The Star. FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1913. THEFTS IN TRANSIT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10682, 31 January 1913, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1913. THEFTS IN TRANSIT.

,At altogether-too frequent intervals complaints are made by, merchants and importers -of■ thefts of goods committed iri transit. There is always more or lWs difficulty also ,in locating the thefts, and when those concerned fail in doing 90 an awkward position is left. The goods 'may have been stolen at the port of shipment before the packages went oil board. Thoy.may have been stolen on board the vessel during the voyage. They may have been stolen at the port of discharge, or while, en route by rail to their final destination. Until the actiial thief is found out suspicion rests all along the line of handling, and this 'is'-''ah- altogether unpleasant state of affairs for those concerned. . New Zealand is not the only colony which has to complain of thefts in. transit, as these are just as frequent in the States of the Commonwealth as they are here, and it is their frequency that has induced an inventor in Melbourne, acting on the principle that prevention is better than cure, to turn his attention to the making of a packing case that cannot- be pillaged. . He is not the first , man who has essayed this task, but he seems to have reached a degree of'.- success that ought to bo heartily welcomed by the importers to whom those thefts are both a serious loss and .a great annoyance. Mr Isaac Davis is, the inventor referred to. Ho is a member of the Benoni Company,- Western Australia, and, after working for a long time upon the problem, he has patented' tho result of his genius, which is what he. claims to be a thief-proof c»se. A demonstration was given in Melbourne recently, at Bradshaw's College, before an audience of business men anil others, including thp chief detective of the railways and representatives of the port authorities. After the devico had been explained £25 was placed inside it as a present for anyone who could extract it without smashing the case. All present admitted defeat. , The case is thus describeid :—When closed it, has no visible fastenings save a recessed padlock. In place of tho usual battels there aro, inside the case, strips of strong metal, to which the planks are secured from tho inside. The sides are hold to the bottom by simple metal fastenings inside the caso, and the lid is held iiv place by a similar arrangement and the padlock. To open the case by prising off a plank on the side, or in any way except by removing the padlock, appears to be quite impossible. Compared with a packing case of the ordinary type, the Davis ckso is slightly heavier, but has a greater cubic capacity compared with the out-side measurement. It will cost, it is stated, 25 per cent more. It is claimed for it that it cannot be telescoped, and, as it c/m be used time after time, the extra initial cost is more than "'counterbalanced. The inside fastenings being flush with the wood, the caso, can be zinc-lined in tho ordinary way. If tho invention merits all that is claimed for it, it will be welcomed heartily by importers, and will tend very greatly to reduce the'number of thefts in-, transit.