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Greymouth Evening Star, 22 February 1911, Page 7

A Mastefton constable , was involuntarily pWjSfigd mtb tire ranks of the local Drapers’ Club (i.e., the society which abandons bottles of liquor where they may be salvaged by thirsty members) on Friday night. After nluckily arresting the career of a runaway horse attached to a trap, he discovered that the vehicle ■'contained about five dozen bottles of beer. These he carefully “rapped” at the local police station, to await the < decision of the iViagisfiate as td (AVrietship. Betty thieving on the water front at Auckland continues to give much annoyance to owners of pleasure craft and larger boats (says a Press Association telegram), though the practice has not been so marked of late, hut owners are exposed to a never-present danger of losing property or having it maliciously damaged, with - little hope of redress. Repeated overtures have been In tide td the Justice Department fdr police protection, hilt after a long series of negotiations the owners were, a little while ago, advised by the Minister that after enquiry he was of opinion that a police launch could not he provided for the Waitemata —in other words it was not required. A reporter interviewed son-3 of the yacht owners, and found that they were greatly dissatisfied with the stand the Minister had taken in the matter. Mr J. F. P. Howden, commodore of_ the New Zealand Power Boat Association, said that a police launch was absolutely essential for the protection of yachtsmen. It Mas most anoying to owners to find their launches broken into, fittings taken away and not infrequently the boats wilfully damaged.