THREE SAFES BLOWN IN CLUB ROOMS AT AUCKLAND

Grey River Argus, 31 May 1948, Page 3

THREE SAFES BLOWN IN CLUB ROOMS AT AUCKLAND

ABOUT £450 STOLEN P.A. AUCKLAND, May 30. The sum of about £450 in cash was stolen from three safes in th_ office of the Auckland Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’s''Club in the early hours, of Sunday morning. Included in the stolen money was the sum of £l6O which had been donated by club members for the Blind Soldiers’ Fund and the Aid to Britain campaign. The burglary was discovered when the secretary, Mr H. J. Aekins made his usual Sunday morning call at tire club. When Mr Aekins entered the main office, he found that a large fireprom safe had been blown open and sa\vdust and asbestos filling materia, was scattered around the office. The sum of £l5O in cash and in ode. cheques had been removed from the safe, but the intruder had not bothered to collect several pounds worth of silver, which was left scattered on the floor. K Mr Aekins then checked the other offices on the ground floor. In his own office, he found that the had also been blown open. Ther. was a heavy smell of cordite in the air, and the furniture, walls and ceiling were covered with dust an . pieces of rug, which had been use., to deaden the sound of the explosion Nothing of value was taken from the secretary’s safe, and the thie overlooked some valuable jewellery in a tray. The safe in the house bar, whic contained about £3OO, had also been forced. Curtaining material and small wooden table, which had apparently been placed around the safe w’hen the explosive charge was lit were found on the flood, with the shattered door. In each case the safes were forced by explosive charges placed in tne lockingn mechanism.