THEFTS OF WOOL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 158, 4 June 1935, Page 12

THEFTS OF WOOL

THE • PRESCRIBED PENALTIES. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. WAIPUIOJRAU, June 2. _ At the monthly meeting of the IVaipukurau County Council, a letter was received from Hon. J. G. Cobbo (Minister of Justice), replying to certain statements made at a previous meeting of the council when the matter of sentence imposed upon wool thiei es in Central Hawke’s Bay was discussed. Mr Cobbe’s letter was as follows: “My attention lias been drawn to a report published of opinions express? ed by members of your council on the question of penalties imposed in cases of wool-stealing, arising from a etter from me, in which I stated that the question of penalty was one entirely for the Court, and was not a matter in which 1 could propel ly give directions to a Magistrate. Aly reply is reported to have been described as the ‘usual departmental reply,’ ‘a sort of evasion,’ ‘we admit that the Minister may not be .able to interfere with sentences, but he can surely lay down what is, a suitable penalty and what is not. “I appreciate that it was recognised that it was not within my province, and indeed would be improper for me to interfere with the jurisdiction and discretion of Magistrates as to the penalties they, in the discharge of their duty, should impose. The freedom of our Courts from political or other interference is something we should all do our utmost to maintain. “As to an expression of opinion from myself as to what is a suitable penalty for wool-stealing, I am somewhat at a loss to discover in what way my opinion can be helpful in this connection, but I quote what the law says the penalty may be, and its dictum is authoritative: ‘lf the wool stolen is under £2 in value, imprisonment up. to three months may be inflicted; if over £2 and under £5, six months; from £5 to £SO, a Magistrate may sentence the offender to one vein s imprisonment; and on indictment the penalty may be up to two years haicl labour. If the theft is by a servant the maximum penalty is 14 years’ hard labour.’ , . a “In the case under review the offenders pleaded guilty and elected to be dealt with summarily by the justices. I am not in a position to discuss publicly the merits of the procedure in this case, but I am assured that there were good reasons for the course taken. The police in the Napier district and indeed in other districts, have* been very active in their efforts to stop wool-stealing, and it is satisfactory to record that, since the arrest of the two iiion wool-stealing in the Napier district has ceased.”