310 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



number of unemployed persons on the live registers of the Labour Exchanges in the 

 United Kingdom being 2,580,429, of whom 102,116 were boys aged 18 and under. 

 In 1928, when the total unemployed reached 1,527,751, the unemployed youth was 

 43,542. The disastrous effect of unemployment upon adults is a serious matter, but 

 in youth the deterioration aggravated by overcrowding is tragic. 



It was to do something to arrest this demoralisation of youth that led to the initia- 

 tion of General Booth's Scheme for Boys, a scheme which provides for giving boys in 

 the United Kingdom of from fourteen to eighteen years of age some elementary 

 agricultural instruction and training before actually taking them overseas and 

 placing them in situations with farmers. 



The value to the Empire of this work cannot be over-estimated since the vast 

 vacant spaces in the King's Oversea Dominions are in themselves a challenge, while 

 the proper distribution of the man- power of the Empire is vital to her safety and well- 

 being. The value of the transplantation of youths, however, is much more than a 

 mere distribution of man-power would indicate. Demoralisation is arrested, and the 

 creative faculty is re-born by the process. It is the spirit of adventure, too, rather 

 than the feeling of social and economic pressure, that inspires youtbs who go over- 

 seas. They fit readily into conditions overseas, and they take with them a breath of 

 the Homeland. Men and women often emigrate because of social and economic 

 pressure, their outlook and enterprise being restricted by these circumstances. Not 

 bo a boy emigrant, his youthful enterprise is at bursting-point. 



These boys are doubly welcome overseas because they engage themselves in the 

 primary productions and do not disturb — except beneficially — existing economic 

 conditions ; at the same time, without much additional capital expenditure, they 

 themselves become producers, and relieve for men's work men who have hitherto 

 been uneconomically engaged in boys' work. 



General Lines of the Scheme. — The scheme provides for the selection of boys in 

 ' blind alley ' occupations, in odd jobs, or unemployed in the United Kingdom, training 

 them on the Army's Farms at Hadleigh, Essex, and transplanting them overseas. 

 It takes cognisance of the boy's whole needs. It complies with the requirements of 

 the respective Governments ; provides for efficient after-care, and covers contingencies 

 not recognised by the Governments. Repatriation when necessary is arranged. 

 Suitable outfits are given to each boy before embarkation, and the boys travel overseas 

 in the care of a conductor. The scheme is carried on without respect to creed or 

 nationality, except that imposed by the Empire Settlement Act, 1922. There is no 

 financial qualification or disqualification in the scheme, general fitness being the test. 



Period of Training. — The period of training depends upon a boy's ability. It is 

 also influenced by the fitting in of dates of sailings, etc., but training is never less than 

 six weeks, and may extend to three months. The curriculum is designed for short 

 and long periods of training. A boy taking the shorter course is able to cover all the 

 subjects, and if taking the longer course, would not be going over the same ground 

 again. No attempt is made to specialise, but a boy with ' stock ' sense will naturally 

 come closer up to ' stock ' questions. Elementary knowledge of simple farm opera- 

 tions is acquired in a short course of training, and as soon as a lad is reasonably advanced 

 he goes overseas. If a longer course were given him he would probably have some 

 things to unlearn. The net result of the training may be said to be that the boy has 

 learned that he knows nothing about the business ! Boys are taught how to approach 

 a horse, made familiar with the process of milking a cow, taught to tend sheep and 

 pigs, and generally instructed in the attendant duties. 



The Farms and their Equipment. — Hadleigh in Essex lies near Southend-on-Sea, 

 forty miles east of London, on the north bank of the Thames (opposite Sheerness), and 

 from the ruins of the old castle one sees the Thames Estuary with the Nore Lightship in 

 the distance, and the ceaseless arrival and departure of the world's shipping. The 

 Training Farms cover 2,000 acres and carry forty head of milking pedigree cattle (Red 

 Lincolns) ; 200 pedigree pigs (Middle White Yorks) ; 600 sheep, etc. Some 300 

 acres are taken up in orchards and market gardens, and there is a brickfield worked 

 on the estate. The property has been in the Army's occupation since 1891, but it 

 was not until August 1923 that it was devoted largely to the training of boys, although 

 prior to that men, women and boys had been trained for overseas settlement. Since 

 the inception of the Boys' scheme over 3,000 boys have been successfully trained 

 there and settled overseas. 



Recruitment and Selection of Boys. — Publicity is given by announcements in the 

 Press, lectures in public halls, in schools, etc., and through the Army's offices and 

 periodicals. On receipt of appbcations from boys some general information is sent, 



