THE HIGH LIFE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19068, 14 January 1924, Page 9

THE HIGH LIFE.

YOUTH’S FOOLISH CONDUCT

TOO MUCH POCKET MONEY,

A well-dressed lad, aged 15 years, appeared before the Juvenile Oourt on Saturday morning on a charge of breaking and entering the premises of a warehouse and stealing therefrom the sum of 2s 4jd and a quantity of clothing. The magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) subsequently reduced the charge to one of common theft, as the circumstances were unusual. The accused pleaded guilty to this charge. Detective Beer said that the accused was employed by a warehouse firm, and prior to the breaking and entering the proprietor had discovered that the lad had stolen at least £2. He sent him away to got the money, but accused did not return until the following night, when he broke in and committed the theft with which he is charged. His father had found him on the 11.15 oxpresSj by which ,he had booked to Lyttelton, with the idea of going to Wellington and thence to Australia. Mr J. Look (Juvenile Probation Officer) said that the youth came of highly respectable parents, and had had a good home training. He was, however, permitted t no much freedom and was given more pocket money than was necessary. He was developing high ideas of life and had cultivated the habit of freely buying sweets, fruit, afternoon teas, etc. The £2 he had stolen had been spent on .• wallet costing 25s and ,u postage stamp album —articles for which he would have very little use.

The boy’s father said that the accused earned £1 a week, and he was allowed to keep 15s of this. The accused accounted for his movements at night by saying that ha went out to meet a boy friend, but witness discovered later that this was not the case, as accused frequented the vessel# v at the wharves.

The Magistrate told the accused that he had done a very stupid thing. To a certain extent there had been too little supervision over the boy, but he was largely to blame •himself. He was unwilling to convict him of being a sneak thief, the bnmd of which ho would have to bear all his life. The accused would be given the option of being placed on probation, which would mean that a conviction for theft would be entered against him, or being placed under 'supervision for a period. In this case a thrashing would be ordered. The accused chose the latter course. The Magistrate: ’That is wise. It is the most manly thing you have done. Tho ease was then adjourned for three years, the lad during that time to be under the supervision of the Juvenile Probation Officer. The thrashing would be administered in seven days, either by the boy’s father or by the Juvenile Probation Officer. Restitution would have to be made of the money and goods stolon.