The Chronicle LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29. 1916. THE BICYCLE THIEF.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 March 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29. 1916. THE BICYCLE THIEF.

: Bicycle thefts must be disiiig wished irom the theft of rides 011 bicycles. 1 This need was established thirty add ' years l ago by Jlr Justice liichinond's ■ dictum ia a case oi a/Jeged theft ui a horse. The prisoner before the court had taken the horse from its pad--1 dock, ridden it some miles, and had ' kit it in a livery stables. As he was dialed ivith "theft of a horse, I and not of a ride, he escaped punisliI ment. In these days there are people in Levin who follow this offender's example!" 'bu they steal their ndies 011 cycles, not horses. Several complaints IV 0111 tradesmen about the temporary (and permanent) _ loss oi cycles have reached The Chronicle during the last three months. The practice causes much annoyance to visitors to the town as well as to tradespeople, and there is a resolve amongst tiie sufferers by the .practice to make a public example of the tirst .offender detected in the practice whether he be guilty of the minor otJ fnce or the major. There is a tendency amongst some of the_vpung men I of tills community to look upon the act of helping oneself to the use of another man's cycle as no offence, but in the eyes of the law the offence is serious enough to carry either fine oi imprisonment, at the option of the bench. Quite apart from this deterrent, those who nave made a piactice of offending in this manner might be deterred from repeating the act if they realised tlic serious inconvenience to which tradespeople are put when small parcels need delivery to points a mile or two from their shops, if shop cycles are missing. Other sufferers are working men who have one; two or more miles to go to reach their homes, and who are sometimes compelled to do the journey afoot, and thus lose the evening light needed ti allow them to do the outside work oi | their homesteads.