The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1899.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2926, 3 February 1899, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1899.

We have frequently noticed the extreme leniency which some Stipendiary Magistrates and Justices of the Peace display when dealing with cases of larrikinism. It is, of course, quite right to endeavour to distinguish between mere boyish pranks, however mischievous and however inconvenient and disagreeable to individuals and the public, and the disorderly and ruffianly doings of persons who have left their boyhood behind and have advanced to youth and early manhood. In the former class of cases, the dislike of the Bench to inflict heavy penalties or send the offenders to prison is natural and laudable, though the parents or guardians ought to be invited to administer a sound thrashing, or dole out some other effective punishment ; but m the latter class ©f cases leniency is frequently a gross mistake, and is m fact a wrong both to the culprit and those who have suffered by his evil-doing. In New Zealand, larrikinism, though not so rife as it is m Australia, is a rapidly growing evil, and m the larger centres there are already organised gangs of young ruffians who are a terror to the orderly and respectable portion of the community. In the cities there are "pushes," some of them distinguished by the name of some street or district, and others by the name of the leader. Many of these youths and young men follow a legitimate employment m the daytime, but others do little or no work, whilst all of them combine to make night hideous, and engage m schemes of mischief, brutality, vice, and not infrequently of crime. To a large extent the prison population is recruited from persons belonging to these gangs, or who have passed an apprenticeship m them m their earlier manhood. It is not an overdrawn picture, and the police, especially m the four largest centres, would vouch for its absolute truth. If this is the state of things at present, when New Zealand cities are after all only moderately sized towns, what may be expected when, m the natural order of events, their population shall have expanded twofold or possibly tenfold ? If nothing effectual is done to root out the evil it will become as rank and dangerous as it is m Sydney or Mel* bourne, where m some localities it is not safe for a decent woman or girl to be abroad at any hour unless she is accompanied by a male protector. We say m all seriousness that not nearly enough is done m New Zealand to check the growth of larrikinism, and by and by the country will find it out when perhaps it will be too late to apply a remedy. We have been led into making these remarks by having read m the Dunedin papers a report of a case which a few days ago came before two Justices sitting at the Police Court m that city. Two young men were charged with having assaulted a respectable young woman who with her younger sister was returning home from her work. The Police Sergeant who conducted the case said that it was a bad one— an instance of gross larrikinism. It certainly was so according to the evidence given. The girls managed to get away from their assailants, and being greatly terrified ran into the building occupied by the sect known as the Church of Christ. They chose that retreat because they knew that their father and other members of the congregation were there. The men followed them, made a great disturbance, and were detained till the arrival of the police and then takenin charge. The arresting constable deposed that the defendants were very violent. One of them was not known to the police, but the other one had, m default of finding sureties, been six months m gaol for using threatening language. He had also been convicted for cruelty to animals. The conduct of the younger defendant, aged 22, when before the Court was infamous. He abused the witnesses, and finished by saying to one of them, the leader of tne church band, ''I'll put your jaw up, you d — -d hypocrite." The Otago Daily Times says : — "^The Bench administered a very *mild rebuke." The case, as reported, ended thus : — " The chairman said : ' In ariy^well defined case of larrikinism that comes before me, I intend to act very strictly by giving such a penalty as will prevent such cases. It seems to me that this case is not properly proved— in fact, it is not proved at all, and we intend to dismiss it.' " This decision was something more than leniency ; it was nearer akin to idiocy, for we must not suppose it anything worse. The witnesses for 'the prosecution were all respectable people, and their evidence proved the case up to the handle. For the defence there was no, evidence whatever. We notice that letters commenting adversely on the decision have appeared m the Otago Daily Times.

The Registrar - General furnishes the following information concerning the arrivals arid d6partures dur- 1 ing the seven years from 1892 to 1898, both those years included. — Year. Arrivals. Departures. Excess Ar over Dep. Persons. Persons. Persons. 1892 18,122 13,164 4.958 1893 26,135 15.723 10.412 1894 25,237 22 984 2,253 1895 21,862 20.967 895 1896 17,236- 15,764 1.472 1897 18,592 15,840 2,752 1898 18,855 16,159 2,698 Totals 146,039 120,601 25,438 The returns from which the above figures are taken, show that, for the years 1892 to 1898, inclusive, New Zealand has annually gained population by an excess of arrivals over departures, according to the recorded numbers, over and above the natural increase by excess of births over deaths. Working from

the returns, the excess of arrivals for the seven year period is found to be 25 438 persons, drawn from other colonies or countries. This number may be somewhat greater than the actual fact, but probably not very much so. Any error, says the Registrar-General, would be caused by the numbers stated for the departures being short of the truth, but as far as relates to the Union Steam Ship Company's steamers, the figures given by the Customs are checked by information obtained directly from the company, on the return of every vessel leaving the colony. Of the total arrivals m seven years (146,039) only 16,925 were children, i.e., under twelve years ; and of the total departures (120,601) 11,947 were counted as children ; 859 Austrians arrived m the year 1898, but the returns do not distinguish how many went away.