312 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



on the boy's earnings, and in the second year — for as long as may be necessary — half 

 his wages. The repayments are invariably paid off long before the end of the second 

 year. 



Cost of a Boy. — The average cost to the country of a boy, in food, clothes, shelter, 

 and education, may be taken at £20-£26 a year, so that a lad between fifteen and 

 sixteen years of age has cost the country approximately, say, £350. Surely it is a good 

 investment then to add this £60 for transplantation, and so guarantee a satisfactory 

 return for the expenditure. By neglecting the boy when he completes his education, 

 he becomes a charge on industry and continues to be a consumer when he ought also 

 to become a producer. 



Value of a Boy. — The expenditure upon a boy, together with the cost of his 

 emigration, gives a total cost, approximately, of £400 per boy. The Motherland makes 

 a gift of this potential wealth producer to the Oversea Dominions, and looks for no 

 definite or taugiblo return for the outlay. 



Present v. Future Empire Needs. — Statistical information would suggest that in a 

 comparatively short space of time the heavy fall in the birth-rate during the Great 

 War will affect the supply of juvenile labour in Great Britain. It is estimated that in 

 1933 the number of juveniles (boys and girls) available for employment will be 400,000 

 less than the number available to-day, which is estimated to be 2,165,000. It may 

 be safely assumed that 50 per cent, of these figures refer to boys. Even if this be so, 

 it is no reason why boys of the present day, having regard to the past seven years' 

 unemployment and the profound world changes affecting all our industries, should be 

 denied the opportunities awaiting them overseas ; further, it is contended that the 

 Empire's present needs should outweigh any problematical view of the future. In 

 view of all the circumstances, it would seem to be good business to set about training 

 tens of thousands, instead of a few hundreds. 



Demand for Boys. — To those who may have a doubt that, if in the event of training 

 schemes being undertaken on a grand scale, boys would find employment overseas, 

 it may be said that the demand overseas for boys is many more times than the supply, 

 and is likely to continue so, because these young fellows will quickly commence farming 

 on their own account. 



Arrangements made before arrival Overseas. — What happens to the boys overseas ? 

 On arrival, the conductor of the party introduces them to the officers who have 

 already been advised by letter and cable of the actual numbers travelling. These 

 overseas officers have been enquiring into the suitability of the farmers applying for a 

 boy, and no boy is sent to a situation until some experienced person acting under our 

 instructions has seen the farmer, and is satisfied that the conditions are fair and 

 reasonable, and that suitable house accommodation is provided. Thus the boy is 

 sent without delay to a situation — care being taken not to send two boys off the same 

 ship to adjoining farms. Usually a boy goes a month on trial. If the farmer likes the 

 boy, and the boy likes the farmer, twelve months' agreement is then concluded. This 

 ensures the opportunity to the boy of observing a full year's work on the farm, and 

 prevents any town drift in the winter time. 



After-care Safeguards. — The boys' distributing centres are set up in country districts 

 — not in large cities — and the officers keep in touch with the boys by visits and corre- 

 spondence. During the first six months newspapers or magazines are posted regularly 

 every week to the boy, and if a boy wants to run away he knows where he can be assured 

 of a sympathetic understanding and treatment of the malady of homesickness as well 

 as minor ailments which might prevent his continuing at work, but would not require 

 his admission to a hospital. They are not spoon-fed, but rather taught to be manly 

 and self-reliant. 



Re-placing Misfits. — Experience has shown that boys settle well, but in the nature 

 of things there are bound to be misfits. Even employers are not always what they 

 might be. There is no possible guarantee that a lad will be comfortably settled 

 in his first situation, and this is where the Army's organisation is particularly effective. 

 Among the boys there are the proverbial ' rolling-stones ' as well as a large percentage 

 who want to improve themselves and to see the world. The record of the re-placings 

 of the 594 boys trained and emigrated in 1925, up to the end of December 1926, is a 

 very useful guide to what may be expected after boys have arrived overseas. 

 Re-placings were as follows : — 



Number of times re-placed . . .12 3 4 5 6 over 6 

 Number of boys Ill 87 55 28 11 1 5 



