JUVENILE NEWSVENDORS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 52

JUVENILE NEWSVENDORS.

A number of people in Wellington have from time to time remarked upon the fact that children of tender years,, of both sexes, were in the habit of being about the streets until a late hour at night selling papers and flow r ers, and that many of them appeared to be under no control whatever. The same practice, which is fraught with most dangerous possibilities to the rising generation, has prevailed in Christchurch. A gentleman who has been taking considerable interest in the mat* ter there informed a reporter of the “Lyttelton Times” that on Saturday night week he counted no fewer than fifty-nine boys waiting to get the eight o’clock edition of an evening paper to and that at a quarter past eleven the same night he saw nine cf the boys standing at the Bank of New Zealand corner, each with a cigarette in his mouth, and using language which might have been considered strong even for grown up people. With a view to- mini-* mising the evil, th e Christchurch City Council has issued in its new set of by-laws one “Relating to children trach« ing in the streets of the city.” The by-law, which comes into operation this week, provides that no boy under the age of eleven years or no girl under the age of thirteen years shall trade in the streets under any circumstances. That no boy under fourteen years or no girl under sixteen years shall trade in the streets unless provided with a li* cense from the City Council. Every boy over eleven years of age and every gii*l over thirteen shall be entitled to a license upon application provided the Council is satisfied that the applicant is not unfit to trade through any bodily or mental infirmity; that the person having the care or custody of such child consents to the license and that such person is considered fit to have the custody of such child. If otherwise the Council has power to. use its own discretion as to granting a license. Each licensee will be required to wear a badge provided by the Council. The badges, which are of two kinds, are in the shape of white cap-bands with the let* tering in blue- One in addition to “C CC Licensed to sell in the streets,” also bears the words, “Exempt from ■school.” Those who are not exempt from schools cannot sell in. the streets during school hours, nor can they remain in the streets later than 7 p.m. between April 1 and Sept. 30; and no licensed child may remain in the streets for the purpose of trading after 9 pm. The licenses can be withdrawn at any time by the City Council, and it is understood that in case of any complaints as to the conduct of an£ individual this will immediately b 0 done. No charge will be made for either the license or the badge, but a deposit of 2s 6d for each license is provided for, which will be refunded upon the return of £he badge. In the interests of the young of Wellington, it would be well if the Council took similar action and brought juvenile street traders under supervision.