WELLINGTON BY NIGHT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 2846, 15 June 1896, Page 1

WELLINGTON BY NIGHT.

Wliat fie Wayfarer in the Streets of this City has to Fear.

Evidence Corroborating that Published by the New Zealand Times Last Monday.

It is evident from the many complaints ■which have reached us since the publication of the article on Monday morning last, detailing tho annoyances and insults which women have been subjected to, that the cases mentioned wore not isolated examples of the perils which attend respectable women who have to go out unprotected in tho evening through any but the more frequented thoroughfares. It is not sate for a man, much loss a woman, to pass along at night many of the streets not five chains distant from Willis, Manners and Cuba streets. If a woman manages to run the gauntlet of the foul-mouthed gangs of larrikins that congregate at many of the street corners and infest every dark recess, she runs tho risk of being shadowed by some skulking loaferready to rob or assault her j or perhaps of being subjected to insults from some well-dressed cad, who imagines that every woman he meets can be treated with indignity. It is not at all uncommon for women to be * pestered with tho attentions of this latter class, who become emboldened by the impunity which they enjoy, since most women have a natural repugnance to have their names mixed up m a Magistrate’s Court case, should one of these contemptible fellows be brought to book. Women prefer to suffer in silence than make their grievances known to the proper authorities, and hence it is that tho public hoar so little of the many insults women have to put up with when out after dark and without escort.

There may be some excuse for the police not being able to guarantee that a woman whose business takes her out after dark is safe from the attentions of the well-dressed creature whose mind is as corrupt as his instincts are debased, because of the difficulty of getting insulted women to giro evidence, but there is no excuse for allowing that class of loafers and prowlers—male and female—who infest the unfrequented streets of Wellington by night. A young man was proceeding homeward a few nights ago when ho was bailed up by one of those women of evil repute who are only two numerous in the unfrequented streets of this city. Before bo could get away, two hulking fellows came upon the scene from some dark doorway, but seeing that their intended prey was of muscular build, and armed with a healthy - looking stick, they slunk away as quickly as they had come. An old man was accosted by a woman in the vicinity of Jessie street one night last week, and before he could pass on ho was set upon by a couple of scoundrels, who attempted to go through his pookots> but were alarmed by the approach of some persons. Many reports of assaults of a similar nature have reached us from persons whose word wo can roly on. It is well known that a man cannot pass along Victoria street or any of the other streets on the reclaimed land after 10 o’clock at night but ho is either accosted or stopped by women, who act as decoys. Very rarely these prowlers are to be seen in the daytime; like many birds of prey they prefer the darkness of night. It is evident that there are a number of good-for-nothing loafers living in Wellington who do not work, and whoso only means of existence is either by thieving or living on unfortunate women. Many robberies arc committed by these follows of which neither the police nor the public hear anything, for many of the victims dread the publicity which would result if they reported the circumstances to the authorities, and consequently keep silent about their loss. These creatures must live somewhere, and it ought to be the duty of the police or civic authorities to expose the individuals who let their houses to such tenants. A good example, which ought to have a salutary effect, was mads of one of these landlords in Auckland last week, and one or two prosecutions here would undoubtedly tend • towards making grasping tenementowners more careful as to the class of tenants they let their houses to. Now and again a man may be deceived as to the character of a tenant, but repeated offences should be followed by prosecution. Another means by which this evil way be lessened is by better lighting of the city. The prowler hates light; ho looks upon it as tin enemy. With well-lighted streets the work of the police will bo facilitated, and the operations of thief and loafer retarded. A peculiar feature of the city lighting is that the lamps are put out when, according to the almanac, the moon should rise, and this practice is carried out with methodical precision, irrespective off whether the moon is seen or not. Thera should bo no hard or fast rule for extinguishing the lamps. It is evident the police force is inadequate for a oily like Wellington, with its shifting population. It is the port of call fop many undesirable visitors from Sydney, who find it convenient to leave that city for a time. Its configuration, too, wakes it more difficult for the authorities to have a complete surveillance over the dubious characters who settle here. The force wants reorganising and decentralising, so that the city might bo divided into small police districts with stations in each of them. In this way the officer in charge and his subordinates would become acquainted with the people who live in the district. At present the central station is too far away from that portion of the city where the presence o£ the men is most required, whilst to many of the constables, the greater part cdTa Aro is partially unknown, or at least, they have hut little idea of the class of people who live in the by-streets. Besides this, Wellington labours under the serious disadvantage of having the. police force composed principally of young men, who have scarcely an elementary knowledge of their duties. The older and more experienced men are drafted out to the country stations, so that practically there are not wore than half a dozen men who have a general knowledge of the city. Instead of raw recruits being sent to loam their duty on the streets, they should have somo months’ training in a depflt, whore, nfe least, they might get some knowledge of their business.” The public are the sufferers by the present arrangement, and the more experienced men who understand their duty and do it come in for the general criticism, which the supineness of the force invites. Three or four more active, plain clothes constables sent around the unfrequented streets for a few nights, would help to abate the present unpleasant state of things.