UNLOCKED CARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 16

UNLOCKED CARS.

MINISTER'S COMMENT. TEMPTATION TO OFFENDERS. i CONVERSION CASES REVIEWED (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Figures showing the number of motor car conversions during January and February were announced to-day by the Minister of Justice, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason. He said these tended to confirm the suggestion he made in December that were motorists to exercise a little more care in the protection of their own piopeity fewer offences of this nature would be committed. Mr. Mason said that in December, in discussing preventive measures in conwith motor car conversions, he hud pointed out that the majority of offences were committed by youn<» persons, and the degree of responsibility in the matter rested upon motorists, themselves so far as they placed temptation [ in the way of these offenders by leaving their cars parked and unlocked on the street at night. "Since making that statement," added the Minister, "I have obtained returns from all the Courts throughout the Dominion of particulars of car conversions during January. There was a total of :)S convictions for this class of offence. In :s(i cases the cars concerned were left unlocked and in two cases information in this regard was not available. In 28 cases out of the total of 38 the offences occurred at night, and in 10 of the cases the offenders were under the a<»e of 21 years." ° Mr. Mason said the punishments meted out by the Court ranged according to the gravity and circumstances of"the ea*e. from committal to the care of the Child Welfare Department, one case; convicted and ordered to cWie up for sentence, three cases; admonished and returned to the bovs' training farm, two cases; admitted to probation, three i cases; dismissed under section 92 of the i Justices of the Peace Act, one case; I convicted and discharged, three cases; 1 fined, two cases; committed to Borstal - institutions, five cases; and ordered < imprisonment, 18 cases. i In February there were 40 convictions ' and of these in 33 instances the cars were left unlocked, and 3.> of the total < offences occurred at night time. Thirty 1 of the offenders concerned were under the age of 21.