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Hokitika Guardian, 18 December 1933, Page 8

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LONDON’S PASSENGERS’ LOSSES

LONDON, December 12

Travellers on the new London Passenger Transport Beard’s trains, trains, buses, and coaches leave behind on an average 600 to 700 umbrellas aiid walk-ing-sticks every evening, and they also forget such tilings as false teeth, bags and gloves.

Hitherto forgetful members -of 'the public have had to go to the particular lost property office of the group on whose vehicle they mislaid their belongings, St. James’ Park for the underground, Poland Street for buses ami coaches, and Baker Street for property lost upon the Metropolitan Bail way. But recently, all lost articles were transferred to the new offices at Baker Street, which are believed to be the biggest of their kind in the British Isles.

“About. 30,000 articles were moved from the three offices in the two days of a week-end, and it was a real rush job,” said an official of the board. “About half of them were umbrellas and walking-sticks. We now have a soecial section for sticks and umbrellas, and another for miscellaneous articles. “Now that the old system under which certain articles lost on certain undertakings were taken to. the police lost property office at Lameth has been scrapped, conductors hand in all ‘finds’ at their garages and depots. Every morning three vans make a tour of the depots and bring the property to Baker Street.”

Most of the property will he stored in cellars under the premises, which have been specially constructed on modern lines to facilitate finding, Twenty-five clerks are on duty each day to assist forgetful people who annually lose about 360,000 articles when travelling.