THE HATPIN MENACE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13172, 4 September 1913, Page 2

THE HATPIN MENACE.

ACTION IN AUCKLAND

(Special to Herald.) ' AUCKLAND, this day. The menace of the protruding hatpin should soon be a thing of the past ia Auckland, where the City Council officials' are enforcing the recently issued by-laws dealing with the hatpin nuisance m tram-cars. 'The edict 'of the Council is to the effect that every woman shall hay a protector, not the chivalrous sort of protector that pays the fares and all that kind of thing, but a mechanical device intended to make tho hatpin point a matter of adornment to the female possessor, instead of a danger to everybody else. About a week ago, when the spring shows lightly turned the young woman's fancy to thoughts of millinery and other expensive confections, an unassuming young man connected with the City Council took a day off to ride on the trams, and make a note of the dangerously protruding hatpins. He took the names of something over forty women whose millinery attachments he considered to infringe the hatpin by-law, and summonses have been issued accordingly. The first crop of prosecutions was garnered yesterday morning, when the sheet at tne police court was given an unwontedly attractive appearance by the presence on it of such names as Mary, Gladys, Hazel, Blanche, Edie, Lily, and Irene. Only two of the eight fair by-law "breakers had the hardihood to appear .m person; One was a demure maiden, with hair ,n plaits, and wearing a knitted hat of the hockey cap. order, innocent of any hatpin. In consequence of her youth she was convicted and . discharged, TJie other defendant's hat was characterised by several hatpins, all of which Were carefully guarded at the point with protectors. In the other cases the defendants wrote, admitting that they had nadvertently trespassed the by-law, and with the exception named they were convicted and ordered to pay 7s costs each. A number of other prosecutions are pending.