Find Ends Dart Tradition

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30498, 21 July 1964, Page 2

Find Ends Dart Tradition

(N Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. July 20. A five-year-old girl recently picked up on the footpath a paper dart, made from law notes about sexual crimes, thrown from a window in Weir House, a students’ hostel.

Her mother was told it was a tradition for Weir House students to throw notes out the windows.

The child, who was with a six-year-old when she found the dart, took the dart to her mother. Mrs W. K. McEnnis. whose home in Talavera ter-

race is 150 yards from Weir House.

Mrs McEnnis said today neither of the children understood what was written on the dart—brief law notes about sexual intercourse, rape and indecency. She telephoned the warden of Weir House (Dr. T. H. Beaglehole), who, she said, expressed regret and added that it was a tradition for !Weir students to throw out their notes in the shape of paper darts. In a subsequent letter he said he had taken steps to see it did not happen again, said Mrs McEnnis.

She said the dart was one of dozens seen blowing about near Weir House. Others picked up contained notes on politics. Dr. Beaglehole said today he had written an apology to Mrs McEnnis and had sympathised strongly with the parents of both children.

It was a “completely thoughtless and stupid action” by the students, he said. “I told them they were stupid goats to do this and they fully realised the implications. “I feel very strongly that this was just one isolated incident and the students were very upset at the result,” he I said.