THE AUCKLAND CRACKSMEN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1445, 21 May 1912, Page 4

THE AUCKLAND CRACKSMEN.

WHAT THEY ARE STEALING AND WHY. (By Telegraph— Prnss Association.) Auckland, May 20. From inquiries made by a "Herald" representative it seems that Auckland is ()cinff favoured will] the attentions of some highly skilled cracksmen, who have mapped out: an ambitions programme. On Thursday night the building of Messrs. Crawford and Hould, sowing machine dealers, at tiip ccrner of Welles'ey and .Albert Streets, was entered, and a small elertrical engraving muchim> was stolen. The entry was gained by a window at the rear of (he premises, and, although there were other articles of value in tint .shop, the machine, which is only worth about ,fc! 10s., was the. only article stolen. The thief, or thieves, even overlooked :!s. in an onon till. Asked a.s to why this comparatively valueless machine should have "been the only article removed, Sir. Crawford, one of the partners of the linn, advanced a rather startling theory. lie said that the Hide machine was (he only one of its kind in .Auckland, and it was lying oi) a bench in front of the window, whore it could be seen by anyone passing. Though the machine stolen could only be used for engraving, it larger mode! would make, a very deadly drill, and Mr. Crawford said that he thought that, seeing the machine through the. window, Hip thief had conceived the idea of stealing it for the purpose of constructing a larger model !o use as a drill to open a safe. Ho added that he had heard fr.-m an authoritative source that other places in the had also been broken into, and electrical fittings of very small intrinsic value had lwcn stolen. Ho mentioned that, in one case, a building -was entered, and ail electric fan was taken carefully to pieces in order that the thieves might obtain part of it, possibly for future usb hi the construction of a machine which, if they tried to purchase, would entail awkward questions. A machine of the type stolen, would be very difficult to dispose of, as the pawnbrokers would give nothing for it, and, if the intruders were seeking to enrich themselves, a valuable camera on the shelf in the shop could have been taken, and easily disposed of. Should there be anything in Mr. Crawford's theory, if would appear as though the burglar gang were making higlily expert preparations for an extensive haul.