The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-04-25
ELY BOY SCOUTS
AREA SYSTEM .
SCOUTING IN ELY GIVEN I'M
PETUS BY THE IRON RANGE
AREA COUNCIL-LOCAL COM
MITTEES NAMED BY CHAIRMAN
ENGLUND.

The business of building better boy
hood in Ely through the medium of
the Boy Scout movement, which Is
recognized in nearly every country OF
the world as one of the finest pro-
grams for youth ever evolved, has been
developed to a scientific and effective
point under the area council system
such as that in operation in the Iron
Range Area Council, according to
Philip Schweickhard, Virginia, council
president.
Approximately 1000 boy scouts in
Chisholm, Bull, Mountain Iron. Eve
leth, Gilbert, Biwabik, Aurora, Tower,
Ely, international Falls, Cook and
rural areas adjacent to these com
munities are under the jurisdiction of
the Iron Range council organization
and are receiving supervision and
leadership from the 100 adult volun-
teer 'scouterS," as men connected
with the movement are called.
In Ely there are three troops in
which 80 boys are actively engaged In
scouting.
Scouting had its inception in this
area as a purely local movement with
the organization of scattered troops
in one or two towns. When more than
one troop was formed in any town,
the movement was placed under type
OF restricted council organization, but
leadership and council service obtain
able by this method was limited. This
trend toward council organization
eventually resulted in the formation of
councils at Virginia and Eveleth,
under which troops of nearby COM
munitieS were Serviced from a central
headquarters
Last year, after considerable study
and investigation, it was agreed that
more effective and intensive scouting
could be obtained at a lesser cost to
each community through the ANAL
gamation of the two councils into one
Iron Range Area Council, and this
was accomplished. The resulting
growth in scouting, enlargement of
scope of program, speaks for the re-
suits of the movement
Scouting is now administered in this
area under the area council plan
The combination was effected in May
1929, and Ely was designated as one
of the districts to be served in the
Iron Range Area Council Officers
elected included Philip Schweickhard,
Virginia, president; w. F.. Pellenz, Eve
leth, vice president; Willard BayliSS,
Chisholm, second vice president; j.
Carver Richards, Virginia, third vice
president; Fred Potter, Virginia, treas
urer; and Don j. MacIver, Virginia,
commissioner. The same officers were
elected for 1880.
Each district is supervised by a dis
trict chairman who functions as a
council president under the old system
He is assisted by a. local committee
The local district chairman is w. E.
Englund The area commissioner, Mr.
MacIver, has district commissioners
and several deputy commissioners in
each community, assisting him in the
direct supervision of the work in the
troops.
An executive board composed of the
officers, chairmen of council standing
committees, district committee chair
men, commissioner and troop repres-
entatives, guide the year-round act
ivities of troops. Each community
has several representatives on this
board.
The council executive is located
at headquarters in Virginia, from
where he serves the entire area. At
Eveleth is located a field executive who
operates over the entire field Both
are trained and experienced men who
are devoting their lives to scout
leadership, and the two executives are
the only Salaried scout leaders in the
area. ALI other adult leadership is
purely voluntary.
Each phase of scouting, such as
camping, finance, troop organization,
leadership training, civic service. pub
licity, court honors, health and safety,
rural and sea scouting, is under the
supervision of a special committee
supervised by an area chairman. Each
district is represented on each of these
standing committees.