WANTED—A CURFEW BELL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 292, 2 May 1913, Page 8

WANTED—A CURFEW BELL.

FOR YOUNG STREET' ROAMERS. Wanganui, April 30. The undesirable class of moving picture has more than once been held responsible for inciting juvenile crime, and, according to statements made in the that evening continuation classes may, .thatth eyening continuation classes jqay, in certain be. indicated as abettors of the same.;-For . some time past there has been a series -of' petty robberies and i burglaries in the town and, suburbs,..and though it had. been established that it was the work of boys, the latter for some time were "slim" enough to avoid capture. Finally, however, they were tracked down, with the result tluit three I lads faced the Magistrate this morn- | ing. • •

Counsel for the defence (Mr. Treadwell) pleaded for leniency, saying that J he always dreaded seeing a boy commit-1 '•'(1 to an industrial school. Stieh a course tended to make him hard and <"iilous, and sometimes led ultimately to his appearance in higher Courts. While cheap novels and a certain class of moving picture tended to cause a certain amount of juvenile crime, he thought the opportunity to do so was chiefly due to young- people being allowed 1 on the streets at night. Some of them had to attend compulsory classes, and, if they went straight home from the classes, no doubt the latter were an excellent thing. They did not do so, however; they loitered abeiit .'town- One thing led to another, and ended in wrong-doing. It would be a good thing if curfew legislation were passed to deal with boys and girls. Detective-Sergeant £iddel!s said tha,t in his tliirty-five yearst of expedience h#'j had never had more difficult cases to deal with. He agreed with Mr. Treadwell' in testifying to the general good character of the lads, and seconded counsel's suggestion that the boys should be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called'upon. ' The Magistrate said, however, that he had the interests.-of, the;pnMi?' to' look aftigrj ■; birfch: ioi the chief .nffendw.'Thei.fatlier of another boy undertook to birch his son. and, on this understanding, lie was discharged. The third escaped physical punishment on the ground of delicate health.