It is still further gratifying to invite attention to the fact that the magazine Boys Life was operated not only within its income but shows a surplus of $10,000.

By reason of lack of resources this publication which has for eight years so well served the scout movement has not been able to develop so as to compete with other publications for boys and does not therefore enjoy the circulation it deserves. Because of this, the executive board at a recent meeting has authorized a request for a special fund of $200,000 to be devoted to the magazine, so that it can be published on merit alone, which will command a circulation in excess of any other publication for boys and prove a permanent benefit to the boys of America. The support of the entire field is earnestly sought for further development of this publication.

SUPPLY DEPARTMENT.

Activities of the supply department are not only carried in the regular report but are especially treated in a report of the special committee appointed by the executive board of the national council at its last meeting.

Attention is invited to the fact that the plan recommended provides for the development of supply department branches in various parts of the country under conditions which will make uniforms and other equipment available in less time and under conditions which it is hoped will prove more serviceable.

Uniforms and other equipment are an essential factor in the success of scouting, and it must be made available under conditions which maintain the good repute of the scout movement, meeting the requirements of the act of Congress authorizing the use of our uniform. When the new official uniform can be exclusively used by all scouts and scout officials it is believed that it will greatly strengthen the work of the Boy Scout movement.

SEA-SCOUTING DEPARTMENT.

The report of the sea-scouting department shows some increase, but not such as was expected. The groups that have been organized, however, report satisfactory conditions and show an increase of 26 ships over that we had last year. Mr. James A. Wilder, chief sea scout, has been compelled because of attention required to his personal business in Hawaii to apply for leave of absence. It is hoped that he may return to us in the near future, and that sea scouting may take its rightful place as an older scout activity.

VETERAN SCOUTS.

The list of veteran scouts continues to grow. Our 10-year men and boys begin to constitute a long roll of honor. It is a source of pride and congratulation that scouting has had within itself which binds men of such caliber to it for 10 years and more.

National council officers who have served the movement consecutively for 10 or more years are our president, Colin H. Livingstone; our honorary vice president, the Hon. William H. Taft; scout commissioner and vice president, Daniel Carter Beard; vice presidents

Mortimer L. Schiff, Benjamin L. Dulaney, Milton A. McRae, George D. Pratt, our treasurer, and John Sherman Hoyt, William D. Murray, Jeremiah Jenks, and Frank Presbrey, members of the executive board.

VETERAN TROOPS.

We are now at the point in our history when we have troops as well as many individuals with a record of continuous service for 10 or more years. According to a recent ruling of the executive board, such will be known as Veteran Troops.

PROTECTION OF SCOUT NAME.

During the year several instances have been reported of unintentional violation of our protected rights to the exclusive use of the scout name and insignia. In practically every case when our point of view was explained to the transgressor the offending matter was courteously withdrawn. The case of the Excelsior Shoe Co. had been running on for some time and is still unfinished.

RADIO ACTIVITIES.

Radio activities are playing an increasingly important part in our program. It has been roughly estimated that about 40,000 scouts are amateur radio operators, with regular Government licenses. Classes in wireless telegraphy and operation have been instituted by various councils and individual scoutmasters. Statistics are not at hand as to the number of councils which have established stations for scout use, but it is probable that these run to a hundred or more. The work being done along this line by the St. Paul council, under the leadership of Executive Neibel, is typical of what is being done in many cities. I understand that one of the most complete receiving and sending stations in that section of the country has been here established in cooperation with the city authorities, and known as Boy Scout municipal radio station. It is expected that messages transmitted will carry as far as 500 miles by radio telephone and 1,500 miles by radio telegraph. Plans are under way in St. Paul and generally throughout the country to make use of such stations for a good turn service to the public by transmitting municipal concerts, weather and crop forecasts, information as to forest fires, floods or other disaster, details as to stolen property, lost persons, etc. The Government is interested in this branch of scout service, and plans for fuller developments in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, the Aviation Service, etc., are now being considered. Perhaps we ourselves hardly realized the splendid possibilities of radio service in transmitting scout news and official messages until anniversary week this last February, when President Harding's message and other messages to the Boy Scouts were broadcasted throughout the country and read with striking effect at the various scout rallies and birthday gatherings. The development of an adequate national radio publicity service should be one of our immediate objects of endeavor.

