GOLD STEALING DODGES.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 July 1921, Page 1

GOLD STEALING DODGES.

1 (Bv Albert Don'ington, Lbe Well-known

Australian Author)

The stealing of gold, whether horn the strong-room ol a bank or irom the slime-boxes of a working mine-brittery, is a crime that will go on as long as the metal retains its high commercial value. In one Australian mining area alone, the lvurnalpie and Kalgoorlie, more than 50,000 ounces were lost yearly through the illicit tralliekings of wellknown agents. Although miners were compelled to change their clothes before leaving the workings, a steady stream of previous dust found its way into the buying-rooms of the "crook” agents. in the early ’nineties lighted candles were used in the tunnels, and the enterprising digger soon discovered that he could knead an ounce or so ol rough

gold into the fat. Furthermore, the most, scrupulous shift-boss rarely complained when a digger took a bit of candle from the mine to light Iris tent at night. Candles were precious in those desert places, and the butts were ol no use to tile mine owners. Slimes of almost pure gold were taken from the flatteries before the changing ol' elotlics came into force. The battery workers were known to saturate tlieii singlets, socks, and shirts in these rich slimes.

Very often the hairy operator rubbed the yellow matrix into bis beard and hair.

As a last resort he would mix it in the tomato soup be brought in a “billy” cn„ for his lniil-nifftit or mid-day meal. Again, the shift-boss could not object if lie took the soup hack to bis tent on the plea that he would “warm it up’ foi

supper. When these ruses were detected and more stringent regulations enforced, midnight attacks on the locked slimeboxes were organised and the gold taken bv force. The “sticking up” of Aits-

traliiin **ol(!-<\scorts by Auslialian “crooks” was much less frequent than the “hold-up” of the roaring Californian days.

The Australian gold-tlrief differs from the American variety, inasmuch as he uses his brains oftener than he uses a gun. In fact, during my long sojourn the West Australian fields, f never saw a revolver produced in any dispute, no matter bow violent or heated the dispute became.

But among the small mine-owners the greatest thief was the legitimate goldbuyer. lie was generally of alien birth. Sometimes it was one wlm came with swift camels and a pair of fraudulent bras* scales. » To him would conic all the small claim-owners with their hard-won golddust wrapped in old newspapers or carried in jam tins or bottles. One particular rascal bad the knack of spilling the dust into the scales m sllf .|i a manner that a goodly portion was captured in the folds of his widesleeved coat. And all the while . 1 talked volnhlv to distract ' attention. S„ between bis wide sleeves and bis fraudulent scales Bill the miner received little for bis labour. Even in a minted condition this Australian gold was never free from prefatory hands. As dust and nuggets if was pursued from the field and shepherded up to the moment it left Australia in the shape of sovereigns. Even at the quavsidc it. was spied upon, plotted against by its ever-present trackers. In the ’eighties a Royal Mail steamship lost 7.060 sovereigns from its bullion room while in an Australian, port. Watched night and day h.v the ship s officers, the bullion room w as considered safe from marauders. Yet the carpenter, whose job it was to fasten steel bands on the gold boxes, managed daily to cram hundreds of sovereigns into holes lie bad bored in bis planes. Not being the ship’s carpenter, be was allowed to carry away his tools each night. No, the gold-thief does not always use a gun.