ALLEGED THEFT OF BULLION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2791, 8 June 1916, Page 6

ALLEGED THEFT OF BULLION

PROM WAIHI COMPANY. By Telegraph—Press Association. ' Waihi, Juno 7. The arrest of William Smith, employed at the ;Waihi Gold Mining Company's Waikino mill, for alleged theft of bullion lias disclosed a remarkable series of thefts of oyanido solution containing gold and silver, the depredations apparently extending over a considerable period, but just how long and to what extent the loss to the company are not -known. In view of the monthly, output of ,£26,000 to ,£27,000 it would be difficult to detect small peculations, but the evidence points to the systematic theft of precipitates containing the precious metals by a cunningly devised arrangement. The discovery of a precipitating box concealed inside of a drain and! its subsequent tracing disclosed that it was supplied with solution by a small pipe which ran along underground, and had been surreptitiously connected to one of the main solution pipe 3. The plant was not disturbed, and as the result of watching Smith was caught red-handed carrying away a billy containing bullion precipitate. A search of Smith's house revealed a number of tins of precipitates of considerable value, plumbago and crucibles for melting the precipitates or slimes, and a mould for producing bullion ingots. For some time Smith's style of living was quite beyond that commensurate with his ordinary earnings. This aroused local comment, but he explained it by alleging other sources of revenue.