YOUTHFUL BURGLARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19254, 17 February 1926, Page 14

YOUTHFUL BURGLARS.

CRIME ON THE INCREASE. JUDGE REED'S COMMENTS. " NOT PROPERLY DISCIPLINED." [BI TELEGTLAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] NEW PLYMOUTH, Tuesday. Comment on the marked increase in burglary offences by' young men in. New Zealand during recent years was made by Mr. Justice Reed in the Supreme Court at Now Plymouth to-day. "I regret to say that this class of crime is seriously on the increase in this Dominion,'' Hia Honor said. "At one time burglary and breaking and entering were crimes of professional burglars, or they wore committed sometimes under the streiis of want, but nowadays they are very often the acts of quite young r.ien who arj in a position to earn a good livelihood honestly and without difficulty, but who seem to prefer the excitement of this class of crime, and, of course, the easy money that they acquire from it. "Whether this is due to the nature of the American films that are shown nowadays, as some people say, or whether it is an aftermsith of the war, it is impossible to say, but thero is no question that this class of crime among our young men is on the increase. "I am satisfied of this, that only tt small proportion of these young men who commit this class of crime are criminals at heart. The cases which have come before me show that as a rule they have not been properly disciplined. The wages that are paid now mak« it possible for young men of 17 to earn the money of grown men with families. Their motley is too easily earned, and this leads the young men into extravagance, which ra turn leads to a shortage of money, and they take this course of action to relieve the shortage." |lis Honor added that the prevalence cf this class of crime might be only a wave, but it waii serious nevertheless.