PARENTAL NEGLECT

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 140, 14 June 1924, Page 13

PARENTAL NEGLECT

ROOT CAUSE OF DEPRAVITY

EVIDENCE' BEFORE MENTAL DEFECTIVES COMMISSION.

(HI TELBORAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

AUCKLAND, 13th June. The Mental Defectives Commission continued its Auckland sittings this morning. The llev. F. R. Jeffreys, formerly Probation Officer, "said that one ■of the root causes of delinquency was tne lack of proper control and" home restraint.

. Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., said it was monstrous that defective couples should be allowed to produce offspring. The only alternative was lifelong segregation. If voluntary sterilisation were allowed it might gradually accustom the public mind to the right way of dealing with the evil. There should be separate institutions for mental defectives. Threefourths of the criminals liberated on license' commit:!, breaches of their licenses. Permanent segregation was the proper treatment. .Sterilisation would never be tolerated in New Zealand. A certificate of health in respect of marriage would be a failure, as couples would live together unwedded. Mr. N. H. S. Law, headmaster of the Normal School, urged special classes for backward children.

Dr. E. M. Beattie, superintendent of the Auckland Mental Hospital, urged farm colonies for the feeble-minded of both sexes, with provisions for proper training and recreation. He would let them marry under certain conditions. Seventy per cent, of imbecility was caused by accident at birth. He favoured compulsory sterilisation under the supervision of at least three medical men, and perhaps larger. After a sexual offence or perversion that treatment should be compulsory. "A remarkable feature of the number of persons in Mount Eden Gaol for gross offences against morality is the high proportion of New Zealand-born men, and young men at that," said Dr. D. N. W. Murray, medical officer for the Prisons Department. The schedule of prison statistics presented by Dr. Murray showed that out of 44 cases of prisoners serving from six months to a life term for sexual and unnatural offences, no fewer than 23 were New Zealand-born, and most of them comparatively young men. Many of the total number had served previous sentences for similar offences. One man, 45 years of age, who was serving six years, previously served terms of five, seven, and seven years respectively, all for sexual offences. There were 12 cases of unnatural offences, and of these eight were New ■ Zealand-born. The delinquents mostly had previous convictions for offences against decency. The proportion, he said, appeared to be remarkably high. _ In a total of 44 offenders, the nationality of the prisoners was as follows -.—Thirteen New Zealanders, two Irishmen, one Scotsman, nine _ Englishmen, six Australians, . one Belgian, one Samoan, and one ' Chinaman.

The chairman (Hon. W. H. Triggs) : "How do you account for the high proportion of New Zealanders ? Is there

any special reason?"—" Yes; it is largely because of the lack of parental control and home restraint. That really is the root cause of depravity." "We are becoming hysterical about juvenile depravity," asserted Mr. J. W. Po3-nton, S.M. "Except for South Australia there are fewer crimes among our children between 15 and 20 years of age 'than in any other country in the world. Our boys and girls under 16 years of age are not getting worse. The proportion of prisoners to the given number of population in 1903 was 34. It was 30 in 1913, and 16 in 1922. Juvenile cases before the Courts showed a decrease. There were 1677 in 1915, and 1391 in 1921. Moat of the delinquency was due to parental neglect, and much to the universal spirit of mischief in children. It was wrong to bring children into Court. From the Police Court no record whatever should bo kept of a first offence unless, of so grave a nature as would require future treatment. In all cases whipping should be permissible. It is regrettable so little is .done in the schools to warn children about the evils that will assail them in later life."

The Commission has now concluded its sittings in Auckland, and will open at Hamilton to-morrow.