STEALING HOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9013, 19 October 1892, Page 6

STEALING HOOKS.

A LITTLE BOY IN TROUBLE. UNPRINCIPLED DEALERS. A very sad' case of youthful criminality was heard before Dr. Giles, R.M., and Mr. J. H. Hannan, J.P., at the Police Court yesterday morning. A little boy, apparently of about twelve years of age, named Charles H. Williams, a servant in ; the employment of John James Patterson ] and James Cos, of Queen-street (trading as Messrs. Patterson and Coe), was charged j with having on the 14th September stolen five books, valued at £1 12a 6d, the property of Messrs. Patterson and Coe; also, on the 7th October, with having stolen eight books, valued at 16s ; also, on the 13th October, twelve books; valued at £2 Bs, the property of the same firm. Mr. C. Buddie, who appeared for the boy's friends, asked that the boy might be discharged with a caution as his parents were prepared to send him to a friend in the country, who would bring, him up to farm work. The lad had taken away the books at night, and sold them to a shopkeeper in Grey-street, petting about 4s or 5s for the lot. The action of the person who had bought the books should be very severely commented upon. He had bought about £5 worth of books from the little boy for a few shillings. Dr. Giles said he thought that in cases of this kind the only choice lay between the course proposed and sending the boy to the Industrial School. Certainly, to send the boy to the country would be the better course, if he would be properly looked after there. He Mould there have at least as good an opportunity of being brought up in an henese way as if he were in an industrial school. It all depended upon the people with whom he was placed. He (Dr. Giles) had no doubt but that the person who ought to be punished was the person who bought the books from the little boy at so cheap a rate. This sort of thing was often done in Auckland ; but it was a monstrous and disgraceful thing, and the persons who bought goods at cheap rates from young children were more culpable than the children who stole them. These shopkeepers must be aware that such articles must have been stolen, and these people certainly deserved to be punished. The lad, however, could not bo allowed to go unpunished. He would order him to receive ten strokes of the birch rod. The books stolen were novels of various descriptions, and quite new in every respect.