1841-1886
HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
101
three persons were convicted of felonious possession of some of the pirated goods.
5. There has been an increase of serious crimes as compared with 1874, but the offences, as a rule, were not of an aggravated nature; the amount of property stolen being, in the majority of cases of larceny, or burglary, or of larceny in a dwelling-house, of comparatively small value. It is to be observed that the returns always include attempts at various offences as well as cases that subsequently prove to be false.
6. Larcenies of articles on board ship were frequent during the year, but it is hoped that the arrest for this offence of one man who had been previously convicted about six times, and who had been deported, and also of a gang of five men, will diminish this class of offence.
7. The number of arrests of men who have been deported or released on conditional pardon is large, no less than 16 men having been recaptured. (Table E.)
A Commission is now considering the question of punishments, &c. in the gaol, and it is to be hoped that their inquiries may result in the recommendation of some system that may render that establishment more disagreeable to ex-convicts, than it appears to have been from the experience of past years. The fact that the number of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment at the magistracy shows a proportion of two old offenders to three persons arrested on the first known charge, demonstrates the desirability of making imprisonment more deterrent.
Police.
8. I regret that the health of the police has not been at all satisfactory during the year under consideration. The admissions into hospital from August to November inclusive averaged 53 a month, or nearly 12 per cent. of the force. I had further to regret the death of Inspector Stroud, a promising officer, who fell dead when on patrol. The service also lost 14 other men.
9. The acting colonial surgeon visited the stations with the object of discovering, if possible, any local reasons for the large number of cases of fever; but the stations were all clean and in good order, and the water appeared, as a rule, to be good; moreover, of late years filters have been freely supplied. At Causeway Bay, notice was served on squatters to vacate garden plots near the station, as the water supply was probably contaminated by drainage from the gardens.
10. At Aberdeen it is very essential that the waste ground near the bridge below the station should be filled up, as the foul mud collected there must, especially at low tide, generate disease. If, too, instructions are given to clear away the undergrowth among the trees near the station, I think that under the able supervision of the superintendent of Government gardens, the health of the men and the appearance of the grounds would be improved.
437
1841-1886
HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
101
three persons were convicted of felonious possession of some of the pirated goods.
5. There has been an increase of serious crimes as compared with 1874, but the offences, as a rule, were not of an aggravated nature; the amount of property stolen being, in the majority of cases of larceny, or burglary, or of larceny in a dwelling-house, of comparatively small value. It is to be observed that the returns always include attempts at various offences as well as cases that subsequently prove to be false.
6. Larcenies of articles on board ship were frequent during the' year, but it is hoped that the arrest for this offence of one man who had been previously convicted about six times, and who had been deported, and also of a gang of five men, will diminish this class of offence.
7. The number of arrests of men who have been deported or released on conditional pardon is large, no less then 16 men having been recaptured. (Table E.)
A Commission is now considering the question of punishments, &c. in the gaol, and it is to be hoped that their inquiries may result in the recommendation of some system that may render that establishment more disagreeable to ex-convicts, than it appears to have been from the experience of past years. The fact that the number of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment at the magistracy shows a proportion of two old offenders to three persons arrested on the first known charge, demonstrates the desirability" of making imprisonment more deterrent.
Police.
8. I regret that the health of the police has not been at all satisfactory during the year under consideration. The admissions into hospital from August to November inclusive averaged 53 a month, or nearly 12 per cent. of the force. I had further to regret the death of Inspector Stroud, a promising officer, who fell dead when on patrol." The service also lost 14 other men.
9. The acting colonial surgeon visited the stations with the object of discovering, if possible, any local reasons for the large number of cases of fever; but the stations were all clean and in good order, and the water appeared, as a rule, to be good; moreover, of late years filters have been freely supplied. At Causeway Bay, notice was served on squatters to vacate garden plots near the station, as the water supply was probably contami- nated by drainage from the gardens.
10. At Aberdeen it is very essential that the waste ground near the bridge below the station should be filled up, as the foul mud collected there must, especially at low tide, generate disease. If, too, instructions are given to clear away the undergrowth among the trees near the station, I think that under the able supervision of the superintendent of Government gardens, the health of the men and the appearance of the grounds would be improved.
437
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