RINGS FOUND

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1933, Page 3

RINGS FOUND

property held by police

VALUABLE TRiNKETS NEGLECTED

AUCKLAND, May 17

Mystery surrounds The ownership of valuable daimonds rings which have been found in the street in the past few months and handed to the po.icc. Only one of tiie rings has been claimed, the" others, some of w hich are* estimated to be worth up to £JO, lyiiio n:gleeted at the police station, ponce to .trace the owner in each case, out for sonic obscure reason the rings remain unclaimed week alter week, until after a reasonable time has elapsed, they are returned to the firidei The owners would appear to be singularly careless of valuable -property as only one of half-a-dozen rings in the hands of the police, an expensive ring found lvir.g in a gutter in Queen street, has been inquired for and returned, A surprising amount of work has been done by the police in trying to locate the owners. Voluminous files of correspondence relating to each ring have accumulated at the police station, inquiries have been made and advertisements have been inserted in the daily papers, all without result. It is remarkable that such valuable property could be lost arid apparently neglected by the owners. The rings,, which have beirimpicfred up by passersby in buildings,aii.d ' 1 11 the street, are. all of the type’ frequently given t 0 eelerbate engagements, and it is thought possible that some at least may have lost their romantic association if not their intrinsic value as a result of lovers’ quarrels, and, consequently, have been Mowed to remain unclaimed.

The theory that the rings are stolen property, which have been accidentally dropped by tbc thief and remain unclaimed as the owners have no idea the police have charge of their missing trinkets, has also been advanced. A, description of most stolen goods is given to the police, however,., and the rings do not resemble any reported as having 1 been stolen. Many are firmly of the opinion, that once property has been lost, there, is .very little chance of regaining it, and this apathetic attitude may. ac-. count for the ’.few inquires for lost nyPr perty received by the ~police. VVhiie a (certain proportion of the property picked; up:ii.ll -the street and .elsewhere may be. retained by tbc finder without any effort to return it. many, articles, some valuable and/, others practically worthless, are found each year and handed to the police to wait their, owners.