LUXURY LINER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 14 March 1939, Page 10

LUXURY LINER

THEFTS ON BOARD TWO MEN ARRESTED THIEVES BREAK INTO BARBER'S SHOP I Unite.) Press Association I WELLINGTON. This Day. A robbery took place on board the luxury liner SLralhallan during her cruise in New Zealand waters in the past few days. Thieves broke into the barber’s shop and stole watches, cigarette cases, a camera, and trinkets, valued at £IOO to £l5O.

Smart investigations by detectives resulted in the recovery of the articles and the arrest of two members of the ciew before the liner left Wellington last night for Sydney, her departure being delayed 90 minutes while the police completed their inquiries. The men will appear in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, this morning, charged with the theft.

The Strathallan arrived at Auckland last Friday with 950 passengers. She d'sembarked some 200 of her trippers, who wished to travel overland through the North Island. She sailed on Saturday evening for Wellington.

The following day the articles were missed from the barber’s shop. As in most large passenger liners, this is more than a mere hairdresser’s booth where accoiding to taste passengers can obtain shave, haircut or permanent wave; it is a store selling sweets, jewellery, cosmetics, drugs, garments, souvenirs, articles of every description. For a pleasure cruise,, it is usual to carry valuable stocks. On arrival at Wellington the robbery was at once reported and three detectives started to investigate. They were faced with a difficult task, having only about 12 hours to seek the thieves among a passenger list of nearly 1000, and a crew of 200 men. They had also to search the ship, a veritable floating city, for the missing articles. The Strathallan was scheduled to leave Wellington at 6.30 last evening, on her return to Sydney. When the hour struck crowds were waiting on the wharf, passengers leaning over the rail ready to say goodbye. All those passengers who had come overland from Auckland had repaired on board. Ranks of cars lined Oriental Parade to watch the liner put to sea. The tug waited under the big ship’s side, blowing off steam impatiently. But the Strathallan did not sail.

For an hour and a half she lay beside the wharf. Good-byes were prolonged. Speculation was rife among the crowds on the wharf.

As 8 o’clock was striking, the gangway was lowered, mooring lines cast off, and the Strathallan hooted thrice

and backed off slowly into the stream. But shortly before this happened, detectives were seen leaving the ship, and word went around that an arrest had been made in connection with a robbery on board. While the liner, a blaze of light, receded down harbour with her carefree trippers, two of her crew remained

ashore in Wellington, undergoing interrogation at the Central Police Station. It is understood that the stolen articles were recovered and that the two men will be charged before a magistrate this morning.