FAREWELL TO SERGEANT GRIFFITH

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10416, 31 March 1910, Page 4

FAREWELL TO SERGEANT GRIFFITH

A number of residents of Oamaru :uid the surrounding district met in "ilie Police "Station this afternoon for the purpose of saying good-bye to Sergeant Griffith, who is leaving for nnc. making a presentation to }'-••• C. : .--initli. Those present included the (Mr K. Milligan), the Hon. T. V. .Duncan, ex-Sergeant O'Grady, Mc :v; J. B. Grave, Creagh, .Hjorrin;.-;, Ci;:; ic\ and others. The Mayor, in making i'?:? .~qntation, said that the Sergeant iia'J been four years in tlie district, j:nd the people thought it would be ungrateful if they let him go without recognising liis work in some way. He believed that the community generally iir.d appreciated the efforts the Sergeant had made on behalf of.the peace or the town. The money which went to make up the purse of sovereigns was subscribed with the utmost readiness. He then handed the purse of sovereigns to Mrs Griffith. Mr Creagh (Crown Prosecutor) said that he had come into close contact with Sergeant Griffith. Ho had always found him very capable and very anxious to do his duty in everything. There were different ways of doing unpleasant duties which had sometimes to be done by tlie police, but Sergeant Griffith had always done those duties in the right way. He wished him every health and prosperity in his new post tion.

The Hon. T. Y. Duncan referred to the long service of the Sergeant, from 1876 with the Royal Policeia Treland. During that time lie had served in many parts of the Dominion, hut so far as the speaker knew no harsh thing had been said of him. In Onmaru it was the same, except from a few people who had been prosecuted I>y the Sergeant. It seemed a pity that they should have to part with him when he had readied an advanced time of life, but it had l)pen decreed that lie should leave, so they had to make the best of it. He wished Sersreant Griffith God-speed. Ex-Sergeant O'Grady, after a tirade against the injustice of the Government in transferring Sergeant Griffith, said that no one could know the difficulties that lay in the path of a sergeant of poice especially in a no-license district. He thought the Sergeant had been injured and his little home broken up by the action of a few busybodic.s, who had worked on a Government that had not had backbone enough to stand ' against them. Mr Hjorring, speaking on behalf of the defending soicitors, said that Sergeant Griffith had always been as fair a prosecutor as they could desire. Mr J. Moore and Mr Clarke also spoke. Sergeant Griffith thanked those present for the presentation and the many kind things that had been said about himself. He referred to the difficulties of the policeman's life, and said that it. was particularly gratifying to lu'm after trying to do his duty to find that his work had been appreciated. When his time came to retire he should come back to live in Oamaru.