PROTECTION OF GIRLS

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume X, Issue 481, 11 August 1914, Page 2

PROTECTION OF GIRLS

I * v j ON THE RIGHT TRACK. Important modifications m the law are 1 proposed by the Bishop of London's Criminal LaAv Amendment Bill, Avhich Avas read a second time m the House of Lords, on the understanding that tlie committee stage Avill not be taken until the Home Office has provided the Government with material for considered amendments. The Bill has four objects. It Taises from 13 to 16 the age at which the consent of a young. person of either sex is a defence jto a charge of criminal assault ; it places "the age of consent at 18; extends the time Avithin which proceedings can be taken under section 27 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act, 1904, from 6 to 12 months; and abolishes the defence of " reasonable cause to believe " that the girl is, m accordance Avith the charge, 16 or 18 years of age. The Bishop of London, m moving the second reading, reminded the House that money lenders and bookmakers were subject to penalties for offering inducements to minors, and he could not see any reason why seducers of young girls should-es-cape the consequences of a much more serious crime by the plea of consent. The measure had the support of every religious, denomination and all societies engaged m rescue work. The present state of the criminal laAv was not Avorthy of a great Christian State. The Lord Chancellor said the purpose of the B, ill was Avholly admirable, and if they had to deal only with 1 , the class of cases cited by the Bishop the matter would not be difficult. Unfortunately, the instances to which the Bill would apply were of a very varied type. While it was true that many innocent girls were seduced, there Avere a number of girls on the streets Avho. were far from innocent, and m spite of their almost tende* youth Avere experts m crime. They would be capable of being made the instruments of much worse persons, who Avould use them ruthlessly for the purpose of making gain m the form of blackmail. The Government would not offer any oppostion to the Bill, -but they would, have to examine vei'y closely the particular provisions by Avhich the right, rev. prelate proposed to deal with the evil, and see Avhat could be done. Lord St. Aldwyn believed there Avas rom for amendment m the laAv, but he Avas much impressed by the arguments of the Lord Chancellor. They could not consider the question" solely ftom the point, of t vieAv of the seducer of an innocent girl. They had also to consider the. case of the girl who was used as an instrument for blackmail. Addressing a large gathering of members of the Alliance of Honor. at the Albert Hall, the Bishop of Lichfield commended the objects of tho Bishop of London's Criminal LaAv Amendment Bill, remarking that some good women Avere driA-fen to frenzy by consideration of the Avrongs of their -sisters. He was bound to say that Avliile ho deplored their excesses, he did not find it difficult to understand them. There were facts m our social system, such as the. miserable Avages paid to an enormous army of Avomen and girls Avhich Avere' m tho highest degree liostile to purity of life. Our cheap clothes, continued the Bishop, may be obtained > very dear if they are , bought at the Ipru****** of a Avpman's honor. Condemning " foul literature published and sold for the sake of dirty gain," the Bishop .said : " I wish Aye could have a bonfire of foul literature m Hyde Park. ,1 think it Avould blaze as high as St. Patifc, but it would be a most holjfßfe:" (Cheers.)