Honest Auckland

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 581, 6 February 1929, Page 16

Honest Auckland

Tram Conductor Has Faith in Fellow Men “FREE LUNCHES” IGNORED A greater tribute than could be told in any words fs paid to the honesty of his fellow Aucklanders by a tram conductor of this city. Every day he collects his lunch from a telegraph pole at the side of one of the busiest semi-suburban streets in Auckland. The tram stops for a moment and the conductor trots over to the pole where a small brief bag is hanging on a convenient hook. Probably his wife has put the bag there earlier in the day, but it must certainly have been on view for some few minutes. Day by day this goes on. yet the unguarded lunch is never taken. The tram conductor believes in the honesty of Aucklanders and it would appear that his trust is not misplaced. Proud as we undoubtedly are of our city, it is questionable whether the safety of this proffered lunch can be taken as direct evidence of the honesty of its residents. Perhaps the very accessibility of the conductor's bag is its greatest protection. Sneak thieves may regard it as a trap and picture to themselves some stern upholder of the law lying in wait on the other side of the street. Perhaps to thieves who take a pride in their profession the taking of such easily obtained spoils would savour to much of the worm and the blind hen. On the other hand, to be more charitable, one may imagine battalions of pickpockets and petty thieves filing past and eyeing the pole askance—tempted to take advantage of a good thing, yet prevented b3 r some remaining shreds of honour from shattering the faith of a trusting tram conductor. Be that as it may. the trusting collector of fares has not yet been disappointed in his opinion of Aucklanders. Still, just in case he is a little too confident, the name of the street where stands this fruitful telegraph pole had better be kept a secret.