GERMANY'S NEW CHILD CRIMINALS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 284, 15 June 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

GERMANY'S NEW CHILD CRIMINALS.

HORRIBLE FIGURES. By THOMAS F. A. SMITH, Ph. D. A glaring picture of Hun criminal'ty is given in a German war book called "Iter Krieg und die Kriminalitat der Jugendliohen" ("The War and Crime among tho Young"), by Dr. Albert Hellwig, police-court judge. The author sent the last sheets of his work to press en June 27, 1916, so that his disclosures of the terrific increase of crime among German children between the ages of 12 and 18 cover nearly two years of war. To get h's materials tho author scoured German newspapers, obtained numerous reports from institutions and societies which care for the young, and finally he wrote direct to tho police authorities in several hundred German towns All tho material thus obtained together with his own comment and conclus'cns, goes to fill the 282 pages of this book A few details from these reports will suffioo In Berlin irf 1915 there were twice as many crimes among the young as m 1914 Munich- reported that in the first three months of 1915 the number of young criminals equalled the as in 1914. Munich reported that in the news that crime had very considerably increased, especially among those of school age. Frankfort rejoiced in a decrease of 55 per cent, of minor offences but an increase of 40 per cent, in serious crimes. The German author is amazed at a long list of such reports, especially as hundreds of thousand? of youths aged from 16 to 18 were not at home but in the German Army as volunteers. (Thero were 2,000,000 men over 45 years of age and youths under 19 who volunteered is August 1914, although they were not liable to service.) His conclusion is: "From all these figures it is evident that crime among the young diminished in some places during the first months of the war. But afterword's the increase was all the greater—at least in the larger towss and as regards crimes tried before a judge and jury." In order to strengthen his own verdict, Dr. Hellwig quotes a lecture which Professor von liszt (Berlin University) gave last year. The professor said: " With regard to the young between 12 and 18 years of age, the statistics which have been kept since 1882 show that crime among them has constantly increased. In that year alone the number of young people sentenced for offences and crimes was 30,719 in Prussia alone. By 1912 the number had risen to 54,949, a number which continually increased till the war broke out. Further, it must be remarked that minor offences are not included in these figures, otherwise we should have to multiply the numbers by three. From 15 to 17 per cept. of the above had previous convictions." THIRST FOR BLOOD.

A servant girl aged 15 was tried by couxtmartial at Griefswald and was sentenced to three years for setting fire to a granary. Two Potsdam youths who waylaid a beer-wagon and! battered the driver senseless with his own beer bottles, obtained £ll 16s. in loot. In Munich on May I ,1915... a nuu>year-old boy killed h ; s sister, aged one year, by cutting her tliroat. At Gels (Silesia) a boy of 17 heard in Deceml>er 1915 that a neighbour (her husband serving in the Army) had sold her horse and had tfio money at home. He went there, but the woman was After stealing the money ho fetched an axe .and murdered three dildren who had witnessed the theft. His arrest followed, but, during the whole trial he showed not the slightest regret for the criniD. His the highest possible —15 years' penal servitude. In Berlm, during the same month, Helen P killed hgr sister with a. kitchen knife in order to steal her savings. At Hamburg, on July 14, 1915, two girls, aged lespeetivdly 17 and 15, entered the dwelling of a woman in the Elsastras.se, murdered the woman, and stole what they could find. And so on through scores of pages ad nauseam! In order, however, to grasp the significance of crime-increase in Germany it is necessary to give a few official figures for youths under 18 years of age in 1912. There were: 107 convictions for murder and manslaughter. 8,987 u „ malicious wounding. 952 ~ ~ violation. 2,938 ~ ~ damn, ge to property. 148 ~ ~ arson.

The average number of young persons sentenced to imprisonment for each year 1901-1912 was 27.048. Both in 1912 and 1914 the Gorman Government'e cfficiq.l publications, " Vierteljahrshefte," Vols. 247 and 267, stated that crimes of violence amongst the male population had seriously increased. Forty years ago Heinrich von Treitfichke. wrote: " Bloodt!hirst 's spreading hko an epidemic among Germany's workng classes, .and the same U true with regard to crimes of shame (violations and sir-h-l'ke).*' —''Die Politik," Vol IT., p. 425. HARVEST OF HATE. Dr. Hellwig gives tho following reasons for the increase of brutal crimes (it is this e.'a s whvh shows the pro.:tc,si increase): (a) Economic conditionspoverty in the first period of tho war and high wages afterward.; (b) Antieducational influences—fathers absent from home, slackening of s-liool discipline, trashy war books and films; (<■) Fewer policemen, caused bv tho mobilisation, and tho amnesty for youthful criminals decreed in tho early days of tho war.

ft need hardlv ire rt marked that Dr. Hellwig, a , a paid servant of the tierman State, must exercise dkcret'on in any ont'eism he may unto on h's own masters. Hut on the hate question lie is nothing lcs s than interesting. Tt appears that (vortain German 'circles agitated against too incnleat'oii of hate, suggesting that the .schools should bo • •inployed to sore <1 bett r inl'iiences. This called forth a decree (Erlas.s) from tho Prussian Government ■ n January 10, 191'.), in these terms: "Wishes have been expressed re-en ly tli.nt tic teacher,' should '"ombat bv suitable instruction the spread and deepening of national hate and pave the wav for the future roaoiHliati-ui of civ-p ed n 'tions. No o])porti!n'tics mav be permitted for such endeavours, which are inspired bv the feelings of universal brotherhood and international peace-piffle." Dr. Hellwig could not ons'ly fly -u the face of tliu dc-reo, but he works round it. Tile !: st six p-"ge-j of h's chapter on "Causes'' are devoted to hate. He writer:

"The excessive excitement of the childish imagination bv the events of the war, especially n.s th( v are depicted 'n trashy literature, i-r one of I ho

brut di-ing influences a ting en our voung ji-eople in war time. To inoculate t!-e •"iiildreii -with hate wou'd breed lust for revenge, and could only bear evil fruit."

'l'lliis Dr. Helium's position foitipoTs' liim to writo m :> liyviotliot'o/il wiisp, Imt 1.0 lojivos onk «>no oprn—viz., thnt h.a-fo lisi- boon 0110 of tlio main of tlio iin-:-c-jisfd oriniinal- ; tv among Gorman di'Mr 11 during tlio \v;ir.