The Hutt News FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1928. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Hutt News, Volume 1, Issue 5, 21 June 1928, Page 4

The Hutt News FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 1928. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

How frequently one hears comments upon the increasing number of cases coming before the Jaw courts of certain forms of crime, notably embezzlement. These may involve the taking of but a few shillings from a tradesman, or of hundreds, nay thousands of pounds, by men holding positions of trust. Seldom do we take up our daily paper without linding some such ease mentioned, and they are not coniined to one class of person nor to any one particular district, but they appear to be common to all classes —from the small-waged servant to the highly paid officer —and to all parts of the Dominion. Thoughtful people see cause for grave concern in this serious state of affairs —bringing our business methods into sharp criticism and causing pain and shame to so many of the innocent ones depending on the wrong-doer. There must be a cause or causes operating to bring all this about, and surely if we can get at the cause —remove it, or prevent its operating, we should very materially lessen the evil, though, knowing the frailty of human nature, we would not believe it possible to completely abolish it. There are those who claim that the aolc fault lies in a lack of supervision and inspection in all business concerns where money is daily, even hourly—being handled. While we admit that there may be much in this contention —and something in the statement that our system and frequency of audit are far from perfect —yet we feel that to provide an army of inspectors and auditors would be a financial burden, no institution or business could stand. Such cost —even if it were necessary, would so add to the cost of production that prices would show a sharp rise, and this we—as a people—cannot meet. By others, the cause assigned is the desire to live high —to indulge in pleasures and luxuries far beyond our actual incomes, and that to thus live, men are tempted and fall. There is no duobt that as a young Dominion we are prone to a high standard of living— we insist upon expensive homes'^ —of expensive living and indulge in many expensive pleasures. Motor-cars are as common as blackberries, jazz parties, and cabarets are of nightly occurence, picture theatres and other places of amusement draw their crowds and home-life is becoming a thing of-■ the past. Tjet it not be assumed that we would deny pleasure to the people—or that -we find fault with, those who c .. ■» a . -J <t^ %r " but let us see to it th' t we can honestly afford all tMB and still make provision, for a rainy , day, and that we are not reading tlie stage when pleasure is our highest aim. Gambling on the race-course—fwith. the bookmakerl—on cards, a# too frequently are assigned as the causes for the downfall of many, who were in positions of trust. The gambling evil is Tampsint— betting on every form of sport, is done by even young people who see only the possibility of securing the other fellow's money with, no effort to themselves and with no thought to the lowi-1, ering effect this intensive gambling Has . on the moral fibre and how it is destroying the fibre of our national well-being. There is yet another section of" the people who assert that the prevalence of this embezzlement cvil —and; also of many other evils—is consequent upon our lack of severity upon tfie wrongdoers when the crime is, in- our few-

courts sheeted home to them. These people are convinced that short periods of detention —be it in prison or in a reformative institution are treated lightly!—indeed largely as a joke and that such punishment is not a deterrant but an incentive to "risk it." Those who hold this view point to the time whea sexual offences were rife and when the "lash" was introduced. The fear of the "lash" acted as the strongest possible deterrant and such offences soon became less frequent. It was a case of severityI—and reduced man to somewhat of the level of the brute but it protected society in general. Arguing along these lines they insist that the punishment imposed is so light—^-iß^r

some cases amounting to no punishment at all—that this type of offence willunder these conditions —never be diminished. Quite apart from the main issue we may interpolate that the varyiag ; nature of sentences imposed in these ■ cases is difficult to follow. Men occupying responsible positions—positions of great trust—have embezzled thouands|of pounds and have been subjected ta reformative detention for a "period of but a*few months, while others—less enlightencd,less; well paid—occupying much lower positions—have for the theft of but a small sum received heavier punishment. "We confess that we have often been puzzled in such sentences. Be the cause whatj it may— one of those we put forward—or others not put forward in this article-—it should be food for thought for a£L grades of society. Are we so livingwithin our means that the temptation to rob other people cannot exist Are we to help in stamping out as much of the evil as we- can, setting our faces against the mad craze for gambling in all its forms —lessening the' extravagant pleasures some of us may have indulged in—doing our best to remove this evil from our midst. As to whethermore drastic action is necessary—a moTfe severe punishment from our Judges ia -the Supreme Court we leave this to ourlcgiflators. They who make the laws ■must see to it that such laws are obeyed and for all forms of evil that appearto be on the increase more severe repressive methods, mut be adopted. It is the custom now-a-days, in the home— the school—the courts to with-hold punishment, believing that all forms of" punishment are undesirable as being lowering to the highest that is in us, but let us see to it—that such mercy is used" with judgment and does not become a menace and but serves to intensify theevil we would suppress.