Care of Young Girls.

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 13565, 2 December 1916, Page 2

Care of Young Girls.

WOMEN POLICE ADVOCATED. EDUCATION BOARD MOTION; MEMBERS’ STRONG SUPPORT. AUCKLAND, Dec. 1. The matter of the appointment of women police in the interests of wo> men and girls of Auckland was introduced at yesterday’s meeting of the Board of Education, and received the strong support of every member.. Mrs F. E. Baume brought the matter before the meeting. “We are responsible, as an administrative body,” she said, -‘' for 53,000 children attending schools throughout the province, more than half of whom are girls. In the interests of these girls attending schools and evening classes many of

whom are just at an age when they arc getting beyond parental control— I I ask this board to urgently recom- j mend the Department for Justice to appoint women police to safeguard the welfare of women and children.” Mrs Baume said that the work of women police would lie entirely with women and children; A deputation had already approached the Hon. A. L. Herdman, Minister in charge of Police, on the matter, but he had entirely missed the spirit of the request, and had spoken of police matrons.

What was wanted now, in view, of recent revelations made at the Police Court, was not treatment for reform, but measure of prevention, so that these girls need never require the services of police matrons. It was quite impossible for policemen to do the same preventive work among girls that a tactful, intelligent woman could do. Mrs Baume gave a brief outline ]of the many ways in which the seri vices of women police could be utilised, such as keeping young children off the streets at ninht, to assist in

preventing truancy from, schools, to watch the newspapers, and to pot' detectives on the track of those appari ently endeavouring to decoy young I girls by advertisements and other means, to patrol slum neighbourh6ods, to protect women and girls in public parks, to patrol railway stations and wharves, and similar measures of protection. It was realised that parental control was the most effective method of dealing with, the wayward tendencies, but where parental control had failed the State must step in. Mr Brinsden, supported Mrs Baume’s motion. "I attended a meeting of the City Council Finance Committee the other, day in connection ijvith the recent taxicab-driver case,*’ he said, "and the revelations made at that. meeting 'were .an absolute eyeopener to me! From -what I heard, I am prepared to go, farther than Mrs Baume, and say that I am quite convinced that the ago of consent is far too low. Most of the girls concerned in these eases were ijust a month or two over the age of 16, and, in order to protect them from these scoundrels the age of consent should be raised to 18." Other members expressed their entire concurrence with this opinion. Mr Garland suggested that copies of the resolution should be sent to both the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Education, so as to ensure proper attention being given to the matter. Mr R. C. Smith went still farther, asd maintained that the resolution should be brought before every Cabinet Minister. This suggestion was unanimously approved, and the entire sympathy of the board was demonstrated by the recommendation that not only should Ministers be made aware of the resolution, but every, Auckland member of Parliament, and that the support of every Education Board in the Dominion should also be sought. . The following motion was carried: • —"That this board unanimously urge the Department of Justice to appoint women police for work among women and girls, and that a copy of this resolution be sent to all Cabinet Ministers. ’ ’