A DANGER TO SOCIETY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8544, 26 March 1908, Page 4

A DANGER TO SOCIETY.

A startling testimony to the deficiency of the law relating to the con-, trol of degenerate individuals was given before the To Oranga - Home Commissioner by Mr 11. H. Pope, of the Education Department. He said it was highly necessary that some power should be given by which youths and girls who are not mentally or morally.fit to be let loose on society could be detained in industrial schools or homes after they have reached the age of 21. It seems that under the present law, no matter what their moral condition, these people must be released on attaining their majority. Mr Pope was able to give force to his statement by a definite instance. "Only recently," he said, "we had to let loose on society one of the vilest creatures we had in our industrial schools. Pressure was brought to bear on us, and we had to allow him to go. It means that this degenerate, whom words cannot adequate describe, is now at liberty, and the only thing our Department could do was to let the police of the particular district know that such a person was going into that locality." This evidence, read with the pitiful details of the Garrick case at Dunedin, fully demonstrates that there is ample room for amendment in the legislation dealing with the control of destitute or degenerate persons. Perhaps the Te Oranga Commissioner, a Magistrate of wide experience, will consider it within his province to make recommendations on the point. Beyond that it might be advisable to have an independent investigation "by a separate commissioner, for the seriousness of Mr Pope's statements warrant the taking of some decisive action. .