LUGGAGE PIRATES

NZ Truth, Issue 1202, 13 December 1928, Page 6

LUGGAGE PIRATES

Carriers Who j'Charge Travellers Extortioinate Rates

With the season of gooc'l cheer at hand when Mama, Papa, and kiddies make a pilgrii aage- from the country to the big cities to see Father Christmas with his bag of German toys on his back, and mingle with the hustling, and more-or-less goodnatured crowds, it is opportune to utter a word of warning concerning certain carriers,, -/and other conveyers of luggage.

"THANKS to taxi-meters, and the |<en--1 forcement of a by-law left ! for long m abeyance, that form* of hold-up is a thing practically of f. the past, but the carrying fraternity .-, are not tied down to meter charges, anc I, as a consequence, the casual membeijj'of the public suffer. !! Several cases have been brought to the notice of this paper during the;.- last few months, of women, accompanied by their little ones, and not under the (protection of their masculine relations or friends, being shockingly victin;Psed, and charged extortionately for carriage of luggage. I • The favorite victims seem toj^be arrivals by boat, and the unscru tulous members of the carrying brotherhood look upon them ; as good, pickings, and without the flatting of a conscience-stricken eyelid demand extortionate rates for lithe carriage of their effects from ifthe wharf to the railway station, o| to some hostelry. \ Cases have been brought to :"N.Z. Truth's" notice of carriers who fere a disgrace to their calling, fleechm women to the tune of 7/6 for the Ifiransport of two or three suit cases {from the Northern Company's wharf '{p the Auckland railway station. While] It&ere are some women who are ga Ipie to stand up to highwaymen of this>type, the majority will not risk the B#noyance and. aggravation of a scene "when it comes to settlement, thought they may timidly remark by way of protest that the charge seems high. '

"Trujl&s" advice to travellers who think they' are being: victimised, is to take they name of a carrier who demands- an extortionate fee, and refuse to pay anything until a policeman has been calle/L, ' At some railway stations, especially at Auckland, unfortunately, it is not always easy to find a policeman. This is only to be expected when, there are not enough men m blue available, and the convenience of the public takes second place", to the detection of men having a sly "spot" after six, or the discovery of some wicked person selling a bag of apples, or a cigarette after eight p.m., but the carrier's number can be taken, and he can be told to wait while a search Is made for a constable. Carriers being licensed under city by-laws, the responsibility as to the men engaged m that oooupation rests with the Traffic Department. A muoh closer scrutiny Is required Into the behavior and general conduct of a number of these men, and the. rank? of carriers generally would be the better for their ' removal, as they are a stigma on the decent men, « whom there are many. : The oarrier who preys on an tin* escorted woman, end fleeces net) If a oontemptlbie person who deserves no meroy. Muoh of the scotching of thla form of piraoy reßts on the Initiative of tn« individual traveller and It would b$ largely nipped In the bud If traveller© arranged with carriers the prioe to "be paid, beforehand.