THE EXPENSE OF HUNTING BUSHRANGERS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 931, 20 February 1880, Page 3

THE EXPENSE OF HUNTING BUSHRANGERS.

Few persons ar aware of the large expense which the criminal population in a community entails upon it. Many celebrated robbers and bandits in Europe have in nothing been more celebrated than in the largo expe diture thev have caused. It w-uld have paid the States which had the honor of their presence, and indeed wool 1 have saved them a very large amount of money, to have made a bargain w : th these dear and interesting deliquents to have given them handsome pensions tor life on c.edition that thev n-> longer broke the laws or the peace. In Victoria the Kellys have been a most exr.ensive gang of marauders. Some time ago it was estimated that they had cost the colony upwards £ >O.OOO not including the sums of wnich they had plundered the banks. The amount must he nearly do ble, for until recently there was a strong detachment of the Permanent Force stationed at Beuaila. The number of lives lost 'lirnugh this gang, both by murder and accident, has been very serious; and the whole community in the neighborhood of the scenes of their exploits or orim- s has been i isorganised and partially demoralised. And the sting of the whole matter is tint', notwithstanding sunli results and so large an expe> diture of money, th- scoundrels are still at large, and may, at any moment, recommence their career cf rapine and bloodshed Our bushrangers nave been a costly luxury to us in New South Wales, but we have always managed sooner or later to cut short their car er. There was a time, indeed, when this colony was the laugh-ing-stock of the colonies in cons' qucnce of the impunity with wlrchmany daring ruffians long continued tinir outrages, tut the tables have been tuned. It. was the boast at one time of Victoria Hint while bushranging ran ri .t in New South Wales, it could not exist in Victor i. Now the ease t-reversed, at the latter colony is the shocking example. In the case of the Wantabadgcrv bushrangers, whose capture was so sntedidily effected, and whose punishment followed so swiftly upon their crimes, wo should hardly expect that the country would be put to much expense. '1 he fact is, however, that the short c root- of Scof. ami his accomnlieea in New t-outh Wales has cost the country L 3,250 ! It is almost incredible, but we have the information on the vety best authority, and there can bo no doubt about its accuracy. Crime and criminals are indeed most ex-ensive articles in every community, and the history of th se colonies affords striking illustrations of this truth. graph.’