SEARCH FOR SILVER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21988, 24 June 1933, Page 12

SEARCH FOR SILVER

THE WANGANELLA COMBED POLICE DRAW A BLANK (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, June 23. There were lively scenes at the central wharf when the police carried out a search for silver on the Wanganella prior to the departure of the vessel for Sydney. It was the .most impressive raid made by the police in Auckland ,for many years, the steamer being boarded by 26 uniformed constables, eight detectives and 14 Customs officers. The search was conducted on somewhat similar lines to that carried out on the same vessel at Wellington on June 8, when over £7OO worth of silver was seized. Instead,, however, of commencing the search when the vessel was scheduled to sail, namely, 3 p.m., the raiding party started operations at 10 a.m. By 12.30 p.m. the ship had Deen minutely combed from stem to stern, but at 3 o’clock, when she pulled' out from the wharf, not a solitary piece of silver had been discovered. The scale and the thoroughness of the search must have exercised a profound moral effect on persons who might have been tempted to flout the Government’s ban’ on the export of silver, and in this respect it achieved a large measure of success. In the hour preceding the vessel’s departure every passenger was carefully scrutinised by Customs officers, detectives who mingled in the throng and two police officers in uniform who stood at the gangway. Several passengers who were staggering under the weight of heavy portmanteaux were asked to display the contents of their luggage, and the Customs officials occasionally picked up bags and parcels to test their weight. Two police matrons stood near the gangway in readiness to search women passengers should suspicions be aroused. Their services, however, were not called upon. Amazing scenes were witnessed on board the ship. Their uniforms covered in dust and their hands and faces begrimed, industrious policemen swarmed over the vessel with electric torches inspecting the darkened corners of the holds, climbing down into the engine room and bilges, creeping along the propeller tunnel and peering into the ship’s galleys and pantries. Detectives with tape measures examined the cabin walls and panels for likely spaces in which contraband might be hidden, and two officers looked inside the vessel’s dummy funnel which is used as a store room. In the lounges, the drawing rooms, and writing rooms, the upholstery of easy chairs and the settees was carefully probed in case there should be a secret hiding place. Policemen looked inside pianos, behind volumes in bookcases and in ornaments in the china cupboards. Covers were taken off every lifeboat on the boat deck, and in the crew’s quarters and officers’ cabins a thorough search was made of the personal luggage. In the absence of (he occupants the passengers’ cabins' were examined, and any luggage left in them was weighed or opened up. THE TAMAROA SEARCHED POLICE EFFORT UNREWARDED. (Pee United Peers Association.i WELLINGTON, June 23. In pursuance of the Government’s endeavours to stop the illegal export of silver coin a thorough search of the liner Tamaroa was made to-day by about 40 members of the police force. It was stated, however, that they failed to find any silver coin aboard the vessel. The Tamaroa is due to (leave at / a.m. to-morrow for Southampton and London, and the search was carried out before the passengers went aboard. Police; searches have been made of fhe intercolonial vessels Wanganella and Marama, but the Tamaroa is the 6’st Home liner to he searched. It is commonly reported that about £SOOO in silver .coin was taken Home by passengers on one liner a few months ago, while in many cases the quantity taken has run into many hundreds of pounds.