FIRED MOTOR CARS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10751, 23 November 1928, Page 6

FIRED MOTOR CARS.

THREE GANGS AT WORK IN ■ NORTH.

(Special to the Times.) AUCKLAND, Nov. 20. “To my knowledge there are three gangs at work in Auckland destroying cars by tire—for a consideration.” This assertion was made to the Sun by aii insurance adjuster, who handles a great deal of motor ear losses by fire in the Auckland province.

“The figures show that the number of cars burned in Auckland is tlie highest in the world, when considered on a percentage basis. During last y ear, one insurance eompany in this city paid just under £13,000 in ear losses, including third partyrisks, damage by impact and loss bytheft, and of that amount, approximately 40 per cent of the damage was caused by- lire in and around Auckland. Alotor car thefts have increased enormously during recent months and many of the stolen vehicles have been discovered on lonely and do T sorted roads transformed into heaps of ashes and twisted iron. Alativ of them, the Run’s informant alleges, were worn out and decrepit and, jn over 90 per cent of the fires, were over-insured.

"What thief,, wishing for one moment of sale, swift and delightful travel would worry, aboiit taking ; an old car from a stand when the re. are plenty of new ones for him to, drive in comfort?” asked qno insurance adjuster when ridiculing the suggested genuineness of many motor car tires. “Yet many, of tho burned cars are old models and almost invariably are over-insured.” “Cannot you get at this gangr” one man was asked. “We know who they are and we know thov are operating.” he replied, “but we cannot bring any proof to incriminate them.” “Blow much do they , receive for this work?” “Anything from £lO to £25 a ear. Frequently, oi’ course, it depends upon the success of the owner in his negotiations with the insurance company.” Following upon the question or motor ear thieves and fires, -the Sun says: “The leniency with which motor ear thieves arc dealt with in Police Courts is considered' by several Auckland motoring men to he responsible for tbo increase in this class of offence during the past few months. Alen who handle insurance risks-on stolen and damaged cars assert that the police have not tho co-operation of magistrates in their endeavours to convict and punish offenders. Air G. AY. Hutchinson, secretary of the Auckland Automqb--ile Association, who says the leniency with which offenders are treated by magistrates merely tends to encourage rather than discourage the ramifications of thieves,* adds: “AYe had a case recently in which a night- parking caretaker caught a man red-handed stealing a car. He was brought before the •'■court and his case - adjourned for two years uimn payment of 10a costs. AVe have .sent the facts to tho Minister of Justice, who has agreed that it did, not seem quite right. Greater penalties for motor car. thefts have been sought by the motoring authorities throughout New Zealand, but the Justice Department is diffident about increasing them, because it says if tho term were increased above three months’ imprisonment, as at present, the cases would he taken to the Supreme Court and the chances are that the jury would acquit a man upon a doubtful point, whore a magistrate might feel justified in. convicting,” ... “I do not agree with this view”, Mb Hutchinson said, “because I believe that, if the man is guilty, he will he. dealt with justly by a jury. I think it is an impeachment of the jury system for the Justice Department to foster and express this opinion. However, realising that penalties are made low to keep - hem in the Lower Court, I believe that, in every case, the maximum should ho imposed.

Mr Hutchinson was not alone in his attitude about low penalties. An insurance adjustor whose duty it is to fix the values- of motor cars after they have been destroyed, or in the event of their damage or disappearance, declare/] that the police- have not the goodwill and faith in the magistrates in their efforts to bring offenders to justice.