THE ALLEGED INCREASE IN CRIME.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 15

THE ALLEGED INCREASE IN CRIME.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE. WJvr,I,IX(iTGX, May 8 This afternoon the Hon. .T. M'Gowan, Minister -ot Justice, had his attention directed to the statement of Hie prUorer Lee thai he had been subsidised to the extent of his fare and pocket money by the Comptroller-general for New South Wales as an inducement to leave that State in favour of New Zealand. The Controller-general Las been quoting figures, allegedly from " official sources." to establish a contention th«it the prison popula(ion of New Zealand increased during the year ended December 31, 1905, while the tallies in the countries of the Commonwealth showed a decline ; and. therefore, Lee's announcement opens up an interesting field for speculation. -Mr M'Gowan said that the Lee caso was the first instance of the kind that he had heard about. The department would make inquiries into the matter, but in the meantime he would not like to accept the prisoner's statement as authoritative. Referring generally to the influx of undesirables from Australia, the Minister remarked that those individuals came over to the colony when times here were good. They were of the sharper species, and generally had money when they arrived. They congregated at places , where the most wealth was likely to be in j circulation, such as racecourses, and plied ' their calling there. The department was on the look-out for these visitors, and was watching them as closely as possible. Speaking of criminal statistics, the Minister mentioned that, so far as he was aware, no' official figures for the year ended December 31, 1905, had teen sent to Sydney; but, even without the figures before him, he was not afraid of comparieon with any of the Australian Slates. There might have been an increase in " offences," but ho was satisfied that crime was not in1 creasing in the colon}'. He believed that, from the nature of the settlement of the Commonwealth countries, a gcod deal of > serious crime would remain undetected, [ but the position was different here. The ' police though less numerous in proportion to the population, were more vigilant. Serious crime was comparatively rare. ** I don't think we require any excuses for the position we are in," he declared confidently. " I think the facts when known will "explain the position satisfactorily.' Incidentally, be stated that the prosperity might be responsible for some of the wrong-doing in New Zealand. " For in-

stance," he remarked, "the people have the money to gamble. Gambling is a, great evil here, and seems inherent from the highest to the lowest."