English Girls and Italian Organs.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 153, 8 May 1886, Page 4

English Girls and Italian Organs.

One of the effeots of the new Act in England for extending protection to youne girls has been to diminish the supply of young females to the Italian organ colonies in Saffron Hill, Peckham, and Hammersmith. For some years past the police have had a difficult task in trying to rescue and protect foolish girls, ohiefly from the agri.

cultural districts, who were led away by the promises of perambulating Italians' who travel about with pianos and organs. ' To wear a sham Italian dress and do no work, except occasionally turning the handle of an organ, were inducements which caught numbers of silly girls, who discovered, unfortunately when too late, into what a life of misery they had been entrapped by the smooth-tongued foreign rascal. The records of the police-courts show numerous instances of the ill-treat-ment to which the English girls were subjected by the " padrones": but in the old state of the law the police were powerless to interfere unless an actual assault had been committed, the extension of age from 16 to 18 in cases of abduction will, to a great extent, put down the evil, and the police are fully alive to the necessity of enforcing the new law. The " padroneß" have been officially warned of the risks they run in harbouring young girls ; but a conviction or two, with six months' imprisonment, will bring the fact home to the organ-grinding community quicker than any number of warnings from Scotland Yard.

The directors of the Scottish Australian Company are prepared to send labour out to Lambton in Mew South Wales if advised. All the members of tho Australian cricketing team are now here, and they will begin regular practice on Monday next. The post-office authorities will consult with the principal colonies before accepting any tenders for federal mail service.