THEFT ON CRUISE LINER

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22659, 14 March 1939, Page 9

THEFT ON CRUISE LINER

GOODS TAKEN FROM SHOP SUCCESSFUL SEARCH BY DETECTIVES tPRSSS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON. March 13. A robbery took place on board the luxury liner. Strathallan, during .her cruise in New Zealand waters in the last few days. Thieves broke into the barber’s shop and stole' watches, cigarette cases, a camera, and trinkets valued at from £IOO to £l5O. Investigations by detectives, however, resulted in the recovery of the articles and the arrest of two'members of the crew before the- liner left Wellington to-night for Sydney. Her departure was delayed 90 minutes while the police completed their, inquiries. The men will appear in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, to-morrow morning, charged with the theft.

The Strathallan arrived at Auckland last Friday with 950 passengers. Some 200 who wished to travel overland through the North Island disembarked there. She sailed again on Saturday evening for Wellington. The following day the articles were missed from the barber’s shop. As on most large passenger liners, this institution is more than a mere hairdresser’s booth.

On arrival at Wellington the robbery was at once reported, and three detectives started to investigate. They were faced with a difficult task, having only about 12 hours to seek the thieves, among a passenger list of nearly 1000, and a crew of 200. They had also to search the shin, a floating city, for the missing articles. The Strathallan was scheduled to leave Wellington at 6.30 this evening on her return to Sydney. She lay at the wharf until 8 o'clock was striking, when at last the gangway was lowered, the ropes cast-off, and she backed out from the wharf. Shortly before this the detectives were seen leaving the ship.

While the liner, a blaze of lights, receded down the harbour two of. her crew remained behind at Wellington undergoing interrogation at the Central Police Station.