LAW AND THE VAGRANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20516, 18 March 1930, Page 14

LAW AND THE VAGRANT.

Sir, —I was sympathetically interested ip a recent, letter in your columns apropos of this subject. Here is our way of making criminals out of decent unfortunates:—Section 50 of the Police Offences Act, 1927, reads: "Where any constable has reasonable cause to believe that any person lias no lawful means of support or has not sufficient lawful means of support he may arrest such person with or without warrant and bring him before any justice. If such person fails to prove to the satisfaction of the justice that he has sufficient lawful means of support or that such means of support as he has are lawful, he shall be deemed an idle and disorderly person within the' meaning of this Act and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of three months." Might it be said in defence of the statute that the Act was aimed at persons living dishonestly and was not intended to apply to honestly destitute persons ? It has been so interpreted by many experienced magistrates such as Messrs. Beetham, Carew, Hardcastle, etc., but it has hit many decent men. Possibly they are arrested "for their own protection" and then sentenced to imprisonment tfor their further protection." Possibly on a cold winter's night they accost a constable and disclose their position. What is the constable to do ? I have known a constable, satisfied of the genuineness of the case, to give a man a few shillings out of his own pocket; but is this fair to the officer? Your average policeman makes an arrest to save a death from hunger, cold and exposure. And the law allows it. A constable can help the indigent sick person, ho can remove and bury the dead at a hospital board's expense, but the board will not allow him to save at their expense the sickness and death of the destitute. Legislators play the game! Cnt out the word "sick" from the H. and C.I. Act, 1926, Section 105, and allow our police to be men and make men instead of criminals. Essem.