Crime And Criminals

NZ Truth, Issue 935, 27 October 1923, Page 6

Crime And Criminals

THE HARDENED AND HOPELESS.

Budd and His Blossoms.

(From "Truth's" Auckland Rep.)

Some hard things said about crime and criminals by Mr. C. A, L. Treadwell, at Wellington recently, were replied to last week by the Rev. E. C. Budd at the annual meeting of the Prisoners' Aid Society at Auckland, and the remarks of Budd on his blossoms are well worth repeating, for Budd reckons there are little bits of good m everyone. Regarding Mr. Treadwell's statement that it is almost hopeless to expect to reform m a criminal unless he is under 25 years of age (this statement, by the way, is also strongly rebutted by the Probation Officer at Auckland), Mr. Budd very vehemently disagreed. Last year, he added, a prison official found employment for at least 75 men on their discharge, and nearly all of these were now doing well and giving satisfaction to their employers, while at the same time recovering their self-respect. These were not lads, but men mainly between the ages of 25 and 50, many of whom were married. Again, it had been said that Mount Eden gaol was for the hardened criminal, recidivist or habitual criminal. That was news to most people. Some of these men, however, were there under the

"KATHLEEN M*AVOURNEEN" ACT— "it may be for years or it may be for ever." But these were not necessarily either hardened or hopeless persons, rather those who had committed offences on impulse, sudden temptation, or drift, and from past experience one knew they would never return to gaol. Wa3 It known that many were declared habitual criminals on their first appearance m a Police Court? It should be realised that "habitual criminals" under the law were not always the dreadful and dangerous persons they were supposed to be. .In some inatances they were weak, poor, foolish fellows, with no backbone, easily led by persons of stronger will, and really more fit for a mental hospital than a gaol. Of course, there were others who deliberately committed crimes time after time, but these were not given speedy release by the Prisons Board.

Crime, great or small, said Mr. Budd, very sensibly, could only be stayed by education — not the education of the intellect alone, but that of the heart also. Important as was the work of the Prisoners' Aid Society, more important still was that of the prevention of crime, and there was no better prevention than proper education.

Unemployment In Britain

Striking Facts and Figures.

A very striking review of the circumstances surrounding 1 unemployment m Britain has been issued as the result of an inquiry conducted la3t year by a committee of men which included Major Astor, Professors Bowley and Clay, Colonel Schuster. Messrs. Robert Grant, W. T. Layton, P. J. Pybus, B. Seerbohm Rowntreo and v. D. Stuart, names m themselves sufficient to guarantee the Impartiality of the investigations (writes our London correspondent). The study brings home to the reader the appalling size and intricacy of ths problem. For instance, lost August 30 per cent, of the men employed In shipbuilding were unemployed and about the same time, In North-east England and Scotland, more than half the total of insured men were unemployed. Taking all trades into consideration, the percentage of unemployment was 16 per cent., whereas the actuarial basis for the Act based on normal exl*rlene© is only 4 per cent. The book shows that by far the greater portion of the relief which fa distributed to combat this unemployment comes from the funds collected under the Unemployment Act — a sum of about £67,000,000 out of a total of about £83,000,000. Poor Law and relief works contribute £8,000,000 and £ 6,000,000 respectively. Of the total from the funds of tho unemployment insurance benefits tho State has loaned £14,000,000 on the security of future contributions and has paid about £1 1,000,0 W*^s its contribution under the Act. Tho balance, amounting to about £42,000.000, consists of contributions by employees and workpeople, roughly, m the proportions of half and half, so that tho workpeople contribute themselves about £20,000,000 to their own relief.

This Is a very striking fact m Itself and one that throws a new light on tho strain that Is put on tho working classes, especially when It is rememberod that In addition to tho State requirements most of those who belong to trade unions have to pay into their union funds a further contribution m aid of the unemployment among: their own members. Some shrewd criticism is directed against the haphazard way m which the burden has been distributed and the total inability of the framera of the legislation to realise the difference betwoen the normol and abnormal causes of unemployment or to devise machinery which will take up tho strain when the unemployment figure* show that the former la giving place to the latter. Another point—and It iR a cheering one In the midst of the gloom— ls that physical deterioration Is not so great as might well be imagined m the face of so much prolonged unemployment. The vital statistics of Birmingham, for instance, are shown never to havo been so sntlsfaelory. nnd evidence is pretty generally forthcoming thnt chlldron are losing neither In average h<*lcM or wcipht. Such deterioration fn hos tak^n placo .appears to ho tho result of worry or mental strain, of anxiety and tho cold indliTeronv which comes when the hop? of a Ufa of modest comfort for oncsett utvl one's children is shattered,