HAVOC IN STORE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 268, 11 November 1937, Page 17

HAVOC IN STORE.

PAINT TINS TARGETS.

REMARKABLE AUDACITY. MOBS THAJf CIOO DAMAGE. NEWCASTLE (N.S.W.), Nov. 2." Turning the place into a shooting gallery, youths who broke into a hardware etore in Hunter Street West ebot holes in tins of paint with pcarifles they had stolen, until cascades of red, green and other coloured paint* poured down shelves and walls on to the floor. More than £100 worth of damage wae done, according to the manager. Remarkable audacity wae shown by the youths—<>f whom there are believed to have been three—to get into the storfc TTiej «liml*lfeoyer tie- ; roof an adjoining fcnilding; from wMch tJiey jumped mi t»'the roof of a light well on the first floor of the store. Smashing a large window, they gained aeeass to th« inside ol the building and proceeded to loot the place. I Daring their search, they came across a steel case containing pea-rifles. It was unlocked and they took three. Plenty of ammunition was hart'y on shelves nearby, and displaying unusual coolness, they began shooting objects In the store, despite the danger of the noise being heard by people in the street. Smashed Beyond Repair. First it is believed they concentrated their efforts on long rows of paint and varnish tins on the shelves. Large tins of oil were treated in the same manner, until .the contents ran down concrete steps leading to the ground floor. Other objects in the store were used as targets, and many were smashed beyond repair, while the flowing paint ran over other articles and made them unsaleable. Apart from the three rifles, ammunition and several watches, nothing was stolen. According to a report made to the police, a pedestrian walking along the footpath on the other side of the street received a sudden surprise when what sounded like a bullet whistled over his head. He dashed for cover and heard other shots, but could not trace where they were coming from. Believing that some youths were having target practice in a nearby paddock, and that the bullet was a stray, he gave no more thought to the matter.