Evening star., 1944-01-24
Night Ban Urged
On Children at
|DC Amusennents
Capt. MiIIiken Says
Step Would Reduce
Delinquency Here
BY DON S. WARREN.


mittance of children under II years
old to commercial amusement places
after 8 pm. was one of a number of
suggested answers to the Districts
juvenile delinquency problem placed
today before the D'Alesandro Sub
committee of the House District
Committee.
The proposal was voiced by Capt
Rhoda Milliken. chief of the Metro
politan Police Departments Wom-
ems Bureau, the first witness in the
series of hearings to be held by the
D'Alesandro Public Health Subcom-
mittee.
Capt. Milliken explained her pro-
posal would ban attendance at
movies as well as other places of
amusement, but there was a question
as to whether it would apply to
children accompanied by their par
ents. On this point, Capt. Milliken
told the committee "it would be diff
cult to draw the line" If exceptions
were made.
Kelly Will Consult Keech.
Maj. Edward J. Kelly, police su-
perintendent, acting at the request
of the committee, was to consult
with Corporation Counsel Richmond
B. Keech later today regarding such
a rule and how it might be applied
Other suggestions placed in the
record today by Capt. Milliken were
for increased stats for the womens
bureau and other agencies dealing
with the delinquency problem; ex-
panded recreational facilities; bet
ter housing in the crowded areas,
and better home supervision of
children.
Capt. Milliken said that a part
OF the problem, although a small
one. was that some women have
been found taking their infants with
them to beer parlors and staving
until as late as am.
Ch airman D'Alesandro inter-
jected:
Better send that problem to Mr.
Lodge referring to Thomas E.
Lodge, chairman of the District Al
coholic Beverage Control Board.
Doubts ABC Boards Power.
Capt. Milliken responded that she
doubted if the ABC Board would
have any authority in the matter,
but later Representative Rowan.
Democrat, of Illinois, declared the
ABC Board or the Commissioners
should already have the power, un-
der licensing provisions, to put an
end to this practice.
The Women's Bureau chief ex-
planned that her staff tries to per-
suade mothers that taking their
children into taverns at late hours
was not a sensible thing to do"
You are doing all right" said Mr..
D'Alesandro.
Capt. Milliken said there had been
definite increase" in the last
three years in the number of arrests
for Juvenile delinquency, but that
she was not sure whether the in
crease In Washington's population,
measured against the Juvenile
problems, would show that there
had been any real" increase in per-
centages.
When she said her police unit CO.
operated with various public and
private agencies, including the Board
OF Public Welfare, Mr.. DAlesandro
broke in to demand to know what
the Welfare Board does.
Cant Find They Do Anything.
L have been on this committee
for about five years now, and I
have not been able to find that they
do anything" he said
He promptly directed that Miss
Patricia Morse, head of the Child
Welfare Division of the Welfare De-
partment, be called to testify at
later meeting.
Asked by the committee chairman
what she thought of curfew law.
Capt. Milliken said she feared it
would take the service of most of
the police force to enforce such a.
rule. Later she brought out she had
recommended five years ago that
children of 16 years and younger be
forbidden to go into commercial
places after Bpm.
Capt. Milliken also told the COM
mittee:
That the number of juvenile de-
hnquency cases now averages about
rs week, of which about Is are
new cases; that she found one of the
causes OF delinquency was the large
percentage of working mothers, leav-
ing their children without adequate
supervision: that operators of nu-
merous colored movie houses have
co-operated with the Women's Bu-
reau in reducing the number of
truancy cases, but that she has not
yet succeeded in getting the CO.
operation of operators of white
movie houses; and that the DEPART
ment has not had much trouble with
poolroomS but that the situation as
to bowling alleys was not as good.
Asked About Slot Machines.
When asked about places having
slot machines, she replied:
We are not supposed to have any
SlOJ macnlneS here"
When Chairman D'Alesandro
asked If she thought 1t would be
good thing to create a juvenile de-
l1nquency commission to coordinate
the work of the various agencies.
Capt. Milliken replied she thought
the District had such a body now,
In the Advisory Committee operat-
ing under the Board of Education.
A second public hearing was
scheduled for 1890 am. THURSDAY
Judge Fay Bentley of Juvenile Court
was scheduled as the first witness of
today, but was unable to appear
because of death in her family.
Rev. Oliver QuickDies
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