SEVERAL THEFTS AT WEEK-END

Southland Times, Issue 24861, 29 September 1942, Page 4

SEVERAL THEFTS AT WEEK-END

TOBACCO AND PETROL STOLEN Thousands of cigarettes and a large quantity of tobacco, valued at about £lOO, were stolen from the Leven street depot of the Single Profit Stores, Limited, presumably during the weekend. The discovery was made yesterday morning. The depot adjoins the railway yards. Entry to the depot was gamed by a hole made in the rear wall of the building. Boards were ripped off and the tin lining cut sufficiently to enable a person or persons of small stature to squeeze through between the joists. All the popular brands of cigarettes were taken by,, the thieves. Hundreds of packets totalling thousands of cigarettes were stolen. The tobacco theft was one of a series of thefts in Invercargill at the weekend. Others included the theft of 58 gallons of petrol from the Southland Carrying Company’s store in Spey street, reported yesterday in The Southland Times, and the theft of petrol and oil fuel from the Queen’s Park golf links. PETROL AND KEROSENE STOLEN The theft was discovered on Sunday morning and reported to the police yesterday. Fourteen gallons of petrol and 20 gallons of power kerosene were stolen. The petrol was taken from a drum containing 18 gallons—four gallons were left in the drum. An empty drum, used presumably to carry away the petrol, was also stolen. As in the theft at the Carrying Company’s store, the lock on the shed at the golf links was cut clean through and it is presumed that the set of boltcutters stolen from the Carrying Company was used at Queen’s Park. Evidence to. support a linking up of the two thefts is shown by marks of one of the Carrying Company’s trucks found at both places. The truck was probably used to carry the booty away.