CAR CONVERSION

Southland Times, Issue 22157, 27 October 1933, Page 7

CAR CONVERSION

EXISTING PENALTIES MORE VIGOROUS APPLICATION DESIRED MOTORISTS’ COMPLAINT (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, October 26. Profound regret at the statement by the Minister of Justice that the existing law relating to car conversions appeared to prescribe an adequately deterrent punishment and that what was required was more vigorous application of the existing penalties, was expressed to-day by Messrs O’Callaghan and Johnston, the respective presidents of the North and South Island Motor Unions. It is laid down by the canons of punishment, they stated, that the maximum penalty is provided for the worst cases only of a particular class of offence. Therefore it seems that the Magistracy cannot be blamed if it inflicts as a general rule penalties well below the maximum fixed in the Act, because Parliament, as the Police Offences Act quite obviously indicates, does not regard the conversion of a motor car as a serious offence when it fixes the maximum penalty for stealing a car to three months, while the maximum for stealing a dog remains at three years. They interpreted the Minister as meaning that a person of 25 committing the offence was liable to the maximum of three months, whereas men of 23 and under were liable to three years.” “We motorists feel it is really begging the question and that such propositions as these bring the law into disrepute,” they proceeded. “Figures show that conversions are definitely increasing. During the last five years £400,000 worth of motor vehicles has been stolen and scores of pounds worth of damage done to vehicles while heavy expense has been incurred in recoverin'* property and vast inconvenience suffered. The offence would not be stamped out until the law took a more serious view of it.”