REPLY TO MR. DALLARD

Chronicle (Levin), 22 June 1946, Page 3

REPLY TO MR. DALLARD

-Press Association

By Telearaph-

HAMILTON, June 21. No person or organisation of whicn he had knowledge was engaged in the task of excusmg crime, and Mr. Dallard 'waus perfectiv well aware that sucii institutions as the Howard League were quite as anxious about the victims of crime as he couid possibly be, sai.i Mr. F. A. Delamare, a promineui uieniber of the Howard League ' for Penai Reforiu, commenliug upon the statement by Mr. B. L. Hallard, Oontroller-Geiieral ( of Prisons, in an address to the Wellington Ro lary Olub, "The dift'erence between the Howard League and Mr. Hallard is whether society can best lie protected L)y scientilic and reforniafive inethods or by the punitive* svstems lie defends, " continued ALr. Helamare. "There is oue question which Alr. Hallard shoutd explain — uamely, what reiuedial moa- i sures are pro-vided and applied to 20 ' percent. of the olfenders he adinits are : not nonnal, and what steps his Hepart- J incnt in New Zealand has takeu to i identify the iiulividuais concerned. "Ormond Burton is alone responsible J for his book ' In i'risoii' and he can defend his opinions as he iikes. To the ! outside observer the interest in such books is not in opinions but 111 facts. Il ' is signilicant that Alr. Hallard. does not) refor to one misstatenient of faet madej by Burton, and no one can suggest that Burton is not completely honest. 1 j inyiself read the book and I do not • remeniber in it any excuse made for; crime or for the criminal. The. book, ■ 1 in .niy opinion, disclosed that Burton j j favoured the prisoner and tlie faet that j j he was in gaol as a kiml of holy mission 1 difl'erentiates hini from the ordinary! ! malefactor. ! "I would like Alr. Luxford, B.AL., : I to be precisg as Lo 'the fanciful aiul : mischievous material' in the book. The \agueness used to bolster up Alr. Hallard 's shadow of a case can do nothing but coitfuse the issue. It is refresliing that Alr. L. P. Leary, in his eomment, advocates refornialory inethods in jtrisons. if his remarks were meant to help Alr. Hallard 's case, 1 invite him to ask Alr. Hallard what reformatory machinerv is available in our prisons . today."