STOLEN AND BURNED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19459, 15 October 1926, Page 10

STOLEN AND BURNED.

DESTRUCTION OF MOTOR-CARS. ANOTHER GARAGE RAIDED. MANY THEFTS IN CITY. HEAVY LOSSES FOR OWNERS. Within two days there have been two instances in the city of the destruction of cars by fire after illicit borrowing. A particularly impudent instance was provided on Wednesday when Mr. F. M. Hills, of Arney Road, Remuera, found his car at Ellerslie completely burned, after its theft from the garage at the owner's residence. Yesterday Mr. William Archer, of Mount Albert Road, Three Kings, had an identical experience. He found his five-seater car, which had been taken from his garage on Tuesday evening, abandoned in Richardson Road, Mount Roskill, and likewise completely destroyed by fire. The car was insured for £250, and Mr. Archer estimates his loss at £125 above this amount. The prevalence of motor thefts has engaged the serious attention of motoring organisations throughout the Dominion. The "borrowing" of cars has become almost a daily occurrence. Long List of Depredations.

The depredations which motorists in the city have had to suffer in the short period from June 1 last make interesting reading. The number of cars stolen in less than four months totals 33, two of which were recovered damaged, while no fewer than four have been found burned. These figures were taken from the files of the Herald, but as there are many cases which are not reported to the newspapers, they no doubt represent only a portion of these occurrences. Recently a suggestion was made in a symposium of motorists' opinions given in the columns of the Herald that tho only effective means of dealing with the nuisance was to make the penalty not only' for the destruction of cars, in many cases the property of persons not blessed with a surfeit of wealth, but also for their theft, imprisonment without the option of a fine. Motorists were also enjoined to exercise greater precaution, bat there have been many instances where extreme caution has proved unavailing, and the latest instances suggest a car is not safe. even in the owner's garage. Mr. Wohlmann's Comments.

Two such glaring instances of vandalism suggest the possibility of some organised campaign, but this view was not supported by the Superintendent of Police, Mr. W. G. Wohlrnann, who was asked last evening if the police had any theory regarding the motive for the theft and destruction of motor-cars. Mr. Wohlrnann said it was extremely unlikely there was any definite campaign of destruction. The burning of the cars was probably due to accident or to mishandling by a person not thoroughly acquainted with the mechanism. There was, of course, always the possibility of the fire being a deliberate act by an abnormal individual. The very fact that the cars were stolen before being destroyed indicated that they were in the possession of unbalanced persons from whom acts of serious mischief might be expected. Such individuals might burn the cars deliberately with ihe idea of destroying evidence of them having been in possession of the car. The superintendent, however, reiterated his opinion that although the matter >was serious the cases stood by themselves and were not part of an organised scheme of destruction.