Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents


Report of the Special Committee on Moral?by Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.

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Title: Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents The Mazengarb Report (1954)
Author: Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.
Release Date: February 7, 2005 [EBook #14760]
Language: English
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1954
NEW ZEALAND

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE
ON
MORAL DELINQUENCY
IN
CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Laid upon the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave
BY AUTHORITY: R.E. OWEN, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, WELLINGTON.--1954

20 September 1954.
The Right Honourable the Prime Minister, Wellington.
Sir,
Having taking into consideration the matters referred to us on 23 July 1954, we submit herewith the report and recommendations upon which we are all agreed.
Accompanying the report, for purposes of record, are four volumes containing the evidence of the witnesses who appeared before us and a large file of the submissions which were made in writing.
We have the honour to be, Sir,
Your Obedient Servants,
O.C. MAZENGARB, Chairman. R.A. BLOODWORTH } J. LEGGAT } G.L. MCLEOD } Members. Lucy V. O'BRIEN } J.S. SOMERVILLE } F.N. STACE }

The Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents
CHAIRMAN
Dr OSWALD CHETTLE MAZENGARB, Q.C.
MEMBERS
Mrs RHODA ALICE BLOODWORTH, J.P. (Children's Court).
Mr JAMES LEGGAT, E.D., M.A., Headmaster, Christchurch Boys' High School.
Dr GORDON LOGIE MCLEOD, LL.B. (N.Z.), M.B.Ch.B. (N.Z.), D.P.H. (Eng.), Director, Division of Child Hygiene, Department of Health.
Mrs LUCY VERONICA O'BRIEN, Vice-President of Women's Auxiliary of Inter-Church Council on Public Affairs: Arch-Diocesan President, Catholic Women's League.
Rev. JOHN SPENSER SOMERVILLE, M.C., M.A., Chairman of the Inter-Church Council on Public Affairs.
Mr FRANCIS NIGEL STACE, B.E.(Elec.-Mech.), B.E.(Mech), President, N.Z. Junior Chamber of Commerce.
SECRETARY
LEN JOSEPH GREENBERG, O.B.E., J.P.

Contents Page
I. Preliminary Observations-- (1) Sensational Press Reports 7 (2) Press Reports from Overseas 8 (3) A World-wide Problem 9
II. Order of Reference and Procedure followed 10
III. Narrative-- (1) The Hutt Valley Cases 11 (2) Cases in Other Districts 13
IV. Has Juvenile Immorality Increased?-- (1) Difficulties of Comparison in Absence of Statistics 13 (2) Unreliability of Available Statistics for Comparative 14 Purposes
V. A Change of Pattern in Sexual Misbehaviour-- (1) Younger Groups Now Affected 18 (2) Precocity of Girls 18 (3) Organization of Immorality 19 (4) Recidivism 19 (5) Changed Mental Attitudes of Girls and Boys 19 (6) Homosexuality 20
VI. Searching for the Cause 20
VII. Some Visual and Auditory Influences-- (1) Objectionable Publications 21 (2) Films 23 (3) Broadcasting 25 (4) Press Advertising 26 (5) Television 26
VIII. The School-- (1) Teacher and the Child 27 (2) Co-education 28 (3) School Leaving Age 29 (4) Relations with the Child Welfare Division 30 (5) Sex Instruction in School 30 (6) "New Education" 31
IX. Community Influences-- (1) Housing Development 31 (2) Recreation and Entertainment 35 (3) Liquor and Gambling 36
X. The Home Environment-- (1) Feelings of Insecurity: The Unloved Child 37 (2) Absent Mothers and Fathers 39 (3) High Wages 40
XI. Information on Sex Matters-- (1) When Should This Information be Given? 41 (2) Who Should Give This Information? 42 (3) The Source of Information 42
XII. The Influence of Religion on Morality-- (1) The Need for a Religious Faith 43 (2) The Need for Religious Instruction 44 (3) The Need for Family Religion 44
XIII. The Family, Religion, and Morality-- (1) The Importance of the Family 44 (2) The Place of the Family in the Legal System 45 (3) The Sanctions of Religion and Morality in Family Life 46 (4) The Moral Drift 46
XIV. Changing Times and Concepts-- (1) Contraceptives 47 (2) The Broadening of the Divorce Laws 48 (3) Pre-marital Relations 48 (4) "Self Expression" in Children 49 (5) Materialistic Concepts in Society 49
XV. The Law and Morality-- (1) History of the Law Regarding Morality 50 (2) Protection of Women and Girls from Defilement 51 (3) Consent as a Defence 51 (4) Weaknesses in the Law 52 (5) Proposed Reforms 54
XVI. Child Welfare in New Zealand-- (1) History of Legislation 54 (2) The Children's Court 55 (3) Corporal Punishment Abolished 57 (4) Defects in the Act and its Application 57 (5) Changes Proposed 60
XVII. Summary of Conclusions 63
XVIII. Recommendations-- (1) Proposals for Legislation 66 (2) Proposals for Administrative Action 67 (3) Parental Example 68
XIX. Appreciation 68
Appendix A: Table of Sexual Offences for Which Proceedings Were Taken in New Zealand 69
Appendix B: List of Witnesses, Submissions, and Order of Appearance 70

I. Preliminary Observations
=(1) Sensational Press Reports=
In the second week of July 1954 various newspapers throughout the Dominion featured reports of proceedings in the Magistrate's