Road on the pretence of inspecting the meter. Mr. Woo and his family were then out, but his private ricsha coolie and an amah were at home. The man asked the ricsha coolie to watch a certain pointer (of the testing apparatus?) for a quarter of an hour to see if it moved during that period and gave the ricsha coolie a gold filled watch to keep time with. Then he went upstairs with the amah to "inspect" the meter. As the door was locked he asked the amah if she had a key to open it. Finding that she had none, he pulled out a bunch of his own keys, one of which worked and opened the door. Instead of inspecting the meter, the man fitted keys into the keyholes of boxes and drawers, to the surprise of the amah who attempted to shout but was put to silence by being pointed at with a revolver. He opened and rummaged several boxes and drawers and made away with a lot of jewels and other valuable ornaments to the value of about $5,000.
en the man was gone and the amah gained nerve to tell the ricsha coolie about the theft, the thief had already run away and could nowhere be found.
Now as most of us electricity consumers have our meter placed inside our house, usually upstairs, and as there is not the slightest difference in dress between a meter inspector and an ordinary man, it is something more than nervous for us to have our meter read, for we do not know whether it is going to be an inspection of our meter or a wholesale removal of our valuables. Is it not possible for he Electricity Department to dress their meter inspectors in uniform, so that the consumer can tell genuine meter inspector from an impostor AMONG THIEVES, To the Editor of the "Norts-Cuina Dairy News."
Sir,—Will you allow me through your columns to sound a note of warning during these busy pre-Christmas days to others of my sex who, like myself, might be hurriedly off-guard and ''fall among thieves."
Yesterday between 5 and 6 p.m. I boarded an over-crowded tram car in Nanking Road, having waited with others a considerable time for the ear to arrive. 1 got in anywhere where I could find standing room with a closed leather hand bag in my right hand, the other hand holding to one of the rings. In the bag was a purse, a cheque book and a sealed envelope containing $80 in notes, which had been placed in the bag half an hour previously, in a private house in French town, no one but myself therefore knowing of its existence.
At Shansi Road there was a sudden rush and exit of six or seven men dressed in ordinary clothes. I sat down in the only vacant seat and found my handbag had been forced open and purse, cheque book and money gone.
The band of men who lad crowded in and left at the next stopping place were evidently a gang of trained thieves who soon' disappeared in the crowd with my dollars, both being untraceable. I am, ete., Shanghai, Nov. 17.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.