| In the eastern agriculturing district the criminal per centage is | 1 in 113— | Prostitutes | 1 in 1122 |
| In the south and south-western | 1 in 104 | „ | 1 in 1829 |
| In the midland district | 1 in 103 | „ | 1 in 1307 |
The present returns show that only the very small proportion of about one-fifth of the known criminal classes are in prison at any one time.
Of the parties proceeded against by indictment, nearly one-fourth were of “previous good character;” and of those proceeded against summarily, full one-half were of “previous good character,” and of both classes fourteen per cent. of both sexes were under sixteen!
Considering that until very recently, at least 4000 of the worst criminals were annually removed from the country by transportation, and that though a much more efficient police system has been in force, yet the number of commitments has not been sensibly increased, the inference is drawn that a better system of prevention prevails, and that better prison management has led to the absorption of a large number of discharged prisoners in honest employments.
There are in the country—
| Houses for receiving stolen goods | 3,122 | ||
| Houses to which thieves and prostitutes resort, viz.: | |||
| Public houses | 2,402 | ||
| Beer shops | 2,151 | ||
| Coffee shops | 386 | ||
| Other suspected houses | 2,157 | 7,096 | |
| Brothels and houses of ill fame | 7,915 | ||
| Tramps’ lodging houses | 6,987 | ||
| Total houses of bad character | 25,120 | ||
A curious comparison is given of crimes and arrests. The number of known crimes of a grave character against the person, and all violent offences against property (excluding offences dealt with summarily by magistrates) were 57,868.
| Crimes. | Arrests. | |
|---|---|---|
| January, February and March | 15,785 | 7,950 |
| April, May and June | 12,895 | 6,982 |
| July, August and September | 12,592 | 6,698 |
| October, November and December | 16,596 | 8,828 |
| Total | 57,868 | 30,458 |
The greater prevalence of crime in the winter months is accounted for on the ground that employment is more scarce, and the prolonged hours of darkness afford greater opportunities to commit it. It is obvious that the return of crimes committed embraces but an inconsiderable portion of the overt criminal acts in the community. During the period covered by it, there were upwards of 40,000 known thieves and depredators, and 40,000 suspected persons at large. The former living by thieving must thieve to live, and it is “clear that a large amount of petty depredations occur, which, with every allowance for the large summary jurisdiction exercised in cases of theft, is not represented in the return, as well as many continued domestic thefts and frauds which are never detected, or never brought within the cognizance of the police.”
There is an item in the present report which suggests some inquiries that we should be inclined to pursue if we had space and time. The common impression is, that men do not suddenly leave the path of honesty and become rogues as it were by a leap. There may be no overt act attracting the notice or exciting the suspicion of the most intimate associates, as a partner in business, a colleague in office, or a fellow workman or clerk; but nevertheless subsequent revelations usually show that the crooked path was entered cautiously, by reluctant and hesitating steps, and some distance trod before there was boldness enough to take the fatal step. We apprehend this impression is warranted,—perhaps it is confirmed, rather than weakened,—by the facts here disclosed. It is undoubtedly true that delinquencies of a positive and unequivocal character are often kept private, and the offending parties, after a brief interval, betake themselves again to evil courses; and when some act of gross turpitude is exposed, it is regarded as the first development of a depraved character, whereas in fact it is only the last of a long series of criminal acts. How far such concealment is justifiable, or to what extent it is the means of saving persons from an abandonment to a criminal life, we are not prepared to say. But cases are not rare in which a desire to save an individual from infamy, and perhaps a circle of friends from mortification, has induced confidence to be reposed where it was undeserved, and so has been the means of much deeper injury to much higher interests. Very few instances occur in which a grave offence is committed, especially against property, by parties who had never before been known to swerve from honesty.