POPULARITY OF BICYCLE

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19314, 21 July 1934, Page 22 (Supplement)

POPULARITY OF BICYCLE

i IN CHRISTCHURCH. t I THEFTS PRESENT PROBLEM. I ! I ! Week by week the army of cyclists l grows, and it is estimated that the ; number of bicycle riders in Chrisf- | church at present is greater than it ! ever was, says the Christchurch Sun. . There are several reasons for the j growing popularity of the bicycle as j a means of transport, but there is no j doubt that the economic depression j lias played a big part in it. Many business men in Christchurch I who formerly never moved far withI out their cars and who have stated that they could not do without them, have taken tc the 'bicycle as an economy measure and have put Ihei:cars in storeage until better times, and these days if is not uncommon to see both the message boy and the general manager arriving at work together on their bicycles. A Considerable Saving. Oilier motorists have adopled Hie policy of not re-registering (heir cars until late in the year, probably not until shortly before the Christmas holidays, and by using I licit- bicycles in the meantime make a considerable saving- in registration fees. This has | not been so noticeable this year as it | was last year. ! Cycle dealers have experienced I something of a trade boom in 1 ho past <• two years, but preference for higliI class bicycles is not so keen as in !, former years. .Most people these ; days do not require machines to last i them a life-time, and consequently | the prices paid are not, so great as they i were. Anything with two wheels, a ! driving crank, handlebars, and a seat i will do most people these days. ! Secondhand machines sell readily, i Many people are showing a preference for bicycles over trams, as they j consider this method of travel quicker j than using the trams. Most Christ- ! church people have a distinct objec-i j lion to walking, and the majority of ! those living any distance from ttie tram ! route generally prefer to cycle to | business rather than walk to the tram j stop. There was a case before the j Christchurch Tramway Board recently | of a man who s-aled that lie would i use his bicycle in the future because i the board would not agree to making | a slop outside his house. I “Some people would like us to run | tiie service to their, front gardens,” one member of the board said. Many Bicycle Thieves. Christchurch can claim to have more bicycles than tiie rest of New Zealand put together, and more than j any other city in the Southern Ilcmis- | phere, and it can also perhaps claim j to have more bicycle thieves Jhan any | oilier city in tiie Dominion. | The crime of bicycle-slcaling lias not shown any great increase in recent months, hut nevertheless if is

slill causing the police considerable trouble. Hardly a day goes by without complaint ,and io keep track of all of them is no easy task. It has become the work of specialists, and for some iime it has been necessary lo put members of the force on to the task of tracking this type of crime exclusively. To cope with it dealers have imported all manner of patent locking devices, and in some cases owners have been known to chain their bicycles to posts. But even so then cannot l'cd safe. H!o find a saddle, lamp, handlebars and even a wheel missing from a machine is an everyday occurrence.

The superstition that it’s unlucky for three persons to "light up" from the same match is as old as the hills. It is said lo mean death to one of the trio before the year’s out. Present writer doesn’t know whether it’s true, but he docs know it’s unlucky to lend tobacco to “an absent-minded beggar,” because ho may (and often does) pinch your pouch instead of returning it. It’s wiser also not to oblige with the loan of a silver match-box unless you arc quite sure the borrower is O.K. On llie other hand your luck is in if you contrive lo borrow New Zealand "toasted*" at a picnic, say, or on a long railway journey, when you have forgotten lo bring your own. Nothing like “toasted” to enhance the joys of picnicking or relieve the monotony of a long day in the train. You can puff this famous tobacco for hours on end without tiring of it —or burning your tongue. M’s toasted! Only five brands: Riverhead Gold, Navy Cut, No. ,i (Bulldog),-Cavendish, Cut Ping No. 10 (Bullshead) and Desert Cold. 419 Woods’ Croat Peppermint Cure For Children's Hacking Cough.