SENSATIONAL BURGLARY AT SHANNON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 40026, 21 November 1929, Page 3

SENSATIONAL BURGLARY AT SHANNON.

CO-OPERATIVE STORE

ENTERED.

PLA'CE RANSACKED AND GOODS REMjOVED.

iSometiine between'lo p.m. and 4 a.m. on ‘Tuesday night the Shannon Co-operative Dairy Company’s offices and store at Shannon were , broken into and a large quantity of goods removed afteir the place had been thoroughly ransacked. An - inspection of the premises . first thing yesterday morning by our representative testified to the thoroughness with which the place w{is gone through, . 'On all sides goods lay scattered about on the shelves while heaps of shoes and clothing in the clothing.department lay jumbled lip on the llootr. Chocolates, chocolate papers and matches were t strewn about-in every direction and it; was almost, a miracle that the store and factory were not destroyed by fire. lighted , matches had been tossed on to heaps of sox, shirts, paper and other inflammable ' material but for some reason had •burnt'out harmlessly, but not before they had. burned round holes .in the materials, in some cases. Live matches were discovered about the shelves and floors, a packet of slides having been broached for the purpose of providing illumination which was rathejr strange in view of the fact that a large sl ock of electric .torches with bulbs Sind batteries complete stood on a shelf alongside the packets of matches.

[From the systematic way in which the store was ransacked it was evident that the intruders spent several hours there. Practically evejry nook; and corner was explored. In the grocery department dozens of packets of cigarettes, cigars, matches and a. ten pound box of chocolates were missing besides two clocks, an illuminated dial time piece and a Big Ben. Most of the goods, however, were taken from the drapery department. The burglars made away with three suit cases, three travelling rugs, three or four Lynx suits, sizes 37 or 38; hats, collars, size 15; four or five boxes of ties, several pairs of boots and canvas shoes, size 8; three dozen boys’ assorted jerseys, eight or nine, pairs ladies’. silk •bloomers and other, silk underwear; several dresses, ladies’ mackiil‘toshes, garters, hand bags, shirts, silk pyjamas, towels, expensive boxes of stationery, scent, scented soap, boolkls, shaving soap and boys suits, size 13. Mr. iC. M. Oonquest, secretary of' the Shannon Daily Company and manager of the store, in conversation with our representative, said that-, the burglary .must ha,ve taken place between the hours p of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. The store was locked up safely at 5 o’clock last .evening, but some of the factory hands slept in whares at the rear • of the factory which adjoins the store and would be about until approximately 10 p.m. Work was commenced at the factory shortly after 4 a.m. but the burglairy was not discoyered until about 7 a.m. The office window was then found ' to be wide open while the door was also discovered ajar. Further investigation inside the building showed that the intruders had gained an entrance; to the building by forcing the office window with a jemmy. Foot marks were discernible on the table top under the window. Papers were scattered about in this room and cabinets had been opened but nothing (removed. The big double safes in the next room had proved to big an obstacle for the burglars, who were obviously novices at the job. .'The cash register had been emptied according to custom at closing time the previous night and the money deposited in the safe so that no money was stolen. !Mr. Cronquest estimated the loss to the Dairy Company at £IOO although it was very baril to arrive at a proper estimate without a stock-taking as it would be possible for the intruders to i taiko away a considerable quantity of groceries without any, appreciable drop in stocks. Outside the store and for a short distance down the road chocolate papers were to be seen lying on the roadway. It is not known whether the intruders had a car to assist them, (there were obviously at least two of them), but it is considered that, this was So owing to the bulk of the goods removed. Last week an attempt was made to gain entrance to Air. Gunning’s store last, but the would-be burglars were evidently surprised after they bad smashed the front window of the shop and jnade good their escape. ' (The men. concerned on the Shannon Dairy Company job are evidently not strangers to the town as they picked a time when the resident police officer, Constable Blaikie, was absent on leave, for their operations. Constable J. V. Bell, of Foxton, who has been visiting (Shannon one or two days a week during , Constable Blai'kie’s absence, for Shannon immedi•'ately on receipt of news of the robbery yesterday morning to carry out investigations. (Senior Detective T. Quirke carried out a number of investigations into the robbery yesterday and with Constable J. V. Bell, succeeded in locating where a car had been parked while the robbery was being carried out. The burglars had left their car at the end of the road leading up to the factory, some two of three hundred yards away. Chocolate papers and cigarette cards were found scattered about the roadway. 'Shortly after five o’clock a Tokomaru resident who had seen a motor-car parked outside his premises all day, had his

suspicions alrousod and made an inspection of the ear. He found a discarded chocolate box on one of the seats and immediately notified the poliee. 'The car was used by the burglars in making good their escape and'abandoned at Tokomnru.