PUNISHMENT OF CRIME

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 220, 11 June 1920, Page 3

PUNISHMENT OF CRIME

PRISONERS SENTENCED BIG THEFT OF PUBLIC MONEYS For stealing at Napier JMS22 belonging to the Customs Department, James George Traccy wa6 yesterday sentenced by the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) to seven years' reformative detention. Mr. 11. Myers, on behalf of the prisoner, admitted that it was difficult to 6ay very much in mitigation of the offence; Traccy was 2G years of age. lie had done his duty at the war, though -thru':, of course, was no excuse for his crime. There were two audits of his accounts during the time lie was a Customs. clerk at Napier, and counsel thought it rather extraordinary- that such largo sums could be taken from tko public purse and- lim: be missed, when such audits were made. Prisoner ad-i mitted that he had only himself to Mumo. The cause of his trouble was gambling. When ha vent to Napier he was deeply in debt'-through gambling, and he tried to recoup, his losses by biking money from the public funds. His Honour, in imposing tho sentence, observed thaJi prisoner hnS.bcen stealing money at the rate of £ii a week. New Zenlandcrs did not appear to look upon gambling as anything wrong. His Ilonour hail seen by the papers that tho Government received ,£93,01)0 for -a year JJoin "!!&. totalizator at Auckland. That meant that more than ,£1,000,000 a year had been;' spent at Auckland in gambling. It was no doubt the sam 4in other parts of the country. The public; Departments . ought to know which of their 'servants were gamblers. Many Americans and British employers of labour would not tolerate a gambler in their employ. Prisoner was informed that his case would come under the jurisdiction of the Prisons Board.' AN HABITUAL CRIMINAL. Colin M'Kenzie, who had several aliases, had pleaded guilty to charges of theft., false pretences, forgery and uttering, and horse-stealing. He also came before His Honour for' sentence. Several previous conviction.? were on record against him. Hi; Honour declared prisoner to be an habitual criminal. M'Kenzie received a sentence of one month's hard labour on each of the charges, which numbered abou:':' a dozen. His Honour ordered tknt the sentences should be cumulative.