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THE VICE SQUAD.
MLA EFENDS PERTh.
"Not an Immoral City.''
Further references to the work of
the Vice Squad were made in the
Legislative Assembly yesterday when,
Mr McLarty (Nat, Murray-Welling-1
ton) took strong objection to infer
ences that Perth was an immoral
city. The position, in his opinion,
had been exaggerated. "I. have
visited many of the large cities in
Europe and elsewhere in Australia,"
he declared. "Perth is one of the
most moral cities I have seen." It
was no use talking about immorality
here, he said, when the position was
certainly no worse than in other
cities and better than in most. Ile
did agree however that there was
work here for the Vice Squad. Cer
tain girls should be kept off the
streets but it was wrong to send
them to gaol and their names should
not be published. A home should be
established where they would be well
mothered and looked after and
taught to regain their self-respect.
The Federal Minister for Labour
(Mr Ward), said Mr McLarty, was
reported to have said that the only
way of dealing effectively with the
liquor trade and wiping out crime
was by nationalising the industry.
The cure for all our ills, according
to Mr Ward, was socialisation.
A Member: He is not far out
either.
Mr McLarty said that Mr Ward
was a long way out. Publicans had
not been fairly treated in respect to
drinking by girls in hotel lounges.
Penalties should be increased for
young offenders and the blame
should not be thrown on the hotel
keeper who was sometimes deceived
by a person's age.
Mr Shearn (Nat, Maylands) con-<
tended that the police could have
achieved the same results as the Vice
Squad without all the publicity that
had occurred. If the Government
had taken action earlier it would
have been possible to minimise and
perhaps even to have prevented pre
sent conditions Despite criticism of
the Vice Squad and existing condi-!
tions the Minister concerned had
maintained a profound silence.
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