HARBOUR PIRACY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1177, 12 July 1911, Page 4

HARBOUR PIRACY.

A RAMPANT EVIL AT AUCKLAND. (By" Toleffraph.—Special Correspondent.! Auckland, July 11. An Auckland reporter has been inquiring into tho question of thefts from yachts in the harbour. Tho fact that tho evil is rampant is nowhere denied, but views concerning it varied radically. There was tho man who considered it the outcome of organised pirating; the other man who regarded it as sporadic outbreaks of foreshore* hooliganism; and the one who had his own views on the subject, but had no time left to explain them. This latter had a. grievance that the Government did nothing. "We've lost our things, and have no time to talk about it," was his attitude, and when it was insinuated that newspaper publicity might cause action to prevent him losing other tilings, he said, "Let 'em go." One of the men who had time to talk stated that in his opinion the talk about organised pirating was rot. His view was that the damage was caused by tho numbers of "wasters" and others who loafed round the waterfront. Many of these had no means of support, and what little money they got went in drink. They consequently made a' habit of watching when men from the scows and fishing craft tied up their dinghies at tha wharves. Immediately the dinghies were vacant tho loafer took the first opportunity of getting away with them and making tho rounds of the boats in the harbour, looking for food or anything that might be converted into money. Incidentally some of these men in a spirit of wantonness at times destroyed property that was of no use to them. This man pointed out that no later than last night some men had gone aboard the scow-Tally-ho, lying at Queen Street Wharf, ana had with winch handles broken the compass and done other wanton damage. This-was.in ,the most frequented part, of tho harbour, where such action ono would think would bo considered least likely. He added that in many instances boatowners were to some extent to blame. He had known of several cases of vagrants being found sleeping out in boats at the slips, in which the owners of the boats refused to assist Hie police by prosecuting. Again, some decrease of the practice would be effected if those who used dinghies to land, from scows and yachts would use chains and padlocks to tie them up instead of ropes. Among the inquiries ■main were some relating to the number of arrests made at the waterfront, it having been staled that only ono had occurred in two years. The police records show that already this year '112 arrests have been made for all clasps of offences, among them being thefts from scows, boats, and the railway. In fact, such cases came before tho last silting of I lie Supreme Court. In the course of inquiries, the reporter elicited that a newspaper report to tho effect that police officers in uniform had gone cruising on information received for alleged pirates was incorrect, in thai no sui-h excursion was made by uniformed men.