DELINQUENT GIRLS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5033, 29 September 1926, Page 3

DELINQUENT GIRLS.

THE “ MILD EYE OF A HEIFER.”

A PUZZLED MAGISTRATE.

During anaddress at the Wanganui Rotary Club Mr J. S. Barton, S.M., in dealing with juvenile delinquents, said it wa r s obvious that girl offenders were coming before the courts in increased numbers', and it was a difficult problem to know how to deal with them. In the case of boys charged with theft they could generally trace it back, to some impulsive act, or pofesibly team work through coming into contact with other boys. That being the case, it was an easy matter to “direct” a boy into team-work of another nature, and the guiding influence of ■other boys soon led him to take an interest in his team. They also had the big brother movement, where a delinquent boy was taken in hand and received proper guidance. In the case of a girl it was different. Where could they expect to get the same results from a “big sister”? A “big sister” might talk to the delinquent girl for an hour, and there would be no guarantee that the delinquent had learned anything from the "bigsister,” but it was certain that she could tell everything the big sister wore. He had talked to delinquent girls who had looked at him with the' ipild eye of a heifer, but it was impossible to tell what" was passing through their minds, or whether they were being in the least benefited by the advice given.