A YOUTHFUL SPENDTHRIFT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 60, 5 December 1918, Page 8

A YOUTHFUL SPENDTHRIFT

RUNS THIZOUGH .£35 IN TWO WEEKS. The escapades of .1 thirteen-year-old lad were investigated in the Juvenile Court yesterday by "Mr. P. V. Fivwer, h.M. The suspicions of Mr. Victor Bitctue, manager of Hallenstein Bros., were aroused by the frequent visits of the boy to the shop, where he purchased various articles of attire, and the police were 'tformed, and this led to the lad's nppenrnnco in court. He was charged with being a child not under proper control. Inspector Marsack said that tho boy was brought to the Central Station by his elder brother, who had been on the lookout for him for several days. The boy, it appeared, disappeared from his homo a fortnight, or so ago, and had been living in a lordjy manner nt one of the' o.itv hotels. The lad's mother died from inllucnza in a hospital, and his father left New Zealand with a reinforcement some time ago. The mother received a soldier's allotment, which was paid into the boy's account in the Post Office Savings Bank, in trust, and she. herself retained the bank book. When the mother died the boy, by some menus, secured possession of tho Savings Bank book, drew some money out, and immediately started out to biiy anything and everything that appealed to his fancy. Siuco November !1 he hnd run through about Mb. Insnector Marsack thought that in the lad's own interest and in the interest of his father, he had better be sent to an industrial school. An aunt of the boy who was present in court informed the Magistrate, thnt tho mother drew two allotments, and it was tho allotment of an uncle, of the boy that was lodged in 'the boy's account, and which the latter had drawn upon for his escapade. She had searched the town for the lad, but admitted that had she found him she doubted whether she could have controlled him. The Magistrate pointed nut to tho lad flip foolishness of his action, which was practically thel'l. Tho boy wns committed to the Wcruron Training Farm.