ROBBERIES IN FIJI

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 1 April 1932, Page 2

ROBBERIES IN FIJI

SUMS OE £7OO AND £4OO RAIDS ON THJE TREASURY MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES Particulars of the theft of £7OO from the Fiji Treasury at Suva, which was rejirlcd by cable last week, came to hand by the Karotu a few days ago. When the staff of the Treasury returned to the office on the morning of Monday, 21st March, alter the week-end, the startling discovery was made that a number of hank notes, totalling approximately £7OO, had been taken Jiom an office safe. The “N.Z. Herald’s” correspondent says:—“When the office closed on Saturday, 19th March, the officer in charge of this money was under the repression that lie had locked the safe, but on Monday morning when the office was opened the safe was found open. The Fijian office boy said lie was certain that worn lie arrived the windows and Mors wc;e securely closed. A strange feat .ire of the case is that the safe container! a considerable amount of money in si-ver and notes, and that that whin vvis taken represents only a small proportion of the whole. No silver was lake i. “Next door to the office from which the money was taken is situated the Treasury vaults, in which are contained the coin necessary to hack the Government note issue. At the present time, tins is estimated at approximately £88,01)0, and is comprised of gold and silver.

“From four o’clock in the evening until nine o’clock in the morning the vaults arc guarded by two Fijiian constables. armed with rifles and bayonets, the guard being changed every two hours. If the premises had been entered during the night, or during the day on Sunday, the fact could hardly have escaped the notice of the sentries who patrol the verandah outside. “The police are making diligent investigations, and have thoroughly examined the safe for fingerprints. Jil official circles the matter is causing sonic perturbation. Recently a sum amounting to approximately £4OO was stolen from the Treasury at Ba, and up Lo the present only about ball' of this amount has been recovered.”