GIRLS AT DANCES

Southland Times, Issue 21088, 21 May 1930, Page 11

GIRLS AT DANCES

NEED FOR PROPER SUPERVISION.

COMMENT BY MR JUSTICE SMITH.

(Per United Press Association.)

Auckland, May 20.

“I desire to say that it is a grave as well as a sad circumstance that a girl of 15 years should be allowed by her parents or guardians to go unescorted to a public dance,” said Mr Justice Smith when sentencing a young man to seven years’ hard labour for rape at Hamilton. "This case illustrates the peril of such conduct in a tragic way. It shows the need of adequate home training and supervision. If that had been available for this girl, it is a reasonable inference that she would never have been in the company of a person previously unknown to her beside a vacant piece of land at midnight. This case also raises in a tragic manner the question of whether the proprietor of every dance hall and the organizers of every public dance should not voluntarily see that obvious juveniles are turned away from the public dances unless escorted. Aluch public anxiety would be allayed if this were done, and also if the proprietor of every dance hall and the organizers of every public dance would take voluntary but vigorous steps to eject any person under the influence of liquor.”