LOWERING OF MORAL STANDARDS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 190, 9 May 1941, Page 9

LOWERING OF MORAL STANDARDS

Young People Of Today

GRAVE LACK OF PARENTAL CONTROL REMARKED

Concern at the increasing lack of parental control and the marked lowering of moral standards among young people today was expressed by several speakers at the annual meeting of the Women’s Borstal Association in Wellington last night. The Minister of Justice, Mr. Mason, presided.

The chairman of the committee Mrs. R. Tait, J.P., said that it was often very difficult to help young women because the moral foundation which constituted good citizenship had had no place in their upbringing. "The fault very often lies in their own families,” said Mrs. Tait,

Miss Sewell, superintendent of tine Wellington Borstal for-Girls, said that the community was greatly indebted to the association for its reclaiming work, which was more necessary than ever. She regretted that so far the number of girls admitted to the borstal this year already amounted to the same number for the whole of last rear.

_ An extremely interesting talk on the work of the Child Welfare Department was given by Miss Tocker, an officer of the department. The department has been operating for 15 years throughout the Dominion, and handled all offences by and against children.

Miss Tocker said that she was glad to say the percentage of girl offenders who passed through the juvenile courts to the Borstal’s care was very small. The Child Welfare Depart ment and the Borstal Association worked on mutual grounds, and her experience had led her to similar con elusions as to the causes behind the problems of the present day. These were, particularly, environment, where there were defective homes and lack of parental training and control, physiological causes, where health affected children who had not had proper medical care and attention, and the psychological causes. Before the causes of delinquency were discussed, the things that determined conduct should be considered, said Miss Tocker. The standard of the home came first. Tiie atmosphere of the home was absorbed by and was vital to a child's development. “I so often feel (hat it is not the child, but the parent behind the child who is the main offender." she said Other causes of delinquency were faulty education, the economic factor, and the life motive or aim which was absorbed in the home atmosphere. “Junior delinquency is on the increase,” said Miss Tocker, “and the crimes on the increase are dishonesty, irresponsibility and moral offences.” In explaining the very wide held of work, including preventive work, of the department. Miss Tocker said Unit there were 4000 children boarded out . with foster parents throughout the Dominion, and 600 were in Wellington alone. Much work was involved in following up these children and attending to their maintenance and welfare. There were many wonderful foster parents in the com inunity who were bringing up these children with great love and affection which gave them the right foundation for living A little-known branch of the department’s work, and one of its most responsible and growing fields, was in the placement of illegitimate children, said Miss Tocker. In the past live years there had been more than 500 adoptions a year through the department. Foster parents were guaranteed children of suitable and good stock. There was a regrettable rising rate of illegitimate births as against the falling birth rates to married couples, said Miss Tocker.