BINGE drinking is making news and I wish to add that up to the age of 16 children are dependent on their parents for spending money.

At 16 many young people get jobs with wages that increase their spending power many times over. This is sometimes compounded by well-meaning parents taking little, or no, housekeeping. Inexperience in dealing with so sudden an increase frequently causes youngsters to head for those places of entertainment already frequented by their "elders and betters" - the pubs, which, unlike youth clubs and other youth activities, are plentiful and all-too-ready to exploit this new market.

Ironically the Minimum Wage Act may well have contributed to this phenomenon.

It is almost impossible to financially quantify the cost to the community, in terms of bad habits formed early and contempt for the law and the community generally, plus the cost of policing and repairing the damage often caused to property and the long-term health of those taking part in these activities.

But it is probably much more than it would cost to expand youth activities, including training in responsible use of money, in the hope that these excesses could be reduced.

Working men's clubs traditionally have a moderating effect because the members set standards to which young members are required to conform. This benefits everyone.

But many clubs do not cater for young tastes and miss the chance to influence youngsters and improve the membership by the influx of "new blood".

Acceptance of women as full members could improve matters because families are more likely to socialise when the women are not regarded as second class citizens.

Jack Smith,

Willow Glade,

Huntington,

York.

Updated: 11:18 Thursday, July 15, 2004