ROBBERIES IN FIJI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21144, 30 March 1932, Page 11

ROBBERIES IN FIJI.

SUMS OF £7OO AND £4OO. RAIDS ON THE TREASURY. LATEST THEFT AT SUVA. MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. Particulars of the theft of £7OO from the Fiji Treasury at Suva, which was reported bv cable last week, came to hand by the Knrctu yesterday. When the staff of the Treasury returned to the office on the morning of Monday, March 21, after the week-end, tho startling discovery was made that a number of bank notes, totalling approximately £7OO, had been taken from an office safe.

The Herald's correspondent says:— "When tho office closed on Saturday, March 19. the officer in charge of this money was under the impression that lie had locked tho safe, but on Monday morning when the office was opened the safe was found open. The Fijian office boy said he was certain that when he arrived the windows and door were securely closed. A strange feature of the case is that the safe contained a considerable amount of money in silver and notes, and that that which was taken represents only a small proportion of the whole. No silver was taken.

"Next door to the office from which the money was taken is situated the Treasury vaults, in which aro contained tho coin necessary to back the Government note issue. At the present time this is estimated at approximately £BB,OOO, and is comprised of gold and silver.

"From four o'clock in the evening until nine o'clock in the morning the vaults are guarded by two Fijian 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.

''Tile police are making diligent investigations, and have thoroughly examined the safe for fingerprints. In official circles Iho matter is causing some perturbation, Recently a sum amounting to approximately £4OO was stolen from the Treasury at Ba, and up to the present only about half of this amount has been recovered."