LOST £120 TO SAVE £30

Evening Star, Issue 21721, 16 May 1934, Page 8

LOST £l2O TO SAVE £3O

AN EXCHANGE GAMBLE MARRIED COUPLE’S RUSE DISCOVERED [Per United Press Association.] . AUCKLAND, May 15. A haul of silver valued at £l2O was made by a detective, and a Customs officer when they searched the luggage of a married couple, third class passengers, on tile Niagara, shortly before the vessel sailed for Sydney this evening. The silver was all in half-crowns, and was pasted on the inside of the bottom of a trunk and a hat box. it was confiscated by the Customs, hut no action taken against the couple, who joined at Auckland and sailed by the vessel. The concealment of the money had been carried out in a very cunning manner, which involved a considerable amount of labour. Layers of cardboard the size of the bottom of the trunk and hatbox had been punched with numerous holes the size of a halfcrown. After each layer of cardboard was filled with half-crowns the whole surface was pasted over with brown paper, which prevented the coins from rattling. The top of the layer in the trunk and hatbox appeared to be the inside of the bottom of the receptacle. So solid had the layers set with the dried paste that the two officers had considerable difficulty in digging out the coins with knives. It was a gamble on the part of the couple to save £3O in exchange, but they lost their £l2O instead.