TOO MUCH MONEY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 75, 8 July 1942, Page 2

TOO MUCH MONEY

GROWING YOUTH PROBLEM

The high earnings of youths and a lack, In many instances, of reasonable supervision of the spending of their money, is one aspect of g/owing problems with which youth and social workers are being confronted more 10-tday than ever before. Cases whi-'h come before the juvenile courts often reveal that the delinquents, though charged sometimes with only minor offences, are in receipt of substantial wages, out of which they make no regular payment to parents as a return for their keep and no check is kept either by tiie boys or their parents on the manner of spending of their earnings. In some cases in which acts of dishonesty have formed the basis of charges and where the theft of or interference with other persons' property has resulted in boys being brought before the courts, it has been shown in the investigation that the offenders had no occasion to steal and could, with their own! money, have procured some of the articles of which they have been accused of stealing. This, of course, is not the problem in all cases, but those whose work brings them into contact with this type of case have repeatedly expressed the view that* while there is nothing against boys earning good wages there is strong ground for urging that a wiser and stricter measure of control should be exercised by parents or guardians over the spending of their earnings. In support of this, instances have been cited of youths in receipt of good wages paying nothing for their keep at home and yet being in debt to substantial amounts for such things as personal clothing. Other young boys have been found spending quite an amount of money on going to dances and in the hiring of rental cars for outings for themselves and friends. They rarely have any accounts in which they even occasionally deposit any savings, and simply spend all they receive. In the present state of affairs a sound suggestion has been made by one officer of a court that such youths even if their parents are prepared to keep them for nothing— the wisdom of this is questioned— should be encouraged to make a re-i gular contribution to a war savings account. By that means they would be providing for themselves against needs which may arise in he future and also assisting the war effort of the country.