AN ABSOLUTE FAILURE.

NZ Truth, Issue 380, 5 October 1912, Page 6

AN ABSOLUTE FAILURE.

A Magistrate on Freak Legislation

,• Evans, and. Bull, assorted agents, of Chrfetchurch, employed a-' young man Of sixteen namqd Maurice , O'-Callaghan at , the startling: screw of ten bob.- a •week, and ate iMaurice - lived, at the rate of £2 a week, something had to,happen. It happened. It is an extraordinary fact that this poorly- remunerated •^out'h. had the. handling of the. firm's money under, conditions which made.it. an. easy matter .for some of it to stick to his fingers it his inclination ran that way, A-bout £26 'adhered to his digits, or at .the rate of . 30s, per week during, the period of his service with the firm.' .-The "subsequent court proceedings were distinguished,' amongst ither things, for some straight talk toy' Magistrate Bishop upon the failure of the vaunted reformative system to reform worth a cent. ' Lawyer ; . Donnelly pleaded for the boy, iwbo would be seventeen next June. He had been three 'or four months with th'e land and' estate -agents, 'arid told that he had spent the coin on •Ithe^pictures and the skating rink. 'He ninderstood -therer was a suggestion by vlh'e police,. that, a .girl had helped him »*o go, thrqugiv.the wealth. »; ; •Itfa&i«i tTa te Bishop : What ' were his '•.♦wages?. / ' '. •' „ ./ • . '■■ . ;' . ' ..■'.■ >>* Counsel:- Ten. shillings a week/ and /!he gave the' whole r of that amount to ih|s motber. ; ' ; ' ' ]t. The solicitor said that the 'youth's parents were respectable people. ~> -His ■Worship said that two -courses ' were open id him. ' The- first was', to : 'recommend the Governor ; to send.' him : to an 'industrial- school, and the second ' •fras" to sentence - him 'to' reformative treatment. .? ' ' 1 "Mr Donnelly" said' that -although they ' heard a 1 lot about? it ; reformativettreat'inentin the prisons rwas ; still m .the S experitnerital,: .st&ge: >;■ He- suggested as f an ■ alternative potirse, exercise- of.' the ' provisions 6f ■■ the ; Prob&tion-j Act, .which •was certainly npt;in; the experimental •" stage. In his long- experience he could •■only remember- one man" admi|ted to probation who ; . had, dome back." - "■■•■- - His Worship, pointed put that the , ; Brbyislons of'-the 1 Actdidnt apply to a. series of offences 1 such as had 'been • committed by O'Caflaghan. In' the abstract, : he' quite^agreed wi.th. what Mr Connelly ,h'ad.> said. , He was not ena''■nipred of certain aspects of the law an d •was not ; wedded-;- to the reformative treatment m prison. . . ■•;. •..-:.■ f•; Mr Donnelly^ said the accused was • a • decent lad.- ■ - • > . -■ , , .y-r ? His Worship -thought the best course rlwould be 'to, recommend the £rovernor , *o : send- him to\ Wfcraroa farm. It was conducted under the Industrial Schools /•Act, 'but was run on different lines to .other industrial schools. His Worship .'■didn't believe m the, reformative treaty ment of the. prisons- system, for which present .Government could not be ''held responsible, because it made no real attempt at reformative treatment. It -had been reported to him' that two persons whom he had "sent up for reformative .treatment had "spent about L ;*ix -months m iLytteltori Gaol. '•' At preeent it was a farce— an absolute fame. The lad is to,go ; to the training farm near lieviri, subject to' His Ex.'s appro,ival< - . <■;-■■■ -.'<:';■■■-■■.