to be found in the East End streets. It was the worst type which went to the East End.

A prostitute was fined £2. For dropping a piece of paper in Comcercial Road she could be fined £10 under the Litter Act.

SIR HUGH LINSTEAD

COMMUNITY OF TWO MILLION COMMITTEE'S

FACTS

Sir HUGH LINSTEAD (C., Putney. a member of the Wolfenden Committee, said they had not come They lightly to their conclusions. came reluctantly to the recommendation that in the last issue it should be possible for a magistrate to send a prostitute to prison.

He did not think any would want to defend what they proposed in regard to homosexuals on the basis That it was a disease. It had none of the indexes of a disease.

If they took the lowest estimate they had to realise that they were dealing in this country with a community of not less than two million. Of those roughly half were men and half were women; half were practising and half were chaste.

There could be no danger of extending the practice if the law was altered, because homosexuality arose out of causes apart from the criminal law It was fixed in people at an early age and the law would make n difference to tendencies.

man's

"MALIGNANT CANKER Mr. Bellenger's View

Mr. BELLENGER (Soc., Bassetlaw) said: "I reject the recommendations in regard to homosexuality Whatever arguments can be put forward on logical grounds, they are overwhelmed by moral consideration: and the public interest."

Those who practised the “cult" in private were "a malignant canker in the community If this were allowed to grow it would eventually kill what is known as normal life.

"I believe that humanity would eventually revert to an animal existence if this cult were so allowed to spread that, as in ancient Greece. it overwhelmed the community at large

Mr. W. SHEPHERD (C., Cheadle) aid that most soliciting in London streets could be eliminated 'if night courts were instituted. It would also relieve pressure on the day courts.

"Two of my friends, if they are sober, are as well behaved as any individual I know. But if they have drink they revert to these homosexual tendencies. I cite this as proof that by control and discipline one can get some sort of hold over these Lendencies."

PADDINGTON RAID Wrong Woman Şeized

M. PARKIN (Soc., Paddington N) had doubts about the recommendation on prostitution to eliminate the obligation to prove annoyance. The wife of a constituent was walking near their home when a police van swept down on a particularly notori. ous part of Paddington.

The police bundled every woman in sight towards it. Several of the experienced prostitutes ran away and his constituent's wife was half-way into the van. when one girl said: "Don't take her, she's not grafting.'

Mr. DANCE (C., Bromsgrove) asserted that it was the sentimental psychiatrist and people who supported that kind of feeling which increased the great danger of homosexuality Too many people were thinking of looking into the mind of the homosexual rather than looking at the repugnance caused to millions of decent people.

Condonation of these sort of offences had led to the downfall of the Roman Empire and the fall of Nazi Germany. A burst of laughter from Opposition M.P.s interrupted Mr. Dance and the Socialists gestured goud-humouredly towards Sir Winston Churchill in his customary seat below the gangway

This prompted Mr. HALE (Soc.. Oldham W.) to interject: Is it not correct that had a psychiatrist looked into the mind of Hitler or particularly into the deficiency in his thyroid gland, we might not have had any of this trouble at all?

NOT INCURABLES Must Keep Law

}

Dr BROUGHTON (Soc., Batley and Morley) who practices psychiatry, said that in his professional experience prostitutes were women who had been, deprived of the love of one or both of their parents in childhood

They suffered feelings of isolation and worthlessness: There was need for research into the mentality of the men who resorted to prostitutes.

About homosexuals, he said: "If they did not have this fear of punishment they might elevate the practice to a cult. They meet in groups and

mattachine REVIEW

considerable trouble is taken for the seduction of others."

psychiatrist,

Dr.

Another BENNETT (C., Gosport and Fareham) said he had done a good deal of practice at the request of courts in investigating the state of mind of homosexuals.. They could not be regarded as hard and fast incurables." It would be disastrous to abandon the law.

Mr. JAY (Soc., Battersea N.) protested that penalties for homosexuality in private among consenting adults infringed basic principle of

personal freedom. Neither the State nor the criminal law had a right to interfere with the conduct of an individual unless that conduct had some effect on some other people.

WOMEN'S VIEWS Training The Child

Mrs. EMMETT (C.,, East Grinstead)said that in regard to prostitution the annoyance was not so much that of a woman speaking to a man as the annoyance to the public by the number of prostitutes now haunting the streets. She thought they should proceed as recommended in the report.

She thought fines should be increased. But she would not like to see imprisonment as the only alternative for a third offence.

All the suggestions made so far had been negative for the repression of prostitution. They had gone the wrong way about sex education in schools. The "two bachelor Ministers of Education should consider setting up a special committee to inquire into what methods necessary to bring up not just educated youngsters but future parents.

THE "LOVE BIRDS" Demand for Equality

were

Mrs. MANN (Soc., Coatbridge and Airdrie) declared: This is what Wolfenden offers you: Procuration of male by male in public places. You can now set up as love birds anywhere."

At present it was no offence for a. woman to take an apartment and entertain her gentlemen friends by habitual prostitution, though it would be if two women did so. The male was now demanding equality with the female. (Laughter).

Mr. BLACK (C., Wimbledon) said that the leaders of various churches had been more or less equally divided on the proposals with regard to homosexuality. that He thought among the rank and file there would

be a considerable majority against the proposals. (Cheers from both sides of the House). '

Mr. HALE said he was anxious to be, tolerant but he did not support favouring a corps d'élite of sexual perverts. He did not accept in toto the claim that homosexuality was nearly as widespread as suggested. PERSONAL TRAGEDIES State Should Intrude

Mr. RAWLINSON (C., Epsom) de clared that as a member of the Bar he had seen the personal tragedies which arose from homosexual cases. "There do exist private realms into which the State should intrude. The removal of this offence from the Statute Book would be against the public interest at this time.

He suggested there should be prosecutions only by leave of the AttorneyGeneral. Prison was useless 'for such offences as it was for attempted suicide and for incest.

WIL-

The Rev. LLEWELLYN LIAMS (Soc., Abertillery) said he did not accept the hysterical notion that to allow homosexuality between consenting adults in private would lead to wild orgies. but he would have no mercy at all for homosexual adults who offended against young boys and lads..

Mr. YOUNGER (Soc., Grimsby) urged on the Home Secretary great care and cautious experiment rather than the full recommendations of the report when he brought legislation to the House. MR. RENTON

PSYCHIATRISTS' VERDICT

RETENTION OF LAW

Mr.

RENTON, Under-Secretary, Home Office, replying for the Government, said that the Government waş interested to see that during the debate the only two practising were psychiatrists in the House the against committee's recommendation that homosexual, behaviour in private between consenting adults should not be illegal. Besides, men with unalterable tendencies, homosexuals included vast numbers with tendencies' which If the they managed to control. Government were to legislate to protect and absolve that genuine minority it might foster the growth of that larger group.

The instinct of most members of the public and most members of! 11