§ MR. A. ALLEN (Christchurch)To ask the Secretary of State for the Home 1516 Department whether his attention has-been drawn to the fact that in cases where the police have raided a disorderly house no legal method exists of removing girls above the age of fourteen from their surroundings; and whether he can see his way to include provisions to meet these cases in his proposed legislation affecting children.
§ (Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) Under the existing law a girl found in a disorderly house can be committed to an industrial school only if she is under the age of fourteen. There would be great difficulty in extending this provision to girls above fourteen, as most of them would be girls of a class whom the managers of industrial or reformatory schools would not receive because they would be likely to corrupt the other inmates. I will consider, in connection with the proposed legislation for next session, whether it is possible to do anything in this matter.