ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT 
Governor's Appeal At Boy Scouts' Association Annual Meeting
REV. N.V.HALWARD DECORATED WITH SILVER WOLF

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   At the annual meeting of the Hong Kong Branch of the Boy Scouts' Association, held at St. John's Cathedral Hall last evening, it was stressed by His Excellency the Governor, Sir Geoffry Northcote, Patron and Colony Chief Scout, that though the movement locally was doing fine work, there was much room for improvement and advancement. The boys of the really poor classes had not yet been reached. They, after all, would be the fathers of the majority of the new generation, and it was important that they should be properly moulded. His Excellency appealed to the public for a very much wider subscription list and a greater number of trained helpers.

   Those present at the Council table were H.E. the Governor, the Rev. N.V.Halward, Colony Commissioner, Mr. E.Cock, President Hon. Mr. T.N.Chau, Vice President, Mr. D.A.Pockson, Hon. Secretary, and Messrs. Lo Koon-hang and Lo Koon-kan, Joint Hon. Treasurers. Amongst others who attended were Hon. Mr. N.L.Smith, Hon. Dr. R.H.Kotewall, Hon. Mr. T.H.King, Commodore E.B.C.Dicken, and the Rev. J.R.Higgs.
   The first business before the meeting was the adoption of the annual report and the adoption of the balance sheet and accounts. These proposed by Mr. Cock and seconded by Hon. Mr. King and proposed by Hon. Mr. Chau and seconded by Commodore Dicken, were carried unanimously. Next came the election of the Council for the coming year. The outgoing members were re-elected en bloc, with the exception of Sir William Hornell, who has left the Colony. Mr. D.J.Sloss and Mr. A.E.Pratt became new members of the Council.

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AWARDS PRESENTED

   Next came the presentation of awards and warrants by His Excellency. Notable amongst these were the award of the Silver Wolf to the Colony Commissioner by the Chief Scout for his most excellent services to the movement, a certificate of commendation from His Excellency the local Chief Scout to Scout Dicken Lay for his smart action in arresting a thief on June 23 last, and the District Scoutmaster's warrant to Mr. Quah Cheow Cheang, this being the first such ever awarded a Chinese.

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COMMISSIONER'S SPEECH

   The Colony Commissioner then made his speech, as follows:
   Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, brother Scouts. I find it very difficult to express in adequate terms my feelings on such an occasion as this. Whilst I appreciate to the full the honour which the Chief Scout has seen fit to confer upon me, and which you, Sir, have just so kindly presented to me, I am at the same time very much aware of my many shortcomings as Commissioner. It is only because I have had the wholehearted support of all Members of the Association that I have felt justified in carrying on during the past year or two.
   The criticism has been made that Scouting in many cases tends to take the place that religion should hold in a boy's or man's life. First and foremost I am a Christian and a priest in Christ's Church, but I have for many years looked upon Scouting as a practical means of expressing some of the great ideals for which Christianty stands. A Scout does his best to help other people at all times and tries to be a friend to all. Brother Scouts, you and I belong to a great worldwide movement which, if each individual member plays his part to the best of his ability and in accordance with our Promise and Law, will I firmly believe, help to bring about a better world in which men will learn to appreciate and understand one another instead of continually flying at one another's throats and resorting to war with all its attendant horrors.

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CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

   I am proud to know that this Association plays its part in these two respects. Both corporately and individually, know and unknown, many acts of service to the community have been performed year in and year out. In this connection may I remind Groups that the Street Sleepers’ Shelter Society is again calling for volunteers to help in the running of shelters this winter. In the past many Scouts have volunteered for service and I hope there will be many Scouts offering themselves again.
   Friendly relations with our brother Scouts in South China have been well maintained during the past year, and we all hope that conditions will soon be such as to enable us to resume those frequent interchanges of visits which help so much in the promotion of friendship and goodwill between this Colony and South China. In conclusion I would like to thank you for the support you have given not only to myself, but to all officers during the past year.

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HIS EXCELLENCY'S ADDRESS

   His Excellency then addressed the meeting. He said he did not think it was necessary for him at a meeting of this sort to dilate on the principles underlying the Scout Movement. Those of them who were not active members were deeply interested and fully aware of these principles. He would put it in one phrase. The boy was father of the man and if they wanted a satisfactory mankind it was absolutely necessary that they should prepare the antecedent boykind. The question arose as to what Hong Kong was doing in this respect. From what he had found, although progress was being made, it was not far as it ought to be, certainly not as far as the movement demanded.
   Nevertheless, valuable support was being given and here he would like to express his thanks to the multifarious kindnesses of their many friends. In particular the Colony Commissioner had asked him to express his gratitude to the Military and Naval authorities and to the heads of civil government departments for the facilities and help given during the year. He also thanked subscribers and not least those who had helped them out in their Chai Wan debt, which was still over $4,000.

