RUMOURS AND RAIDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 791, 14 April 1910, Page 6

RUMOURS AND RAIDS.

DOGS WANTED. AEBIVAL OF DOMINION SCOOTS. LOCAL VOLUNTEERS AGGRIEVED. By TeleeraDk.—Press Association.! ' Palmerston, North, April 13 (midnight). This has been a blank day in regard to Powelka incidents, and the town has aeen very quiet, as 'the police have been 3ut scouring the country.Knots of people have gathered about ;he Police Station, but nothing like the numbers.of, recent''days. Many reports have come in through the lay from farmers and others who have >een a disturbance among their sheep or iave.seen men disappearing in'the scrub >r. bush. Every swagger now is reported is Powelka. ' i Just before midnight last night, for instance, there was a call .to secure Powelka in an empty house about a mile jut of town, and the police surrounded ind carefully approached. To' the surprise of everyone an old man of .65 crawled jut, awakened from his sleep. This is )nly one of many similar raids with no better result. The police have constantly felt the want rf dogs, and after this there should lertainly be a couple of half-bred cattlo logs or bull terriers at each station, ivhich could accompany constables on their beats and excursions, and be trained by them to scent ont men. Had the police bad such dogs, Powelka could have been secured long ago, and especially at Ashhurst. There he actually lay in a toi bush, in the midlde of a ; paddock, while the searchers were all round- him and searching bush and scrub. Any dog would have made him reveal himself. This is the opinion of Inspectors Ellison, Wilson, rod O'Donovan, as well as men actually an search. . Scouts and Local Volunteers. There is considerable local feeling over a parly of Dominion Scouts in uniform, under Captain DaLrymplc, being brought from Wellington to join in the search. Numbers of the local Volunteer corps and officers have assisted the police from the beginning as private citizens, and have done useful work in watches, etc. The Manawatu Mounted Rifles' squads have been out, but they were informed that they must not ,be considered as volunteers, but m private capacity, and though mounted had no uniforms. Other corps have similarly helped and volunteered for further service, but while-they were declined these Wellington men'were accepted- The Woodville Mounted Biles i . . . .. ■■.

also arranged to scont the ranges, but were refused permission. The Wellington Scouts have had South African service, but so have scores of local volunteers, who have the additional advantage of knowing the district. On the arrival of the Scouts last night thev sot to work at once, and had Powelka bailed up in a tannery at In the midst of a storm the police were called out and found them with rifles surrounding a man who, of course, was not Powelka. The weather is again fine to-day, thoush very cold to-night. b The body of Michael Quirke was taken to Paniatua in a hearse, and will be buried there at 2.30 to-morrow