LIQUOR AT DANCES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 20, 19 October 1937, Page 11

LIQUOR AT DANCES

Grand Jury Urges Need For Legislation COMMENT BY JUDGE A strong recommendation that legislation should be enacted making it an offence to take liquor to or consume it in any dance-hall and . that, steps should be taken to prohibit drinking in motor-cars by those attending such dance-halls was made by the grand jury at the opening of the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday. The recommendation was made on the suggestion of his Honour, Mr. Justice Reed, who, commenting on a case in which a man was charged with assault on a young woman, with intent to commit rape, said: “I think you will probably agree that cases such as this emphasise the necessity for some sort of supervision at public dances.” It was alleged, he said, that accused met the girl at a public dance, invited her outside, where they drank a bottle of beer together, and then committed the assault. “Continually one sees in the newspapers reports of drunkenness at dances,” continued his Honour. “The liquor is taken to them chiefly by men and much of it is consumed by young girls. In these days when chaperones are unknown and girls go unaccompanied to dances, the danger of drinking is obvious.” His Honour added that promiscuous drinking at dances might have some bearing on the prevalence of a serious crime which had been much discussed recently. The jury could, if it thought fit, discuss whether something should be done to prevent the talcing of liquor to dances. “Surely the youth of the country is not so decadent that it cannot go through an evening's dancing without liquor,” his Honour concluded. When the jury returned with its recommendation, 1 his Honour said he thought it a valuable one and would see that it was conveyed to the proper quarter.