... in Perspective

In the year 1900 there were 11 murders in a population of 808,132 persons, or 0.012 murders per 1000 of population. This decreases more or less uniformly to 0.0027 murders per 1000 of population in 1912.

Then for the next fifteen years there was one year with 14 murders, three with 13. one with 10. three with 9. one with 8. one with 7 two with 6. one with 5. and two with 4. Over this period there was a rise in population of about 300,000. from, in 1912. 1,134,506 persons to 1,450,356 in 1927. There is no order in the recurrence of the figures. 1928 hit an all-time low with only two murders, but then the numbers rose to a peak with, in successive years. 6, 7, 13. 15. 22. murders respectively. After that the numbers fall off again with 16, 11, 8, 4, But now let us look at the middle seven years, the same length of time that the "Dominion" quotes at us. In these seven years, from 1930-1936 inclusive, there were 92 murders and the average population over the period was approximately 1,500,000. Now in the years 1941-1948 there were 87 murders and the average population, from the figures available, must have been about 1,650,000.

From an inspection of the figures it can be seen that the rate of murders per 1,000 of population tends to rise to a peak during, or immediately after periods of unrest.

It is, therefore, only to be expected that there should have been a peak in the number of murders recently, to be exact, in the years 1944 and 1945. when there were 20 murders in each. What is significant is that this peak is lower relatively than that occurring after the depression. This means, in effect, that the abolition of the death penalty was a safe and wise step and also that the education of the masses is bringing about one of the main effects it set out to achieve.