CRIME IN NEW ZEALAND.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14972, 20 May 1914, Page 10

CRIME IN NEW ZEALAND.

DECREASE IX SERIOUS OFFENCES. COMMENTS OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE. (special to "the fkess.") PALMF.RSTON NOR A -, May 19. Some very interesting observations on the diminution of crime in New Zealand were made at the Supreme Court this morning by his Honour tho Chief Justice. "I find." he said "that as the country gets settled and all : those institutions that make for the improvement of our social life are founded in the midst of our people, crime decreases. We cannot expect to be free from breakers of our laws. We receive jwpulation from countries not accustomed to our social life, and we have in our midst tome peoplo of weak wills and weak intelligence, and it is not surprising therefore that we have offenders. The very fact that we have crime in our midst should show us that we are not all equal in mental, moral, or physical ability, and that there must be an everlasting "struggle to train the weak that they may become strong. Just as it has been said that the poor will always be, found amongst humanity, so it may be said that offenders will also always bo found, as long as. human nature is what it is. We may congratulate ourselves that, taking the Dominion as a whole, crime is not increasing, but is decreasing. It would not have been sumrising if it had increased. In the first nlaco our country is getting more closely settled, cities and towns are becoming larger, and it has been found that this often tends to an increase of crime. In tho second place, so far as summary offences aro concerned, new laws are being made with penalties for their infraction. Our police are more active than in the early days, and crimes are more easily detected. Ido not require to give you examples of r.ew laws creating newoffences. For, example, we have various offences regarding the management, of motor-cars and cycles, regarding dairy regulations, regarding our Defence Act, and very many more. There was, of course, a time in this country when there were neither motors nor cycles, and there were no persons who could be fined for riding cycles on footpaths. Serious crime has decreased in our midst, and largely as comoared with tho increase in our population. This has not happened in aJI countries. In 1912 thero was an increase in crime in Scotland, and in 1909 in England and Wales. This is the latest year for which I have seen the official judicial statistics. It is stated that serious crime has increased there in this century, whereas in the last century there was a tendency to a decrease. No doubt our struggles to keep our ideals of social life ;and of social duty high have helpod its. and our maintenance of our schools and our many other social institutions have been of immense service to our people. If crime does increase in a community, there is something wrong, which, it is the duty of the people to discover and remedy! but if there is a decrease in offences, we may assume that things are not out of joint regarding any drastic treatment of our social institutions.' .