“WILD PARTIES”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22064, 21 September 1933, Page 15

“WILD PARTIES”

DRINKING AND LATE HOURS RELIGIOUS WORKERS ALARMED (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, September 20. What is described aq a craze among some young people for “ wild parties ” at which liquor flows freely and which seldom break up until the arrival of the milkman is causing concern among the ministers of religion, social workers, and many other members of the community. That the evil is to a large extent confined to the more well-to-do classes is a matter of general comment. The Rev. Jasper Calder said he was satisfied from .personal observation that there was much ground for apprehension in the attitude to life of a certain typo of modern “ flapper.” “ The eternal craze for excitement which has bitten deeply into our social life since the war carries with it certain grave risks,” ho said. “ Drinking among girls is_ steadily increasing, and I base my opinion on some of the tragic results that accrue from moral slackness. In this regard parties in private homes are too often regarded as dull affairs unless liquor in plenty is available. The greatest blackguard in the country is the man who will offer a stiff drink to a girl scarcely out of her teens, and this frequently happens.” Sister Esther blames present-day conditions for the drinking that is prevalent among women. “ I know of numerous instances,” she said, “ where girls have gone out for the evening and have not returned home until 5 or 6 o’clock next morning, and they are not working girls. It is a grave reflection on our present-day life that girls are becoming accustomed to alcohol at an early age. Many of these girls would not go into an hotel to drink, but they think nothing of going to private parties and consuming sufficient alcohol to take away their reasoning powers. They think they are being modern and that others who do not follow suit are old-fashioned.” According to Mrs Molesworth, inspector of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, much of the drinking among girls is*. due to a certain type of man who makes a habit of taking girls for “ joy rides ” in motor cars.