IS DUNEDIN A DISGRACE TO THE DOMINION?

NZ Truth, Issue 1050, 7 January 1926, Page 7

IS DUNEDIN A DISGRACE TO THE DOMINION?

• (From "Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative.)

l CCORDINQ to y \ the. most re- = I cent C.C.C. de- I verance, Dunedin I as a monopoly of = nmorality, and: % citizens have ] sod reason. to I Ing their heads m ] ■oy-riding, drink- \ m at dances, and. j fcer things even j H'se came under j X lash of critir j Em from the wise i iuncillors.Some of them said that they had |n told of immoral doings that they Wd not mention. Bven if the councillors were justim m casting on Dunedin the stigma ■being such a very dreadful place — ■ they certainly are not — what.soo-3 Kd they hope to do m the way of a Hal cleansing of the city by merely Ming an occasional deliverance . or Hputioh and then settling back iiito Eg complacency? ■"hat is wanted is more of the Hit of that grand old man, Dr. Brt, who did not confine his efforts Hpreaching from the pulpit, but Wt out into the highways _ and byr lys doing good and helping the ■ It would be idle, of course, to ■jggest that Dunedin is a model wF morality or that there is no (fooseness. ' But the experience of those whose

duties bring them into constant con- \ tact with the I seamy side of life I does not lead them i to give support to 1 the Council's ppini ion. !\ Mr. P. G. CuraI ing and Ensign ! Coombs, the pro- ! bation officers, both i stated emphatically i to . "Truth", that I they saw no reai son to raise their hands in 1 horror. "There is always a certain amount of looseness among a section of young people," said the former, "but that is to be found m any city. . "We were half expecting a wave of immorality during the period of the Exhibition, but I'm pleased to , say that our fears were groundless. "I think Ensign Coombs will support me when I say that Dunedin is remarkably clean, and has a record that will compare favorably with those of other cities." "Yes, I will," said Ensign Coomb 3, with emphasis. "Certainly I have had some fallen girls to deal with, but their numbers have not. been abnormal, and , I am pleased to say that I have seen seven of them happily married during the year." „/ ; That sounds a good, deal better than, a useless 'arid unjustified attack on Dunedin's reputation.

If 'ever a year should pass without the local Council of Christian Churches making a lengthy pronouncement on the standard of morality m the city, it can be taken as a sure indication that the milMennium is m sight. ' ;