NO-LICENSE AND CRIME.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 48, 25 August 1905, Page 6

NO-LICENSE AND CRIME.

SOME INTERESTING RETURNS. A return of details of the crime in the no-license districts of Mataura, Chalmers, Bruce, and Aslrburton during the biennial periods, oDth June, 1901, to 30th June, 1903, and 3Cth June, 1903, to 30th June, 1905, was presented to Parliament yesterday. A summary of the convictions for the most apposite offences follows, the figures for tho two biennial periods being in each case placed in juxtaposition, the 1901-1903 figures being placed first. The offences selected are those which are commonly admitted to bear in some degree on the licensing question. Ashb'urton :—lndecent: — Indecent assault nil, 2 ; theft 24, 31 ; breaking and entering nil, 10 ; breaches of the peace 25, 10 ; drunkenness 175, 43 ; prohibition orders 48, nil ; vagrancy 9, ml ; children without means of support 1, 1 ; obscene language 7, 3; sly grog-selling 1, 21; found in sly grog shop nil, 12 ; breaches of School Attendance Act 33, 22. Bruce: — Common assault 11, 4; theft 9, 12; breach of the peace 20, 20 ; drunkenness 45, 41 ; sly grog-selling nil, 1; obscene language 12, 20; vagrancy nil, 1. Chalmers : — Assault 16, 5 ; obstructing police 11, nil; theft 24, 4; forgery 2, nil; breach of 'peace 19, 4; drunkenness 323, 128 ; ' indecency 15, 2 ; obscene language 18, 6 ; prohibition orders 27, nil ; drunk and disorderly 4, 3 ; throwing stones 21, 1 ; begging 4, nil ; insufficient lawful means of support 10, 7; playing football on Sunday nil, 10J; absent without leave (?'from ships) 15,, 3; truancy 38, 26. • ' Mataura:— -Assault 9, 12; false pretences 8, 1 ; fraudulent 'bankruptcy nil, 4;-"theft 15, 18; drunkenness- 127, 28; disobeying maintenance order 6, 14 ; obscene language 8, 4 ; prohibition orders "37, 9; sly grog-selling nil, 22; failing to send children to school 58, 32. The grand totals of convictions for all offences' are: — Ashburton 446, 272; Bruce 231. 212 : Chalmers 626, 282 ; Mataura 406, 334. VITAL STATISTICS FOR JULY. «O» i — , , . The Regislrar-General publishes in the Gazette the vital statistics of the principal towns of the colony for last month. The total births recorded in the four centres (h*cluding suburbs) were: — Auckland 122, Wellington 133, Christchurch 115, Dunedin 112. ' Tho deaths and the proportion of deaths to the 1000 population were : — Auckland, 67, 1.16; Wellington, 49, 0.85; Ciiristchurch, 51, 0.99; Dunedin, 53, 0.90. . ..The ttfal "births in the fonr .centres ■amounted to 1 482, as against 518 in June — * a, decieiso of 36. The deaths in July were 220, an increase of 23 on the number in June. I?orty-eight of the deaths were of children under five years of age, being 21.82 per cent, of the whole number; 41 of these were under one year of age. Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases. — There wero 10. deaths from diseases belonging to this class which . occun'ed at the four chief centres with their suburbs in July. Influenza was fatal, at Auckland, Chrnrtchureh, and. Dunedin, l;cleath at each 'own. 'Diphtheria caused' 3 deaths, all at Auckland. From enteric fever there was only 1 death, whicli took placo at Wellington. „ Constitutional Diseases. — Of a lot;al of 39 deaths, 18 were caused by cancer and 17 by patlusis. Local Diseases. — The deaths in this class at the four chief towns were 120, 'or 54.55 per cent, of the total mortality. Diseases of the nervous system contributed 22 deaths ; from diseases of circulatory system the deaths were 36 (heart disease, etc.) ; of the respiratory' system, 29 (bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.) Violent. Deaths. — These, being 13 in all, were entirely accidental. THE TRADES COUNCIL ORGANISING AND LEGISLATION. The weekly meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council was held at the Council's Chambers last night. ,\ The Plasterers' Union wrote intimating its support of the labour organiser scheme. , • . A long letter, accompanied by numerous documents, was received from Messrs. Roil* and Hurrell, coachbuilders, in reference to imported articles, suggesting that the duty be increased, and claiming that the local industry was languishing ! owing to tho competition of the imported | article. , It was held by some of the delegates that this action was being taken for the purpose of injuring the coachworkers' dispute now awaiting a hearing, and it was resolved to ask Messrs. Rouse and Hurreli if they proposed to also ask for an increase of duty on the parts of vehicles, etc. • The Management Committee reported that thirteen unions had subscribed £75 to the fund for an organiser, and recommended that the meeting to elect the organiser be held next week.* It was further recommended that the organiser be under the control of a subcommittee consisting of one delegate from each subscribing union. The Workmen's Dwelling Bill had received attention, and the committee recommended that the definition of a "worker" be enlarged so as to include those persons who arc in a small way of business for themselves and who are not employed by an employer for hire or reward. That the maximum amount to be spent in connection with any one house be increased from £300 to £400. It was held that £300 would only build a house of between four and five rooms, and it would be a sheer impossibility for a worker with a family of eight, nine, or ten to comfortably locate his family in such a house, whereas if the maximum was made £400 this would permit of the State building a house of between six and seven rooms. That on general principle all the clauses in the Bill in respect to the optional freehold be strongly opposed. The committee had considered the proposed amendment td section 42 of the Shipping and Seamen'sAct, 1903, and recommended t^at it should be opposed, and that Mr. W. T. Young be appointed to give evidence before the Legislative Council Labour Bills Committee in respect to same. ' The v/h'olc of the committee's report was adoptedvwithout amendment. The auxiliary schooner Emma Sims has been chartered by a. Wellington i business man, who has made J tlie necessary arrangements for proceeding to the Three Kings to endeavour to recover th 6 treasure whicli went down in the steamer Elin'gomite, which was wrecked some time ago v Several efforts have been made to recover the treasure, which is vaulcd at between £17,000 and £18,000, but none have so far been attended with success. Jt is stated that tho expedition is to leave Wellington about the end of next week. The men who have undertaken the project thoroughly recognise that it is a purespeculation, but at the t-anu* time they have spared no effort in fitting out the expedition. A diver from Thursday Island has been engaged, and everything possible done to ensuie the .success of the venture. Mr. .S. G. Rots, jeweller and engraver, "a, Willij-Btroet, advertises his annual clearing sale, starting next Monday.