PAMPERED:YOUNG PIRATES

NZ Truth, Issue 1104, 27 January 1927, Page 1

PAMPERED: YOUNG PIRATES

State Should Make Punishment , Fit The .Grime ' THE LAW AND THE LARRIKIN \ i ,*.' ' ' r ' (From "N.Z. Truth's* Special Auckland Representative.) "It is impossible for me to know what their home influences are, But good, bad or indifferent they. have been' quite ineffective," de- | clared Judge Stringer. , - * ' C •

«-my T4 is a grave reflection on jj ' the methods of State yft education arid, : general iSI s iff "social conditions' 'Avhen,- iri llllffiffl "'■" young colony, such as ,*P'V. ;■ New Zeaian"uY it is neces:,;..Asary to pass, i over to,- the ! 7 la>v young larrikins—the sons, of what are top 1 often termed respectable parents, but who would appear; to have rib time or. inclination . to devote a reasonable amount, of attenr tion tb their. upbringing. '■'■■' \\'- ■ '" At the Auckland Supreme Court recently eight youths of the larrikin, type were. placed m the dock m batches bf. four.' ; ;.'■>".'. *'."...; A Al: . ; : '- ; /-.,.- '"■•'" ; •'* In the first batch stood James Norman, Richards, Cyril- Patterson, Hector Dbriald : Cpnnolly and Thomas Henry Melntyre— -each 17 years of age. -. ' They", boasted between them a variety of: ■ haircuts -pf the latest 'freak- styles ; all, were undersized and showed, but? wardly no trace of shame. , No doubt their rairneht was what would-be term-; : r ed "nifty" among their gang, v •.;'•* "'•','■ :• "Breaking and entering and theft, and breaking and entering with intent, were the charges against them;, one' had as many as nine of the former arid none less than three, , while, the total of 'the thefts arnourited' to< over £200. Their operations extended frprii Point Chevalier to Mountain Road. These, young gan;gsters < had the . audacity to carry on their depre- , datiorjs even 'when out on bail, and- ' on the i way to the Court, . .Connolly, Patterson and another ; had stolen several boxes 6f\chocoy( lates '\ in'-* a .shop where ■ they'" had :. purchased ice-cream. , ' Not content with that* they Jiad stoleri three; bottles of port from* St; •PaiirsVChurch ..and consumed them /m Western Park. , y „..:, , v On these' two . latter 'charges they, were dealt with at the Magistrate's' Court the following day, when Sehior- ; Sergeant Edwar ds told S.M:' Hunt that "they, had been 'committed- "tip "tlie Borstal Institute. ' s V '.-"':':'''•• He added that a little corporal pun"-, Ishment ; would -,- bring :■ them to., their senses. "They have ho /fears' of the , Borstal," he. added. . '.',,'',.• "•"."■; •-"■'■ However, at the Supreme; Court, Lawyer Brice Hart— to make what ' sort of a fist of things was left open tb him— commenced by : referring to them as '"these men." • V "A: : ■'■" 'iV" : "

'"■' ;,:J.ustic6l'-"(; Stringer interrupted ' ' counsel. to sky:' "Hardly: men yet; - : "| Ithope we; will be., able to make men of therri. At present they are --, .young- larrikins." They had ' started with small crimes, . which :.had' ;: -.lsd to greater^, ones. Their parents seemingly - painted . them as lilies m vtheirhpniesi but it. -was noticeable .that .fiis'j hbnOr was not impressed, y Possibly -he .had an . eye on the -parents ' when he: made the remark quoted abbye;;. a host of interes,tfd people thronged the back of the County "' - . - 'Three; years' /Borstal Was allot- .-. ted to each, arid they made to leave the dock;; v^ithout any. expression of regret-— one of ''thern- still chew- I ,-' ipQy a piece of gum. ' i But^his horipry called. thenv back to tell them* that if \ they behaved they { iriight shorten their sentenced 4 '■•'. Qri their' '.final; disappeararice four i others took: their place — Alfred John - Travers; ' NP©l Desmond McGonagle, ' George James Dale, arid Edward Gamp- i bell Eatpn-^-with the exception of* the :{ last all under 18 yeai-s of age. • • Lawyer yji'y J. : Sullivan represented , the latter and Counsel ' Hart the other three.'y :'..y ;"'":; -y; ; ',:'-.-, "*..'.'■:-.';■'. . * His honor 'announced that he would < givetherii'a.last chance and place them < under. strid"L.proba*tion, Officer Camp- ', jjell' to determine the conditions. . { j '■■.' Failure to comply 'would mean '„.-< the \ Borstal. ■ :'"lf. the ' probation { '"officer instructs you not to associate you are. not to do so/ ' ■* Pi^obition was fixed attWp years and ■'■ restitution ordered m", sums ranging from £6; to £ 9 f Or. 'each, added to < which there 'would be £1 10s. to pay -;-< each-rfor trie costs incurred. . '.< Melntyre /and . Travers made an ap- < pearance iri the lower court next day With George William Rainbow,, charged with disorderly conduct,' which took i the form of baiting an Indian hawker i m Ponsoriby , Rpadi , 4 -Qn 'behalf of Rainbow, Counsel i t Sullivan described, the affair as a . 4 youthful frolic; "It appeared to be a a battle of, bananas. .■ J Travers 'and RainbpV were' ordered^ .-« •to pay a fine of £1 and costs and Mc-*" ] Intyre "was convicted and discharged,'., A the S.M. hinting that the -fine would* ;^ cuttaii.. their pocket money for a week, f " • ' '" : . : " . '■"■'." ■X : ■'