ATTEMPT TO BLOW SAFE

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1931, Page 6

ATTEMPT TO BLOW SAFE

FARMERS’ CO-OP. BUILDING STRONGROOM LOCK SHATTERED. FAILURE TO AFFECT ENTRANCE. An unsuccei-eful attempt wae made to “blow” the strongroom of the Favnicrs’ Co-operative Organisation Society in Courtenay Street, New Plymouth, on Friday night, but the charge shattered the lock without giving access to the room. Entrance to the building was <rained by a window on the eastern side. The window through which the intruders entered is in the office, and opens on to a landing outside. Once in the building it was easy to reach the strongroom door in a passage on the northern side of the room into which access had been gained. Explosive had evidently been placed in the lock, but it failed to open the door and resulted only in the shattering of the lock, and a locksmith’s services had to be secured to open the door, it proving necessary to cut the lock out. . . Other rooms in the office side of the building had been traversed, but so far as could be ascertained nothing was missinc*. The drawers in the office desk of Mr.°W. H. Wagstaff had been rifled, but nothing of value was removed. The other parts of the premises were securely locked from the office and there was no trace of an entry having been made to any other part of the building. 5 The discovery was made when the premises were opened on Saturday morning, Mr. A. Rankin, storeman, and Mr. G. Webster, a clerk, noticing light showing from an outside door. which was found open. This was evidently used as a way out. Pieces of fuse were found lying in the passage close to the strongroom but the explosion had caused no damage to any part of the building.