PILFERING HABIT

Hokitika Guardian, 18 March 1931, Page 3

PILFERING HABIT

NOTHING HELD SACRED. Pilfering in Britain has increased to such an extent in the last few months that it lias claims to he considered the universal crime, says a London newspaper. In certain • circumstances, in nearly ail ranks of life, the habit ql j pilfering lias become so genera! that, it jis no longer looked upon 'as theft. ".Scrounging” is as rife in civilian life u.s it was in the army during the war. Housewives find their expense's mounting owing to the depredations of "daily helps,” who make a practice oi' j helping themselves to cake, butte?'* ' tea, sugar, and other tilings, lit l.onj (hui the milk bottle thief is very active | and the chief victims being dwellers in j Mats whose irti’k is le'lt at the street ] trout door. i Restaurants ar ( . the happy hunting 1 grounds of pilferers and ‘‘souvenir r-d|-'0!.0r.x.” Spoons by the ’dozen are 1 trussed from tire tables in most popular restaur.*nts every week, and some women have a mania for emptying the conii nts ol sugar howls into paper Uy/s concealed in their handbags! Since the automatic machines began to sell Is and fid articles there has been , a great- demand for substitutes for j coins. This is regarded as a real sport, j In city offices it is dangerous to leave a single thing of value overnightj•- -except- in the sale. Cloakrooms j wlmr f . there are no attendants to give out tickets are favourite resorts of pilferers—a man going out with the wrong coat or hat can generally escape I with the excuse Hint Ik- has made a mistake. "lit the" suburbs til lot merits' and clotheslines receive attention. At Toddingr I ton. for example, allotment pilferers I mak;‘ a practic in season of bringing! sonic food with them and completing i the meal with lettuce and other pro-! (luce. .Motorists have hee.-n known to take their pick ol clothes left out all night. ' Golf .and other clubhouses are scl(iom free from petty thieving. Com- | petitors in last year’s women's open golf championship at For by lost a eon-j siderab'e amount of money in this! way. The pavilion at Old Trafl'ord I wa.s entered and a gold medallion stolen. Pilferers are one oif th<-> greatest problems of the orchardists of Kent. Louden hoys out for the day seem to think that apple trees are fair game. Shop-lifting, which a year ago was largely carried on by organised gangs is now more often the work of independent pilferers, flow serious their d'qiredactions are was shown by the big losses of a new West End store on its opening day not long ago. A close watch lias to bp kept on the shelves of all booksellers’ shops and stalls. In spite <>f this thousands of volumes are stolen in a year. Doctors’ orass - phit.es aiv. stolen, though they are of practically no value sreoiidlaml. Autograph hunters will go to groat lengths to secure a eoverfcecl signature. One of [hem actually cut Lord Allen- I by’s Iroin a card attached to a: wreath | which lie had placed on the Wallasey (•(’linhaph.