YOUNG LAW-BREAKERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 5 September 1919, Page 3

YOUNG LAW-BREAKERS

; — ♦ VARIOUS WAREHOUSES ENTERED evil influence op pictures A GRAVE STATE OF AFFAIRS Records of juvenile crime in New Zealand cannot disclose any enses to compare with those which were dealt with at a special sitting of tho Juvenile Court held yesterday afternoon, and it is doubtful whether any gang of professional thieves lms been called upon to face suoh a list of orimes. Altogether ten , boys, whose ages ranged from 9 years to •la years, wero called upon to answer no fewer than seventeen charges of breaking arid entering various warehouses in" the city and stealing property therefrom. I lie accused operated in three gangs, one being of .a strength of four boy 3 , and the other two of three, and their operations took place during the months of •July and August. In addition to stealing properly and money of a total value of approximately <£135, the accused did considerable damago to the premises entered. Much of the property stolon was destroyed by the boys as useless, and t'ht, .money was spent, but many of the articles Wo been recovered. 'As far hack as June certain cases of burglary came under' the notice of tho police, and in July tho reports of breaking and entering premises were very frequent. Every channel of likely information was at once investigated, and both the uniform nnd tlio detective brancihes of tho police proceeded to ■ analyse every likel.v clue. Plain-Clothes Constable .R. Black, of tho Taranaki Police Station, considered that boys wero the culprits, and the case was handed to him for inquiries. Early in August Constable Hunt happened on three boys '■who were on the premises of Bannatvne and Hunter, and this was the first thread which enabled Constable Black to bring tlio culprits to book. In spite of the youth of tho offenders and the difficulty he had in obtaining from them information respecting the Crimea, the constable succeeded in connecting practically all the thefts -with tho boys, who subsequently made statements outlining their episodes. Mr. E. Page, S.M., was on the bench, nnd Acting-Senior-Sergeant Wado conducted the proseoutiona. PLain-Clotnes Constable R. Black and Oonstablo. Hunt gave evidence regarding the premises entered, tho goods stolen, and the extent of the damage done during the ransacking of the establishments. Pictures and Bad Literature. The first case proceeded with waa that of four boys, who were charged with breaking and entering and theft from the following warehouses: Wright and Witt, G. Remington, A. C. Brailsford, Ullathorne, Hartridge and Co., Lankshear, Ltd., the International Comspondence Schools, Ceylon Tea Company, and A. 0. Franklin. Mr. C. B. O'Donnell appeared for two of tho boys and Mr. P. ■W. Jackson for one. Details of the operations wero given by Plain-Clothes Constable Black, who read to the Court statements' made by th» boys when arrested. These statements contained many candid references tc the work which the boys accomplished and these indicated the state of their minds when actually ransacking premises. For instance, one boy after confessiiig that they entered a certain warohoilse, eaid "there was nothing in tho place' of any use to u<3, so we left." Whilst in another building they, saw ft constable, so tfiey made 'their escape by climbing out of a back window, then gaining. access to a roof, along which they rail. They then went down a fireescape into a yard, and one of the boys, ■with a pair of pliers, cut the chain ivhich locked the gate. To enter the International Correspondence Schools onu boy used a screwdriver.' On gaining admission they ransacked the offices and they played the gramophone. A key in a.'lavatory dootr enabled' them to gain acces3 ito the- offices of. the 1 Ceylon Tea Company in 'the same .building,' and in order to get olit a'different way from that by' which they entered''tlioy ' uiiscrewed the lock off a door. "I Baw the policeman," • eaid one boy, "and I thought it was time to go. We were only after cash.'' Mr. O'Donnell said that tho information respecting the crimcs came to the parents of the boys as 'a thunderclap. I heir actions wero duo largely to the influence of pictures. It was a significant fact that on the day on which tho first crimes were committed—a Saturday —the boys had been to a picture show where they had Been a blodtltliirsty. cowboy, picture. The effect of this picture , apparently tamed tho boys' imagination and on their woy homo they committed tho crimes with which thoy were now charged. Counsel also pointed' out that when the accuse! enteral the premises of Wright nnd Witt on the following Saturday they had previously witnessed another ' serial of tho picturc. Tho .boys whom no was defending had alsu beeii reading what he dctscribcd as the "Yellow Press," and he produced a copy of a publication and drew His " Worship's Attention to two stories. Tho boys had been forbidden to read these stories. Ho asked that the charge against' the younger boy be dismissed, as he was only nine years of age and had been led into tho premises by his brother and tlie other boys. Mr. P. W. Jrickson put in a plea of leniency for his client, and remarked that one was roally amazed in looking for » reason why the boys should enter upon n series of offences of tho kind now betoro the Court. His client had only massed the Third Standard at school, and was a gocd boy at home' ill helping his mother.

The iuvenile proba'ion officer (Mr. Dinoen) said that from exhaustive inouiries made, and as far as he could ascertain. they 'were all well-behaved and Rood attenders at school.

'There is no doubt that pictures are a very valuable agent for educational purposes but' some of the pictures are unsuitable for boys to see." said His Worship, in summing up. The charges against tho younger boy, eged nifle years, would be dismissed, and the three other boys would be convicted and admitted to probation for a poriod of three vears. They would have to comnlv with the following conditions:— ; <1) Not to attend picture shows; (2) not t« bo out after G o'clock at night without the written permission of tho juvenile probation officer, and, (3) not to read anv literature without the authority of the' juvenile probation officer. In ordering the parents of the boys to each mntrilii;to tho sum of £2 9s. Id. towards making good the damage done, His Worship said that a little stricter parental control might be exercised over the bovs.

"Grave State of'Affalrs." Tho cases against three other boys .were then taken ono boy admitting that he had been twice previously before, the Court for stealing sums of money. This particular boy denied the actual thefts, but admitted that he had aided and abetted tho others in the commission of. tho offences. He had acted as a "watch dor"—to warn the others should the police approach. The second boy admitted everything, but tho third one denied tiro of the charges.

His Worship said that the charges had been established in respect of each of t.he cases. "They are very serious charges of breaking and entering," continued His Worship. "It is a gravo state of affairs when have such lists aeainst vonnsr boyß thirteen and fourteen years of ago. Two of the boys, one of whom had been twice previously before tliß Court. weTe committed to the Wornroa Training Farm, and tho third was convicted, and admitted to probation for a period of threo years, on the condi : tions imposed in the first cases. The parents in each of, these cases wero or? dcred to pav .£2B 33. each, to make good tho property stolen. Time was allowed in which to pay the money. Pictures to Blame and Action to be Taken.

The remaining three boys were tried■with resnect to tho-theft of bottles from Youngs Chemical Company. They all admitted the facts as related by Constable Black. . Mr. M. J. Crombie appeared for. one cf the boys, and asked His Worship to adioiirn the case apinst his client, and nnf fo "iter a conviction. His Worship decided to adjourn each of the cases for six months, on condition that 4k& boys remaked of. good ■ behay-.

iflur. In one case if the boy failed to behave himself ho would be at once hrmurht, before the Court and committed to the Wernroa Training Farm. At tho conclusion of the cases His Worshin said that pictures woro somewhat to blame for this series of crimc. He oroDOsed to bring the matter under the notice of the Ministor of Internal Affairs. em ho rwarded the position as serious. In Auckland some years ago i I similar series of crimes was perpetrated bv bovs as a result of the exhibition of uuch oictures as mentioned by counsel.