LATE LOCALS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 November 1917, Page 3

LATE LOCALS

Miss Moynihan’s usual weekly dance in the Supreme Hall will he held tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 8 o’clock —Advt.

' At Greymouth to-day Air. Jeremiah AlcCarthy, for 3o years a continuous member of the Grey County Council was elected chairman unopposed for the fourth time.

With the advent of the hot weather, surf and river bathing is in full swing. Every care, however, should he given by bathers, otherwise we will have to record accidents, perhaps to life. Last night on the river hank a young girl who was bathing got out of her depth, and had it not been for the presence of an elder relative, a lad of 14 years, who was on the river hank, and seeing her in difficulties, jumped in fully clothed, and dragged her out, a serious fatality might have had to he recorded.

A correspondent writes—A meeting of the N\Z.P.L.P., Hokitika Branch, was held in Warren’s Hotel last night, when it was decided that Mr. Turley speak at Rimu on Friday and Mr. Hunter at Ruatapu on the aims of the Labour Party. A public meeting is to he held in Hokitika on one night next week. Time and place, also speakers will he published in Monday’s issue of this paper. The meeting was a representative one and tho Labour Party will he able to come out with considerably over 100 members by next week. A London correspondent says : —- There lias been a mobilisation of ferrets in England for transport to the war area in France. Anyone who knows the old battle ground of the Somme will guess the reason for the ferrets. They are to fight the rats. The west side of that area, says the “Daily News,” swarms with rats (“as big as rabbits”), which flourish in the endless galleries in the chalk hills left' by the Germans such as St. Pierre Divion and Moquet Farm. They have become so impudent that the big ones will dispute a narrow alley when approached. Another curious result of the war is that numbers of parrots have been made homeless. Their owners have been called up and have been forced to send them" to the wild beast dealer as the only address. It will bo remembered that a day or two after the recent murder at- Runnnga the Government offered a reward of £soo' to anyone providing information that would lead to the arrest of the culprit. Since the arrest of Egger.q there has been considerable discussion amongst tho public to how the reward will be apportioned, if the accused man is found guilty of the crime. Tho general opinion appears to he that the detectives eon- | cerned in the matter will receive nothing owing to [the fact that they ' are Government servants and that their

duty is the apprehending of offenders against the law. From enquiries made the fact that the detectives are Government servants has nothing to do with the matter, and should Eggers prove to be the guilty man they will be entitled to their share of the reward, together with all those who were directly concerned with the arrest. When the case has been finally dealt with a report will he forwarded to the Commissioner of Police who will have the final word in the matter of apportioning the reward.