A PLAGUE OF THIEVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 April 1919, Page 5

A PLAGUE OF THIEVES.

UNDESIRABLES IN SYDNEY. MANY IMPUDENT GRIMES, Sydney, March 22. Sydney is suffering just now from a plague of thieves and confidence men. The thieves are of the variety known as "sneak"—the contemptible kind, which carries the washing off the line In the backyard, and snatches old ladies' handbags- The confidence men (to use an Americanism) are not more than usually ingenious, but the country visitors seem more than usually credulous. Nowadays, one dare not ieaVe anything of value in an unguarded house. One hears, almost daily, of even littie cottages being raided, and cutlery, tablelinen, cheap ornaments, boots', and small articles of furniture being taken. The sporting editor of a large daily pajjer spent the evening recently in an ing suburb. When he and his wife trot home, about midnight, every liglit article in the house had disappeared and no trace of the property was ever found. Last week-end, a party of thieves, with a cart, worked along the main road, between Msnly and Narraheer., robbing every fow'house en route, and gathered no less than 15 dozen fowls. They got clear away.

Tn a suburb lately, as the result of a midnight raid, a large bcotshop was almost completely cleared of its stock. Those thieves were caught later, however—quite an exceptional circumstance. Entry into offices and residences and the theft of moncv and small articles of vabie, is reported daily. A particularly mean kind of thief haunts the bathing-sheds and goe3 through the pockets of clothes left there by surf-batVievs. A mail who leaves anvthing in bis pocket-! under Such circumstances is simplv inviting trouble. The attendants set all kinds of traps for this cunning vermin, but not. always successfully. Week-end camps, particularly those in isolated positions, are thp regular prey of the thief. .

Another class of thief goes after motboats, bieycles, etc.. which may fee left unguarded and not locked up. Motor-car? quite often are stolen, and either "disappear altogether, to be rebuilt and so disguised, or are fouwl minus tyres, lamps, and anything else that may l>e carried away-

The particular victim of the confidence men is the man from the country, who comes into town with a cheque and a desire for "a srood time." Such persons turn natUrallv towards the racecourses, ,and look eagerly for tins. They Are sinlply a godsend to the rascals who haunt raeccourses. It is said that for one fleeced comitrrmsm whi- appeals to the they ~are numerous—there are a dozen who hate to be laughed at and say nothing.