Page:The Statistics of Crime in Australia (IA jstor-2338612).pdf/15

Appendix C.

England and Wales—Crime Proportioned to Destitution, Increased Ratio with Unfavourable Years, and vice versâ.—Committals for Trial.

Year.	London Metropolitan District.	England and Wales.	Remarks.
1843	4·6	—	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Cheap food and abundant employment
'44	4·9	26·5
'45	4·3	24·3
1846	5·1	25·1	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Dear food Bad business „French revolution
'47	5·9	28·8
'48	5·5	30·3
1849	4·6	27·8	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Generally years of cheap food and good business
'50	4·5	26·8
'51	4·5	28·
'52	4·4	27·5
'53	4·4	27·1
1854	5.2	29·4	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Dear food Foreign war High interest of money Severe crisis
'55	3·9[c 1]	[c 1]26·
'56	3·2	19·4
'57	3·1	20·3
1858	2·7	17·9	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Cheap food Low interest Good business
'59	2·9	16·7
'60	2·8	16·
1861	3·	18·3	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	Dear money and food Scarcity of cotton, American war
'62	3·6	20·
'63	—	20·8

1. This year the Criminal Justice Law gave increased powers of summary jurisdiction to the magistrates, which caused the reduction in the committals of that and succeeding years. The results are still useful for purposes of comparison.

Note.—In opposition to the above home results, what are termed "good times" in these colonies usually indicate a greater ratio of crime than the "bad times." The explanation is, that the means of all classes in the colonies are generally, in all times, whether the so-called "good" or "bad," sufficient for healthful and even comfortable subsistence; and that the "good times" are often characterised by extravagance, particularly in a large consumption of alcoholic drinks, which has the usual result of increasing crime.