A PARADOX

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21982, 17 June 1933, Page 3

A PARADOX

DELINQUENT CHILDREN FEWER IN NEW SOUTH WALES (From Oub Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, June 8. An astounding decline in delinquency among hoys and, girls of'New South Wales is regarded by officers of the Child Welfare Department as one of the paradoxes oil the times. All reason would lead to an expectation of an increase in offences by minors in these days, when probably more than 60,000 of them ore unable to obtain employment. Logically it was anticipated that with nothing to occupy \ their minds and to direct their energies into proper and directed channels, more and more would fall into mischief. Yet the figures show that the contrary has been the case. Since 1929 there has been a drop in the number of committals to State institutions of more than 30 per cent. . Searching for an explanation of this, welfare officers have come to the con-' elusion that it is due largely to father* who, because of unemployment themselves, have been spending more time with their children and have been exercising greater disciplinary control over them. From experience welfare people have found that the danger hours in the day of a young boy or girl having nothing set to do—the hours when they are most liable to get into mischief—are between 9 a.m. and 1 p,m. During these hours now that many fathers are home, a parental and guarding eye is kept on the children, a task which the mother, busy with her household worries, was-not able to carry out to the same extent.

Delinquency among juvenile? costa the State of New South Wales about £60,000 a year. There are four institutions, but the welfare officers claim that the money is well spent, and that.no expenditure gives a greater return. They say that a great majority of the hoys and girls leave the institutions .worthy citizens, trained to take some useful part in society, A community spirit is taught the inmates of the homes, and they develop a love for sport as well as for the higher things in life. Many of the hoys become professional wool classcrs and shearers, and scores of them are to-day successful farmers. The theory that delinquents come from the sub-normal type has been largely disproved. Most of them are apt scholars.