CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 193, 17 August 1942, Page 2

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

NIGHT IjIFE

(To The Editor)

The article in Saturday's issue on Auckland's night life was an unjustifiable reflection on the city. I say this as a visitor to New Zealand, who has lived in Auckland for the past two months, who likes late hours and who has visited the city's night clubs. The alleged licentiousness in the streets is a gross exaggeration. Auckland has little to be ashamed of in the conduct going on in its streets at any hour of the day or night. As to its night clubs, with possibly one exception, they are well conducted. They also are tame affairs, so tame that in my country they would quickly have to close because of want of patronage. I write this because I like New Zealand, because I find New Zealanders so friendly and because, except that at present it is monotonously dull, I see in Auckland possibilities of a great city. In contesting the statements made in the article I am not advocating wartime or any other time immorality, but surely the time for a moral crusade is not in the middle of a war. This is not the time for inhibitions. If servicemen, many of whom before the war is over may have to give their lives, want some gaiety when on leave in Auckland, don't throw up hands in horror. If girls working long hours on war work want to dance and enjoy themselves in their . leisure, don't presuppose that they all necessarily must be Magdalenes. Of course, there is some immorality in Auckland, as there is in every town and hamlet in New Zealand. Auckland is a seaport and it is wartime, but the extent of Auckland's immorality should not be over-magnified. As one who has travelled the world I can say that Auckland is not an evil city. Rather is it a quiet city and one which, in some respects, is at least 20 years behind the times. It is a city also in which the majority of citizens allow themselves to be over-ruled by the minority. This majority should not countenance their citv being maligned. VISITOR.

. Regarding the sensational happenings, as disclosed in the Methodist Times, I feel I have to write and state how exaggerated and unfair tfce comments are, especially that relating to a cabaret. I do not do so in defence of the cabaret I manage because the watchers refer to * cabaret they visited after midnight, and we do not open after midnight But serious reflections were made oii the police, who were accused of lack cf supervision, and I hasten to say that at every dance hall and cabaret the police enter almost hourly and make an inspection, and one policeman who visited us looked into every cubicle, and ordered the occupants out, whilst with his torch he shone a light under the seats to see if there were liquor bottles hidden. Needless to say there were none. I, therefore, cannot believe the police less vigilant at other cabarets. In all seriousness it might be that the present form of dancing known as jitterbugging, and practised at other places, has led to the impression "that many men and women were hopelessly drunk" and so misled the watchers. Thank goodness we prohibit jitterbugging absolutely. ALFRED FENN.