Chairman's Notes—(Continued)
| Published date | 01 July 1949 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455054900502203 |
| Date | 01 July 1949 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
THE PRESDENT’S ADDRESS TO ANNUAL
CONFERENCE, SCARBOROUGH
In his presidential address to the National Conference
would remind probation officers that they had to con-
at Scarborough on Sunday, May 1, 1949, Lord Feversham
tribute by no new theory, but by the best possible practice,
paid a tribute to the retiring chairman, Mr. Farmer, and
if they were to obtain good results.
welcomed the new chairman, Mr. W. C. Todd. He also
Discussing the increase in crime, and particularly
offered a word of welcome &dquo; as a fellow Yorkshireman &dquo;
juvenile crime, the president mentioned three important
to the new secretary. He proceeded to refer to the speech
contributory factors. These were, the high rate of separ-
made the previous evening by the Home Secretary, with
ation and divorce cases, the high proportion of sub-
its important statement about the extension of after-
normal people and of those with low average intelligence
care work which will involve additional duties for
who just could not cope with modern life, and the lack
probation officers.
of responsibility consistent with the widespread influence
Lord Feversham said he intended to base his remarks
of changing moral standards. Lord Feversham pointed
mainly on the recently published Home Office and
out that whereas in 1900 there were 500 divorces in this
Ministry of Education Memorandum on Juvenile Delin-
country, there were in 1948 50,000 and if this continued
quency (H.M.S.O. 2d) which revealed how juvenile crime
there would by 1960 be another half million broken homes.
had grown in recent years, but also showed a commend-
Given an average of even one child per home this would
able determination by the responsible authorities to gain
leave us with an enormous problem of unhappy child-
local interest in the problem by the calling of confer-
hood with its consequent results in anti-social behaviour.
ences in all parts of the country. That the responsibility
In dealing with the sub-normal element in the popula-
could not rest alone with the young offenders was obvious
tion, Lord Feversham mentioned a pre-war report from
and the effort to bring together all interested organisa-
the Ministry of Education which showed that in London
tions and individuals emphasised this. These local con-
the number of retarded children amounted to 10 per
ferences would provide an opportunity for probation
cent. of the school population. In poor and overcrowded
officers to do two things-to contribute to the collection
districts like Rotherhithe, Lambeth...
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