THE COURTS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 2 September 1924, Page 5

THE COURTS

DIVORCE FIGURES STATIONARY. ARREST CASES. NEW ZEALAND’S GOOD RECORD. (By Telegraph.— Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 1. The general figures regarding offences in New Zealand w’ere recently published in the Police Commissioner’s report, hut additional details, including particulars of divorce cases and the birthplace of persons arrested for •ffenees, appear in the Government Statistician’s report on the justice statistics for 1923. Crime amongst the New Zealand born is less than among the rest of £fie Dominion’s population. This is proved by the fact that out of 7221 persons convicted in the Magistrates’ Courts after arrest 3441 were New Zealand born, showing a percentage of 48 to the total, whereas the percentage of New Zealand born in the Dominion’s, population is 74, including, of course,' many children. The position is even more favourable if the proportion of New Zealand : bom males over 20 is taken. Among the convicted persons 45 per cent, is contrasted with the number of New Zealand born males in the whole population, namely, 57 per cent. The same results are obtained on an examination of the drunkenness convictions. Crime among women in New Zealand is not: extensive, says the Statistician. Of 37,104 summary convictions in the Magistrates’ Courts only 2015, or- 5.43 per cent., were of females, and a large proportion of the offences were of a minor character, such as 00 cases of Sunday trading, 424 breaches of bylaws, 111 of the Impounding Act, and 7 pf the Licensing Act: The number of female prisoners actually sent to gaol in 1923 was 129, and the average in prison is between 53 -and 54. .

J uveuile offenders in the year under review numbered 1145, a reduction of 105 on the previous year. .Theft was charged in 507 cases, and the other leading offence was wilful damage, to property, 242 charges, an increase of only 23 in the number. ■ Petitions for dissolution of marriage totalling 666 warrants the assumption that the divorce figures have become almost stationary, after a big rise from 380 in 1918 to 769 in 1921. Of last year s petitions 312 were filed by-hus-bends and 354 by wives, and : no fewer than 110 petitions were filed within five years of marriage. Counting only the cases where a decree nisi, with or without decree absolute, was granted, the number of divorces was 603. Failure to comply with an order for restitution of conjugal rights having again been made a ground of divorce, these cases have again become prominent, increasing from 4 petitions in 1920 to 77 last year, . ,

The civil business dealt with in the courts is extensive. The Magistrates’ Courts handled 66,659 cases, involving £1,236,160, . while the Supreme Court tried 412 civil claims,, recording judgment for £300,698. It is stated that, only 67 per cent, of the plaints entered in the Magistrates’ Courts react the position of being- tried by the magistrate. . v