DECREASE OF CRIME.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13420, 18 March 1914, Page 1 (Supplement)

DECREASE OF CRIME.

DUE TO EDUCATION. REMARKS BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE. (From "The Colonist," March 3.) In his address to the Grand Jury at the sittings of the Supreme Court yesterday, His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) referred to the general decrease in crime that had taken place during the last twenty-five years. He said that as there were two cases against youths on the calendar, the jury might think that there was an increase in juvenile crime, but the very opposite was the fact. Taking the statistics for the past 25 years the number of persons convicted, and the percentages per 10,000 of the population was as follows :—

Compared with 1887, His Honour continued, the percentage had fallen, and it was only one-third what it was in 1887, showing that the youths were less criminal than the youths were 25 years ago. General crime also showed a decrease during the same period, the figures being as follows: — 1887—44.25 per cent per 10,000 of mean population. 1911—28.35 1912—29.09 —a, decrease of «two-thirds. In an address to the American Bar, Lord Hal•dane had stated th&t the only way to obtain civilisation was to have high nationality. At the present time children of all nationalities and all creeds were assembled in our State sehobls ? and the schools trained the youth in civic rights and civic duties. The figures could not otherwise be esplained. We were one community, one nation, and one national life. The suggestion was sometimes that our youths were worse than their fathers. This waa entirely- wrong—our yoxiths are better. Our youths are less criminal and , less immoral than then fathers. A lot of this may be attributed to the excellent system of national education in our midst. Denominational schools had also done good work in teaching children to be good citizens. This is very satisfactory to us as a nation. His Honour said he mentioned these facts so that the jury would not go away with a "wroHg impression.

Fear. 1887 L892 1897 1902 [908 L909 1910 1.911 L912 Persons Convicted. 220 140 • 12o 109 124 98 100 85 129 .Percentage per 10,000 persons under 20 years of age. 3.69 ' 2.18 1.73 1.37 1.31 1.01 1.01 0.83 1.24