The Penalty And The Crime

Northern Advocate, 24 May 1949, Page 4

The Penalty And The Crime

Reports which appeared side by side in yesterday's Advocate, dealing with the punishment meted out to two men charged with being in possession of unlawful firearms, have very understandably aroused keen criticism.

In one case, heard at Maungaturoto, a man who was chafed with having in his possession a .45 calibre sub-machine-gup, a .45 calibre automatic pistol and two rifles, was fined £1 with costs 10/- on each charge. This penalty was imposed by an experienced stipendiary magistrate.

In the other case, heard at Whangarei, a man charged with having in his possession a .45 calibre automatic pistol was sentenced to three weeks’ imprisonment.

This penalty was imposed by two Justices of the Peace.

Well may the question be asked: Why were two men charged with the same offence—each pleaded that the weapons concerned had been brought to Now Zealand as . war souvenirs—treated so differently? Either the magistrate erred on the side of leniency or the Justices erred on the side of severity. •

This matter should not be allowed to remain where it is.

We are not questioning the sincerity of the magistrate or the Justices of the Peace in awarding the penalties they imposed in the two cases, but the disparity between the punishments would s,eem to call for a review.