PICTURES AND CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17257, 5 September 1919, Page 8

PICTURES AND CRIME.

EFFECT UPON CHILDREN. THE NEED FOR CONTROL. . [BY TELEGBAFH.—PHESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. During the hearing at the Juvenile Court to-dfy of 17 charges of breaking, entering, and theft against 10 boys, whose ages range from nine to fifteen years, the defending counsel said the boys' actions were doe largely to the influence of pictures. It was a "significant fact that on the day on which the first crimes were committed the boys had been to a picture* show, where they had seen a bloodthirsty cowboy picture. This picture had apparently burned the boys' imaginations, and on their way home they committed the crimes with which they were now charged. On the following Saturday, when the boys entered other premises, they had previously witnessed another serial of the picture. The boys whom he was defending had also been reading what he described as the " yellow press," and he produced a copy of a publication and drew His Worship's attention to two stories.

Mr. E. Page, S.M., said there was no doubt that the pictures were very valuable agents for educational purposes, but some were unsuitable for boys to see. Pictures were somewhat to b'ame for this series of crimes. He proposed to bring rhe matter under the notice of the Minister for Internal Affairs, as he regarded the position as serious. In Auckland some years ago a similar series of crime was perpetrated by boys as the result of the exhibition of such pictures as mentioned by counsel.