DYNAMITING A SAFE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2551, 27 August 1915, Page 3

DYNAMITING A SAFE

'DETAILS OF THE MIRAMAR AFFAIR. Many; interesting details ofthe dyna- ; nutinr 'of the strong room of the Jlira- . mar Borough Council came to light at the fortnightly meeting of the council last night. The Town Clerk (Mr. R. E. Bennett): reported : to the council as follows in regard to thte affair:— "At about 8.30 "a.m. on Sunday, August • 22, the seoretary of'-the Mirnmar Golf Club sent a. boy to inform mo that a cash - boj believed to be the property of the oouncil, was lying, on-the golf links near the golf house; I found this to be the : . .;case 'and that the cash had been taken from the box, but tthie cheques left. I -reported the matter 1 to His-Worship the ■ Mayor by telephone and also asked tlio police sergeant at. Kilbirnie to send, a ''-constable. On the-arrival of the oon- ■ stable, the-touncil office was opened-and it was found that entrance to the office itself had been effected by cutting through tho panel of the door, and that explosives had been-.nsed on 'the strong-room door, smashing the ilock and enabling ,the door to''be opened. Nothing appears to have been taken from tho strong room except ' , the cash box. The cash stolen amounts to .£29 lis. lid., being an amount of j j rates,_ j619 2s. '6a., received on- Saturday >■ morning and .£lO 9s. sd. office cash, both belonging to tfie district fund. The 1 tramway ticket money was overlooked, } and there was no money of the improvoiment loan or of the sinking funds iii the ',cash box." ■ The 6cene at the Council Chambers last Inight was a most interesting one. The huge metal door—or rather what was left of' it—reclined' just outside the council chamber, while various l shattered piecfes embedded ;in the wall of . the chambers, and a small-mound of twisted metal on; the council table gave' further testimony to the character .of dynamite.'AH round the room there were evidences of ; the force of the explosion, even a framed ' picture of past councillors bore a long scfii- where portion 1 of the splintered steel had ploughed a path.: Councillors stated that a inilkman had heard' the : roar of : the explosion from the other side pji'-the borough. 1 -. -