§ Mr. WEDGWOODasked whether the Home Secretary's attention had been called to the case of the boy Joyce, who was fined £10 at the Tower Bridge police-court for a first offence against the anti-gambling laws, and sent to prison for one month as he could not pay; and when he proposes to bring in his Bill intended to stop youths being sent to prison when they cannot pay police-court fines, and so being turned into gaol birds?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLYes, Sir; my attention has been called to the case. The fine was paid by a member of the Visiting Committee of the Prison. As the bookmakers who employ such lads as Joyce are believed to make considerable profits from street betting, it would be useless to impose a small fine in such cases, or to refrain from enforcing the fine by imprisonment when the offender fails to pay. In a Bill now under my consideration it is proposed to empower magistrates to substitute other punishments for imprisonment in default of payment of fines; but I would remind my hon. Friend that, if any effective check is to be put on street- 1454 betting and the grave evils that arise from it, the punishment to which those who carry it on render themselves liable must be suffciently severe to be actually deterrent. If offenders were to be exempted from punishment on account of their youth or their previous good character, bookmakers would find it profitable to employ none but boys of good character on this illegal business—a result which I am sure my hon. Friend would deplore as much as anyone.