RAILWAY THIEVES IN WARTIME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 40, 10 November 1917, Page 7

RAILWAY THIEVES IN WARTIME

'GREAT HAULS AT BRITISH STATIONS. London railway thieves are making great hauls owing to 'wartime conditions. The Great Northern, the Midland, and the Great Western Railway Companies are the chief sufferers. It was stated in a police court that the Midland Company have had to niako good losses amounting to .£530(1 during the past two years. "Our actual loss is considerably more than that," said an official at St. Paneras. "It would barely cover the thefts of heavy stuff, and we are coi tinually losing small parcels.'" Labour is scarce, Hie carrying capacity of every railway is overtaxed, depots are overflowing with goods, cartage is short, and, all carmen nro not trustworthy nowadays. . Many of tho regulnr hands are (Way lighting, and it ia impossible to inquire fully into the character of the mon taten on in their places. Goods are checked in for delivery, sny, at. the Midlanl depot. It is impossible lo overhaul each outgoing van, and it is at this Btage that most of th« stealing is engineered. The- dishonest' carman may have sft parcels in his load checked and booked for delivery in London. But concealed among them may be half a dozen filched from the depot.. In thn course of (lie j journey these are unloaded, not at the address of the consignee, but at the "pitch" of the receiver. _ The "loot" that has gone astray lately includes bales of cloth, bales of leather, Army boots, Army blniiTcets. crates of beer, wines, spirits in cases, cheese and butter, farm produce, groceries. Cunning devices nro worked on (he t-iiolw and vans on tho sidings. One nichf: a man was cniighl workinf.ivith nil l'ni> skill of an old "cracksman" (as he nroved. eventually, fp be) under n. heavily Ifldon truck. Using a centre-bit and it chisel he soon had a section nf the P<win<r out. The loot he «nt was hardly ni» to liis chelations. Hn was stopped Ifivrin" tl>p sMinn loaded m> with roililonwd milk. To a. defective he explained H-..1- he had n wife mid n crowd of young "'iililr»n. nnd could 'Kit afford to pay l>i« p-ice of fresh milk. Th? 'railway police are overworked. Tho St. Pancras force ivas 80 strong r«lr»*>-*l>. jptj. 48. J'W.e-'jOJlSi. i