GIRL STILL MISSING

Chronicle (Levin), 7 December 1949, Page 5

GIRL STILL MISSING

Press Assbbiation)

More Searchers Needed For Tararua Quest

(Per

MASTERTON, DeC. 7. •An extensiye- searcn is still being made by large parties in the Tar atua Eanges for the missing 17-year-old girl, Merle GVvynne, of Masterton, but without result. Today an appeai was being made for more searchers. Miss Gwynne and, 37 other girls from Solway Coliege left Bannister Hut shortly after 1.30 p.m. on Saturday to climb the mountain. She became separated from her group and was- not missed until about 5:15 p.m. when the party reached the bottom of the track on the re'turn journey. Fears for Miss Gwynne's safety increase hourly. She has now spent four nights and days in the open, cla'd in light clothing and in bad weather conditions. Many trampers are engaged in the search, a -number of whom have been taking part since the commencement. The centre of operations is the Bapnister-Hut. ; Last evening the president of the Levin- waiopehu Tramping Club, Mr. N. M. Thomson, and thred members, Messrs L. Edwards, A. Seddon and M. Bishop, left for Masterton to join the search. They were proceeding to the Bannister Hut and had been given prior advice that they would start operations at 4.30. a.m. today. Wireless communication has •been difficult under the existing weather, but fresh equipment was packed in last night,: The Wairarapa branch of the Emergency Radio Corps is handling all communieations, and arrangements have been made for the radio at the police station to relay to a transmitter in Masterton where the power can be increased tenfold and enable satisfactory operations under any conditions. Electrical interference was bad yesterday. Last night an emergenGy call was sent over the amateur waveband to clear a channel to allow these sets to operate. The Emergency Corps reports the utmost co-operation from amateurs all over New Zealand.