CRIME IN MASTERTON

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10421, 12 September 1911, Page 5

CRIME IN MASTERTON

A PLEASING IMMUNITY. FUNCTION IN SUPREME COURT. When the Grand Jury had been empanelled at the opening of the sitting of the Supreme Court in Masterton yesterday, the Sheriff (Mr M. Foley) .stated that in consequence of the highly satisfactory state of affairs) which existed in regard to ' crime, he had the 'pleasant diuty to ! perform of presenting His Honor i with a pair of white gloves. This was., he said, the first time in the. history of Masterton that siucjh a duty had been performed, and it was due to the fact that there was - no Criminal business to deal with. Speaking as an officer of the Oourt, j and in this respect, he was support- j ed by the police, he stated thai the ; position Was highly satisfactory. Since His Honor last visited Master- I ton, two persons had been comimitt- j ed to the Supreme Court at Wellington. One of these had pleaded guilty to a charge of forgery at Te Wiharau, which was in a distant portion of tile district, and the other had i asked to be tried by a jury on a paittry charge of theft, which wouldhave been dealt with summarily. Mr Foley conoluded by expressing the hope that wfhen. His Honor returned in six months' time the same happy condition-of affairs might ] His Honor, addressing the Grand Jury, said he was highly pleased to j hear that tihere were no bills to be presented which would require their attention. It must be gratifying to them to know that they would be relieved from further dralty. It was extraordinary'that, in a progressive district like Masterton, where they had a large centre, they should he so free from crime. It was nolt, of course, to be expected that state of things would always continue, for there were various causes of crime, heredity being one. He thanked the Grand Jury for its attendance, and expressed the hope that on future occasions when it might be summoned its duties would be as light. The Jury had to be sumimoned, he pointed out, for nobody could teU, until the last moment, whether a criminal oase would be forthcoming.'