JUVENILE THIEVING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 116, 10 February 1919, Page 6

JUVENILE THIEVING

A NOQTUBNAL JAUNT, _ Juvenile criminality is very prevalent in AVellington, and Saturday after Saturday there is invariably a "list" of eases f< V M 'n, l \ V: l ' la2ser - S,JL > to deal toil Hie charges are many and varied, but the most common typo is that of theft. Police and probation officials ar-,-cribvs divers theories as to the causes of this unfortunate youthful tendencypicture shows and lack of parental control being held to be responsible to a large extent. Whatever the cause, the fact remains that the offences continue, and kst Saturday, morning the Magistrate's attention was directed to the hearing of several cases of. stealing on the part of boys. One case was that of a 14-year-old boy who was arraigned to answer a charge of stealing a saddle and bridle, valued at £3, at Nai Nni, on. January 15. Plain-Clothes Constable Black said the boy told him that ho had left his home in Aro Street one night after his parents had retired, and journeyed to; the Lower Hutt. He,tramped as'far'as Ngahauranga, where he was given a "lift" by the driver of a motor-car. At the Hutt he "borrowed" a horse from a paddock, and then,went to the property of a Mr. Bradley, at Nai Nai, whero he abstracted a saddle and bridle. On returning to town he unsaddled the horse on some reclaimed land, leaving the bridle on the horse. He then went homo and got into bed before his parents woke up. . Later on, he tried to dispose of the saddle to a second-hand dealer, but the latter was not "having any," believing the boy to' .bo 100 young to risk entering into a deal with him. Afterwards, he -secured the services of a Mr. Bondeau to write to the dealer asking him to take the saddle. The note was stated to have been, authorised by the. boy's .father. Feeling satisfied that the note was genuine the dealer took the saddle, giving the £1 for it. An advertisement appearing in the Press inquiring for the missing' horse, was answered by the boy in tho name of R. Rogers, who stated that the animal had been seen on the reclamation. Further inquiries by the police resulted in the boy's apprehension.. . Tho boy was also charged with having been in unlawful possession of a pea rifle. Sergeant Wade stated that on January 27 the. defendant was playing with another boy at Eastbourne, when suddenly the rifle he was handling accidentally went off, and the other lad was shot through both legs above the knees. Mr. J. Dineen, juvenile' probation of-, ficer. siiid the boy had been before the Court before.. In tho boy's own interests he considered that he should bo sent info the country. The boy's mother asked that he be allowed to remain on a farm at Brooklyn, where he was earning 225. Cd. a week. ' ' Mr. Dineen could not see his wav to agree to- this Suggestion, maintaining that it would bo better for the boy to have him kept away from the influences of the town. The Magistrate supported this view. Ho characterised the boy's actions as a deliberate piece of criminal work, and said that if he had been older ho would have been sent to gaol, .The boy was formally committed to the Weraroa Training Farm, and arrangements to be made for him to be sent to a suitable 1 situation in the country.' Tt was ordered fhat he should be brought up in (he Roman Catholic faith. Tho parents were instructed to pay £1 to the second-hand dealer, and to make' good the value of the bridle, 10s. Gd. On the sccoud information ho was admonished and discharged. Another boy, just under the age of 16,. who was convicted of stealing a wristlet watch and a moonstone ring, valued at XI 10s., was also committed to Weraroa, with a recommendation that lie be found work on a farm. • '