ARSON ATTEMPT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 145, 20 June 1940, Page 8

ARSON ATTEMPT.

AT DRILL HALL,

ONEHUNGA FIND. FIRE IN LETTER BOX. ARMED GTTARD MOTTNTED. Some time on Tuesday night or early yesterday morning an attempt was made to-set fire to the Defence Department's Drill Hall at Onehiinga. The discovery was made at ,8.30 yesterday morning when some burnt newspaper, around which had been wrapped a length of cinematograph film, was found in the letter box affixed to the inside of the front door. The police are investigating, and in view of this incident, taken in conjunction with an attempt , to break and enter the same building about two weeks ago, the military authorities have now placed an armed guard over the building at night. The Drill Hall is a large two-storeyed building constructed of wool and corru : gated iron, situated at the cnd_of a lane which runs off Church Street near the intersection of Queen Street. • Over ■ 30 years old, it was formerly the Lyceum Theatre. Paper and Film. Yesterday morning when Staff Ser-gcant-Jlajor A. P. Tierney unlocked the main door, which is readied by a few steps from the level of the right-of-way at the rear of a"block of buildings fronting Queen Street, he looked in the letter 'box and found t*wo small pieces of charred newspaper. Around one piece was wrapped some cinematograph film. It was evident that the newspaper had been ignited and then pushed through the narrow aperture on the outside of the door. Presumably the absence of draught in the small wooden enclosure was sufficient to extinguish the burning paper before it could ignite the film. Staff Sergeant-llajor Tierney immediately notified the police, who took charge of the exhibit and started investigations. About a fortnight ago an attempt to force an entry into the same building from the rear was made. Two sheets of corrugated iron were torn off the building, but nothing was found to have 'been stplen. Two 18-pounder guns, as well as numerous rifles and .303 ammunition, and other military, equipment are stored in the Drill Hal!. Thefts from drill halls in the Dominion have occurred previously. Some time ago several machine-guns were removed from the Ashburton Drill Hall. Prior to th.xt a machine-gun was stolen from the Drill Hall ill New Lynn. This weapon was later found at the bottom of a tidal creek in the district. An armed guard now mounts duty over the Onelmnga Drill Hall at night. It was stated at headquarters of the Northern Military District this afternoon that all similarly situated places were now under m-litary guard.