SUPREME COURT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1248, 21 May 1914, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

The Palmerston North sittings of the Supreme Court were commenced on Tuesday, before the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout). Addressing the Grand Jury, his Honour congratulated them on the tact that their services were only required to deal with one case of crime. Traversing the cases of crime over the last five years his Honour said that considering the increase in population and the fact that we are getting other population from outside the Dominion, crime was on the decrease in New Zealand. We had in our midst some people with weak wills and weak intellect, and there must be a struggle to train the weak to become strong. In the early days crime was not so easily detected. Some people imagined that crime was increasing relative to our population, but he wished to point out that this was not so. He referred to the new Acts which had done a great deal to decrease crime together with the activity of the police. He congratulated this district on its freedom from crime.

Kitty Gambetta,aged 21, who had pleaded guilty in the Lower Court to theft of a postal packet containing a cheque came up tor sentence. Mr Cooper, for accused, pleaded for probation. Sir Robert Stout said accused was not a first offender, but the probation report stated that accused is at present in the Salvation Army Home at Wellington and he would let her stay there until her term of detention is up and if at that time she gets a good report he will let her come up for sentence when called upon. George Sutherland, late Town Clerk at Taihape, charged with embezzlement of money belonging to the Borough of Taihape, was found guilty yesterday. Sentence was deferred until to-day. This morning he was brought up for sentence. His counsel applied for probation, but this was refused. His Honour sentenced him to nine months’ imprisonment.