MAORI SENTENCED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 77, 21 November 1931, Page 6

MAORI SENTENCED

charges admitted ^ *"s.M. SAYS PROBATION t IS OUT OF THE l QUESTION ON HOTEL PREMISES £ "In this case, probation is crat of *fche auestion. You have had proba^tioxr before and you have not beneffitted by it. These are offenees, which *as the police have pointed out, are ^diffieult to detect, a kind of sneak -thieving. The only thing to be done *with you is to sentence you to impri'sonment," said Mr. .S. L. Paterson, *S.M., in- the Rotorua Magistrate's ;Gourt yesterday morning, when sen♦tencing a young Maori, Ratema Tam«ahou Te Kawhia, who pleaded guilty •to a charge of theft and a further "charge of being a rogue and vagabond in that he was found by night without lawful exeuse in the enelosed yard of the Geyser Hotel, Whaka. Mr. R. A. Potter, -who appeared f or Jhe. accused, entered pleas of guilty •on both counts and intimated that Te kawhia elected to be dealt with sumhiarily on the charge of being unlawI^ully on prexnises by night. u*i Senior-Sergeant Carroll, for the ;police; stated* that on the night of 'November 14, the accused had been •noticed in the vicinity of the bedroom *window of a guest at the hotel. Two Jof the occupants of the house had iaccosted Him and his excuse had been .'that he had eome out to see the lic«ensee* Mr. .Galbraith. He was told *|o sit down in the lounge and one of •the men went away to ring up the /police but while he was doing so the ^accused appareiitly decided that the Cfime had come for him to bolt, and •imshed out through the door. * i- -• Offenees Admitted ^ Later, as the result of enquiries, vaccused was discovered by Constable -feelly at h's home at Ohinemutu when -lie admitted that he had intended to "enter the bedroom. Te Kawhia had stated that he was hard ' up and thought he could make a few pounds by going through the bedrooms -at the hotel. The accused had also admitted the theft of 25s from the suit,^ase of a guest at the hotel, Mrs. Wilton of Wellington, some time preViously. The suit case had been lock!ed but it had been prized open. """ Te Kawhia had had three years secondary education and knew perfect-*-ly well that he was doing wrong. He Ihad married a European gi-1 when *she was only 16 years of age and had ,'two young children. Other thefts of ;a similar nature had occurred at the iaotel but although Te Kawhia had been questioned in this connection, he •had denied any knowledge of them. The Magistrate asked whether any- ■ thing was previously lcnown against

the accused and the sergeant handed up a list of convictions. Mr. Potter said that the aceused's eldest child was two and a-half years of age. and the youngest 12 months, while his wife was at present in a very delicate state of health. He had also been supporting a young brother who had been out of work. The accused had been working on relief and earning 25s a week on which he had been endeavouring to support himself and his dependents. He had been liv1 ing in a house belonging to his rela- ■ i tives at Ohinemutu, but as his credit , had been stopped, he had been unable I to make ends meet. He had suecumbj ed to temptation in an endeavour to ^ secure enough money to meet his out- . ; goings. { Te Kawhia's wife's mother, aeeordj ing to Mr. Potter, stated that the ac- | cused was quite a good worker as I long as he was away from some of his | old associates. When he got with I these he started drinlcing. | The Magistrate: Is it suggested ■ that these associates had anything to ; do with this? Mr. Potter : No sir, but the accusI ed is not the same good worker when j he is with them. I' In reply to the Magistrate, Te j Kawhia admitted that he had been placed on probation in 1920 on a charge of breaking and entering, and that again in 1923, he had been convicted and ordered to come up for „sentence when called upon a charge of theft. He had also been convicted on a further charge of theft in 1929. The Magistrate stated that he could not see his way to admit the accused to probation and imposed a sentence of two years' reformative detention on the charge of being found unlawfully on premises by night. On the charge of theft, Te Kawhia was sentenced to three months' hard labour.