MAIL ROBBERY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 229, 27 August 1929, Page 2

MAIL ROBBERY

TWO BAGS OPENED. AUCKLAND, Aug. 26. A mail robbery was committed at the Netherton Post Office during the week-end, two bags of mail being stolen and letters opened. The two bags of mail, one from the Paeroa Post Office and one from a travelling post office, were deposited in a locked mail container at Netherton on Saturday afternoon. As the post' office is closed on Saturday afternoons, the mails would not be dealt with until Monday morning ,or Sundav afternoon. A settler, Mr W. Smith, was collecting wood on the river bank about 300 yards below the post office when he saw a mail bag caught in some rushes on the bank. He immediately communicated with the mail carrier, and when the bag was recovered it was found that every letter had been opened, had apparently heen searched, and then replaced in one of the bags, which had been placed in the second bag and thrown into the river. The postmaster at Paeroa was communicated with and together with the police visited the scene and made a thorough search for further mail matter. The contents of the post office had in no way been interfered with, and nothing other than the two mail bags was missing. The opened mail was as far as possible delivered to the addressees to-dav. The postal authorities cannot estimate what has been stolen, but believe that the contents of some packages are missing.