om 90 per cent of
that population. On that basis juvenile delinquency among Maoris was
three and a half times that among the rest of the child inhabitants of
New Zealand.

The Committee has been unable to arrange for a dissection of the figures
to ascertain whether there was a bigger percentage of sexual offenders
among young Maoris than among other sections of the people. A
considerable portion of offences may come from factors inherent in the
culture and traditions of the Maori and their difficulty in conforming
to another mode of living.

_(d) Children Under Control or Supervision_

It is interesting to find that after the war there was a steady decline
in the number of children committed to the care of the State, or placed
under supervision, until the year 1953. This is shown by the following
table:

_Year Ended_ | _Under Control or_
_31 March_ | _Supervision_
|
1934 | 7,259
1936 | 7,272
1938 | 7,403
1940 | 8,043
1942 | 8,221
1944 | 8,531
1946 | 8,048
1948 | 7,267
1950 | 6,525
1952 | 6,088
1953 | 6,177
1954 | 6,283

There would have to be reservations in any inferences drawn from these
figures. For instance, the decrease may have been due to extra
preventive work done by welfare officers. The earlier reduction or the
later increase in the number of children placed under care or
supervision may have been affected by the varying recommendations of
Child Welfare Officers or the decisions of Magistrates. Finally, is the
slight increase from 1952 to 1954 something to cause concern?

_(e) Comparison Between New Zealand and England_

Almost coincidentally with the publication abroad of reports of
immorality in the Hutt district and of juvenile murders in New Zealand,
an extract from a brochure of the Justice Department was published. This
extract was to the effect that, in relation to population, there were
one and a half times as many adults convicted of sexual offences in this
Dominion as there were in England and Wales. That statement results from
a comparison of the figures in the two jurisdictions, but it may create
a wrong impression unless it is remembered that in England only 47 per
cent of the indictable offences reported to the police are "cleared up",
whereas in New Zealand 64 per cent of indictable offences are "cleared