isparity between the adult and juvenile
population in all such areas the Committee obtained from the Education
Department a statement of the primary and secondary school children in
Wellington and the Hutt Valley as at 30 August 1954:

_Wellington Hutt_
Pupils at primary public and private schools 15,300 12,250
Pupils at secondary public and private schools 5,750 3,000
------ ------
21,050 15,250

It must not be overlooked that the homes of many children who attend
schools in Wellington are situated outside the ordinary confines of the
city; many of the children are resident in the Hutt Valley. For
instance, 250-300 of the girls at Wellington College come to that
college from the Hutt, and many more children from outside the city
attend other city schools. The exact total is not readily assessable,
but it is known to be considerable. On the other hand, it is not thought
that the rolls of Hutt schools are increased by the attendance of pupils
from outside that district.

Another statement shows that in Wellington city 70.4 per cent of the
total population are adults, whereas in the Hutt only 60.1 per cent are
adults.

If that abnormal distribution of population is a causative factor in
juvenile delinquency, the situation will have to be carefully watched
because:

(i) A graph compiled for the Committee shows that the biggest
number of children is in the two-to-four-year-old group. When one
considers that the delinquency now being considered is in the
13-to-17-year-old group, the period of greatest danger will not be
reached until about another nine years have elapsed. This is a
disturbing prospect and demands serious consideration.

(ii) There are many similar housing settlements in New Zealand.
The absence of public disclosures of delinquency in any of those
places must not be taken to mean that they are free from it.

(iii) In areas settled largely by people with growing families the
rate of increase is striking. In planning one post-primary school
the rate of 0.7 children to a family was adopted. Three years
later the rate was found to be 1.5 per family.

_(b) Absence of a Community Spirit_

In the normal development of towns and suburbs a community spirit comes
from an ability