H. —208.

1938. NEW ZEALAND.

OFFENDERS PROBATION UNDER OFFENDERS PROBATION ACT, 1920, AND CRIMES AMENDMENT ACT, 1910 (REPORT ON OPERATION OF), FOR THE YEAR, 1937.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Hon. the Minister of Justice to His Excellency the Governor-General. Sir, — Wellington, 22nd July, 1938. I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Chief Probation Officer on the operations of the Offenders Probation Act for the year ended 31st December, 1937. I have, &c., H. G. R. MASON, Minister of Justice.

The Chtef Probation Officer to the Hon. the Minister of Justice. Sir, — I have the honour to present my annual report on the work of the probation system under the Offenders Probation Act and the Crimes Amendment Act for the year ended the 31st December, 1937. The statistical tables showing the number dealt with, the nature of the offence, and the ages of the offenders concerned are also appended. Abridged reports of the District Probation Officers are annexed hereto. During the year the probation service sustained a heavy loss through the death of the late Mr. John Garbutt, who was Probation Officer at Dunedin. Mr. Garbutt was a man with a shrewd but sympathetic understanding of men. He was impelled by high Christian motives, and he regarded his probation work as a mission and not merely as a job. Probation is essentially a work where common-sense and the influences of personality play an important part in the remoulding of character. It has been aptly described as " the reaction of mind upon mind." Mr. Garbutt's successor is Mr. E. F. Mosley, whose interest in social work constrained him to give up a potentially more remunerative position in the Supreme Court for the service of his fellows in the probation field. At Auckland the probation staff has been increased by the appointment of an Assistant Probation Officer. With the extending development of probation work it has been found necessary gradually to relieve the police of this duty, and, as the appended report discloses, in most of the larger towns the work is now undertaken by an independent specially appointed Probation Officer.

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