A WARNING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume X, Issue 3608, 30 August 1886, Page 4

A WARNING.

(by telegraph.)

IjrvEHCiBorLL, Augu3t 23. At the Supreme Court this morning, before Mr Jnsticw Johnston, four boys, of ages ranging from IS to 16 years, who pleaded £uilty tn tbe brrakins: and enterjng of the Leviathan Gf» Depot ond stealing therefrom, were brought up for sentence. Tha Jadge laid he had communicated with the *u;horitie* to ascertain the provisions of the Act passed la«t session recording first offenders. He found he had power to the prisoners convicted for the first time if he thought fit, but he did not consider that would be a proper coarse ia this case, as it was a very serious thing to find boys of respectable parents committing such a brazen-faced impndent offence. If boys of the ages of the accused were to go unpunished, the danger was that the rising community would get corrupted. With regard to the period of tha sentence, lie had very great difficulty, because ths prison* of the colony were not yet in anything like the condition they ougb' to be in, in respect of classification, wit'vmt which Judges, in passing sentence, 1: rdly knew what they were doing. Notwithstanding all the efforts made, no system of classification approaching perfection had yet been introduced. The reason for this was that it wonld cost money, and this people who' had the power of dealing with the matter—the Legislature —did not consider it necessary to find funds for a complete classification of prisoners. Therefore, the Judges had a very serious difficulty in the administration of justice. He learned that it was possible that the Invercargfll gaol could be relied upon to *' keep tbe bqyß apart r and, only under c those circumstances, would he pass sentence. Had adults committed tbe offence they would deserve penal servitude. Morecombe and Pomeroy, who had been previously convicted, would be sentenced io six months hard labor. Bodgers and Asprey, first offenders, to three months hard labor. These sentences were as light aa he dsred to pass. 1