MISSING GIRLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 78, 2 April 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

MISSING GIRLS.

ARMY OF THE LOST. Where are the thousands of missing women and girls who every year vanish completely from their homes, never to be heard of again? asks a London paper. The number of missing people is on the increase. In 1931, it is estimated, more than 20,000 women disappeared. Perhaps half that number of men walked out of their homes or left their places of business and vanished. Some have since been traced. Others have vanished completely and left no clue to their whereabouts. Many of the missing who cannot be traced are quite young girls. What happens to the great army of the lost? "The proportion of those in the London area who are never traced is less than one in a thousand," a welfare official said. "As a rule less than ten per cent, remain untraced for more than a fortnight." Two of the most sensational cases concerning the disappearance of women in recent years are:—l9l9: Mamie Stuart, the 26-year-old daughter of a Sunderland sea captain, disappeared from Swansea. 1922: Gladys Price, aged 23, a Sunday school teacher, disappeared from Woodford, Essex. The reason why women and _ girls vanish as a rule is shown by statistics to be principally due to fits of temper following quarrels, love troubles and desire for adventure. Men usually vanish through unhappy home life, unfortunate love affairs and alcoholic excess.

BREAD LINE 139 YEARS OLD. New York has a "bread line" that is 139 years old. In 1792 John. Leake willed £ 1000 to the Episcopal Church, the income to be used for buying bread for the poor. He stipulated that it be given out on Sunday. Trinity Parish, being the church at that time, followed the terms of the will, and has done so to this day. In 1850 the day of giving was changed to Saturday to avoid embarrassment to those receiving. Various churches in the parish have given out the bread at times, and for about the last twenty years St. Luke's, on Hudson Street, has done eo. The vicar of the chapel, the Rev. Edward H. Schleuter, chooses which, of his parishioners are "the most deserving," as set forth in the terms of the will. FAITHFUL DOG VISITS GRAVE. Every day in rain, fog or freezing cold a faithful dog visits his master's grave at the cemetery in the little town of Crook, near Durham. How he discovered the grave is a mystery of canine instinct, for on the day of the funeral he was chained ,up at home. The actor in this little drama is Shot, an English setter, which belonged to Dr. Steel, former medical officer for the town. Dr. Steel died three months ago, and on the day after the funeral Shot was released for his morning stroll, and ran straight to the cemetery and found his master's grave. There he lay down to keep his lonely vigil, and would only go home when fetched by a member of the doctor's household. Since then he has been beside the grave every day. At mid-day he goes home for a meal, then goes back to keep his watch till nightfall. Shot was a faithful friend to his master in life; he remains faithful in death.