The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1886. TRUE PHILANTHROPY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1369, 13 October 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1886. TRUE PHILANTHROPY.

The Hon. Mr Tole has made his mark among legislative reformers and philanthropists by the admirable measure which he succeeded in carry ing through the Legislature last session intituled “ The First Offenders Probation Act,” and which enables the liberation, under surveillance, of those who have for the first time lapsed from the paths of rectitude and the affording them the opportunity of recovering once more the forfeited esteem of their fellow men. It has been the subject of well-merited encomium from the Bench, and has been put in operation, in at least two instances, during the present sessions of the Supreme Court. It is indeed a credit to the colony as well as to the present Minister of Justice that New Zealand has led the way in tins new and humane departure, and it is to be hoped that Mr Tole will be encouraged by his success in this particular to attempt furtner useful and desirable reforms. The way to one such is pointed out by the Wellington Evening P/ess which suggests that a system should be devised by which prisoners in gaol might be enabled to contribute to the support of their families outside. This is what our coutempor. ry has to say upon this matter : —“ Under the existing prison system, we understand, every ablebodied prisoner is required to work, and the value of the work doqs by him is computed and credited to him on some sort of basis of partial redemption of sentence. This is found to have a reformatory influence; but that influence would be surely very much stronger it prisoners having a wife and children outside knew that the proceeds of their labor would go wholly or in part to diminish the wretchedness of those who are dear to them. Such a system, we believe, would do more than anything else to conserve and develop what is left of good in the prisoners and to prevent them from degenerating into hardened criminals. We have in our minds at this moment a case in point, which came under ourown notice. A young man came out to New Zealand from Scotland as a Government immigrant, bringing with him his wife, scarcely more than a girl, and a child or two. He was a capable tradesman and extremely hard-working and steady, and within two years he was in business on his own account and doing fairly well. Then came sickness, and debts and, losses, and difficulties of various sorts, which the man might soon have overcome if he had had more experience or had sought good advice, He lost heart, however, and, instead of facing his troubles boldly, he committed a serious erinye for.tfte purpose of getting £ioo. He was detected, tried, convicted, and sentenced to a long terra of imprison-

ment, his miserable wife and children ! being left absolutely penniless, homeless, friendless, ami helpless. That man was perfectly well able to support his family. His earnings as a journeyman tradesman would have been more than sufficient lor all their wants, and there was nothing in life he wished for more than to work for them. But he was sent away to serve his sentence, and the result can be imagined. The woman was young and very good-look-ing. She might have got a place as a servant; but who would have a convict’s wife with three children, for a servant? There were bad characters on the watch for her, who realised her position only too well. She held out for some months and struggled hard; but she could not see her children starve, and she had no opportunity of communicating with their father. She fell, and the family were soon the inmates of a den where they sank to the lowest depths of degradation. The man, who had at first been exceedingly well con - ducted, hearing nothing of his belongings month after month, grew moody and sullen, and eventually, on learning the truth, became one of the most desperate and dangerous ruffians in the prisons. Now, there must be a great many cases just as shocking as that in kind, though possible differing from it in degree of desolation. Why should such things be if they can be prevented ? The question is : Can they be prevented, and, if so, how? We are convinced that much might be done to prevent them or alleviate them in the manner we have suggested; and we would earnestly urge the authorities at least to try the experiment.”