THEFT OF BULLION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXXI, 8 June 1916, Page 4

THEFT OF BULLION.

A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY.

BT TELEGEAPH —PBESS ASSOCIATION. : WAIHI, June 7. The arrest of William Smith, em- \ ' ployed at the Waihi Gold Mining Co:'s j Waikino mill, for alleged theft of bullion, has disclosed a remarkable series |■ of thefts of cyanide solution, containing gold and silver. The depredations . have apparently been extending over a ! considerable period, but just how long [ j and to what extent of loss to the com- ! pany is not known. In view of the : monthly output of £26,000 to £27,000 !j it would be difficult to detect small peculations, but the evidence points to j a systematic theft of precipitates, conj taining precious metals, by a cunningly designed arrangement. I The discovery was made of a prej cipitating box concealed inside a drain land subsequent, tracing disclosed that it was supplied; with a solution by a small pipe, which ran along underground, and had been surreptitiously 1 connected to one of the main solution pipes. The plant was not disturbed, and, as a result of watching, Smith was caught red-handed carrying away a billy containing the bullion precipitate. A search of Smith's house .revealed a number of tms of' precipitate of considerable value, also plumbago arf! crucibles for melting precipitates or slimes, and a mould for producing bullion ingots. For some time Smith's style of living was quite beyond that commensurate with his ordinary earnings. This aroused local comment, but it Was explained by alleged, other sources of revenue.