YOUNG "HOBOES" IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21707, 14 February 1936, Page 18

YOUNG "HOBOES" IN AUSTRALIA

GROWTH OF A SOCIAL' v .PROBLEM

PRODtrCT . OP . DEPRESSION 1

(non oux oww COBHMPOKDKXT.) SYDNEY, February 5. The depression brought into existence in Australia a new class—the “hoboes” of -the road. The “swaggie” has long been part of life in the back country—generally an elderly or old man, humping his swag from settlement toi settlement, .station to station, farm to farm, doing a little work now and again for food. But while the still is found, with'his roll of blankets, a billy, and (nearly always) a dog, to-day he has many companions of the road—the young to middle-aged -adventurers who, unemployed in the city, and some of them unemployable, have ventured into the country. They.live on government-provided food relief to which unemployed men are entitled, increased by food begged, bought, or stolen as the opportunity, offers. There is no doubt about the permanence of this class, and authorities are troubled about means to bring them back into society. The Queensland Minister for Labour, speaking at a recent conference in Sydney on unemployment, said that this “hobo” class mostly consisted of youths who left school and were without employment, who were fob independent to stay at home and take the bread out of the mouths of others, and who ultimately took to the road. These youths, after a few months or a year or two, must become a positive menace to society. Many of them became communists. They now’actually had an organisation with a directory, explaining to them, for example, where they were to go, where they could get food, clothing, and “hand-outs,” at various stations, and how they could evade restrictions in regard to application for relief. Mr Hynes’s remarks were endorsed by the New South Wales railways officials. In the last few years they say, thousands of these youthful “train-jumpers” have been arrested for trespass. There is no sign that their number is diminishing, in spite of the improvement in economic conditions. From town to town, from state to state, they move, restless,' reckless, and predatory. The “hoboes” travel in bands. If one or two, when arrested, are under 18 years, they will often deny it, because, by being dealt with in a children’s court they would become separated from their companions, The amount of stealing from trucks by these youths is seriotut; more serious still, officials say, is the damage they do by breaking open cases and bags and strewing the contents over the floor, or perhaps the railway line. In many of the country towns there are “hobo” camps, well known to the roving bands; information of that kind is exchanged among the brotherhood of the track. The camps are usually a jumping-off place for a train. Many of the youths are driven to the track in the first place, at least, by a spirit of adventure. But among the rovers are hardened criminals who try, when arrested, to pass themselves oiT simply as “hoboes.” Sometimes they succeed in sheltering themselves from justice under the wing of their more innocent companions.