HABITUAL CRIMINALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 217, 7 September 1908, Page 3

HABITUAL CRIMINALS.

. " A SEIUOUS ALLEGATION. ,- States Saturdays Wellington Times; •—Justified as the Habitual Criminals 'Act is by tile higuost cunsuurauon ior [the public welfare, it is a iuiu.ti.-r of yery great regret that its local adminis tratioa is open to grave exception. Frankly, we do not think the Minister tor Justice realises the immense responsibility that has been cast upon him. (to commence with, there was an exasperating delay in inaugurating liie prison of detention. When at hut the machinery was put into operation u swing" of the New i'lymouth Gaol was proclaimed to be the place for the carrying on of this important cxperijnent. So far as can bo seen do effort was made to place the undertaking under the personal supervision of an officer specially qualified. It ia a matter of notoriety iu official cirdes that one habitual offender is now -at large under sensational circumstances. This man has been working swindles all over New Zealand for years. He was dsdared an habitual criminal in August, 1907, and went to {this New Plymouth "wing." After a - tjhort period of "reform" he was placed out on a farm—out of custody. The farm not - being declared a gaol, although the prisoner was still supposed to be undergoing detention, there was BO reason for him to stay longer tJlian -be ■wished. Not being in custody he left. He did not escape; he simply jumped over the fence and disappeared. He, of course, recommenced hispeciality in fraud immediately by "taking down'' a rural publican and the police are understood to be in hot - pursuit. Tile Act provides that no 'repeater'' shall be released "except by Jfiw express order of the. Governor. Tlu Department must accept the rexpon Sihility of the parole given this hard ened law-breaker, and, in face of th< * scandals which recently arose in eon D action with the e-eape of dcsperali ;; Characters from the trec-plantin; . camps, it is not too much 1" ask fur ; (Ministerial explanation to Pnrlianie-i Of the system employed and the polie; * Which the Prison Department, is siriv " Sng to pursue in the treatment of crim rials of all grade-.