PILLAGING ON THE VICTORIAN RAILWAYS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1163, 13 June 1884, Page 3

PILLAGING ON THE VICTORIAN RAILWAYS.

Strenuous efforts have been made by the Railway Commissioners with the view of putting a stop to the reprehensible am! rather extensive system of pillage that has been carried on in connection with the transmission of goods on the Victorian railways. During the last five years several thousand pounds worth of goods have mysteriously disappeared while in transitu from Melbourne to the country, and vice versa, by the railway, and as a matter of course the department has ultimately been constrained to make good the loss to the owners. Latter.y the depredations have become so numerous, and, indeed, costly, that the commissioners thought it advisable to deal with the matter without further delay, and they therefore communicated with the detective police, who, after a brief consultation, agreed upon a plan of oper ations. The mam principle of the plan of operations was to localise the depredations, and as it was be ieved that the railway servants were themselves at the bottom of the matter, gangs of men were changed from place to place, without any satisfnc tory result being obtained. Notwithstanding the changes so effected, the pilfering continued—a fact which at once removed the suspicion from the employees, and turned the attention of those engaged in investigating the matter in another diric ion The prin ipal loses occurred on the (lipnsland and Williamstowu trains, and although the most cm ful watch was kept upon the goods as well as upon those in hanllmg them, valuable packages'continued to be spoiled away, as if by nuper- ’ natural agency, and the prospect of successfully clearing up the ddficuky appeared veiy remote. The mjst.ry which sunrounds the depredations- 1 gave a zest to the puisuit, however, which ultimately result d in its solution Daring Ma cli and April Inst the claims made upon too department for go ids stolen whi e i.i travsllu from (lipps Land to Melbourne auioun.ed to LI In, and it is not stretching' tile facts to s.y that nearly every merchant in the metropolis lias at one time or another siiffeitd at the hands •vf. the thieves. The-employees, being annoyed by Uie suspicion!* which appeared to real upon them, joined with the detectives, and endeavoured by. eve'y means in their power to unravel tiie mystery , and af er a lime they succeeded in the self-imposed task. Whilst engaged in the sta'ch on Fri.tay morning, one of the employees discovered a number of empty tobacc - cases concealed underneath the platform at the goods shed S'-t apart for the receipt and despatch of (itpps Land goods, near the corner of Spencer and Flinders'streets, and on a more mniu’e search being made large numbers of empty cases, which had formerly contained goods stolen from the trains, were discovered strewn about in every conceivable di ection. Several plugs of stolen tobacco were also found,'as well as a number of to ds, with which the thieves were in the habit of forcing open the cases after having removed them to secrecy of the appointed hiding place. On an examination being made of the place i'. was found that it was possible to obtain an entrance to the vacant spece running underneath the goods platform from the Flinders street end of the sheds, and that a small opening in the front of the platform, against which the trucks we e usually placed for loading, enabled intruders to remove goods and place them underneath without ever exposing themselves to view. Having once removed the stolen goods to the apace referred to, it was a matter of no difficulty to break open the case, and hand the contents through a small aperture about four inches square in the outside main wall, It was ascertained beyond the posaibi ity of a doubt, by tracing ! portions of the stolen goods which were strewn about the floor, that this was the mode by which the thieves were enabled to remove the plunder unknown to the watchman, who was constantly on duty in the locality. It was evident that the employees wer ■ not at all implicated in the robberies,' which must have been committed, however, by pel sons thoroughly familiar with the goods she Is and their surroundings. Steps have, since the discovery, been taken which will prevent the possibility of a recurrence of such robberies. The losses on the Williamstown line have chiefly consisted up to the present, of champagne, brandy,whisky, and bottled ale; but although a careful watch has been kept, the off aiders have not yet been discovered. The commissioners have instituted a vigorous supervision over all goods entrusted to them for conveyance either to or from the country districts, and they hope to be able, in a little while, to put a stop to all objectionable practices hitherto carried on with such impunity on the railways.