RETURN TO NORMAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24102, 22 October 1941, Page 6

RETURN TO NORMAL

BELIEF IN DISTRICT EFFECTIVE SIGNAL SYSTEM GROWCOTT BROTHERS' WORK (S.R.) HOKITIIvA, Tuesday The population of the Kokatahi and Koiterangi districts was materially reduced to-day, when 40 members of the police party and many of the soldiers who assisted in the search for Graham left for their homes. Police, signallers and Territorials still left on the ground are busy packing up their gear and cleaning their camp sites. Among the gear to be recovered is 11 miles of wiring which was used in connecting all key houses in the district to a central telephone system. The system proved to be of the greatest value in Graham's capture. Immediately he aopeared, well away from the Growcott brothers, who made a habit of watching the creek bed above their homestead every night, the whole force was given orders to stand by, and the necessary men were sent at once to their proper posts. So efficiently did the signalling system work that headquarters and other stations were able to listen to an eye-witness account of the capture sent out by a signals officer at the forward post. The work of the Growcott brothers has earned high praise from the police and Army authorities and from the settlers. They were some distance from their homestead when they saw Graham approaching, and very coolly retired as he advanced, until they had established contact with the police party under Sergeant Callaghnn. Mr. Henry Growcott then went further back to warn approaching cars to stop, and Mr. Robert Growcott joined in the final stalk of Graham. The district went cheerfully to-day about its normal tasks. In every home the ordinary routine was thankfully reestablished, and children, who in some cases had been absent a fortnight from their homes, returned. SERIES OF INQUESTS GATHERING OF EVIDENCE fBY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION'] GREYMOUTH, Tuesday Detectives are continuing the work of gathering evidence for submission at the inquests arising from the Koiterangi shootings. The inquest on Graham, opened to-day, will be resumed to-morrow before the coroner, Mr. Benjamin, in order to record the evidence of Constables Quirke and Ross and the statements of Graham, as it is desired to obviate the necessity for these police officers to return to Hokitika when this inquest has to be finalised.

Prior to the inquest on Graham, three others were opened, the first on th» three police officers, Sergeant Cooper and Constables Tulloch and , Jordan, the second on the Home Guardsmen, Messrs. Hutchinson and Coulson, and the third on Constable Best. All were mainly for identification purposes, and were adjourned sine die. It may he weeks, or perhaps months, before the verdicts are delivered, because the only surviving victim of the shootings, Mr. Ridley, whose evidence will be essential, is still a patient in the Westland Hospital. His condition is still reported to be serious.