SAFES BLOWN OPEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18584, 17 December 1923, Page 8

SAFES BLOWN OPEN.

BURGLARS ACTIVE IN CITY.

EVIDENCE OF GANG AT WORK

Incidents reported to the police last week indicate that a gang of safe-breakers are carrying on persistent operations in Auckland. During the week they made daring attempts at burglary at two factories in the city, blowing open the safes in each building, but failing to make any hauls. The scene of the first operations was the office of the New Zealand Bacon Factory in Stanley Street- The. burglars broke into the office on Tuesday night and blew open the safe with a charge of gelignite, but fortunately the only contents were books and papers. The next attempt was made on Thursday night at Messrs. Kelley and Rattray's boot factory in Belgium Street. Here the office safe was shattered in a similar fashion, but again the burglars secured nothing of value. Last week's occurrences bring the number of burglaries of this nature to four within the last three months. The first instance was the blowing open 'of the safe, at the office of Messrs. Parkinson and Company in Victoria Street, while a short time ago a safe in tho office of the Glenafton Collieries, in Eden Terrace, was similarly broken. In both cases little of value was taken. In the case of the Glenafton Collieries, the sound of the explosion attracted the attention of a number of residents and the operators had a • narrow • escape from , discovery in the act.