CARS CONVERTED

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21377, 21 January 1935, Page 10

CARS CONVERTED

TWO YOUNG BOYS ADMIT FOUR CHARGES EACH ALREADY UNDER SUPERVISION Four charges of unlawfully converting cars, one of which was valued at £325, to their own use were admitted by two boys aged 16 years and nearly 15 years in the Children's Court on Saturday morning. Mr H. A. Young, S.M., and Mrs T. Green, J.P., heard the case. The first car, one valued at £l5O, was taken from outside the Salvation Army Citadel, driven through most of the town, and finally abandoned in Papanui road. No damage resulted from this excursion. The second, which was valued at £9O, was run up against the water table by the Radford street bridge after a varied career through the city streets from Oxford terrace, when it had been taken. The presence of the Grenadier Guards Band playing at both the Addington Trotting Grounds and Lancaster Park provided them with their other chances of "borrowing" cars, and it was from the former place that the more expensive one was taken. This one they took to Lyttelton, and apparently • drove over the hill fairly recklessly, as the brakes were burnt out when the car was finally abandoned in Woolston, and it cost £3 5s to repair that damage. The last charge concerned a car valued at £IOO. This one was also found piled up against a water table with the two front wheels smashed. It had been driven over quite a fair proportion of the city and suburbs and was finally found at Linwood. The damage in this case amounted to £3O. Each of the boys at the time was meant to be under the supervision of the Child Welfare Officer, and in the case of the elder boy it was stated that his conduct had been satisfactory till December, when the offences occurred. "They were evidently doing things in style," said Mr Young. "They went off to a party at 3 a.m. after having gate-crashed at another." The report of the Child Welfare Officer showed that the younger of the boys had not been very satisfactory. When he had been given money for the rent he had failed to pay it. Damage amounting in all to £3B 18s was formally ordered to be restored by the parents of the boys. The period of supervision of the elder boy was extended for 18 months from May next, and the younger boy was recommended to be sent to the training farm at Weraroa. An order was also made that the money for restitution should be deducted from the wages of the boys as soon as they should start to earn money. Breaking and Entering The younger of the two boys also appeared with three other boys on a charge of breaking and entering by day a house in the country and committing theft therein. The boys had all been in the home in Stanmore road, but had broken out and were making their way to Greymouth when the offence was committed. They all admitted the charge. It was stated by the Child Welfare Officer that they had been looking for food and that two of them had kept guard while the others had gone into the house. As they had failed to find any food, they had taken a watch, a clock, and some other articles. All the articles had been recovered -by the owner. The door of the house had been closed but not locked. As they were all at present inmates of the boys' home in Stanmore road, they were formally admonished and discharged. They were ordered to be returned to the home with a recommendation that all except the youngest be sent to the training farm at Weraroa.