WORLD ACHIEVEMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 49, 26 January 1939, Page 11

WORLD ACHIEVEMENT

A GOOD MAYOR AND BAD BOYS. In tin's series of World Achievement we must not lose sight of those less spectacular successes which, in reality, arc often far more vital than vast engineering jobs or startling scientific discoveries. Take, by way of illustration, the achievement of Mayor Hague of Jersey City, U.S.A. Somewhere about 1930 or 1931 lie was staggered to read in a local report that his own town had sent no less than 600 juvenile offenders to various institutions. It made him ashamed. He felt that at all costs lie must put right a great wrong. But how ?

Mayor Hague tried to discover the root cause behind juvenile crime. This was no easy task. One idea he had was to ask the inmates of reformatories to answer various questions, but the answers were obviously false, and the truth was difficult to reach. Then Mayor Hague went to prison. Ho visited 260 men who looked so sullen that the officials were afraid on his behalf, but ho faced them unflinchingly, and this is what he said: “We could do a better job if wo knew about what first gets boys into trouble. Now, I can’t promise to do anything for you, but would you like to do something to help us to save your younger brothers from getting into trouble P”

. The answer was a hearty “Yes.” and out of the written replies the Mayor was able to formulate plans which have reduced the number of serious juvenile offenders to 36. Today Jersey City has its Bureau of Special Service; and wonderful work it does.—(Tj).