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THEFTS OF MERCHANDISE.
By all accounts thieving of goods
in transit has attained serious pro
portions throughout Australia and
has been growing worse as the war
goes on. This is one of the numer
ous crimes of which Australia has
been extraordinarily tolerant. Prob
ably this is due to a misunderstand
ing by the public of the real nature
and extent of a practice to which
convention seems to have lent a sort
of spurious dignity by the use of the
elegant term "pillage" to describe
what is in fact Just plain stealing.
Now the war and wartime rationing
of goods has lent a special signific
ance to the growing volume andi
value of these plunderings as the
obvious foundation of an extensive
system of black marketing. TheI
question was discussed at a recent
Premiers' conference and last month
the Minister for Customs (Senator
Keane) Informed Parliament that to
cope with the problem special civil
police in all States would control all
wharf areas and all transport leav
ing wharves. The Bill now before
Parliament to suppress black market
ing must support the efforts of these
special "Vice Squads" and make it
more difficult and dangerous for the
"racketeers" to dispose of their
plunder. Since the assistant fede
ral secretary of the Waterside Work
ers' Federation (Mr Roach) has de
clared to be unfounded accusations
which have been levelled against the
members of that organisation it may
be presumed that the federation will
co-operate enthusiastically with the
special police in detecting crime and
in re-establishing the good name of
the waterside workers. The close
watch on the wharves should cer
tainly help to determine how much,
if any, of -the loss occurs before goods
reach the wharves and how much
after they leave them-for it seems
that in New South Wales at least
thefts of goods from the railways
must be fairly comparable with
thefts on the wharves and are prob
ably more difficult to sheet home.
Have you a camera? Do you ever
secure "snaps" which will interest other
people? If so. why not forward your
photographs to "'The Western Mail."
which seeks to reflect the life of the
community.
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