SHOPLIFTING EVIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18762, 16 July 1924, Page 12

SHOPLIFTING EVIL.

GAOL FOR OFFENDERS. A MERCHANT'S APPROVAL. fBT TELEGBAFH. —OWN ' COBBESr ONDENT. ] CHRISTCHTJRCH. Tuesday. " As long as we have pretty clothes displayed in our shops we will have shoplifters." This remark was made by the manager of a drapery store in discussing this form of theft. He said that at present it was not quite so prevalent as previously,' this being due to the punishments inflicted. Still, unless assistants were always on the qui vive there wa3 a section of the community that would take advantage of the slightest opportunity to steal goods. A.n instance wa3 given of how shoplifters work. A woman fainted in a shop recently and immediately a number of people gathered round. While assistance was being given a number of expensive articles were removed from a nearby stand. " We are pleased with the way the magistrates in Auckland are dealing with shoplifters," said the manager of one of the leading retail warehouses. "Fines are useless. By sending these people to gaol the magistrates are doing a great public eervice. ' He added that for some years his firm had been more or less lenient with offenders, both from the public and from the staff, but the leniency had been misplaced. Shoplifting had grown to such an extent that it had caused them some concern. They had decided to take firm measures, and to hand all offenders over to the police. "It had been surprising," he added, " how quickly dishonesty had beon dropped."