; fifth year. £65 and £l3; total £7B; grand total £234, to be refunded to any boy who fails to make good and complete his period of training. The above amount, it was held, plus interest and private donations, should go a long way toward the establishment costs on the scale indicated.