Various church organisations provide good hostels for young Maoris, but laudable as their efforts are they can take only a small proportion of those who need good accommodation. So we find our lad fending for himself in the city. He soon discovers that where at home he could only go to the pictures once a week in the city he can go to several shows in a day and some lads do just that. The pakehas he meets and associates with in the city are often a poor example of the pakeha way of life, but for him their standards are the normal standards of pakehas. He starts frequenting hotels and drunken parties and is soon on the downward path. Because work is comparatively plentiful he works for a few days and then takes a few days off to spend his wages. When he has spent his money he looks for another job. In time he becomes work shy and eventually comes before the Court perhaps for car conversion after a drunken party or for petty theft. The pattern of behaviour outlined above is typical of many cases that come before the Court. May I emphasize here that there are also many more cases where young Maoris arrive in Auckland and settle down satisfactorily and are good citizens. Furthermore, the pattern of behaviour outlined above could apply equally to some pakeha youths who come before the Court. The second group are those Maori youths who come from country districts where they have had more contact with pakehas and know more of pakeha standards or who have lived and worked in other larger towns before coming to Auckland. These youths are more aware of their responsibilities as citizens, but have been unable to adapt quickly enough to the faster tempo of life in the city in some cases. The third group of Maori offenders are those who have either lived in Auckland for several years or who have had sufficient experience of the pakeha way of life that they can be regarded as being thoroughly conversant with life in the city. It should be added that cutting across these different cultural backgrounds there are the individual personality and character traits which are as diverse in Maoris as they are in pakehas. The main difference between Maori and Pakeha offenders seems to be that cultural factors assume more importance in the case of Maori offenders.

ADAPTATION TAKES TIME Regarding types of offences committed by Maoris Mr J. McCreary of the School of Social Science, Victoria University has analysed statistics relating to Maori criminality and has noted that Maoris tend to commit the more aggressive and active kind of offences. Some of the offences in this category are unlawful conversion of motor vehicles, breaking and entering, common assault and unlawful carnal knowledge. It is noticeable, however, that sexual perversion is far less common among Maoris than pakehas. There are other offences which are sometimes the result of poor adaptation to city life. These include theft of clothing of the “first up best dressed type”, false pretences by selling goods that are subject to hire purchase agreements and being idle and disorderly with insufficient lawful means of support. Over indulgence in alcoholic liquor by relaxing personal control is often a factor in many cases that come before the Court and this applies to pakehas as well as to Maoris. It is interesting to note, however, that alcoholism, i.e., uncontrollable and compulsive drinking is less prevalent among Maoris than among pakehas. The response of Maoris released on probation is by and large as satisfactory as is the response of pakehas. Some certainly need supervision and guidance to encourage regular work habits, the more prudent handling of their wages and a more orderly way of life. In some cases the leniency extended by the Court is misinterpreted as weakness and this, of course, may lead to further offending. There are cases too, where a young Maori is obviously unable to cope with city life and where this is apparent efforts are made to find him employment away from the city and its many temptations. Others may require institutional training and discipline before they come to a realization that the law must be obeyed and that they have to lead a more orderly life if they are to avoid trouble.

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