THE CHIEF JUSTICE ON CRIME : EFFECTS OF NO-LICENSE.

Evening Star, Issue 15913, 20 September 1915, Page 8

THE CHIEF JUSTICE ON CRIME : EFFECTS OF NO-LICENSE.

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(Per United Press Association.) ■_i t . .■ ' _ ■■ . : '., "■■ :," ' MASTERTON, September 20.■ , .«' c , reme CouT \ opened to-day before the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout). There was only one criminal-case, that of alleged breaking and entering. Sir Robert -Stout, iii his. address to the jury, said: " I heartily congratulate you on the diminution of crime, especially in Masterton. In 1908 you resolved to make..an, experiment bv abolishing the open saloon. In that year the number, of offences of all kinds reported'was 512. In 1914 the number had fallen to 151.. In the case of convictions the same result is* shown. There were in 1908 461 siimmarv convictions: that is. convictions for petty offences or breaches of-.'-laws, including by-laws. In 1914 there were only 96. A pleasing .feature;!)!', the figures i's that while in 1908-• charges were preferred against 20 women. 11 of't-lu; convictions lieiii" for drunkenness, in 1914 only four were convicted, arid of these onlv one was for drunkenness. The figures are" similar in the case of serious offences. In 1908 40.-persons were sent to the Supreme Court for trial, and 25 were convicted; in 1914 there were only 11, Bof these being convicted. So far as conviction for drunkenness is concerned, the decrease is marked. In-1908 the convictions for drunkenness were 302; in 1914, 49. You will also find that there are fewer civil cases in the - Magistrate's Court, and debts are more easily collected." '