The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-20
JUVENILE COURT
DOES GOOD WORK
State Commission, as Revised,
Makes First Report to
Governor.
EIADES DEFICIT BY
PRACTICING ECONOMY
Report Shows Alarming Preya-
lence of Cigarette Smoking
Among Boys.

The juvenile court commission handed
its report for the years l9og-i9l0 10 the
governor Monday afternoon. The com
mission consists of the following: Gov
ernor Spry. Attorney Gcucrh y. K.
Barnes Superintendent of Public In
struction 4. e. Nelson and John *.
Hardy. secretary
For The first Two years OF its existence
the commission according TO the report.
has done much good work throughout
county Win head officer AT each coun-
~ seat, who has charge of all minors
In ;hc violations OF laws and IN gen.
eral department. Under The act crcat-
ing i; tho Juvenile court is divided into
seven Judiciai districts corresponding to
tne district court divisions.
Iakou rs whole. the local officers
UI tho count have received but An aver
age OF SIG Il month. while the Judges OF
an average OF $50 month. In order
70 keep ~ithin the appropriation it has
Cyen necessary 10 deny all bills Tor trav-
c.lLS expenses. and in such economical
Enlargement The commission comes out
iGr The biennial period without deficit.
tho report says.
IN Salt Lake county. as in two or three
other counties. the county commissioners
nave given. excellent assistance as well
as police and other officers. and hearty
support has generally been given by con-
Staples and Justices of the peace through
out the slate.
Increase i'll Cases
While there has been 4 decided Increase
81 cases handled In and out OF court in
the year closing over 1909. there is more
or less uncertainty To the precise num-
Der because of tn. lack of proper desig-
nation OF ofenScs. This Is mainly be-
cause of rho wide discretionary powers
of chief probation officers. bu, the work
VIII be better systcmatizeJ soon, the re-
port SAYS.
Error has crcpt into the procedure i'm
the wrong designating of offeuses. the
youthful offender often being charged
with Il more serious crime or violation
than lie committed. Nevertheless. the
Juvenile courts have proved 10 be great
factors in correcting the Young and thus
assisting the criminal courts OF the state
il Is set forth.
or offenscs charged. viola ding the cur
few ordinances comes first with l5.SS per
cent OF AL cases handled. malicious mis-
chief second. with l3 ner cent; petit lar
vcny third. with nearly IL per cent. and
truancv fourth. with l2.$i per sent.
Thirty seven youths in each one thou
sand handled were committed TO tho In
dustrial school,
Cases of Record.
handled in tho two years. Each offender
cost $3.50. "a mere fraction OF the eN-
pense which would have accrued had the
more serious cases been handled by the |
courts. the reports sets out OF the |
cases handled. about IS per cent origi- |
mated in Salt Lake county; Utah county |
added - per cent. Cache county 10 per |
cent and Weber county .! per cent. |
seventy mine per cent Of The cases were |
In the tirst lour judicial districts.
Thc commission hnds that there l. an !
ala rTnng prevalence of cigarette smoking |
among the bows. and thus far little sue
cess has attended the efforts to stop the !
la bit. Attention is called TO the genera !
practice In Salt Lake and in other of the !
larger towns OF the selling OF tobacco to |
minors. contrary to law. number OF |
saloons and drug stores have been found |
guilty OF selling liquor 10 minors. Much !
good has been done in getting homeless |
children adopted into good homes. and |
tho need In Salt Lake OF some permanent |
organization for this purpose is empha-
sized IN the report.