NEW YORK EVENING MAIL WATER HIKE.

One of the outstanding events of the year for scouts and scout leaders in and about New York was the flag day "water hike" up the Hudson to Bear Mountain when over 5,000 scouts and their friends enjoyed the combined hospitality of the New York Evening Mail and the Hudson Navigation Co. Mayor Hylan reviewed the scouts beside Grant's tomb previous to their starting up the river. Among the notables present were General Bullard, who is an enthusiast about scouting and has two sons in the movement; Franklin D. Roosevelt, chairman of the Greater New York committee; Henry L. Stoddard, of the Mail; and Mr. George D. Pratt, our treasurer.

KEEPING ROOSEVELT'S MEMORY.

With each succeeding year since the death of our beloved chief scout citizen we feel more keenly the loss of his leadership and vital sympathy in the cause of American boyhood. We have endeavored in every way within our power to keep his memory a living inspiration and example to our scouts. Last year, as in 1920, only to a greater degree, we urged the suitable observance of Roosevelt's birthday upon scouts all over the country and through scouting, news bulletins, and letters made suggestions for such observance. Hundreds of patriotic and memorial mass meetings were held, trees were planted, and cabins dedicated to the name of Theodore Roosevelt. The Roosevelt Memorial Association indorsed our efforts and rendered valuable assistance to our publicity in this connection. It has been suggested that a permanent cabin, a replica of the house occupied by Roosevelt during his life as a Dakota ranchman be erected by scouts at Oyster Bay, logs for such a lodge to be contributed by scout troops all over the country. This project is now being worked out in cooperation with Mr. Herman Hagedorn, of the Roosevelt Memorial Association.

SECOND ANNUAL SCOUT PILGRIMAGE.

The second annual scout pilgrimage to Roosevelt's grave at Oyster Bay was made on Saturday, October 29, under the leadership of Commissioner Beard. More than a thousand uniformed scouts and scout leaders marched with Mr. Beard to the grave and shared the impressive ceremonies in honor of their friend and hero. Members of the Camp Fire Club, genuine "buckskin men," and friends of the late colonel also participated.

MEMORIAL MASS MEETING.

A Roosevelt memorial meeting was held at the Hotel Commodore on the evening of October 27, on which occasion Mr. Bowman, president of the hotel, generously entertained at dinner some 1,300 Boy Scouts of Greater New York. At the large meeting which followed the dinner, the guest of honor was Admiral Lord Beatty, chief sea scout of Great Britain, who brought greetings from the English scouts. The honorable Will Hays, our then Postmaster General, came from Washington especially to attend the gathering and address the scouts.

194°-H. Doc. 296, 67-2-2

PARTICIPATION IN TRIBUTE TO UNKNOWN DEAD.

Through our Washington scouts the whole organization was given the high privilege of sharing in the ceremonial at Arlington on armistice day in honor of the unknown dead. Headed by President Livingstone a scout delegation laid a wreath upon the dead soldier's bier and standing at attention recited the scout oath. A group of scouts also served earlier in escorting the body of the unknown soldier dead from the ship to the Capitol and guarded it with the marines as it lay in state previous to the ceremony at Arlington. Practically every scout in the city was on duty helping police the line of march to Arlington. Much credit is due Executive Edward D. Shaw for the efficient management of the whole affair. It is a significant proof of the high standard of our movement that the War Department should have invited scout participation in such a significant national event.

PARTICIPATION IN LIMITATION OF ARMS CONFERENCE.

