SEAMY SIDE OF DUNEDIN.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 May 1919, Page 6

SEAMY SIDE OF DUNEDIN.

DIFFICULT SOCIAL PROBLEMS

LACK OF PATERNAL CONTROL

MENACE OF MENTAL DEFEC-

TIVES.

The Rev. Vincent King, who, by virtue of his ministerial and social activities is in a position to speak of .the seamy side of life in Duncdin, gave an Otago Daily Times reporter some particulars of the many forms of evil which come under his notice. Mr. King said that over three years ago the Department of Justice had been appealed to by the local Society ifor the Protection of Women and Children to take some steps to provide legislation enabling mentally defective girls to be placed under detention and thus remove a moral menace to the youth of the city. A long, list of cases of evils arising from the freedom allowed such girls was forwarded to the Minister and the number of illegitimate children born to these defectives •was supplied. Nothing, however, had been done.

'Another evil very prevalent in Dunedin to-day, in common with the other •centres in the Dominion, was petty thieving. Mr. King said .that some anonths ago a bookseller in Dunedin ihad informed him that if his losses by rpetty. thieving during the Christmas period did not exceed a value of anything up to £IOO he counted himself fortunate. The stealing of articles from shops not confined to boys and girls, but well-dressed men and women were also known to have committed such thefts.

Mr. King referred to another extremely evil practice which was growing amongst the boys of this and other •towns, and said it was a frightfully difficult problem' to deal with. He isaid he could offer n 0 opinion as to

the manner in which this horrible practice could be combatted unless by lectures by medical men or fully qualified experts. One case which he cited was of such a startling nature as to demand immediate investigation by the authorities.

The moral standpoint adopted by •wrong-doers such as those referred ito appealed to Mr. King as remarkable. They appeared to have no sense of the wrongfulness of their actions, but "What appeared to be uppermost in their minds was their bad luck, as it were, in being found out, and the ■dread.of the consequences. He said

that the lax control of the children in their home lives was responsible' for many boys and girls going astray. What could be expected, he asked, when young girls were allowed to roam the streets at nights, unattended. The present generation of fathers and mothers were allowing their children too much freedom, and the lack of

obedience was most pronounced in some families. As soon as many boys and girls went to work and commenced io earn money they appeared to consider that they had terminated their period of parental control, and could do as their own personal proclivities

prompted. One pleasing feateuro, however, said Mr. King, which was very noticeable, "wag the general absence of larrikinism in Dunedin. He attributed this entirely to the training of the Territorials and Senior Cadets. The healthy training given the youths in their night drills was having a really beneficial effect, both morally and physically.