"SOUVENIRING."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 121, 24 May 1935, Page 9

"SOUVENIRING. "

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

MEAN THEFT IN SYDNEY

THIEF RETURNS TWO ARTICLES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, May 17

On the evening of jubilee day his Excellency Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven held a reception at Government Houee. Naturally in preparation for a crowded gathering, a lot of movables were transferred from one part of Government House to another; and incidentally three, cigarette boxes were moved from one of the lounge rooms to the Governor's private office. This was done on Sunday night; and on Monday morning when the butler went into tiie office to collect the boxes and replace then', they were not to be found. All search was unavailing, and it became painfully evident that the boxes had been stolen —presumably by a gnest who" had located them by accident and probably galved his conscience with the excuse? that he was only "souvenir hunting" after all. Governor Annoyed. His Excellency was naturally annoyed, and details of the loss were conveyed to the Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Press. The "Sun" published a detailed description of the boxes —they are beautiful little things, of eilver, enamel and cut-glass, ranging from three to four inches in length and one to two inches in depth; and the C.1.8. detectives made a public recommendation to the thief to return them by post without delay. At the eamu lime our newspapers commented very severely on the meanness of such a return for the Governor's kindly hospitality. Whether it was the threat of the C.1.8. or the appeal to the offender's senso of decency, this publicity campaign was quite unexpectedly effective, for late on Tuesday night the owner of a car parked in Carrington Street, close to the heart of the city, found on the seat a parcel containing two of the cigarette cases. The car had been left for a time unattended. The cases were wrapped in brown paper, on which was the address "Government House, Sydney," in block lettering. Above thia a beginning had been made with the word "Government" in ordinary running hand; but this had been crossed out, the thief evidently fearing that his writing might be recognised. The car owner handed the parcel to the C.1.8., the detectives took the boxes back to Government -House, and his Excellency was highly pleased to regain his property. But there is one of the cigarette boxes still missing—a little oval gem of silver and cut-glass, four inches by three, and the Governor is still expecting to get it back. The cases thus secretly returned were not damaged. But the incident has left a painful impression, because it is so discreditable to our citizens, and more particularly to the "best" people from whom tlio guests at the reception had naturally been selected. Our newspapers have very rightly seized the opportunity to make a vigorous onslaught upon the particularly mean and contemptible kind of thieving which disguises itself . as "souveniring," and Arthur Mailey— whom I regard as a better humorist and caricaturist than critic of "bodyline ,, — has written an amusing article in which ho recounts the sad experience of Test teams with souvenir hunters, and puts them in their proper place as "sneak thieves." But unfortunately even the return of the third missing box will not restore our damaged civic and social prestige, for though we may try to forget all about it, the Governor and his friends are likely to remember it only too well.