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ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

   His Excellency did not, however, wish to paint too bright a picture. There was room for improvement. The assistance of trained workers was lacking and he appealed to young men with experience in scouting to come forward in greater numbers and to offer their services. Notwithstanding their numbers it was obvious that shortage of workers and shortage of funds were preventing the movement to get down to the poorer classes of boys. These would be the fathers of the new generation and it was immensely important to see that they were properly moulded. Hong Kong had a great name for its devotion to social services and His Excellency thought that perhaps the Boy Scout movement had taken a back seat in this respect. He took this opportunity of making a very strong claim on the pockets and endeavours of the public.
   In conclusion His Excellency congratulated the Colony Commissioner on the honour of being awarded the Silver Wolf. It was a very high award and only given for very meritorious services of an international character. The Rev. Mr. Halward had been a Scout for 18 years, seven of which had been spent in Hong Kong and South China, and he was deeply grateful for his services. With that he would wish the Hong Kong branch of the Boy Scouts Association every success in the coming year. (Applause).

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VOTE OF THANKS

   In proposing a vote of thanks to His Excellency, the Hon. Dr. R.H.Kotewall said in part: "Your Excellency, the Colony Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Commissioner has entrusted me with a pleasant duty. It is to propose a vote of thanks to His Excellency. His Excellency is a very busy man, having to take up the threads of many things which must be new and strange to him and having to grapple with many problems in these times of stress. His presence here, therefore, is proof of his high endeavours, and selfless devotion to duty and his deep interest in the movement and it is indeed a pleasant task for me to propose this note of thanks." (Applause).
   The meeting then dispersed with the singing of the National Anthem.

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LIST OF AWARDS
Assistant Scoutmaster's Warrants

   Lee Kam Kong, 5th. Hong Kong Group; Choo Siew Hong, 10th. Hong Kong Group; Fung Kim Sheung, 15th. Hong Kong Group; Lau Tin Chak, 18th. Hong Kong Group; Kong Yet Ching, 3rd. Kowloon Group; Liu Ting Fai, 9th. Kowloon Group; Wong Chee Ming, 15th. Kowloon Group.

Scoutmaster's Warrants

   F.C.Cottee, 3rd. Hong Kong Group; Shum Yiu Kam, 10th. Hong Kong Group; Jackson Ng, 9th Kowloon Group; Ku Yee Jing, 10th Kowloon Group; David Lee, 15th. Kowloon Group; Yung Wing Tung, 16th. Kowloon Group.

Rover Scout Leader's Warrant

   James Campbell, 3rd. Hong Kong Group.

Group Scoutmaster's Warrants

   Quah Cheow Cheang, 1st. Hong Kong Group; D.M.Edmonston, 3rd. Hong Kong Group.

District Scoutmaster's Warrant

   Wm.C.Low, Hong Kong and New Territories South District.

District Commissioner's Warrant

   Quah Cheow Cheang, Hong Kong and New Territories South District.
   Certificate to:- 1st. Hong Kong (St. Joseph's College) Troop for winning first place in the Prince of Wales' Banner Competition Camp, 1936.
   Certificate of Commendation from H.E. the local Chief Scout to Scout Dicken Lay of the 13th. Hong Kong (Central Chinese) Troop for his smart action in arresting a thief on June 23rd. 1937.
   The Silver Wolf to the Rev. N.V.Halward, M.C., M.A., Colony Commissioner, Hong Kong Branch, from the Chief Scout of all the world, for his most excellent services to the movement.

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COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR 1937-8

   President:- E.Cock, M.B.E., M.I.N.A.
   Vice President:- Hon. Mr. T.N.Chau.
   Members:- A.el Arculli, Lt. Col. H.B.L.Dowbiggin, O.B.E., Hon. Mr. T.H.King, A.J.Lane, Hon. Mr. N.L.Smith, C.M.G., Tang Shiu Kin, M.B.E., Lau Ping Chai, Commodore E.B.C.Dicken, O.B.E., D.S.O., Rev. Cyril Brown, Dr. G.I.Shaw, Mrs. T.H.King, M.B.E., Major C.M.Manners, O.B.E., Hon. Mr. M.T.Johnson, W.Kay, Dr. S.W.T'so, C.B.E., LL.D., Lt. Col. R.C.B.Anderson, M.C., D.J.Sloss, Li Jowson, Rt. Rev. the Bishop of Hong Kong, His Honour Sir Atholl MacGregor, G.R.Sayer, M.P.Talati, H.S.Mok, W.N.Thomas Tam, Col. N.M.S.Irwin D.S.O., M.C., George She, Hon. Dr. D.J.Valentine, M.C., F.G.Maunder, Rev. J.R.Higgs, W.C.Clark, Hon. Dr. R.H.Kotewall, C.M.G., A.E.Pratt, Lt. Col. H.L.Murrow, D.S.O., Hon. Sir Shouson Chow, Rev. C.B.R.Sargent, Chan Fook Hong, Esq., Representing Kowloon District, The Rev. Fr. E.Teruzzi, Wm.C.Low, Esq., Representing Hong Kong District.

Executive Committee of the Council, 1937-8

   Hon. Mr. T.H.King, Col. N.M.S.Irwin, D.S.O., M.C., H.S.Mok, Commodore E.B.C.Dicken, O.B.E., D.S.O.C., Tang Shiu Kin, M.B.E., F.G.Maunder, D.J.Sloss.