TREND OF CRIME

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 118, 20 May 1914, Page 3

TREND OF CRIME

REMARKS BY THE CHIEF j JUSTICE. ' (Bt TBLEGIIAPH— SPECIAL TO THE POST.) PALMERSTON N., This Day. Addressing the Grand Jury at the opening of the sittings of the Supreme Court the Chief Justice made some significant remarks on the trend of crime in New Zealand during the past few years. He found that as the country settled, and all those institutions 'hat make for the improvement of our ocial life are founded in- the midst of our people, crime decreases. " We cannot expect to be free from breakers of our laws. We receive population from countries not accustomed to our social life, and we have in our midst some people of weak wills and weak intelligence, and it is not surprising, therefore, that wo have offenders. The very fact that we liavo crime in our midst should show us that wo are not all equal in mental, moral, or physical ability, and that there must be an everlasting struggle to train the weak that they may become strong. Just as it has been said the poor would always be found amongst humanity, offenders will also be iound as long as. human nature is what it is. Wo ma.y congratulate, ourselves that, taking the Dominion as a whole, crime is not increasing, but is decreasing relatively to our population. It would not have been surprising if it had increased. First, oar country, i» getting iuqio closely eet- ,

tied, cities and towns are becoming larger, and it has been found that this often tends to an increase of crime. Second, so far as summary offences are concerned new laws are being made with penalties for their infraction, our police are moro active than in the early clays, and crimes are more easily detected."