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This was all thet was necessary, and Darcntal de lincusney in this rogard was definitely curbed. ; : The Health Department reported a number of: chronic pedi- culosis (lico) cases. Tho cases were traced to infested homes end 4t was shown that the condition was due to flagrant and deliberate parental neglect. Repeated instructions to these parents did no -good; tho homes remained filthy and the children returned to school | infested with lice. It is necessary to send these children home fron school. Neither tho Health nor § chool Department can do the "de- lising’ job. The result was these children vocane truants, renained away from scnool for long perlocse It is safo to assume that hag it becn possible to delcuse ‘these children and keep: them deloused, they would not have becone truantse-and truancy we know is often the first step towards more ‘gerious delinquency, . The D istrict A ttorney's office with the cooperation of the Bureoeu of Child Hygiene of tho Department of Health arrested the parents and charged. them with contributing to the delinquency of their children. Much preliminary work was done with these parents befere this drastic action was taken, The Medicinal solutions for curing the condition end the cleaning up of the home were actually furnished. The directions for doing the job were supplied printed in five languages. . . : It was found that where the arreats were made and the work’of these parents was interrupted and their income interferred with, the unhealthy condition was soon eradicatede , : Adults who aid, abet or encourage minors to violate the curfew ordinance are also prosecuted, of courses : TRANSIENT YOUTH PROBLEM: The problem of the transient ycuth {s one which verges on the tragic. Flocking {nto San Francisco. literally in mobs and droves, poys and girls alike are faced with the problem of finding shelter in an already overcrowded city. The attractions which draw them to the city are chiefly the desire to- enter the Merchant Marine or to find jobs in the ship-building or other war industries, A survey e@isclosea that thoy live in cheap "f1op houses" or " Anhabit" all-night movics, or €0 home with friendly truck drivors or othor chance pick-up acquaintances. . Little or no effort has been directed at aiding this groupe Tho Y.M. C.A. and the Y..C.As have an “undorstancing" by which they endeavor to accormocate’ youngor transients before older men and women are taken caro of, But, of course, the facilitiés of these two organizations aro alreacy stretched to the Limite. . fhe Son Francisco Conter of tho California “League of Women Veters has’ been conducting o survey to ascertain just what conditions exist, and hopes to complete it shortly. The Conter intends to use the survey as the basis for a plan which will cure or at least allevinte existing evils. -The Center has agreed to send me the statistics they are gathering, anc I hope to usé them as the basis of a supplement to this report ina short time. CHILDREN IN THEATRES: In many cases involving sex offenses against children, it was observed that the contact vetveen the . offending adult and the child had beon mace. in a theatre. In our investigation of truancy cascs, we found that almost invariably the truant had spent all or part of the time ina theatre when he should have been in schoole. Confcrénces were nad with the California Theatre Association, Ince, which represents all of the theatres in San Francisco, The Association roported that its members would make overy offort to be vigilant, and ushers were svecifically instructed to make periodic inspections of the theatre, in connection with keeping chilcren out of theatres during school hours, the Association asserted that invariably when a youngster was challenged, he replied that he was not supposed to be in school at that particular time or ° that’ he attends a morning session only, or an afternoon session only, etc., etc, They stnted that admission was refused if there was reason to believe that the child shéuld be in school, The Association Se cael