CHRISTCHURCH CYCLISTS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12410, 6 January 1910, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH CYCLISTS.

(Per Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, January 5. The flatness of Christchurch and most of Canterbury suits cyclists excellently, and about 30,000 of these machines are in daily use in this city. The police records show that during 1909, upwards of 400 bicycles were re~ported as "stolen" in Christchurch. The machines ranged in value from £5 to £25, and taking the average val; 7© as £10, this means £4000 worth, of bicycles were misappropriated. The proportion of convictions for theft to the number ol1 cycles reported stolen was very small, owing to the fact that a person who steals a bicycle in Christchurch rarely remains it in his possession for more than a very brief period, preferring to leave .it somewhere in the streets or in a paddock, rather than run the risk, of a criminal prosecution. Thus more than half the stolen bicycles had been returned to their owners, sometimes within a few days of the theft, and sometimes not for a considerable time