A HELPING HAND

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 83, 4 October 1929, Page 11

A HELPING HAND

BORSTAL AFTER-CARE

An address by Mr. B. L. Dallard, Assistant Public Service Commissioner and Controller-General of Prisons, was tho main feature of the second annual meeting of the Women's Borstal Association of New Zealand, held' in the Y.W.C.A. yesterday afternoon. Dr. D. Platts-Mills was in the chair.

Mr. Dallard said that it gave him great pleasure to note the success which had attended the work of the association. That success was evidenced by the report and the prison statistics. The association's work was now past the experimental stage, and the members, were coming to a full appreciation of the needs and difficulties which confronted them. It was clear from, experience that' some form of after-care was essential, and that was' fully recognised in England. Unless there was a helping hand immediately after release, there was bound to be a drifting back to old associations, and a rekindling of old ideas, undoing all the beneficial work of tho Borstal institutions. The work of the association was really salvage work in the truest sense of the word, because it was a question of the girls becoming either social liabilities or social assets. To treat such.a girl at the morning of her career, before habits had become ingrained, was really to savo a wholo liio for the community. The association could feel that it was doing something of the highest value. Mr. Dallard wont on to refer to the explosion of tho old theory that delinquent girls were more difficult to deal with than men or boys, and quoted a celebrated psychologist to the effect that there were great possibilities in the treatment of girls. Scientific investigation had revealed that an astonishingly large number of female delinquents had married successfully after their release.

In conclusion, Mr. Dallard referred to tho valuable work done by Miss Jean Begg, general secretary of the Y.W.C.A., and Mrs. M. H. Chatfield, who had worked untiringly as acting-chairwomen. He expressed regret at the impending departure of Her Excellency Lady Alice Fergusson, who, he said, had taken the initial step in the formation of the association, and who had done a great service to the community as a result. Miss M. M'Lean spoke interestingly of her visits to Borstal institutions in England, referring particularly to the institution at Rochester. Dr. Platts-Mills paid a warm tribute to the interest shown by Her Excellency in the association's work, and expressed tho deep regret that all felt at her projected departure. Her Excellency thanked the members for their sentiments, and said that nothing had interested her more than the insight into the workings of the Borstal system and the activities of the association. She felt that she could not take the full praise for the formation of the association, but if she had been able to do anything helpful, she was very pleased. Dr. Platts-Mills and several members of the committee expressed appreciation of the untiring efforts of Mrs. M. H. Chatfield as acting-chairwoman, and a vote of thanks to her for her services was passed by acclamation. Afternoon tea brought the meeting to a close.