MEAN THEFTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 50, 20 February 1945, Page 4

MEAN THEFTS

Sir^ —I have been a resident of this fair town for 30 years and have been the victim of thieves more than once. A lew years back, I parked my * bicycle in a bike stand under a strong electric light, while I went to the pictures. When I came to get it again I discovered something was amiss. The electric lamp and pump had ibeen taken s and the tool bag had been, opened and 'a set of tyre levers, a set of B.S.A. and a small shifting spanner had been removed. I informed the Police, but unfortunately they were not able to locate the thief. It taught me a lesson. With the exception of a light. I did not carry those kind of things on my bike again. Last Saturday night I put my bike in the stand in front of a local fruitsshotp t one of. the best lighted spots in the Strand. After the pictures I went to get. it and on pulling it out of the rack 1 noticed the front tyre was flat. The valve j keeper and dust cap had been removed by some kind person. Needless, to say I was forced to walk home } and trundle the bike along, with a flat tube and cover for over a mile, which was not the best thing in the Avorld for the tyre. I happened to have a spare valve at home, but no keeper so I had to wait until Monday to get one. I managed to borrow a keeper which enabled me to get to town where I enquired at a cycle dealer's for the parts 1 wanted. He s>aid politely he could not supply them as; they were very hard to but he would try and dig me up a second hand one later- on. I thought I would buy a spare valve in "case the same thing happened to me again. I wonder if there is a cure——„ for this kind of thief.. Yours etc. "TRUE BLUE-,"