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 to make one’s own choice of dwelling.  A newly-married couple prefers one district or one suburb to another, either because their relatives or friends are there, because it is handy to the husband’s work, because of “the view”, or for similar reasons.  The house they build or buy or rent was the house of their choice.  In that way they develop pride of ownership or of possession.  They join such of the local churches, societies, and clubs as already exist, and themselves organize and support other agencies of community value.