SUPREME COURT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLV, Issue 13452, 14 May 1918, Page 5

SUPREME COURT.

Pkr Press Association. .Vow Plymouth. May 13. The Supreme Court opened to-day, l>eforo the Chief Justice, Sir Hubert. Stout. The following prisoners came up lor sentence: —

Oswald Harrison, aged 14 years o!

ago, charged with an unnatural oil'ence. was given probation for three years and ordered to pay £5 fowardu the c..-t----of the prosecution.

Arthur Corbett (breaking and entering and. theft) was granted three year.-' probation and ordered to pay -even

guineas towards the cost of the prosecution, and not to enter an hotel or drink intoxicants during the probation, h'rederick Roc bock and Kred. rlei; (two charges ol breaking, i ntoring. and theft at Okato) were s"iitetieed to two years' reformative treatment.

Herbert bongstaif and Duncan .\i\\rthiir, who pleaded guilty to the theit of wool at Waitara. were admitted to probation for eighteen month-, and not to enter an hotel or drink intoxicants, and to pay t'o towards ih ■• ee-t« of tbe prosecution. Jas. .Tones pleaded guilt v to the theli of wool av. Waitara. In connection with the above, there were several previous convictions. Accused was «'iitenced to fifteen months' imprisonment with hard labor. \

In his charge to the Grand Jury, th<Chief Justice referred to the amount of crime directlv traceable, to drink. IT;- said that, :it" Insist one-third of th.crime in Xew Zealand wns (he dinei result of (he drinking habit, lie fhoujrht the people were dead to ;ill sense of humanity toward-i their fe'lows in not stopping the drinking, liv which some, of tlie lust, men of the coiuitry were brought to erinie. lie was amazed that in the midst of a terrible wiir people continued to spend t,li,-ii-nioney on drink and pleasures. Tlio-c at home were leaving all the sacrificeto he mado by the men who had none to the front.