It seemed a peculiarly happy idea that our scouts who are dedicated to the very ideals of world-wide friendliness, good will, and mutual service should have been permitted to play a part in a gathering the very existence of which is perhaps one of the most significant steps toward world peace that has yet been taken. Secretary of State Hughes wrote in connection with this incident as follows to President Livingstone:

The Boy Scouts rendered valuable assistance during the sessions of the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, and I take this opportunity of expressing to them, through you, my sincere appreciation of their willingness to help and of the efficient service which they have given.

HELPING AMERICANIZATION WORK.

Scout cooperation with the United States Bureau of Naturalization has continued quietly but no less effectively. Thousands of cards of invitation to foreign-born citizens to attend classes of preparation for naturalization have been distributed by scouts. At practically every patriotic mass meeting held in honor of new-made American citizens scouts have taken part. Perhaps even more important in the work of Americanization which is going on within scout troops, where boys of foreign parentage are being taught loyalty to the best American traditions. Through these young Americans the parents also are being reached to a degree perhaps hardly realized because so incalculable.

CONSERVATION WORK.

Conservation work and forest-fire prevention has gone steadily on. Noteworthy achievements has been accomplished along this line by the scouts of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Massachusetts and other States are also working out state-wide plans for scout service in conservation. All over the country scouts are working with forestry departments, conservation commissions, departments of agriculture, Audubon societies, etc., in planting trees and protecting them from menace, human and otherwise, guarding wild life, establishing bird sanctuaries, etc. In several places, scouts have been asked to act

as special aids to the park police, with excellent results. People will accept a courteous suggestion from a boy scout when they would feel incensed at censure from an authorized guardian of the law. The making of tree surveys by scouts is another development of service which has been successfully carried out in Jackson, Miss., Pontiac, Mich., and elsewhere. Tree planting has also become an appropriate job for scouts, extensive work of this sort having been done all over the country.

PARTICIPATION IN FOREST PROTECTION WEEK.

As soon as President Harding issued his proclamation making May 22 to 28 officially a forest protection week, we at once offered the full support of the organization to the project. Almost at the same time a letter was received from Secretary Wallace, of the Department of Agriculture, bespeaking our cooperation in the same cause. We immediately communicated with State foresters and others, asking for suggestions as to how we could prove most helpful. We also got in touch with officials of the American Legion, inviting them to cooperate with scouts in tree planting activities combined with ceremonials of dedication to our soldier dead. A special forestry number of Scouting was gotten out. The planting of trees was made generally a part of the May scouting program. In such sections of the country as found the season unsuitable for planting pledges were made to undertake the work at other times during the year. scouts themselves manifested much interest and activity in the campaign, although for them forest protection week is an all-the-yearround affair.

SCOUTS AS FIREMEN'S AIDS.

The

To have scouts organized as regularly authorized aids to local fire departments is becoming more and more a general custom. A few of the many towns and cities in which scouts are so organized are Boston, Mass.; Lincoln, Nebr.; Portland, Oreg.; Oakland, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Pasadena, Calif.; San Jose, Calif.; Meriden, Conn. In Pasadena the 25 scouts who recently qualified as auxiliary firemen received their official badges as a preliminary to anniversary week celebrations from the hands of no less a person than Governor Stephens himself. The only stipulation made in connection with these fire patrols is that scouts shall not be asked to perform hazardous service.

FAIR AND CONVENTION SERVICE.

At practically every county or State fair and large conventions all over the country scouts have been on duty, conducting information and first-aid booths, doing messenger and guide service, paging doctors, carrying baggage, looking out for strangers and lost or strayed children, always alert for opportunities of service, always faithful to the job on hand, always courteous and kindly.

Says a G. A. R. veteran:

I've come to the conclusion that we couldn't get on without the Boy Scouts' everwilling help. They are the first persons we meet when we get off the train, and carry our luggage. If we have no lodging engaged, they will take us to one and see that we are comfortable. They can beat the police at their own game when it comes to watch