STILL GOING STRONG.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 138, 13 June 1929, Page 7

STILL GOING STRONG.

THIEVES .IN THE CITY.

BIG BUILDING ENTERED.

BANKRUPT OF RESULTS.

Thieves are still operating at night in the large blocks of buildings in the heart of the city. Last night it was Wrights Buildings which were visited. Two offices were entered and well looked over, those of the Mutual Life and Citizens Assurance Co., Ltd., and the Official Assignee in Bakruptcy.

Wrights Buildings _are always kept open until 10 p.m. on week nights. Evidently the thieves operating there last ni?ht secreted themselves in the building before the custodian locked lip for the night, and commenced their work afterwards. Climbing out of a window on to the roof on an adjoining building in Fort Street, they walked around to the window of the Mutual Life and Citizen's Office, which they opened. They left their dirty footprints on the blotting pad on a table as they stepped on it before jumping on to the floor. The office safe in another room was the object of the thieves. The safe was tampered with, but not opened. All drawers in tables in the office were forced open and ransacked. All that they got for their trouble was a florin. In the Official Assignee's office the thieves visit was bankrupt of results. No dividend was obtainable. After lookin" through some drawers they lifted a couple of keys.

AMATEUR AT WORK.

MUCH LABOUR FOR NOTHING.

On Tuesday night a thief found his •wav into the securely locked strongroom in the office of Mr. Kenneth Wallace, public accountant', in the Majestic Theatre Buildings. He interfered with the safe, hut got nothing for his trouble. The door of the strongroom is at the top of the stairway on the second floor, entrance being from Queen Street, a few yards away from the main door of the Majestic Theatre. Opposite the strongroom door is Mr. Wallace's office. The thief was not able to force an entry, and contented himself with attacking the safe in the strongroom. Alongside the strongroom door is a large window, which leads to a space between two buildings. Opening this, the thief climbed through and squeezed up through a triangular air vent set in the outside wall of the strongroom. Apparently the operator worked without an electric torch, for matches were found strewn over the floor and on the top of the small safe in a corner. An indication of the intruder's lack of mechanical knowledge was given in the fact that he went to a lot of trouble to remove two small brass knobs, shaped like acorns, which served only an ornamental purpose. He preferred to work ji ear the hinges of the safe rather than concentrate on the lock. Gelignite, _it was evident, was not part of his equip-

ment. . The very amateur cracksman took nothing belonging to Mr. Wallace.