MISSING MAIL BAG

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 6 August 1928, Page 5

MISSING MAIL BAG

FROM INVERCARGILL EXPRESS

TRAIN

(By Telegraph.—Press Association)

INVERCARGILft, 3rd August. A mail bag containing a quantity of registered mail was stolen from the van of the night express which left Invercargill at, 6.40 p.m. on Sunday last. This information was conveyed to the press late to-night by W. T. Johnston, chief postmaster, Invercargill. Twenty-two hags were placed on the van here and oni making a check at Dunedin,' One was' found to be missing. ,The :.one that was not accounted for ' contained a mail for Christchurch, Nelson, Blenheim and all North Island towns,- with the exception of Wellington and Auckland. 1 The matter was placed in the hands of'the police here and at Dunedin and although the railway track has been thoroughly searched no signs of the missing mail have' been discovered. The mail van on the night express is placed between passenger cars and sleeping cars, and to reach the latter it is necessary for passengers, to pass through the van. Thus it would he possible for persons to pass through the van while the guard was attending to his duties in another part of the train. At three, stations between here and ‘Dunedin mail is taken in, but none is put off. The affair at present is shrouded in mystery. _ COMPLAINT BY BUSINESS MEN

INVERCARGILL, This Day. Soiqp pointed remarks deprecating tire considerable delay in announcing the loss ! of a mail bag from the night express on Sunday, 29th July, were made by business men, the concensus of opinion being that the senders of the mail were entitled to know of the occurrence as early as possible in order that arrangements could be made to prevent unnecessary inconvenience. '' According to the district traffic manager, Mr J. Pickard, the theft would not .be so simple as might h.e thought, since porters were in attendance at the van until the actual time of departure of the train, when they closed the doo-rs. “It has been ascertained,” continued Mr .Pickard, “that there was no possibility of .theft between Invercargill and Dunedin. When the train reaches Dunedin the van door is opened by porters, who remain by it until they have finished 'their“work, -when“the - doors are- closed again. For anyone to have gone out of the carriage and deliberately to have walked into the 'guard’s van is increcT ible. There is an element of grave risk since the guard is likely to return to his vail at any time. There is also the pos--. sißility of being seen by passengers in the compartment next to .the van.