WEST COAST NEWS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 409, 2 June 1915, Page 6

WEST COAST NEWS.

DR THACKER'S VISIT. HIS PRESENCE AT THE CARNIVAL From Our Special Correspondent. GREYMOUTH, May 31. The Coast has been dazzled by a visit from that lively politician, Dr Thacker, of Christchurch. Ar- ' riving when the contest for the posi- , tion of Queen of the Carnival was raging most fiercely, he grandilo- . quently announced that he was not ' going to take sides, but would adopt, ■ an attitude of perfect neutrality to- 1 wards each candidate. No sooner, however, did Jte arrive in Hokitika, on the 24th, than he warmly es- * poused the cause of the "Sports'* representative, and began to auc- ' tion various articles for her benefit, including his own shirt collar, which a wag said resembled : its owner, in that it was not of any great value. But the Commercial Travellers proved more than a " match for the political bantling, w T ho is , . manifestly suffering from a severe [ attack of megalomania. Having quickly encircled him in a species of hollow square, the Greymouth Battalion Band, on one side,, the, Commercials, on another, and '' a ; clever company of fantasticallydressed, jibbering Chinamen, from the north, on the third side, these all having been set going 'at 'the ' same time, speedily put an iend to • Dr Thacker's venture as a> knight v of. the hammer. As soon as the Grey- . mouth candidatehad been proclaimed queen, the doctor endeavoured to ingratiate himself into the good- - will of the Commercials, but • the latter, would have no- - thing to do with him. So when he pushed his political countenance in the door of the room in - which they were their ; success, he was ordered, in very f or-- : cible language, to withdraw.. This ,- he did quickly,and thereupon sought; out Mr P. C. Webb, in order to salve : his wounded feelings. When ih - Greymouth, Dr Thacker ' delivered : to a thin house an address which; he mildly described, as a hotch-potch -~ 6f sports, politics,' and piffle, the League game of football occupying-* the most prominent position there-v. in.' ' ' '"■ ',' ' '" > •-■-■-- . CROWNING THE QUEEN. The all-absorbing topic during the ..- past week, and Jhe f pne.which com-. pleteiy ? overshadowed all others, was the. election of the Queen of the Westland Carnival. The promoters set out originally to raise £2OOO for the Belgium., Fund, but mainly ow-.; . Ihg 4o> ? rivaJry createdby J the * • nomination, iou t the Commercial Travellers-W the Coast, of Miss Gieseking, a young Greymouth girl, the large sum of £6OOO was realised. Considering the comparatively populationj the voting was * verjr heavy; the total being '641,741, of which the successful competitor, Miss Gieseking, received no fewer than 200,201. Although the weather was uninviting, the number of visitors to Hokitika on the 24th, the day on which the result was announced, is said to have exceeded that of the mining jubilee which was celebrated there some time ago. The coronation ceremony was performed with great pomp and circumstance in the Princess Theatre, before an immense audience, Mr Haszard carrying out .*' the duty of investment. Patriotic., addresses were delivered by the Deputy-Mayor and Mr T. E. Y. Seddon, M.P. Before the audience dispersed, the Deputy-Mayor presented Nurse Isdell, of Kumara, who was one of the candidates,; and who ; is '■■■•■> leaving immediately for the seat of war, with a well-filled purse of sovereigns. TROOPS TOR TRENTHAM. On Saturday, the 29th, about 50 volunteers left Greymouth to join the extra regiment at Trentham. The troops, who were in charge of Sergt.Major Capelow r , were a fine body of • men. Of these, seven belonged to Greymouth, and one to Hokitika, the rest all coming from outside districts. Blackball and Reef ton were r> very strongly represented, and included in their number men who had previously opposed the working of the Defence Act, but who realise now that, if the British Empire and freedom are to stand, Prussian militarism must be destroyed. Grey vmouth, the largest town on the-•:. ' Coast, cuts a sorry figure in this re- , cruiting business. Fewer than 40 men have proceeded to the front sinceythe war broke out, and several of those were married. From whatever cause, the number of shirkers—strong, able-bodied, single young men without any ties, and without having anybody in the world depending upon them —is, to say the least, alarming, and the Government 'will deserve the execration of all rightminded persons unless it takes drastic measures to compel those shirkers and wasters to take an active part in the defence of the Empire. * VETERAN JOURNALIST. The oldest journalist o* the West Coast, and one of the oldest in the Dominion, in the person of Charles • Mirfin, who has been editor and proprietor of the "Inangahua Herald" for more than 43 years, died at Reefton on the 24th. The late Mr Mirfin joined the literary staff of the "Otago Daily Times" as far back as 1862, when the contributors to that journal formed one of the most brilliant groups of literary giants that have ever been associated with any colonial newspaper. Julius VogeJ,. editor; Robinson, sub-editor; Harrison, who afterwards edited the "Grev River Argus" for many years; G. Bell, late owner of the "Star"; Ebenezer Fox, formerly of the "Manchester Guardian;" Reid, B. L. Far j eon, Judge Robinson, and Brown form a galaxy that it would be difficult to equal." Until.; some 25 or 30 years ago there ' were few higher authorities on commercial law than the gentler man who has joined the majority. Mr Mirfin was a very able leader writer, and a forceful and capable : platform orator.