PARENTS LACK OF CONTROL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 117, 22 May 1918, Page 2

PARENTS LACK OF CONTROL.

GIRLS' EVENING DIVERSIONS,

' An interesting sidelight into the life I and. habits of some of the young people hi the city was revealed in a case in the Juvenile Court at Auckland, when a girl, aged IS, was charged with using obscene language (reports the Herald). The girl said sh e was out every 'nieht until 11 p.m., except on Sundays. Some of the evenings were spent at the pictures- or other places of entertainment, and on other evenings" she walked about the streets. Asked what I I sh. B 'did after an.- entertainment, she said she and her companions hud "fish fMA. V»c£<arcvi home. Tfu; ( I girl, speaking bf sojne youths who were 'present at a theatre, said she knew them as "Soupy," "Onions," and "Broomhatidle." and that she herself had been called "Ginger" mid "Kourpence." Her soubriquet /or policemen i was "\>\uc ItoUlcr." Two other \oung girls also aaid they wore out nearly [ every night, but only one of the three would admit thai niv parents objected, to her going out at night, and she addied that her /ather was away from home a great? deal. , The Magistrate said he was grieved at the general conditions shown to exist and he could not understand the attitude of parents in allowing young gu-Is out so late at night. The language was only an incident, although it was bad enough, but the way in which the children wei'e allowed to run wild was disgraceful. They would be quite- likely to pick tip bad language. He would" not convict such a youricr girl. btrt would adjour n the case for not inoi* than 12 months, during which time ah* would have to keep in touch with' the probation officer, keep regular hour*, and not go out at night unless witb companions approved of by the prob» tion officer. In such a climate as th»*of Auckland, said the Magistrate, it would be hard to expect parents tc< keep their children locked in at nigh*.. but he thought there was room for im provement in present conditions. Parents should exercise a reasonable discretion in permitting their children to be 1,-, "the streets after .dark. It was most unwiso to permit young girls to associate promiscuously with young boys without some sort of supervision.