Hawke's Bay Herald. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1882. CRIMINAL STATISTICS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6161, 3 February 1882, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1882. CRIMINAL STATISTICS.

The criminal statistics of Hawke's Bay for tlie twelve months ending December 30tli show a very appreciable and gratifying decreaso, especially ia crimes of a ; serious character. The total appreben- \ sions for the year were Bt 2, against 974 iv 1880, cv just about 10 per cent, fewer. The ©fences reported were 901, against 956 in the previous year. It is fe.il unfavorable comment £n. 6Ur civilisation that the mor-i prosperous state o£ trade last year had a tendency to swell the returns of offences in certain classes, but so it is. The persons apprehended for drunkenness were slightly more numerous, which is an indication that tho greater demand for labor gave greater ; facilities for drinking to certain classes. Tho arrests under this head were Istst year 346, against 338 in xSSO. Crimes which generally follow over-indulgence in drink show more than a corresponding increase. Thus common assaults increased from 54- to 72, or at the rate of about 25 per cent., and assaults on constables were slightly more numerous. Breaches of the peace, which may generally be placed to the account of King Alcohol, rose from three to 18 —an enormous increase; in destitution (which generally means penury through drink) the numbers increased from tto 13 ; and petty thefts were more numerous by 14, the number o£ cases reported being 97, as against 83 in 1880. tsunacy also exhibits an increase of 4, the apprehensions last year being 23. As no fewer than 18 of the number were discharged it is reasonable that delirium trcmens would in most instances better describe the disease than the word lunacy. When a man goes mad through drink he is generally charged with lunacy, and re* manded from time to time until he is again " clothed iv his right mind," and ready to go on another " burst " ending in the same way. The only other increases worth noticing were in offences not really criminal, such as breaches of municipal and railway bye-laws. In the latter the convictions jumped from 15 to 29.

In all the more serious classes of crime there was a most marked decrease, and this is a matter for congratulation. No one was charged with inflicting " grievous bodily harm " last year, while four persons were convicted o£ this class of crime in the previous year ; nor was there a single case of embezzlement reported. In charges of " forcible entry " the drop is from 2-1 to nil, which shows that our Gisborne neighbors have not had quite so much fuu lately. There is also a diminution in charges of forgery, horse-stealing, the more serious types of larceny, perjury, vagrancy, attempted suicide, and wife desertion. There was no charge of murder, and only o one of rape, agaiast five in 1880, and the man charged was not convicted. Property owners seem to have paid their taxes more cheerfully, or perhaps, warned by experience of the results of delay, they adopted the wise plan of making a virtue of necessity. Only five runholders were summoned for breaches of the Sheep Act against 56 during 1880 ; and there were

no charges under the Property Assessment Act, though in the previous year the Commissioner had to issue summonses against six persons. The most seriou s case brought before the Supreme Court was the charge of opening and destroying letters preferred against Hendle. From these returns it will appear that we may flatter ourselves on being a fairly moral community, and it would seem that we are improving. In spite of the increase in drunkenness and other minor offences, which account for more than two-thirds of the total, there was, as we have already stated, a large decrease in the totals, and this shows that the decrease must have been chiefly in crimes of a

worse description