LEGALISED VICE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 103, 2 May 1914, Page 9

LEGALISED VICE

10 THB EDITOn. Sir, — I wonld like to ask your correspondent, "Anti- Whitewash," if he was serious when he asserted that licensed brothels exist in Melbourne, Sydney, and" other large Australian cities. Such a misleading statement could only emanate from one who has never been in Australia, and whose outside information concerning it h erroneous and extremely limited. lam well acquainted with most of the large cities of the Commonwealth, and have no hesitation in denying the statement of "Anti- Whitewash." Another correspondent, "Figures," invites "Anti-Whitewash"' to prove, in support of his alleged "one and only remedy," that, in proportion to population, Aus tralia is less , afflicted with the disease than New Zealand. It is very difficult, however, to arrive at anything like an exact computation of the persons affected in any country, and will remain so until the disease is made compulsorily notifiable. I might mention that at a conference of the Australian Women's A&scciation, held in Melbourne a few months ago, during a discussion on venereal disease, one delegate made the rather startling statement that out of all patients admitted to the mental hospitals 75 per cent, were due to syphilis. This altogether ridiculous' assertion was promptly squelched by the InspectorGeneral of the Insane, who said that the patients in all the mental hospitals afflicted with the disease numbered only 15 per cent. — I am, etc.. VICTORIAN. Johnsonville, Ist May.