The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-05-23
Boys Working Reserve.

Applications have been received at the
headquarters of the Maine Division of
the United States Boys Working Re-
serve, from more than $50 men WI, v,1t
to help in the raising of war timc GODS
by acting as captains in the army o. me
boy volunteers. To many of these men
participation in the wo rk will mean finan-
cial sacrifice; they are actuated by de-
sire to do something toward winning the
war.
The captain who goes into the field
with squad of boys fills responsible
position He is comrade, adviser and
business agent for his young charges and,
at the same time, he is the farmers
friend, because it is part of his duty to
see that the farmer as well as the boy
gets a square dead. Some of the men
who have this year applied for positions
as captains served in the same capacity
under the Junior Volunteer organization
last year. Many of the applicants are
college professors and school teachers.
The captains who are selected to serve
in this years. campaign will begin work
at the training camp in Winthrop There
they will meet the members of their COM
panies and take part in the preliminary
instruction given them. Then comes the
departure of the companies. When
request is received from the farmers of
neghborhood for ten or more boys,
company goes out in answer to the call.
| After their arrival at the scene of their
/ labor, the captain visits the different en-
ployers and sees that the boy on each
farm is living under suitable conditions.
The captain arranges with the farmer the
amount of pay the boy is to receive,
which in no case must be less than III
day. 1t is also part of the captains duty
to see that the boy is paid weekly and
that the records of the payments are
properly kept and the required receipts
are made out. During the season he
keeps constantly IN touch with the farm
ers and the boys, making daily trips OF
inspection from farm to farm.
An important feature of the captains
work is that OF looking after the health
of the boys. If one of his charges is ill
he arranges for medical attendance.
Should boy suffer an attack of appen-
dicitis, for example, the captain would
see that no time was lost in getting the
patient to hospital. The boys parents
would be notified and their wishes follow
ed in making arrangements for the treat
ment of the case. One of the Junior
Volunteers last year was successfully
operated upon for appendicitis. But while
the care of the health of the boys is a
part of the captains work, the expert
ence of last year showed that there is
little likelihood of any considerable
amount of illness among them. AS a
rule, the boys gain in health and strength.
While captain may be sent out from
Winthrop with only ten or dozen boys
in his company, he will have more than
that number before the season is over.
The arrival of company of boys in
neighborhood is almost invariably follow
ed by requests for more. Last year one
captain had rs boys under his charge at
the same time. He journeyed in an auto
mobile from farm to farm and at the end
of the season brought home his charges
happy and healthy and left behind d
group of farmers who Were loud in their
praises of their boy help.