THEFT AT MURIWAI.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13428, 9 July 1914, Page 9

THEFT AT MURIWAI.

Two Maori boys, aged' about H and 14 years respe6tiVely/ were 'brought before Mr R. S. Florance, S.M., at the Juvenile Coiirb yesterday " afternoon, and pleaded guilty to a charge .that oil Juhe 26 at Muriwai they stole three brooches and one pair of .boots 3 of a total value of £3 18s _ 6d, the. of Charles •Hindnip.' _'' Senior-Ssrgeant Hutton said Mr Hindrup was a contractor, and pit return to his home after an absence of a month he found.the articles missing, and two window "paJies broken. The matter was reported " to the police, and Constable . Maloney found that the two boys were the c-ulprits. They acknowledged their action, and 'said they gave one brooch to a Maori girl. Ilia articles, excepting one broocli, which was lost, were recovered. "They denied taking the post, office 'savings' bank book, and as it had not turned ' up' there was probably some truth., m the statement. The boys had committed %he' act during school hours. It seemed regrettable, that" two ' Maori boys should be charged with such, an offence.

In reply to the Magistrate it was,, stated that the bigger boy went to school, but the smaller one did not, as he had an impediment m, his speech. The fathers of the boys -were , present. They .said "the boys were adopted according to Maori fashion, buit no order of adoption 3iad been made by t'he Native Land Court.

As to the missing brooch the bigger buy said he lost it. out of his waistcoat pocket, which had a hole m it. •Senior-Sergeant' Huttoii said the value of tihe missing brooch was £1 T and the damage to the window was ss. TJie guardians said they were willing t« nuy for the damage. , The .Magistrate said the total amount wilh costs was. £2 14s 6d. "How soon can" you -pay-?" he asked. ! On*© of the guardians asked if any difference- would be made for the boy who los& the brooch. Mr Floranee said he could not differentiate. 1 The other guardian said they were ' prepared to vpay, but : before doing so' ■would like the Court to order the boys to "be whipped.' Mr Florance : I will deal with them later. - The money was then forthcoming. His Worship asked if the ' parents had tried to keep the boys m order. . It wa3 stated that the brother of one of the boys had punished him for the offence, but the guardian of the othai. boy had* lefb it to the- law to deal witn him. ..- ' ■His Worship said on the first occasion^ like t/his he did not think a Ayhipping. should b© ordered, for he believed that it lowered a boy's own selfrespect, and ihe would only order it m extreme cases. The sergeant had not painted the story severely against the boys, and said "it was the first time they 'had been up. They did .not look to him to be criminal children, and he hoped by his moderate remarks and punishment' he woiild never' see them before him again m this capacity His Worship gave the boys some good advice. He did not convict them 1 , but ordered them to come up for sentence when called upon, one condition being that they must go to school.