Pastures Past: Stolen petrol, butter and other tales of theft
This historical retrospective examines newspaper reports from the 1930s and 1940s regarding rural theft in New Zealand. It highlights how economic hardships like the Depression and wartime rationing influenced petty crimes such as stealing petrol and butter.
Why it matters
It offers a cultural perspective on how economic conditions historically drive crime, drawing parallels to modern-day societal behaviors.
Rural properties were not immune from theft, as these 1930s and 1940s newspaper reports reveal.
Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day. In this week’s Pastures Past, she has uncovered newspaper articles from the 1930s and 1940s about theft, from stolen petrol to stolen butter.
Stolen goods, stolen petrol, and stolen butter!
Apparently, a little creative borrowing was alive and well in the 1930s and 1940s, and, judging by today’s headlines, it seems we haven’t completely outgrown the habit.
You might think stealing butter would be a particularly desperate crime, but back then, when many families were feeling the effects of the Depression, and later wartime rationing, even a pat of butter could be worth taking.
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